The retail industry on Friday said the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down some of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would usher in more predictability and flexibility for innovation, freeing up businesses from the burden of higher import costs.

“The Supreme Court’s announcement today regarding tariffs provides much-needed certainty for U.S. businesses and manufacturers, enabling global supply chains to operate without ambiguity,” the National Retail Federation said in a statement following the ruling. “Clear and consistent trade policy is essential for economic growth, creating jobs and opportunities for American families.”

The nation’s highest court determined that Trump’s broad tariff rates on U.S. trade partners enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, overstepped the president’s authority. The Supreme Court is sending the case back to the lower court with instructions to dismiss it for lack of jurisdiction.

The reversal raises questions about if, when and how the government may refund tariffs that have already been paid, and whether Trump will pursue other kinds of duties that hit retailers and their imports.

“We urge the lower court to ensure a seamless process to refund the tariffs to U.S. importers,” the NRF said in its statement. “The refunds will serve as an economic boost and allow companies to reinvest in their operations, their employees and their customers.”

As it awaited the Supreme Court decision, warehouse club giant Costco sued the Trump administration in December to get a full refund of the tariffs it had paid and to block import duties from continuing.

In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, Costco said it risked losing money it has already paid even if the Supreme Court ruled against the tariffs.

Costco did not immediately respond to request for comment about the Supreme Court decision and what it means for the retailer’s lawsuit.

The NRF represents a number of U.S. retailers, from big-box retailers such as Walmart to smaller brands and manufacturers. Clothing, footwear and discretionary items were among the imports most vulnerable to Trump’s tariffs, which imposed steep rates on countries such as China and Vietnam, where the retail industry maintains large portions of its supply chain.

Footwear has been one the most heavily impacted industries, since nearly 100% of all footwear sold in the U.S. is imported, according to Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, the industry’s trade group.

Even before Trump’s first term, footwear manufacturers were moving some sourcing out of China as its labor force shrank, Matt Priest, CEO of the FDRA, said. Yet he said it would be unrealistic to return production to the U.S., and moving it to another part of Asia can be difficult.

In a statement on Friday, Priest said the decision marked an “important step toward creating a more predictable and competitive environment for American businesses and consumers.”

“By removing these widespread tariffs, the footwear industry can redirect billions of dollars toward innovation, job creation, and affordability for families across the country,” Priest said. “This ruling provides relief at a time when cost pressures have been significant, and it opens the door for continued collaboration between industry leaders and policymakers to ensure trade policy reflects today’s global marketplace.”

The trade group said it would continue to work with the Trump administration and Congress to create a trade framework that would benefit consumers, retailers and manufacturers.

Other business industry groups also cheered the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday. Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the ruling was “welcome news” for businesses and consumers.

“Over the past year, the Chamber has been working with small and midsize businesses around the country that have seen significant cost increases and supply chain disruptions as a result of these tariffs,” Bradley said in a statement. “Swift refunds of the impermissible tariffs will be meaningful for the more than 200,000 small business importers in this country and will help support stronger economic growth this year.”

For years, security programs have relied on point-in-time snapshots to prove control effectiveness. They’ll run a quarterly audit here, a monthly scan there.

They’ll rely on spreadsheets frozen at the moment it’s exported. That approach might satisfy an auditor, but it fails the reality of modern infrastructure.

Cloud environments change by the hour, identities sprawl, and controls drift quietly between checks. By the time a snapshot tells you something is wrong, the risk has already existed for weeks or months. Security leaders need more than static evidence. They need continuous controls monitoring (CCM) to surface drift as it happens, while it still matters, and while teams can act with confidence rather than hindsight.

What Is Configuration Drift?

Configuration drift

accumulates quietly, one well-intentioned decision at a time, until the environment no longer resembles the design leaders believe they’re governing. Here are some of the core sources of configuration drift:

• Manual fixes in production: Engineers apply direct changes to restore availability or resolve incidents, bypassing change management and leaving no durable record in policy or code.
• Inconsistent policy rollout: Controls are deployed unevenly across environments, regions, or accounts, creating gaps where standards exist in theory but not in execution.
• Drift between infrastructure-as-code and live resources: IaC templates declare one state while real-world resources evolve independently, eroding the assumption that code reflects reality.
• Shadow changes in cloud consoles: Permissions, network rules, or configurations are modified interactively during investigations or troubleshooting, often labeled as temporary and rarely reverted.

