• I ordered groceries through Getir for $70 while visiting New York City. 
• The app had a decent product selection and the delivery was quick and seamless.
• I think the grocery delivery service is worth it if you need a few basics in a pinch.

With the price of groceries on the rise, I'm always looking for efficient and cost-effective ways to keep my fridge stocked.

I decided to order groceries through Getir — a Turkey-based delivery service that also currently operates in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US.

The app promises to deliver groceries via bike couriers in 20 minutes or less, offers a variety of food and home products, and promises "no substitutions, ever" on orders.

Here's how my $70 order went.

I'd never used Getir before.

I live in Chicago and usually go to nearby grocery stores to snag what I need for the week. The errand can take between 20 minutes to an hour, depending on whether I'm going to a specialty grocery store or taking public transportation.

The idea of having my groceries delivered to me in less time is definitely intriguing.

But although Getir has Chicago, New York, and Boston listed as locations on its website FAQ and social-media pages, I was surprised to learn that the company wasn't delivering groceries in Chicago.

When I spoke with customer support after my Chicago address was labeled out of range, they said this was a "temporary closure" and that they planned to return soon. But they didn't provide an estimated or exact date.

Luckily, I was flying to New York City the following week for a quick family visit, and I was able to test Getir out there.

The selection process was easy and user-friendly.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the app.

I thought the design was very user-friendly, especially with the different product groups. Surprisingly, I didn't feel overwhelmed by the plethora of options.

Sometimes, I find myself at the store with a mental list of the products and produce I need without knowing the actual names, so I heavily rely on visuals to figure out what I'm looking for. The provided images on the app were helpful and made me feel like I was having an actual grocery-shopping experience.

To place my order, I also had to create an account. But that was incredibly easy since I could link it to my Google account.

I wanted to purchase a mixture of home goods and food items.

I didn't want to purchase too many perishables since I was only in the city for a short trip.

I opted for a mixture of home goods (like a candle and KN95 masks) and food items (like granola bars and bread).

Getir has its own warehouses stocked with products, so the bike couriers aren't running around to different stores to find everything on your list. The prices also weren't wildly different than what I see at New York grocery stores.

My product total was $59.31. With added sales tax, bag fees, and courier tip, my grand total came to $68.83.

I was surprised by some of the selections available.

I was happily surprised by the selection Getir offered.

There were niche food items available, like Momofuku Chili Crunch oil and La Fermière yogurt. I'd usually have to go out of my way to find those in Chicago.

Additionally, Getir has "personal care," "pharmacy," and "sexual health" sections with products like emergency contraceptives, cold medication, and natural menstrual pads, which can all be hard to find in local grocery stores.

I especially liked that I didn't have to deal with substitutions — which has happened to me with other delivery services. The Getir app is supposed to update inventory in real time, so I saw it on my end first if something was out of stock.

The delivery and hand-off went seamlessly.

I was in Midtown Manhattan, so I was immediately skeptical of the under-20-minute delivery the app promised. I've gotten stuck in the city's traffic, and I know it takes a pretty heavy foot on the pedal to get where I need to go on time.

After placing my order at 1:19 p.m., I was notified that the process would take 10 to 15 minutes. I could watch on the app as my order was prepared, on the way, at the address, and delivered.

My groceries were on their way by 1:24 p.m., and I tracked my rider on their bike in real time. The order arrived at 1:30 p.m., less than 15 minutes after confirming my order.

After scanning the bag, the rider handed off the groceries and we both went our separate ways.

The products were all in great condition when I unpacked them — no bent boxes or opened packages. Even the ginger looked fresh and decently sized.

I liked Getir, but I wouldn’t use it as my main grocery source.

I don't think I'd want to use Getir as my main grocery store, but there were some definite pros. First of all, it was incredibly speedy.

My order took about 10 minutes to be prepared and delivered, and when I got to the checkout screen, it said my standard $4.50 fee was reduced to $0. The app was also very easy to use.

But I don't think I could depend on it week to week. There were some items I needed that were out of stock (or simply not listed).

The bag fee was also a minor inconvenience. I usually bring reusable bags when shopping to avoid extra fees, and I was charged for three bags when I was only given two.

Overall, I could see myself using the service on days when it's simply too cold to leave my apartment, or I'm extra busy. I found Getir to be quick and reliable, so it does the trick for some basics in a pinch.

• John Deere is looking for a different kind of CTO — a Chief Tractor Officer.
• The winner of the competition will help launch the agriculture equipment company's new TikTok channel.
• Entries are accepted until April 29, with the finalists selected after May 17.

Agriculture equipment company John Deere is on the hunt for a different kid of CTO.

The brand on Tuesday announced a two-week search to find a "Chief Tractor Officer" who would create social media content to reach younger consumers.

One winning applicant will receive up to $192,300 to traverse the country over the next several months showcasing the way John Deere products are used by workers, from Yellowstone National Park to Chicago's Wrigley Field and beyond.

"No matter what you do — whether it's your coffee, getting dressed in the morning, driving to work, the building you go into — it's all been touched by a construction worker, a farmer, or a lawn care maintenance group," Jen Hartmann, John Deere's global director of strategic public relations, told AdAge.

To kick off the search, John Deere tapped NFL quarterback Brock Purdy (who will presumably be a bit busy this Fall to take the job himself) to star in a clip in which he attempts to set out on a road trip in an industrial tractor.

Suited up in the obligatory vest, work boots, and John Deere hat, Purdy's progress is interrupted by teammate Colton McKivitz hopping into the cab while a string of messages floods in from other athletes and influencers expressing interest in the job.

The clip also represents the first time that the 187-year-old company has used celebrities to promote itself, Hartmann told AdAge.

According to the contest rules, entrants have until April 29 at midnight to submit a single 60-second video making their pitch for why they should be the face and voice of the company.

In addition, entrants must live in the 48 contiguous states or DC — sorry Hawaii and Alaska residents. Interestingly, any AI-generated submissions are prohibited, too.

Videos will be judged against four categories — originally, creativity, quality, and brand knowledge — after which five finalists will be chosen and notified after May 17.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

However, not all joint supplements are equal, and research on which ingredients provide the biggest benefits is quite limited. One compound we know can help relieve joint pain in dogs is marine-based omega-3 fatty acids, says Duncan Lascelles, director of the Comparative Pain Research and Education Centre at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

After speaking with Miscioscia and Lascelles about dog joint pain and potentially supportive ingredients, we researched dozens of supplements to make our selections for this guide. Our top pick, Pet Honesty Wild Caught Omega-3 Fish Oil, is made with four marine-based fish oils and has been third-party tested for potency and safety. We also rounded up more of the best joint supplements for dogs, including chews, treats, and powder. 

If your dog shows signs of joint pain from arthritis, an injury, or an unknown condition, the first step is to speak with your veterinarian. And before you purchase any supplement, we recommend asking your vet if it's the right choice for your dog's unique needs.

Our top picks for the best joint supplements for dogs

Best overall: Pet Honesty Wild Caught Omega-3 Fish Oil - See at Chewy

Best chews: Vetoquinol Flexadin Advanced with UC-II Chews for Cats and Dogs - See at Chewy

Best tablets: NaturVet Glucosamine DS Plus Moderate Joint Care Chewable Tabs - See at Chewy

Best treats: NaturVet ArthriSoothe-Gold Advanced Joint Care Soft Chews - See at Chewy

Best powder: Wholistic Pet Organics Joint Mobility GLM + Enhanced Multivitamin - See at Chewy

Best overall

"Looking at real dogs who are seeing a real benefit in joint pain relief, it's coming from omega-3 fatty acids, namely in marine-based oils," says Lascelles. Indeed, studies show anti-inflammatory omega-3 supplements deliver the most pain relief to osteoarthritic dogs compared to other active ingredients. Miscioscia says fish oil is most effective when incorporated into dog food or as a meal topper.

We like Pet Honesty Wild Caught Omega-3 Fish Oil, as it's a clean formula of just omega-3 fish oil developed from four marine-based sources: sardine, anchovy, mackerel, and herring oil. It's our top pick for the best fish oils for dogs because of it checks off so many boxes. It is naturally purified to remove the fishy smell and taste that puts some dogs and people off. It's also NASC-certified and independently tested by ConsumerLab to confirm potency, purity, and lack of mercury. 

Fish oil is safe for all dogs, but Lascelles says too high of a dose, too quickly, can give your pup diarrhea, so introduce it to their diet slowly. It also comes with significant calories (41 kcal/teaspoon). Considering a healthy weight is "by far the most important factor in managing arthritis," according to Miscioscia. You'll want to check with your vet about how to dose your dog to ensure they get the right balance of calories and nutrients. 

As with all fish oils, this bottle needs to be stored in the refrigerator and used within 30 to 45 days of opening, so opt for the smaller bottle for a smaller dog.

Best chews

Flexadin Advanced with UC-II Chews contain undenatured-type II collagen (UC-II), which Miscioscia says helps reduce joint inflammation and potentially contributes to rebuilding part of joint cartilage. In fact, a 2007 study found UC-II helps decrease osteoarthritis symptoms, improve the lameness associated with joint pain, and increase physical activity and mobility.

The chews also contain vitamin E, which may provide anti-inflammatory benefits, and omega-3 fatty acids, though at lower doses than you'll find in our best overall supplement. The omega-3s are derived from a combination of fish oil and flaxseed oil, which science says isn't as beneficial against inflammation for some dog breeds. 

At one chew a day for dogs and cats of all sizes and ages, they are easy to give, especially in a multi-species household.

Best tablets

If your dog is a picky eater, a chewable tablet broken up into food or slipped inside a pill pocket may be your best bet to get them joint relief. 

NaturVet Moderate Care Glucosamine DS tablets are one of the best joint supplements for dogs. They are made with various active ingredients, namely glucosamine and chondroitin. While current research says these two compounds don't actually do much to help canine joint pain, it's still one of the most recommended active ingredients for joint health supplements, and experts say it requires further study. Miscioscia says it might help: "Glucosamine and chondroitin are the building blocks for part of what makes up joint cartilage and thus may help build up part of joint cartilage that is destroyed due to arthritis."

We like that NaturVet Moderate Care Glucosamine DS tablets offer the possible benefit of glucosamine and chondroitin alongside the anti-inflammatory benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. These tablets also contain vitamin C, well-known to help with collagen production; vitamin E, an antioxidant that may help reduce inflammation; and yucca, which has been shown to help reduce intestinal gas and smelly feces.

Best treats

If you prefer to give your dog anti-inflammatory supplements as treats or in small amounts throughout the day, the NaturVet Advanced Care ArthriSoothe-Gold Level 3 Soft Chews are one of the best choices.

These soft chews offer pretty much every ingredient that science says does or might help with joint pain, including omega 3-rich green-lipped mussels, glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, and Boswellia, which is the gum resin of the frankincense tree that some studies have shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. NaturVet is a highly trusted brand, and the chews have the NASC seal and have been independently tested by ConsumerLab for quality, potency, and purity.

Most dogs like the flavor, though they have a strong rosemary smell out of the container. Their main downside: They're pricey, especially if you're giving them to larger dogs.

Best powder

Some dogs do best with a small amount of powder that you can mix into their food. Wholistic Pet Organics Joint Mobility GLM + Enhanced Multivitamin is a powder with 749 mg of total omega-3 fatty acids from fish, green lipped mussel, and flaxseed. Glucosamine and MSM may add joint-supporting benefits as well.

This powder supplement is made with non-GMO ingredients and contains vitamin C to aid collagen production. Added prebiotics and probiotics support healthy digestion, which you can learn more about in our guide to the best probiotics for dogs.

Because this comes in powder form, it's very easy to measure the recommended amount for your dog's daily dose. The directions recommend evenly dividing the daily dosage among meals. The portions are so small — from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons — many dogs will not notice it.

What to look for in dog joint supplements

Just like human supplements, dog supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, so there's no inherent assurance that what you're buying is indeed high quality or effective, both our experts agree. Because of this, there are a few important factors to consider when purchasing a dog joint supplement:

Active ingredients: The one ingredient most research shows definitely helps relieve joint pain in dogs is marine-sourced omega-3 fatty acids, which Lascelles says help reduce inflammation and, therefore, pain. Plant-based fatty acids like flaxseed aren't going to be as effective. Miscioscia says there's some evidence to support undenatured-type II collagen (UC-II) and CBD. Other ingredients that Miscioscia says show promise for arthritic dogs but need more research include avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASUs), curcumin (turmeric), Boswellia serrata, eggshell membrane, astaxanthin, and fortetropin (myostatin-inhibitors).

Third-party testing: Independent testing of supplements is crucial since there is no governmental oversight to verify what the label says matches what's in the formula. The NASC seal is the most important third-party testing to look out for, says Miscioscia. It comes from the National Animal Supplement Council, a coalition focused on promoting safer animal supplements. It's also good to look for independent testing by ConsumerLab, an independent lab that tests supplements and health foods and beverages for purity, strength, disintegration, and brand integrity.

Quality seal: Look for the NASC seal from the National Animal Supplement Council, which indicates that manufacturers have passed an independent third-party audit, met criteria on quality control in manufacturing, and passed random product testing to ensure the ingredients meet the label claims.

Your veterinarian's seal of approval: Our experts say you should run any dog joint supplement you're considering by your veterinarian first since they know your dog's full health history best.

Dosage level: The right amount of any supplement to give your dog depends entirely on the ingredients in the formula and, usually, your dog's size. While the recommended dosage is provided on the supplement's packaging, you should always ask your veterinarian to advise on the appropriate dosage for your pet.

Price: A higher price does not always correlate with a higher-quality product. You can find high-quality, effective dog joint supplements for as little as $.50 per serving.

Calories: Miscioscia says a healthy weight is the most important factor in managing arthritis. However, many chews, treats, and omega-3 supplements are high in calories. If your dog is overweight, that doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't give them a supplement, but you should talk with your vet about adjusting your dog's overall calorie intake.

Health restrictions: If your dog has food allergies, check the flavoring ingredients in the joint chews, treats, and powders, says Miscioscia. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) as well as too much fish oil at once can give dogs upset stomachs or diarrhea. Also, if your dog is on blood thinners, you should avoid anything with MSM or large amounts of vitamin E.

How we selected the best joint supplements for dogs

First, we spoke with experts who specialize in pain and mobility to determine what active ingredients may help with different kinds of joint pain. Dr. Erin Miscioscia is a clinical assistant professor of integrative and mobility medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine who studies canine sports medicine and rehabilitation, integrative medicine, and small animal clinical nutrition. She is also a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Duncan Lascelles studies pain in small animals as director of the Comparative Pain Research and Education Centre at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Based on their insights, we evaluated popular joint supplements according to their ingredients, quality seals, and third-party testing. We then compared prices to determine their overall value.

Dog joint supplement FAQs

Do joint supplements really work?

Yes, joint supplements can help. Miscioscia says the right supplement can be a very effective part of pain relief for dogs with arthritis and joint pain.

Will a joint supplement help with injury recovery?

In theory, yes, but most supplements take two to three months to start being effective, says Miscioscia. If your dog strains a muscle and you start them on a marine-based omega-3 fatty acid supplement, it likely won't affect their immediate inflammation or pain. But if your dog is already taking that type of supplement, Miscioscia says it may help lower the acute inflammation. In some cases, she says a strain or sprain injury to muscle, tendon, or ligament can contribute to future joint instability or arthritis, in which case starting the supplement can be helpful for prevention.

What is the most effective hip and joint supplement for dogs?

Research shows the best joint supplements for dogs contain marine-based omega-3 fatty acids. Our top pick is Pet Honesty Wild Caught Omega-3 Fish Oil, which is made with four types of marine-based fish oils, has been tested by third parties for potency and safety, and is affordably priced.

Is Dasuquin better than Cosequin?

Cosequin and Dasuquin are two popular supplements made by Nutramax Laboratories. Both brands have a few different formulations, from chews to chewable tablets, each with slightly different formulas. The majority of joint supplements from both brands rely on glucosamine and sodium chondroitin sulfate, which science shows likely doesn't do much for joint health. But Cosequin Maximum Strength with MSM Plus Omega-3 Soft Chews, specifically, also contain omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources, which research shows is the best compound to alleviate pain in arthritic dogs. 

Is glucosamine or chondroitin better for dogs?

Glucosamine and chondroitin are nearly always found together in formulas, and neither is better. In fact, research shows glucosamine and chondroitin likely don't help much with dog joint pain. However, omega-3 fatty acids do.

• Peter Thiel discussed artificial intelligence on Wednesday's episode of "Conversations with Tyler."
• The billionaire said the expansion of AI will be "worse for the math people than the word people."
• Thiel said Silicon Valley is "biased" toward math and a "rebalancing of our society" is overdue.

Peter Thiel believes the expansion of artificial intelligence will be "worse" for math aficionados — not wordsmiths.

The billionaire shared his reasoning on the latest episode of "Conversations with Tyler."

Thiel, 56, launched himself into the tech industry when he cofounded PayPal in 1998, but he's since shifted to other ventures, including those involving artificial intelligence. Palantir, a company he cofounded in 2003, provides artificial intelligence models to world militaries like Ukraine and Israel.

During the interview, host Tyler Cowen noted that large language models like ChatGPT are growing and expected to become more advanced with time. When asked if writers should worry, Thiel responded that math lovers are the ones who should be on high alert.

"My intuition would be it's going to be quite the opposite, where it seems much worse for the math people than the word people," Thiel said. "What people have told me is that they think within three to five years, the AI models will be able to solve all the US Math Olympiad problems. That would shift things quite a bit."

Thiel then touched on how different societies prioritized math or writing throughout history, prompting him to discuss Silicon Valley.

"If I fast-forwarded to, let's say, Silicon Valley in the early 21st century, it's way too biased toward the math people," Thiel said.

Thiel said that math tends to be used as a benchmark for competency, but that might have shortcomings. Thiel used his lifelong love of chess as an example.

"In the late '80s, early '90s, I had a chess bias because I was a pretty good chess player. And so my chess bias was, you should just test everyone on chess ability, and that should be the gating factor," Thiel said. "Why even do math? Why not just chess? That got undermined by the computers in 1997."

He added: "Isn't that what's going to happen to math? And isn't that a long-overdue rebalancing of our society?"

Business Insider outlined 10 roles that artificial intelligence will most likely replace as the sector grows in March 2024. Among the roles were accountants, finance jobs, and areas of the tech industry.

Brookings Institution senior fellow Mark Muro told BI that technology like ChatPGT could produce code quicker than humans, which could mean needing fewer staffers.

"What took a team of software developers might only take some of them," Muro told BI.

• The public now has 30 days to comment on Biden's new student-loan forgiveness plan.
• It's the next step in implementing a broader version of debt relief for borrowers.
• The proposals include relief for those with unpaid interest, along with those in repayment for 20 years.

The public has one month to tell President Joe Biden what they think of his new student-loan forgiveness plan.

After announcing details of Biden's second attempt at student-debt relief last week, the Education Department formally published the draft text of the new rules on the Federal Register on Wednesday. The publication of the rules officially kicked off the 30-day public comment, set to end on May 17. Comments can be submitted to the Federal Register here, which the Education Department will then review.

The draft text currently consists of nine rules "that permit separate and distinct types of waivers using the Secretary of Education's longstanding authority under the Higher Education Act," the Education Department said in a Tuesday press release.

