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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>TIMEhttps://time.com/<!\[CDATA\[Breaking news and analysis from TIME.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science and entertainment news.\]\]>Wed, 14 Oct 2026 22:16:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1<!\[CDATA\[Who Runs the Catholic Church When the Pope Is Hospitalized?\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/who-leads-catholic-church-when-the-pope-is-hospitalized-sick-pope-leo/<!\[CDATA\[World\]\]><!\[CDATA\[As Pope Leo remains hospitalized following his surgery, his audiences have been canceled through Oct. 20, but he remains in charge of the papacy. Here's why.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Alberto Pizzoli—Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Pope Leo XIV gestures during a visit to the Maqam Echahid Martyrs' Monument in El Madania, Algeria, on April 13, 2026.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt42ea10d817ab70ba/6acfe1dac336f26e75a287f9/GettyImages-2270661865.jpg?branch=production)

Pope Leo XIV gestures during a visit to the Maqam Echahid Martyrs' Monument in El Madania, Algeria, on April 13, 2026\. —Alberto Pizzoli—Getty Images

[Pope Leo XIV](https://time.com/7283865/pope-leo-robert-prevost/) is expected to remain hospitalized for around a week after he had part of his right lung removed in an operation on Tuesday. The Vatican said tests had confirmed a [diagnosis](https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/10/13/261013b.html) of lung adenocarcinoma, [the most common type of lung cancer](https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/pope-leo-lung-cancer-what-to-know/) worldwide.

The Pontiff’s first night in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital was “calm,” the Vatican shared in an update Wednesday morning, and doctors have since [said](https://x.com/VaticanNews/status/2110367238595154380) that Leo’s tests show his “recovery is progressing normally.” He has undergone respiratory physiotherapy, has begun walking around his room, and has “resumed eating normally.” Leo will be observed while further tests are performed on his removed cancer tissue, as [doctors determine](https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/pope-leo-lung-cancer-what-to-know/) what treatments might be needed next.

Leo, 71, had publicly addressed his health during [Sunday prayers in St. Peter's Square](https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/angelus/2026/documents/20261011-angelus.html) at the Vatican, during which he said doctors had discovered a “localized nodule” in his lung that required surgery. He thanked everyone for their "spiritual closeness" and said he entrusted himself to their prayers.

Following the news of Leo’s diagnosis, people across the world have sent their well wishes. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Catholic, offered his prayers to the first American Pope. President Donald Trump, who has previously [criticized Pope Leo](https://time.com/article/2026/04/13/trump-pope-leo-war-iran/), has yet to publicly comment. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen [wished](https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/2110258128910733775) Leo a “full and speedy recovery,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney[ described](https://x.com/MarkJCarney/status/2110183667855155269) the Pope as “a source of hope and inspiration for billions around the world.”

As head of the Catholic Church, Leo leads an institution with an immense global following. [Figures](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2026-03/new-data-from-annuario-pontificio-2026-shows-catholics-growing.html) released in March by the Central Office of Church Statistics of the Secretariat of State show that the number of Catholics worldwide stood at just over 1.422 billion in 2024.

While Leo focuses on his recovery, all papal audiences have been[ canceled](https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/10/12/291012f.html) until Oct. 20\. His time away from the Vatican has prompted questions about who, if anyone, oversees the church while a Pope is hospitalized.

Here’s what to know about the role of the Pope and how the Vatican will run in his absence.

### What is the role of the Pope?

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and, under[ Catholic canon law](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic%5Flib2-cann330-367%5Fen.html), is described as “the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ, and the pastor of the universal church on earth,” granting him “supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the church.”

Miles Pattenden, a historian of the Catholic Church at the University of Oxford, says the Pope is essentially “the man who makes executive decisions about how the church is to be run \[from\] the appointment of bishops, cardinals, the canonisation of saints, \[to\] anything else that involves the Pope's personal legislative or doctrinal authority.”

Beyond his role within the church, the Pope is also a key international figure, frequently speaking out on high-profile topics such as [artificial intelligence](https://time.com/article/2026/05/25/pope-leo-encyclical-ai-magnifica-humanitas/) and [immigration](https://time.com/7380294/pope-leo-july-4-trump/), and making apostolic journeys abroad.

In June, Leo made his[ first major European trip to Spain](https://time.com/article/2026/06/06/pope-leo-spain-trip-schedule-francis-legacy-migrants-war-political-backdrop/) in honor of Pope Francis, who in the final years of his life had expressed a desire to visit the Canary Islands, a major[ arrival point](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/western-routes/) for migrants crossing the Atlantic from West Africa into Europe. In September, Leo also embarked on a four-day visit to France.

The Pope is scheduled to take a [12-day trip](https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/09/21/0736/01738.html#en) to Latin America on Nov. 6, which is set to include a stop in Peru, where Leo holds citizenship. The trip is set to go ahead as planned.

TIME has reached out to the Holy See press office for comment.

### What happens if a Pope becomes sick, incapacitated, or is hospitalized?

The Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to transfer papal power if a Pope dies or resigns. But none of them apply when he is sick or even unconscious.

Unlike other positions within the church,[ Catholic canon law](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic%5Flib2-cann330-367%5Fen.html) does not provide a clear mechanism for transferring the Pope's authority if he becomes unable to carry out his responsibilities. Canon 335 declares that when the Holy See is “vacant or entirely impeded, nothing is to be altered in the governance of the universal church.” The papacy becomes vacant only if the Pontiff dies or resigns, with a resignation required to be “made freely and properly manifested.”

“There is no alternative rule. The Pope is in charge, and there's no mechanism to say the Pope can't be in charge. There's no rules on that,” says Pattenden. "When the Pope is incapacitated, that's a serious problem for the governance of the church.”

In February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI, then 85, gathered the cardinals and announced his resignation as leader of the Catholic Church, citing his “[advanced age.](https://time.com/archive/7151342/pope-benedict-xvi-to-resign-citing-advanced-age/)” He became the first Pontiff to step down voluntarily in nearly [600 years](https://www.thoughtco.com/popes-who-resigned-1789455). Pope Francis[ confirmed in 2022](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-12/pope-i-signed-my-resignation-letter-in-case-of-medical-problems.html) that he had prepared a resignation letter shortly after being elected Pontiff in 2013, "in case of impediment due to health reasons." The letter, the contents of which are unknown, was not used, as Francis remained in office until [his death aged 88 in April 2025](https://time.com/5762436/pope-francis-dies-obituary/). His final weeks included an extended stay in the hospital as he [battled a number of health issues](https://time.com/7261128/pope-francis-health-conditions/).

“The church doesn't have a process or a procedure like, for instance, the U.S. Constitution, there's no equivalent to the[ 25th Amendment](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt25-1/ALDE%5F00013871/), and there's no ‘Vice Pope’ like the Vice President,” Pattenden says, remarking on the lack of a deputy as something that can be perceived as a “weakness in the church's constitution.”

As such, “anything that requires \[the Pope’s\] personal or doctrinal authority” during a hospital stay would have to wait until the Pope is able to address such matters.

Pope Leo, who is fully conscious and already walking around, remains contactable and will likely be able to liaise with church officials, should any pertinent issues arise during his hospital stay. On Wednesday, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle [presided](https://x.com/VaticanNews/status/2110360447740174671) over a mass in place of Leo, and read out a homily prepared by the Pope.

Interestingly, other positions within the church have clearer arrangements in place for periods of incapacity.

For instance,[ canon law](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic%5Flib2-cann368-430%5Fen.html) provides for circumstances in which a diocesan bishop becomes unable to govern his diocese, allowing its day-to-day administration to pass to an auxiliary bishop, vicar general, or another designated official.

### What does the Roman Curia do?

The Pope already delegates the day-to-day running of the Vatican and church to a group of officials who operate whether he is in the Apostolic Palace or not, and whether he is conscious.

The [Roman Curia](https://www.vatican.va/content/romancuria/en.html) is the central [administrative institution](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost%5Fconstitutions/documents/20220319-costituzione-ap-praedicate-evangelium.html#PRINCIPLES%5FAND%5FCRITERIA%5FFOR%5FTHE%5FSERVICE%5FOF%5FTHE%5FROMAN%5FCURIA) of the Holy See, supporting the Pope in governing the Catholic Church and carrying out its wider responsibilities.

“It has lots of departments, called dicasteries, which continue running according to their present structure and instructions,” says Pattenden. “For instance, there's a dicastery of education that is involved in the running of Catholic universities, setting up links for them, seminaries, and schools, and so on, and there are lots of officials with delegated authority.”

Among the most senior officials is the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, whom Pattenden describes as “the [second most important person in the Vatican](https://time.com/archive/6830665/religion-the-vaticans-no-2/).”

Parolin addressed Leo's surgery early Tuesday, expressing concern, while praising Pope Leo’s calm manner.

Other senior church roles include the Dean of the College of Cardinals—a position recently assigned to Cardinal Tagle. The dean is known for playing a key role in papal transitions and is often considered a top contender himself.

The camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church , a role currently held by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, also takes on specific administrative responsibilities when the papacy becomes vacant following a Pope's death or resignation. The camerlengo helps oversee the Holy See's administration and finances during this period, but notably does not assume the Pope's authority or become an acting Pontiff during hospitalization.

As for now, the Vatican has not indicated that Leo is in any way incapable of performing or delegating his duties.

“It's very clear that Pope Leo wants to be as transparent as possible,” says Pattenden, who notes that “being reminded of the Pope's mortality in this way will cause people to think about the kind of broader questions about what might happen to a Pope who's in ill health.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=bltb631c10ccdd9ba19 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:09:52 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Tiago Ventura\]\]><!\[CDATA\[AI Is Helping Bring Back the Dodo\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/ai-dodo-colossal-biosciences/<!\[CDATA\[Science\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Colossal Biosciences is on a quest to bring the dodo back from extinction.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Colossal Biosciences\]\]><!\[CDATA\[An artist's rendering of the extinct dodo.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbfc7bb561de1c5dd/6acf7cb166e690645df447ce/Dodo_Colossal_Render.png?branch=production)

An artist's rendering of the extinct dodo. —Colossal Biosciences

There are a whole lot of reasons to have a whole lot of concerns about the harm artificial intelligence can cause, which explains why the technology has so many detractors. But even the harshest critics might smile at the news coming out of Dallas-based [Colossal Biosciences](https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2023/6285144/colossal-biosciences-2/). There, researchers have just announced that AI may help hasten the return of the extinct dodo, with the flightless bird, which vanished from the world more than 350 years ago, likely walking among us again sometime in the early 2030s. With so few ancient samples of dodo DNA surviving—and that which does exist having degraded over the centuries—the analytic and number-crunching power of AI is just what’s needed to fill in the genetic blanks.

“De-extinction is as much a data problem as a biology problem,” said Colossal CEO and co-founder [Ben Lamm](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/7318817/ben-lamm/) in a statement. “\[AI\] learns how regulatory DNA shapes living birds, then identifies the genetic switches that may have contributed to the dodo’s distinctive anatomy.”

Colossal established its de-extinction bona fides in 2025, [when it announced](https://time.com/7274542/colossal-dire-wolf/) that it had sequenced ancient DNA from the long-extinct dire wolf, used that to rewrite the genome of the extant gray wolf, and brought the Ice Age dire wolf back to life, more than 10,000 years after it vanished. Animals that are also on the company’s de-extinction to-do list include the [woolly mammoth](https://time.com/article/2026/08/24/woolly-mammoth-de-extinct-colossal-biosciences/), the Tasmanian tiger, the [ostrich-like moa](https://time.com/7301013/colossal-biosciences-next-project-extinct-moa/), and the antelope-like quagga. The dodo, with its waddling gait, its stubby wings, its goggly eyes, and its preposterous beak, has none of the power, grace, or charisma of those other animals—but that’s part of its charm.

“The dodo never had a chance,” wrote _New York Herald Tribune_ writer [Will Cuppy](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/will-cuppy/), in his 1941 book [_How to Become Extinct_.](https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Extinct-Will-Cuppy/dp/B000J2MSR2/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?crid=2VOERUK5AH3WW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OQNFffwyHR0Ll69qmgMEZ6f97LOQz-Rtd8MCJDLiEym3IW20%5F8q10tZjhmRHc0abgpcWPtvazPjIGx61yWgFWEJqfN4-qr8tUTLZPPYy%5FJCrA-tHsmDuk%5FMUh6h%5FJPpEggctODAc-5umTK1UBnANBQ.tLkEgUE5S-t3eNVBPq2hf-0XE9tAeitS0FTn-TCaxjQ&dib%5Ftag=se&keywords=how+to+become+extinct&qid=1791983879&s=books&sprefix=hoew+to+become+extinct%2Cstripbooks%2C96&sr=1-1) “He seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of becoming extinct and that was all he was good for. I’m not blaming the dodo, but he was just a mess. The Portuguese called the birds _doudos_, or fools, because they would associate with the Portuguese on friendly terms and allow themselves to be hit on the head with clubs.”

But what inspires mockery inspires love too—and it will take plenty of that to bring the dodo back. De-extincting a placental mammal like a dire wolf is a comparatively straightforward process. Colossal researchers first harvested cells from a living gray wolf and made 20 edits to 14 genes, coding for the dire wolf’s white coat, larger size, more powerful jaws, cold weather metabolism, and more. They then extracted the nucleus of that rewritten cell and inserted it into a gray wolf ovum whose own nucleus had been removed. Next, the fertilized egg was allowed to develop into an embryo and was implanted in the womb of a large domestic hound. Just over 60 days later, that mama dog gave birth to a puppy wolf.

