• On the northwest corner of San Francisco lies the exclusive neighborhood of Sea Cliff.
• It was founded in 1913 as one of the city's residence parks, or makeshift suburbs.
• It's become one of San Francisco's most elite residential areas housing prominent figures, including Twitter and Square founder and billionaire Jack Dorsey.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you need a reminder of San Francisco's multifaceted landscape, go to Sea Cliff. 

As the name implies, it's a neighborhood built on, and in some parts into, a cliff overlooking the expansive Pacific Ocean. It's on the opposite side of the city center, away from the hustle and bustle — you'll get a hefty whiff of salt and brush of sea breeze by merely wandering its streets.

Notable residents that have at one point owned property here include actors Robin Williams, Sharon Stone with then-husband Phil Bronstein — who was the executive editor for the San Francisco Examiner — Cheech Marin, and Eugene Levy; musicians Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane and Kirk Hammett of Metallica, prominent photographer Ansel Adams, and Bay Area tech bigwigs like Twitter and Square founder and CEO and billionaire Jack Dorsey, who reportedly paid a collective $30 million for two homes next door to each other, both nestled into a cliffside overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

It's a coveted neighborhood, Sotheby's real-estate agent Anne Herrera told Business Insider in a 2019 interview.

"It has become a place for those that have the means to do so to buy a house and still be in the city, but still be very connected to nature and all the beauty of the views of the bridge and the beach," Herrera said.

We spent a day meandering through the neighborhood's streets in early 2020, down El Camino Del Mar, Sea Cliff Avenue, and into the public cove of China Beach where Jack Dorsey's home is visible.

It's a breathtaking part of San Francisco — here's what it's like inside.

Sea Cliff is a neighborhood on the northwest corner of San Francisco.

Sea Cliff was founded in 1913 as one of San Francisco's eight master-planned residence parks, or "garden suburbs."

Fast forward to today, and it's still as peaceful as it was when it was built. 

But what was originally intended to be merely a reprieve from city life has transformed into one of 21st century San Francisco's most elite neighborhoods thanks in part to the proximity to the ocean.

Some of the most beautiful vantage points of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Pacific Ocean are in Sea Cliff.

And some of the highest-priced and most coveted homes in the city are located here.

Sea Cliff itself technically covers a larger area of the city than just the main residential area. Land's End, Sutro Baths, the Legion of Honor museum, and other attractions are lumped into the neighborhood.

But many of the Sea Cliff homes are concentrated in the east part of the neighborhood.

Weaving through the streets of San Francisco's exclusive Sea Cliff neighborhood is like walking through a surreal museum of lavish homes.

We visited on a Tuesday afternoon in February, in the middle of a workday, so the neighborhood seemed void of all residents.

Though it seemed as though many homes haven't been occupied in a while — there were still pumpkins on display at this home, but perhaps the live-in owners are simply busy.

There was, however, no shortage of landscapers and contractors, working hard to manicure the pristine lawns and conducting renovations — some inside, some out — on the exquisite homes.

The layout of the residential streets is indeed reminiscent of suburban design — the streets and sidewalks were narrower than what you would find in a city setting, and trees were symmetrically lined along the roads.

Homes here sell on average for $4.2 million. That's well above San Francisco's median home value of $1.45 million.

Source: Zillow and Zillow

One of the most expensive homes currently for sale publicly is a four-story white home built in 1915 that is listed for $8.8 million with unobscured views of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was listed on February 3, its first time on the public market, according to public records.

Source: Zillow

El Camino Del Mar — Spanish for "the way or path of the sea" — is the main thoroughfare in Sea Cliff, cutting east to west from the Presidio and into Land's End.

Palm trees, Spanish tile roofing, and red-bricked porches are common sights along the road, and throughout the neighborhood.

This Spanish-style four-bedroom home on El Camino Del Mar was built in 1924 and last sold for $6 million in December 2014.

Source: Redfin

Zillow estimates that this two-story yellow home built in 1927 with 12 rooms is estimated to be worth $6.6 million, though it's not for sale.

Source: Zillow

A few doors down is an 18-room, rose-colored manor built in 1926 that occupies nearly half an acre on a corner lot. It's currently off the market but estimates by Zillow and Redfin value it at $8.8 million and $9.6 million, respectively.

Source: Zillow and Redfin

Most of the Sea Cliff homes are of Spanish, Mediterranean, or the city's signature Victorian design.

But some are modern — this home last sold on the public market for $3 million in 2010.

Source: Redfin

The two-story home was originally built in 1951 and has three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Source: Redfin

There are smaller arteries branching out from El Camino Del Mar like 32nd Avenue, a street running perpendicular to the coast that might be one of the quaintest.

At the northern end along a bend in the road is a home that was once a Danish consulate. It was owned by a Google lawyer and the founder of shoe startup Rothy's in 2016 when a driver crashed into the house.

Source: Curbed SF

They sold their home, which was damaged by a fire that erupted from the crash, in mid-2017 for over asking price for $3.1 million, less than a month after it was first listed. The ad came with disclaimers like "sold as is" and "buyer beware."

The new owners renovated it and, less than a year later in April 2018, listed it for sale for $6.5 million. A founder of a New York startup investment firm snagged it three months later for $6.75 million, according to public records.

Source: Redfin and Curbed SF

If you head back up to El Camino Del Mar and turn right, the street will eventually merge into Sea Cliff Avenue, a street running parallel to the coast at the northern end of residential Sea Cliff.

The homes on this street have front-row seats to the Pacific Ocean and are some of the only homes to be literally built into the cliffside.

The pink home at 224 Sea Cliff Avenue, a "fixer-upper" according to a 2019 Business Insider interview with the home's listing agent, is in serious need of some TLC and doesn't even come with photos of the interior.

Source: Business Insider

And yet it's listed for sale for $13.1 million, though it was listed in July to be sold at a foreclosure auction. It comes with a winding pathway down to a secluded seaside cove.

Source: Zillow

It was once owned by Luke "Lucky Luke" Bragnara, a real-estate mogul and notorious art scammer who stashed hordes of stolen art worth a collective $11 million in the home in 2014.

He was sentenced to a seven-year jail term for fraud. A series of liens placed on the home caused it to struggle to sell until October 2019 when it cropped back up on the market as a bankruptcy sale.

Read more: This dilapidated $15 million mansion built into a San Francisco cliffside once housed 'Lucky Luke's' stolen art — now it's for sale

A few doors down and across the street is this two-story, five-bedroom house that doesn't face the water. It last sold on the public market in 2013 for $3.2 million.

Source: Zillow

Down the street is not one but two homes next door to each other once owned by Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.

The home at 308 Sea Cliff Avenue sold in March 2018 for $12.8 million. And, according to Socketsite, the other home at 320 Sea Cliff sold in early 2019 for nearly $12 million.

Photos in the listings show breathtaking ocean views from the inside of both homes.

Source: Curbed SF, Curbed SF, Redfin, and Socketsite

Walk around the corner from Hammett's previous homes and down a short path, and China Beach will begin to come into view.

It's a cove open to the public and nestled at the northern end of the residential area of Sea Cliff.

A winding staircase leads down from the street level to the beach.

The beach's history is engraved on a stone at the entrance. According to local legend, Chinese fishermen once used it as a campground while anchoring their fishing boats in the cove.

Source: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Legend or not, the plaque was erected by Chinese Americans in 1982 to honor the Chinese fisherman that contributed to the San Francisco Bay Area since the time of the Gold Rush.

Source: National Park Service

Down near the beach, there's a deteriorating structure once used by lifeguards to store equipment.

Source: Curbed SF

Standing in the alcove of China Beach's public sand is a surreal feeling similar to touring the neighborhood, like you're on a stage with the homes tucked away in the hillsides staring down at you.

On one side of the amphitheater are four homes, the left two once belonging to Hammett, the Metallica bassist.

Pivot in the opposite direction and there, peeking out from the foliage, is the roof of a home belonging to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. It's a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house clad in dark wood. Dorsey purchased it in 2012 for $10 million.

Source: Variety

And in November 2019, he reportedly bought the two-story house right next door in an off-market sale for $21 million, perhaps for more privacy — the second house is wedged in right alongside his home of eight years, though it's difficult to catch sight of that one from the beach.

It was the highest price ever paid for a property in the Sea Cliff neighborhood, according to Variety.

Source: Variety

The newly purchased home was in need of a restoration, with one building complaint claiming that the property had gone unoccupied for 15 years, according to Mansion Global.

It has five bedrooms and three bathrooms and was built in 1962.

Source: Mansion Global

Neither home was visible from the street, but there were workers and construction equipment and materials along the street where the entrances would be.

Dorsey reportedly is turning the two homes into a single compound.

Source: Mansion Global and Variety

With views like this, it's not unheard of for one of the richest men in tech — and the world — to opt for such a living situation in one of the most beautiful parts of Square and Twitter's hometown.

Source: Business Insider

• Salaries for New York and California teachers in public elementary and secondary schools are two of the highest salaries for this occupation in the US, according to 2018-2019 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
• But there are quite a few states that make low pay relative to other states and DC. 
• In the 2018-2019 school year, teachers in Mississippi made an average of $45,574, the lowest average annual salary for public school teachers nationwide.
• Sign up for our new parenting newsletter Insider Parenting here.

The average annual salaries of public school teachers differs from state to state, ranging from a little over $45,500 in Mississippi to nearly $86,000 in New York. 

After recently ranking the teacher salaries in every state and DC and with the school year beginning around the country, Business Insider decided to look at what are the 10 states where public school teachers make the lowest. To do this, we used 2018-2019 average salaries of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools from the National Center for Education Statistics. This is the most recent academic year with available data. 

The US average salary for 2018-2019 was $61,730, same as the previous year. At the state level, 36 states have an annual average less than this US figure. Mississippi had an average salary of $45,574 in 2018-2019, the lowest among the states and DC. When adjusting for inflation, this state's salary decreased by 4.4% from the average salary of $47,659 in 1990-200 and decreased by 14.6% from the average salary of $53,338 in 2009-2010.

Florida was another state where teachers do not make as much compared to the salaries of other states and DC. The current average annual salary in this state is low compared to figures from the past two decades. The average annual salary in Florida declined by 11.9% from the inflation-adjusted salary of 1999-2000 and 11.3% from the inflation-adjusted salary of 2009-2010 to $48,395 average salary in 2018-2019. 