The rules address distinct types of borrowers that would qualify for relief under this new plan: those whose balances have grown due to unpaid interest, those who would be eligible for relief under certain repayment plans but have not yet enrolled, those who have been in repayment for at least 20 years, and those who have attended programs that left them with too much debt compared to post-graduation earnings.

The Education Department also said a separate rule to address relief for borrowers experiencing financial hardship will be released in the coming months.

"These historic steps reflect President Biden's determination that we cannot allow student debt to leave students worse off than before they went to college," Undersecretary of Education James Kvaal said in a Tuesday statement. "The President directed us to complete these programs as quickly as possible, and we are going to do just that."

The department aims to begin implementing relief as early as this fall. Still, as Business Insider previously reported, legal threats to the relief could imperil the department's timeline. While lawsuits have yet to be formally filed against Biden's administration, Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey wrote on X in response to Biden's relief proposals: "See you in court."

And some experts said a conservative Supreme Court could likely rule like they did with Biden's first debt relief plan, striking it down.

"The administration is certainly still facing a very skeptical Supreme Court," Cary Coglianese, an administrative law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told BI. "Even though it's a different statute, it's still a skeptical Supreme Court. It's still a pretty big program even though it's a smaller one."

Following the public comment period, the Education Department will review comments and could choose to adjust their proposals based on the feedback they receive. It will then finalize the rule and move toward implementation.

• Amazon Prime had 180 million members in March, according to new data.
• That's 75% of all US shoppers, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.
• It shows how ubiquitous Amazon has become in online shopping.

Now more than ever, you're more likely than not to be an Amazon Prime member.

About 180 million people had a Prime membership as of March, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. That represents an 8% increase from 2023, according to the data.

It also brings the share of US consumers who have Prime to 75%, per the report. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Online shopping, including from Amazon, took off during the pandemic. The new numbers suggest that Prime still has growth potential, albeit at a less rapid rate.

Prime fees, which cost $15 a month or $140 annually, are a key source of revenue for Amazon. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect the company's subscription revenue for the first quarter will jump 12% to $10.8 billion; data are due April 30.

Other retailers are trying to popularize their own membership services, which offer perks like free shipping on online orders and access to streaming services. Last month, Target said it would offer Circle 360, a membership that provides unlimited same-day delivery on orders from its stores, for $49 a year.

Walmart, meanwhile, has been expanding its Walmart+ subscription program for years.

Some shoppers have still managed to avoid signing up for Prime. But in a sign of how engrained Amazon has become in the e-commerce world, even items bought on other websites, such as eBay, end up being shipped by Amazon.

Do you work for Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, or another part of Amazon's retail business and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com

• Tesla is seeking shareholder approval for Elon Musk's pay package, which a judge previously struck down.
• The company argues the package is "critical to the future success of Tesla."
• The pay plan grants Musk stock options that vest when Tesla hits certain financial targets.

Why does Tesla's board think Elon Musk deserves a $55 billion pay package?

It's a matter of respect and fairness.

Tesla plans to ask shareholders to vote again on Musk's $55 billion pay package after it was struck down by a Delaware Judge earlier this year.

The chair of Tesla's board of directors, Robyn Denholm, highlighted several key reasons why the carmaker wants shareholders to vote in favor of the package in a proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

Denholm calls the pay package, as well as a motion to move Tesla's state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas, "critical to the future success of Tesla."

The board chair said a vote in favor of Musk's pay package will "restore Tesla's stockholder democracy" and the issue is a "matter of fundamental fairness and respect to our CEO."

"Because the Delaware Court second-guessed your decision, Elon has not been paid for any of his work for Tesla for the past six years that has helped to generate significant growth and stockholder value," Denholm writes, adding that shareholders have "benefited from unprecedented growth under Elon's leadership."

Since the beginning of 2018, Tesla's shares have increased nearly six times in value.

The filing also argues that the pay package will further motivate the Tesla CEO to keep driving growth at the company as the plan requires Musk to hold onto his Tesla shares for five years after he exercises his options.

"He will continue to be driven to innovate and drive growth at Tesla because the value of his shares will depend on it!" according to the filing.

Tesla made similar arguments during the trial over the compensation plan last year.

Tesla shareholders will be able to vote on the issue during the company's annual meeting in June.

When Court of Chancery Judge Kathleen St. J. McCormick voided Musk's compensation package in January, she said that Musk had undue influence over the package due to his close ties to several board members and said Musk's influence resulted in an "unfair price."

Musk does not receive a salary from Tesla and his pay package centered on a series of goalposts around the carmaker's financial growth, initially set in place in 2018. Specifically, the plan involves a 10-year grant of 12 tranches of stock options vested when Tesla hits certain targets. According to the carmaker, Tesla has accomplished all of the 12 targets as of 2023. When each milestone is passed, Musk gets stock equal to 1% of outstanding shares at the time of the grant.

The package was valued at around $55 billion at the time it was struck down, but is now valued around $47 billion, according to The New York Times.

Tesla's proxy filing comes only a few days after Musk told staff the carmaker was laying off more than 10% of its workforce.

Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email and device at gkay@businessinsider.com

• Last year's job cuts weren't the end of layoffs. Further reductions have begun in 2024.
• Companies like Tesla, Google, Microsoft, Nike, and Amazon have announced plans for cuts this year.
• See the full list of corporations reducing their worker numbers in 2024.

A slew of companies across the tech, media, finance, and retail industries made significant cuts to staff in 2023. Tech titans like IBM, Google, Microsoft, finance giants like Goldman Sachs, and manufacturers like Dow all announced layoffs.

This year is looking grim too. And it's only April.

Nearly 40% of business leaders surveyed by ResumeBuilder think layoffs are likely at their companies this year, and about half say their companies will implement a hiring freeze. ResumeBuilder talked to about 900 leaders at organizations with more than 10 employees. Half of those surveyed cited concerns about a recession as a reason.

Another major factor is artificial intelligence. Around four in 10 respondents said they'll conduct layoffs as they replace workers with AI. Dropbox, Google, and IBM have already announced job cuts related to AI.

Here are the dozens of companies with job cuts planned or already underway in 2024.

Nike's up-to-$2 billion cost-cutting plan will involve severances.

Nike announced its cost-cutting plans in a December 2023 earnings call, discussing a slow growth in sales. The call subsequently resulted in Nike's stock plunging.

"We are seeing indications of more cautious consumer behavior around the world," Nike Chief Financial Officer Matt Friend said in December.

Google laid off hundreds more workers in 2024.

On January 10, Google laid off hundreds of workers in its central engineering division and members of its hardware teams — including those working on its voice-activated assistant.

In an email to some affected employees, the company encouraged them to consider applying for open positions at Google if they want to remain employed. According to the email, April 9 will be the last day for those unable to secure a new position.

The tech giant laid off thousands throughout 2023, beginning with a 6% reduction of its global workforce (about 12,000 people) last January.

Discord is laying off 170 employees.

Discord employees learned about the layoffs in an all-hands meeting and a memo sent by CEO Jason Citron in early January.

"We grew quickly and expanded our workforce even faster, increasing by 5x since 2020," Citron said in the memo. "As a result, we took on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated."

In August 2023, Discord reduced its headcount by 4%. According to CNBC, the company was valued at $15 billion in 2021.

Citi will cut 20,000 from its staff as part of its corporate overhaul.

The layoffs announced in January are part of a larger Citigroup initiative to restructure the business and could leave the company with a remaining head count of 180,000 — excluding its Mexico operations.

In an earnings call that month, the bank said that layoffs could save the company up to $2.5 billion after it suffered a "very disappointing" final quarter last year.

Amazon-owned Twitch also announced job cuts.

Twitch announced on January 10 that it would cut 500 jobs, affecting over a third of the employees at the live-streaming company.

CEO Dan Clancy announced the layoffs in a memo, telling staff that while the company has tried to cut costs, the operation is "meaningfully" bigger than necessary.

"As you all know, we have worked hard over the last year to run our business as sustainably as possible," Clancy wrote. "Unfortunately, we still have work to do to rightsize our company and I regret having to share that we are taking the painful step to reduce our headcount by just over 500 people across Twitch."

BlackRock is planning to cut 3% of its staff.

Larry Fink, BlackRock's chief executive, and Rob Kapito, the firm's president, announced in January that the layoffs would affect around 600 people from its workforce of about 20,000.

However, the company has plans to expand in other areas to support growth in its overseas markets.

"As we prepare for 2024 and this very exciting but distinctly different landscape, businesses across the firm have developed plans to reallocate resources," the company leaders said in a memo.

Rent the Runway is slashing 10% of its corporate jobs as part of a restructuring.

In the fashion company's January announcement, COO and president Anushka Salinas said she will also be leaving the firm, Fast Company reported.

Unity Software is eliminating 25% of its workforce.

Around 1,800 jobs at the video game software company will be affected by the layoffs announced, Reuters reported in January.

eBay is cutting 1,000 jobs.

In a January 23 memo, CEO Jamie Iannone told employees that the eBay layoffs will affect about 9% of the company's workforce.

Iannone told employees that layoffs were necessary as the company's "overall headcount and expenses have outpaced the growth of our business."

The company also plans to scale back on contractors.

Microsoft is reducing its headcount by 1,900 at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMax.

In late January, nearly three months after Microsoft acquired video game firm Activision Blizzard, the company announced layoffs in its gaming divisions. The layoffs mostly affect employees at Activision Blizzard.

"As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business," Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a memo obtained by The Verge.

The cuts come a year after the tech giant announced it was reducing its workforce by 10,000 employees. It then slashed a further 1,000 roles across sales and customer service teams in July 2023.

Salesforce is cutting 700 employees across the company, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Salesforce announced a round of layoffs that the company says will affect 1% of its global workforce, The Journal reported in late January.

The cuts followed a wave of cuts at the cloud giant last year. In 2023, Marc Benioff's company laid off about 10% of its total workforce — or roughly 7,000 jobs. The CEO said the company over-hired during the pandemic.

Flexport lays off 15% of its workers.

In late January, the US logistics startup laid off 15% of its staff which is around 400 workers.

The move came after Flexport founder and CEO Ryan Petersen initiated a 20% reduction of its workforce of an estimated 2,600 employees in October.

Flexport kicked off 2024 with the announcement that it raised $260 million from Shopify and made "massive progress toward returning Flexport to profitability."

iRobot is laying off around 350 employees and founder Colin Angle will step down as chairman and CEO.

The company behind the Roomba Vacuum announced layoffs in late January around the same time Amazon decided not to go through with its proposed acquisition of the company, the Associated Press reported.

UPS will cut 12,000 jobs in 2024.

The UPS layoffs will affect 14% of the company's 85,000 managers and could save the company $1 billion in 2024, UPS CEO Carol Tomé said during a January earnings call.

Paypal CEO Alex Chriss announced the company would lay off 9% of its workforce.

Announced in late January, this round of layoffs will affect about 2,500 employees at the payment processing company.

"We are doing this to right-size our business, allowing us to move with the speed needed to deliver for our customers and drive profitable growth," CEO Alex Chriss wrote in a January memo. "At the same time, we will continue to invest in areas of the business we believe will create and accelerate growth."

Okta is cutting roughly 7% of its workforce.

The digital-access-management company announced its plans for a "restructuring plan intended to improve operating efficiencies and strengthen the Company's commitment to profitable growth" in an SEC filing in February.

The cuts will impact roughly 400 employees.

Okta CEO Todd McKinnon told staff in a memo that "costs are still too high," CNBC reported.

Snap has announced more layoffs.

The company behind Snapchat announced in February that it's reducing its global workforce by 10%, according to an SEC filing.

Estée Lauder said it will eliminate up to 3,100 positions.

The cosmetics company announced in February that it would be cutting 3% to 5% of its roles as part of a restructuring plan.

Estee Lauder reportedly employed about 62,000 employees around the world as of June 30, 2023.

DocuSign is eliminating roughly 6% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan.

The electronic signature company said in an SEC filing in February that most of the cuts will be in its sales and marketing divisions.

Zoom is slashing 150 jobs.

The latest reduction announced in February amounts to about 2% of its workforce.

Paramount Global is laying off 800 employees days after record-breaking Super Bowl.

In February, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish sent a memo to employees announcing that 800 jobs — about 3% of its workforce — were being cut.

Deadline obtained the memo less than a month after reporting plans for layoffs at Paramount. The announcement comes on the heels of Super Bowl LVIII reaching record-high viewership across CBS, Paramount+, and Nickelodeon, and Univision.

Morgan Stanley is trimming its wealth management division by hundreds of staffers.

Morgan Stanley is laying off several hundred employees in its wealth-management division, the Wall Street Journal reported in February, representing roughly 1% of the team.

The wealth-management division has seen some slowdown in recent months, with net new assets down by about 8% from a year ago. The layoffs mark the first major move by newly-installed CEO Ted Pick, who took the reins from James Gorman on January 1.

Cisco slashes more than 4,000 jobs amid corporate tech sales slowdown.

In February, networking company Cisco announced it was slashing 5% of its workforce, or upwards of 4,000 jobs, Bloomberg reported.

The company said it was restructuring after an industry-wide pullback in corporate tech spending — which execs said they expect to continue through the first half of the year.

Expedia Group is cutting more than 8% of its workforce.

Cutbacks part of an operational review at online travel giant Expedia Group are expected to impact 1,500 roles this year, a company spokesperson told BI.

The company's product and technology division is set to be the worst hit, a report from GeekWire said, citing an internal memo CEO Peter Kern sent to employees in late February.

"While this review will result in the elimination of some roles, it also allows the company to invest in core strategic areas for growth," the spokesperson said.

"Consultation with local employee representatives, where applicable, will occur before making any final decisions," they added.

Sony is laying off 900 workers

The cuts at Sony Interactive Entertainment swept through its game-making teams at PlayStation Studios.

Insomniac Games, which developed the hit Spider-Man video game series, as well as Naughty Dog, the developers behind Sony's flagship 'The Last of Us' video games' were hit by the cuts, the company announced on February 27.

All of PlayStation's London studio will be shuttered, according to the proposal.

"Delivering and sustaining social, online experiences – allowing PlayStation gamers to explore our worlds in different ways – as well as launching games on additional devices such as PC and Mobile, requires a different approach and different resources," PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst wrote.

Hulst added that some games in development will be shut down, though he didn't say which ones.

In early February, Sony said it missed its target for selling PlayStation 5 consoles. The earnings report sent shares tumbling and the company's stock lost about $10 billion in value.

Bumble is slashing 30% of its workforce

On February 27, the dating app company announced that it would be reducing its staff due to "future strategic priorities" for its business, per a statement.

The cuts will impact about 30% of its about 1,200 person workforce or about 350 roles, a representative for Bumble told BI by email.

"We are taking significant and decisive actions that ensure our customers remain at the center of everything we do as we relaunch Bumble App, transform our organization and accelerate our product roadmap," Bumble Inc CEO Lidiane Jones said in a statement.

Electronic Arts is reducing its workforce by 5%

Electronic Arts is laying off about 670 workers, equating to 5% of its workforce, Bloomberg reported in late February.

The gaming firm axed two mobile games earlier in February, which it described as a difficult decision in a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz.

CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told employees in a memo that it would be "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry."

Wilson also said in the memo that the cuts came as a result of shifting customer needs and a refocusing of the company, Bloomberg reported.

IBM cutting staff in marketing and communications

IBM's chief communications officer Jonathan Adashek told employees on March 12 that it would be cutting staff, CNBC reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

An IBM spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement that the cuts follow a broader workforce action the company announced during its earnings call in January.

"In 4Q earnings earlier this year, IBM disclosed a workforce rebalancing charge that would represent a very low single-digit percentage of IBM's global workforce, and we expect to exit 2024 at roughly the same level of employment as we entered with," they said.

IBM has also been clear about the impact of AI on its workforce. Last May, IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna said the company expected to pause hiring on roles that could be replaced by AI, especially in areas like human resources and other non-consumer-facing departments.

"I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period," Krishna told Bloomberg at the time.

Stellantis is slashing 400 white-collar jobs

On March 22, the owner of Jeep and Dodge announced it's laying off employees on its engineering, technology, and software teams in an effort to cut costs, CNBC reported.

Workers learned they were being let go through video calls after the car company ordered them to work remotely for the day. The cuts are set to occur on March 31.

Amazon is laying off hundreds in its cloud division in yet another round of cuts this year

Amazon is cutting hundreds of jobs from its cloud division known as Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg reported on April 3.

The reduction will impact employees on the sales and marketing team and those working on tech for its retail stores, Bloomberg reported.

"We've identified a few targeted areas of the organization we need to streamline in order to continue focusing our efforts on the key strategic areas that we believe will deliver maximum impact," an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg.

On March 26, Amazon announced another round of job cuts after the company said it was slashing 'several hundred' jobs at its Prime Video and MGM Studios divisions earlier this year to refocus on more profitable products.

"We've identified opportunities to reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas while increasing our investment and focus on content and product initiatives that deliver the most impact," Mike Hopkins, SVP of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, told employees in January.

This year's cuts follow the largest staff layoff in the company's history. In 2023, the tech giant laid off 18,000 workers.

Apple has cut over 600 employees in California

Apple has slashed its California workforce by more than 600 employees.

The cuts follow Apple's decision to withdraw from its car and smartwatch display projects.

The tech giant filed a series of notices to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification program. One of the addresses was linked to a new display development office, while the others were for the company's EV effort, Bloomberg reported.

Apple officially shut down its decadelong EV project in February. At the time, Bloomberg reported that some employees would move to generative AI, but others would be laid off.

Bloomberg noted that the layoffs were likely an undercount of the full scope of staff cuts, as Apple had staff working on these projects in other locations.

Representatives for Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside normal business hours.

Tesla is laying off over 10% of its workforce

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent a memo to employees Sunday, April 14, at nearly midnight in California, informing them of the company's plan to cut over 10% of its global workforce.

In his companywide memo, Musk cited "duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas" as the reason behind the reductions.

An email sent to terminated employees obtained by BI read: "Effective now, you will not need to perform any further work and therefore will no longer have access to Tesla systems and physical locations."

Grand Theft Auto 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive is reducing its workforce by 5%

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, said on April 16 that it would be "eliminating several projects" and reducing its workforce by about 5%.

The move — a part of its larger "cost reduction program" — will cost the video game publisher up to $200 million. It's expected to be completed by December 31.

As of March 2023, the company said it employed approximately 11,580 full-time workers.

• Barclays slashed its Tesla stock price target by 20% to $185 on Wednesday.
• Barclays said Tesla's upcoming earnings call would likely be a negative catalyst for the stock.
• "We expect little commentary from Tesla to dissuade investors that near-term fundamentals remain weak," Barclays said. 

Tesla is about to host what may be "one of the most widely anticipated calls ever" next week, and Barclays doesn't expect anything good to come from it.

In a note on Wednesday, Barclays slashed its Tesla stock price target by 20% to $180 from $225, arguing that the company's upcoming first-quarter earnings report on April 23 will be a negative catalyst for the stock.

Barclays' forecast comes just two weeks after Tesla badly missed its first-quarter vehicle deliveries, a week after it was reported that the company was ditching its low-cost Model 2, and just days after the company laid off 10% of its global workforce and lost two key executives.

