• A 2015 clip of Brett Kavanaugh making a joke about the elite Maryland high school he attended has resurfaced at an inconvenient time for the Supreme Court nominee. 
• Kavanaugh faces allegations of sexually assaulting a woman along with the help of a friend when they were all teenagers at a high school party. 
• Kavanaugh and the friend, Mark Judge, attended Georgetown Prep.
• In 2015, Kavanaugh joked that "what happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep."

A 2015 clip of Judge Brett Kavanaugh making a joke about the elite Maryland high school he attended has resurfaced at an inconvenient time for the Supreme Court nominee. 

Kavanaugh currently faces allegations of sexually assaulting a woman when they were both teenagers with the help of one of his friends from school.

The woman, Christine Blasey Ford, alleges Kavanaugh attempted to force himself onto her at a party in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh's friend, Mark Judge, is accused of being his accomplice in the alleged act. 

Kavanaugh and Judge both attended Georgetown Prep, one of the top high schools for boys in the DC area, and graduated in 1983. 

While delivering remarks at the Columbus School of Law in March 2015, Kavanaugh made a jocular reference to his alma mater: "We had a good saying that we’ve held firm to to this day as the dean was reminding me before the talk, which is what happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep. That’s been a good thing for all of us."

Both Kavanaugh and Judge have both vehemently denied Ford's allegations, which could derail Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination. 

Kavanaugh and Ford have been invited to testify on the alleged incident before the Senate Judiciary Committee next Monday. Kavanaugh has accepted the invitation but Republicans on Tuesday said Ford had yet to respond. 

Judge on Tuesday issued a statement claiming he had no memory of the alleged assault and said he did not wish to testify, rejecting calls from Senate Democrats for him to do so. 

Judge is the author of two memoirs, "Wasted" and "God and Man at Georgetown Prep." In both, he details the drinking and debauchery he took part in while at Prep.

SEE ALSO: Mark Judge: Meet Brett Kavanaugh's high-school friend and the other man named in Christine Ford's allegations against the Supreme Court nominee

DON'T MISS: Brett Kavanaugh’s friend Mark Judge breaks silence about alleged sexual assault incident but says he will not testify

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• Republicans want Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accuser to testify in a committee hearing scheduled for Monday.
• Kavanaugh's accuser, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford, has not responded to committee officials seeking her testimony.
• Republicans on the fence about supporting Kavanaugh say they would be disappointed if Ford does not testify and fully expect the committee to move on in that case.

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are swiftly organizing a hearing for lawmakers to hear testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Prof. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of sexually assaulting her when they were both teenagers.

But while Ford has yet to accept the invite and Democrats are advocating for a completed FBI investigation before any hearing takes place, Republicans on the fence about Kavanaugh are already hinting that a no-show means the process will have to go on as planned and unlikely to nudge them toward voting against his confirmation.

When Ford went public with her allegation that Kavanaugh held her down and groped during a high school party in the early 1980s, which had been previously kept secret in a letter only viewed by a few Democratic lawmakers, a handful of Republicans requested delaying any votes on his confirmation. They demanded to hear from both sides in an under-oath setting.

After hours debating amongst themselves, top Republican brass decided to host another hearing slated for Monday. But Senate Democrats are not complying with Republicans wanting to conduct follow-up calls with the parties involved in the burgeoning scandal. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, has demanded that the FBI conclude their own investigation into the allegations, despite the fact that appears to not be happening.

To make things more complicated, Ford and her attorney have not responded to inquiries from Republicans on the committee. That is where things get into a bind for Democrats who might have been looking to court GOP senators on the fence about supporting Kavanaugh.

"I would hope that if someone is given the opportunity to voice a concern that they have that they would do so," Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker told reporters on Tuesday. "So that would be quite something if she decided she did not want to testify and I would assume the committee would then move on as they should."

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who like Corker is retiring at the end of the year, told CNN he would back Republicans moving forward with the confirmation if Ford does not talk to the committee in an official capacity.

And both Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska expressed concern that Ford might not show. Murkowski said it would be a "a very interesting and unfortunate turn of events."

Trump says Kavanaugh is eager to tell his side of the story

Democrats have felt a lot more confident in recent days that Kavanaugh's nomination could be toast, but that newfound optimism might evaporate if Ford decides not to attend the hearing.

Kavanaugh, on the other hand, has been adamant about pleading his case, according to President Donald Trump.

"We will delay the process until it's finished out. I guess we’ve invited everybody," Trump said during a joint press conference with the President of Poland on Tuesday. "I know — I can tell you this — that Judge Kavanaugh is anxious to do it. I don’t know about the other party, but Judge Kavanaugh is very anxious to do it."

Trump also said that he has not spoken to Kavanaugh since the allegations surfaced.

While the GOP's chances of confirming Kavanaugh once appeared to be fading, they might gain new ground. And unlike past cases where prominent figures have been under fire for sexual misconduct allegations, like in the case of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, many Republicans are not jumping ship.

The party is overwhelmingly standing by Kavanaugh.

SEE ALSO: Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation chances are starting to unravel

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• White House counsel Don McGahn was reportedly blindsided when President Donald Trump tweeted that he would leave the administration when he had no plans to do so, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
• Trump's announcement about McGahn's employment came after a bombshell Times article reported that McGahn had given 30 hours of volunteer witness testimony in Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
• McGahn was witness to a number of crucial events, including Trump's firing of former FBI director James Comey.