Some schools in Florida have already reopened for in-person schooling. The Washington Post recently shared a tweeted photo of crowded students in a Florida high school.

Utah is another state with a low average teacher salary relative to other states and DC. School plans vary throughout the state with some using a hybrid model of in-person and virtual learning. The Salt Lake Tribune compiled a list of the varying plans from some of the state's largest districts.

The following are the 10 states where public school teachers earned the lowest average salaries during the 2018-2019 academic year. We also included total amount spent per pupil during the 2018 fiscal year in each state using public school data from the US Census Bureau. 

10. South Carolina

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,395

Change in adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.6%

State spending per student: $10,856

9. Utah

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,342

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -3.7%

State spending per student: $7,628

8. Missouri

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $50,064

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -6.1%

State spending per student: $10,810

7. Arizona

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $49,892

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.6%

State spending per student: $8,239

6. Kansas

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $49,800

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.8%

State spending per student: $11,653

5. South Dakota

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $48,786

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: 12.2%

State spending per student: $10,073

4. Florida

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $48,395

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -11.9%

State spending per student: $9,346

3. New Mexico

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $47,826

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -1.8%

State spending per student: $9,582

2. West Virginia

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $47,681

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -9.0%

State spending per student: $11,334

1. Mississippi

2018-2019 average teacher salary: $45,574

Change in inflation-adjusted salary since 1999-2000: -4.4%

State spending per student: $8,935

• Two drug companies at the forefront of the US race to develop a coronavirus vaccine, Moderna and Pfizer, are expected to join a pledge that promises to put safety before speed.
• In an early draft obtained by the Wall Street Journal, the companies promise to only seek emergency FDA approval after final human trials show "substantial evidence of safety and efficacy."
• Many public-health experts worry that the Trump administration will rush the timeline for vaccine development before researchers know about adverse side effects.
• On Friday, President Trump said a coronavirus vaccine would probably be available for distribution next month — despite experts' claims that it could take until 2021.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The race to develop a coronavirus vaccine has already shattered records.

In March, the biotechnology company Moderna entered its vaccine candidate in a clinical trial less than 70 days after the virus was sequenced, shaving a year off the development process. Since then, two US drug companies, Moderna and Pfizer, have published early data showing that their vaccines generated immune responses without causing serious side effects.

That could put the companies on track to finish their human trials in October, under the most optimistic scenario. But scientists and public-health experts worry about the push to bring a vaccine to market before data clearly shows it's safe and effective. 

To assuage these concerns, Moderna and Pfizer — along with US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson and French pharmaceutical company Sanofi — are preparing to release a joint statement that promises to put safety before speed.

The statement could be released as early as next week, according to the Wall Street Journal, which obtained an early copy. In the draft, the companies pledge to only seek emergency FDA approval for their vaccine candidates after final human trials show "substantial evidence of safety and efficacy."

A sentence from the draft reads: "We believe this pledge will help ensure public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines that may ultimately be approved and adherence to the rigorous scientific and regulatory process by which they are evaluated."

Most experts agree there's little hope of a coronavirus vaccine being ready before 2021. But President Donald Trump has suggested otherwise: On Friday, Trump said a coronavirus vaccine would probably be available for distribution next month, according to The Washington Post. Trump has previously said a vaccine may become available "right around" the presidential election on November 3.

"I'm rushing it. I am. I'm pushing everybody," Trump told radio host Geraldo Rivera in an August 6 interview.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is prepared for that scenario: The agency has asked public health officials in all 50 states to get ready for vaccine distribution by late October. CDC Director Robert Redfield said the goal was to be ahead of the game. The agency expects there to be one or more vaccines ready by November or December.

Still, public-health experts fear that the Trump administration could rush the timeline before researchers know whether a vaccine produces adverse side effects. Some White House officials believe Trump's reelection prospects hinge on whether a vaccine comes to market, the Associated Press reported in July.

"This timeline of the initial deployment at the end of October is deeply worrisome for the politicization of public health and the potential safety ramifications," Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at the University of Arizona, told The New York Times on Wednesday. "It's hard not to see this as a push for a pre-election vaccine."

Under normal circumstances, vaccines take 10 years or more to develop and approve. The Trump administration's effort to accelerate and fund vaccine research, Operation Warp Speed, hopes to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by at least January 2021. The program is manufacturing six vaccine candidates in large quantities while clinical trials are still ongoing. 

"My concern is even with the name Operation Warp Speed, because it suggests that speed is the determining factor as opposed to science," Dr. Leana Wen, a public-health professor at George Washington University who previously served as Baltimore's Health Commissioner, previously told Business Insider.

At an online press conference on Thursday, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Division of Infectious Diseases, said it would take until at least early 2021 to know whether a vaccine was safe and effective.

"People have been incredibly concerned about vaccine safety for decades and we've spent countless hours, countless press conferences, countless meetings, trying to assure them that we have done our absolute best to make sure that every vaccine we give is safe," Marrazzo said. "This is not that. This is exactly the opposite of that so it makes me very concerned."

• Anita Hill told CNN on Saturday she intends to vote for Joe Biden.
• Biden has faced criticism for decades over his handling of the 1991 Senate hearings in which Hill testified that then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her.
• Last year, Biden spoke with Hill about the 1991 hearings and expressed regret — a gesture which Hill said at the time was "not enough."
• But Hill told CNN she believed that despite Biden's "limitations in the past," she believed he should be elected in November over President Donald Trump.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Anita Hill said she intends to vote for Joe Biden in the November election, despite her past criticism of the man who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee during her testimony against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in 1991.

Biden spoke with Hill last year and expressed regret for the decades-old hearings — a gesture which Hill said at the time was "not enough."

Hill underwent a grueling hearing when she testified that Thomas sexually harassed her when they worked together, and Biden has long been criticized for not providing a fair process for Hill. Thomas, who denied Hill's allegations, was eventually confirmed to the Supreme Court.

But Hill told CNN on Saturday that despite Biden's shortcomings in the past, she believed he should be elected rather than President Donald Trump.

"Notwithstanding all of his limitations in the past, and the mistakes that he made in the past, notwithstanding those — at this point, between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I think Joe Biden is the person who should be elected in November," Hill told CNN.

"My commitment is to finding solutions, and I am more than willing to work with him," she said, adding that she hoped to work on sexual harassment and gender discrimination issues.

Biden has repeatedly been asked about his conduct during the Hill hearing, and he told CNN in July he "believed her story from the very beginning" and wished he "could have protected her more."

Though Hill was dissatisfied with her conversation with Biden last year, she told CNN she believed he had since shown greater responsibility for his actions.

"There was a statement about 'I take accountability; I hold myself responsible for the way the hearing was run,'" she told CNN. "And so that, I think, is as close as we've gotten, you know, and that's good. That's an opening."

She continued: "I want the next president to be somebody that I can go to and talk about the real issues that women, men, and non-binary people are experiencing with violence in this country, that's directed to them because of their gender… I believe that Joe Biden would be that person. I do not believe that Donald Trump would be the person who would hear me."

• Read more:
• Joe Biden suggests supporters of the 'mortifying' QAnon conspiracy theory should seek mental health treatment
• My son 'wasn't a sucker': Biden demands Trump apologize if he called US troops killed in combat 'losers'
• Trump's 'law and order' messaging isn't sticking with voters as new polls show they trust Biden more on public safety
• Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook won't allow Trump to declare victory before the results are in

• A freelance journalist captured by ISIS and sentenced to death hasn't been seen since his colleague saw him taken away from a prison more than five years ago.
• Farhad Hamo and Massoud Aqeel were abducted and imprisoned by ISIS in 2014 while on their way to interview a local politician.
• Aqeel said he was tortured and was constantly threatened with being killed, before he was released after nine months and made it to Germany as a refugee.
• But Hamo has not been seen since Aqeel saw him removed from the prison in March 2015.
• His brother continued to look for him among ISIS hostages but he has not been found.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A freelance journalist in Syria who was captured by ISIS and sentenced to a beheading hasn't been seen since he was taken away from a prison five and a half years ago.

Even though ISIS no longer holds physical territory, and has greatly diminished in prominence, many of its victims are still unaccounted for.

Farhad Hamo was abducted by ISIS members in December 2014 while on his way to interview a local politician for the Kurdish broadcaster Rudaw TV.

He was abducted while with Massoud Aqeel, a 23-year-old English literature student that was working as a cameraman on the same job.

Aqeel told The Independent in a 2016 interview that they were driving down a highway when they saw it was blocked.

He said six militants armed with M16 rifles, grenades, and suicide vests forced the vehicle to stop.

"ISIS were waiting on the highway," he said. "I don't know if they were waiting for us or if they were there to catch anyone."

He said they lied and said they were oil workers, but the militants saw media equipment in the car. He said that one man sat in the car and told them to drive into ISIS territory, or else he would blow up himself and the vehicle.

Aqeel was imprisoned for nine months, and he said he was tortured and threatened with execution for being a Kurdish journalist.

"They tortured us and interrogated us," he said. "They beat us with iron bars, cables or wood, tying us to the ceiling by our hands.

"Every two or three hours one of the guards would come in and tell us 'we will cut off your heads, we will bury you alive.'"

Aqeel was released in September 2015, returning to a war zone and later coming to Germany as a refugee.

But Hamo has not been seen Aqeel saw him taken from prison in Raqqa, Syria, in March 2015, he told the One Free Press Coalition, a collection of news organizations that covers media freedom.

What happened to Hamo next is not known.

An ISIS court sentenced both Hamo and Aqil to death by beheading in December 2014, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

They were put in a jail for 40 days before Abu Ayoub, a senior ISIS figure, requested that they be put in solitary confinement in Raqqa's jail, Aqeel told Rudaw in July 2016, according to the committee.

The ISIS prison in Raqqa was able to hold thousands of people, Sky News reported in 2017, after the group's hold on the region diminished.

It reported that the prison had "a tiny box for extreme punishment," metal beds where people were strapped down and executed, a room where people were hung on hooks and flogged, and weight machines that bent people's bodies.

But in 2019, Aqeel's brother said he believed Hamo may still have been be alive.

