Wendy Lee and Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Inside a historic aircraft hangar in Playa Vista, crowds of people gathered on Thursday to browse the latest fashions from handbags to clothing and shoes as they prepared for the holiday shopping season.

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These weren’t shoppers or retailer buyers searching for the latest products. Instead, they were YouTube video creators who were being courted by brands from Lowe’s to Shark Beauty to encourage online audiences to buy their products.

Aaron Ramirez, a 22-year-old influencer who focuses on men’s fashion and lifestyle, stood in front of racks of carefully curated shelves of backpacks as he decided which items he would endorse for his 234,000 YouTube subscribers.

“I can make a video about anything that improves my quality of life and add a link to it,” said Ramirez. “I only recommend products that I really use and really like.”

The San Diego resident was among about 300 creators participating in YouTube’s annual benefit for creators dubbed “Holiday House” that helps internet personalities get ready to sell goods during the busy holiday shopping season.

The event — held at the cavernous converted Google offices that once housed Howard Hughes’ famous Spruce Goose plane — underscores YouTube’s desire to be a bigger player in online shopping by leveraging its relationship with creators to promote products in much the same way that rival TikTok does.

YouTube content creators peruse products and film content during YouTube’s Holiday House shopping event at Google Spruce Goose on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Playa Vista, California. (Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

In August, YouTube introduced new tools to help its creators better promote products they plug in their videos. One feature uses AI to identify the optimal place on the screen to put a shopping link when an influencer mentions a product. If a customer clicks on that link and makes a purchase, the creator gets a commission.

Brands that were once skeptical about influencers have embraced them over time as sales-tracking tools have improved and the fan base of video creators has mushroomed.

“It’s like the people that you saw on television and before that the people that you listened to on radio who became the trusted personalities in your life,” Earnest Pettie, a trends insight lead at YouTube, said in an interview. “Oprah’s Favorite Things was a phenomenon because of how trusted Oprah was, so it really is that same phenomenon, just diffused across the creator ecosystem.”

Despite economic uncertainty and tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, shoppers in the U.S. are expected to spend $253.4 billion online this holiday season, up 5.3% from a year ago, according to data firm Adobe Analytics.

Social media platforms have helped drive some of that growth. The market share of online revenue in purchases guided by social media affiliates and partners, including influencers, is expected to grow 14%, according to Adobe Analytics.

Cost-conscious consumers are doing more research on how they spend their money, including watching influencer recommendations. In fact, nearly 60% of 14- to 24-year-olds who go online say their personal style have been influenced by content they’ve seen on the internet, according to YouTube.

YouTube content creator Diana Extein displays her shoes to her phone camera during YouTube’s Holiday House shopping event at Google Spruce Goose on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Playa Vista, California. Extein makes fashion content for women over 40 on her YouTube channel. (Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

“It’s more about discovery, understanding where the best deals are, where the best options are,” said Vivek Pandya, director at Adobe Digital Insights. “Many of these users are getting that guidance from their influencers.”

YouTube is one of the top streaming platforms, harnessing 13.1% of viewing time in August on U.S. TV sets, more than rivals Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, according to Nielsen. And shopping-related videos are especially popular among its viewers, with more than 35 billion hours watched each year, according to YouTube.

With YouTube’s shopping feature, viewers can see products, add them to a cart and make purchases directly from the video they’re watching.

Promoting and enabling one-click e-commerce from video has been huge in China, triggering a wave across Asia and the world of livestreaming and recorded shopping videos. Live commerce, also known as live shopping or livestreaming e-commerce, is a potent mix of streaming, chatting and shopping.

YouTube content creator Peja Anne, 15, makes a video with beauty products as her mom Kristin Roeder films during YouTube’s Holiday House shopping event at Google Spruce Goose on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Playa Vista, California. (Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

The temptation to shop is turbocharged with algorithms like that of TikTok Shop, enticing people to try more channels and products.

More than 500,000 video creators as of July have signed up to be a part of YouTube Shopping, the company said.

Creators who promote products can make money through ads and brand deals, as well as commissions.