De-extincting a bird, which does its gestating outside of any womb, will be harder. For the dodo, the researchers will first harvest primordial germ cells (PGCs)—nascent cells that give rise to eggs and sperm—from the nicobar pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative. The PGCs will then be rewritten to add dodo traits, in the same way the gray wolf was edited. Those cells will then be injected through the shell of a domestic chicken egg into a microscopic chick embryo. The PGC’s will migrate to the embryonic gonads of the chick-to-be, taking up residence there. When the edited female chick hatches and grows and mates with an edited male, she will lay eggs that will produce not a chicken like her, but a dodo.

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1095e8972ccbf66/6acf9349f0a6ca10dae89a00/DODO-de-extinct-graphic2.jpg?branch=production)

 —Lon Tweeten for TIME

“In an ideal world, if we had hundreds of nicobar pigeon \[eggs\] we would use the pigeon as the surrogate,” says Anna Keyte, Colossal’s avian species director. “But nicobars are seasonal breeders. They only lay for a couple of months out of the year and they usually lay just two eggs in a clutch. Chicken eggs are super easy to get. Some chickens will lay an egg a day. You can just get vastly more surrogate eggs from a chicken than you can from a nicobar.”

But editing the PGCs in the first place will be no small thing, simply because there are so many sites on the dodo genome that code for the species’s traits—especially its ice-cream-scoop-shaped beak. It’s not precisely the genes that the researchers are reading in their work, but the regulatory elements—or the parts of the genome that determine which genes get switched on and off. And for the beak alone, that’s a heavy lift. There are more than 650 regulatory elements associated with beak size and nearly 1,700 with beak thickness and breadth. Worse, the fragmentation of DNA in the ancient samples gives an imperfect record of which of those regulatory switches are to be flipped which way. A new AI platform the company calls GenoMorph can fill in those gaps.

To develop GenoMorph, Colossal scientists built an atlas showing how the genetic switches that control facial development turn on and off as embryos grow in chickens, quail, ducks, and pigeons. They then compared genomes and skull shapes from more than 70 bird species, including the dodo’s closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon. The result is the list of about 2,350 genetic switches that may help explain the dodo’s unusual beak, which the team is now testing one by one. That work builds on a separate achievement: a remarkably complete dodo genome, assembled from a single well-preserved specimen using software Colossal originally developed for its dire wolf project.

“For an ancient genome, this one is extraordinary,” says Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer. “There are a few small holes, but far fewer than we usually see with ancient DNA. We’re really not missing much of the dodo genome.”

The beak might be the most dramatic dodo feature, but there are plenty of others, written in the two billion letters that make up the dodo genome—which is why Colossal scientists urge patience for the five or so years it will take to bring a dodo back into the world.

In the same way that some of the work Colossal did to read and analyze the dire wolf genome helped in the later work developing GenoMorph to read the dodo genome, the dodo work can similarly pay itself forward to reading and editing the genomes of other species to be de-extincted. 

“It’s been rewarding to see that an approach developed for the dire wolf is now producing value across another species program,” said Shapiro in a statement. “Every scientific breakthrough becomes part of a scalable technology platform that can accelerate the programs that follow.” For now, the dodo remains biological vaporware—but it’s vaporware that could, before too long, take shape in the 21st century.

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=bltdee1daed6ee89117 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:00:04 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Jeffrey Kluger\]\]><!\[CDATA\[What to Know About Pope Leo's Lung Cancer Diagnosis\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/pope-leo-lung-cancer-what-to-know/<!\[CDATA\[Health\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Surgeons removed part of the Pontiff’s right lung and reported he had adenocarcinoma.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Dan Kitwood—Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Pope Leo during a trip to Madrid on June 7, 2026.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f502d03a263a575/6acfae41f0c0253cc69712b2/GettyImages-2280363108.jpg?branch=production)

Pope Leo during a trip to Madrid on June 7, 2026\. —Dan Kitwood—Getty Images

After discovering a nodule in Pope Leo XIV's lung, surgeons at Gemelli Hospital in Rome performed surgery on Tuesday that revealed the Pope has cancer.

Dr. Stefano Margaritora, professor of thoracic surgery at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart, led the team that operated on the Pope at Gemelli, which has long provided care for Popes. The surgery was prompted after the Pope’s medical team, led by Dr. Luigi Carbone, found a suspicious nodule and performed tests that suggested it could be cancerous, according to a [statement](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-10/pope-leo-surgery-gemelli-hospital-successful.html) released by the Vatican. During the 90-minute operation, Margaritora removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung, and further testing of the tissue confirmed adenocarcinoma. 

## What is lung adenocarcinoma?

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer worldwide, accounting for [40% to 45% of lung cancer cases](https://www.cdc.gov/united-states-cancer-statistics/publications/lung-cancer-types.html) globally. Adenocarcinomas belong to a broader category of lung cancers known as non-small cell lung cancer, which tend to grow more slowly and spread less quickly to other parts of the body. Detecting adenocarcinomas early can help keep them from progressing to advanced disease.

## How is lung cancer detected?

Current recommendations in the U.S. and most of the world advise low-dose CT scans to screen for lung cancer in high-risk people only: those 50 years or older who have smoked heavily in the past or who currently smoke. Many non-smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer when they get a chest CT for another reason, such as after an accident or other injury. Some advocacy and patient groups are pushing for [expanded screening](https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/susan-wojcicki-foundation-lung-cancer-early-detection/) among those at higher risk so that more people can benefit from early detection, including those who are younger and may have been exposed to other factors that can increase lung cancer risk, like [radon in the environment](https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6114389/ecosense-ecoqube/). “The best chance to cure lung cancer is when it’s Stage 1 and very early,” says Dr. David Jones, chief or thoracic surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who was not involved in the Pope’s care. “That’s what screening can help with.”

The Pope's smoking history is not publicly known, but lung adenocarcinoma occurs in both smokers and non-smokers, says Jones. “Lung adenocarcinoma is by far the most common type of lung cancer in non-smokers,” he says.

## Why did surgeons remove part of the Pope’s lung?

Surgeons decided to remove part of the Pope’s lung “to ensure a radical resection,” according to the Vatican [statement](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-10/pope-leo-surgery-gemelli-hospital-successful.html). That means doctors wanted to be sure they removed any tissue that might be cancerous, giving the Pope the strongest chance of avoiding any recurrence of disease.

## How long will the Pope be hospitalized?

The Pope woke up from surgical anesthesia without any complications, and [requested dinner](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-10/pope-leo-surgery-gemelli-hospital-successful.html) while conversing with Vatican staff. He will be observed as additional tests are performed on his removed cancer tissue to guide doctors on what treatments might be needed next. The Vatican [anticipates](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-10/pope-leo-surgery-gemelli-hospital-successful.html) the Pope will remain at Gemelli for one week.

## What are the treatments for lung adenocarcinoma?

The Pope’s treatment options depend on what additional tests on his tumor reveal. For some patients with Stage 1 cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes, surgery and monitoring for recurrence may be sufficient, says Jones.

If the cancer is more advanced, a number of relatively new options for lung cancer are available, including targeted therapies designed to specifically attack certain mutations in cancer cells, or immunotherapy, which activates the immune system into destroying cancer cells. “The innovation in treatments for lung cancer have been profound,” says Karen Knudsen, CEO of the Parker Institute. Adenocarcinomas tend to have high numbers of mutations, which make them good targets for the immune system to recognize as foreign. That also makes them promising targets for checkpoint inhibitors, a new category of cancer therapy that releases the brakes on immune cells and allows them to better detect and destroy cancer cells. “Our knowledge base is improving, and there are better outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer because of immunotherapy,” says Knudsen. 

Some patients can rely on targeted therapies alone and avoid chemotherapy, says Jones, while others may need chemo with immunotherapy, depending on how much of the cancer surgeons were able to remove and whether the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes.

## Will Pope Leo be able to resume his papal duties?

The Vatican reports that prior to the surgery, the Pope was active, playing tennis and taking regular walks, and with the range of treatment options now available to treat his cancer, experts believe he should be able to return to his daily activities. “Advances in treatments all point to better prognosis and quality of life for patients with lung cancer,” says Jones. “And given his history of physical activity, even after removing one lobe of his lung, he should be able to do what he wants to do with very little limitation.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt145fdb3516dbd0a2 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:58:24 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Alice Park\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Access to Public Lands Should Unite All Americans\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/access-to-public-lands-should-unite-all-americans/<!\[CDATA\[Ideas\]\]><!\[CDATA\[“Once public lands are permanently altered, fragmented, or developed, there’s no going back," warns Mary Beth Laughton, CEO of REI Co-op.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[George Frey—Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County, Utah on April 22, 2026.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1603969215c0fa3/6acfb32b90def444c81c13c7/Bears-Ears-National-Monument-Utah.jpg?branch=production)

Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County, Utah on April 22, 2026\. —George Frey—Getty Images

Experiencing wild, open, and natural spaces is part of what it means to me to be American, and I know I'm not alone in that belief.

Our shared connection to nature crosses geography, generations, and political beliefs. From a neighborhood trail to a national park or a stretch of open desert, the outdoors gives us places to come together, find perspective, and experience something larger than ourselves.

At a time of growing [loneliness](https://time.com/6183058/loneliness-health-effects-what-to-do/), [division](https://time.com/7337124/know-your-neighbors-save-democracy/), and [stress](https://time.com/7297776/anxiety-stress-how-to-cope/), being outside can improve physical and mental well-being, strengthen community, and reconnect us with one another. For millions of Americans, public lands make that possible.

But the places that sustain that connection are under growing pressure due to decisions made by elected leaders. That is why, as we head into this year’s midterm election, voters must ask every candidate a simple question: How will you protect our public lands?

The answer will help determine what we leave future generations. 

Consider Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. A presidential [proclamation](https://time.com/article/2026/07/14/what-is-the-antiquities-act-and-how-is-the-120-year-old-law-being-tested-by-trump-/) issued this summer reduced the monument’s boundaries from roughly 1.36 million acres to about 131,000, removing monument protections from more than 90% of the landscape. Bears Ears is a living cultural landscape and sacred ancestral homeland of deep significance to Tribal Nations. 

Similar decisions are unfolding across the country. Congress rolled back [protections](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/16/minnesota-boundary-waters-mining-congress.html) for the Boundary Waters, opening the door to mining in its headwaters. The Trump Administration is also [considering](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/us/trump-administration-yosemite-private-developer.html) transferring a parcel of Yosemite National Park to a private developer. Pristine roadless backcountry may also be opened to development and extraction. These decisions will have lasting consequences. 

There is room for honest debate about how public lands should be managed. Recreation, conservation, grazing, timber, energy development, and local economies all deserve consideration. Responsible stewardship requires balancing those interests while protecting the places that generations of Americans have worked to preserve.

That debate matters because public lands are not only a conservation legacy—they are also an economic engine.

Outdoor recreation [generates](https://recreationroundtable.org/news/outdoor-recreation-industry-remains-an-economic-powerhouse-as-dept-of-commerce-reports-record-impact-on-u-s-economy/) $1.3 trillion in economic output and supports 5.2 million American jobs. Communities and businesses across the country depend on the forests, rivers, trails, parks, and open spaces that draw people outdoors. 

The meaning runs deep. Public lands are among the few places in American life that connect all of us. The rock climber in Yosemite and the hunter in Montana may not share the same politics, but they share a stake in keeping these places healthy, accessible, and protected. Public lands remind us that our common ground is more than an idea—they’re real places beneath our feet. 

The decisions made today will outlast this administration and this Congress. Once public lands are permanently altered, fragmented, or developed, there’s no going back.

One of the best ways to protect these places is to help connect more people to experience them. People protect what they know. They fight for places that become part of their lives. The future of our public lands will be decided by whether Americans still believe they are worth protecting, and whether we elect leaders who believe it too.

As candidates ask for our vote, we should ask where they stand. Look at the choices they have made. Look at the policies they support and listen carefully to their answers. For generations, Americans of every political persuasion have chosen to safeguard extraordinary places for everyone who would come after them. The forests, rivers, and mountains we enjoy today exist because of those choices.

Now, the choice is ours. 

We can treat public lands as another political issue, or we can recognize them for what they are: places that make us healthier, bring us together, and connect us to something larger than ourselves. 

This November, we must elect leaders who believe that public lands are worth protecting.

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=bltdca79af22644f5d6 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:00:26 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Mary Beth Laughton\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Can Trump Strip Ilhan Omar of Her Citizenship? Here's How the Process Works\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/ilhan-omar-citizenship-investigation-denaturalization-DOJ/<!\[CDATA\[Politics\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Legal and immigration experts tell TIME that denaturalizing a U.S. citizen is a rare and difficult process\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Daniel Heuer—Bloomberg via Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, during a news conference at the US Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1ac920f5f612bbb/6acf84b399a23f5b3e66cf3d/GettyImages-2262837727.jpg?branch=production)

Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, during a news conference at the US Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. —Daniel Heuer—Bloomberg via Getty Images

In a highly unusual step, federal agents this week aggressively intensified their [investigations](https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/Ilhan-omar-home-raid-federal-agents-immigration-allegations-democrats-response/) into Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, weeks before she stands for reelection in her home district. 

The Department of Justice on Tuesday [subpoenaed](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/us/politics/justice-dept-ilhan-omar-subpoenas.html) relatives of Omar’s family members, including her sister Sahra Noor, according to The New York _Times_. The grand jury subpoenas were issued shortly after a raid of the lawmaker’s residence in Washington, D.C. on Monday. 