Rudaw had reported in 2016 that Hamo was released in October 2015, but in an update in 2018 said that he was still missing.

"Despite multiple calls for his release by Rudaw Media Network and other outlets, his fate remains unknown. Neither his family nor colleagues have new information on his whereabouts," it reported.

Aras Hamo told the Committee to Protect Journalists in February 2019 that he was searching for Farhad near Baghouz, a village in eastern Syria that was the last ISIS enclave in the country.

"Everything seems to suggest that Farhad is alive, but we don't have evidence or real confirmation," he said. 

He said that Syrian Democratic Forces soldiers, who were backed by the US, said that there were 400 hostages, including journalists, being held there.

He said in April that authorities were trying to find Hamo and other hostages in Baghouz. 

Hamo is still missing now.

Insider is covering Hamo's case as part of The One Free Press Coalition, which raises awareness of the world's persecuted journalists.

• Extracts from Michael Cohen's new memoir allege that Trump was consumed by an obsessive hatred for Barack Obama, the US' first Black president. 
• In one bizarre incident, Trump hired an Obama lookalike and "ritualistically belittled the first black president and then fired him" in a video, writes Cohen. 
• The video was reportedly scheduled to air at the RNC convention but was scrapped by party bosses, according to reports at the time. 
• In the book Cohen describes Trump as a "racist" and a "con man" who claimed, groundlessly, that Obama owed his places at Columbia and Harvard to  “f---ing affirmative action.”
• In a statement the White House attacked Cohen's credibility, describing him as "a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer."
• Cohen was jailed in 2019 for lying to Congress about Trump's alleged business dealings with Russia, and role in paying off women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former personal attorney, has described his ex-boss' obsessive hatred of President Barack Obama in extracts from his upcoming memoir published by news outlets Saturday. 

In an extract of Cohen's "Disloyalty: A Memoir," published by CNN and the Washington Post, Cohen claims that Trump described Obama as a "Manchurian candidate" who owed his place at Columbia University and Harvard Law School to "f---ing affirmative action."

According to the CNN extract, Trump, in pursuing his grudge against Obama, hired a lookalike "Fauxbama" and "ritualistically belittled the first black president and then fired him" in a bizarre video.

In the book, reports CNN, Cohen does not name the man hired to play Obama or say on what date the incident took place, but does include a picture from the video. 

It shows Trump sitting across his Trump Tower desk from a man resembling Obama. On the desk in front of Trump are two books, one with Obama's name on the front. 

—Pervaiz Shallwani (@Pervaizistan) September 6, 2020

But a copy of the video has emerged online

A parody of Trump's hit reality show The Apprentice, it was supposed to be aired at the 2013 RNC convention, according to reports, but was canned by party bosses. 

In the video, published by Breitbart in 2013, Trump attacks the Obama lookalike's record as president, his lack of business experience, and his golf game. It ends with Trump hurling his "you're fired" Apprentice catchphrase at Obama and banishing him from his office. 

"They never put it on," Trump told Breitbart of the RNC decision not to air the video at the time. "The reason they didn't put it on is because they thought it was too controversial. Controversy. It might not be politically correct."

Cohen, in extracts of the book published by the Post, details several racist diatribes by Trump. Cohen claims that when ranting about Obama in one incident, he went on to say, "tell me one country run by a black person that isn't a s---hole. They are all complete f---ing toilets."

According to the extracts, Trump belittled minority voters, saying, "I will never get the Hispanic vote. Like the blacks, they're too stupid to vote for Trump."

He also, writes Cohen, insulted South African leader Nelson Mandela, and praised the racist Apartheid regime. 

"Mandela f---ed the whole country up. Now it's a s---hole. F--- Mandela. He was no leader," Cohen claims Trump said. 

In the book, Cohen's assessment of his former boss's character is withering, and he describes him as "a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man."

But the White House has hit back at Cohen, who was jailed last year for lying to Congress and for election finance crimes prosecutors claimed were committed at Trump's behest. 

In a statement to the Post, the White House attacked Cohen's credibility, describing him as "a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer, who lied to Congress. He has lost all credibility, and it's unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies."

But Cohen is not the first source to have claimed that Trump is consumed by hatred for Obama. 

Trump launched his political career with the racist "birther" conspiracy theory, claiming, groundlessly, that Obama was ineligible for the presidency because he wasn't born in the US. (Obama was born in the US state of Hawaii.) 

In a notorious incident at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, Obama singled out Trump in the audience and mocked him. Some pundits have speculated the public humiliation was a key factor in Trump's decision to run for the presidency in 2016. 

• Real-estate mogul Nick Candy's superyacht, 11.11, has hit the market for $71 million. 
• The 207-foot yacht sports room for 14 guests, several bars, multiple dining areas, a spa, and a pool.
• Candy is looking to upgrade to a larger boat, he told Bloomberg. 
• The selling dealer, Y.CO, also has the yacht listed for charter for roughly $770,000 per week. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nick Candy, a British real-estate mogul, is parting ways with his 207-foot superyacht, but it's not because he needs the money or because he's moved on to other hobbies. It's because the ship is simply too small. 

Candy, who's selling his yacht 11.11 for $71 million through yacht company Y.CO, is looking to upgrade to something a bit more spacious, he told Bloomberg recently.

"I want to build a bigger yacht," Candy said. "Later in life, people contract their lives; at this age, I'm still expanding."

Apparently, six bedrooms, multiple decks, pool areas, a nursery, a full-blown spa, and several bars isn't quite enough for the businessman. But Candy's extremely high standards aren't terribly surprising, given that he made his fortune selling some of the priciest and most extravagant real estate imaginable. 

Take a closer look at 11.11 and all of its amenities below.

Nick Candy — a British real-estate mogul who made a fortune on ultra-luxury homes — is selling his gargantuan superyacht for $71 million.

Although the 207-foot yacht is extravagant by most people's standards, Candy is looking to upgrade to something a bit larger, he told Bloomberg.

"I want to build a bigger yacht," Candy told the outlet. "It's like anything in life. Sometimes you want to have a change."

Source: Bloomberg

That may be true, but the superyacht still has plenty going for it. That is, if you're into this sort of thing.

For example, Candy made sure to outfit his yacht with both an indoor bar and an outdoor bar on every level, as well as room for 1,000 bottles of wine.

Source: Bloomberg

Its art-deco interior, which was designed by Candy's firm, features gobs of polished stainless steel, mirrors, and Italian marble.

Plus, 11.11 accommodates up to 14 guests in six cabins.

The master suite offers a walk-in dressing room, 180-degree views ...

... and a palatial bathroom.

It opens up onto a private deck with a lounge area ...

... and a jet pool.

The yacht also has numerous other decks ...

... and indoor lounge areas.

The sun deck sports a mosaic-decorated jacuzzi and an Italian-stone bar.

Plus, there's an outdoor dining space for 14 ...

... and an indoor one.

The superyacht also offers up a steam room, massage room, gym, and a helipad for good measure.

It also comes with its own matching tender built by Benetti, the company behind 11.11.

Those who can't quite swing the $71 million asking price may still have a shot at taking 11.11 out for a spin.

The selling dealer, Y.CO, is also renting out the yacht for $770,000 per week.

• France-based Flying Whales is developing an environmentally friendly cargo transport aircraft with commercial production posied to begin in 2025.
• The LCA60T airship can off-load its up to 66-ton payload mid-air.
• Because the LCA60T is a VTOL, it won't require any extra infrastructure to operate, allowing it to serve more remote locations without harming the environment.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Flying Whales is producing a blimp-like aircraft that can transport and drop off cargo mid-flight.

Several components of the cargo transport airship are made to be environmentally friendly, such as its floating capabilities powered by helium, hybrid-electric propulsion system, and lack of need for extra infrastructure during take-offs and landings.

But don't get confused by its oblong shape and helium-powered floating capabilities: the LCA60T  is rigid and can't be "deflated", setting it apart from the traditional blimp despite its exterior appearance.

The aircraft was originally designed to transport wood logs around inaccessible areas by creating an airship that didn't need infrastructure support. However, the France-based team quickly pivoted to a larger, less targeted client base, the team told Business Insider.

"We realized that this solution could be used in a lot of other sectors, so the [later] goal was not to make something that was only able to work for wood transport," Romain Schalck, marketing manager for Flying Whales, told Business Insider. "But we wanted to start with something because it's, generally speaking, easier to start designing something to answer a specific market."

In terms of other iterations, Flying Whales is currently working with both state and private financial supporters and clients across various industries in Europe, Asia, and Canada, with plans to eventually expand to the US as the team grows in the future.

As of right now, one of the company's biggest investors is the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The same year AVIC first called Flying Whales (2017), the company also received an investment from the French state of around $29.5 million, according to Schalck.

Around then, the company started expanding from its team of five to six people, to 50 employees.

Now, Flying Whales has over 130 employees with plans to expand even more when the group starts shifting from an engineering to an industrial company, which will come when it's ready to start physically producing the airships.

"Maybe at the end of the program development, we will be close to 300 people in the design office," Pierre-Yves Fouillen, market manager at Flying Whale, told Business Insider. "Once we start to operate the airships, the number of employees will just explode."

Flying Whales plans to build its first factory in France in the coming year with the goal of having the first LCA60T in the air by 2024.

Commercial production is poised to begin in 2025, and the final goal is to make over 162 LCA60Ts in the first decade of production.

As of now, the price of the aircraft is confidential, but according to the Flying Whales team, its tag is closer to that of a helicopter than a plane.

The company also plans to develop an "ownership operator" segment of its business that will allow clients to use the airships for short-term projects instead of having to purchase an entire unit just for one mission.

The rigidity of the structure that sets the LCA60T apart from a blimp is its "multilayer envelope technology," which uses several thin layers of textile fabric panels — similar to that of an inflatable boat — over the actual structure, according to Schalck.

And since the air vehicle uses helium to hover, the LCA60T has a low fuel consumption compared to traditional aircrafts.

The airship can also load and remove cargo while hovering, which is done by employing winches that are controlled by a "loadmaster."

Despite its 66-ton payload, the LCA60T can carry objects of any size or shape by using slings that hang under the aircraft, although there's also a cargo holding area inside.

The LCA60T can cruise at around 62 miles-per-hour with the aim of doing "short" — within around 124 to 186 miles — trips.