YouTube already shares advertising and subscription revenue with its creators and currently does not take a cut from its shopping tools, said Travis Katz, YouTube Shopping vice president.

“For us, it’s really about connecting the dots,” Katz said. “At YouTube we are first and foremost very focused on, how do we make sure that our creators are successful? This gives a new way for creators to monetize.”

Companies like Austin-based BK Beauty, which was founded by YouTube creator Lisa J, said YouTubers have helped drive sales for their products.

“They’ve built these long-term audiences,” said Sophia Monetti, BK Beauty’s senior manager of social commerce and influencer marketing. “A lot of these creators have established channels. They’ve been around for a decade and have just a really engaged community.”

To be sure, YouTube faces a formidable rival in TikTok, which is a leader in the live shopping space (its parent company, Byte Dance, is being sold to an American investor group so that the hugely popular app can keep operating in the U.S.).

Two years ago, the social video company launched TikTok Shop, working with creators and brands on live shopping shows that encourage viewers to buy products. TikTok had 8 million hours of live shopping sessions in 2024.

YouTube says its size and technology create advantages, along with the loyalty its creators build with fans when it comes to product recommendations.

Bridget Dolan, a director of YouTube Shopping Partnerships, said “shopping has been in YouTube’s DNA from Day One” and that the company has been integrating shopping features into its viewing experience.

YouTube content creator Cheraye Lewis poses for a portrait during YouTube’s Holiday House shopping event at Google Spruce Goose on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Playa Vista, California. Lewis’ channel focuses on lifestyle and fragrance, and a brand deal with Fenty Beauty helped launch her content to larger audiences. (Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Santa Clarita-based YouTube creator Cheraye Lewis said that YouTube Shopping helped her gain traction and earn a trusting audience through quality recommendations. Lewis, who has 109,000 subscribers on YouTube, makes videos about items such as fragrances and skincare products.

Lewis has been a video creator for eight years and has worked with such companies as Rihanna’s beauty brand Fenty.

“I try to inspire women and men to feel bold and confident through the fragrances that they’re wearing,” Lewis said at the event Thursday. “I give my audience real talk, real authenticity.”

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military conducted its eighth strike against an alleged drug vessel, killing two people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday.

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The Tuesday night strike occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The seven previous strikes all targeted vessels in the Caribbean. According to Hegseth in a social media post, the strike killed two people, bringing the death toll from all the strikes to at least 34 people.

In a brief video released by Hegseth, a small boat, half-filled with brown packages, is seen moving along the water. Several seconds into the video, the boat explodes and is seen floating motionless on the water in flames.

In his post, Hegseth took the unusual step of equating the alleged drug traffickers to the group behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.

“Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people,” Hegseth said, adding “there will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice.”

President Donald Trump has justified the strikes by asserting that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and is relying on the same legal authority used by President George W. Bush’s administration when it declared a war on terrorism after the Sept. 11 attack.

However, the Trump administration has also sidestepped prosecuting any of the occupants of the alleged drug-running vessels after it returned two survivors of an earlier strike to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia.

Ecuadorian officials later said that they released the man that was returned to their country, saying that they had no evidence he committed a crime in their country.

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Less than a day after gold soared to another record high, prices for the precious metal plunged — marking the biggest sell-off in years.

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Gold futures in New York closed at a record $4,374 per troy ounce on Monday, before falling more than $250 (or 5.74%) Tuesday. That’s the largest, single-day percentage drop seen since September 2011, according to data in FactSet. And despite some brief rebounds, losses continued to pile up Wednesday — with gold futures trading at about $4,036 as of 11 a.m. ET.

Prices are still up since the start of 2025. Gold sales often rise sharply amid wider economic uncertainty, as anxious investors seek a “safe haven” for their money. More have turned to gold amid President Donald Trump’s barrage of tariffs on imports from around the world, rising concerns about inflation and the now weekslong U.S. government shutdown. And even before that, geopolitical tensions and strong demand from central banks bolstered gold’s gains over recent years.