The judicial search warrant, which is under seal, was executed by Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative branch of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement](https://time.com/article/2026/08/04/ice-detention-strategy-private-prisons-immigration-deportation/). Although the Department of Justice did not provide any more details of the investigation, [multiple](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ilhan-omars-home-dc-searched-hsi-pre-dawn-raid) [outlets](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ilhan-omar-immigration-raid-washington-dc/), citing anonymous sources, reportedthat the search stemmed from Omar’s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child. 

Prior to the investigation, multiple Trump Administration officials have accused Omar of immigration fraud without presenting any evidence. In a podcast interview in March, Vice President JD Vance [said](https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/2037584240259240315) the White House was exploring “legal remedies” to her alleged immigration fraud. Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin [said](https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/2098209805215080868) the investigation into Omar was “ongoing” and dismissed efforts to frame the case as political retribution.

“If we actually move a case forward, it’s not a political case. It's actually a case because they did things wrong,” Mullin said during the interview with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson. 

Omar, who has long [denied](https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/Ilhan-omar-home-raid-federal-agents-immigration-allegations-democrats-response/) the allegations, condemned the raid on her home as “political intimidation” and said she will “not be silenced.” 

President Trump, along with many MAGA Republicans, has repeatedlyfloated the idea of revoking Omar’s citizenship, a process also known as denaturalization, and deporting her. 

But legal and immigration experts tell TIME that denaturalizing a U.S. citizen is a rare and difficult process, one that requires federal authorities to clear a high bar in front of a federal judge. Here’s what to know about how the process works. 

# **How does denaturalization work?**

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Stripping someone of their citizenship is a more arduous legal process than most other immigration efforts that involve the courts. Deportation proceedings, for instance, are initiated by ICE agents under the Department of Homeland Security and arethen approved by immigration judges who are hired and work withinthe Department of Justice. The denaturalization process, on the other hand, must be approved by an independent federal judge, who evaluates the request by a higher standard. 

All denaturalization efforts begin at DOJ.In order to revoke a naturalized person’s citizenship, a DOJ lawyer must decide whether to file a civil or a criminal petition in court. Yuripzy Morgan, an attorney and host of _Free Range National_ podcase, said a civil complaint does not have a statute of limitation, whereas a criminal complaint has a statute of limitation of 10 years and must clear a much higher legal bar. 

“For civil denaturalization, the government has to show that there is clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence that the person in question obtained their naturalization either illegally, or they willfully misrepresented a material fact, ” Morgan says. She stressed that simply having an error in an immigration document doesn't mean that a judge is going to approve stripping a person of their citizenship. 

For a criminal denaturalization conviction, the federal government must show “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that the individual knowingly obtained citizenship through fraud, which is the highest legal standard of proof required to secure a criminal conviction. In 2017, the Supreme Court unanimously [ruled](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/16pdf/16-309%5Fh31i.pdf) in _Maslenjak v. United States_that only an illegal act that played a role in a person’s citizenship application could lead to criminal denaturalization, further narrowing down the scope of such efforts. 

Omar’s father filled out and submitted her citizenship application on her behalf when she was 17.It is unclear what evidence, if any, the federal government has to show that anything in the application was fraudulent, or that Omar or her father intentionally misrepresented anything in that application. 

Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and a resident fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, pointed out that even after someone gets denaturalized, a deportation is not guaranteed. The person would still be able to retain their previous legal immigration status until a final order of removal is issued to the person by ICE.

“If they had a green card before they naturalized, even after they get denaturalized, they are going to have a green card,” Arthur says. 

# **How did Rep. Omar get naturalized as a U.S. citizen?**

According to Omar’s House biography, Omar and her family fled her home country Somalia when she was eight. The family eventually sought asylum in the United States in 1995\. She [told](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/30/us/politics/ilhan-omar-minnesota-congress.html) The New York _Times_ that she became a U.S. citizen in 2000 when she was 17\. 

At the time Omar went through the process, federal law allowed immigrants under the age of 18 to get naturalized as U.S. citizens if both of their parents had become U.S. citizens. The law was eventually replaced by a new law in 2001, which only requires one parent to become a citizen for the children to be naturalized. 

At the center of this investigation is whether Omar’s father, Nur Omar Mohamed, lied about her age in immigration documents so she could be eligible to derive citizenship through him, according to The Washington _Post_, which [cited](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/13/rep-omar-investigation-focuses-birthdate-citizenship-papers-people-familiar-say/) two unnamed sources. 

According to Arthur, the former immigration judge, if Omar was 18 at the time of the naturalization application, she may have been able to apply for her citizenship on her own after having a valid green card for five years. 

The allegations regarding Omar’s citizenship gained attention among conservative activists and commentators starting in 2019, when Omar became a member of Congress. Shortly after her election, Omar’s staff sought to change her official birth year in public records from 1981 to 1982, according to [multiple](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/13/rep-omar-investigation-focuses-birthdate-citizenship-papers-people-familiar-say/) [outlets](https://nypost.com/2026/10/13/us-news/rep-ilhan-omars-staff-got-her-birthdate-changed-officially-after-being-elected-to-congress-records/).

# **How often does the U.S. government strip people of their citizenship?**

Despite the [renewed](https://time.com/article/2026/10/06/denaturalization-citizenship-immigration-justice-department-trump/) push from the second Trump administration, denaturalization remains an exceedingly rare legal process. According to the [Migration Policy Institute](https://www.migrationpolicy.org/journal/policy-beat/last-resort-intimidating-enforcement-tool-denaturalization-trump-era), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, an average of 11 denaturalization cases were filed per year between 1990 and 2017\. 

Denaturalization efforts have increased in Trump’s second term. The DOJ has announced efforts to strip at least 108 people of their citizenship in 2026\. That is still considerably smaller than the hundreds of thousands of people whom the U.S. government grants citizenship to through naturalization every year.

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt02dc45165e389567 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:57:47 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Philip Wang\]\]><!\[CDATA\[The Best Way to Respond to Passive-Aggressive Comments\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/how-to-respond-passive-aggressive-comment/<!\[CDATA\[Health\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Be more direct—and less intense—than they were.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images)\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt383dc3f18dcf128d/6acea5a1a107173519f78de5/T2T_Passive_Agressive.png?branch=production)

 —Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images)

Have you ever left work at 5 p.m., only for a colleague to not-so-sweetly ask, “Going home already?”

If so, you’ve probably been the target of a passive-aggressive comment. The two halves of the very phrase “passive-aggressive” spell out the familiar dynamic, says Laurie Weingart, a professor of organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon University who has studied how people express [conflict at work](https://time.com/6323105/how-to-set-boundaries-at-work/). Someone is expressing opposition or [anger](https://time.com/6295413/healthy-ways-to-deal-with-anger/)—the aggressive part—but doing so indirectly. The words leave room for an innocent interpretation. The tone? Not so much.

That ambiguity puts you in an awkward position: Do you respond to what was said or what you think the other person meant—or give in to the urge to snip right back? We asked experts what to say when someone seems to be taking a dig at you but won’t quite say what they mean.

## **Why people default to passive-aggressive communication**

Sometimes it feels safer to hint at a feeling than to say it directly. Admitting you feel some sort of way calls for a kind of vulnerability that a [sarcastic remark](https://time.com/article/2026/03/09/when-sarcasm-works-and-backfires/) does not. “Some people just haven’t learned how to say or don’t feel comfortable saying, ‘I’m hurt. You hurt my feelings,’” says Melissa Gluck, a psychologist in New York City. If you grew up around people who rarely said what they meant, the indirect approach might even feel normal.

There can also be something more specific behind a partner’s pointed comment. In[ research on romantic relationships](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41587176/), Levi R. Baker, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, found that people sometimes express displeasure indirectly because they’re unsure how much their partner cares. “People are really doing this to kind of test their partner,” he says. They’re signaling, “I’m upset with you, I’ve got some hurt feelings,” then waiting to see whether their partner notices and tries to find out what’s wrong. Underneath it all, Baker says, they may be wondering: “Do they care about me? Do they value me?” 

Still, understanding where a comment _might_ come from doesn’t make it feel any better to hear. It can leave you wondering whether you’ve been insulted—and how to answer an accusation the other person never quite made.

## **How to respond to a passive-aggressive comment**

Weingart’s advice is to make your response “more direct and less intense” than the comment you just heard. Start by giving your friend a chance to be direct. If someone says, “Must be nice to have that much free time,” Brook McKenzie, a licensed chemical dependency counselor in Dallas who often helps families work through indirect communication and resentment, suggests responding: “I’m not sure how you meant that. Can you say it another way?” Another option: “It sounds like there might be something you want to say to me directly. Is there?” 

The question should be an invitation, not an accusation. “Why are you being so passive-aggressive?” may be tempting, McKenzie says, but you’ll likely end up arguing about their tone instead of whatever is actually bothering them. Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.

If you’re talking to someone you’re especially close to, Gluck suggests a gentle opening: “I feel like something’s off. Do you want to talk about it?” That lets them tell you what’s wrong without requiring you to guess. If they say everything’s fine, you can take them at their word for the time being. “It’s not our job to become the feelings detective,” Gluck says.

If you have a good idea of what's underneath the comment, you can acknowledge that, too. Say your partner responds to your plans with friends by remarking that you _certainly_ have time for everyone else. Baker suggests reassuring them that you want to spend time together and proposing a plan: “I’m going out tonight, but I’d really like to have dinner with you tomorrow.” You don’t need to cancel your plans to show that you care.

At work, clarity may serve you better than a conversation about feelings. If your boss says, “Leaving already?” when your workday is over, Weingart suggests asking: “Is there something else you need me to do before I leave?” A coworker’s jab may warrant even less: “Yep, the workday’s over. Have a great weekend.” Either response avoids assuming you know what the other person meant.

And sometimes the best response is no response. If a friend makes one out-of-character comment on a rough day, Gluck says, you can let it pass. If it keeps happening, that’s a different conversation.

## **What to do when someone is repeatedly passive-aggressive**

A pattern deserves a more direct approach. If a friend repeatedly jokes that you never make time for them, Gluck suggests naming both what you’ve noticed and how it lands: “This isn’t the first time you’ve made that comment. It’s starting to hurt my feelings, and I’d like to know if something’s bothering you.”

The same pattern can emerge in families. Say you tell your mother it upset you when she criticized you in front of relatives, and she replies, “I guess I’m just a bad mom.” Gluck suggests saying: “That’s not what I said. I was trying to tell you how I feel, and it hurts when you put those words in my mouth.” That brings the conversation back to what she said in front of your relatives, instead of turning it into a debate about whether she’s a good mother.

What if they insist they were just joking? Weingart recommends separating their intention from the effect: “You may not have meant it to be hurtful, but that’s how it sounded to me.” You don’t have to prove what was in their head to explain what happened on your end.

It’s also fair to be clear about what you’re willing to do next. Consider borrowing McKenzie’s go-to line for recurring comments: “I’m willing to have difficult conversations with you. I’m not willing to keep guessing what you mean.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt5553330e2662d5be Wed, 14 Oct 2026 14:07:29 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Angela Haupt\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Climate Change Is Accelerating Faster Than We Can Respond, Scientists Warn\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/climate-change-accelerating-study/<!\[CDATA\[Climate\]\]><!\[CDATA\[“Earth’s climate system is moving deeper into uncharted territory,” scientists warn.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[David Swanson—Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[A firefighter sprays a hotspot while fighting the Bike fire in the outskirts of Santa Clarita, California on Oct. 11, 2026.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58f2e3bd7240951f/6acf8800c336f2d68fa27cde/state-climate.jpg?branch=production)

A firefighter sprays a hotspot while fighting the Bike fire in the outskirts of Santa Clarita, California on Oct. 11, 2026\. —David Swanson—Getty Images

The [climate](https://time.com/section/climate/) is warming up faster than we can respond. According to a new[ report](https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biag125) published Oct. 14 in the journal _BioScience_, “Earth’s climate system is moving deeper into uncharted territory.”

The State of the Climate, an annual report that tracks the Earth’s “vital signs,” monitors several climate related indicators—ranging from greenhouse gas concentrations and temperature changes to tree cover loss due to [wildfire](https://time.com/article/2026/09/12/the-u-s-is-on-track-for-a-record-wildfire-season-here-s-what-it-could-cost-americans/). The researchers found that, of the 16 planetary vital signs, seven are currently at record extremes.This includes sea levels and greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Meanwhile several others, such as areas burned during wildfires and [ocean heat ](https://time.com/7345060/oceans-record-temperature-2025/)levels, show evidence of acceleration or abrupt shifts. 

The researchers warn that the rate of global warming appears to have accelerated, from about 0.05°C per decade between 1880 and 1970 to roughly 0.36°C per decade between 2010 and 2024—and the 2°C threshold meant to limit planetary damage could be reached before 2050 they warn. These accelerating and intensifying changes could raise the risk of reinforcing feedback loops and crossing tipping points—critical thresholds that, when crossed, can lead to accelerating and often irreversible environmental changes. In 2025, the Earth passed its first [climate tipping point](https://time.com/7325086/coral-reef-climate-tipping-point-crossed/), as rising ocean temperatures, acidification, overfishing, and pollution are combining to cause coral bleaching and mortality. 

"Earth’s life-support systems are being pushed beyond stable limits," the report states, "with changes unfolding faster than our ability to respond."