The Impact of Configuration Drift

The impact of configuration drift shows up where it hurts most: risk exposure, detection reliability, and credibility with auditors.

• An expanded attack surface: As configurations diverge from their intended state, permissions sprawl, network boundaries loosen, and previously protected assets become exposed. Risk increases not through deliberate change, but through unchecked accumulation.
• Broken detections and logging: Security tools rely on consistent configurations to function correctly. Drift disables logging, drops agents out of scope, and fractures detections, creating blind spots that undermine monitoring and incident response.
• Failed audits and unreliable evidence: Point-in-time evidence no longer matches live environments. Screenshots become irreproducible, reports contradict reality, and controls that once appeared compliant fail under scrutiny, eroding trust with auditors and leadership.

Together, these impacts turn drift from a technical nuisance into a strategic liability for security programs.

The Limitations of Point-in-Time Snapshots

Most security programs still anchor control validation to fixed moments: a quarterly audit, an annual certification, a compliance push treated as a discrete project with a clear start and end. These moments create the illusion of control by freezing the environment long enough to document it, even as the underlying systems continue to change.

Security becomes episodic, defined by milestones rather than reality. Teams export CSV files from cloud consoles and security tools, capturing data that begins aging immediately. Screenshots stand in for evidence, flattening dynamic configurations into static images that cannot be queried, reproduced, or validated later. One-time scripts run against an environment that looks compliant for a day, then quietly drifts as new resources appear and policies evolve. Each artifact tells a narrow truth about a specific instant, stripped of context and continuity.

Point-in-time snapshots answer the wrong question. They ask whether a control existed once, not whether it is enforced now. In modern, continuously changing environments, that distinction makes static checks obsolete the moment they’re complete.

Here’s why point-in-time methods consistently miss configuration drift:

• Drift can appear and disappear between assessments: Controls often fail temporarily and get fixed before the next audit window. For example, multi-factor authentication (MFA) may be disabled for 48 hours during troubleshooting, then re-enabled. The next snapshot shows MFA enabled and implies continuous enforcement, erasing meaningful risk exposure and operational behavior from the record.
• Snapshots reduce controls to a single-day pass or fail: A control that fails repeatedly but happens to pass on audit day looks identical to one that never failed at all. This binary outcome hides frequency, duration, and patterns of failure that matter far more than a momentary state.
• There is no historical timeline when issues surface: When a control finally fails an assessment, teams have no reliable way to determine when the problem started, how long it persisted, or what changed upstream. Root cause analysis turns into guesswork instead of an evidence-based investigation.

Together, these gaps turn assessments into hindsight artifacts rather than tools for understanding real risk.

How Does CCM Work?

Continuous controls monitoring works by shifting control validation from an event to a system. Instead of checking whether a control passes at a single moment, CCM runs automated, recurring tests against live environments and treats evidence as a stream of events over time. Controls are evaluated continuously as infrastructure, identities, and policies change, without waiting for an audit window or manual trigger.

Each execution of a control test produces a discrete result with a timestamp. On its own, that result answers a simple question. Over time, those results accumulate into a timeline that shows how a control actually behaves in production. Pass and fail states become data points. That history forms a trend line for every control, revealing patterns that static checks can never surface.

This longitudinal view exposes the real shape of configuration drift. Spikes in failure appear immediately after a deployment or policy change. Gradual increases in exceptions or ignored alerts become visible before they harden into accepted risk. Controls that toggle between pass and fail stand out as unstable or poorly designed. CCM replaces assumptions with evidence, showing not just whether controls exist, but whether they hold under continuous change.