Barclays analyst Dan Levy said he expects Tesla to miss Wall Street estimates when it reports results next week, with gross margins likely to disappoint investors, while CEO Elon Musk's recent decision to go all-in on a robotaxi fleet unlikely to be met with enthusiasm. 

"Plans for Model 2 will likely get most attention but don't expect satisfying answer," Levy said. 

While the focus on Tesla should be its ability to grow vehicle deliveries in an increasingly competitive market for EVs, as well as increase its profit margins, instead that likely won't drive the earnings call.

"Tesla's deeply challenged near-term fundamentals are taking the backseat to a much larger issue, as Tesla is facing an investment thesis pivot. Specifically, the central focus of the call will be to understand Tesla's forward strategy as Tesla is seemingly pivoting away from its plans to produce a mass market vehicle (Model 2), and is instead focusing its efforts on autonomous driving," Levy explained.

If it turns out that Tesla is indeed pivoting away from a mass market vehicle and towards a fully self driving robotaxi, that would be a "clear net negative for the Tesla investment thesis," according to Levy.

"It casts significant uncertainty on the path ahead for Tesla, making success of the stock dependent on bets with seemingly binary outcomes," Levy said. "Indeed, we are hard pressed to think of any other precedent of a company of Tesla's size basing its path of success on such binary bets."

When it comes to Tesla's earnings call next week, Levy highlighted three negative catalysts he expects to hear.

1. "We expect a 1Q miss with gross margins below consensus. Moreover, we expect little commentary from Tesla to dissuade investors that near-term fundamentals remain weak," Levy said.

2. "Free cash flow may be negative, marking the first quarter since 1Q20 of negative FCF. There could be some shock factor to this result," Levy said.

3. "While investors will enter the call with significant questions on Tesla's strategy, we believe many of these questions may be unanswered. And with significant uncertainty remaining on the investment thesis, it could lead investors to capitulate," Levy said.

Levy reiterated his "Equal Weight" rating on Tesla, the equivalent of a "Hold" in Wall Street terms. 

• If Ukraine loses to Russia, NATO forces would face an emboldened Russian military, war experts say.
• Ukraine's defeat may lead Russia to become a greater military risk, potentially driving toward NATO borders.
• If Ukraine wins though, it could make it more challenging for Russia to threaten the alliance.

If Ukraine loses to Russia, NATO countries could consequently find themselves facing an emboldened, "battle-hardened" Russian army with a clearer path to war, an analyst argues.

The Institute for the Study of War's Fredrick W. Kagan wrote that unless the US resumes sending military aid, Ukraine will be defeated and Russia will become an even greater military threat able to then "drive toward the NATO borders from the Black Sea to central Poland." 

In the event that Russia attacked the alliance, NATO would likely have to resolve threats at Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary's southern borders, holding up its forces that are tasked with defending countries in the Baltic region like Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Able to overrun a defeated Ukraine, Russia would be threatening parts of the alliance that haven't faced a Russian threat since the fall of the Soviet Union.

In that dire scenario, "NATO troops, inexperienced in fighting modern mechanized war, would be staring down a battle-hardened Russian military, emboldened from its victory in Ukraine," Kagan wrote.

He said that it "is almost impossible to overstate how much the success or failure of Ukraine's current efforts to fight off the Russian attack changes the prospects of a future Russian attack against NATO's northeastern flank," which would be front-line fighting in a war with Russia.

Kagan emphasized that regardless of whether or not Ukraine is a NATO member, empowering it to stand strong against Russia is in the best interests of the US and the broader alliance.

"An independent Ukraine with a strong military and a pro-Western government will make a Russian attack on NATO much more difficult, risky, and costly for Moscow," he wrote.

Currently, Kyiv has been waiting on US aid for months, waiting for a decision on billions of dollars in aid from Congress that could make or break it in the war against Russia.

Ukraine has found short-term solutions. Its dependence on drones, for instance, stems from its struggle to find enough artillery ammunition and other supplies to sustain its ground forces. Ukraine recently used seven drones to take down a Russian radar system worth millions of dollars, but they aren't enough, as Ukraine's leadership has said.

Ukraine has regularly said it needs more weapons and more ammo, such as air defense and artillery.

"It's a lot to preserve ourselves. It's very difficult for us. We are fighting against a large army," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with PBS this week.

"They have an unlimited number of people and a lot of shells. They use thousands of drones against us. Tell me, please, how can you fight against these thousands if you don't have weapons to take them down?" he said, adding that what Ukraine needs, it's partners have.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that helping Ukraine fight Russia today keeps NATO from having to fight it later.

Kagan argued in his analysis that a "victorious Russia that succeeds in its aim of destroying Ukraine entirely" will likely "pose a major conventional military threat to NATO in a relatively short period of time."

He added that "it will be much harder to deter future Russian aggression and both more difficult and far more costly to defeat it if deterrence fails."

• Shareholders are voting on whether to approve Elon Musk's massive compensation package.
• It's essentially a vote deciding how central Musk is to Tesla, investor Roger McNamee told CNBC.
• Without him, Tesla will start to trade like a car company, at a discount to current levels, he said.

Tesla's path forward in the stock market is now in the hands of its shareholders as they vote on CEO Elon Musk's $47 billion compensation package, says investor Roger McNamee.

If the pay deal doesn't get approved, it could likely cost the company Musk's leadership, he said in a CNBC interview.

"It's a test of Tesla as a meme stock, because if Musk is no longer viewed as central to the story going forward, then I think Tesla starts to trade like a car company, as opposed to an extension of Elon Musk," the Elevation Partners co-founder said.

The sentiment echoes prior criticism Tesla has faced, with short-sellers like Jim Chanos nicknaming it a "hopes and dreams" stock: its success built more on a fascination with Musk, and not based in fundamentals.

It's the latest hurdle for the electric-vehicle maker, which has seen shares tank close to 40% this year, and who just announced new layoffs. Those job cuts came as the firm reported weaker-than-expected deliveries in the first quarter, notching its first year-over-year quarterly decline since 2020.

The hiccups prompted many analysts across Wall Street to trim their price targets on the EV giant.

McNamee also cited Musk's recent behavior as contributing to the stock downturn, a frustration other investors have also made public. Controversies have included the CEO's interaction with an anti-semitic post, and concern that he was distracted by his other companies.

But McNamee does expect the package to ultimately be approved. Wedbush Securities' Dan Ives agreed, but wrote on Wednesday that this won't spell the end to Tesla's difficulties:

"In our view the clock has struck midnight for Musk to now layout the growth strategy, give realistic delivery and margin goal posts, discuss why significant layoffs now, and most importantly give a clear outlook to the Street around Model 2," he wrote in a note, citing vagueness in what Tesla was actually focused on.

Amid other corrective measures, Ives has previously suggested for Musk to be offered a compensation package that would retain him as CEO til at least 2030.

"This vote is the test that investors get to say which way they want to go," McNamee said.

• "Sex and the City" premiered 25 years ago, on June 6, 1998, and is now available on Netflix.
• The show is often praised for its forward-thinking characters and sex-positive storylines.
• But it's also teeming with insensitivities relating to the LGBTQ+ community, race, and more.

"Sex and the City" recently landed on Netflix for the first time, bringing all six seasons of the iconic show to a whole new crop of viewers. 

"Sex and the City" is undoubtedly a cultural phenomenon, and made actors like Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon household names. Its movie spinoffs were also huge moneymakers: The first film, which was released in 2008, earned over $418 million at the worldwide box office, while 2010's "Sex and the City 2" earned over $290 million, according to Box Office Mojo data.

However, despite its popularity, there are quite a few episodes of "SATC" that haven't aged well — especially for Gen-Z viewers who might be watching the show for the first time. 

Here are nine of the most controversial episodes of "Sex and the City."

In the second episode of the series, a male friend of Carrie's reveals he secretly videotapes his sexual encounters, unbeknownst to his female partners.

Episode: Season 1, episode 2

Not only is this behavior morally wrong, it's also illegal. However, Carrie simply brushes it off as something off-putting. To make matters worse, Samantha finds the fact he videotapes his sexual encounters endearing and even asks him to film her. At the very least, he does so with her consent. 

In a 2018 exploration of "Sex and the City" and the #MeToo era for Vanity Fair, "Sex and the City and Us" author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong called attention to this moment as something sexually predatory that likely flew over everyone's heads at the time.

In "The Caste System," the girls discuss Steve being "working class."

Episode: Season 2, episode 10

Even the name of the episode is culturally insensitive, but the problems don't end there. While Miranda takes Steve out to improve his wardrobe, Samantha dates a man with a live-in Southeast Asian female "servant" named Sum. In the episode, Sum's only purpose is to act as a villain. She pretends to not speak English well in order to get closer to her employer and make him break up with Samantha, then paints herself as a victim.  

The storyline is a classic case of othering and includes racist puns at Sum's expense.

In a 2016 Refinery29 article, writer Hunter Harris observed that "Sex and the City" was "a show that was simultaneously progressive and regressive, where people of color were either stereotypes or punchlines."

In the season two episode "Evolution," Carrie and the girls question Charlotte's date's sexuality because he's interested in things that are stereotypically associated with gay men.

Episode: Season 2, episode 11

The man Charlotte is dating reveals he loves Cher, compliments her on her Cynthia Rowley dress, and is terrified of a mouse.

In the episode, the girls discuss whether he is a "gay straight man" — a straight man who comes across as gay — or a "straight gay man" — a man who is really gay but presents himself as straight. The problematic conversation buys into stereotypes about straight and gay people and their interests. 

In the episode "Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl," sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw claims that bisexuality doesn't exist and makes many uncomfortable comments to the bisexual man she is seeing.

Episode: Season 3, episode 4

In a brunch scene, there are many problematic statements about bisexuality. Carrie, for example, describes bisexuality as a "layover on the way to gay town." Charlotte also weighs in on the subject, saying people should "pick a side and stay there." Miranda calls bisexuality "greedy" and "a problem."

Throughout the episode, Carrie repeatedly pesters her bisexual love interest about whether he is attracted to men or women more and even asks if she "kisses better than a guy." Carrie ends up leaving him at a party after a game of all-gendered spin the bottle, where she describes herself as an "old fart."

In 2018, even Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie, told a reporter at the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything Festival that "there was no substantial conversation about the LGBTQ community" on the show, according to Refinery 29, which cited an article by Pink News.

Carrie dates a recovering alcoholic in the season two episode "Was It Good for You?" She later breaks up with him and he relapses.

Episode: Season 2, episode 16

Patrick Casey and Carrie met on the street and immediately got off to a rough start. He told her he was in Alcoholics Anonymous and that his sponsor had told him not to date anyone until he'd been sober for a full year. However, they began dating anyway.

Carrie soon realizes Patrick had become addicted to having sex, which he'd never done without alcohol. After Carrie says she wants to take a break from their relationship, he relapses and strips in the street outside her apartment, calling out her name in the middle of the night.

The episode did little to highlight the nuances of alcoholism. To make matters worse, Carrie even joked that she'd "like to be [an alcoholic] someday" after Casey told her about being in AA.

In the episode "No Ifs, Ands or Butts," Samantha gets into an argument with the sister of a Black man she is dating and uses racially insensitive language.

Episode: Season 3, episode 5

After Samantha gets more serious with top record producer Chivon Williams, his sister Adeena confronts Samantha to tell her she doesn't approve of her older brother dating a white woman. The two get into an argument, in which they both say racially charged and insensitive things. 

The episode is uncomfortable at best — and downright racist at worst — in its depiction of interracial relationships, and it makes out Adeena to be the closed-minded one.

Sundra Oakley, who played Adeena, told Vanity Fair in 2018 that she was overjoyed to have a role on the show, but "even a few years later ... it's like, oh man, why did it have to be that way? Why couldn't it have been a different story?"

In one episode teeming with insensitivities that would not go over well today, Samantha gets annoyed by sex workers she can hear in the street outside her apartment.

Episode: Season 3, episode 18

In arguably one of the most controversial episodes of "Sex and the City," Samantha gets into a turf war with sex workers who frequent her neighborhood in the Meatpacking District and are described as being transgender (this is never confirmed by the characters themselves, only alleged by the four main girls). She explains how every night, she can hear them yelling outside her window. 

While no one likes to deal with noise late at night, she handles it in a very problematic way. She uses a derogatory slur for transgender people and even throws a bucket of water on them one night.

"It was disappointing to me, as a Black trans woman, to see Black trans women enter the world of 'Sex and the City' and be so thoroughly othered," actress Laverne Cox told Variety's "My Favorite Episode" podcast in 2019. She added, however, that she still loved the show.

When Samantha begins seriously dating a woman in the fourth season, the other girls mock her and say she's "become a lesbian" because she "ran out of men."

Episode: Season 4, episode 4

This is another example from the show of problematic language around non-straight relationships. Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda repeatedly make fun of and invalidate Samantha's new relationship by comparing Samantha's shift in sexuality to saying she's a fire hydrant or a shoe.

The episode does little to discuss the idea of bisexuality or sexual fluidity and provides a terrible example of how to react to a friend coming out. 

When Carrie first meets love interest Aleksandr Petrovsky, she assumes he has called the wrong number because she doesn't recognize or "understand" his Russian accent on the phone.

Episode: Season 6, episode 12

In the scene, Carrie attempts to get past the embarrassing, problematic exchange by pretending that Petrovsky was talking to her "sister" instead of her. Carrie also proceeds to refer to Petrovsky as "the Russian" throughout the season, and when she tells Mr. Big she's moving to Paris to be with her new boyfriend, he calls him a mildly derogatory slur for Russian people.

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Where did you get your bag? Is that from the brand I keep seeing on Instagram? Do you like it? Should I buy one? Are they worth it?

And while I generally appreciate my solitude during a commute, I'm always surprisingly happy to answer people. I got it from Senreve, yes it's the brand you keep seeing on Instagram, yes I like it, yes you should buy one (if it's in your budget), and yes, they're worth it. 

Why we love the Maestra bag

Senreve's Maestra bag is a convertible backpack/shoulder bag that comes in three sizes and can easily transition from one style to the other without the need for undoing and re-doing clasps or buttons. It's this seamless transition between styles that has me so enamored, and that has catapulted the versatile bag to Instagram stardom. 

As someone who commutes on a subway where I constantly have to take my backpack off to make room for people, it's a daily relief to be able to just pull the strap up and turn the backpack into an over-the-shoulder strap. That way I don't have to set it down on the floor of the train, potentially risking exposure to NYC's Most Disgusting Surface and all the sticky things with which it's covered.

The easy transition also comes in handy for the days when you just want to switch up your look between shoulder bag, top-handle bag, and backpack. It can be swapped while walking without missing a beat, which is essential when the subway door is about to close on you but there's only room for your body and not the large backpack attached to it.

All three sizes of the bag, the Maestra (from $945), Midi Maestra (from $845), and Mini Maestra (from $745) have the same capacity to transition from bag to backpack. However, the largest one is the only option I recommend as a work bag since it features a designated sleeve large enough to hold a 13-inch laptop, and has enough room to carry your lunch and a sweater, too. The midi will hold a tablet or Kindle easily, and is the size I'd recommend for daily use if you don't really have to carry large amounts of stuff with you through the day. The mini is great as a fashion statement, but it's not the one I'd suggest for functionality.

Cons to consider

The one downside of its construction is that it can be hard to get anything out of the bag while you're moving along. This may be less true for the mini and midi sizes, but the full-sized Maestra is a little difficult to handle while walking because of its sheer size. This hasn't been too much of an issue for me since I keep my work ID and subway card (the only things I really need access to) in my phone case.

It's also expensive. Now, don't get me wrong. A few years back, if you had ever told me that I'd be singing the praises of an $945 bag, I'd think you were nuts. Expensive stuff isn't really my thing. I love a good deal, and I generally won't buy anything unless it's on sale. So let me say this: the Maestra bag is a luxury, but it's one that you will get tons of use out of. 

The bottom line

If you have the means to buy one, I couldn't recommend it enough. It's one of those functional pieces your closet will thank you for, and its weighty construction is strong enough to last through literally decades of use (I'm not kidding — I'm pretty sure my children will be able to use this bag one day). As someone who's spent thousands of dollars buying the cheaper versions of things over the years only to have them give out on me when I needed them most, I can firmly say that it's always better to make an investment now and save yourself the trouble later.

• Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been banned for life from the NBA for gambling violations.
• The NBA said Porter leaked health information to a known sports bettor, among other violations.
• The league's investigation remains open.

A player for the Toronto Raptors was slapped with a lifetime ban from the NBA after the league discovered he broke gambling rules, including leaking information about his health and betting against his own team.

The NBA said in a statement that it opened an investigation into Raptors forward Jontay Porter after a game last month that attracted heavy interest from sports bettors.

Prior to the game on March 20, Porter "disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor," according to the statement.

Porter played only three minutes before tapping out, saying he was ill, the NBA said.

The investigation revealed he had leaked information about his health to a known sports bettor. A different bettor placed an $80,000 bet that Porter would underperform in the game — which would have paid out $1 million, the league said.

The earnings were frozen because Porter's behavior was suspicious, the league said.

Separately, the NBA said that between January and March of this year, Porter bet on at least 13 games totaling $54,094 by using an associate's online betting account.

While Porter didn't play in any of those games, he was found to have bet against his own team.

"Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game," the NBA said, "in which Porter bet that the Raptors would lose." 

"There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams, and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter's blatant violations of our game rules are being met with the most severe punishment," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

The investigation remains open.

Business Insider has reached out to Porter's agent for comment.

Sports betting has exploded in popularity since 2018, when the Supreme Court struck down a federal law prohibiting it. Americans legally bet $119.84 billion on sports in 2023, according to the American Gaming Association.

In a separate sports-betting saga, the former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was charged last Thursday with stealing $16 million from the pitcher in order to pay off his gambling debts.

• Superyacht sales fell 17% in 2023, but still stayed above pre-COVID levels.
• Sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs dented the market, but America helped split the difference.
• Florida, where most US users base their boats, has been doing especially well, one expert said.

Both new and used superyacht sales of vessels longer than 100 feet fell again 2023 — in part due to sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs.

But steady sales in America are helping to split at least some of the difference.

A total of 203 superyachts were sold globally in 2023 — a 17% drop from the 245 sold last year, according to the SuperYacht Times' annual State of Yachting report.

That's down from 2021's peak of 313 superyacht sales — though the report notes the market still remains high above its pre-COVID levels, and that "any number over 200 is historically still a high number."

Sales for superyachts over 200 feet slowed more than their smaller counterparts due to high pricing and longer build times, according to the report. And the fallout from Russian sanctions will likely impact the market for years to come, especially with respect to the larger ships that Russians have purchased in the past.

"Russian buyers remain largely absent from the newbuild market, which has an impact on the market for large newbuilds in particular," according to the report.

That said, SuperYacht Times' head of intelligence, Ralph Dazert, told Business Insider that sales in America are helping to fill some of the void.

"The strength of the US economy just continues to defy expectations, and Florida (where most of the US owners base their boats) has been doing particularly well," Dazert said. "The top end of the market has been hit by the Russian pullout, but it is beginning to bounce back, with mainly inquiries from the US again."

The US share of overall superyacht ownership stayed steady at 23.6% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report, while Russian ownership continued to decline from 8.1% to 7.8% over the same period.

And while Americans have tended to buy slightly smaller yachts than Russians in the past, Dazert said they are gradually moving up in size.