The LCA60T has vertical take-off and landing capabilities, which means additional infrastructures like runways won't be needed just to operate the aircraft.

According to Schalck, the lack of any extra infrastructure means remote areas can be accessed without harming the environment.

The hybrid electric propulsion system that powers the airship also gives Flying Whales the opportunity to then shift to full electric propulsion in the future, further decreasing the airship's carbon footprint.

"We decided to equip the first airship with a hybrid propulsion first because we think today, we are in a world in which we cannot create new industrial tools without taking into account the protection of the environment," Schalck said. "A hybrid electric propulsion is not the perfect saver for the environment, but it's a good first step."

• Over the course of about two decades, Tesla has established a micro-monopoly over the electric car market.
• But to survive, it has had to charge a lot for its vehicles, which runs counter to CEO Elon Musk's master plan to kill off the internal-combustion engine.
• It's possible that Tesla will never face meaningful EV competition, despite numerous companies jumping into the action.
• But eventually, Tesla could end up monopolizing data, and that would lead to problems for the company.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Silicon Valley's biggest problem is that it hates competition. And by hates, I mean structurally despises it, from soup to nuts: venture capitalists pretty much want to invest only in startups that promise to completely dominate markets, raking in as close to 100% of potential gains as possible.

It wasn't always like this: The first wave of technology firms, from Hewlett-Packard to Apple to Microsoft, emerged from the model of fierce, government-monitored competition, leading to a lot of innovation and a beneficial mix of great products and great prices. That's how we got computers on our desks, on our laps, and in our pockets when, decades ago, they required entire buildings.

The second wave of tech innovation, based on the internet and later mobile computing, turned venture capitalists into venture monopolists. That why we now have so few companies providing vast numbers of uses with essential digital products and services. And this state of affairs has been valorized, notably by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, who infamously (and influentially) argued in 2014 that the conventional wisdom concerning monopolies is bogus.

"All happy companies are different: Each one earns a monopoly by solving a unique problem," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed to support his book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. "All failed companies are the same: They failed to escape competition," he added, riffing on Tolstoy's insight.

An unhappy Elon Musk

It isn't worth debating whether Thiel is right or wrong. A successful business wants to aspire to the condition of monopoly, full stop. But that raises the question, "Is that good for customers?" And while the answer can be yes, a dynamic, capitalist economy has usually encouraged robust competition on the assumption that the key to consumer happiness is a fair market price, not a price established by one player and then charged as what economist term a "rent."

Thiel's PayPal partner, Elon Musk, has found himself in a situation that, with just a bit of a stretch, fits the definition of a monopoly. Tesla is selling nearly all the electric cars that consumers are buying. Various competing products from startups and incumbents aren't making a dent in Tesla's business. And Tesla is taking advantage.

In general, the auto industry is a good example of how competition has led to a lot of consumer choice and a degree of predictability about prices. A Toyota Corolla is going to be a good car, and it's going to cost about $20,000, base. Likewise, a Honda Civic. There's abundant demand for cars at that price, and so the market in the US has performed superbly in inviting companies to meet that demand.

In the electric-vehicle space, however, demand isn't being met. It's almost impossible to buy an affordable, new EV, one that costs less than $500 per month on a typical auto loan. Tesla's cheapest Model 3 sedan is $38,000.

Musk is aware of this, and he isn't happy about it. His overarching goal is to get as many EVs on the roads as possible, Tesla-badged or otherwise. But for now, Tesla needs to sell expensive EVs to survive. Ironically, survival has yielded a monopoly, and Wall Street recognizes it: That's why Tesla's shares are up over 8,000% from the company's 2010 IPO and the market cap now exceeds every other carmaker's, along with those of some of America's biggest companies.

Musk doesn't care about money

If Musk had his way, he'd keep building factories and EVs all over the world, using Wall Street as an ATM to fund the expansion, and get millions of electric vehicles on the road in the next decade while losing money on everything. To be honest, that could be construed as a virtuous monopoly. Amazon, after all, has at times been content to remain profitless while offering consumers almost everything they want, from swift deliveries to rock-bottom prices. 

However, Tesla is on the way to owning the entire EV market and capturing all of its future global growth, as a matter of course. Barriers to competitive entry are very, very high — it's monumentally expensive to develop and manufacture just one automobile — but the established carmakers who have the money and expertise haven't taken any meaningful market share away from Tesla, and it's unclear whether startups such as Rivian and Lucid have the potential to catch up.

In the jargon of investing, Tesla doesn't just have a protective moat — it has a veritable ocean.

In this respect, Tesla is the greatest monopoly Silicon Valley has yet produced. And nobody seems particularly troubled by it. Except for Musk, who'd like to sell a cheaper car, and folks like me, who value market competition for its own sake. Thiel would insist that competing to compete is bad business because you end up competing away your profits and eventually go out of business, but so what? No business should be forever, and a business's erosion of profits just means that consumers are getting what they want or need at a great price.

Well, there is one other concerned party: the federal government, which is supposed to regulate the business realm to avoid monopolies and steward capitalist competition. Tesla is too small, and in too broadly competitive a market (autos generally, not just EVs) to attract antitrust actions. I've called Tesla's achievement a micro-monopoly, which is different from the real thing, but Tesla is preparing to scale up significantly, with new factories coming online, under construction, or planned for three continents.

It's the data that matters

So it's fair to assume that the micro-monopoly could be macro, in a decade or so. It wouldn't shock me if, in that scenario, Musk builds a $10,000 EV and sells it at a big loss, simply to execute his master plan. Imagine a world where one in four Americans, perhaps more, drives a Tesla. The traditional auto industry consolidates into two or three mega-manufacturers. Consumer choice is drastically reduced.

And now we have to consider that the largest business opportunity in transportation isn't selling cars. It's acquiring data, through networked vehicles. No one is sure who's going to end up owning this data, but for Silicon Valley, the paradigm is obvious: The network facilitator does. Facebook makes money off your updates, Google makes money off your searches. 

This is the point at which Tesla could run into trouble with its monopoly power. The simple reason is that some critical aspects of its vehicle systems won't work without donated data. Autopilot, Tesla's semi-self-driving technology, already requires the entire fleet to donate data to shared learning.

Interestingly, a challenge to Tesla's monopoly, if this all comes to pass, would probably delight Musk. Because that would mean that Tesla got as big as he dreamed it would be, and the internal-combustion engine was killed off by competition malfunctioning for just long enough to save the planet from global warming. Maybe monopolies aren't so bad, after all. Just make them temporary.

• Since long before his presidency, Donald Trump has made the construction of a wall along the border with Mexico his keystone issue. 
• Since it was first suggested — to rapturous applause — in 2014, the issue has arguably propelled Trump into the presidency.
• The Washington Post reported that Trump mentioned a wall more than 200 times in his 2016 campaign, though it has played only a bit part in 2020.
• Trump has made a dizzying array of claims about it. However, there is still no manmade physical barrier along much of the US-Mexico border.
• Here are some of the key claims he has made about the wall that have not come to pass.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Donald Trump's vision of a "big, beautiful wall" between the US and Mexico arguably did more than anything else in his 2016 platform to propel him into the White House.

Border security experts, and many of Trump's allies, have pointed out that a wall alone is too blunt an instrument to help much with US border security issues. 

But the architect of the policy, Sam Nunberg earlier explained to Business Insider that this lack of subtlety is exactly the point. 

"The wall in 2016 was symbolic of Donald Trump: common sense, practical solutions, simplified answers — as opposed to long nuanced, detailed policy speak," he said

Trump recently told a rally that the wall is "almost complete" — while his campaign website says 216 miles have been completed. It does not mention that the US-Mexico border is almost 2,000 miles long.

Here is a run-down of the major promises the president has made about the wall.

April 2014: "I would build a border like nobody's seen before."

In April 2014, as Trump prepared to begin his bid for the Republican nomination, he made his first mention of a wall — or at least a fence — at a New Hampshire conservative event. 

In preparing for his speech to the Freedom Summit, advisers Sam Nunberg and Roger Stone struggled to remind Trump to center immigration in his speech. Trump was resolving to be "the hardest on the Right" on these issues, Nunberg later told Business Insider, but struggled to stick closely to prepared notes.

The simple idea of a wall appealed to Trump. 

"We either have to have borders, and I mean strong borders ... and I mean strong. And you know I'm a builder, I build great buildings," Trump told his audience.

"Building a border, you know they talk about 'oh I don't know, how could we possibly build a fence that nobody can climb over?' I would build a border like nobody's seen before. Nobody's climbing over."

June 2015: "I will make Mexico pay for that wall."

As Trump announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination, a new promise arose — and it appears to have been totally off the cuff.

"I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall," he said. "Mark my words."

According to Ian Volner, who has chronicled the Trump wall in his book "The Great Great Wall: Along the Borders of History from China to Mexico," the claim wasn't in the briefing notes circulated to journalists prior to his announcement speech. 

His campaign quickly wound it back, qualifying the promise as it made headlines. 

Whether Mexico was paying literally or figuratively didn't turn out to matter that much. According to The Washington Post, Trump would go on to talk about a border wall more than 200 times on the tumultuous 2016 campaign trail.

August 24, 2015: It will have a "very big, beautiful door"

"This will be a wall with a very big, very beautiful door, because we want the legals to come back into the country," Trump told CBS News. 

A big door to welcome documented immigrants hasn't been given much attention since. In a 2019 roundtable discussion on border security, Trump remarked on the doorways in an existing section of wall and suggested not having any.

"Because putting the doors on cost more than the property is worth," he said. 

January 25 2017: He orders "a contiguous, physical wall" (or similar barrier).

Anti-immigration executive orders came at speed after Trump took office.

The Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements set in officialese exactly what Trump meant by the wall — a definition that left room for the many, many visions the president has described since.

"'Wall' shall mean a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier," read the order. With numerous natural barriers along the way, the amount of new construction has been reckoned at around 900 miles.

June 6, 2017: "There is a chance that we can do a solar wall."

With this environmentally-friendly vision, proposed at a White House meeting with Republican congressional leaders, Trump suggested the costs of the wall could be covered by solar-power-generated electricity.

"We are seriously looking at a solar wall," said Trump, pointing out that the sun-drenched border would offer obvious opportunity. 