This year, a number of extreme weather events made the impacts of an acceleratingly warming planet impossible to ignore. July 2026 was the hottest month on record for the contiguous United States, with ocean temperatures also reaching a record high that month. Back-to-back heat waves in Europe lead to an estimated 35,000 excess deaths, [preliminary reports ](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/25/at-least-35000-excess-deaths-europe-back-to-back-heatwaves)show. A number of regions—including Utah in the U.S., Ontario, Canada, along with France, Spain, Britain, and Belgium have either [experienced](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/opinion/wildfires-firefighters-climate-change.html) their worst wildfire years in history or are on track to do so. While we don’t yet know enough to link theseindividual weather events to climate change, research shows that it is [supercharging](https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/extreme-weather/) extreme weather events. 

Concentrations of greenhouse gases—including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—all reached record levels in 2026, the researchers say. In May 2026, atmospheric carbon dioxide exceeded 428 parts per million, roughly 50% above pre-industrial levels and generally higher than any time in the last 2 million years.

The authors of today’s report also tracked indicators of the human activities driving these planetary changes, like energy use, food production, and economic growth. Fossil fuel consumption remains the dominant driver of these changes. Fossil fuel consumption rose by 0.9% in 2025, the report found, with oil, coal, and gas all reaching record highs, and annual energy-related carbon dioxide emissions surpassed 41 gigatons for the first time—the equivalent of emissions released by over 10,800 coal-fired power plants in one year.

There have, however, been some signs of progress, the report notes. Low-carbon sources provided roughly 43% of global electricity generation in 2025, and solar and wind energy consumption grew by approximately 18%. That was before the war in Iran laid bare the world’s reliance on fossil fuels, and triggered a global [green energy boom](https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-climate-change-oil-gas-prices-48bb12e1cd5713764bca103e9104309d). 

But cutting carbon emissions will no longer be enough on its own, the report states. Adaptation measures—ranging from shifts towards plant-based diets, to restoring mangroves to better protect against storm surges—will be key to adjusting to a changing climate.

The report underscores an unavoidable truth. "We are witnessing the rapid destabilization of the Earth’s climate system,” it states. “This is no longer a warning for the future; it is a diagnosis of the present.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt58a8f1792b52b2d3 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 14:00:03 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Simmone Shah\]\]><!\[CDATA\[A New Report Sheds Light on the Secretive Race to Build Self-Improving AI\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/recursive-self-improvement-AI-report/<!\[CDATA\[Business\]\]><!\[CDATA\[As AI companies warn of the dangers of self-improving AI, a new report offers a rare look at how they’re working to make it a reality.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Eugene Mymrin/Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15b6bb4acdaf1d60/6acf73a3c37bcf37d6c91af3/GettyImages-1953228751.jpg?branch=production)

 —Eugene Mymrin/Getty Images

For months, Anthropic and OpenAI have warned that AI may be on the verge of improving itself. 

This tipping point, known as “recursive self-improvement,” or RSI, could mean that new AI capabilities arrive faster than ever. But the advent of RSI might also be highly perilous for humanity, potentially marking the stage at which developers lose control of AI systems entirely.

Even as AI companies warn about the potential dangers of RSI, they have shared remarkably little about how they’re pursuing it. A new [report](https://aiendgame.com/p/what-rsi-looks-like), published Wednesday by the firm Gladstone AI, attempts to change that. It gives one of the most detailed pictures yet of how RSI could work and how AI companies are progressing toward it. The report is based on what the authors say are conversations with half a dozen researchers inside the top AI companies.

The report, exclusively shared with TIME ahead of its publication, emphasizes that AI companies are “actively working on” automating all parts of the AI development pipeline, including generating new ideas, running experiments to test those ideas, and interpreting the results. Most of the insiders Gladstone spoke to “believe RSI will start within the next 3 to 12 months, and possibly sooner, assuming there’s no U.S. government intervention or slowdown,” the report states. 

**Read More:** [_Inside the Race to Make AI Build Itself_](https://time.com/article/2026/08/07/ai-recursive-self-improvement-anthropic-openai/)

“There's a fair amount of \[disaster\] prepping and bio-bunker purchasing going on” among these researchers, says Edouard Harris, Gladstone’s chief technology officer. 

The aim of the report, Gladstone’s executives tell TIME, is to give lawmakers a better understanding of how RSI works, and, in turn, a greater ability to regulate it.

“Our goal here was to define recursive self-improvement well enough that people can have a sane conversation about it, especially in Washington,” says Jeremie Harris, Gladstone’s CEO. (The pair are brothers.) “There are all these bills proposed to ban superintelligence, which are really interesting attempts to grapple with this problem. But what we're more interested in is: what is the process that needs to be regulated?”

## How RSI could work

The report gives a simplified outline of how the AI research pipeline currently operates inside AI companies—and how those companies are beginning to automate the process.

For the first phase of training an AI model, known as pretraining, much of the emphasis is on finding ways to squeeze more intelligence out of a model with less and less computing power, known in the industry as “compute.”

The AI companies take a portfolio approach to testing these ideas. Researchers allocate a small amount of compute to each idea, using it to train a series of models. The models that reliably perform better as they scale up are selected for another round of training, using larger amounts of compute.

Companies don’t have infinite compute, which limits the number of promising ideas they can test at larger scales. This means that even if AI companies can train an AI that is able to generate ideas that seem promising, it matters greatly how many bad ideas it generates simultaneously. If companies need to spend huge amounts of time or compute filtering good AI-generated ideas from bad ones, it might make sense to continue to rely on human researchers with sound intuition.

Conversely, AI companies with access to more compute are able to test more ideas—potentially allowing them to reach RSI first. With more compute to throw at experiments, companies may also be likelier to catch ideas that the Gladstone report describes as the rarest and most desired by AI companies: those that perform _better_ as more compute is thrown at them, even if they appear to be duds at smaller scales.

Being able to tell when those ideas are found—and particularly whether AI is helping find them—“is just such a critical part of this process that right now legislators have essentially zero visibility into,” says Jeremie Harris. 

One of the traits that makes regulating RSI tricky is that it is a gradual process. “This is actually one of the reasons why we went to pains to describe it in so much detail,” says Edouard Harris. “So that it is possible to point to a part of this process and say: a human _needs_ to be there.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt93e206303f3889c5 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:55:01 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Billy Perrigo\]\]><!\[CDATA\[How School Violence Catalyzed Philippine Lawmakers to Crack Down on Kids’ Social Media Use\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/philippines-social-media-ban-school-violence/<!\[CDATA\[World\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Both chambers of the Philippine Congress filed bills in the wake of deadly school incidents in the Southeast Asian country.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Jun Pinzon—Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Filipino teenagers rest at convenient store and play video game on smartphone in Antipolo City, Philippines, on Oct. 3, 2019.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd33e99a5ff9bcaf/6acf502b99a23f256a66cc6d/teenagers-social-media-philippines.jpg?branch=production)

Filipino teenagers rest at convenient store and play video game on smartphone in Antipolo City, Philippines, on Oct. 3, 2019\. —Jun Pinzon—Getty Images

School shootings used to be rare in the Philippines. But a spate of incidents involving students this year seems to have catalyzed the Southeast Asian nation’s lawmakers to swiftly pass bills cracking down on what they deem to be a cause of the deadly trend: social media.

On Monday, the [Philippines House of Representatives](https://www.congress.gov.ph/legis/results?congress=20&oth%5Fnos=HB11566&qrytype=N&signif=NL) passed a bill banning children under 13 from social media platforms, while those between 13 and 17 would have limited access, with 287 members voting in favor and only three against the measure. The latest bill follows its [Senate counterpart](https://senate.gov.ph/legacy/lis%5Fbills/5068346548!.pdf), which passed last week but has a higher age threshold, barring people under 18 from social media platforms and services classified as “high-risk.”

The bills must first reconcile their differences before they head to the President for signature. But their passage already follows steps taken by other countries such as [Australia](https://time.com/7273443/australia-social-media-ban-anthony-albanese/), [the U.K.](https://time.com/article/2026/06/16/uk-social-media-ban-under16-children-australia-framework/), and [more](https://time.com/7368633/spain-social-media-ban-under-16-sanchez-australia-france/) in introducing age-based restrictions on social media amid concerns over these platforms’ impact on children’s mental health and safety.

Philippine President [Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr](https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2024/6965183/ferdinand-bongbong-marcos-2/). said that it was not “surprising at all” that Congress took action amid concerns that social media is believed to have influenced children to take part in violent acts. However, Marcos said his Administration would still study whether such a ban could work in the Southeast Asian nation of more than 110 million people.

“That’s also something that we’re studying really hard,” Marcos told reporters in Singapore on Sunday. “It has its advantages,” he said, but he warned it could also “simply make children hide their use.”

Age-specific social media bans have been up for debate in the Philippines since [at least 2019](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/technology/715499/bill-filed-to-keep-kids-under-13-years-old-off-facebook-twitter/story/), but it gained momentum earlier this year, following reports of a [foiled mass shooting plot by students](https://qa.philstar.com/nation/2026/03/15/2514386/mass-shooting-plot-foiled) in February as well as shootings and stabbings in other regions in the months that followed. Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara said harmful online influences were a possible factor behind those incidents, saying in July that experts have pointed to “exposure of young people to damaging social media sites, negative influences, groomers, and terrorist groups online actively recruiting (children).”

A ban, however, is an escalatory approach in [one of the countries from which users spend the most time online](https://wearesocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GDR-2026.pdf#page=75). Critics have also questioned whether such bans are effective. Australia was the first country to ban social media for children, but a [community-based study](https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj-2026-363695) published in June 2026 showed “limited implementation, incomplete compliance, and substantial circumvention of social media restrictions” in the three months that followed since the ban took effect in December 2025.

The Philippine Senate’s version of the social media bill passed almost unanimously, save for Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a children and women’s rights champion. Hontiveros, in [explaining her sole dissenting vote](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pvd6tcqKCzk), said she prefers “tiered restrictions” for adolescents instead of a blanket under-18 ban. “Our legislation must reflect the realities of how social media has also benefited young people,” Hontiveros said, adding that a sudden prohibition could drive children’s social media underground.

Hontiveros said that, instead of keeping children off platforms, the goal should be to create a safe internet environment. “Taking it away from them all of a sudden without providing adequate ways for them to cope with its absence,” she said, “is not the answer to their needs and it is not the answer to our collective fears.”

## What’s been proposed in the bills

Sen. Robinhood Padilla, who sponsored the Senate’s version, told a local radio station that the upper chamber’s measure was necessary to curb not only violence in schools but bad influence on youth as a whole. “This measure must be passed immediately because \[social media has\] caused a lot of bad things to our youth, especially to minors,” Padilla [said](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1005532/robin-padilla-cites-bullying-suicides-in-call-to-restrict-minors-social-media-use/story/) on Oct. 11, citing instances of bullying, suicides, and school shootings. “All these problems have compounded over time.”

The Senate’s approved bill increased the threshold of restrictions from the original version’s proposal of covering those under 16 years old to covering everyone under 18 years old. The passed bill proposes disabling or suspending the accounts of minors and banning them from creating new ones. Platforms will be required to have effective age-assurance measures. The Senate’s bill does not cover email, private messaging apps that do not have public or group features, school platforms, news websites, or online gaming platforms focused on gaming and not social networking.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian claimed[ in June](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/992518/sp-sherwin-gatchalian-renews-calls-for-socmed-ban-for-minors/story/) that “a lot of young people are addicted to social media and violent games, and studies showed that it has an influence on their mental health.” A clear causal link between violent video gaming and violence [has yet to be established](https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-violent-video-games.pdf).

Under the House proposal, the ban would apply to children under 13 years old. Teenagers under 18 could be on the platforms but would be prohibited from accessing “harmful or prohibited” content, advertisements, livestreams, short-form video, behavior profiling, making purchases, and gambling-like mechanisms. Parents must consent to their children’s use of social media, and this consent would be retractable.

## Seeking an answer to school violence

Several school-related incidents rocked the Philippines ahead of the passage of the bills. 

In March, Philippine police [revealed](https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2196712/pnp-thwarts-teenagers-alleged-plan-to-attack-school) seven teenagers from the Calabarzon region in Luzon island were allegedly planning a school attack in February. The five boys and two girls, according to police, allegedly shared images and videos of school shootings in other countries. They were turned over to social workers.

Then in June, two male students aged 14 and 15 [opened fire in their school ](https://time.com/article/2026/06/23/philippines-high-school-shooting-tacloban-age-criminal-responsibility/)in Tacloban City, killing three students. Twenty others were injured in the shooting incident. In turn, Philippine authorities temporarily banned GoreBox, a sandbox-style action game that simulates violence and destruction using weapons.

In August, a high school student from a campus in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga [shot a fellow student in school before killing himself](https://apnews.com/article/philippines-zamboanga-school-shooting-fe3aa5d6d1f3dd2ca614d68bb373d604). The shooter livestreamed the attack using a body camera.

Only a month later, a shooting at another southern Philippine high school [left two 14-year-old students dead and eight people wounded](https://apnews.com/article/philippines-school-shooting-south-cotabato-0fb2a2443f64829985e0aab1368d2ee8). The gunman, a teenager also from the school, fatally shot himself. Upon investigation, police found posts the shooter made in an online community where young people involved in school shootings are idolized.

While gun violence [is not uncommon in the country](https://time.com/6186982/philippines-guns-mass-shootings/), the incidents have forced the Philippines to reckon with a problem it once thought of as unique to the U.S.

But the Philippine Mental Health Association argues that a blanket ban on social media is a “non-solution.” PMHA national executive director Dr. Carolina Uno-Rayco said in a [statement](https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/10/10/2562132/socmed-blanket-ban-not-solution-youth-safety) to the media Thursday: “Preventing violence requires a comprehensive approach that includes mental health support, safe school environments, responsible online platforms and early identification and intervention.” 