White House counsel Don McGahn was reportedly taken aback to see President Donald Trump announcing his departure from the White House in a tweet when he had no plans to do so, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The tweets came after a bombshell New York Times article in August reported that McGahn volunteered himself to be a witness in the special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, which is investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign's potential role in it.

McGahn gave over 30 hours in testimony over the course of nine months of interviews, The Times reported.

The subsequent Times follow-up on the Trump legal team seems to indicate that Trump pushed McGahn out of the administration over the Mueller interviews, despite Trump's strong implication that McGahn left on his own accord.

Sources with knowledge of the president's thinking previously told CNN that Trump was "unnerved" by McGahn's testimony, which McGahn reportedly gave to shield himself from incrimination in the Mueller probe.

McGahn was front-and-center for several crucial events Mueller is now examining as possible instances of obstruction of justice. These include Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey, Trump wanting attorney general Jeff Sessions to oversee the Russia probe after recusing himself, and Trump's reported attempts to fire Mueller.

In the wake of news that McGahn had cooperated with Mueller, Trump fired off a series of tweets attacking Mueller and his team of prosecutors as "disgraced and discredited Bob Mueller and his whole group of Angry Democrat Thugs" who enjoy "ruining people's lives," while simultaneously claiming he approved McGahn's cooperation.

Reacting to Trump's tweets, former federal prosecutor Joyce Alene Vance said, "Any prosecutor knows, you don't waste 30 hours on a witness who's got nothing."

SEE ALSO: White House lawyer who may have incriminated Trump in extensive Mueller interviews is leaving the administration

DON'T MISS: Experts say federal investigators now have 'the perfect storm of cooperators' against Trump

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Aliens have always captured our imaginations. The universe is large and filled with other planets but somehow it seems like humans are alone. So we decided to break down three theories on why we haven’t found any aliens yet. Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: Odds are, somewhere among the estimated 100 billion planets in our galaxy, intelligent alien life has taken hold. So the question is, why haven't we found even a hint of it? While scientists could stick with the classic reasoning that alien life simply doesn't exist, or maybe it just doesn't exist near us, mounting evidence to the contrary has inspired an increasing number of experts to explore new avenues of possibility.

In 2017 a team out of the University of Oxford proposed the Aestivation Hypothesis. It's the idea that most aliens are hibernating, sort of like a bear but for longer. The scientists reason that just about any advanced civilization will eventually merge with machines, forming a fully digitized society that can think, act, and function on levels beyond our imagination. The only problem with that is cooling. Processing systems here on Earth, for example, become 10 times more efficient when they're in an environment that is 10 times colder. So digital aliens would see the logic of hibernating for a few trillion years or so while the universe expands and cools. That way, they can then devote more processing power toward important activities, like conquering the galaxy, instead of simply keeping their systems from overheating.

Another idea proposed in 2016 is what's called the Gaian Bottleneck Hypothesis. It addresses the fact that many young rocky planets no older than one billion years have extremely unstable climates, and eventually grow too hot or too cold for life to exist long-term. Take Venus, Earth, and Mars, for example. Four billion years ago, each planet had the right conditions for life, and may have even harbored simple microorganisms. But as far as we can tell, only life on Earth survives today; the reason, according to the Bottleneck Hypothesis, is that early life on Earth evolved rapidly, releasing large amounts of gases like oxygen into the atmosphere that ultimately helped stabilize the climate. But this behavior is likely the exception than the norm. So perhaps the real reason we haven't found aliens yet is because, well, they're all dead.

But what if life could flourish in a completely different environment, safe from extreme temperature fluctuations and radiation? That's what planetary scientist Alan Stern proposed in 2017, about a year after evidence suggested that Pluto harbors an underground ocean. In fact, worlds like Pluto, Europa, and Enceladus, that have an icy shell above a vast subterranean ocean, may offer a better incubator for life than Earth-like planets, which are more vulnerable to extreme temperature changes and high-energy radiation that strikes the surface. If this turns out to be the case, any intelligent life that may be swimming on these worlds would be shut off from the rest of the universe, potentially unable to communicate.

Whatever the reason may be, we must answer the question of how we can improve our search for what would be the grandest discovery in human history.

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• Mark Warner, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned President Donald Trump to "be careful what you wish for" after Trump ordered the release of sensitive materials related to the Russia investigation.
• Trump has ordered "the immediate declassification" of parts of the FBI's June 2017 application to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
• While the Trump campaign sought to distance itself from Page after he drew scrutiny, the former adviser testified to the House Intelligence Committee last year that he had several contacts with people linked to Russia, at times with the campaign's knowledge.

Mark Warner, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a stark warning after President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the release of sensitive materials related to the Russia investigation.

"Be careful what you wish for," Warner said.

On Monday evening, the White House announced that Trump had directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice (DOJ) "to provide for the immediate declassification" of parts of the FBI's June 2017 application to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, as well as FBI reports of interviews connected to Page and DOJ official Bruce Ohr.

The president also asked the FBI and the DOJ to release, without redaction, all text messages pertaining to the Russia investigation from former FBI director James Comey, former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, and Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr.

Warner has read the Russia documents that Trump wants released.