As Business Insider's Leanna Garfield reported at the time, a solar-powered array could conceivably recuperate construction costs, but only over decades. 

It was never mentioned again.

July 7 2017: Mexico will "absolutely" pay. This time, said with the Mexican president sitting next to him. 

It's not possible to list all the times Trump has repeated his claim that Mexico will foot the bill for the wall, but The New York Times made a fact-check of the different ways that this could be done. These suggestions have ranged from cutting foreign aid to waiting for a literal check. 

Trump said it again during a G20 press conference in Hamburg with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto did nothing to bring that closer to reality. 

As of time of publication, an official Trump campaign page called "Promises Kept" makes no mention of ways in which Mexico has, or will, contribute.

April 2017: The wall will cost $21.6 billion

In 2017, the Department for Homeland Security priced the wall at $21.6 billion, Reuters reported. 

Others disagreed. The Democratic Party asserted it would be at least $70 billion — plus maintenance costs — while a non-partisan oversight committee simply said the DHS costing was far too low.  

January 2018: He'll build it for even less than that, in a year

After another estimate suggested the wall would cost $18 billion, Trump ramped up expectations still further. 

During an immigration policy negotiation with Democrats, he said: "I can build it for less than that  ... We can build the wall in one year and we can build it for much less money than what they're talking about," according to MailOnline.

He went on to talk about the Wollman Rink, an ice rink languishing under failed municipal repair and a spiraling budget until 1986, when he offered to take over the refurbishment. He completed it in four months and 25% under budget. 

However, with the scrutiny of Congress, he has not been able to repeat this success with his border wall. 

December 21, 2019: Government shutdown

In mid-December, as Congress was wrangling with the president over the next year's funding bill, Trump made a late-notice demand for $5 billion for his wall — much more than the $1.6 billion that the Democrats countered with for general border-security funding.

The standoff triggered a government shutdown that lastest well into the new year. 

Trump begrudgingly agreed to a package including $1.4 billion for barrier construction on January 15, ending the shutdown. 

January 10, 2019: No wall, renewed talk of Mexico paying

A year after his self-imposed deadline, there was no completed wall. Instead, there were more attempts to salvage the idea that Mexico might foot the bill.

On January 10, Trump said: "When, during the campaign, I would say Mexico is going to pay for it, obviously I never said this and I never meant they're going to write out a check."

Instead, he said, Mexico will pay "indirectly," through renegotiated trade deals. As Business Insider's Bob Bryan explained, that's not how it works. 

February 15, 2019: Trump declares a national emergency

After the debacle of the government shutdown, Trump's next move was to declare the situation at the border a national emergency, enabling him to bypass Congress and approve billions in funding for his wall. 

As he announced it, he told reporters: "I could do the wall over a longer period of time. I didn't need to do this. But I'd rather do it much faster."

Another $3.8 billion was raided from the Pentagon's budget for the wall, which was considered a "higher priority item," NPR reported.

June 2020: Trump says Biden will finish the wall if he gets elected

With the project clearly not going to plan, and an election looming, Trump told Fox 10 in Phoenix that the wall would continue even if he loses.

He predicted that Joe Biden would have to continue the project or there would be a "revolution." Biden soon said the opposite: if he is elected, construction will stop.

August 18, 2020: "Almost complete" — even though it is far from it.

Trump, and his campaign, have made many different claims about how done the wall is. On the campaign trail on August 28, Trump told New Hampshire that the wall is "almost complete."

Yet on the Trump campaign website "Promises Kept," the wall's completion is discussed in the present tense. 

"Pres. Trump is fulfilling his promise to build a border wall, with large portions finished or under construction," says the site. 

The Trump campaign states that 216 miles have been completed, "with an additional 339 miles under construction and 183 miles under pre-construction." It is not clear what "pre-construction" is.

But what we do know is that most of that was a replacement wall. As of May 2020, only three miles has been built on fresh ground, The Washington Post reported.

• Living Vehicle has unveiled its newest luxury 2021 off-grid travel trailer.
• The trailer comes in three different models ranging from $229,995 to $369,995, but the only difference between the three is the power systems.
• The luxury home on wheels can optionally come with a home office set up that transforms the bedroom into a workspace for digital nomads or people working remotely amid the pandemic.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Living Vehicle has unveiled its latest luxury 2021 off-grid travel trailer with an optional home office to meet the increasing demands for RVs amid the pandemic.

According to Living Vehicle, the company creates travel trailers that look more like "luxury apartments" than RVs by using high-end technology and a modern design.

Like many companies in the RV, travel trailer, and camper van industry, Living Vehicle offers a long list of optional upgrades that can further implement more luxury amenities into the tiny home on wheels, such as a spa bathroom, guest bed stored in the ceiling of the trailer, and a home office.

The new 2021 Living Vehicle trailer comes in three versions: the $229,995 Core, $289,995 Max, and $369,995 Pro. However, the only difference between the three are the power systems and weights.

The Core, Max, and Pro are all powered by Volta Power Systems' lithium-ion battery, which can also double as an electric vehicle charger if the trailer is being towed by an EV.

Keep scrolling to see inside the new ultra-luxe 2021 model:

The 2021 Living Vehicle trailer's exterior is made of aluminum with stainless steel components, but no wood.

This allows the body to stay intact through off-roading adventures, although off-road capable wheels and a four-inch lift both come optional.

The insulated travel trailer can also sustain itself through all four seasons, in part by using its basement to store temperature-sensitive power and water supplies, and technology.

The 2021 trailer's primary bedroom includes a queen-sized eight-inch memory foam mattress, closet, skylight, and an optional 70-inch television with surround sound for movie nights inside.

The secondary sleeping space can be set up in the living room by rearranging the dining table and lounge cushions to create a queen-size bed.

If two beds aren't enough, the four-person sleeping capacity can be increased to six people by adding the optional extra full bed, which can be stored away in the ceiling and pulled down by pressing a button.

A trendy add-on that Living Vehicle is also offering is the option for a mobile office, which is a concept that has become increasingly popular as more companies announce long-term remote work plans.

Living Vehicle's optional workstation uses the bedroom as an office during the day that is then equipped with a desk that can seat two, desk chairs, and different storage units for office supplies.

When the work rush is over, the space can then be converted into the bedroom by lowering the bed, which is stored in the wall during the day.

This office space can also be used in conjunction with the "mobile connectivity" package that comes with a WiFi and LTE booster.

The interior has a "spa-style" bathroom with a mold-resistant rainfall shower and skylight. This bathroom can also be upgraded to include a water-saving electric toilet with a bidet, as well as a 12-volt towel and bathroom heater.

The toilet can be converted to a composting one with a larger grey water tank to make it more off-grid capable.

An outdoor shower also comes optional for those who'd rather clean themselves or their pets outside after an outing.

To create an "indoor-outdoor" layout, its makers included a deck that can serve as a leisure space for outdoor dining and lounging.

Living Vehicle also has skylights, large windows, and an eight-foot sliding glass door to bring more natural light into the trailer.

Meals eaten on the outdoor deck can be made in the kitchen, which has a movable island, pull-out trash can, pantry, sink, and refrigerator.

However, home cooks who want more amenities can request the "Chef's Kitchen" package, which comes with a three-burner range and oven, glass cooktop, ice maker, and wine cooler.

For those who prefer cooking outside — maybe on the deck — the package also comes with a barbecue that can be used in conjunction with the transportable kitchen island.

To create a pet-friendly environment inside the luxury home on wheels, Living Vehicle included waterproof and anti-scratch floors and 228 cubic feet of storage throughout the trailer to easily tuck away pet gear.

Unlike most travel trailers, Living Vehicle also offers a series of upgrades like adding a washer and dryer, central vacuum system with filters, and dishwasher.

During the pandemic, its makers can also install a water sterilizer and air purifier.

• Today's inflation concerns mirror those seen after the 1980 economic slump. And James Paulsen, chief strategist at The Leuthold Group, sees the trend as a boon for markets.
• The inflation surge seen four decades ago kicked off "a fabulous 'disinflationary,' two-decade performance in both the economy and the stock market," he wrote in a recent note.
• With policymakers setting the stage for a rise in inflation, the US is on track to usher in a similarly fruitful expansion, the strategist added.
• Detailed below are the eight reasons Paulsen sees the current inflation scare leading to a thriving economy and strengthened bull market.
• Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

Inflation fears today mirror those seen during the 1980 recession. That similarity may be what saves markets from their own lofty valuations, according to James Paulsen, chief strategist at The Leuthold Group.

Stagnant price growth has plagued the US economy for years, and the coronavirus pandemic only worsened the problem. The Federal Reserve cut rates to zero, kicked off an unprecedented asset purchase program, and boosted the nation's money supply in an effort to keep inflation stable through the downturn.

Investors now fear such conditions will stifle a recovery from the current recession, but history suggests the opposite, according to the strategist.

The 1980s inflation fear spike sparked "the beginning of a fabulous 'disinflationary,' two-decade performance in both the economy and the stock market," Paulsen said. The initial scare motivated a coordinated effort to right the economy. Such a solution will likely emerge once the coronavirus is contained and policymakers focus on stabilizing inflation.

Detailed below are the eight reasons Paulsen sees today's inflation scare giving way to a thriving economy and surging stock market.

Read more: Bank of America lays out the under-the-radar indicators showing that huge swaths of the stock market are 'running on fumes' — and warns a September meltdown may just be getting started

Demographic shift

The US working-age population's decade-long annualized growth reached a record-low 0.3% this year, slumping in a downtrend similar to that seen starting in 1980. The past drop eventually reversed and led to a growth in the working-age population, a shift likely to repeat itself in the coming years, Paulsen said.

"The size of the Gen-X age group is set to exceed the Baby Boomers in a few years," he wrote in a note.

That shift is partially behind the housing market's strength through the pandemic, as Gen-X Americans reach "prime household-formation years." As the group ages further, they'll reach "peak spending years" and accelerate the nation's economic bounce-back, Paulsen added.

Immigration vs inflation

The country is also likely to pad its demographic trends by allowing for greater immigration over the next few years, the strategist said. Doing so "could make underlying economic-resource growth far stronger than currently anticipated."

Read more: US Investing Championship hopeful Matthew Caruso landed a 382% return in the first half of 2020. He shares the unique twist he's putting on a classic trading strategy — and 3 stocks he's holding right now.