Here are several core features that make continuous controls monitoring effective at scale:

• High-frequency control checks: Controls are evaluated on a recurring cadence measured in minutes or hours, not quarters. This cadence aligns with the pace of cloud change and surfaces drift while it is still actionable.
• Native, direct integrations: CCM connects directly to cloud platforms, identity providers, logging systems, endpoint tools, and GRC platforms. Evidence is pulled from the source of truth rather than assembled manually, preserving accuracy and context.
• Centralized visibility across environments: Control status is unified across accounts, regions, and environments, giving security leaders a single view of posture without reconciling fragmented reports.

While CCM does not replace frameworks or audits, it makes them more accurate, timely, and actionable.

Outcomes Achieved with CCM

Continuous controls monitoring delivers clear technical gains by tightening the gap between intended policy and production reality. As controls are evaluated continuously, configuration-related vulnerabilities surface early, often before they can be exploited or operationalized by an attacker.  This consistency also changes the dynamic of audits and penetration tests. Findings become far less surprising because internal monitoring already reflects what external assessors will see. When issues do arise, time-stamped control histories provide a precise trail, making root cause analysis faster and remediation more targeted.

The business outcomes are equally material. Security leaders gain confidence in their compliance posture because it is supported by continuous evidence rather than episodic validation. Instead of defending a snapshot, they can demonstrate how controls perform over time and how quickly failures are addressed. Just as importantly, CCM produces a more complete picture of organizational risk. It reveals not only whether controls exist, but how reliably they hold under real operational pressure, enabling better prioritization and more informed decision-making across the business.

Avoid Configuration Drift with CCM

Static snapshots are a single page out of a book, while CCM is the whole story. And while drift is unavoidable, being blind to it doesn’t have to be. By identifying your top three drift-prone controls and instrumenting them with CCM, you can create a clear picture of production to prevent business risks. Explore how a graph-based CCM platform can visualize and analyze controls across the environment.

Advances in digital health have transformed fertility awareness from traditional methods into precise, personalized monitoring.

Today, individuals have access to tools that provide real-time insights into their reproductive cycles, helping them make informed decisions about conception and overall reproductive health. Central to this evolution is the ovulation tracker, a device that measures key hormonal changes to identify fertile windows with high accuracy.

For many women, pinpointing ovulation is essential. The fertile window is brief, often only a few days each cycle, and timing intercourse or conception-related interventions within this period can significantly improve the likelihood of pregnancy. While calendars, basal body temperature charts, and cervical mucus observation can offer rough guidance, they lack the precision of hormonal measurement. An ovulation tracker detects surges in luteinizing hormone (LH), the biological signal that triggers ovulation, offering definitive insight into the most fertile days of the cycle.

How Digital Ovulation Trackers Work

Unlike traditional paper-based or visual strip methods, modern ovulation trackers integrate technology to provide quantifiable data. They use biochemical sensors to detect LH levels in urine, translating subtle hormonal fluctuations into clear, interpretable results. This approach reduces the risk of misreading faint test lines and provides a numerical indication of hormone concentration, which is particularly valuable for individuals with irregular or modest LH surges.

Many digital trackers are paired with smartphone applications. The combination of physical measurement and software analysis enables users to automatically record results, visualize trends over time, and generate forecasts for upcoming cycles. These features transform a single diagnostic measurement into a comprehensive fertility intelligence tool, enabling users to understand patterns rather than relying on isolated data points.

Benefits of Consistent Ovulation Tracking

The value of an ovulation tracker lies not only in the immediate detection of fertile days but also in long-term cycle analysis. Hormone levels can fluctuate from month to month due to lifestyle, stress, illness, or metabolic changes. Consistent monitoring across multiple cycles provides a clearer picture of an individual’s unique hormonal rhythm, helping identify irregularities or shifts in ovulation timing.

Beyond conception planning, ovulation tracking offers insights into overall reproductive health. Irregular ovulation patterns can indicate endocrine issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or thyroid imbalances. By tracking hormone trends consistently, users can recognize deviations early and seek timely medical advice. This proactive approach aligns with the principles of preventive healthcare, placing control and awareness in the individual’s hands.