One of the sections of the Page FISA application that Trump ordered declassified appears to relate to the time period that Page worked on Trump's campaign as a foreign policy adviser.

And pages 17 to 34 of the Page FISA application, which Trump wants released, deal with Page's possible coordination with Russian government officials on activities designed to influence the 2016 election.

While the Trump campaign has sought to distance itself from Page after he drew scrutiny, the former adviser testified to the House Intelligence Committee last year that he had several contacts with people linked to Russia, at times with the campaign's knowledge.

His testimony also appeared to corroborate key sections of the so-called Steele dossier, a collection of explosive memos compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele that alleges collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Several parts of one section of the Page FISA application that Trump wants declassified also appear to contain information about confidential sources that Steele used while compiling his dossier, as well as Steele's own history as an FBI source.

Trump did not ask the DOJ and FBI to declassify subsequent portions of the document that detail Page's activities and Russian efforts to recruit him as an agent before he joined the campaign.

The president also did not order the declassification of another part of the document that details information Page provided to the FBI during an earlier interview, or sections that go over Russia's attempts to recruit New York City residents as intelligence assets.

Trump's decision alarmed national security experts, who cautioned that the declassification of some of the material Trump wants released could endanger the lives of confidential sources and harm the US' relationship with its foreign allies.

"The President shouldn’t be declassifying documents in order to undermine an investigation into his campaign or pursue vendettas against political enemies," Warner tweeted on Monday. "He especially shouldn’t be releasing documents with the potential to reveal intelligence sources."

Meanwhile, Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, revealed Monday that the FBI and DOJ had told him that if the release of such sensitive documents related to the Russia probe and the FBI's sources and methods would breach a "red line."

The White House said the president made his decision in the interest of "transparency" and at the request of several congressional committees.

SEE ALSO: As Trump orders the release of classified Russia docs, a top House Democrat says the FBI and DOJ told him the move would be a 'red line'

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• The 185th Oktoberfest celebration starts September 22 and runs through October 7.
• The tradition started as an annual way to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The pair were married in 1810.
• Thousands of people gather at Theresienwiese every year to drink beer and honor traditional Bavarian culture.

When you think of Oktoberfest, you're probably thinking about three things: Germany, lederhosen, and beer.

Whether you've actually been in Munich for the festivities or you've taken part elsewhere around the world, you know it's essentially one giant party.

It's also been commercialized over the years with lederhosen and dirndl Halloween costumes and Oktoberfest-inspired craft beers.

But there's a whole lot more to the festive celebration than you might think. These epic photos will show you just what we're talking about.

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In 1810, Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig — he would later go on to become King Ludwig I of Bavaria — married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

Source: Business Insider

The Bavarian royalty threw an epic wedding celebration on the fields in front of the city gates and invited the citizens of Munich to join them.

Source: HISTORY

Those who weren’t in Munich were celebrating the wedding all across Bavaria.

Source: HISTORY

• Kim Kardashian West might have a future on Wall Street.
• The reality TV star was gifted shares in five major companies for Christmas last year by her husband Kanye West.
• The stocks have since soared 40% on average, according to data from Markets Insider.
• The companies include Netflix, Adidas, Disney, Apple and Amazon.
• Top performers were Netflix and Amazon, who rocketed 61% and 74% respectively since Kim was given shares.
• It is understood that Kanye bought his wife around $100,000 worth of stock in both Adidas and Disney.

You may remember that Kim Kardashian West received some slightly odd Christmas presents from her husband Kanye West last year.

Kanye surprised his wife with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock in major companies, including Netflix, Disney, Adidas, Apple, and Amazon.

It turns out the rapper's investments on Kardashian's behalf were sound ones — at the time of writing, Kim's stocks are up an average of 40%, according to the most recent figures from Markets Insider.

It's not clear how much stock Kanye invested in all the companies. However, we do know from Kardashian's Instagram stories at the time that she was given 995 Adidas shares and 920 Disney shares, which would both have been valued at around $100,000 at the time.

If Kanye bought the equivalent value in shares for the other companies as he did for Adidas and Disney, then Kim's overall profits would be $185,000 — not bad for less than a year.

Kanye's investments extoll the virtues of a diversified portfolio — even though Kim's Disney shares are down 2% since she was given them, they've been more than offset by her other stocks.

Amazon and Netflix were the standout investments. Both companies saw their share prices soar 64% and 84% respectively since Kim got a slice of the action.

Mark Ackred, CEO and Founder of app-only stockbroker dabbl, told Business Insider: "What this shows us is the importance of buying shares in the brands you know, love, and trust rather than trying to pick the next high performing stock, as the former has more longevity."

SEE ALSO: I visited the coffee chain that Coca-Cola just bought for $5.1 billion — and I have no idea why anyone goes there

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• Anthony Joshua might channel soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo in his heavyweight bout against Alexander Povetkin on Saturday.
• The boxer visited Under Armour's research centre to find out how Ronaldo, who is 33 years old, stays in such incredible shape.
• Joshua said he's changed his training regime after looking at the routines of other boxing greats like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
• He now wakes up naturally instead of rising early for a morning run.

Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the most influential players in world football — but it's not only soccer stars who look up to him.

Heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has revealed that he finds inspiration in the Juventus forward, who is in extraordinary shape.