Activist group [Akbayan Youth](https://www.facebook.com/AkbayanYouthOFFICIAL/posts/akbayan-youth-in-the-newsnot-smartakbayan-youth-also-criticized-the-proposed-ban/1525856579571943/) argued that the proposed social media ban penalizes young users by disrupting those who depend on them for education and livelihood and called for redirecting the regulation. “Do not punish the youth,” the organization’s national chairperson Khylla Meneses said in a statement. “Hold accountable the platforms that profit from how social media operates.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt1617edf17095797f Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:00:03 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Chad de Guzman\]\]><!\[CDATA\[VisionQuest Puts a Frustratingly Conventional End to Marvel’s WandaVision Trilogy\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/visionquest-review/<!\[CDATA\[Entertainment\]\]><!\[CDATA\[The series that finishes off Disney+'s 'WandaVision' trilogy lacks the style and energy of its two predecessors\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Marvel\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Paul Bettany in VisionQuest\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f67af0bce21cba1/6ace90f113db9d24a5e7462d/VisionQuest_TF_4.jpg?branch=production)

Paul Bettany in VisionQuest —Marvel

The marriage of Disney+ and the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://time.com/6319815/marvel-cinematic-universe-future/) seemed, at first, to be a perfect match. [_WandaVision_](https://time.com/5929715/wandavision-review/), the high-concept miniseries that placed Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her beloved synthezoid the Vision (Paul Bettany) in a succession of retro sitcoms and challenged viewers to figure out what was actually happening beyond the suburban veneer, kicked off the venture in 2021 with huge audiences and near-unanimous critical praise. But it [ended](https://time.com/5942708/wandavision-what-happened/) in the same predictable, digitally enhanced battle as every other MCU mediocrity. With a few fun exceptions, like this year’s renewed-then-canceled [_Wonder Man_](https://time.com/7357468/wonder-man-review-disney-plus/)and the witchy 2024 _WandaVision_ sequel [_Agatha All Along_](https://time.com/7022123/agatha-all-along-review/), the returns have been diminishing ever since. So it’s not particularly surprising that Disney [seems to be paring back](https://collider.com/marvel-disney-plus-streaming-change-after-visionquest/) its small-screen Marvel offerings. 

To understand what went wrong, you need only watch the first episode of _VisionQuest_, the final installment of the _WandaVision_ trilogy. It begins with Bettany narrating a summary of Vision’s MCU storyline, from his origin as the creation of sociopathic supervillain [Ultron](https://time.com/3840239/review-avengers-age-of-ultron/) and education in humanity at the hands of Avengers [Bruce Banner](https://time.com/7221542/captain-america-brave-new-world-the-incredible-hulk/) and [Tony Stark](https://time.com/6321494/iron-man-movie-mcu-book/) to his annihilation by [Thanos](https://time.com/5255759/avengers-infinity-war-ending-explained/) and resurrection as a projection of Wanda’s mourning, that will only make sense to viewers who’ve followed that saga for more than a decade. Soon, it’s introducing a bunch of anthropomorphized AIs (Orla Brady’s F.R.I.D.A.Y., Emily Hampshire’s E.D.I.T.H., James D’Arcy’s J.A.R.V.I.S.) that have their own franchise backstories. Less than 15 minutes in, Vision is sitting in a cinema, within his own robotic mind, brooding over memories of Wanda. The story is so unwieldy, at this point, it’s impossible to follow without constant reminders of what came before. Yet the _VisionQuest_ narrative is too emotionally simplistic and stylistically conventional, particularly compared to the two previous parts of the trilogy, to merit all that remembering. 

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe3fcf9f3aa541b7/6ace915f4336ce6091e264d3/VisionQuest_TF_2.jpg?branch=production)

From left: Orla Brady, James D'Arcy, Johnathan Sayer, and Henry Lewis in VisionQuest —Marvel

Annihilated for the second time with the collapse of Wanda’s grief fantasia, the Vision has been rebuilt—“same body, different mind,” he tells us, meaning that he no longer has the capacity for love that once bound him to her and the sons, Tommy and Billy, she conjured. In the physical world, he’s in hiding as a human barback at a Scottish pub with relevance to Wanda-Vision romance lore. But his more vivid existence is a life of the (artificial) mind, where he retreats to a sort of Beaux-Arts-meets-midcentury-modern country estate populated by autonomous AIs. While J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y. lead the virtual household, or Mindspace, “recreational AI” E.D.I.T.H. provides comic relief, crashing through skylights with daredevil stunts. 

Everyone seems a bit aimless now that Vision is serving beers instead of fighting to save the human race. It gives him time to stew on the loss of his emotions and relationships, to contemplate the extent to which he is and isn’t the same synthezoid who loved his family. His ennui may also be the only plausible explanation for his potentially catastrophic choice to keep Ultron (James Spader) alive, imprisoned in an isolated tower in Vision’s memory palace.

Physical reality disrupts Vision’s Tin-Man-esque, if-I-only-had-a-heart wistfulness when a fearsome bounty hunter, Paladin (Todd Stashwick), is hired to apprehend him. It also brings to his attention the existence—and Paladin-related peril—of one Thomas Shepherd (Ruaridh Mollica), a troubled young man in London whom we’re never really given a reason to doubt is a version of Tommy Maximoff. (If you want to know what became of Billy Maximoff, [watch _Agatha All Along_](https://time.com/7160807/agatha-all-along-billy-maximoff/), which remains an ideal Halloween-season binge.) The question is: Are he and the current incarnation of Vision truly father and son? Is this Vision capable of caring for the boy? Somehow, as the season progresses, it all escalates into yet another cataclysm that requires a superpowered champion to save humanity. But wait: Does humanity even _want_ to be saved, or do we subconsciously crave our own extinction? “They’re relentlessly aspirational,” Ultron notes, “but at the same time they wallow in their hardship, misery, guilt.” To illustrate this point, his tower contains a rendering of Hieronymous Bosch’s _The Garden of Earthly Delights_.

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf04b2aaf5e133438/6ace91bcf400d99d0c6516ab/VisionQuest_TF_5.jpg?branch=production)

James Spader in VisionQuest —Marvel

Created by Terry Matalas ([_Star Trek: Picard_](https://time.com/6318023/patrick-stewart-making-it-so-excerpt-picard/), _12 Monkeys_), _VisionQuest_ loads up on weighty themes—eternal ones like fathers and sons as well as that current ubiquity, [AI](https://time.com/tag/ai/). (I’m curious how much the story, which dates back to at least 2022, has evolved in response to an increasingly AI-dominated news cycle that has also become an obsession for Hollywood.) Yet, in typical Marvel fashion, it spends more time crafting action spectacles and shifting settings, traversing the physical world as well as infinite MIndspace via virtual backdrops elaborate yet generic enough to resemble video-game levels, than it does developing characters or ideas. Vision is often engaged in tortured introspection, but this is mostly redundant wheel-spinning. The AI handwringing is neither novel nor especially coherent; some undercooked aspects of the latter plot made me long for the next season of [_Pluribus_](https://time.com/7328396/vince-gilligan-interview-pluribus/).Now there’s a character-driven sci-fi drama that knows when to confuse viewers about basics like where a scene is taking place and what’s happening (rarely) and when to give us fodder for more abstract contemplation (often).

That’s not to say that _VisionQuest_ is bereft of pleasures. It makes a wonderful showcase for Bettany’s protean acting chops, though it’s hard to explain why without giving too much away. Even if I don’t entirely buy that Vision would hang on to Ultron out of some sense of ersatz-filial loyalty, Bettany and Spader, a consummate cerebral villain, are great together. (One reason it’s hard to get invested in the question of whether these AIs can feel feelings is that the Mindspace characters are so much more vividly portrayed than the flesh-and-blood humans.) And it’s always a treat to see the Marvel monolith plug precisely the right cult performer into a very specific small role. In this case, that’s Diane Morgan, known to fans of British comedy as the fictional, arrogantly ignorant TV presenter [Philomena Cunk](https://time.com/6257961/best-tv-shows-february-2023/), as Paladin’s sardonic assistant. There are some cool visual ideas, especially in the way that production designer Will Hughes-Jones conceives of Vision’s Mindspace as a place permeable to outside interference. 

As a capstone to a stylistically innovative trilogy, though, the show even falls short aesthetically. _WandaVision_ had its _Ozzie and Harriet_ and _Brady Bunch_ riffs. _Agatha_ burned through witchy feminine tropes, from _Ouija_ to catchy original songs in the vein of Steve Nicks. While it periodically calls back to the sitcom realm Wanda created (remember _Small Wonder_?), _VisionQuest_ is essentially a techy action thriller with a lonely hero who contemplates the nature of his existence. We’ve seen too much of that stuff in 21st century superhero storytelling, and here the monotony is exacerbated by the volume of MCU backstory that must be repeated and referenced in every episode. In theory, Disney+ was a chance for Marvel to deepen its universe, keeping fans’ favorite characters active between movies. But a crucial ingredient has been missing from so much of that content. Ironically enough, it’s vision.

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=bltb306f9c6d17d7c37 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:00:04 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Judy Berman\]\]><!\[CDATA\[In Defense of the Disney Adult\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/in-defense-of-the-disney-adult/<!\[CDATA\[Ideas\]\]><!\[CDATA\[A trip to Walt Disney World feels familiar and welcoming, and it helps people reconnect with their childhood and revisit a time when they felt carefree, writes Jada Gomez.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Thomas Simonetti—The Washington Post via Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5dbbc2c5224e5e6/6ace9de713db9d599fe74655/disney-adult.jpg?branch=production)

 —Thomas Simonetti—The Washington Post via Getty Images

Disney Adults are so easy to tease. People think they’re immature, embarrassing, cringe. 

As such, jokes about people who enjoy visiting Disney parks annually (or even multiple times a year) run rampant on social media. Satirized as being mentally stuck in elementary school and shamed for spending exorbitant amounts of money on their [Disney fix](https://time.com/6323556/disney-100-history/), “Disney Adult " has become the punchline _de jou_r for someone who needs to grow up and get a life. 

In their park of choice—whether it’s [Magic Kingdom](https://time.com/3721999/disney-world-magic-kingdom-ticket-price/), [Epcot](https://time.com/archive/6859676/living-disneys-last-dream/), [Animal Kingdom](https://time.com/archive/6732624/leisure-beauty-and-the-beasts/), or [Hollywood Studios](https://time.com/collections/worlds-coolest-places-2019/5736013/star-wars-galaxys-edge-disney-world-orlando-florida/)—Disney Adults typically wear some sort of Disney-coded costume or outfit meticulously coordinated with an on-theme Loungefly backpack and mouse ears.

Disney Adults are blasted for constantly returning to “the [most magical place on Earth](https://time.com/4008115/disneyland-disney-world-facts/),” and their slanderers believe those travel funds should be spent on “real” [vacations](https://time.com/6986803/how-to-vacation-relaxing/). Where? Literally anywhere else. The most outrageous of culprits? A Disney Adult who enjoys the Disney bubble… without any children. 

But in defense of the oft-ridiculed Disney Adult, why put a price on someone else’s joy, especially if you’re not the one bankrolling it? 

I’ll admit it: I am a Disney Adult. You know what, I’m proud of it. I grew up during the Disney Renaissance era and still never miss a new release, collect merch (especially ornaments), and will dress my dog as Buzz Lightyear from _Toy Story_ this Halloween. When I’m super bored, I check the wait times for rides while I’m on my couch thousands of miles away instead of doomscrolling. I’m confident in enjoying whatever makes me happy, and I choose to invest in my joy.

And yes, I am the dreaded Disney Adult without children. For one birthday in particular, I skipped through the park on my way to see the “Happily Ever After” fireworks wearing light-up Tinkerbell wings, accompanied only by my friend of the same age. 

And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

I agree with the sentiment of many Disney Adults I’ve encountered about why they keep returning. A trip to Walt Disney World feels familiar and welcoming, and it helps people reconnect with their childhood and revisit a time when they felt carefree. And with new attractions and experiences constantly being added, Walt Disney World offers nostalgia with a chance to make new memories every time.

In my opinion, Disney Adults are no different than the passionate members of any other fandom. I feel authorized to speak on this from the vantage point of a kid who practically grew up at [Yankee Stadium](https://time.com/archive/7083854/farewell-to-yankee-stadium/).

My dad worked at the home of the New York Yankees for 47 years. He started as a pre-teen selling Cracker Jacks in the stands while growing up in the South Bronx. And when he later worked in finance, he kept his part-time job at the stadium doing inventory, making all of the night and weekend games for as long as I can remember. 

As a stadium kid (and lifelong Yankees fan), I’ve seen the most diehard Yankees fans spend thousands on season tickets and coveted World Series seats with hopes of seeing the Bronx Bombers win at home. Fans drop real money for endless rounds of pricey stadium beer just to be “in the building.” And for this fanaticism, people barely bat an eye.

Throughout my life, I’ve seen these fans praised for their dedication to Yankee Blue and for having the means to own season tickets. When fans show off extensive baseball card collections or take selfies from expensive seats, they get praise, not ridicule. But if a Disney Adult displays a vast collection of limited-edition mouse ears, the collective eye roll feels palpable. As someone who goes to Walt Disney World often (more than twice a year if timing and budget align), I’m used to snarky responses when I say I’m going to Disney: “Again?” 

Yes, again. Because it brings me joy, and it’s currently hard out here for a whimsical millennial.