Enhancing Accuracy with Technology

Accuracy is paramount in fertility monitoring. Advanced ovulation trackers employ calibrated biochemical assays and sensitive detection technology to ensure reliable readings. Devices often include features to account for baseline hormone variability, reducing the likelihood of false positives or negatives. This precision allows users to plan with confidence and provides data that can be shared with healthcare professionals if needed.

Digital ovulation trackers also improve accessibility. They reduce the need for repeated clinical visits, allowing discreet, home-based monitoring without compromising quality. This autonomy encourages regular use, which is crucial for understanding personal cycles and identifying long-term fertility trends.

Integrating Fertility Data into Healthcare

The integration of ovulation trackers into broader digital health ecosystems enables more personalized reproductive care. Data collected by the device can be securely shared with healthcare providers during consultations, enabling clinicians to evaluate cycle patterns remotely. This capability supports informed decision-making and enables timely interventions when irregularities are detected.

The combination of at-home monitoring, precise hormonal measurement, and digital analytics exemplifies the direction of modern fertility care. Users gain actionable insights, while healthcare professionals receive accurate, structured data to enhance clinical guidance.

The Future of Fertility Monitoring

As technology continues to advance, ovulation trackers will likely become even more sophisticated. Predictive algorithms may analyze multi-cycle data to anticipate subtle hormonal shifts, while integration with other health metrics could provide a holistic view of reproductive well-being. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to make cycle prediction more precise than ever before, moving fertility monitoring from reactive measurement toward proactive optimization.

Miracare ovulation tracker represents the intersection of biotechnology, digital health, and user-centric design. When providing accurate hormone measurements, consistent cycle tracking, and actionable insights, it empowers individuals to take control of their fertility journey. As the landscape of reproductive healthcare evolves, these tools will continue to play a vital role in enabling informed decisions and enhancing overall reproductive wellbeing.

More than 5,000 deadly work injuries were recorded in the U.S. in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with truck drivers and construction trades workers accounting for a large proportion.

“There were 5,070 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2024, down 4.0 percent from 5,283 in 2023,” the BLS revealed on Thursday.

The data notes 1,018 fatal occupational injuries involving motor vehicle operators in 2024, including a whopping 798 among heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

MIKE ROWE WARNS AI WILL HIT WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS HARDEST — WELDERS ARE SAFE FOR NOW

A construction worker helps build a support column using steel rebar during the building of a condo tower on Feb. 10, 2025 in Miami, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles decreased 8.5 percent to 1,146 in 2024 from 1,252 in 2023, while pedestrian incidents involving motorized land vehicles increased 19.0 percent to 369 in 2024 from 310 in 2023,” the bureau said.

There were 788 deadly injuries among construction trade workers in 2024, according to the report, and 239 among grounds maintenance workers.

A significant number of the overall fatal occupational injury figure involved homicides and suicides, at 470 and 263 in 2024 respectively.

THESE ARE THE TOP 10 JOBS IN THE US FOR 2026, ACCORDING TO INDEED

A tractor trailer on an interstate during a winter storm in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

There were 410 tied to drug and alcohol overdoses. 

“The decrease in fatal injuries in 2024 was largely driven by a 16.2 percent drop in fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments (to 687 cases from 820). This decrease was in turn driven by a decline in drug or alcohol overdoses which accounted for 59.7 percent of fatalities in this category, dropping to 410 fatal injuries in 2024 from 512 fatalities in 2023,” BLS noted.

Among forest, conservation and logging workers, there were just 53 deadly occupation injuries in 2024, and among fishing and hunting workers, just 24, the data indicates. 

THE TYPICAL AMERICAN WORKER HAS JUST $955 SAVED FOR RETIREMENT, STUDY SHOWS

Workers at a construction site for the Gateway Program Hudson Tunnel Project in New York on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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But both categories had a high incidence of deadly work injuries for every 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, with logging workers at 110.4 per 100,000 workers, and fishing and hunting workers at 88.8 per 100,000 in 2024, according to the BLS. Among roofers, that figure is 48.7 per 100,000 workers.