Turning the trade tide

The economic rebound could be accelerated further should the US aspire to finally reach a trade surplus, Paulsen said. Trade balance data released Thursday showed the country running a deficit of $63.6 billion, its widest since 2008. A policy of enforcing fair-play trade among economic superpowers could improve the US's trade competitiveness and lift the economy, according to the strategist.

Boosting export activity would have a direct and powerful effect on national gross domestic product. Paulsen noted that, in a hypothetical scenario where the balance shifts from a 1% deficit to a 1% surplus, US GDP would improve an entire 2%.

Closing the output gap

The nation's output gap — a measure of the under-utilization of economic resources — sits at a post-war low. Such a disparity leaves "considerable room for improvement" when the pandemic ends and the US puts its resources back to work, Paulsen said. 

Read more: GOLDMAN SACHS: Female portfolio managers are outperforming their male counterparts so far in 2020. These are the 25 stocks they own the most compared to men.

Permanently low-cost

Companies battened down the hatches to ride out the pandemic, and that cost-cutting could end up speeding up the nation's rebound. Lowered breakeven points will yield greater profits when activity picks up, Paulsen said. The trend will also justify stocks' historically high prices as investors pay up for "uncommon earnings leverage," he added.

Recipe for productivity

The latter two predictions come together in Paulsen's forecast for a surge in productivity. "Hyper-efficient companies" and the strong potential output-gap improvement suggests economic productivity "could surprise to the upside" throughout the recovery, he wrote.

Poised to spend

Households are unusually prepared to drive the economy out of its slump compared to past downturns, according to Paulsen. Americans spent more than a decade paying off debts, refinancing, raising their net worths, and growing more cost-efficient. Homes now tout a savings rate close to 20%, "an uncommonly liquid status quo" that stands to ignite a strong new expansion, the strategist wrote.

"How much could economic growth be bolstered should household-sector attitudes turn optimistic about the future?" he added.

Read more: 'Never been so extreme': A renowned stock bear says today's 'hypervalued' market implies the worst market returns in history — and expects a 66% crash from today's levels

Government backing

Lastly, Paulsen sees the government's "amazingly aggressive" monetary and fiscal policies buttressing the nation's economic rebound. The Federal Reserve recently overhauled its policy framework to better control inflation as it expects to hold interest rates close to zero through 2022. Congress remains in a deadlock over new stimulus, but economists still expect a package to arrive before the November election.

So long as the government and the Fed keep their relief efforts intact, Paulsen expects the backdrop to usher in an expansion to rival even the most bullish outlooks.

"Just as the restrictive policies employed in 1980 helped to break the inflation surge, it seems probable today's unique and massively accommodative economic policies will quicken future economic growth more than thought," the strategist wrote.

Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:

One of Tesla's biggest bulls on Wall Street breaks down how the company's $5 billion stock sale could benefit retail investors — and explains why the electric-car giant would still be cheap at $1,400 per share in 2024

Bill Gates-sponsored battery producer QuantumScape to join 'blank-check' IPO frenzy

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tears into 'completely inadequate' GOP stimulus proposal

• Golden Corral is one of America’s most popular buffet chains, known for its bountiful fried chicken and never-ending chocolate fondue fountain.
• During COVID-19, restaurants have had to adapt to align with state guidelines.
• I went to a Golden Corral in Iowa assuming it would be a “no-touch” buffet. But I was wrong.
• The experience left me feeling uncomfortable about the number of diners and the lack of mitigation efforts.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Under normal circumstances, eating at a Golden Corral can be a fun experience in a gluttonous kind of way. 

There's an endless array of foods to choose from with unlimited helpings. If you want some orange chicken with a side of mashed potatoes, have at it.

But the beloved American tradition of all-you-can eat buffets has been severely undercut by the COVID-19 pandemic. Diners across the country have been trying to navigate a new masked world where you're offered hand sanitizer with your glass of water.

As a chain restaurant lover, I was curious about what eating at a Golden Corral would resemble in the middle of a pandemic.

After sifting through the restaurant's website, which touts a "no touch" buffet and "enhanced sanitation measures" I traveled to the nearest location to me at Council Bluffs, Iowa to see what it was like.

Welcome to the dining journey that I've aptly named "Covid-Corral."

When I stepped out of my car, the scent of stale grease let me know I made it to my destination.

Prior to entering the line to pay for my meal, I was greeted by a cautionary banner laying out the rules of Golden Corral during COVID-19.

Don't move tables, accompany children, and follow the socially-distanced floor markers. However, there was no mention of face masks.

I stood in line and waited for my turn to pay $10.15 for my unlimited breakfast buffet Sunday morning.

It was then it dawned on me: This wasn't a touchless buffet.

In fact, it was a "touch everything and act like we're not in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic" buffet.

As I was choosing my seat in the dining area, there were barely any "closed" table signs to encourage social distancing.

I picked a table that was next to the only "closed" for social distancing sign that I saw around.

My waitress was kind, but she wasn't wearing a face mask. She came by and took my drink order and promptly brought me a diet coke.

I started my COVID-Corral journey by grabbing a plate from a nearby stack that was in the wide open. There were also strange yellow spots I couldn't scrape off.

Next, I made my way to everyone's buffet favorite: The salad bar.

While several restaurants I've been to have closed their salad bars, this one was open and proud.

There were no markers on the floor like promised, but there was a sign encouraging distance between buffet-goers.

When I sat down I realized I made a weird hodgepodge salad because I was so distracted.

But hey, at least my silverware came in an individualized packet.

By this point, I decided to dive in for the buffet again, right when things started picking up with the lunch crowd.

I made my way towards the piece de resistance of Golden Corral — the fried chicken.

I also went for some cheesy hashbrowns.

By this point, I just succumbed to the knowledge that we're all touching the same tongs without gloves provided and only a few hand sanitizing stations visible.

The lunch crowd was also growing.

The table behind me that was closed off for social distancing was used to seat a family of eight.

Foodwise, the chicken was dry and uneventful.

The only item that gave me joy on my plate was the yeast roll with honey butter.

By this point, the rising symphony of old people coughing meant it was time to get dessert and step out the door.

The dessert bar was the one place where there was an extra barrier (though I assume it was installed to keep little hands away.)

Don't worry though, the chocolate fondue fountain was still flowing and ready to go.

Back at my table, there was a growing collection of dirty plates sitting next to me.

At this point, I definitely had enough.

Every state has different dining regulations and each person has their own personal feelings about what makes them comfortable.

For myself, touching tongs, walking around, and sitting in a busy dining room made me feel anxious, even with a face mask on.

Prior to the pandemic, Golden Corral's endless array of foods would be my dream. Today, it was my nightmare.

In Iowa, the only dining restrictions mandate six feet of distance between tables, so technically, the restaurant was up to regulation. Still, it wasn't my ideal dining experience. Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over however, I'm willing to take another bite and try some yeast rolls again.

• Social media apps are designed using the same psychology as casino slot machines. They entice you with menial rewards to keep you coming back, even when you know it's doing you harm. 
• When I deleted social media apps from my phone, I found myself newly endowed with time, mental bandwidth, and imagination that would have been lost to mindless "doomscrolling."
• You don't need to go cold turkey, just stop giving the parasitic social media sites so much of your lifeblood and get the apps off your phone. 
• This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

You don't need social media, it needs you. 

It's a parasite, its life force borne of your confessions, photos, memes, and soon-to-be-mortifying opinions. Perversely, it convinces you that feeding the social media beast  is essential to your mental health and career by making you feel "connected."  

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the rest, aren't inherently evil websites. But they all operate as sociopaths would: always in their own interests, without conscience, at the expense of others. 

They entice with promises of  validation and reward. Your work is shared widely. Your cause is amplified. You get a dopamine fix from positive reactions, or even any reactions. 

They're the online cousins of casino slot machines. They're even designed using the same psychology, where profits are maximized by actively enabling addiction. 

And the only rule of casinos is that sooner or later, the house always wins. 

If you don't want to delete your account, at least delete the app

Earlier this summer, I found my mental capacity was stretched thin. I'm hardly alone in this time of pandemic and social upheaval. 

I've known for years that social media was a time suck. But lately, more than ever, I could feel myself growing anxious just a couple minutes into mindless "doomscrolling" 

For all the personal and professional connections made, the worthwhile articles read, and the occasional laugh, it became evident that social media was not giving me anything close to the emotional value of what I was putting into it. 

It was swallowing my time, which as a parent of three young kids, is spare. It was scrambling my once-decent attention span. And it was convincing me to care deeply about all kinds of ephemeral internet mush — things not worth caring about at all. 

Even Instagram, generally a source of hi-fives for my cute kids' photos, started feeling toxic. Underneath the "living your best life" facade lurked a cycle of what I call "envy porn" — basically content meant to instill the most FOMO on a global scale. Even if its users (a.k.a. content creators) mean well, Instagram is a place for people — especially women — to feel worse about themselves. 

One afternoon, while eating lunch and scrolling down a Twitter rabbit hole of QAnon content, I rashly decided to delete all social media apps from my phone. I didn't delete my accounts, I just made a de facto rule: no social media on the phone. 

It's been over two months, my life is better for it. 

To be sure, I didn't totally go cold turkey. Twitter still hums on my desktop, for work, of course. Popping in on the latest journalistic flame wars, the ritualistic dunkings, and the rare but appreciated article worth reading maintains the "connection," but it no longer feels like a limb. 

There's been more book-reading, more music-listening, more goofing around with my kids. During all those simple but life-affirming experiences, a portion of my brain doesn't feel permanently tethered to the online matrix. I didn't even have to make a big show of "leaving social media." All it took was getting social media off my phone. 

Nobody is so thirsty for digital hearts that they're going to walk around mindlessly scrolling on a laptop. And yet, vacantly staring at hot takes and shitposts is socially acceptable, as long as it's on a phone. 

The phone makes social media too instantly available. It promises that you'll never be bored again anywhere — at the in-laws, at the supermarket, in an elevator. And that's just awful. 

We need to be bored, at least in moderation. Mental health, creativity, and the ability to be entertained require brains to endure at least a little bit of empty space.

There was a moment a few years back, where after many years of "social smoking" at alcohol-soaked events, I decided once and for all that cigarettes were gross and not even worth the occasional "social" puff. This feels like that. 