But unlike being a Disney Adult, there’s a harsh reality to being an avid fan of a specific sports team: the constant possibility of a brutal loss. When purchasing pricey tickets for a sporting event, there’s a chance that your beloved team will lose, that you’ll leave the stadium devastated, and with a lot less cash. 

When investing in a Disney trip, however, winning or losing isn’t on the line. There’s a high likelihood of having a great experience if a traveler leans into the tried-and-true activities that have historically been fun experiences for them. The guarantee of making happy memories is priceless.

Just as there’s no one way to be a sports fan, Disney Adults are not a one-size-fits-all monolith. Yes, some people spend cash on annual passes, endless Lightning Lanes to skip long lines, and enjoy character dining. But there are also so many ways to experience Walt Disney World without even setting foot in the parks.

On my last trip to the House of Mouse, I spent a lot of time at the BoardWalk, an area that connects Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club resorts that doesn’t require a ticket. I watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks on the beach with my toes nestled in the sand and far away from crowds. In another effort to avoid large crowds, I enjoyed a paint-and-sip class at Coronado Springs Resort and got a souvenir only I could make. On future trips, I’m hoping to explore a dog-friendly resort where I can bring my Buzz Lightyear pup, and plan a visit tailored for my mother, a senior who wouldn’t be able to walk endlessly in the Orlando heat. We often talk about when she took me to Disney for the first time for my fourth birthday, and all of the changes since then. For her, [Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge](https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654145/star-wars-galaxys-edge-disneyland-anaheim-california/) will be a must. 

Perhaps most importantly, I feel safe at Disney. Although I am alert to any dangers, I feel relatively confident that I can walk through the parks without enduring any catcalling or anyone spiking my drink. Which brings me to another plus for going to Disney so much: I can have a blast with a non-alcoholic drink, and no one’s going to judge me. 

Do I like to travel to places other than Walt Disney World? Yes. I love exploring the Caribbean in particular, where I immerse myself in water activities and learn about the cultures. When I travel to Europe, I tend to take cathedral tours in whatever area I’m traveling in. Despite the stereotype, Disney Adults can have multiple interests. Still, that doesn’t make me feel guilty for the giddiness I feel the moment I step onto the green carpet at Orlando International Airport, knowing that a shuttle is about to transport me into the peace of the Disney bubble. 

Everyone has their idea of fun that offers a means of escape. As long as it’s safe, why stigmatize someone for it? 

Disney Adults may be “cringe.” We’re an easy mark. But I can guarantee that not one of us will think twice about returning to a place we love. 

Life’s tough, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some magic every now and then.

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt788b836b15003fdb Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:00:04 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Jada Gomez\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Corporate Leaders Reflect on Their Careers at Executives of the Year Impact Dinner\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/13/execs-of-the-year-toasts/<!\[CDATA\[Business\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Citi bank’s David Griffiths, the Wikimedia Foundation’s Selena Deckelmann, and the NFL’s Gary Brantley spoke at TIME’s Executives of the Year Impact Dinner: Tech & Data.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

Three executives at very different companies gathered in New York on Tuesday evening for TIME’s Executives of the Year Impact Dinner: Tech & Data, during which they reflected on their leadership roles in the current technological age.

Giving toasts at the event were David Griffiths, the group head of artificial intelligence at Citi bank; Selena Deckelmann, the chief technology and product officer at Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that houses Wikipedia; and Gary Brantley, senior vice president and chief information officer at the National Football League.

Griffiths acknowledged the uncertainty that comes with rapidly developing tech, but he said that human decision-making will determine the impact of that advancement—for good or ill.

“Many of us have spent our entire careers waiting for this moment. Technology is finally catching up with our ambition. The future is so incredibly exciting. Yet, if we’re honest, it’s also unsettling,” he said. “Most of the choices about what comes next won’t feel historic when we make them. They’ll be quiet: who we listen to, what we fund, when we decide to wait, and when we decide to act. And the people who will live with those choices mostly are not in this room.”

Our “accountability,” he said, “that stays with us.”

Deckelmann also spoke about the enduring role humans will play as technology continues to affect companies like her own.

“Technology can’t decide how to live a good life or give our lives meaning. Our people and communities do,” she said.

Deckelmann explained that a typhoon had led her parents to meet, and thanks to Wikipedia allowing users to create, edit, and share public information pages, she was able to reach out to the New York-based musician who had written the page about the storm.

“I was able to do that because this technology that is behind Wikipedia encourages these very human connections,” she said. “And it’s these human connections and the sharing that comes from them that are essential to creating a future where we live good lives together.”

Brantley took an alternative approach to his toast and the night’s theme. Instead of speaking about technology at the NFL, he spoke about his parents and the role they played in his upbringing and approach to leadership.

“Together, they taught us one of the most important lessons I have ever learned: You show up each and every day even when you are tired, even when you are discouraged, and especially when you do not feel like it,” he said. “None of us arrived where we are on our own.”

_TIME Impact Dinner: Executives of the Year: Tech & Data was presented by Rokt._

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blta69deb0bf37b6608 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 04:45:00 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Connor Greene\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Three CTOs Discuss Technology’s Impact on Their Companies\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/13/execs-of-the-year-cto-panel/<!\[CDATA\[Business\]\]><!\[CDATA\[The Home Depot’s Franziska Bell, Wayfair’s Fiona Tan, and Rokt’s Sam Dozor spoke at TIME’s Executives of the Year Impact Dinner: Tech & Data.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

Chief technology officers gathered for a panel at TIME’s Executives of the Year Impact Dinner: Tech & Data on Tuesday night in New York City and discussed the ways that technology has shifted how their companies operate. 

Speaking on the panel at the TIME forum were Franziska Bell, CTO and executive vice president of The Home Depot; Fiona Tan, CTO of online marketplace giant Wayfair; and Sam Dozor, CTO of global e-commerce company Rokt, which sponsored Tuesday’s event.

Bell emphasized “always being grounded in the consumer experience” when thinking about how to adapt to new and emerging technologies, or what she described as “the art of the possible.”

One new AI tool that The Home Depot has deployed is Magic Apron, an “AI empowered home improvement expert,” Bell explained, that can help customers locate items in store, answer how-to questions about products, and respond to images uploaded by users.

Applications like Magic Apron, which Bell says has been rolled out in 2,000 U.S. stores, result from Bell assessing the “friction” involved in customer experiences and working to reduce it with technological tools.

She did not, however, discount the crucial roles that humans play alongside tech.

“I’m a huge believer in human-AI teams,” Bell said. “That’s really where the magic happens.”

Tan also spoke about the customer experience at Wayfair and how technology has been leveraged to help consumers figure out what they want from the company’s wide selection of products.

“A lot of times people don’t know what they’re looking for, they can’t describe it, and so perhaps we offer you a journey that will resonate,” she said. “We have to also innovate and provide them an experience that speaks more to them.”

When it comes to hiring new employees who can tackle consumer experience goals and integrate AI into their work, Tan stressed the importance of “adaptability” in young candidates who can seamlessly adjust to the quickly changing tech landscape.

Tan also said that it’s important to pair younger generations with older ones who have more experience at their companies.

Dozor said that the moment is prime for companies to invest in technology.

“The time is here,” he said. “The time is now, and all of us need to live it.”

One of the ways Rokt does this is by expanding the variety of work its employees can do using AI. “It’s amazing to see engineers lean into building product specs and designers writing code,” he said.

In that spirit, Rokt, he explained, takes a forward-looking approach to its work, always thinking about what’s next for its employees and what they can accomplish.

“Times are changing quickly,” Dozor said, and people can choose to live in the past, present, or future. “We’ve chosen to live six months from now.”

_TIME Impact Dinner: Executives of the Year: Tech & Data was presented by Rokt._

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=bltc0326d2f65a990e8 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 04:45:00 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Connor Greene\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Cornell’s Fraternity Party Suspension Draws Calls for Broader Reform\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/14/cornell-community-reacts-to-fraternity-party-pause/<!\[CDATA\[U.S.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Students and professors tell TIME the pause is a worthwhile step, but falls short of the changes they want from the school's administration.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Anna Moneymaker—Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Protesters listen to speakers at a rally in support of a former Cornell University student known as Jane Doe at the Ithaca Commons on Oct. 13, 2026.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53ee3258c7db4fdc/6acfd4360d238eea223053ef/GettyImages-2300067578.jpg?branch=production)

Protesters listen to speakers at a rally in support of a former Cornell University student known as Jane Doe at the Ithaca Commons on Oct. 13, 2026\. —Anna Moneymaker—Getty Images

After weeks of [pressure](https://time.com/article/2026/10/06/pressure-mounts-on-cornell-to-explain-its-handling-of-sexual-assault-allegations/) on Cornell’s administration over its handling of an [alleged gang rape](https://time.com/article/2026/10/05/cornell-university-sexual-assault-allegations-fraternity-jane-doe-lawsuit/) by fraternity members, students and professors are expressing doubt that the university's leadership is doing enough to address the issue of sexual assault on campus. 

They expressed frustration with three [measures](https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20261013-immediate-measures.cfm) that were announced Tuesday as a means to “strengthen campus safety”—one of which involved [banning fraternity houses](https://time.com/article/2026/10/13/cornell-halts-fraternity-parties-after-jane-doe-s-lawsuit/) from hosting parties or social events for the rest of the academic year. Other measures included adding staff to Cornell’s Office of Civil Rights, working with New York State Police to utilize trauma-informed criminal investigators, and improving education regarding the bystander effect. 

“These conversations, and campus protests, have underscored my deep conviction that we must do better: that the time for meaningful and lasting change at Cornell, and at campuses across the country, is now,” Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in the announcement. 

**Read More:** [_After the Cornell Case, Should Colleges Ban Fraternities?_](https://time.com/article/2026/10/07/in-the-wake-of-cornell-should-fraternities-be-banned-/)

Jack Huber, a member of Students for a Democratic Cornell (SDC), says that this is a step forward—however, it is “not nearly enough to tackle this issue on an institutional level.” 

Students are also [calling on](https://www.instagram.com/sdc.now/p/Dd6-ZzaoPfv/?img%5Findex=2) the university to revoke the degrees of the accused fraternity members; establish independent hearings and minimum sanctions for sexual assault; and commission an external review of the school’s handling of the case.

Cornell acknowledges in its Tuesday statement that the school has “fallen short” and points to the independent review that was launched by the university’s Board of Trustees. It is being led by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.

Huber says that the campus community believes Cornell is ultimately deflecting responsibility. 

“The vast majority of campus is absolutely not satisfied by this response, and many of which are enraged that the administration would so blatantly redirect blame away from themselves to get Cornell out of the news,” Huber says. 

Cornell is accused of being negligent in its response to the incident when it was initially reported in 2024\. Jane Doe’s lawsuit against the [seven men](https://time.com/article/2026/10/09/the-cornell-7-case-demands-more-than-outrage/) she accuses of rape also accuses Cornell of [violating New York law](https://time.com/article/2026/09/30/cornell-fraternity-rape-case-title-ix-new-york-intoxicated-consent/). 

The school [said](https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20260928-da-investigation.cfm) on Sept. 28 that when Doe reported the alleged assault in late 2024, it acted in accordance with federal law and triggered Title IX proceedings. An investigation took place in early 2025.

“After investigation, and pursuant to federal law, the matter was sent to a hearing where a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days,” the school’s statement said, noting that it ultimately applied a “range of sanctions” to the accused students, including expulsions and suspensions. 

“The complainant and respondents had the opportunity to testify and present evidence,” it continued.

The statement also pointed out that Cornell’s Chi Phi chapter was closed in 2024 and remained barred from campus. 

TIME has reached out to Kotlikoff’s office for comment.

Sabrina Karim, a government professor at Cornell, views the fraternity events ban as a “testing ground for a different policy going forward,” and a move that will buy time to evaluate what’s next. 

She agrees, however, that the ban does not go far enough—explaining that a broader and more coordinated approach may be necessary, especially in a rural environment like Ithaca, New York.

Cornell is located in a rural pocket of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York, surrounded by hills and country roads. Karim believes the climate requires a more robust effort by the university to connect students with external resources, like law enforcement.

“There needs to be, just, a better system,” she says.

Cornell [said](https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20261013-immediate-measures.cfm) Tuesday that the New York State Police “will interview survivors who elect to pursue criminal charges and will prepare comprehensive investigative summaries for the appropriate law enforcement agency.” This would take place throughout the duration of the independent review; the school did not comment on what coordinated efforts might take place beyond that timeline.

## Faculty Senate weighs no-confidence resolution as students press for reform

Cornell’s statement came one day before the Faculty Senate was scheduled to begin debating a proposed vote of no confidence.

The proposed [resolution](https://www.deanoffaculty.cornell.edu/faculty-governance/faculty-senate/pending-matters/resolution-cornell-faculty-senators-vote-of-no-confidence/), which has over 120 supporting signatures, establishes that: “The Faculty Senate has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University.” 

If passed, it would represent the strongest faculty rebuke to the university since the Jane Doe investigation began. 

Professors at Cornell tell TIME that many faculty members distrust the administration.

Risa Leiberwitz, a professor in the College of Industrial Labor Relations, tells TIME that Cornell’s administration does not adequately listen to campus governance bodies such as the Faculty Senate, student assemblies, and unions. 

She says it has taken a “top down” approach to decision-making and “has not shown respect or real commitment to democratic campus governance.”

Others believe that the school’s ban on fraternity events is more of a response to external pressure than a push for long-lasting cultural change on campus. 