In the lead-up to his fight with Alexander Povetkin on Saturday, Joshua said he visited Under Armour research laboratories to analyse his fitness and find out how he could improve his regime.

"I could go in there and knock out Povetkin in a round or two but then there is the eight weeks of intense sparring, doing 200 rounds, you have to protect your body," the fighter said, according to The Telegraph.

Talking about his motivation to get better, he said: "Cristiano Ronaldo did a body test. He is 33 but has the body of a 21-year-old. You have to preserve your body."

Joshua also said he was inspired by other boxing greats like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

It was apparently these fighters that convinced him to ditch the early morning runs and wake up naturally instead.

"When I watched a Manny Pacquiao documentary he does the same thing... I saw 10.34 a.m. on a clock when he was waking up and I was like: 'What? I'm here getting up at the crack of dawn?'"

Joshua added: "It looks lazy but you're still getting the same amount of work done and in a better way."

The Telegraph also reported that boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua is constantly looking for ways to improve.

"When he went to Under Armour for a body analysis, it blew his mind. For a British fighter, Anthony is by far the most advanced in terms of training facilities or what he does... He is obsessed with improvements.

"He has brought all these people into camp. The only thing that is on his mind is performance and improving. Not cars, not women, not jewellery, just improving. He won't do anything that affects his ability to prepare."

Joshua's strict training regime has been taking its toll on his body, the fighter admitted.

"It has been tough, I am not going to lie," Joshua said. "My body is in pain. I've done 15 rounds, 13 rounds, 12 rounds, back to back but one thing I do know is I have got a deep well, a lot of fire.

"I have got enough heart to slug it out with Povetkin, same with Wladimir Klitschko. Even though some people may be more skilled, have longer arms or be taller, sometimes it is about what is in your heart. And I know I have got that for sure."

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• The Greek island of Mykonos is known as a party capital and is a vacation hot spot for millionaires and billionaires.
• Ibiza, Spain, has a reputation as one of the top places to party in the world, with thumping 24-hour clubs, wild pool parties, and gorgeous beaches.
• I recently visited both and decided to compare my experiences, as many travelers choose between those islands for their vacation.
• While Mykonos is no doubt stunning, from its beaches to its resorts, I found it to be overpriced and overcrowded when I visited over the summer. Ibiza, on the other hand, felt accessible at different price points and relatively easy to book and enjoy, even in peak season.

If you are looking for a 24-hour party, Mediterranean beaches, and a place to vacation like the rich and famous, there are probably two destinations that come to mind: Mykonos, Greece and Ibiza, Spain.

While Ibiza has long been a party capital of the world, thanks to its association with thumping house music and super DJs like David Guetta, Mykonos is the up-and-comer. 

Over the past several years, the number of international arrivals to Mykonos has nearly doubled, as the cool rich kids and their freshly scrubbed yachts, superyachts, and mega yachts have taken to the Greek isle's inviting waters. Hundreds of thousands of vacationers have followed suit.

I had own expectations before visiting each island. In both cases, I expected to find a bifurcated paradise divided between the world's wealthy and famous having a private ball and crowds of vacationers, hard-partying dance-music junkies, and cruise-shippers peeking in for a glance.

While such a dynamic is present on both Ibiza and Mykonos, I found the two islands to be drastically different in temperaments, options, scenery, and vibe. With this in mind, I decided to compare my experiences of visiting Ibiza and Mykonos to see which is the better place to visit for most travelers.

Here's how they stack up:

SEE ALSO: I visited Ibiza, the party capital of the world, but the best part of the island is the side no one ever talks about

DON'T MISS: I visited the glittering Greek island of Mykonos, the summer destination of choice for billionaires — and it's a very different experience if you aren't swimming in money

Measuring just 33 square miles in size, Mykonos is a sunny and cool Greek island stuffed with hip boutique hotels, thumping beach clubs, haute couture shops, white sandy beaches, whitewashed alleyways, and swanky restaurants.

Located in the Balearic Islands of Spain and around 220 square miles, Ibiza is known both for its swanky beach hotels and villas frequented by the wealthy and famous and for its thumping nonstop clubbing scene.

Getting to Mykonos is pretty easy, so long as you are coming from Europe. The airport has direct connections with most major European cities (I flew in from Larnaca, Cyprus). But if you are coming from the US, you will likely have to fly to Athens first and either hop a short flight or ferry from there.

• Republicans plan to move forward with a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexual assault when they were both teenagers. Kavanaugh denies the allegation.
• Ford has declined to testify until after the allegation is investigated by the FBI, echoing Senate Democrats.
• President Donald Trump has so far stayed on message after many Republican aides feared he would go after Ford in the same ways he has other women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

WASHINGTON, DC — A chaotic several days on Capitol Hill had Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to serve on the Supreme Court hanging by a thread as lawmakers began pushing for delaying votes and several Republican expressed doubt about whether he was going to be confirmed.

But after GOP leaders announced an additional hearing for Kavanaugh and professor Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of sexually assaulting her when the two both teenagers, Republicans now appear to have turned the corner and become more optimistic about his chances of confirmation.

While Kavanaugh has vowed to testify in the hearing set for Monday, Ford has demurred the invitation until after an FBI investigation is completed, echoing Senate Democrats' position. But the FBI is not planning to launch a probe of the allegations from the early 1980s.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday before boarding Air Force One that the Senate Judiciary Committee is going to "take their course" in probing the allegations, not the FBI.