Last week, I tweeted a strong opinion. Can't remember what it was. But I did feel a familiar jones for the affirmation earned from sending very good non-ratioed takes. I had to walk away from my laptop after about a minute, and then I completely forgot about the tweet. 

Reopening my computer a few hours later, there were a favorable amount of RTs and Faves, with a mere sprinkling of "Go fuck yourself" replies. 

It was all there, the life story of that tweet. For about 20 minutes, a few hundred people cared enough to engage with it, and they mostly liked it. Then they forgot it, just like I already had.

The thrill is gone.

I don't reflexively reach for my phone anymore. After going from extremely online to just occasionally online, it's a lot easier to walk right past the dopamine dealer. 

To misquote Nancy Reagan, "Just Say No to Social Media on Your Phone."

• Read more:
• Make 'to-go' cocktail sales permanent
• Trump's lifelong devotion to cronyism is getting people killed
• Dave Rubin is out of ideas
• Destruction swings at the system, but the punch lands on peaceful protests

• A Belgian company just 3D-printed a two-story house in one piece for the first time.
• It used the largest 3D printer in Europe. 
• The building is a demo and is just under 1,000 square feet. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Kamp C just became the first in the world to 3D print a two-story house in one piece, using the largest 3D printer in Europe.

The house in Westerlo, Belgium, is a demo for this style of 3D printing, showing off different styles. It's also a way to measure how the home, which was built using greener practices than typical constructions, holds up over time. 

Kamp C's 3D printed house is part of the European C3PO project, supported by the European Regional Development Fund. The project brings together scientists and business people to advance 3D printing in Flanders. 

Kamp C used a 3D printer to print a two story, 968 square foot house.

The massive 3D printer is the biggest in all of Europe.

The house is two floors, a first and a breakthrough in the world of 3D printed construction.

"The homes that have already been printed worldwide have only one floor and are often in parts factory printed and assembled on site. We have printed the entire building envelope as a whole on the site," project manager Emiel Ascione said.

As Ascione explained, 3D printed homes do already exist, but the term usually describes individual pieces that are printed and later fitted together.

The house is three times stronger than a regular build, according to Kamp C.

As the demo house, it was printed over three weeks, but Kamp C predicted that in the future houses could be printed in as little as two days.

It was printed with different types of walls to show the possibilities of 3D printing.

Some walls are curved, there's and overhang, and other types are around the house.

Kamp C is adding on to the house to show how it would actually be livable as a low energy home.

Builders are adding heating, a green roof, and solar panels.

Experts will continue to watch the home to see how it holds up over time and use those insights on future 3D printing projects.

• Airbus is turning its H160 aircraft into a luxury helicopter for business or private use: the ACH160.
• Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) is the company's high-end bespoke segment that's catered to private clients and business use.
• The ACH160 starts at over $14 million, although this price shifts depending on different add-ons and equipment in the customizable interior.
• The luxury helicopter will be available for delivery later this year.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Airbus is creating a luxury version of its H160 helicopter: the ACH160, which starts at around $14 million for business or private use.

The ACH160 is the "premium" iteration of the H160 and the latest aircraft in the ACH line, which includes six other corporate helicopters that can be tailored per customer. Despite these differences in luxury levels, both the ACH160 and H160 will be available deliveries later this year, according to Airbus.

The customizable aspects inside the luxury helicopter include seating, with options like bench-style seats, individual seats, or a mix of both, for a total accommodation of up to 10 passengers. This tailored configuration has also already been employed in the latest ACH160 order for a client in Italy, who requested the helicopter with a bespoke six-seater configuration, according to Airbus.

Keep scrolling to see inside the ACH160 which starts at around $14 million, although this price can vary based on aspects like equipment, configurations, and finishes, an Airbus spokesperson told Business Insider:

Besides the Italy-based customer, the luxury helicopter has also been ordered in eight other countries in Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and Latin and North America.

According to its maker, the ACH160's design is backed by 68 new patents.

The interior was created in part by Pagasus Design.

Source: Airbus

Together, Airbus' in-house design team and Pagasus Design created a luxurious interior with large windows for more natural light and views of the outside.

Like any luxury aircraft, the inside of the ACH160 is lined with leather, wood veneers, and a handmade carpet.

The ACH160 has a maximum cruising speed of 155 knots, or about 178.4 miles-per-hour, and a range of 852 kilometers, about 529.4 miles.

It can fly for four hours, 30 minutes ...

… and has a payload of over 1.1 tons for trips within 138.1 miles.

According to Airbus' description of the H160, the helicopter has a "new-generation turboshaft engine" that guzzles less fuel than the older generation of engines.

Source: Airbus

The base H160 and its luxury sibling both have the latest flight deck from Helionix, decreasing the amount of work that the pilot has to handle, according to Airbus.

Source: Airbus

The helicopter also has an upgraded stabilizer and "sound-reducing" rotor blades.

The combination of all of these upgrades and features gives the helicopter a quiet interior and a reliable and safe ride, according to its maker.

Besides the luxury ACH160, there are other iterations of the H160 designed for several uses, including general transportation and emergency medical and public service use.

Source: Airbus

• Some college students are returning to campus for their fall semester.
• Whether universities decide to have in-person classes or a hybrid model, college towns where students usually make up a large share of the town's population may be greatly affected.
• Business Insider decided to look at colleges that have a large number of undergraduates to determine which towns may be most economically vulnerable during the upcoming school year.  
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some college students across the country have already started their fall semesters, whether it be in-person or online. As some students choose to take online courses or are not interested in returning to college, this can affect the economy of towns dependent on college students.  

Many colleges closed and transitioned to remote learning in March, causing many to report budget shortfalls. Colleges are also estimating more financial losses for the current fiscal year. For instance, Oregon State University projects a budget shortfall of $217 million, and undergraduates make up about 33.7% of the population in the university's home town of Corvallis.

Cornell University also estimates an overall budget shortfall of $210 million, even with a hybrid fall semester. The Ithaca campus of Cornell University already reported a loss of $45 million for the previous fiscal year. 

There are many factors that contribute to the economies of college towns, including students spending money in the local economy and supporting businesses that employ workers. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston analyzed college towns in New England and found 45% of wages and 38% of jobs in these towns and cities come from colleges and universities.

Additionally, businesses that usually rely on students bringing in revenue have also been negatively affected by campus closures these past few months. Bloomberg CityLab interviewed a hospitality company in State College, Pennsylvania, where the main campus of Penn State University is located. Curtis Shulman, the director of operations for the company, said 60% of their revenue occurs during the academic year and 20% alone comes from football weekends.  

Business Insider decided to look at the college towns that would be most affected if students don't return for in-person classes or if the university with the largest number of undergrads in the town have to move to a fully remote semester.

To figure out which college towns are the most economically vulnerable, we based our ranking on undergraduate enrollment as a share of the town or city's population. To do this, we looked at the 200 colleges and universities with the largest number of degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates based on fall 2018 college data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS.) We focused on schools that are mainly four-year, bachelor-earning schools.

We then calculated the share of these undergraduates in the population of the towns and places where these large campuses are located. We used 2018 population estimates of incorporated places from the US Census Bureau and focused on those with at least 30,000 residents.

IPEDS has specific enrollment data based on whether a student is taking distance classes or not. Since we want to estimate the share of students living in the town or city, we decided to look at the total number of undergraduates who are taking either some or no distance classes, rather than all-online courses, as a share of the population.

Although many of the colleges that made the top of our list are reopening for the fall semester, a few are choosing hybrid models or going fully remote. This includes Rutgers University-New Brunswick where many of the classes will be held online and Michigan State University, which only recently decided students should learn online.

The following are 30 college towns that may be the most negatively impacted if students of the largest college campus in the town don't return or have to leave campus again, based on the share of residents of the towns that are undergrads. We included both the share of students who are normally either fully on-campus or only taking some distance-based courses and the share who are taking no distance courses.

30. Montana State University

Montana State University is located in Bozeman, Montana. The 14,458 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 29.8% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 28.1%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: In-person classes for the fall semester, which have started on August 17.

29. The University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The 30,081 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 30.0% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 20.4%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Most classes are in-person.

28. Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The 22,497 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 30.5% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 21.7%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Hybrid model.

27. Kansas State University

Kansas State University is located in Manhattan, Kansas. The 16,917 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 30.8% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 25.2%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: In-person classes until November 20 with classes offered in-person, online, and through a hybrid model during the fall semester.

26. Illinois State University

Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois. The 17,888 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 32.7% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 26.0%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes are offered in-person, online, or in a hybrid model.

25. Oregon State University

Oregon State University is located in Corvallis, Oregon. The 19,871 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 33.7% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 23.5%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: The majority of classes for the Corvallis campus will be remote.

24. University of Virginia (main campus)

The main campus of University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The 16,175 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 34.0% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 31.9%

Current fall plan, according to the Associated Press: The University announced on August 28 that the school will return to in-person classes.

23. James Madison University

James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The 19,450 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 36.4% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 35.1%

Current fall plan, according to The Washington Post: The university just announced on September 1 classes have been moved to online throughout the month with a few hybrid classes for some students, such as graduates. 

22. Auburn University

Auburn University is located in Auburn, Alabama. The 23,845 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 36.4% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 29.2%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: In-person classes started on August 17 and finals will be held remotely.

21. Utah State University

Utah State University is located in Logan, Utah. The 18,827 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 36.7% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 24.4%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes started on August 31 and students started moving in on August 15. Classes are offered online, in-person, and through a hybrid model.

20. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois. The 32,831 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 37.3% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 24.9%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes started August 24 offering as "much in-person instruction as restrictions of space, health and safety allow."

19. Indiana University-Bloomington

Indiana University-Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana. The 32,907 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 38.7% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 33.5%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Online and in-person classes will be held until November 20. All classes will be remote from November 30 to the winter break.

18. Oklahoma State University (main campus)

The main campus of Oklahoma State University is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 19,609 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 38.8% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 24.2%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes began August 17.

17. Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University is located in Huntsville, Texas. The 16,588 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 39.3% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 21.8%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Hybrid model

16. Bowling Green State University (main campus)

The main campus of Bowling Green State University is located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The 13,264 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 42.0% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 33.8%%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: In-person classes, which started August 26.