“As someone who's been organizing for the vote of no confidence, the timing of this is very suspicious, so it definitely feels like the president is trying to get ahead of \[the\] meeting,” says Julia Chang, a professor of Hispanic studies at Cornell.

“Trust is eroded between faculty and administration, and between students and administration,” Chang says. “We see this administration as one that is reacting to the news, and to the bad PR, as opposed to leading on this issue.”

“I continue to have concerns, and I know many of my colleagues continue to have concerns, that the Cornell administration is reactive,” Leiberwitz says. “It is reacting to pressure on it in a very drip, drip, drip way.”

In light of that perception, student organizers believe that the only way to get the changes they’re seeking is by continuing to apply pressure. 

“What's clear to us is that the administration is trying to scapegoat fraternities instead of making any commitment to institutional change—change in line with the demands that SDC and dozens of other organizations put forward,” Huber says. “And the fact that it is only a year shows that they are really using this as a temporary fix, something to get the administration out of the news cycle.”

SDC is one of the many student groups that organized a “Justice for Survivors” rally on Oct. 5\. Thousands of students and community members attended the protest, according to the [_Cornell Sun_](https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/10/thousands-attend-justice-for-survivors-protest-on-ho-plaza). The SDC also co-sponsored a seven-hour sit-in organized by the school’s NAACP and Black Students United groups on Oct. 7\. The next coordinated effort is now in development, according to Huber. 

People’s University, a campus activist group, says it plans to protest at a Cornell Board of Trustees meeting Friday. In a press release shared with TIME, the group called for a rally and a symbolic “mock trial” of the seven men accused in Jane Doe’s lawsuit. It also demanded the resignation or removal of Kotlikoff and several other administrators and the abolition of Interfraternity Council Greek life at Cornell.

“We are still putting pressure on the administration and we are not going to stop until we get our demands,” Huber says. “We will not be satisfied until we have institutional change and an independent judicial system, so something like this can never be covered up again.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=bltccc6f6ca24002c90 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Rebecca Schneid and Connor Greene\]\]><!\[CDATA\[How Kate Spade CEO Eva Erdmann Is Using the Brand's Heritage to Target Gen Z\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/11/kate-spade-ceo-eva-erdmann-interview/<!\[CDATA\[Business\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Eva Erdmann on her turnaround effort, and how she’s seeking to preserve Kate Spade's history.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Courtesy Kate Spade New York\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfab8cee4b284d3a6/6acbf3cac56bb10510783946/Eva_Erdmann_Headshot.jpeg?branch=production)

 —Courtesy Kate Spade New York

Eva Erdmann took the helm at Kate Spade New York in the fall of 2024, and has been tasked with leading a turnaround at the fashion brand, owned by [Tapestry](https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2024/6978925/tapestry-inc/). The brand’s revenue has been in decline for multiple quarters, but Erdmann is looking to right the ship by streamlining the business and targeting Gen Z consumers nostalgic for the ’90s and attracted to the whimsy of the brand. South African singer [Tyla](https://time.com/6321439/tylas-water-dance-challenge-tiktok/) recently became a brand ambassador, and other campaigns have featured [Ice Spice](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6308468/ice-spice/), [Laufey](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2024/7023455/laufey/), and [Charli D’Amelio](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/7299104/charli-damelio/).

Whether it’s in fashion, culture, or politics, “Gen Z is the most influential generation ever in history,” Erdmann believes. She is also tapping into the brand’s sense of fun, from [animal-shaped](https://www.katespade.co.uk/products/monsters-teddi-bear-mini-bag/KP553-960.html?frp=KP553+L38) bags to accessories that nod to Kate Spade’s New York City heritage, like a [bagel-shaped bag charm](https://www.katespade.com/products/charmed-nyc-bagel-charm/KN960-960.html) or a [wallet](https://www.katespade.com/products/on-a-roll-zip-cardholder/K4568-700.html) designed to look like a Metro Card. “Today, in this world, where everything feels very heavy and uncertain and fragmented and isolated at the same time, I think that a brand that brings optimism and joy and lightness has a role to play—has always had a role to play—but even more today, and that's really what we are building at at Kate Spade,” Erdmann says.

The brand, named after co-founder Kate Spade, was launched in 1993 with just six handbag designs. The founders sold it to Neiman Marcus in 2006\. The business was later bought by Liz Claiborne, which was then acquired by Tapestry for $2.4 billion in 2017\. Designer Spade [died in 2018](https://time.com/5301856/kate-spade-death-reactions/), having changed her name to Kate Valentine in 2016 to "separate the two worlds." 

The fashion brand has become known the world over. “I deeply believe that great brands do more than selling products,” says Erdmann. “They shape culture…they bring a vision on the world, they help people feel differently about themselves, or they solve something for them.” 

Erdmann made the leap to Kate Spade New York from the beauty business, having spent much of her career at L'Oréal, most recently serving as global president of Urban Decay at the company. 

TIME spoke with her earlier this year about navigating that transition, her turnaround effort, and how she’s seeking to preserve the brand’s history.

_(This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.)_

**You've now been in your role coming up to a couple of years. You were previously at L'Oréal. What lessons did you learn through that transition into the world of fashion?**

I've always been very interested in brands with a strong heritage and that have a story to tell, that have a vision on the world, and I've always thought that it's such a precious gift, when you're given a brand with a heritage that you have not only to keep alive, but to reinvent, to modernize for a new generation of consumer. I am very grateful that I worked for brands with fantastic heritage throughout my career, whether it is beauty or now with Kate Spade, so the transition felt very natural to me, and there is much more overlap than we think between the two industries, because at the end of the day, we're talking about an emotional product, we are talking about brands that are doing more than selling products, we are talking about brands that are bringing a vision to the world, offering a very emotional connection with the consumer, so in that sense there is so much similarity between those two industries that it made the transition easier.

I think what I brought from the beauty industry and the CPG (consumer packaged goods) background is that discipline around the consumer, the consumer being at the center of everything, testing before we invest, really organizing everything around the consumer, and also about the discipline to build hero products that you know you're going to become known for. When you build a hero product, you are also building trust with your consumer, because then they know that if they buy something, it's going to still be relevant the next season or the year after, so, when they start investing in that product, you're also building that trust for them in the long term. 

**Is there anything that has surprised you since you joined?**

Even before I joined Kate Spade, every time I would talk about this brand to friends or acquaintances, they would never tell me, "Oh, I love the brand" or "I love this handbag.” They would always tell me a story—the first handbag they bought for their first job, or the first bag their mother gave to them for their graduation party, or the bag their sister gave to them for that very specific life moment, for their engagement party. Always a very emotional story. That was something I've never seen for any other brands. So I came with the conviction that there was a very special emotional connection with the consumer. 

What was the surprise when I joined is that it's even more than what I thought, and the data confirmed that impression. What I discovered through the data after joining is that Kate Spade has a fantastic awareness in the U.S. Everybody knows this brand. A brand with this emotional connection, that's very unique. We receive thousands of letters every month from consumers—and it's not letters to ask for discounts or promotions—it's letters to tell us how much they love the brand. So, we've created a wall in the office. I discovered it when I joined the brand, and that feeling I had before joining, it was already very strong, but after joining, when I saw that, it was a fantastic surprise, because you feel you've discovered treasure, and the treasure is this emotional connection that this brand has with the consumer today.

**Does that add an additional layer of pressure, making sure that you maintain the core elements that make people love the brand, while going through a transition with the business, and not tarnishing that?**

It makes the mission even more meaningful because this brand is iconic. In the ’90s, this brand was everywhere. It was a social phenomenon, you couldn't escape the brand, it was everywhere in the street. So it makes the mission very precious and meaningful to me, and also I always say to my teams, you have to move forward, you have to look backwards. What I mean with that is that you have to respect the true essence of a brand, you have to go back to what made the brand very distinctive and very unique at the beginning. What made the brand successful at the beginning, and when you understand that essence \[and\] vision, then it becomes your compass for everything you do. Kate Spade brought a new vision of femininity in the ’90s, \[when\] if you wanted to be successful in your career, you had to dress like a man. You needed to have the big shoulders, the suit, the serious suitcase, and Kate Spade came with a very different vision. She offered a handbag that was still very functional, made for work, but also this touch of femininity, touch of wit, and she actually gave the freedom to women to be feminine and have a career at the same time, to be feminine and be a mother at the same time. That was a very interesting approach, and it was a revolution.

When you stay true to that really distinctive vision at the beginning, then it can live forever, because what it means to be feminine in 2026 is maybe not the same as in the ’90s, but this is the essence of the brand. We spend hours unboxing bags from the Kate Spade era, from the first years, really looking at all the thoughtful details, the vision of that moment was incredible—the interior, the hardware—I want to start from there, from the true beginning of the brand, and reintroduce it to a new generation of consumers today, that's really the idea.

**This is a challenging moment for the sector—there’s a lot of competition, particularly at the same price point, and you're going through a strategic shift that partly explains revenue declines in recent quarters. Could you tell me more about the strategy for the business and how you're thinking about standing out in the crowd?**

This is a very competitive market, but we have a very enviable position, today, because 25 million young women are turning 18 every year, and they're looking for their first handbag, and especially their first luxury handbag, and we are here for them at that moment, and that has always been our positioning, and not everyone can claim this positioning. Even more than talking to Gen Z, I'm talking really about this point of market entry, when the consumer wants to buy that first very serious and luxurious handbag, and it's who we are.

In terms of strategy, and what you've been seeing in the results lately, we are really focused on strengthening the foundation of this brand, and we've been really focused on strengthening the product and building the hero product. We've been very, very focused on improving, elevating the store experience, but overall the whole consumer experience across all the touch points with something that's very cohesive and consistent. We've been very focused into pulling back on the promotion and reducing our dependency on promotions and discounting. We've been very focused on upgrading our talents and welcoming new talents to the team as well, and most importantly, investing to reconnect or to introduce the brand with this new generation of consumer and present to them this uplifting vision of luxury, and investing more in brand marketing for the long-term for them. And of course we are making some actions today that are impacting the short-term intentionally, because we want to rebuild not only for growth but we want to rebuild for the long-term and for something healthy, so we've been closing stores that were not profitable, and this is what we're optimizing. This is all intentional, as we are building something that is here to last.

**What new skill sets or types of talent are you seeking for the next stage of the business's evolution?**

We've been reinforcing the teams where we knew we had to bring a difference, so we've been reinforcing the marketing teams, so that we could really build this vision, build the brand, build that connection. We've been reinforcing the design teams as well. We have newcomers coming into the design team as well, because product is everything, and we have to have the right product. And we've been reinforcing, as well, the consumer insight teams, and the way we work with the consumer, because one of my convictions is that we have to test before we invest, and even more, when you are in a transformation process, you have to go fast, you have to take some risk, but when you test before you invest, when you really listen to the consumer, it allows you to test new ideas, break through things that you do very differently, but know before you start investing—whether it is in the product, whether it is in a campaign, or a new store design.

**You mentioned the 18-year-old buying her first handbag. Does Gen Z account for most of your customers today?**

We are really focused on acquisition of Gen Z, and why? I was in Asia recently, and from Singapore to San Francisco, what I'm hearing is the same thing—and I've never seen a generation so homogeneous in the way they think—they want more connection, they want small moments of lightness and joy. Today, the world is fragmented for them, it's very anxious, so they're really craving this real-life moment. And this is where our brand has something to play, and where we have a very true connection with the consumer, because this really has always been our positioning, sparking joy that spread, sparking the little moments, being there for the life moments, and bringing some touch of lightness and fun. This is our positioning, and this is what the Gen Z consumer is looking for today. So, there is something that's very natural between what they're looking for, what they desire to see, and even what we can offer to them. 

**How do you think about the other generations that have grown up with Kate Spade? As a brand, it cuts across Gen X, Millennials, and now Gen Z. How are you thinking about catering to those different consumers?**

We love all our consumers, and you're right, that we're talking to all consumers today, and very connected to all of them. That said, what the data is telling us is Gen Z is the most influential generation ever in history, and not only in fashion or handbags—across the board, in politics, and everything, and that's fascinating. And what we see in your, in our data, is that when you start being relevant for Gen Z, when you start being appealing for them, and when they start being obsessed with you, there is a trickle down effect on every other generation, and when you start winning with Gen Z, quickly you see as well the other generations, Millennial and Gen X, growing at the same time. This is the impact they have on other generations today. So this is almost like the halo effect of winning with Gen Z that we see today.

**The current ’90s resurgence ties in nicely with the history of the brand as well.**

Totally, I mean they're all about nostalgia. At the same time, I don't want to position the brand on nostalgia. What's interesting is what they're looking for. They are nostalgic of a moment they have never lived. They're nostalgic of a moment where we had no phones in high schools, where people would talk to each other, where they would have parties with no reports afterwards, with all the pictures. This is that connection moment, this real-life moment that they're nostalgic about. And this is where it's interesting that this is what we can bring to them, not necessarily going into the nostalgia of how it looked—it's also about what it meant. That's the most important, I believe.

**As a CEO, what are the metrics that you pay most attention to in the business?**

As a CEO, you're going to always track the lagging indicators, right? Your sales and your acquisition. When you are in a transformation, when you are in a reinvention, you have to pay attention as much on all the leading indicators, all the metrics that are telling you about your brand health, because this is what you are rebuilding. The connection with the consumer, how they see the brand, all the consumer insights, how they see the brand in their world, how they consider the brand, so the consideration, the engagement they have, the Google search as well—which kind of consumer, and how you're acquiring the consumer—is also critical on the long term. So, tracking all those metrics that tell you about the brand health is critical in this transformation, because there are also early indicators that you are on the right path, that this is what's happening for the brand. So, this is what I'm tracking, and I'm also tracking very closely the teams, and team engagement, how they're doing, because what we often forget is that a brand transformation is first of all a human transformation, and how you create the space and the culture for people to test new things, to be creative, to feel very passionate about the brand is also something very important to monitor in this moment of transformation.