Ford's refusal to testify under oath, which Republicans have made clear can be done either in a public or private setting, does not bode well for Democrats looking to court the GOP senators on the fence about Kavanaugh's nomination.

Sens. Bob Corker and Jeff Flake, who had initially called for delaying the procedural vote to advance Kavanaugh, said the committee should continue going about its business in moving the nomination forward if Ford does not testify.

"I would hope that if someone is given the opportunity to voice a concern that they have that they would do so," Corker told reporters on Tuesday. "So that would be quite something if she decided she did not want to testify and I would assume the committee would then move on as they should."

In addition, Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who were delicately considering Kavanaugh over ideological reasons, took similar positions to Flake and Corker.

"I think the allegation has been made by Dr. Ford, I think her story deserves to be heard, and the committee process has been made available to her," Murkowski told CNN.

Trump has been on message during the scandal

Another factor in Kavanaugh's nomination not falling apart is how out of character Trump has been throughout the past week. So far, Trump has deferred all process to the Senate, while playing up his opinion that Kavanaugh is a decent family man.

"He has an unblemished record," Trump said Wednesday. "This is a very tough thing for him and his family."

Trump's restrained approach has shocked Republican aides, who were worried he would go after Ford in ways he has against other women who have accused him and members of his administration of sexual misconduct.

Because filling Supreme Court vacancies has been one of Trump's biggest issues for the past several years and something he frequently boasts about on the campaign trail, Kavanaugh's confirmation is something he desperately needs, a GOP aide told Business Insider. For others, Trump's quietness on the subject has been an absolute gift, but fears he might fly off the handle still remain.

In the past, Trump has gone after his nearly two-dozen accusers in a number of ways, even calling them too unattractive for him to be interested in or suggesting they were lying to gain fame.

Kavanaugh is not in the clear yet, though. He still has to face another marathon grilling from lawmakers, and the whip count of senators backing his confirmation remains a toss-up.

SEE ALSO: Here's an evolving count of which senators are voting for Trump's Supreme Court pick

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• You might think you know what slang words teens are using these days, but there's a good chance those are already out of fashion.
• "YOLO," "swag," and "bae" are out, teens told Business Insider.
• Here's how to use the slang that Gen Z is actually using without looking completely silly. 

In May, Subway Canada ran a poll imploring Twitter users to vote on their favorite bread. Or, as they put it, their "bread bae."

No one voted on it. Subway Canada has 135,000 followers.

To be fair, some theorized that the poll, which ultimately racked up 13,000 retweets, was fake and simply a PR scheme to troll for tweets. Either way, the internet wasn't having it, with many saying that the use of "bread bae" sounded more like it was aggressively concocted by an out-of-touch marketing employee.

Tons of other brands have tried and failed to pander to teens by using their vernacular. Gen Z slang has appeared in various marketing ads over the years, often drawing the ire of the very consumer base these companies are trying to attract.

In a recent Business Insider survey of 104 teens nationwide, Generation Zs shared insight about how they communicate today. Here are 11 words that make them cringe, and what they're opting to use instead.

SEE ALSO: 104 Generation Zs reveal what it's like to be a teen in 2018

DON'T MISS: Generation Zs reveal their 100 favorite brands

"Swag" describes a person who is cool or enviable, or someone can "have swag." But it hasn't been trendy since 2012, teens say.

Source: Urban Dictionary, Business Insider survey

Now, teens are more likely to express something that's cool as "lit." It's slightly different than swag in that it's not typically used to describe a person; a situation or thing is more likely to be described as "lit."

Source: Urban Dictionary, Business Insider survey

"Bae" comes from the African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) pronunciation of "babe." It used to be the ultra-popular way to refer to your significant other, but teens say it's now overused.

Source: Urban Dictionary, Business Insider survey

• Your purse keeps essentials conveniently in one place.
• There's a fine line between wanting to be prepared for anything and carrying around a 15 pound bag.
• The keys to deciding what to hold in your purse should be items that are essentials, compact, and multi-use.
• Here are 12 items you should always keep in your purse.

The contents of your bag say a lot about where you are in life as well as what you value. In college, I always kept my phone, wallet, keys, and ID with me wherever I went.

Once I graduated, I added work-related items, like an ID badge, laptop, notebook, and pen to my purse. Now that I've adopted a dog, it's mostly filled with canine accoutrements like treats, collapsible food and water bowls, a leash, and doggles.

Through it all, I've tried to walk the line between carrying a few essentials and 15 pounds of "just in case" items that never actually come in handy.

And for that, I've found that the keys to know what to keep in your purse are items that fall under the categories of essential, compact, and multi-use.

To help prepare you for the surprises that life throws without overstuffing your bag (and overloading your shoulders), here are 12 things you should always put in your purse before leaving the house:

SEE ALSO: 9 things you should never keep in your purse

1. Travel pack of tissues

Only about 8% of adults in the US has to deal with the joys of hay fever, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

But even if you don't have allergies, a small pack of tissues can be useful after a spill, during an unexpected cold, or when your kid decides to eat jelly with their hands.

2. Mini Vaseline

Personal stylist and founder of V-Style Vanessa Valiente says that you can get many uses out of this one. Vaseline can act as lip balm, blister prevention, makeup remover, and a moisturizer all in one small container that will fit into most bags.