But precious metals can be volatile — so it’s not uncommon for gold to see day-to-day fluctuations in value. Some analysts say this week’s pullback was triggered by hopes of cooling trade tensions between the U.S. and China, for example. Meanwhile, criticism had already been growing that gold’s price had gone too far, too fast. Others speculate there could be broader correction.

Here’s what we know.

What’s the price of gold today? What about silver?

Again, gold futures were trading at $4,036 per troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals — as of as of 11 a.m. ET. Wednesday. Spot prices had previously closed Tuesday at just over $4,125, down from a record more than $4,355 on Monday.

Silver also saw some losses this week. Silver futures in New York fell more than 7% on Tuesday, before seeing slight rebounds Wednesday morning. Prices were trading at $47.60 per troy ounce as of 11 a.m. ET, down from a record $53.44 hit last week.

Why have prices tumbled from record highs?

No investment’s price consistently goes up forever, and some fluctuation isn’t surprising after such meteoric rises.

“Why precious metals sold off yesterday — and whether this is the beginning of a broader correction — remains to be seen,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at Swissquote wrote in a Wednesday note.

Ozkardeskaya said Tuesday’s losses were “triggered by hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and a rebound in the U.S. dollar.” Still, she noted that the future is far from guaranteed, and many of the same factors that drew buyers to gold this year remain. “What probably better explained yesterday’s precious metals sell-off was mainly the fact that the metals are now trading in deeply overbought market conditions with heightened volatility,” she added, noting that further price pullback is possible.

Again, despite this week’s losses, gold futures are still up 50% overall since the start of 2025. And silver has climbed even higher, up 60% year to date.

Is gold worth the investment?

Advocates of investing in gold call it a safe haven — arguing that the commodity can serve to diversify and balance your investment portfolio, as well as mitigate possible risks down the road as a hedge against rising inflation. Some also take comfort in buying something tangible that has the potential to increase in value over time.

Still, experts caution against putting all your eggs in one basket. Not everyone agrees gold is a good investment. Critics say gold isn’t always the inflation hedge many claim — and that there are more efficient ways to protect against potential loss of capital, such as derivative-based investments.

And again, as seen this week, it’s not on common for gold to have day-by-day swings in value.

The Commodity Futures Trade Commission has previously warned people to be wary of investing in gold. Precious metals can be highly volatile, and prices rise as demand goes up — meaning “when economic anxiety or instability is high, the people who typically profit from precious metals are the sellers,” the commission noted.

Gold demand escalates mercury poisoning warnings

The recent frenzy for gold has also resulted in health and environmental consequences — with officials pointing to rising demand for mercury, a toxic metal that is key in illegal gold mining worldwide.

Mercury is widely used to separate gold during artisanal or small-scale mining. But it pollutes water, accumulates in fish, makes its way into food and builds up in people’s bodies, leading to neurological and developmental harm. Even small-scale exposure can carry serious risks — putting in danger workers who rely on the industry, as well as residents in affected areas more broadly.

The Associated Press has reported about the effects of mercury poisoning tied to gold mining in countries like Senegal, Mexico and Peru, among other parts of the world.

GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations chief delivered a strong defense of science and meteorology on Wednesday, praising the U.N. weather agency for helping save lives by keeping watch for climate disasters around the world.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to the World Meteorological Organization as science faces an assault in the United States: President Donald Trump’s administration has led an anti-science push, and Trump has called climate change “ a con job.”

A longtime advocate for the fight against global warming, Guterres spoke at a special WMO meeting aimed to promote early-warning systems that help countries rich and poor brace for floods, storms, forest fires and heat waves.

“Without your long-term monitoring, we wouldn’t benefit from the warnings and guidance that protect communities and save millions of lives and billions of dollars each year,” he said, alluding to “the dangerous and existential threat of climate change.”

Last week, the weather agency reported that heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to a level not seen in human civilization and causing more extreme weather.

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Guterres called WMO staffers the “quiet force that illuminates all the rational climate decisions that we take.”

“Scientists and researchers should never be afraid to tell the truth,” he added.

The Trump administration has carried out deep cuts to the National Weather Service and fired hundreds of weather forecasters and other employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.