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt92b397f6ab69dc58 Sun, 11 Oct 2026 20:52:36 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Ayesha Javed\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Pressure Mounts on Cornell to Explain Its Handling of Sexual Assault Allegations\]\]> https://time.com/article/2026/10/06/pressure-mounts-on-cornell-to-explain-its-handling-of-sexual-assault-allegations/<!\[CDATA\[U.S.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Student protests and a possible faculty no-confidence vote are intensifying scrutiny of the university’s response.\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

Students and faculty at Cornell University are demonstrating mounting displeasure with the school’s administration over its handling of the [alleged gang rape](https://time.com/article/2026/09/30/cornell-fraternity-rape-case-title-ix-new-york-intoxicated-consent/) by [fraternity](https://time.com/article/2026/10/05/cornell-university-sexual-assault-allegations-fraternity-jane-doe-lawsuit/) members that occurred in 2024, calling for greater accountability and an overhaul of investigatory procedure.

Hundreds of students, faculty members, and other supporters gathered Monday in front of the school’s student center under the banner of “Justice for Survivors.” Attendees wore purple ribbons and held signs that asked questions such as “Cornell, can you hear us now?” and “When will we start protecting survivors?”

The peaceful protest was led by dozens of student organizations, including Students for a Democratic Cornell (SDC).

“We found it incredible,” Soham Bera, the vice-chair of SDC, tells TIME. “This was a moment where you had hundreds, if not thousands, of students coming together—despite the fact this administration has been known for cracking down on protesting and still deciding this is our moment.”

**Read More:** [_The System That Failed Cornell’s Jane Doe_](https://time.com/article/2026/10/02/the-system-that-failed-cornell-jane-doe/)

MeToo Founder Tarana Burke Says The Cornell Case Demands More Than Outrage

The groups also presented Cornell’s leadership with demands for disciplinary action and changes to how the university handles sexual assault complaints.

Among the chants from demonstrators were calls for Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff to resign and chants of “Ban the frats!”

Athena Holloway, the former president of Cornell’s Black Students United and president of Cornell NAACP, was one of the speakers at the student-led event. She noted the long history of students using their voices to demand change on campus, including the Afro-American Society Willard Straight Hall Takeover of 1969.

“Cornell has changed before, and we can change it again,” she said. 

## Why the Cornell sexual assault case is drawing new outrage

Recent demonstrations come as a response to the civil [lawsuit filed](https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=w3cAcu0L42eUEEFc9PeClw==) Sept. 14 by a former Cornell student, who is identified in the complaint as Jane Doe. Doe not only alleges in the lawsuit that she was sexually assaulted by seven members of the school’s Chi Phi fraternity but also claims that Cornell was negligent in its response and [violated New York law](https://time.com/article/2026/09/30/cornell-fraternity-rape-case-title-ix-new-york-intoxicated-consent/).

Cornell’s response to the incident—and its broader approach to handling sexual assault reports on campus—came under scrutiny after Doe’s lawsuit alleged negligence, breach of contract, and violations of New York law.

“We need to speak up. This miscarriage of justice cannot continue to go on,” Bera says.

Bera and other protesters point to what they consider insufficient punishments from Cornell University after it conducted its Title IX investigation, which began in January 2025\. Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, has said that Cornell expelled two of the seven accused students and that it required some of the other fraternity members to write essays. 

Cornell has confirmed that its disciplinary process resulted in expulsions and suspensions, but it has not disclosed individual outcomes. It also [clarified](https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20260928-da-investigation.cfm) last week that “none of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.”

Giuffra also claims that Doe was denied her request for a tuition refund when she sought to leave Cornell. He says that she eventually withdrew from the university, citing a lack of institutional support.

Cornell subsequently gave a response to [_Inside Higher Ed_](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/safety/2026/10/01/cornell-agrees-independent-investigation-alleged-rape) saying that it regularly works with students seeking leave and has in the past refunded payments, but it did not respond directly to the accusation related to Doe. 

As more information comes to light, tensions continue to mount. 

Over the weekend, the school’s newspaper, the [_Cornell Daily Sun_](https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/10/cupd-made-drug-arrest-at-chi-phi-22-hours-before-the-alleged-sexual-assault), reported that campus police made a drug-related arrest at the Chi Phi fraternity house less than 24 hours before the alleged assault and referred an individual to Cornell’s student conduct office. Doe alleges in her lawsuit that she was coerced into using drugs before the assault. Cornell declined to tell the _Sun_ when the student conduct office learned of the referral.

On Sunday, Giuffra told [CNN’s _State of the Union_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8%5FizyEGcGks) that the consequences against Doe have persisted, saying that she has been receiving threats since filing her lawsuit against her alleged attackers and against Cornell.

“There are people out there trying to track her down,” he shared in the interview. “They said, ‘We’re gonna shut you up.’”

As the students continue to assert their frustration with the university, so too does the faculty. 

Faculty Senate member Paul Ortiz, a professor of labor history, sponsored a no-confidence resolution—which is an official statement demonstrating that the faculty no longer trusts or approves of the school’s leadership. It was introduced Monday for review by the University Faculty Committee. 

“The faculty Senate has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University,” the resolution states, according to [_The New York_ _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/nyregion/cornell-faculty-no-confidence.html)_._

The resolution is not legally binding, and faculty governing boards are not required to replace administrators because of a no-confidence resolution. The measure is expected to be put to a vote when the faculty Senate meets Oct. 14.

TIME has reached out to Ortiz for further comment from the Senate.

Dissatisfaction was also expressed anonymously early Monday when the school's main administration building was splashed with graffiti and had its doors damaged. 

In a [statement](https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20261005-response.cfm), school spokesperson Kyle Kimball said, “We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed across our community. Those concerns deserve to be heard, but damaging property is not the answer. We are investigating the vandalism at Day Hall and will address it in accordance with University policy and applicable law.”

Anger is also mounting beyond Cornell, as the case has drawn an outpouring of solidarity on social media. An “I am Jane Doe” [online support campaign](https://www.afp.com/fr/node/3845298) has gained traction by inviting others to share similar incidents that they experienced, with one TikTok video garnering over 4 million views. 

Alumni has taken a stand, as well. Sami Sage, who graduated from Cornell in 2011, launched [an online petition](https://www.change.org/p/cornell-alumni-supporting-jane-doe) that has collected over 61,000 signatures pledging to withhold financial and other means of support until the university demonstrates accountability, transparency, remedy, and prevention. TIME cannot independently confirm that all of the signees were formerly enrolled at Cornell.

## What Cornell students and faculty want to see changed 

Ahead of Monday’s protest, the organizing groups [called on Cornell](https://www.instagram.com/sdc.now/p/Dd6-ZzaoPfv/?img%5Findex=2) to expel or revoke the degrees of students they say were involved in the alleged assault; establish independent hearings and minimum sanctions for sexual assault; require prevention training for students and trauma-informed training for campus police; and commission an external review of Cornell’s handling of the case. 

Bera says the groups also want to restore a university judicial system independent of the administration.

"What Cornell needs is a judicial system that is independent of an administration that uses it to protect the university's image and the opinions of donors and trustees at the expense of the student body,” Bera says.

She points to 2020, when the school [approved](https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2020/12/undeterred-by-calls-for-delay-board-of-trustees-approves-controversial-code-of-conduct-revisions) a new Student Code of Conduct, placing disciplinary authority in the administration's hands. SDC and its collaborators believe that this independent judicial system needs to be re-implemented “as soon as possible,” Bera says.

Kate Manne, a Cornell philosophy professor, also urged accountability in a [Substack post](https://katemanne.substack.com/p/an-emergency-dispatch). She advocated banning fraternities across campus, describing them as “a hotbed of misogyny” with “no valid role in the modern university.” Cornell says the Chi Phi chapter closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus.

## What happens next for Cornell? 

The pressure on Cornell is now moving on several fronts: an independent review, a state investigation, a faculty vote and further protests.

Over the weekend, Kotlikoff [recorded](https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20261003-commitment.cfm) a video for students promising more transparency and accountability—pledging, without specificity, to “do better.”

“What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come,” he said.

On Tuesday, Cornell University's Board of Trustees [named](https://statements.cornell.edu/2026/20261006-special-committee.cfm) Sally Yates, a former acting U.S. attorney general and career federal prosecutor, to lead an independent review of the university’s handling of the case.

“The review will examine Cornell’s policies, practices and resources across the full range of prevention and response, including how reports are received and investigated; how students are supported; how hearings, disciplinary decisions and appeals are handled … and policies and oversight involving fraternities, sororities, and other student organizations,” according to the accompanying statement. 

It also said that Yates will investigate the Cornell Board of Trustees’ oversight on the issues.

TIME has reached out to Cornell for comment.

Outside of the school’s contested internal investigation, parallel lines of inquiry are continuing through a criminal investigation overseen by the state. 

The criminal investigation was reopened Sept. 28 by Tompkins District Attorney Matthew Van Houten.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, however, has [criticized](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/briefing/new-york-governor-cornell-jobs-report.html) Van Houten’s handling of the case. The DA had reviewed the original complaint filed by Jane Doe in 2024 and declined to prosecute at the time. She [appointed](https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/EO%5F64.pdf) State Attorney General Letitia James on Oct. 1 as the special prosecutor on the case.

“Think about that—in what world would the police learn from a victim that she'd been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the District Attorney?” Hochul said in a [press conference](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/video-audio-photos-rush-transcript-governor-hochul-and-attorney-general-james-provide-update) on Oct. 2\. “In what world does the District Attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved—or even request the full transcript?”

Bera says that the independent review by Cornell is a good first step—but SDC and other organizations plan to continue holding protests until the rest of their demands have been met. 

Next is a [sit-in protest](https://www.instagram.com/cornellnaacp/p/DeF6TUukcbo/) “in solidarity with Jane Doe and all survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence,” she says. That takes place Wednesday.

External advocates are also rallying around Jane Doe, with an independent protest organized by groups unaffiliated with Cornell [scheduled](https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd4RrYhkXpI/?stkn=MWR1enluZ3FubDZreA==) for Oct. 13.

“Cornell Administration supports known rapists,” the organizers’ [post](https://www.instagram.com/nothingnewthisyear/p/DdpOPKWkuHE/?img%5Findex=1) said. “We demand answers.”

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt1b83ead596f05679 Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:39:47 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Rebecca Schneid\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Cristina Etcheberry\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/cristina-etcheberry/<!\[CDATA\[Cristián Carvallo—El Mercurio\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1df91a91fcc1a38e/6ab55b209d758f22b9f478ad/t100next_ph_etcheberry_web.jpg?branch=production)

 —Cristián Carvallo—El Mercurio

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt2ec09c129ff8f922 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:21 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Harry Booth\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Sasha Gordon\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/sasha-gordon/<!\[CDATA\[Jay Kolsch\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf245a230271dd871/6ab5caa644523f86fab9247c/sasha-gordon-time100next-2026.jpg?branch=production)

 —Jay Kolsch

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt134df4bf4e0df536 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:21 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Chanel Miller\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Arch Manning\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/arch-manning/<!\[CDATA\[Alex Slitz—Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

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 —Alex Slitz—Getty Images

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blte07b312dd57eb655 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:21 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Matthew McConaughey\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Lauren Ireland and Marianna Hewitt\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/lauren-ireland-and-marianna-hewitt/<!\[CDATA\[Courtesy Anna Sokol\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

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 —Courtesy Anna Sokol

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt7f4174e451718c65 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:21 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Emma Grede\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Paapa Essiedu\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/paapa-essiedu/<!\[CDATA\[Stuart Wilson—BAFTA/Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb753663e64f023d8/6ab5c8b8a727e90b4fba87c7/paapa-essiedu-time100next-2026.jpg?branch=production)

 —Stuart Wilson—BAFTA/Getty Images

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt15c5103d94f53ae1 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:20 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Bryan Cranston\]\]><!\[CDATA\[PinkPantheress\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/pinkpantheress/<!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32be2e0e7a7ce161/6ab435e6c57f5643f160ec25/pinkpantheress_time100next_2026.jpg?branch=production)

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=bltd7fdaf4ba8582e63 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:20 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Kelela\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Charles Melton\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/charles-melton/<!\[CDATA\[Erik Carter—AUGUST\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55c583627b20cfc8/6ab16ca244523f1414b8f590/charles-melton-time100next-2026.jpg?branch=production)

 —Erik Carter—AUGUST

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt2988a46bf0f71678 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:20 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Natalie Portman\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Joey King\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/joey-king/<!\[CDATA\[Swan Gallet—WWD/Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

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 —Swan Gallet—WWD/Getty Images

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blt12c2abf315adbf16 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:20 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Nicole Kidman\]\]><!\[CDATA\[Luana Lopes Lara and Tarek Mansour\]\]> https://time.com/collection/time100-next/2026/luana-lopes-lara-and-tarek-mansour/<!\[CDATA\[Alexey Yurenev—Bloomberg/Getty Images\]\]><!\[CDATA\[

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 —Alexey Yurenev—Bloomberg/Getty Images

\]\]> https://time.com/?p=blta025506a433ad596 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:02:20 +0000<!\[CDATA\[Alana Semuels\]\]>