For new superyachts longer than 130 feet, Russia's share (now at 6%) has declined over the past decade, while the US share (29%) has continued to increase, the report found.

The report concludes that the superyacht market could see "further slowdown" in 2024, citing the conflict in the Middle East and the US presidential election — an event that's sometimes thought to impact sales.

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It's tough to go wrong with most phones available in the US these days, and it's almost impossible to find a bad phone if you're looking for a premium device in 2024. With that in mind, the "best phone" depends on your budget and priorities. Still, we can make a general assessment of the best phone overall.

Among the best phones available, Apple's iPhone 15 is our top option for most people due to its balance of performance, camera quality, camera reliability, battery life, and ecosystem for the price. Samsung's Galaxy S24 is the ideal pick for Android users for the same reasons as the iPhone 15. 

On the more affordable end of the spectrum, Apple's iPhone 13 and Google's Pixel 7a are superb devices that offer incredible value. It's true they're not exactly "cheap," but we think they're well worth the price considering what they offer and their potential longevity.

Our top picks for the best phones

Best overall: iPhone 15 - See at Best Buy

Best phone for Android users: Samsung Galaxy S24 - See at Amazon

Best budget iPhone: iPhone 13 - See at Best Buy

Best budget phone for Android users: Google Pixel 7a - See at Amazon

Best camera phone: Google Pixel 8 Pro - See at Amazon

Best battery life: iPhone 15 Plus - See at Best Buy

Best foldable phone: OnePlus Open - See at Amazon

Best overall

These days, most smartphone users fall into either Team iPhone or Team Android. If you're platform agnostic and want a phone that requires the fewest compromises, we recommend the iPhone 15. (For those who prefer Apple, our best iPhone guide shows what else we recommend.)

While Android phones seem to go through identity changes more often than Ethan Hunt, iPhones have stayed relatively consistent year over year. Apple is largely sticking to a successful playbook for the iPhone 15: A phone that delivers a great user experience that revolves around a stable operating system, best-in-class camera system, popular apps, and the latest tech.

The iPhone 15 isn't a big departure from the iPhone 14, but there are noteworthy upgrades. It runs on the A16 processor and incorporates the Dynamic Island notification display, both of which were introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro. Performance has increased over the iPhone 14 and 13, which used the A15. The 6.1-inch display is also much brighter, with a slightly higher resolution.

The big new feature is the iPhone's switch to USB-C from Lightning, which, depending on the user, could be a celebration or an annoyance. There is satisfaction in using the same cable to charge all your devices. But it's inconvenient if you own just Lightning cables and accessories, which would require purchasing new chargers and adapters. 

Most people, however, probably already have USB-C accessories, particularly those who own the newest MacBooks, iPads, PCs, and even Android phones, which have been using USB-C for some time now. Our disappointment with the iPhone 15's USB-C implementation is that it doesn't offer an improvement over Lightning regarding fast charging and data transfer.

The iPhone 15's main camera sensor has been bumped up to 48 megapixels from 12, and the optical zoom is now 2x instead of 1x. While iPhone cameras have always been solid, the iPhone 15 delivers improved low-light performance and picture quality, particularly when cropping into a photo.

While the newest Android phones aren't anything to sneeze at, we still recommend the iPhone for most people due to the polished hardware and software, ease of use, and Apple's lauded support.

For older iPhone owners who held back due to the lack of upgrades in the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is a more attractive recommendation. However, those who could use Apple's latest high-end features should consider the iPhone 15 Pro models, as they exclusively offer faster USB 3 charging, a customizable Action button, and dedicated zoom lenses. 

See our guide to the best iPhone 15 cases to protect the phone. 

Best phone for Android users

With its triple-lens camera, class-leading performance, AI features, and excellent battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is the complete package. No other phone offers as much as the Galaxy S24 for an $800 base price, even among iPhones.

Indeed, the Galaxy S24's three cameras set it apart from other Android phones in its 6.1-inch size range and $800 price range. By including a 3x zoom lens, the Galaxy S24 offers a more versatile camera experience, allowing you to take better-quality photos of subjects further away.

Ironically, the Galaxy S24's cameras are among our few complaints. To be sure, they're very good cameras, but they're generally less consistent than premium phones from Google and Apple, as irregular lighting can produce flat, shallow photos with reduced character.

That said, overall, the Galaxy S24 is our top pick among the best Android phones, as it is likely to satisfy most people with its stellar performance and high-end features at a reasonable price point. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review, and see our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy S24 cases to protect the phone. 

Best budget iPhone

If you're looking for the best iPhone experience for the lowest price, go for the iPhone 13 rather than the iPhone SE (2022). Yes, the iPhone 13 has a $599 starting price compared to the iPhone SE's $429, which stretches the definition of "budget." However, we feel the iPhone 13's extras are well worth it. 

The iPhone 13 runs on Apple's A15 Bionic processor (the same as the iPhone SE, coincidentally). Although two generations old, it can easily handle any app or game in the App Store. 

The iPhone 13 also features Apple's modern design rather than the iPhone SE's antiquated look with its top and bottom bezels. It also includes Face ID, a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, a dual-lens camera, and support for Apple's MagSafe wireless charging and accessories. To top it all off, the iPhone 13 has significantly better battery life than the iPhone SE. 

With all this in mind, we think you'll better enjoy the experience with the iPhone 13 for the years you'll use it. Based on Apple's support cycle, we'd estimate Apple will support the iPhone 13 for another three years. 

However, if budget matters more than features and design, you'll still be happy with the iPhone SE (2022), as it remains another top option among the best cheap phones available. But be aware that the iPhone SE uses an outdated design with a small screen and Touch ID.

Best budget phone for Android users

Budget Android phones often try to appear more premium than they are, mostly with high-refresh-rate displays and bunk "macro" cameras that few people will use. Most fall flat when it comes to performance or camera quality. Google's Pixel 7a, however, is the exception. 

At its $499 starting price, the Pixel 7a pushes the boundaries of "budget." Yet, we feel it's well worth it if your budget allows for it, as it's easily the best budget Android phone you can buy now, and it's often discounted. (We expect Google to announce a new A-series model during the company's I/O event on May 14. Consequently, you might want to wait for a price drop of the Pixel 7a or see what the next model offers.)

The Pixel 7a has a smooth 90Hz display, but that's par for the course on budget Android phones. What's impressive is that it runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as Google's flagship Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, meaning it has high-end performance at an excellent value. 

The Pixel 7a's cameras also beat any other phone in its price range. In fact, the Pixel 7a's camera system comfortably competes with phones that cost twice as much. You don't get a dedicated zoom lens with the Pixel 7a, but it's not expected on a budget phone.  

Read our full Google Pixel 7a review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 7a cases to protect the phone. 

Best camera phone

The Google Pixel 8 Pro has three cameras: a 48MP ultrawide camera, a 50MP main camera, and a 48MP 5x zoom camera. It takes excellent photos and imparted the most confidence during our testing, over both Samsung and Apple phones, that it would reliably do so repeatedly. 

The Pixel's signature photo look is present, with rich and natural colors, and lighting is properly balanced without trying to enhance darker and brighter details with extra brightness. Pixel photos have plenty of contrast, too, which gives photos gorgeous depth.

The Pixel 8 Pro's three lenses offer plenty of versatility, and we love its 5x zoom compared to the 3x zoom cameras that are more common.

If you want to stick to Apple's ecosystem, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers the best camera system among iPhones, and it's the only option that matches the Pixel 8 Pro's 5x zoom lens. 

Read our full Google Pixel 8 Pro review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 8 Pro cases to protect the phone. 

Best battery life

The iPhone 15 Plus is our recommendation if you're looking for a phone that can last over a day on a single charge. Every user's mileage will vary, but we achieved, on average, 66% of battery life remaining after rounds of testing. A close runner-up is the Samsung S24 Ultra, which yielded similar test results but is a more expensive phone.

In terms of performance and features, the iPhone 15 Plus shares the same pros and cons as the iPhone 15. But the iPhone 15 Plus is a larger device that can accommodate a bigger battery. It also has a 6.7-inch display versus 6.1, which gives you more viewable real estate. The problem is that you can't get longer battery life without getting a large phone, so it's something to consider and worth trying out at a store. That said, we haven't experienced issues when holding it in our hand or stashing it in a pocket.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with its 6.8-inch display, is a good example of how larger phones tend to offer longer battery life. However, it scored notably higher than other phones with large screens, like the Galaxy S24 Plus and Google Pixel 8 Pro. That's all to say that the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers the best battery life for Android users, but they have to pay a higher price than iPhone users.

See our guide to the best iPhone 15 Plus cases to protect the phone. 

Best foldable phone

We prefer book-style foldable phones that unfold into compact tablets for their superior functionality and performance relative to clamshell foldables, which fold into compact squares. 

Among the three phone-tablet hybrid foldables available in the US, the OnePlus Open is our favorite option, topping the Google Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

All phone-tablet hybrid foldables essentially offer the same level of performance, top-of-the-line displays with premium specs, like 120HZ refresh rates and OLED panels, excellent camera quality, and superlative battery life. 

What sets the OnePlus Open apart is its superior, rock-solid build quality, its cover display that's sized and shaped like a traditional phone, and its slightly larger cover and tablet displays compared to other available foldables. 

The only gripe we have with the OnePlus Open is the omission of wireless charging, which should be expected on a phone with a $1,700 price tag. It does support super-fast 67W charging speeds, but only with the included proprietary OnePlus charger.

See our guide to the best foldable phones for more information and other top options. 

What is the best phone to buy right now?

Overall, Apple's iPhone 15 is the phone we'd recommend to most people, at least those who live in the US. Android phones these days are fantastic, but they still lack certain key features, like advanced biometric authentication that's on par with Apple's Face ID. Even minor features, like Apple's Dynamic Island, make us lean toward the iPhone 15 for an overall recommendation.

How we test phones

We test iPhones and Android phones as if they were our daily drivers for at least a week, often longer, to get a feel for their performance, battery life, cameras, and new features. We have extensive experience testing various phone models from different companies at various price points, which lets us quickly identify any issues.

In addition to real-world usage, we conduct standardized tests on all phones reviewed and included in our guides.

For performance, we put phones through a series of benchmarking apps to check for discrepancies between devices. We use Geekbench 6 for general performance and the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test to gauge extended heavy gaming performance. These tests help us estimate how long a phone could maintain its performance relative to comparable phones.

For camera testing, we photograph a consistent set of scenes with every phone and compare the results with their direct competitors. We take photos and videos with each lens on each phone and evaluate the differences. We even compare budget camera phones to premium options to assess the discrepancies in image and video quality.

For battery life, we run phones through a stress test that simulates a range of typical daily workloads, like streaming video and music, and high-intensity activities, like playing demanding games. This test includes five runs of the Geekbench 6 app, two runs of the 3DMark Wildlife Stress Test, two hours of video streaming at a set average brightness, and one hour of music streaming with a Bluetooth speaker connected. At the end of the test, we note the phone's remaining battery percentage.

FAQs

How much storage should a phone have?

These days, 128GB is the standard, minimum option for storage on most phones. Anything lower than that, like 64GB, can be quite limiting in terms of how many apps you can install, and you can basically forget about storing a significant number of photos, videos, and music.  

128GB of storage can be enough, especially if you use cloud storage for photos and often stream. Depending on how many apps you use, you can also get by downloading videos for flights.

You should opt for more than 128GB of storage if you tend to download your music rather than stream it or store lots of photos and videos on your phone. More storage can be helpful if you have many apps and games.

How long should a phone's battery life last?

A phone's battery should last you through a typical day, even for heavy users with extensive screen time. Thankfully, most phones tend to have good enough battery life to do so.

Larger phones tend to have longer battery lives than smaller ones, so heavier users would benefit from a larger phone if not for the larger display.

Your best options for a phone that can last longer than a day routinely are Apple's iPhone 15 Plus and Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, large-screen devices that scored the highest among all phones in our intensive battery test. 

What is a good camera for a phone?

More than anything, a good camera for a phone should give you the confidence that you'll get a high-quality photo or video without making you feel like you need to check and retake your content.

We find that Google's Pixel phones and Apple's iPhones tend to give us the most confidence in this regard. Correspondingly, our top overall picks for phone camera systems are Google's Pixel 8 Pro and Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max, which both offer a dedicated 5x zoom lens. 

Best phone overall: iPhone 14

Pros: Enhanced value after recent $100 price drop, stellar performance, excellent camera quality, excellent battery life, valuable safety features

Cons: 60Hz display feels outdated, no dedicated zoom lens

Apple has released the iPhone 15 generation, and once we've reviewed those phones, one of those models will likely replace the iPhone 14 as the best phone overall. For now, however, the iPhone 14 is still technically our pick for the best iPhone and best phone overall, and that's especially the case now that its starting price has dropped by $100 down to $699.

The iPhone 14 offers a hard-to-beat balance of features, battery life, camera quality, and performance for its price, which all combine to make it our top recommendation for most people. 

Some might point out that Samsung's Galaxy S23 devices, which are among our best Android picks, don't make the same compromises as the iPhone 14 does, like a 60Hz display, or a camera system with "only" two lenses. These are valid points, but looking at the overall picture, the iPhone 14 is still the phone we can most widely recommend. 

Apple's ecosystem is still a major hook for the iPhone, and while Samsung is building out its own ecosystem, it's not there yet. Popular Apple devices, like the Apple Watch, Macs, AirPods, iPads, and iPhones work seamlessly with each other to offer access to popular services like iMessage, FaceTime, AirDrop, taking and making phone calls, and instant mobile hotspot connectivity. 

The safety features Apple introduced with the iPhone 14 series, including Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection, especially, are valuable to have on hand, even if you hope to never use either. Both have proven to save lives, or at least been useful, in emergency situations. 

There's also something to be said about Apple's physical presence with Apple Stores — if iPhone users need help or repairs, the Apple Store is an easy, clearly defined place to go. To be fair, official repairs by Apple are often pricey. Still, at least it's a convenient option to get help, if imperfect, compared to the murkier options available for Android phone users.  

Read our full iPhone 14 review.

Best phone for Android users: Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus

Pros: Excellent performance, versatile triple-camera system, smooth 120Hz display, superb battery life, 45W charging speed

Cons: Occasional shutter lag, some unwanted bloatware

Chances are that if you're looking for a particular feature, or all the best phone features you can get in 2023, Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus has what you need at a starting price of $1,000. 

The Galaxy S23 Plus, our best Android phone overall, is a delight to use thanks to its smooth 120Hz display and incredibly snappy performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that's specially optimized for Samsung's Galaxy S23 phones. 

To be sure, the Galaxy S23 Plus with its 6.6-inch display is for those who like larger displays. But despite its screen size, the Galaxy S23 Plus maintains a comfortable 6.91-ounce weight, which is positively featherweight for a phone of this size.

Battery life is excellent and support for fast 45W charging speeds is a cherry on top. Wireless charging is included and rated for up to 15W on the Qi common standard. You can even charge other devices off the back of the Galaxy S23 Plus, albeit at a slow 4.5W that's best suited for smaller accessories, like wireless earbuds.

The Galaxy S23 Plus' versatile triple-lens camera offers nearly everything you would want in a premium phone, with sharp, clear, high-quality photos and video. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review.

Best budget iPhone: iPhone SE (2022)

Pros: Excellent performance-to-price ratio, impressive single camera, lightweight, 4.7-inch display is comfortable to use one-handed

Cons: Antiquated design, lacks multiple cameras, 60Hz LCD display, short battery life compared to larger phones

The least expensive way to get the Apple experience, as well as access to its ecosystem of apps, accessories, and services, is the third-generation iPhone SE. Starting at $429, it's also less expensive than even our budget Android pick.

The iPhone SE runs on Apple's A15 Bionic processor, which also powers the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. That means it's a powerful processor that opens and runs apps quickly now and for the next few years. 

For its relatively low price, the iPhone SE is missing some high-end features. It has a 4.7-inch LCD display, which not only is small, but isn't as high-quality as the OLED displays on other more expensive iPhones. Having a small display and overall size doesn't have to be a negative, as some may actively want a smaller screen for the most comfortable one-handed reachability. Plus, at 5.09 ounces, the iPhone SE is the lightest iPhone currently available.

The biggest caveat with small phones like the iPhone SE is a smaller battery, which leads to shorter battery life than bigger iPhones — it might need a charging top-up once or twice during the day, depending on your usage. 

The iPhone SE also has an antiquated design. Many liken it to the iPhone 8, but the design with large bezels above and below the display can be traced back to the iPhone 6 generation from 2014. 

Still, having such large bezels affords the iPhone SE an old favorite — Touch ID. While not as seamless as the more modern Face ID, Touch ID is still incredibly reliable, and some prefer to use their fingerprints rather than their faces to unlock their iPhones. 

Then there's the question of cameras, or a single camera, to be precise. The iPhone SE lacks the ultrawide and zoom lenses of more expensive iPhones, but its main camera can still hold its own with high-quality photos. Again, they're not as high-quality as those on more expensive iPhones, but anyone would be more than happy with the iPhone SE's photos for its sub-$500 price.

Best budget phone for Android users: Google Pixel 7a

Pros: Flagship performance on a budget phone, stunning dual-camera system, 90Hz display, wireless charging

Cons: mmWave 5G model is more expensive and a Verizon exclusive, thicker and heavier than premium phones its size

Budget Android phones often try to appear more premium than they are, mostly with smooth high refresh-rate displays and bunk "macro" cameras that few people will use. Most fall flat when it comes to performance or camera quality. Google's Pixel 7a, however, is the exception. 

Marked down from its typical MSRP of $499, the Pixel 7a is an especially great deal at its current starting price of $374, which easily makes it the best budget Android phone you can buy. 

The Pixel 7a has a smooth 90Hz display, but that's par for the course on budget Android phones. What's impressive is that it runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as Google's flagship Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, meaning it has high-end performance at an excellent value. 

The Pixel 7a's cameras also beat any other phone in its price range. In fact, the Pixel 7a's camera system comfortably competes with phones that cost twice as much. You don't get a dedicated zoom lens with the Pixel 7a, but it's not expected on a budget phone.  

Read our full Google Pixel 7a review.

Best camera phone: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Pros: Exceptional quad-lens camera system, 10x optical zoom ability, stellar optical image stabilization, large screen and S Pen make on-device editing easier

Cons: Surprisingly lackluster battery life for its size, may be too large for some people, occasional shutter lag

Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra has the most camera tech out of any other phone we've tested. It's the most versatile phone for taking photos thanks to its four lenses, including a main camera, an ultrawide, a 3x zoom, and a 10x zoom. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra's 200MP camera takes 12MP photos by default, but you can set it to take photos at 50MP or the full 200MP for stunning clarity and detail. The caveat is that a 200MP photo can take up to 200 megabytes, so storage inside and out of the phone should be a consideration. 

Another perk of the massive 200MP sensor is better low-light performance, as more megapixels can combine to capture more light in a process called "binning." Indeed, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is also the best phone for taking high-quality photos in low-light situations.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra's 10x zoom lens is one of those things you never knew you needed until you tried it. I often wish I had 10x zoom when I'm using a different phone, as no other phone can capture far-away subjects as sharply and clearly as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. To take sharp photos at such a high zoom, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has impressive optical image stabilization, too, which also makes for incredibly stable video recording. 