3. Hand sanitizer

Just think about all of the germs you may come into contact with in a day, whether they're lurking on public transit handrails, a bathroom doorknob, or the screen of your phone. Hand sanitizer shouldn't be a replacement for washing your hands, but it's great to have when you can't get to a sink right away.

• Wells Fargo board members approached Gary Cohn about becoming the bank's CEO soon after he stepped down as President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, according to the New York Post.
• The report said that while there is no active CEO search for Wells Fargo, board members are growing impatient with current leader Tim Sloan.
• Sloan took over after Wells Fargo's explosive fraudulent accounts scandal, but numerous other scandals have roiled the bank during his tenure.

Gary Cohn, the former top economic adviser to President Donald Trump and Goldman Sachs executive, was approached by Wells Fargo board members about the bank's CEO position, according to a new report.

The New York Post said Wednesday that Wells Fargo board members met with Cohn about the position soon after his departure from the White House in March. 

After an event Monday, Cohn denied that he was still in talks.

"Absolutely not," Cohn said. "Absolutely not — and you can put that on the record."

The reported overtures come after Wells Fargo has been hit by a string of scandals and public relations messes, most notably the fraudulent accounts scandal that emerged in 2016 and led to the ouster of John Stumpf as the bank's CEO.

According to the Post, Wells Fargo board members are growing tired of Stumpf's successor, Tim Sloan, amid several new scandals, ranging from a computer glitch that led to customers losing homes to employees altering dinner orders to get reimbursed. 

While Wells Fargo is not formally searching for a new CEO, the Post said, some board members are looking around. Wells Fargo denied that it is looking to replace Sloan.

Cohn's post-White House future remains up in the air. The former Goldman Sachs COO did not elaborate on possible future employment during Monday's event but said there were "interesting opportunities" in the works.

The former economic adviser was back in headlines over the past few weeks after veteran journalist Bob Woodward's book on the Trump White House delved deeply into Cohn's relationship with Trump.

The book, "Fear: Trump in the White House," detailed numerous clashes between Cohn and Trump, even relaying a story about the then-adviser stealing documents from Trump's desk to prevent the president from pulling the US out of important trade deals.

Cohn, Trump, and the White House have all pushed back on the contents of the book — to varying degrees.

SEE ALSO: Gary Cohn confirmed a major revelation about the GOP tax bill fight from Bob Woodward's new book

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• People from all over the world are flocking to Singapore for the Singapore Grand Prix motor race on September 16.
• But attendees come for more than just the race — they come for the wild, over-the-top parties.
• The all-weekend extravaganza at Amber Lounge is known to be the most extravagant party of the Singapore Grand Prix. 
• And it's not cheap — ticket packages range from $477 to about $35,000.

If you're coming to Singapore for the Grand Prix, you're also likely going for the parties. 

The weekend's wildest party can be found at Amber Lounge, a pop-up club that is only created for the Singapore Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to Iolande Skinner, a representative for Amber Lounge.

The Amber Lounge parties attract celebrities and billionaires from all over the world, where they're bound to mingle with the drivers. 

"Every Formula One driver has Amber Lounge on speed dial after a race," Kimi Raikkonen, a 2017 Ferrari driver, told The New York Times. "It’s the only place to celebrate with friends and team members."

Business magnate Richard Branson, singer Justin Bieber, and Kim Kardashian have been seen at Amber Lounge parties in various locations, Skinner told Business Insider. 

The Singapore location for 2018 is Temasek Reflection, Singapore Water Wall behind Millenia Walk, 1 Temasek Avenue, Singapore 039192. 

Here's a look at the club's lavish all-weekend party that will cost you $10,000 just for a table.

SEE ALSO: I stayed in the $6.6 billion mega-hotel in the heart of Singapore, and it wasn't anything like 'Crazy Rich Asians'

Singapore's Grand Prix festivities kick off on the island nation in mid-September, with celebrations culminating the day of the race, September 16, 2018.

Source: Singapore Grand Prix

The swanky Amber Lounge, a pop-up club that only exists during the Singapore, Monaco, and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix races, is famous for hosting the wildest Grand Prix parties.

Source: Amber Lounge

The extravagant Singapore Grand Prix event spans the entire weekend.

Source: Visit Singapore

• Maroon 5 has reportedly agreed to perform at Super Bowl LIII.
• The band's frontman, Adam Levine, has said in the past that the band has been on the shortlist for years to play it.

Maroon 5 has finally gotten the call to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. 

According to reports in Us Weekly and Variety, the band was offered the gig and has accepted. Frontman Adam Levine has said in the past that the band has been on the shortlist to play the Super Bowl for years.

Maroon 5 is currently on tour promoting its 2017 album, "Red Pill Blues."

Playing halftime at the Super Bowl is a prized honor in music. Everyone from Lady Gaga to Prince has performed at it. Last year, Justin Timberlake had the honor at Super Bowl LII.

Maroon 5 is certainly a safe choice for the NFL, and it will likely lead to some groans on social media. Even before the reports of the band playing Super Bowl LIII (on February 3, 2019), 2014 performer Bruno Mars took to Twitter pleading with the league to choose a hip-hop artist for the halftime show.