15. Iowa State University

Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa. The 29,070 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 44.0% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 35.3%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes started August 17 with multiple teaching models.

14. University of California-Davis

University of California-Davis is located in Davis, California. The 30,690 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 44.3% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 42.1%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Students can choose to take courses on campus or online.

13. California Polytechnic State University

California Polytechnic State University is located in San Luis Obispo, California. The 21,043 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 44.5% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 41.1%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Only a small share of courses will be held in-person with on-campus housing available as single dorms. 

12. Texas A & M University-College Station

Texas A & M University-College Station is located in College Station, Texas. The 53,150 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 45.8% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 42.6%

Current fall plan, according to a local Texas news station: Classes will be held in-person and online.

11. Cornell University

Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York. The 15,105 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 49.3% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 48.9%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes are offered online, in-person, or through a hybrid model.

10. Texas State University

Texas State University is located in San Marcos, Texas. The 33,531 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 52.6% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 38.9%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes are offered online, in-person, or through a hybrid model.

9. University of Delaware

University of Delaware is located in Newark, Delaware. The 18,988 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 56.6% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 54.3%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes started on September 1 with the majority being online.

8. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The 27,681 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 62.2% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 44.4%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Hybrid model.

7. Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers University-New Brunswick is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The 35,336 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 63.2% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 47.7%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: The majority of classes will be held online with a few exceptions such as labs.

6. Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University is located in Statesboro, Georgia. The 21,115 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 66.7% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 49.7%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: In-person

5. Purdue University (main campus)

The main campus of Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The 33,092 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 67.5% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 55.2%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes began on August 24 and in-person classes will end on November 24.

4. Washington State University

Washington State University is located in Pullman, Washington. The 23,388 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 68.9% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 61.8%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: All undergraduate classes will be held online. 

3. Michigan State University

Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan. The 38,895 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 81.3% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 63.7%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: The university president announced on August 18 changes to the plan including that students should stay and learn at home if they haven't already returned to campus. Off-campus students are also encouraged to learn remotely. 

2. Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw State University is located in Kennesaw, Georgia. The 29,302 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 85.9% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 56.5%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Classes started August 17, both in-person and online, and will be held remotely after Thanksgiving break.

1. University of Maryland-College Park

University of Maryland-College Park is located in College Park, Maryland. The 30,163 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates, excluding those who are only taking distance classes, make up 93.7% of the population.

Undergrads who aren't taking any distance classes as a share of the population: 85.3%

Current fall plan, according to the school's website: Undergraduate courses will be held remotely for the first two weeks of school before in-person classes on September 14. 

• Japan-based SkyDrive has completed its first public manned flying car test on Aug. 25.
• The SD-03 successfully cruised around the test field for four minutes with a pilot.
• Three days after the test flight, SkyDrive announced that the company raised around $36.6 million in a Series B round of funding.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The idea of a flying car is no longer as futuristic as it sounds: Japan-based SkyDrive has completed its first public manned flying car test.

The flying SD-03 demonstration took place on Aug. 25 at the Toyota Test Field in Japan, where SkyDrive develops its products, according to the company's news release. This occasion also serves as the country's first public manned flying car test, which took place two years after SkyDrive was formally launched, and seven years after the start of the flying car development under Cartivator, SkyDrive's founding company and joint developer.

SkyDrive's YouTube debut of the flight demonstration passed the one million view mark within three days of posting. And three days after the test flight, the company announced on a news release that it had raised around $36.6 million in a Series B round of funding.

According to the SkyDrive, the goal is to be approved for flights outside of the test field before the end of the year.

The SD-03 cruised around the test field for four minutes with a pilot ...

... who was accompanying the computer-run controls and the on-site staff who were monitoring in case backup was needed.

As of now, the SD-03 is the world's smallest electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle at 6.56 feet tall, and 13.12 feet wide and long, according to SkyDrive.

According to its maker, this size is equivalent to about two parking spots.

The flying car is powered by eight electric motors that are paired off and located at its four corners.

According to SkyDrive, the fuselage looks "lean and sleek" and the compartments that hold the rotors juts out of the SD-03 in a curve, which provides a clean exterior appearance and "aerodynamic qualities."

The "pearl white" exterior color of the SD-03 pays homage to white birds and the clouds in the sky, according to SkyDrive.

The flying car has two white lights at its front, and a red light underneath, all of which are designed to help onlookers identify the direction that the SD-03 is flying in.

SkyDrive's planned flying car concept, the SD-XX, is able to seat two people, according to the company's website. However, the SD-03 used on the test flight was a one-seater.

Source: SkyDrive

The description of the SD-XX also states that the aircraft will be able to accommodate up to about 1,102 pounds and fly up to an altitude of about 1,640 feet.

To compare, the test flight of the SD-03 saw the vehicle fly up about 10 feet, according to The New York Times.

Source: The New York Times

The SD-XX will also be able to travel at around 37.3 miles-per-hour with a range between about 12.4 to 18.6 miles.

Because the SD-03 is an eVTOL that doesn't require any infrastructure to operate, it's greener than the traditional road-based automobile.

Source: SkyDrive

SkyDrive's goal is to bring its flying car to the market by 2023.

However, the price of the eVTOL has not been announced yet.

Looking even further ahead, the company plans to introduce self-driving flying cars by 2030.

Source: SkyDrive

• The ideal face mask for coronavirus protection blocks large droplets along with smaller airborne particles.
• In general, masks should have more than one layer and be made of tightly woven fabrics.
• Based on several studies evaluating masks' protection levels, we've ranked the most common types from best (an N95 mask) to worst (masks with a built-in valve or vent).
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A simple trick can reveal whether your face mask offers sufficient protection: Try blowing out a candle while wearing it. A good mask should prevent you from extinguishing the flame.

The rule isn't foolproof, but it should help weed out masks that aren't very protective.

Ever since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending cloth masks for the general public in April, researchers have been evaluating the best materials for filtering the coronavirus. An ideal mask blocks both large respiratory droplets from coughs or sneezes — the primary method by which people pass the virus to others — along with smaller airborne particles called aerosols, which are produced when people talk or exhale.

It should be sealed around the nose and mouth, since any gaps, holes, or vents could allow droplets to leak out and potentially infect another person.

Assuming masks are worn properly, certain materials consistently perform better than others in studies. Based on the latest research, here's a ranking of the best and worst face coverings:

'Hybrid' masks are among the safest homemade options

As a general rule, mask fabrics should be woven as tightly as possible. That's why fabrics with higher thread counts are better at filtering particles.

It's also preferable to have more than one layer. The World Health Organizations recommends that fabric masks have three layers: an inner layer that absorbs, a middle layer that filters, and an outer layer made from a nonabsorbent material like polyester.

N95 masks are the most protective because they seal tightly around the nose and mouth so that very few viral particles seep in or out. They also contain tangled fibers to filter airborne pathogens — the name refers to their minimum 95% efficiency at filtering aerosols. A recent Duke study showed that less than 0.1% of droplets were transmitted through an N95 mask while the wearer was speaking.

That's why they're generally reserved for healthcare workers.

Disposable surgical masks are also made of non-woven fabric. A 2013 study found that surgical masks were about three times as effective at blocking influenza aerosols than homemade face masks (that was true, at least, when air flow was slower than a cough but faster than a human breathing during light work).

Still, there are homemade options that come close to the level of protection of an N95 or surgical mask.

An April study from the University of Chicago determined that "hybrid" masks — combining two layers of 600-thread-count cotton paired with another material like silk, chiffon, or flannel — filter at least 94% of small particles (less than 300 nanometers) and at least 96% of larger particles (bigger than 300 nanometers). Two layers of 600-thread-count cotton offer a similar level of protection against larger particles, but they weren't as effective at filtering aerosols.

That study, however, conducted measurements at low air-flow rates, so the masks might offer less protection against a cough or sneeze. Still, multiple layers of high-thread-count cotton are preferable to face coverings made from a dishcloth or cotton T-shirt.

Fabrics like silk or cotton have more variable performances

A June study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection found that masks made from vacuum-cleaner bags were among the most effective alternatives to surgical masks, followed by masks made from tea towels, pillowcases, silk, and 100% cotton T-shirts, respectively. 

Research from the University of Illinois, meanwhile, found that a brand-new dishcloth was slightly more effective than a used 100% cotton T-shirt at filtering droplets when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks. That study (which is still awaiting peer review) also found that a used shirt made of 100% silk was more effective at filtering high-momentum droplets, likely because silk has electrostatic properties that can help trap smaller viral particles.

The University of Chicago study came to a different conclusion, however: Those researchers found that a single layer of natural silk filtered just 54% of small particles and 56% of larger particles. By contrast, four layers of natural silk filtered 86% of small particles and 88% of large particles at low air-flow rates.

Bandanas and scarves don't offer great protection

Bandanas and scarves have performed poorly in multiple studies. 

The Journal of Hospital Infection study found that a scarf only reduced a person's infection risk by 44% after they shared a room with an infected person for 30 seconds. After 20 minutes of exposure, the scarf only reduced infection risk by 24%.

Similarly, the Duke researchers found that bandanas reduced the rate of droplet transmission by a factor of two, which makes them less protective than most other materials.

For the most part, though, any mask is better than no mask, with one notable exception: The CDC cautions people not to wear masks with built-in valves or vents.

Masks with one-way valves can expel infectious particles into the atmosphere, helping to fuel transmission.

Mask studies should be taken with a grain of salt

Although research is coalescing around the idea that a few types of masks offer the best protection, it's not always easy to simulate how a mask will perform in real life.

That's because only some tests directly mimic the size of novel coronavirus particles, while others evaluate performance based on viruses like influenza. Researchers also still aren't sure about the degree to which the virus gets transmitted via aerosols, since those tiny particles are extremely hard to trap and study without killing the virus. Some scientists even have different ideas of what constitutes an aerosol — the generally accepted cutoff is less than 5 microns (that's roughly the size of a dust particle) — and many experts think the delineation is arbitrary altogether. 

Different studies also test masks under different circumstances: Some mimic the heavy air flow produced when a person coughs, while others mimic the air flow when a person is talking or breathing normally.

And of course, masks perform differently depending on how they're worn. That's why it's better to stick with more protection over less.

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