Then, there's the S Pen — a built-in stylus that offers more precision and functionality than any finger could for editing photos right on the device, which is only made easier by the Galaxy S23 Ultra's larger-than-usual 6.8-inch display. There's no better phone if content capture is your top priority. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review.

Best battery life: iPhone 14 Plus

Pros: Large screen for sub-$1,000 price, best battery life on any phone we've tested

Cons: Previous generation processor, antiquated 60Hz screen

Once we've finished testing and reviewing it, the new iPhone 15 Plus could replace the iPhone 14 Plus as the phone with the longest battery life. For now, though, the iPhone 14 Plus still reigns in that department.

Apart from offering the big-screen iPhone experience for less than a Pro Max model, the iPhone 14 Plus also has the best battery life out of any phone we've tested to date. It ended our intensive battery test with 73% remaining, which is astounding. Out of the dozens of phones I've tested with our latest battery test, only one other phone obtained a result in the 70th percentile — the OnePlus 11 with a 71%. 

Otherwise, the iPhone 14 Plus is essentially a bigger version of our pick for the best phone overall, the iPhone 14. It runs on the same processor, has the same cameras, the same 60Hz screen, and the same features. 

Following the announcement of the iPhone 15 generation, Apple reduced the iPhone 14 Plus' price by $100 down to $799. That's a stunning deal for an iPhone with a 6.7-inch display, but you may find the iPhone 15 Plus warrants the $100 premium.

Read our full iPhone 14 Plus review.

Best foldable phone: Google Pixel Fold

Pros: Smooth flagship performance, excellent five-camera system, familiar-shaped exterior display, 120Hz displays inside and out, stellar battery life, thin and light as a tablet

Cons: Thick and heavy as a phone, prohibitive pricing

Between clamshell-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus, and tablet hybrids like the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5, we've decided the hybrid design is the best form factor for foldable phones. That's primarily because clamshell phones sorely lack the battery life and cameras of traditional flat phones, while the best hybrid foldables are more comparable to high-end flat phones in those respects.

Out of the tablet-hybrid foldables we've tried and reviewed, Google's Pixel Fold tops our list thanks in large part to the exterior display's familiar, traditional phone shape. The tall, narrow displays on the Galaxy Z Fold series phones are more awkward to use and take more getting used to than the Pixel Fold's exterior display. (The new OnePlus Open foldable has a cover screen that strikes a welcome middle ground between the narrowness of the Z Fold phones and the width of the Pixel Fold, and it could take the Pixel Fold's spot here once we've finished testing and reviewing it.) 

The Pixel Fold runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as the Pixel 7 flagship lineup, so performance is stellar. It also comes with a total of five cameras, and when talking about Google's excellent Pixel cameras, more can only mean better — there are three cameras on the rear, a front-facing camera, and an interior camera for tablet mode. Not to mention, you can unfold the Pixel Fold and use its superior main rear camera to take selfies while using the exterior display as a viewfinder, which is a common perk in foldable phones. 

Both the Pixel Fold's OLED displays run at a smooth 120Hz for a seamless experience, inside and out. 

As with any tablet-hybrid foldable, the Pixel Fold is rather heavy and chunky as a traditional phone, even more so with its smaller 5.8-inch exterior display. Still, its small display means it's comfortable to use one-handed and offers superior reachability with your thumbs relative to large displays. To boot, the Pixel Fold is also thin and light as a 7.6-inch tablet.

Battery life is also excellent on the Pixel Fold, as it ended our intensive battery test with a 69% result while in folded phone mode — that's a result we'd expect for phones with larger, 6.7-inch displays. In tablet mode, the Pixel Fold scored 65%, which may not seem impressive for a 7.6-inch tablet, but it still means you can use the Pixel Fold exclusively in tablet mode all day, like you would your traditional phone, without worrying about battery life, though that'll depend on how intensively you use it. 

Read our full Google Pixel Fold review.

Best phones compared

Specs	iPhone 14	Galaxy S23 Plus	iPhone SE (2022)	Pixel 7a	Galaxy S23 Ultra	iPhone 14 Plus	Pixel Fold
Starting price	$699	$1,000	$429	$374	$1,200	$799	$1,799
Processor	A15 Bionic	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy	A15 Bionic	Google Tensor 2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy	A15 Bionic	Google Tensor 2
Release date	September 2022	February 2023	March 2022	May 2023	February 2023	September 2022	June 2023
Screen size	6.1 inches	6.6 inches	4.7 inches	6.1 inches	6.8 inches	6.7 inches	5.8-inch exterior; 7.6-inch interior
Rear cameras	12MP main, 12MP ultrawide	50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom	12MP main	64MP main, 13MP ultrawide	200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom, 10MP 10x zoom	12MP main, 12MP ultrawide	48MP main, 10.8MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x zoom
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	128GB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB

Best phone FAQs

What is the best phone to buy right now?

While we rigorously test the iPhone 15 series, Apple's iPhone 14 offers the best overall combination of performance, camera quality, battery life, and value with its new starting price of $699. If you want to buy into the Apple ecosystem at a more affordable price point, we recommend the third-generation iPhone SE starting at $429 as the best budget iPhone currently available. 

The best Android phone overall is Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus for its comprehensive mix of high-end features. The best budget Android phone you can buy is Google's Pixel 7a, which offers an essentially premium experience for a new starting price of $374. 

Which phones get the most updates?

The new Google Pixel 8 phones have the best explicit support window of any phones on the market with their guaranteed seven years of Android operating system and security updates, and they'll likely take at least one spot on this list once we've finished testing and reviewing them.  

While Apple doesn't explicitly state how long it will support its devices, the company's recent history has shown that it will support iPhones for at least six years of software updates. That means the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and third-generation iPhone SE included above should see iOS and security updates at least through 2028. 

Among the Android phones on our list, Samsung's flagship devices have the best current support window for software and security updates, as the company said its Galaxy S23 phones will get four years of Android software updates and five years of security updates from their February 2023 release. 

The Google phones included above, on the other hand, have a comparatively short support window. Google said that the Pixel Fold will see Android software updates until June 26, 2026 and security updates until June 25, 2028, while the Pixel 7a will see software updates until May 8, 2026 and security updates until May 7, 2028.

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For general groceries, you can go to any number of online grocery delivery services such as FreshDirect and AmazonFresh. But if you're craving something a little more gourmet, there are even more specific delivery services. 

The magic of meat delivery services like Porter Road and Snake River Farms is this: They provide curated shopping experiences, they sell high-quality and responsibly raised meat, and they're really convenient because they'll ship fresh products directly to your door. 

Rastelli's is a family business that started in 1976 as a local New Jersey butcher shop. It supplied the neighboring deli and the community with quality meat and now has expanded into an online presence with poultry and seafood. If you live in New Jersey, you can shop in person at its gourmet market, Rastelli Market Fresh. But if you don't, you can still cook and enjoy meat, poultry, and seafood by ordering online.

How it works

On its website, Rastelli's offers various proteins made up of 12 to 24 servings of steak, chicken, shrimp, salmon, and more. If you choose to subscribe, you'll save a little money (5%), and there are various shipment-frequency options so your freezer won't get overcrowded. 

All of Rastelli's animals are responsibly raised, antibiotic-free, and added-hormone-free. The seafood is wild-caught. Each product page has a note on ideal ways to cook the meat, whether that's the best grill or on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet. You can use the "Ask the Butcher" feature to guide your ordering. The questionnaire asks about your meat preferences, how big your group is, and whether you want something special or a basic item.

We like Rastelli's selection of elevated staples, like Grass-Fed Top Sirloin and Turkey Craft Burgers. Plus, the shipping methods keep everything frozen solid, so you can order in bulk and stock your freezer for months with premium cuts.

Review of Rastelli's Meat Delivery

Rastelli's delivers orders packed in an insulated box with dry ice. From there, you can store the meats and prepped meals in your freezer and fridge until you're ready to cook. We tried chicken, salmon, and steaks from Rastelli's and were happy with the experience on all fronts, from convenience to taste.

The steaks were juicy, flavorful, and easy to cook, while the salmon came out perfectly flaky and moist. We thought the taste of the chicken breast was comparable to similar versions we've tried from stores, but we did appreciate that we could have antibiotic-free and organic options delivered right to our door.

The bulk design means that as long as you have adequate fridge space, you'll always have a protein waiting for you when you get home from work or school. 

The bottom line

If you have a busy schedule, you know that any subtle automation of a routine can help make life much less stressful. Ultimately, the Rastelli's experience was as much about the quality of the food as it was about the pure and simple convenience of the service.

• Ukraine's most significant aircraft kills in 2024 are two Russian A-50 command planes.
• The A-50 can track over 150 targets simultaneously and relay them to a dozen fighters jets.
• The E-3 Sentry fills a similar role, and has played an active role in Ukraine from the sidelines.

Ukraine's embattled air defense network started 2024 with a string of successes.

In the first three months of the year, the country claimed to have intercepted at least 1,011 missiles and loitering munitions, and shot down at least 16 jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) — 13 of which were downed in just two weeks.

The kills include two modern Su-35 fighters and 12 valuable Su-34 fighter-bombers. But the most significant kills may have been two Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft — platforms that carry no offensive weapons.

The loss of the two A-50s represents an enormous blow to the VKS and its operations in Ukraine.

Flying since the earliest days of the war, both sides have utilized early warning and control aircraft to enhance their capabilities and defeat each other's planes and missiles. Although Ukraine didn't inherit any A-50s from the Soviet Union, its American-made equivalent, the E-3 Sentry, has quietly played an important role in Ukraine's campaign to defend itself from Russian attacks.

The Mainstay

AEW&C aircraft are aerial radar stations meant to detect and track enemy weapon systems — namely aircraft, missiles, and naval ships. They also function as command-and-control centers from which commanders can distribute information and commands to subordinates in the field.

They originated in the latter half of World War II, when the Western Allies were finding ways to track incoming threats (particularly those aimed at ships) such as bombers, U-boats, V-1 rockets, and kamikaze aircraft.

With the development of nuclear-armed intercontinental bombers and ballistic missiles in the Cold War, AEW&C aircraft became essential. The USSR's first AEW&C aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-126, was designed to patrol Russia's 15,000-mile northern coastline for American nuclear bombers and ICBMs.

But the Tu-126 lacked look-down capability, meaning it couldn't detect or track low-flying objects underneath it. Moreover, by the late 1970s, its electronic suite was outdated.

In 1985, the Tu-126 was replaced by the A-50. Built by the Beriev Design Bureau and first flown in 1978, it is based on the Ilyushin Il-76 airframe and has a flight crew of five. Called the "Mainstay" by NATO, it has a ceiling of 40,000 feet, a range of over 4,000 miles, and a flight endurance of around 6 hours, which can be extended with aerial refueling.

Its central feature is the 32-foot wide, 6-foot-high rotodome mounted on aerodynamic struts on the rear section of the fuselage. Known as the "Mushroom" by the crew, it is operated by ten specialists and is capable of providing 360-degree scanning coverage.

In its most upgraded version, the A-50 is capable of tracking over 150 targets simultaneously at ranges as far as 400 miles, including a limited ability to detect and track certain ground targets as well. The A-50 can also coordinate and send guidance data to up to 12 friendly jets simultaneously. For example, it can relay targeting information on a Ukrainian aircraft or static targets to VKS jets, or alert Russia's ground-based air defenses to an incoming missile.

The USSR reportedly built as many as five A-50s a year, with about 42 being built by 1992, when the breakup of the Soviet Union halted production. It has had limited export success; one A-50 airframe was sold to China, but it was equipped with a Chinese-made radar and redesignated as the KJ-2000. Similarly, three A-50EIs were sold to India in 2004, though they were fitted with Israeli-made radars. In 2016, India ordered two more A-50 airframes.

Despite halting production, the Russians have been upgrading their remaining A-50s. In 2007, the A-50M variant was tested, reportedly featuring an upgraded radar and digital electronic systems. Another upgraded version, the A-50U, was introduced in 2011, and features new computers, satellite communications, a modernized radar, and new engines.

In 1991, Russian A-50s were deployed over the Black Sea during Operation Desert Storm to monitor aircraft in the US-led coalition that were flying bombing missions from Turkey. They have since served over the skies of Chechnya during both Chechen wars, helped coordinate Russian air operations over Georgia in 2008, and have been deployed to Syria as part of Russia's involvement in the Syrian Civil War.

The Sentry

The counterpart to the A-50 is the American-made E-3 Sentry. Also known as the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), it was created by Boeing and replaced the US Air Force's previous AEW&C aircraft, the EC-121 Warning Star.

First flown in 1976, the E-3 was adopted by the Air Force in 1977, and began flying monitoring missions for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Based on a modified civilian Boeing 707 airframe, the Sentry has a flight crew of four, a ceiling of 30,000 feet, and a range of around 5,700 miles. It can fly continuously for about eight hours, but is capable of longer flights thanks to its aerial refueling ability.

Like the A-50, the centerpiece of the E-3 is its rotodome. Nicknamed the "Oreo," the radome is 30 feet in diameter and 6 feet high. It is capable of providing a complete 360-degree view of everything within a more than 250-mile radius, from the surface of the earth to the stratosphere. This extensive ground search allows it to play much more of a role in air-to-ground targeting than the A-50.

The E-3's crew size is dependent on its exact mission. Capable of carrying up to 39 personnel, a typical mission usually calls for a crew between 17 and 25. In addition to detecting and tracking targets, the Sentry acts as a command-and-control platform, and is capable of delivering combat data and orders directly to friendly assets.

The E-3 has become a silent workhorse since it was adopted. It has been deployed as part of nearly every military operation the US has undertaken since its introduction, conducted radar coverage flights for NORAD, supported anti-drug trafficking missions in Latin America, and has occasionally tagged along with the president as he travels to foreign countries.

E-3s have also been sent to allies and partners as a way to show support and provide assurance during times of crisis. They were deployed to South Korea after President Park Chung-hee was assassinated in 1979 and in Egypt in 1981 after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They were also deployed to Saudi Arabia throughout the Iran-Iraq War.

In all, 68 E-3s were built between 1977 and 1992. It performed so well that it has been adopted by multiple countries.

France operates four E-3s acquired between 1991 and 1992, while Saudi Arabia operates five acquired between 1986 and 1987. The UK Royal Air Force operated seven E-3s between 1991 and 2021, three of which were sold to Chile in 2022.

The US Air Force operates 18 E-3s. The second-largest customer and operator is NATO, with 14 Sentries in service with the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, a specialized multinational unit tasked with monitoring NATO airspace comprised of crew and support personnel from 19 member states.

Ukraine and future

Both the A-50 and the E-3 have played an active role in the war in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russian A-50s have been monitoring Ukrainian airspace for Ukrainian Air Force jets and surface-to-air missiles. They have also helped Russian kinetic strike operations by providing live targeting data and coordinates to anti-aircraft missiles, VKS strike aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, and drones.

As an AEW&C aircraft, the A-50 is not supposed to be deployed close to the frontline of active combat zones. Yet on January 14, Ukraine managed to shoot down an A-50 as it was flying over the Sea of Azov. A month later, a second A-50 was claimed, this time over Russia itself.

The shoot downs are as devastating as they are surprising, since Russia is unlikely to have many remaining A-50s able to replace the losses.

Estimates vary, but Russia reportedly started the war with as many as ten active A-50s, with seven reportedly being A-50Us. In addition to the two shot down, a third A-50 was reportedly damaged in Belarus last year.

Russia has said that it will restart production of the A-50, but those efforts are likely to be complicated by Western sanctions on critical electrical components. The sanctions issues have already been blamed for delays in production of the A-50's replacement, the A-100. The Ukrainians have also targeted the factory where A-50s are produced with drone strikes.

The E-3, meanwhile, has also played an active role in the war in Ukraine, although it has done so without crossing into Ukrainian airspace.

Flying over Poland, Romania, and the Black Sea, NATO and Allied E-3s have surveilled Russian activity in Ukraine, detecting the movement of Russian jets, ships, incoming missiles and drones, and sometimes even ground units. Ukraine has been more effective at destroying critical sites like air defenses and command posts well beyond Russia's frontlines, and it's plausible that intelligence gathered by E-3 radars and sensors may contribute to this targeting.

The Russians have made their disapproval of the E-3 operations known. Last November, the Russians threatened to destroy a French Air Force E-3 that was operating over the Black Sea in what a French military spokesman described as "a particularly aggressive radio exchange."

Their importance notwithstanding, the E-3s are in need of replacement.

With an average age of around 44 years, maintaining the E-3s is only getting more difficult — especially since the airframe it is based on was originally designed and built in the late 1950s and hasn't been produced since 1991.

Last year, the US Air Force announced that it had selected the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail as the E-3's intended replacement. The service hopes to acquire 26 of the new planes by 2032, with the first planned to be introduced in 2027.

NATO announced a similar plan last November, with plans to acquire six E-7s, the first of which will enter service by 2031. The UK, which has retired all of its E-3s, is also in the process of acquiring the E-7, which is already in service with the air forces of Australia, South Korea, and Turkey.

Benjamin Brimelow is a freelance journalist covering international military and defense issues. He holds a master's degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His work has appeared in Business Insider and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

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Founded in 2010, Everlane has become a staple brand for many millennials. We've tested tons of styles from the brand and have a whole host of Everlane reviews to prove how much we love the quality and price point. Trend-forward basics and careful construction have long been a part of Everlane's DNA. 

It comes as no surprise, then, that The New Modern Loafer is a standout when it comes to comfort and style. They currently sit at the top spot in our guide to the best loafers for women. Below we detail exactly what makes them the best of the best.

Our reviews of Everlane's New Modern Loafer 

"Everlane's new Modern Loafer is much more comfortable than the old version, which had a pointier toe and stiffer leather. The new loafers are supple, round-toed, and flexible, but not so bendy that they feel like flats or smoking slippers. They have good arch support, and the rubber soles have way more traction than the old version of the shoe. 

I always get a size 8 in Everlane shoes, though I'm usually somewhere between a 7.5 and 8 in other brands. If you're between sizing, go up a half size since they tend to run a little small. And if you have wide feet, you may even want to go up a full size." — Sally Kaplan, executive editor

"I was excited to try my first pair of Everlane shoes with these loafers. I have to say, straight off the bat, this loafer has a very narrow fit. I got my usual size 6 and was surprised by the fit because I already have quite slender feet. However, my feet adapted and it ultimately helped to prevent my heels from sliding out. 

While I haven't tried the original Modern Loafer, the new version's additional padding and foam-cushioned insole was immediately apparent and helped to eliminate any arch soreness or break-in time. I appreciated the sole being completely black for a more uninterrupted look." — Katie Decker-Jacoby, former style and beauty reviews fellow

"I hadn't worn the original Modern Loafer before trying this new version, so I was coming into our testing with fresh eyes. I originally ordered my normal size, which is a size 8, and was unable to get my feet into the loafer. My feet are wider across the ball than they are at the heel, so I needed to trade in for a size 9. 

But once I got the right size, I was sold. The chunky heel and buttery-soft leather give these loafers a look that is both classic and ultra-modern. I didn't need to break these in at all. They also offered great arch support on my daily walks around the block. I can't wait to pair these with straight-leg jeans or a sundress once the weather gets warm." — Maria Del Russo, former style and beauty editor

Sizing 

Sometimes, it seems like there could be nothing worse than a shoe company that doesn't offer half sizes. Lucky for you, Everlane has half sizes from size 5 to 11. 