At least we'll probably get to see Cardi B, as she's featured on the Maroon 5 song, "Girls Like You."

"It’s a Super Bowl tradition to speculate about the performers for the Pepsi Halftime Show," an NFL spokesman said to Business Insider when asked to confirm the reports. "We are continuing to work with Pepsi on our plans but do not have any announcements to make on what will be another epic show." 

SEE ALSO: The best part of the "Captain Marvel" trailer has now become a hilarious meme

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• Dollar stores are having a moment. Dollar-store sales in the United States grew from $30.4 billion in 2010 to $45.3 billion in 2015.
• Dollar General currently has about 15,000 locations, with plans to open 900 in 2018. Comparable sales were up 3.7% at Dollar General in the second quarter.
• While not a traditional dollar store in that its products are priced up to $5, Five Below currently has 625 stores, and it plans to open 50 more this quarter alone. In the second quarter of 2018, Five Below's comparable sales grew by 2.7%.
• We shopped at Dollar General and Five Below and found that Five Below offered a superior shopping experience.

SEE ALSO: These are the brands with the most loyal shoppers

The Dollar General we visited was in Queens, New York.

In the front of the store was a table with seasonal summer products that were 40% off.

Also near the front of the store was a small shelf with phone chargers that cost between $5 to 15.

• J.D. Power released the latest edition of its annual North America Airport Satisfaction Study on Wednesday.
• Overall traveler satisfaction with airports is at a 13-year high.
• However, airports serving major cities like New York, LA, Chicago, and Boston all find themselves at the bottom of the rankings. 

J.D. Power released the latest edition of its annual North America Airport Satisfaction Study on Wednesday. The 2018 edition of the study found that overall passenger satisfaction is the highest ever recorded in its 13-year history. 

Overall traveler satisfaction increased 12 points on a 1,000-point scale to 761. 

According to the study, travelers surveyed by the consumer data and analytics firm reported improvements in several major areas including check-in; dining and retail; as well as terminal facilities. 

John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California earned the highest score in the study with 815 points.

However, not all of America's facilities fared as well. 

Airports serving major metropolitan areas such as New York, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles are all mired once again at the bottom of the rankings. 

Unfortunately, things may get worse before it gets better for many of these cities. 

"Several multi-billion-dollar airport construction projects—such as those in Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago—are reaching phases in which passenger disruption and increased traffic will be incredibly hard to avoid," J.D. Power travel practice lead, Michael Taylor said in a statement. "How well these rapidly expanding airports manage throughout these infrastructure projects will provide valuable insight into what’s in store on a nationwide basis."

The J.D. Power study measures overall traveler satisfaction with mega, large, and medium-sized airports in the US and Canada.

The study takes into consideration six factors — in order of importance — 1) terminal facilities, 2) airport accessibility, 3) security check, 4) baggage claim, 5) check-in/baggage check, and 6) food, beverage, and retail. 

The rankings are based on data gathered between September 2018 and September 2018 from 40,183 respondents who traveled through at least one North American airport during the three months prior to being surveyed. 

Here's a closer look at the 10 lowest scoring airports in J.D Power's 2018 North American Airport Satisfaction Study: 

SEE ALSO: An Alaska Airlines exec speaks out about a secret weapon the company has against American, Delta, and United

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10. Boston Logan International Airport: 747 points.

9. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: 744 points.

8. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport: 743 points.

• President Donald Trump admitted Tuesday he has not read classified documents related to the Russia investigation that he recently ordered to be released to the public.
• "I have had many people ask me to release them," Trump told Hill.TV. "Not that I didn't like the idea, but I wanted to wait, I wanted to see where it was all going."
• Trump's decision alarmed national security experts, who cautioned that the declassification of some of the materials could endanger the lives of confidential sources.
• Mark Warner, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has read the documents Trump wants released, and issued a stark warning following the White House's announcement.

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President Donald Trump told Hill.TV during a Tuesday interview that he is convinced the sensitive Russia documents that he ordered to be declassified will prove that the Russia investigation is a "hoax."

There's one caveat, according to The Hill: the president has not read the materials he wants released to the public.

"I have had many people ask me to release them," Trump said. "Not that I didn’t like the idea but I wanted to wait, I wanted to see where it was all going."

He said his goal was to let the public ultimately decide, adding, "All I want to do is be transparent."

On Monday evening, the White House announced that Trump had directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice (DOJ) "to provide for the immediate declassification" of parts of the FBI's June 2017 application to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, as well as FBI reports of interviews connected to Page and DOJ official Bruce Ohr.

The president also asked the FBI and the DOJ to release, without redaction, all text messages pertaining to the Russia investigation from former FBI director James Comey, former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, and Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr.

The move marks the latest escalation in Trump's broadsides against the FBI and DOJ after Comey confirmed last year that the FBI was investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the 2016 race in his favor.

Trump's decision alarmed national security experts, who cautioned that the declassification of some of the material Trump wants released could endanger the lives of confidential sources and harm the US's relationship with its foreign allies.

Congressional Democrats also decried Trump's move, accusing him of interfering in an active investigation into him and his associates, and of using the country's law-enforcement agencies for his own political motives.

Republicans, meanwhile, applauded the president for what they described as an effort to promote full transparency.

Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, revealed Monday that FBI director Chris Wray and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had told him that the release of such sensitive documents related to the Russia probe and the FBI's sources and methods would breach a "red line."