For the fit of the loafer, Everlane suggests going with your true size. While our testers have their own unique experiences, we'll just let it be known that this shoe might not fit true to size for everyone. In fact, we generally found them to have a narrower fit that requires sizing up. 

The old vs. the new 

This loafer has been around since the very early days of the brand — in fact, this was the product that really put Everlane on the map. But, with a new update, the company has just made these better and better.

You may be asking yourself, how different can the two loafers be? And do these changes actually make a meaningful difference? We're here to break them down for you. 

These are the more technical specs, but in terms of external design, the most obvious difference is the toe shape. The original Modern Loafer is pointed at the toe, while its heir takes on a more rounded shape. Additionally, the new Modern Loafer's heel has a thin strip of leather attached with lighter colored stitches, which adds a flair that makes them look nothing like the ones you might already have in your closet. 

Cons to consider

Across all of our reviews of Everlane's new loafer, each tester experienced a narrower fit, with one person having to go up a full size. We recommend sizing up if you're between sizes or have wider feet.  

The bottom line

Everlane's new Modern Loafer is a step up from the old version because of its extra comfort that requires no break-in period whatsoever. The loafer also has a steady outsole and a classic rounded toe that goes with just about anything. And with no increase in price, we can attest to the same value you'll get out of the new Modern Loafer.

• We're living in the era of musicians raised by Taylor Swift.
• Gayle, Maisie Peters, Baby Queen, and Gus Dapperton told BI about her impact on their songwriting.
• Stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and Troye Sivan also count Swift as an influence.

Sabrina Carpenter said working with Swift is "a childhood dream come true."

Back when Sabrina Carpenter was 9 years old, still years away from becoming a Disney Channel star, she uploaded a video of herself singing Swift's country hit "Picture to Burn" on YouTube.

Now, at 24 years old, Carpenter said she thinks of Swift as an "older sister" after opening for her monumental Eras Tour, playing international shows from Mexico City to Melbourne.

"That is one of my main inspirations ever since I was a little girl," Carpenter also told Billboard of Swift. "Watching her in and of itself is how you learn. I admire her work ethic and her talent and she's just so amazing."

Gayle was greatly influenced by "Picture to Burn" and "I Knew You Were Trouble."

Gayle, 19, shot to fame with her viral hit "Abcdefu" and earned a Grammy nomination for song of the year.

During a 2023 interview with Business Insider, she reminisced about growing up with Swift's "iconic" songs, specifically citing "Picture to Burn," which was released when Gayle was just 2 years old.

"Some of her music videos when I was younger, she looked like a fairy princess to me," Gayle said. "Oh my gosh, she is, wow. Just fangirling here."

The singer-songwriter also said Swift's hit single "I Knew You Were Trouble" is associated with one "very big core memory" after watching the music video "every day" at summer camp.

Taking notes from Swift's hit songs eventually led to a cosign from Swift herself; Gayle joined The Eras Tour last year as a supporting act, opening several shows ahead of Paramore and Haim.

Gracie Abrams described Swift as "one of the blueprints for vulnerability as a young woman."

Abrams, a longtime admirer of Swift, recently began working with the superstar's "Folklore" and "Evermore" collaborator Aaron Dessner. She has repeatedly covered Swift's songs, including "You're On Your Own, Kid" from "Midnights" and the revered 10-minute version of "All Too Well."

"I just respect the shit out of her with everything that she does," the 23-year-old singer-songwriter told Teen Vogue. "I've always been so inspired at every stage of my life as a fan of hers."

In fact, the respect is mutual. Abrams appeared as the opening act for dozens of stops on The Eras Tour, and in 2021, Swift publicly praised Abrams' haunting single "Rockland."

"I definitely don't believe that happened. I had a crazy physical reaction," Abrams said of the praise. "I don't know how to operate, or function ever again. But I'm her biggest fan. Everything that she does is fucking unbelievably inspiring, motivating, it makes me want to do better and be the best version of myself as a writer and a person."

Abrams will return to The Eras Tour stage when Swift returns for the second North American leg this year, playing a string of shows in New Orleans, Toronto, and more.

Phoebe Bridgers praised Swift as "an incredible businessperson and an incredible writer."

Bridgers, who was also tapped to open for Swift on The Eras Tour, said it was a "dream" to collaborate on "Nothing New," one of the vault tracks released on "Red (Taylor's Version)."

"I just am so excited to have people take it at face value the day that it comes out, because I got teary recording it. I just couldn't be more excited," she told Billboard last October.

"She is an incredible businessperson and an incredible writer," Bridgers continued. "What she's been able to build just from writing adeptly from a young age is insane."

Upon the song's release, the 28-year-old Grammy nominee took to Twitter to express her gratitude and disbelief.

"I was 18 when red came out," she wrote. "How is this real."

Maisie Peters has described herself as "the biggest Swiftie ever."

Maisie Peters, 23, told BI that Swift is "formative to everything I make."

"I remember listening to 'Back to December' for the first time and just being like, 'This is incredible,'" Peters said.

Asked if it gets tiresome to field questions about being a Swiftie, Peters responded with a definitive, "No."

"With somebody like Taylor, there's so much you can draw on," she continued. "She's so inspiring in so many different aspects of what she's done. So I'm here to talk about Taylor Swift all day."

Although said she Peters hadn't met her idol just yet, she did sign to Gingerbread Man Records, the label run by noted Swift pal Ed Sheeran. He also cowrote three songs on her debut album, "You Signed Up for This."

"I've never met Taylor Swift and everyone always goes, 'Oh aren't you so excited?' And I am so excited, but also it's going to be crazy because she's been so important to my life that it's sort of like meeting an otherworldly being," Peters said.

Read our full interview with Maisie Peters here.

Baby Queen was inspired to pursue a career in music after seeing the "Love Story" music video.

"I just decided from the age of 12 after discovering Taylor Swift," Baby Queen told BI. "I was like, 'This is what I'm doing.'"

The pop-rocker, 26, whose birth name is Bella Latham, also revealed that her brutally honest single "These Drugs" was partially inspired by Swift — namely the gut-punch bridge, a craft that Swift is famous for mastering.

"It's like where you put all the emotions, what Taylor does. She puts all the emotions into the bridge," she said. "You hear the story and then the bridge comes and it's like, 'OK, I know Taylor's going to shoot me through the heart and she's going to kill me.'"

Read our full interview with Baby Queen here.

Gus Dapperton has also cited "Love Story" as a major influence.

Gus Dapperton, 27, told BI that his music is heavily inspired by artists like Odd Future and King Krule — fellow skater kids who had "weird voices" and no inhibitions — as well as supermassive stars like Britney Spears and Swift.

"When I hear my sister sing those big pop songs, it's impossible to deny how beautiful they sound," he said. "My family would all be in the car chanting Taylor Swift songs and stuff. I think 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift is one of my favorite songs of all time. My dad would just turn up the volume as loud as possible."

"That's why I never denied the pleasures of pop music growing up," he added.

Read our full interview with Gus Dapperton here.

Troye Sivan has long been inspired by Swift's songwriting prowess.

Troye Sivan, 27, has been naming Swift as his ideal cowriter since 2016.

"I really, really, really want to write with Taylor Swift," he told Billboard. "I'm sure that everyone would say that, but for me… as a student of pop music, I feel like I have so much that I could learn from her."

Two years later, when asked about his "dream duet partner," Sivan said Swift again, joking that he "may as well reach for the stars."

"We [already] performed live," he told Variety, referring to his cameo appearance on her "Reputation" tour in 2018. "I admire her so much as a writer. So even if we didn't duet and we just wrote together, I would be totally into that idea — so I could watch her work. She's a master of pop."

More recently, Sivan listed "This Is Me Trying," "You Are In Love," and "Clean" as his top three favorite songs by Swift.

"When she hits that stride, I get so jealous, and I just want to listen to the song over and over and over again," he told Jared Frieder for Interview magazine. "I'm always like, 'Damn, Taylor Swift is so good.'"

Clairo said she "cried uncontrollably" when she met Swift.

Clairo, 25, managed to team up with Swift's longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff to create her 2021 album "Sling." However, the year prior, she was "shocked" when Swift initiated contact with her at the 2020 NME Awards.

"I crouched down with her, so we were both on the floor talking to each other," the celebrated indie songwriter later told NME. "It looked so ridiculous. No one could talk to me after that happened, I was crying so much."

Indeed, the year before their meeting, Clairo had made a bold declaration on Twitter: "I would let taylor swift punch me any day."

According to Conan Gray, Swift "raised an entire generation of songwriters."

Back in 2020, Swift shared Conan Gray's debut album "Kid Krow" on her Instagram story, praising the track "Wish You Were Sober" as a "masterpiece."

The duo's mutual respect is so well-documented that Swift enlisted Gray, 25, to help promote the release of her first rerecorded album, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," in 2021.

"I've never met her, but she's been kind to me," Gray later told GQ. "Taylor raised an entire generation of songwriters. She taught a lot of people how to write pop songs."

The "Superache" singer also revealed that "Teardrops on My Guitar" was the first song he heard by Swift that changed his outlook on songwriting.

"It was one of the first YouTube videos I ever watched too. I remember that day so vividly," Gray said. "My family had one computer that we all would use and I remember we all huddled around it and watched together. I remember thinking, 'Wow, Taylor Swift is the coolest person on the earth.'"

Olivia Rodrigo hailed Swift as her "all-time idol" and "the best storyteller of our generation."

These days, Olivia Rodrigo, 21, is taking more cues from rockers like No Doubt, The Breeders, and The White Stripes.

But during her breakneck rise to fame, Rodrigo gushed about Swift on countless occasions and even sampled Swift's music on her acclaimed debut album "Sour."

Rodrigo even received a "really sweet" handwritten letter from her idol after the success of her single "Drivers License."

"I don't want to divulge too much because it's really sweet and personal," Rodrigo told Billboard.

"But she talks a lot about how, I think, you make your own luck in the world. And when you do kind things to others, good things come your way," she added.

Indeed, Rodrigo has already taken some of Swift's career advice: She previously told The Guardian that she has retained control of her master recordings because she was inspired by Swift's public battle to own her music.

Griff said there's "a new wave of young pop musicians" that evoke Swift in their songwriting.

"She's probably one of the No. 1 people that I look up to in terms of being a songwriter and being a top female in the music industry and being so consistent and coming back, time after time after time, with incredible songs," Griff, 23, told Nylon. "I even said that to her."

Griff met her hero at the 2021 Brit Awards, where she received the annual rising star award and performed her single "Black Hole."

"Taylor sent flowers, which was really nice. And we got to hang out after the show in her dressing room, so that was pretty crazy," she told Billboard.

Griff also told Harpers Bazaar that Swift gave her advice about handling the "pressures of industry and business and writing my next album — just [to] take my time and do it on my own terms."

Swift even gave Griff a shout-out when she accepted the global icon award that evening. More recently, Swift shared Griff's song "Vertigo" on Instagram, writing, "I love this one."

• American Airlines is launching its first rotating collection of premium amenities Memorial Day Weekend.
• It includes a new front-row flagship suite, new bedding, and enhanced dining options. 
• The new amenity kit program will cycle skincare products and offer limited-edition specialty kits. 

American Airlines is gearing up for summer travel with new luxury in-flight offerings for its customers.

American is launching its first rotating collection of premium onboard amenities over Memorial Day Weekend. It will be available on 300 international and transcontinental flights.

The offerings include new bedding, dining options, and an amenity kit program that lets premium passengers sample different skincare brands and products.

"We thoughtfully curate each element of the onboard experience so every customer can look forward to the time they spend in flight," American's vice president of customer experience, Kim Cisek, said in a statement. "Part of the magic of travel is connecting our customers to the people and experiences that matter most to them."

While most of the new amenities are being offered to premium cabins, main cabin passengers will also have access to new bedding and other seat enhancements.

Passengers in the main cabin will have access to 4K seatback screens, Bluetooth connectivity, and new charging ports. All customers will have access to 1,500 free entertainment content options and can use high-speed WiFi.

Passengers can kick back in the flagship suites with new privacy doors and chaise lounge positions.

Customers traveling in American's flagship suite seat have access to wireless charging, Bluetooth capability, and multiple storage spaces.

Passengers traveling in premium economy can also enjoy new amenities like wireless charging, additional storage space, and privacy headrest wings.

Customers looking for more luxury can sit front row on the new Boeing 787-9 and 777-300 aircraft's flagship suite preferred seat.

The new seat offers customers additional space and storage. It will offer additional amenities for passengers' comfort, like a Nest Bedding mattress pad, a throw blanket, and a memory foam lumbar pillow.

The seat will also have Nest Bedding pajamas and an exclusive amenity kit featuring additional skincare products.

American used customer research to enhance its bedding in all cabins.

American decided to offer dual-sided pillows to flagship first and business class after research indicated 75% of its customers preferred different materials on each side of their pillows. The new pillow will have cool touch fabric on one side and traditional fabric on the other.

Travelers in flagship business class can now enjoy slippers onboard.

The slippers used to only be offered on ultra-long-haul flights.

Customers in all cabins will enjoy enhanced bedding, with cabin-specific offerings like lumbar pillows, throw blankets, premium duvets, and fleece blankets.

American says the new bedding packaging will save 25 tons of plastic waste a year.

American collaborated with inflight textile company John Horsfall to create bedding from recycled materials. Nearly all the pillows, duvets, and blankets were made with recycled fibers, and filled bedding will be 100% recycled.

Customers traveling in premium cabins will also receive their bedding in a reusable zipper bag made with recycled fibers to reduce plastic waste from distribution.

Customers can try out new flavors inspired by international cuisine and American Airlines destinations worldwide.

American's premium cabins offer a wide range of new culinary items and award-winning wines.

American is offering enhanced dining options to domestic travelers, as well as those visiting new summer destinations like Nice, Naples, or Copenhagen. One of the meals includes macadamia-crusted sea bass with citrus cream sauce, quinoa, toasted orzo, and haricot verts.

Customers can also choose from new preorder options.

Preorder options will continue to roll out this spring for business class on flights from the US to international destinations. One of the meal offerings is short rib mac and cheese.

Passengers in premium cabins will also have access to the new amenity kit program.

American's amenity kit includes basic comfort amenities like a toothbrush, dental kit, eye mask, and earplugs. The kit will also cycle different skincare products and offerings in premium cabins.

American collaborated with beauty retailer Thirteen Lune to curate skincare offerings in the amenity kit.

The kit will feature high-quality beauty brands from Thirteen Lune's tailored collection. Passengers can scan a QR code in the kit to learn about each brand and partner featured.

Customers will receive the Thirteen Lune kit for the first few weeks of the kickoff to the new program.

• Boston Dynamics showed off a fully electric version of its humanoid robot Atlas on Wednesday.
• On Tuesday, the robotics firm had retired its hydraulic version of Atlas.
• Boston Dynamics says it's exploring commercial uses of the new Atlas, starting with owner Hyundai.

It's out with the old and in with the new at Boston Dynamics.

The robotics company retired its hydraulic humanoid robot, Atlas, on Tuesday but then posted a video on Wednesday debuting its new, fully electric Atlas.

"In the months and years ahead, we're excited to show what the world's most dynamic humanoid robot can really do—in the lab, in the factory, and in our lives," the company said in a press release Wednesday.

"We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile," the company said. "Atlas may resemble a human form factor, but we are equipping the robot to move in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of motion. Atlas will move in ways that exceed human capabilities."

The video shows Atlas lying on the ground, but then its legs twist around backward and prop the robot up as it stands to full height, swivels on its torso, and walks toward the camera.

Boston Dynamics says it's exploring commercial uses for the new Atlas, beginning with Hyundai, which acquired the robotics firm in 2021. Competitor Agility Robotics has a partnership that lets Amazon use its bipedal robots, called Digit, to lift and move items in some warehouses.

Boston Dynamics says the fully electric Atlas "will be stronger, with a broader range of motion than any of our previous generations."

Besides Atlas, Boston Dynamics has also unveiled four-legged doglike robots called Spot that some police departments have started using. An artist-in-residence at SpaceX has even trained some Spot robots to paint, and now they have their own art exhibit.

Atlas may have even helped inspire Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus.

Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert said on a recent episode of Lex Fridman's podcast that "it's hard not to think that seeing what Atlas is doing is a little bit of an inspiration" for the Tesla Bot.

• Sarah J. Maas has become the bestselling author of 2024 so far.
• Her success follows a spike in romantasy sales in 2023, led by Rebecca Yarros' "Fourth Wing" series.
• Both romance and fantasy dominated sales charts in March 2024, too.

Four months into 2024, Sarah J. Maas is having quite the year.

The prolific romantasy author has written three series — "Throne of Glass," "A Court of Thorns and Roses," and "Crescent City" — all of which feature fae, magical adventures, and steamy romance. She released the third book in the "Crescent City" series, "House of Flame and Shadow," in January.

The title shot to No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list after its release. According to Publisher's Weekly, it was so successful that Bloomsbury increased its sales and earnings estimations for its fiscal year that ended on February 29 after "HOFAS" came out. Circana, which tracks book sales, also reported that it's currently the bestselling novel of 2024.

Forbes reported on Wednesday that Maas has sold 3.1 million copies of her books in 2024, making her the bestselling author of the year so far.

Maas' success stems not just from "HOFAS" but also from her backlist. According to Circana, "A Court of Thorns and Roses" is the third bestselling book of 2024 to date, and the second book in the series, "A Court of Mist and Fury," is ninth on the list.

The romantasy genre is transforming the publishing industry

Maas' success in the first quarter of 2024 comes on the heels of a banner year for romantasy sales in 2023.

Rebecca Yarros dominated bestseller lists with her books about dragons — "Fourth Wing," and its sequel, "Iron Flame" — in 2023. According to Publisher's Weekly, Yarros sold almost 550,000 copies of "Iron Flame" in its first week of publication when it came out in November. The titles sat at three and four on The New York Times bestseller list as of Wednesday, meaning "Fourth Wing" has been on the list for nearly the entire year since it was published in May 2023.

Other romantasy titles, such as "The Serpent and the Wings of Night" by Carissa Broadbent and "Fall of Ruin and Wrath" by Jennifer L. Armentrout, were New York Times bestsellers in 2023, too. Likewise, Forbes reported that Circana data shows nine of the 10 bestselling books sold in March fell into either the romance or fantasy genres.

TikTok played a large role in romantasy's boom. As BI reported in February, readers have formed organic communities on "BookTok," recommending books to each other and building fandoms around specific texts. Publisher's Weekly reported sales of Maas' books increased 86% in the 2022 fiscal year — the same period TikTok experienced massive growth.

In recent years, several publishers have also opened imprints dedicated to romance and fantasy titles, like Entangled's Red Tower imprint, which publishes "Fourth Wing," and the romance-centric imprint Bramble from Tor.

Circana even dubbed 2023 "the year of romantasy." However, it cautioned people against counting on the genre's growth for years to come, saying it's unclear "whether influencer culture in places like TikTok will remain steadfast enough for the market to size the curve."

Maas has yet to announce when her next book will be released — though she did hint she was writing the next "ACOTAR" book in a recent Instagram post — but based on her recent sales, it's safe to assume her popularity won't be waning anytime soon.

• Nvidia stock could soar 81% if investors realize that it's more than just a chip company, according to Evercore ISI.
• The firm said Nvidia has morphed into an AI ecosystem play that could generate $69 per share in earnings power by 2030.
• "We think investors underestimate the importance of the chip+hardware+software ecosystem that Nvidia has created," Evercore said. 

Nvidia stock still has big upside potential even after it's surged more than 200% over the past year, according to a note this week from Evercore ISI.

The firm initiated Nvidia at "Outperform" with a $1,160 price target, representing potential upside of 36% from current levels. And in its bull-case scenario, Evercore said Nvidia stock could surge to $1,540 in the next year, a jump of 81% from current levels. 

Driving that lofty price target is the idea that Nvidia is much more than a chip company, but the bulk of investors still only see it as that.

"We think investors underestimate 1) the importance of the chip+hardware+software ecosystem that Nvidia has created, 2) that computing eras last 15-20 years and are typically dominated by a single vertically integrated ecosystem company, whose returns are measured in 100-to-1000 bagger range," Evercore's Mark Lipacis said.

The key thesis behind Lipacis' bullish call is that Nvidia is an AI ecosystem play, and it's the clear leader in a new computing platform that will drive efficiency gains for years to come.

"That 'Ecosystem Play' typically captures 80% of the value created during its respective computing era, while other[s] compete for the other 20%," Lipacis said. 

Lipacis expects Nvidia to capture 80% of the parallel processing market by 2030, which could be worth more than $350 billion. In such a scenario, Nvidia would have an earnings power of $69 per share by the end of the decade, compared to the company generating earnings per share of $11.93 last year. 

"We believe that the Tectonic Shift to the current Parallel Processing / IoT Computing Era started 5-to-8 years ago, and that NVDA is the dominant ecosystem play in parallel processing, which is only in the beginning phases of generating outsized returns for its investors," Lipacis said.  

The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.

• China is punishing citizens who can't repay their debts by cutting off access to social services.
• So-called deadbeat debtors are blacklisted, facing travel restrictions and government jobs.
• The blacklist is similar to the country's "social credit" system that punishes undesirable behavior.

China wants its citizens to repay their debts — and it is willing to punish those who don't.

That means that delinquent debtors are restricted from accessing some services in the country, like high-speed trains and air travel. Some, according to a Wall Street Journal report, are forbidden from government jobs and denied pricier insurance policies, vacations, and even nice hotels.

Outstanding debtors are placed on a government delinquency blacklist. Informally, these people are referred to as "laolai" — roughly translated, "deadbeat debtors." And the number of names on the list is about 8.3 million, according to the Journal — a jump of nearly 50% since 2019.

It's not just formal restrictions they face; some phone companies in China have gone as far as assigning special ringtones to debtors to warn other people that they are talking to someone on the brink of insolvency.

However, procedures for personal insolvency in China are few and far between. Unlike most other countries, China doesn't allow most people to write off their debts with bankruptcy, per the Journal.

Instead, the Chinese government can take steps like seizing a debtor's income as restitution, leaving them with a small allowance so they can cover living expenses.

That isn't always enough, though, as one man found when he petitioned to raise his monthly income allowance to help pay for a newborn child. Rather than approving the increase to 12,000 yuan, or approximately $1,600, the Journal reported that the court cut his allowance by nearly 40%. 

In China, a country that traditionally values saving, some consider borrowing money to be taboo. That's backed by a 2021 study, which noted that in Chinese society, "many still view bankruptcy as a vehicle for feckless shirkers to escape their debts."

That's left many debtors feeling trapped by the system, which can make it increasingly difficult for them to pay off seemingly insurmountable liabilities.

China's debtor blacklist is technically separate from its "social credit system," but both have similar functions — namely, tracking individual behavior and rewarding or punishing people for it.

The system, which is not yet fully implemented, has penalized citizens for everything from social media posts to jaywalking. The worst offenders may face trouble getting loans and travel restrictions — similar to the experience of blacklisted debtors.

The Chinese economy has slumped after exiting the pandemic. Researchers have warned of a "debt-deflation spiral" that could make the situation for Chinese households even worse.

• The US Navy's highly-anticipated shipbuilding projects are years behind schedule, a review found.
• The Navy attributed the delays to pandemic-related supply chain issues.
• The delayed warships include submarines, guided missile destroyers, and a new aircraft carrier.

All of the US Navy's highly anticipated shipbuilding projects face yearslong delays, the service said earlier this month.

The delayed ships include a new fleet of Virginia-class attack submarines, guided-missile destroyers, and a new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.

The announcement came after a 45-day review ordered by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in January. The review identified the "shortfalls" that caused the delays, including labor shortages and supply chain issues.

Speaking at the Navy League's Sea Air Space conference on April 9, Del Toro said the review found that "too many of our industry partners are behind schedule and over budget on our highest priority programs."

Del Toro also said the Navy's Office of Strategic Assessment will perform a "deep dive" to find solutions to address the delays, including advanced material procurement and multi-ship buys.

"I think there's a lot of promise about being able to reduce those timelines into the future," he said.

The major delays come amid concerns that China is outpacing American shipbuilding and increasing its naval capabilities. The US Department of Defense said China now has "the largest navy in the world with a battle force of over 370 platforms," and it is only expected to grow — with up to 435 ships by the end of the decade.

But China isn't the only shipbuilding superpower in the Indo-Pacific. The Navy secretary said he and his team were "floored" by US ally South Korea's shipbuilding capabilities.

In a February statement, the Navy recognized Korean and Japanese shipbuilding as an asset to the US as "China continues to aggressively pursue worldwide shipbuilding dominance."

A new Ford-class aircraft carrier

Last month, the Navy announced that the future aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80), the third Gerald R. Ford-class carrier, is set to deliver a year and a half behind schedule.

Contracted to Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding — the US's only aircraft carrier builder — the Enterprise was initially scheduled to deliver by March 2028. However, the Navy's shipbuilding review found that it will now deliver in September 2029 from the earliest to May 2030 at the latest.

In August 2022, Olympians Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky commemorated the keel-laying of the Enterprise in a ceremony in Virginia, chalking their initials on the ship's steel plates.

Production delays have plagued all of the Ford-class carriers. The second-in-class John F. Kennedy was set to deliver in June 2024 but was delayed a year so the Navy could perform more work to prepare it for deployment in the Indo-Pacific.

The first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford also faced its fair share of delays, deploying in May 2023 — a few months before the 10-year anniversary of its 2013 launch. Then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said it was the supercarrier's new, untested technologies that contributed to cost overruns and its yearslong delay.

"We had 23 new technologies on that ship, which quite frankly increased the risk … of delivery on time and cost right from the get-go," Gilday said during Navy League's symposium in 2021.

"We really shouldn't introduce more than maybe one or two new technologies on any complex platform like that in order to make sure that we keep risk at a manageable level," Gilday continued.

Guided-missile frigates

The first-in-class PCU Constellation, a guided-missile frigate, has been under construction since August 2022.

It was the first time a new frigate had been built since the 1980s, when USS Ingraham, the last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, was built.

Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded the contract for the first-in-class warship in 2020, as well as sister ships, Chesapeake and Congress. The company also has contract options for seven additional ships.

The next-generation small surface combatant is designed for multi-mission capabilities, including air, surface, and underwater warfare. The versatile frigate features an advanced 3D air surveillance radar, sonar, a Mk 41 vertical launch system, and an upgraded version of the Aegis Combat System, which operates aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

But the Constellation also faces significant delays, with its delivery pushed back by three years from its original 2026 date, according to the Navy's shipbuilding review. Last Friday, the Navy held a keel-laying ceremony for the Constellation at the Wisconsin shipyard.

"I'm not here to put blame on mistakes that were made in the past either by Fincantieri or the Navy," Del Toro said. "I want to move this forward more aggressively to a better place. And so we're going to work as a team, with industry, with the government, to get us there quicker. And that's what we're doing."

Ballistic missile submarines

With the US Navy's submarine fleet carrying about 70% of the deployed US nuclear arsenal, the service's highest priority shipbuilding program is a new fleet of "boomers" to carry them.

In June 2022, the Navy laid the keel for the future District of Columbia, the lead ship of the upcoming class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile subs that will replace the 14 existing Ohio-class submarines.

The Columbia-class submarines will be the largest submarines ever built by the US, measuring 560 feet long and 43 feet wide. The Columbia is designed to carry Mk 48 Advanced Capability torpedoes and 16 Trident II D5 nuclear ballistic missiles. It will also feature "superior acoustic performance and state-of-the-art sensors to make it the most capable and quiet submarine ever built," according to the Navy.

Construction on the first-in-class submarine began in 2021, designed in collaboration between General Dynamics' Electric Boat and HII's Newport News. The stern of the boat was delivered to a facility in Rhode Island in January 2024.

The Navy plans to build 12 Columbia-class boats in a $136 billion contract, with the District of Columbia and future Wisconsin being the only two ordered so far.

However, the Navy's review found that the lead ship's delivery could be pushed back at least 12 to 16 months. The District of Columbia was scheduled to deliver in October 2027, the same year the first Ohio-class submarine, USS Henry M. Jackson, is set to decommission. The delays, brought on by ballooning costs, workforce shortages, and late supply deliveries, could prompt the Navy to keep its aging Ohio-class submarines a while longer.

"A delay of that length would make it more likely for the Navy to implement its backup plan to extend the service lives of up to five Ohio-class by a little bit," Ronald O'Rourke, a naval analyst for the Congressional Research Service, told Bloomberg. "There would be some cost for doing those service life extensions."

Virginia Block IV submarines

Pandemic-related supply chain issues and workforce shortages also impacted the upcoming Block IV Virginia-class fast-attack submarines, putting the program three years behind schedule.

These attack submarines are contracted to Electric Boat and Newport News, the same shipbuilders and suppliers as the higher-priority Columbia-class boats.

Virginia Block IV submarines differ from Block III in that the design is focused on reducing procurement costs and maintenance periods through smaller-scale design changes. Block IV boats will still have the same armament as Block III, carrying Mk 48 torpedos and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Four of the 10 submarines in Block IV are in service: USS Vermont, Oregon, Montana, and Hyman G. Rickover. Three Block IV vessels have yet to be commissioned — PCUs New Jersey, Iowa, and Massachusetts — and three are still under construction — PCUs Idaho, Arkansas, and Utah.

Virginia Block V submarines

Ten Virginia-class Block V attack submarines are also under construction in a $24.1 billion contract awarded to Electric Boat and Newport News in December 2019, the Navy's largest-ever shipbuilding contract.

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, the design of Block V boats differs from that of Block IV boats by about 20%, including acoustic superiority, additional payload tubes, and a high-resolution photonic mast.

The Block V submarine is designed to be 461 feet and displace 10,200 tons, making it the second-largest US submarine behind the Ohio class.

The additional length comes from the Virginia Payload Module, an 84-foot-long extension that expands the sub's missile capacity. With the VPM, Block V boats increase the number of Tomahawk missiles they can carry from 12 to 40. The VPM can also be used to store and deploy additional payloads, such as missiles, seabed sensors, or sea drones.

While the Virginia-class boats are not as well-armed as the Seawolf-class fast-attack submarines, the Block V boats will be equipped with a larger launcher that can deploy advanced hypersonic missile technology as it becomes available, including a new version of the anti-ship Maritime Strike Tomahawk.

Three boats have been laid down so far, PCUs Oklahoma, Arizona, and Tang, with another seven ordered that have yet to begin construction.

However, the Block V submarines have faced problems since they were ordered in 2019, with insufficient staffing and workforce efficiency potentially pushing back their projected delivery by an average of two years.

Ocean surveillance ships

In response to China and Russia continuing to modernize their naval capabilities, including submarine activity, the US Navy is looking to procure a new fleet of ocean surveillance ships, designated TAGOS-25.

The unarmed naval surveillance vessels are designed to operate surveillance patrols for submarines and are maintained by civilian contractors for the Military Sealift Command.

In 2022, the Navy initially procured the first vessel of the planned TAGOS-25 class at a cost of $434.4 million from Alabama-based shipbuilder Austal USA.

But two years later, the cost skyrocketed to $789.6 million in the Navy's 2024 budget submission — an 81.8% increase — due to factors like "direct material inflation, supply chain challenges, and increased nonrecurring engineering costs," according to the Congressional Research Service.

As a result, the Navy proposed to defer the procurement of a second TAGOS-25-class ship from 2025 to 2026 to cover the additional costs. Nonetheless, Austal USA was also awarded a contract to design and construct seven more TAGOS-25-class vessels.

The future TAGOS-25 ships will succeed four Victorious-class vessels and USNS Impeccable, which entered service more than two decades ago.

The ships will be about 359 feet long and feature a catamaran-like Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design. Powered by three diesel generators and a gas turbine, the vessel will travel at speeds of up to 22 knots with a range of 960 miles, making it the largest and fastest TAGOS ship operated by the US Navy.

Guided-missile destroyers

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program is one of the Navy's longest-running shipbuilding programs. Since the first-in-class USS Arleigh Burke was commissioned on July 4, 1991, more than 70 destroyers have been added to the Navy's fleet, with dozens more still on deck for delivery.

The Navy is modernizing its existing warship fleet with an updated Flight III variant of the Aegis destroyers. The Flight III design includes an upgraded Aegis Weapons System and a new SPY-6 radar, enhancing its air defense operations.

The Flight III contract was awarded to General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works and Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding, costing about $2.5 billion per vessel. While the program schedule is still stable despite late delivery dates, the limited capacity of the shipbuilding industry reduced the procurement rate of DDG-51s a year despite Congress pushing for more.

"I'm not hating on DDGs — my only point was that last year Congress added a third, and the reason we didn't budget for three is, again, we don't see the yards being able to produce three a year," Mike McCord, the Pentagon's top budget officer, told USNI News at a 2023 conference. "We don't see them being able to produce two a year. And that's just data. It's not what we wish to be true."

"Everybody's struggling with skilled labor. Everybody's struggling with supply chain," McCord added. "So it's not getting better very fast from the data that I've seen — whether with submarines or DDGs. So two a year seems to be a reasonable place."

Helicopter-carrying assault ships

Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding, the Navy is currently procuring large-deck amphibious helicopter-carrying assault ships, designated LHA. These "big deck" ships carry Marine aviators and landing craft.

The Navy's 2024 budget submission estimates the procurement cost for the fourth America-class ship, PCU Fallujah, at $3.8 billion, which has been incrementally funded by Congress over the last few years.

The Fallujah will feature a similar design to USS America, but the new vessel will have a larger deck configuration to accommodate F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft, as well as a well deck that floods to launch landing craft.

The Fallujah's predecessor, PCU Bougainville, was delayed by over a year due to engine defects and staff shortages, now expected to be delivered in 2025. The Navy also plans to buy the next America-class ship, LHA-10, nearly a decade after the Fallujah will be potentially procured, which could lead to cost increases and impacts on the shipbuilding industrial base.

"Between LHA-9 and LHA-10, there's an 11-year gap, depending on when you decide it was appropriated," Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps, said in a 2022 congressional hearing. "We're returning to well decks with the flight deck; it's a very capable platform, very important to what we're doing, very important to the nation's crisis response force."

Amphibious transport dock ships

Designed and constructed by Ingalls Shipbuilding, the forthcoming variant of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships was planned to replace the Navy's existing class of dock landing ships (LSDs), which were set for early retirement after the Defense Department found them to be in "poor material condition."

The three Flight II San Antonio-class vessels, the first of which is the future Harrisburg, will feature an advanced air surveillance radar and a new steel mast. Overall, they will equal the capabilities of the Flight I ship with lower production costs.

Last year, the Navy halted plans to buy any more future San Antonio-class ships to reassess their worth compared to the Flight I design, especially amid growing costs and delays in the shipyard.

The pause on shipbuilding, in conjunction with the early retirement of the LSDs, could reduce the amphibious fleet to below 31 ships, potentially violating the legally required minimum in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Fleet replenishment oil tankers

Shipyard delays and ballooning costs aren't just impacting the Navy's warships and submarines but also its newest class of replenishment oil tankers.

Since the first-in-class John Lewis-class oiler was procured in 2016, the Navy plans to buy a total of 20 ships in a contract with General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding (NASSCO). The ships are expected to cost about $650 million each.

While transporting fuel for ships and aircraft during replenishments-at-sea is one of the vessel's primary missions, it can also supply dry cargo, fresh water, and ammunition at sea. The tanker can also be armed with a close-in weapon system or anti-ship missile defense system to detect and engage cruise missiles. It is also fitted with a defense system to counter torpedo attacks and fast-attack craft.

The lead ship, PCU John Lewis, was originally scheduled to deliver in August 2020, but it was ultimately delivered almost two years later in July 2022, also pushing back subsequent ship deliveries by 12 to 15 months.

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, several factors contributed to the Lewis' delay, including late delivery of materials, a need to rework parts of the ship, and the shipbuilder's dry dock flooding in 2018.

• USS Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, is returning home just 10 days after deploying.
• The US Navy said the Boxer is undergoing "additional maintenance" due to an engineering issue.
• Deploying months late due to mechanical issues, the big deck departed for the Indo-Pacific on April 1.

The maintenance-embattled USS Boxer is heading back to San Diego just 10 days after deploying due to an engineering issue, as first reported by USNI News and confirmed to Military.com by Navy officials.

Sailing as the big deck, or lead ship, of its amphibious ready group, the Boxer had already been delayed by months when it deployed April 1. Its return further comes on the heels of an announcement by the Navy's top leader earlier this week that the service, in conjunction with the Marine Corps, is conducting an inquiry into amphibious operations that will include problems with the ship.

"USS Boxer is returning to San Diego to undergo additional maintenance in support of its deployment in the Indo-Pacific region," Lt. Cmdr. Jesus Uranga, a spokesperson for the Navy's 3rd Fleet in the Pacific, told Military.com in an email.

The Boxer had departed for its "Indo-Pacific deployment and was conducting integration exercises with the MV-22 Osprey in the 3rd Fleet area of operations," when it was forced to return, Uranga said.

While further details were not provided regarding the nature of the malfunction, Uranga said the ship would return to its deployment "in the near future."

Marines and aircraft with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit were onboard the Boxer and have already been offloaded, officials told USNI News, although the ship had not yet made it back to port as of Thursday evening. 

On April 8, the Navy's top leader, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, said that she had ordered a "deep dive" into numerous maintenance and readiness issues faced by the ship.

"I think there's some good lessons learned with Boxer," Franchetti told reporters at the Navy's annual Sea-Air-Space conference earlier this week.

Meanwhile, last month, the Boxer was given seven Navy-wide awards for "sustained superior performance," including the Battle Effectiveness Award and the Maritime Warfare Excellence Award, according to the service.

Franchetti's inquiry will be led by three-star admirals in the Navy's operations and plans and policy offices, she said, adding she anticipates they will come to her with initial recommendations on how to proceed "in the May timeframe, and that will start to outline the shape of the the deep dive going forward."

While the investigation's timing may seem coincidental, the four-star admiral said Monday that the branch was trying to be proactive and keep delays to just the Boxer.

"We're seeing some potential delays on [the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp]," Franchetti said. "We're trying to look ahead to make sure that we can, I want to say, nip this in the bud."