Mark Warner, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has read the underlying documents that Trump wants released, and he issued a stark warning following the White House's announcement: "Be careful what you wish for."

SEE ALSO: 'Off the charts': National-security experts sound the alarm after Trump moves to selectively declassify the Carter Page FISA application

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• President Donald Trump's newest round of tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods adds a new element to the trade war.
• For the first time, consumer goods are going to be directly hit by the new 10% duty, likely causing an immediate increase in prices for US shoppers.
• The increase in inflation from the new trade war attack "will be meaningful," economists say.

President Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs added a new dimension to the trade war with China: US consumers are going to get hit directly.

The previous round of tariffs imposed by the president on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods focused almost exclusively on industrial goods and intermediate parts on final goods that are then sold to consumers.

This led to an indirect hit to consumers. As businesses faced higher costs for input goods, the companies were forced to either cut back in other areas — such as laying off workers — or pass along the price increase to consumers.

While the effect on consumers has trickled down previously, the latest round of tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods constitutes a direct hit.

Many of the 5,745 items on the newest tariff list are consumer goods or things that Americans buy every day: fruit juice, furniture, air conditioners, and more.

The consumer goods affected represents a dramatic increase form the previous round of tariffs, according to a breakdown of a previous version of the list of goods affected. (Many of those items made it to the final list.) Chad Bown, Euijin Jung, and Zhiyao Lu of the Peterson Institute for International Economics say the reason for the shift is simple: The were only so many goods left to hit.

"Consumer goods made up only 1% of the products of the first $50 billion of imports from China subject to his announced tariffs. The rest affected intermediate inputs and capital equipment," the economists wrote. "The explanation for this shift lies in the fact that there are fewer and fewer such supply chain elements left to target. Consumer products are much of the imports from China that were left."

The sellers could choose to eat those new duties and see their margins decline. But based on price changes for goods hit with tariffs in previous rounds, it is likely that at least some of the cost increase will be handed to consumers.

Many members of the Trump administration have argued that the increases will be minor and most Americans won't notice.

""Well, you can do the numbers this way if you have a 10% tariff on another $200 billion, that's $20 billion a year. That's a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of 1% total inflation in the US, because it's spread over thousands and thousands of products," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Tuesday. "Nobody's going to actually notice it at the end of the day."

But many economists disagree, since businesses that sell the same goods but don't source the product from China may see an opportunity to grow their profits by matching the price increase. Ultimately, this will lead to price increases for consumers and a boost to inflation, economists say.

Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, argued in a note to clients on Tuesday that while the real danger lies in the tariffs' increase from 10% to 25% at the start of 2019, the initial hit will be significant, too.

"The inflation hit is harder to quantify, but it will be meaningful," Shepherdson wrote. "Most items of clothing and furniture are exempt from the tariffs but many food items are included. We don't know for sure how quickly importers will raise wholesale prices of the affected items, or how quickly manufacturers of substitutes for Chinese products will lift their prices."

Based on Shepherdson's rough math, the new tariffs could add another 0.5 percentage points to the current consumer price index — which, based on the latest CPI release, would boost the inflation gauge to 3.2% year-over-year. Such an increase would not go unnoticed by policymakers or American families.

"That's enough to matter, both to the Federal Reserve and to the public, who will notice when prices in Walmart start to jump," Shepherdson said.

SEE ALSO: Trump just announced tariffs on another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. Here are all the products that will get hit.

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• Alibaba chairman Jack Ma said that the US-China trade war will wreck the company's pledge to help create 1 million US jobs.
• The comment, made in an interview with Chinese media outlet Xinhua, comes two days after Trump announced a fresh set of tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
• Ma also said that trade should be used as a tool for peace rather than a weapon.

Jack Ma, the recently departed chairman of Chinese retail giant Alibaba, said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's trade war with China will scuttle the company's pledge to bring 1 million jobs to the US.

In an interview with Chinese outlet Xinhua, Ma said recent back-and-forth tariffs between the US and China made the pledge — which was heavily touted by Trump in the early days of the transition period — unworkable.

"The promise was made on the premise of friendly US-China partnership and rational trade relations," Ma said. "That premise no longer exists today, so our promise cannot be fulfilled."

Ma has previously been critical of the protectionist moves from the Trump administration and said Wednesday that trade should not be used as a weapon, but rather as a way to bring peace between countries.

The Alibaba executive's comments come the day after the trade war escalated further. On Monday, Trump announced a 10% tariff on another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. On Tuesday, Beijing came back with tariffs on another $60 billion worth of US goods.

Given the relative lack of talks between the two sides, the likelihood of the trade war subsiding anytime soon is slim.

Alibaba's original promise was predicated on the idea that by giving US small businesses more access to the Chinese market through Alibaba, the platform could help job growth in America. Many analysts were skeptical, but Trump touted it as a sign that his economic policies would help the US.

Given China's counter-tariffs and the push for Chinese firms to find alternative, non-US sources for goods, the already optimistic pledge would be even more unlikely in the current environment.

Ma, the cofounder of Alibaba, announced in early September that he would step down from his role as chairman at the end of the year to focus on philanthropy.

SEE ALSO: 'All pain, no gain': Trump latest round of tariffs is already getting blasted by lawmakers and business groups

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