The Wasp, which is the same class of ship as the Boxer, departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in early March only to return shortly afterward. A spokesperson for Surface Force Atlantic told Military.com following the incident that "during the underway, the ship discovered an engineering irregularity" and "returned to port to effect repairs."

The ship got underway again at the end of March without issue.

A defense official told Military.com in March that the Boxer had originally been slated to deploy late last year, but it was held up thanks to a series of delays and mechanical issues that were driven, at least partly, by poor leadership aboard the ship.

Two previous command investigations conducted on at least three different engineering breakdowns showed "a lack of procedural compliance, substandard supervisory oversight, and general complacency by the crew," according to the ship's strike group commander.

Those breakdowns, information on which was released to Military.com as part of a Freedom of Information Act request, revealed that the ship had experienced damage to two "forced draft blowers" on Nov. 8, 2022. A separate investigation into that incident, also provided to Military.com via FOIA request, faulted "poor quality craftsmanship, lack of industry repair skill set/capabilities" and a "lack of supervisory oversight" from the Navy offices overseeing the work.

Then on May 14, the ship had a "boiler safety" breakdown. That investigation "once again revealed a lack of procedural compliance and overall complacency of all personnel involved," documents from the strike group commander revealed.

The two other ships that the Boxer commands, the USS Somerset and USS Harpers Ferry, both have successfully deployed. The Somerset and its contingent of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are currently in the waters off India, according to a Marine Corps press release from April 4.

The Somerset deployed in January, and the Harpers Ferry in mid-March.

Editor's Note: After publication, a Navy spokesperson contacted Military.com to clarify that the probe into the Boxer is part of a broader inquiry into amphibious operations that is being conducted in conjunction with the Marine Corps. The article has been updated accordingly.

Konstantin Toropin contributed to this story.

• Rivian is undergoing another round of layoffs.
• Its the company's fourth wave of job cuts in recent years.
• Over a dozen employees have begun posting about the layoffs on LinkedIn.

Rivian is going through another round of layoffs.

Over a dozen workers began posting on LinkedIn about cuts at the company on Wednesday afternoon. A spokesperson later confirmed the layoffs.

"We continue to work to right-size the business and ensure lignment to our priorities," they told Business Insider. "As a follow-up to some of the changes we made to teams in February, today we shared some additional changes to groups supporting the business. Around 1 percent of our workforce was affected by this change.  This was a difficult decision, but a necessary one to support our goal to be gross margin positive by the end of the year."

At the end of 2023, Rivian employed nearly 17,000 workers in North America and Europe.

This is Rivian's fourth round of layoffs in recent years. Rivian cut 10% of its staff in February, 6% in February 2023, and another 6% in July 2022, BI previously reported.

In March, Rivian delayed the opening of a planned factory in Georgia, opting to build its recently announced R2 vehicle at its existing factory in Illinois.

Rivian is one of several electric-car makers grappling with slowing demand for EVs. Elon Musk told staff that Tesla was cutting more than 10% of its workforce earlier this week.

Are you an affected Rivian employee? Get in touch with this reporter at gkay@insider.com.

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The new drama series Under the Bridge has finally arrived on streaming, and you can watch the first two episodes now. We'll show you everything you need to know about the series, from where to watch Under the Bridge to what time you can expect to see next week's episodes.

Based on the Rebecca Godfrey book of the same name, Under the Bridge tells the true story of the 1997 murder of Reena Virk in Canada. The series follows Godfrey (played by Daisy Jones and the Six star Riley Keough) as she returns home to Victoria to write her book. She becomes invested in the missing-persons-turned-murder case, helmed by Cam Bentland (played by Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone). Archie Panjabi, Vritika Gupta, and Chloe Guidry also star.

The series is the latest in a long line of Hulu originals. Keep reading to learn about the new show, including all of your watch options and the show's trailer.

• See also: How to watch The Sympathizer | Where to watch Fallout | Where to watch 9-1-1

Where to watch Under the Bridge in the US

Under the Bridge premiered on Hulu in the US on April 17. New episodes are available to stream weekly on Wednesdays starting at 12 a.m. ET. The series will consist of eight episodes with an expected finale date of May 29. Hulu subscriptions start at $7.99 a month for ad-supported plans and come with a 30-day free trial. Upgrade to an ad-supported Hulu and Disney+ bundle for $9.99 a month, or try any ad-free bundles for an additional cost.

How to watch Under the Bridge from anywhere

If you're traveling outside the US at the moment and want to keep up with your shows, you can try out a VPN (virtual private network). VPNs temporarily change the virtual location of your electronic device so that you can access websites and apps that might not be available while traveling abroad. Plus, a VPN is a strong way to improve your online privacy. This recommendation is best for Americans who are simply traveling outside of the country right now since Hulu requires a US form of payment. 

Interested in trying one out? Our go-to suggestion is ExpressVPN, a tried-and-true VPN with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can read our ExpressVPN review for more details.

Under the Bridge trailer

Hulu released a trailer for Under the Bridge in March. In it, Riley Keough's character can be seen returning to her hometown amid an investigation helmed by Lily Gladstone's character. The two-minute-long video shows snippets of the chaos surrounding Victoria, British Columbia, and the teens in the area. Check out the full trailer below:

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

• A Boeing engineer told lawmakers the company threatened him for voicing safety concerns.
• He said his manager would keep him out of meetings and call his personal phone to "berate" him.
• The comments surfaced at a hearing to address the safety culture at the once-revered planemaker.

A veteran Boeing engineer told a panel of lawmakers that he received verbal and physical threats for voicing safety concerns to the company.

In a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Sam Salehpour, a veteran Boeing employee turned whistleblower, said the company repeatedly ignored his reports of safety lapses during the production of at least 1,400 widebody airplanes.

Salehpour said a Boeing quality manager told him not to document concerns or notify experts of the gaps he said exist on the fuselage of hundreds of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Salehpour said the boss insinuated that he should instead keep quiet.

Boeing has denied any safety lapses in its 787 planes, telling Business Insider on Wednesday that "a 787 can safely operate for at least 30 years before needing expanded airframe maintenance routines."

Salehpour also said his boss retaliated against him by keeping him out of meetings, silencing him, transferring his department, making him cancel doctor appointments, and calling his personal phone to "berate" him.

"It reminds me of, ya know, people who stalk people," Salehpour said at the hearing, noting he has a work phone his manager could call him on. "They call you on your personal phone to let you know that they know where you live, they know where you are, and they can hurt you."

Salehpour — who said he still has his job thanks to whistleblower-protection laws — told lawmakers that has has also received threats against his physical safety.

A photo of a nail in Salehpour's car tire was shown at the Wednesday hearing, which he said a mechanic told him was intentionally put there and not something the tire picked up on the road. He told lawmakers that although he has "no proof" of where or who the nail came from, he believes it happened at work.

In another instance, Salehpour told lawmakers that his boss once said in a meeting that he "would have killed someone who said what you said."

Salehpour said this retaliation is part of a greater trend at Boeing, where engineers are threatened into overlooking quality concerns due to a culture that puts "schedule over safety" and punishes employees for speaking up.

One case Salehpour told lawmakers involved his colleague inspecting 787 fuselage gaps that could have debris, and the boss suggested he should not stop production over the concern.

"The attitude at Boeing from the highest level is just to push the defective parts regardless of what it is, unfortunately," he said.

Boeing told BI that it encourages transparency with its employees and that reports have skyrocketed since the Alaska Airlines 737 Max blowout in January.

"There has been a more than 500% increase in employee reports through our "Speak Up" portal compared to 2023, which signals progress toward a robust reporting culture that is not fearful of retaliation," the company said.

Boeing backs its widebodies

Wednesday's hearing came a week after Salehpour's whistleblower complaint to aviation regulators became public.

Salehpour, who has worked on both the 777 and 787 assembly lines, said he witnessed misaligned parts that could more quickly fatigue over time and potentially lead to a catastrophic event.

"After the threats and after all this, it really scares me, but I am at peace," Salehpour said. "If something happens to me, I am at peace because I feel like by coming forward, I will be saving a lot of lives."

Boeing has backed its widebody planes despite Salehpour's complaint, telling BI in an email statement prior to the hearing that the allegations are not representative of the work it has done to "ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft."

"Extensive and rigorous testing of the fuselage and heavy maintenance checks of nearly 700 in-service airplanes to date have found zero evidence of airframe fatigue," Boeing told BI, referring to its 787 Dreamliners.

"Under FAA oversight, we have painstakingly inspected and reworked airplanes and improved production quality to meet exacting standards that are measured in the one-hundredths of an inch," it continued.

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Taylor Swift is known for many things — leaving Easter eggs in her lyrics, her record-setting Eras tour, and, of course, her iconic red lipstick. 

Swift's signature red lips recently caught renewed attention when she was spotted sporting the look at numerous Chiefs games this fall and winter, but the singer has been rocking the look since 2009, when she tried on the style for an Allure cover shoot.

We've scoured through years of interviews with Swift and her makeup artists to bring you all the confirmed shades the singer has relied on to create her signature red lip. As with most products Swift wears, several of these shades are in such high demand that they're perpetually sold out. Where possible, we've provided in-stock alternatives alongside the exact Swift-approved products. You'll find a few more of Swift's favorite makeup items in our gifts for Swifties roundup.

If you're planning to try red lips out for yourself, we recommend taking a note from Taylor and keeping the rest of your makeup simple: "I always make a choice: is it going to be a heavy eye look or a heavy lip look? if I'm gonna do a red lip I'll do a simple cat eye liner," Swift said in a 2013 interview with Yahoo Shine.

Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLUST in Elson 4

Makeup artist Pat McGrath revealed in an Instagram post the exact products she used to create Taylor's red lip for the Bejeweled music video. While McGrath uses a mix of products, the base of the look is McGrath's own LiquiLUST Matte Lipstick in shade Elson 4. This vivid cool blue is also rumored to be in Swift's rotation during her Eras tour performances. (If you're still looking to catch the show live, we've laid out all your options for how to buy Taylor Swift tickets)

This shade is almost always sold out, but makeup obsessives over at Temptalia have identified Rare Beauty's Lip Soufflé Matte Cream Lipstick in Transform as a 95% match for Elson 4. 

MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo

 "I think everyone knows [it] is a staple," Swift once told People about MAC's Ruby Woo shade. Another blue-toned vivid red, this lipstick is rumored to be the one Swift sported at numerous Chiefs games throughout the last season.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl

Taylor herself has spoken about her love for NARS Dragon Girl and wore the shade to the 2014 Met Gala, a moment immortalized in an Instagram photo taken with her then-bestie Karlie Kloss. Nars recently replaced the Velvet Matte line with its Powermatte High-Intensity Long-Lasting Lip Pencil. The packaging is different, but the Dragon Girl shade still endures, and is described by the brand as a "vivid siren red."

• US stocks slumped on Wednesday, led by a sharp decline in tech stocks.
• The major indexes fell throughout the day, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq down more than 1%.
• Investors are grappling with the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates after comments from Powell on Wednesday. 

US stocks slid on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 ending with its fourth straight loss as tech stocks led the market lower and investors adjusted their rate expectations following this week's hawkish comments from Jerome Powell. 

Nvidia led the loss in tech through the session, with shares of the chip maker sliding by almost 4%. Tech titans like Netflix, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft all ticked lower, and the Nasdaq shed more than 1% on Wednesday.

Investors are coming to terms with the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates, thanks to a hot inflation print for March and Powell's recent guidance on rate cuts in 2024. The Fed Chair warned that central bankers needed more confidence that inflation was returning to its 2% target, implying rates would stay higher for longer than investors were expecting. 

The Fed also rolled out its April Beige Book on Wednesday, which revealed some central bankers are concerned that inflation could see a resurgence.

"On balance, contacts expected that inflation would hold steady at a slow pace moving forward. At the same time, contacts in a few Districts—mostly manufacturers—perceived upside risks to near-term inflation in both input prices and output prices," the Beige Book said.

Markets now see a June Fed rate cut as unlikely, pricing in just a 16% chance the Fed will cut at the June FOMC meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Most investors are expecting just 1-2 rate cuts by the end of the year, per December interest rate projections, down from six rate cuts anticipated in January.

Investors are waiting on comments from Fed officials after the closing bell and throughout the day Thursday, which could give more guidance on the path of Fed policy through the rest of the year.

Here's where US indexes stood at the 4 p.m. closing bell on Wednesday: 

• S&P 500: 5,022.21, down 0.58% 
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 37,753.31, down 0.12% (-45.66 points)
• Nasdaq Composite: 15,683.37, down 1.15% 

Here's what else is happening today: 

• Elon Musk's pay-deal vote is the ultimate "meme stock" test for Tesla, according to investor Roger McNamee.
• The stock market is headed for a hard "reset" that could spark painful losses for investors, one CIO says.
• The US freight recession just keeps getting worse.
• Barclays just slashed its price target for Tesla by 20% and is expecting another disappointing earnings call from the carmaker.
• Here are 4 charts that show why investors shouldn't fear higher-for-longer interest rates, according to BMO.
• Investors see gold at its most overvalued level in nearly 4 years, Bank of American found.

In commodities, bonds, and crypto: 

• West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped 3.05% to $82.76 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 2.9% to $87.41 a barrel. 
• Gold slipped 0.55% to $2,369 per ounce. 
• The 10-year Treasury yield fell seven basis points to 4.583%. 
• Bitcoin dropped 3.06% to $61,063. 

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Amazon Prime Day has grown into one of the biggest sales events of the year, with discounts rivaling those of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With so many retailers selling on Amazon, Prime members can save on just about anything, from viral beauty products to new unlocked smartphones.

The best Prime Day deals we saw last year included all-time lows on brands like Apple, Vitamix, iRobot, Dyson, Crocs, and, of course, Amazon-owned products like the Fire TV, Kindle e-reader, and Echo smart speakers. We expect to see more of the same this year as well.

It'll be the first major deal holiday of the year, so it's an awesome chance to score summer discounts on big-ticket items and household staples. The event usually takes place in July, but as of writing, an official date has yet to be announced. Until then, we're keeping tabs on all of the latest Prime Day news, and we'll keep you updated with our findings here.

• Shop the latest deals at Amazon

When is Amazon Prime Day 2024?

Amazon Prime Day does not have an official date in 2024 just yet. In past years, it took place in July, usually kicking off on the second Tuesday of the month. If Amazon follows the same trend, that means it will take place during July 9 and 10. We'll keep this story updated as more details are announced.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is the retailer's annual mega sale and one of the major benefits of Prime membership. It's a two-day sales event, usually during the summer, that features products from every category, from fashion staples to hot new tech. 

Though it used to be a deal holiday of a much smaller scale, Prime Day has grown exponentially since the first one in 2015. Now, you can find just about everything on sale for all-time low prices, matching discounts we see during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

What should I buy during Amazon Prime Day?

Everything is fair game to buy during Amazon Prime Day. Whether you've been holding out on a pricey new TV or just need to stock up on toiletries, Prime Day is a good time to make your move. 

Last year, we saw incredible prices on tech, including 4K TVs, Fire TV streaming devices, Apple products, Kindle e-readers, PC gaming accessories, Echo smart speakers, and top headphones picks. Prime Day tech deals featured brands like Logitech, Bose, Jabra, Sony, Roku, Samsung, TCL, and more. 

If you're looking for style and beauty deals during Prime Day, last year, brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Tatcha, Laneige, Levi's, Carhartt, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Adidas, and Marc Jacobs all featured products at rare low prices. That means skincare, makeup, shoes, men's clothing, women's fashion, and accessories will all be available for less. 

Home and kitchen products saw no shortage of Prime Day deals either, with big names like Dyson, Shark, iRobot, Philips, KitchenAid, Nespresso, Casper, Leesa, and OXO down to all-time lows for the event. So, whether you need an air fryer, robot vacuum, mattress, or just some sturdy mixing bowls, Prime Day is a good time to buy. 

You don't need to be focused on fancy new gadgets or treatments to shop smart during Amazon Prime Day either. We also catch tons of affordable household essentials available for even less every year, like toilet paper, dish soap, doggy bags, and makeup wipes. These deals are sweet, since they save you money on stuff you needed to buy anyway. 

How long do Prime Day deals last?

How long a Prime Day deal lasts differs between items, but in general, the best discounts will start during the event and end before the 48-hour holiday is over. Some will last the whole two days while others will only last one, so it's always wise to act on a good sale when you see it. Lightning deals especially go fast, the most popular of which dwindle away in less than an hour.

I always recommend buying a product you've had your eye on as soon as it's highlighted as a Prime Day deal. Regardless of how long it's set to last, oftentimes the best sales run out of stock, resulting in shipping dates being pushed out, or the deal no longer being offered at all. We'll be providing all of the deal context you need to shop confidently and quickly, so be sure to check our roundups of the best discounts when the event rolls around. 

Do you need to be a Prime member to shop Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is locked to Prime members only. It's one of the major benefits of subscribing to the service, in addition to other perks like free two-day shipping and Prime Video streaming. 

If you have yet to become a member, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial to test it out. Once the official Prime Day dates have been announced, you can even time your free period to overlap with the sale, but it's not a guarantee since sometimes retailers will lock out free members from shopping the best deals.

Do other stores participate in Prime Day?

Although Prime Day is an Amazon-specific event, it's grown so large that other major retailers have started kicking off competing sales to overlap with it. No one has announced a competing Prime Day sale just yet, but if past years are any indication, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy will likely be holding their own events.

These are definitely worth checking out; they often match the best deals on popular items you can find from Prime Day. We'll also be rounding these deals up so you can shop from the retailer that best suits you, whether you're a Target Circle cardholder, My Best Buy Plus member, or Walmart Plus subscriber. 

Want to see what Amazon has on sale right now? We've spotted some hefty price cuts on electronics, fashion, home, kitchen, laptops, and more on its main deals page.

• I stayed in a houseboat in Amsterdam for four nights.
• The houseboat cost $2,802.55 after taxes and fees, or roughly $700 per night on Airbnb.
• Even though it was on the pricier side, it was worth it to live like a local for a few days.

One of the first things you notice about Amsterdam when you visit is that there are canals everywhere — and in many of those canals are houseboats.

When I took a trip in April 2024 with my parents to visit my brother studying abroad, I knew I wanted to stay in a houseboat for at least part of our trip since houseboats are so distinctly Dutch.

The Dutch have lived on boats as early as the 17th century. As the Washington Post noted, the Netherlands is "waterlogged" — one-third of the country is below sea level, and efforts to drain water from the land date back to the Middle Ages.

The New York Times reported there are about 10,000 houseboats in the Netherlands, and 2,500 of them are in Amsterdam. The space in an Amsterdam canal alone — that is, without a boat — costs nearly $500,000.

And houseboats themselves are only getting more expensive. Real-estate agent Jon Kok told the Times in 2019 that the prices of houseboats had increased between 30 and 40 percent in the five years prior.

Over the course of 10 days in Amsterdam, I stayed in two Airbnbs. Our first was inside an apartment on land, and our second was a houseboat that came to around $700 a night after taxes, cleaning, and service fees.

Our first Airbnb, which we stayed in for five nights, cost $2,442 in total. It was nice but not too different from the many other Airbnbs I've stayed in.

While more expensive, the houseboat was a completely new experience for the four nights. I've never taken a cruise, so this was the first time I've ever slept on the water. I was nervous about potentially getting seasick but decided the uniqueness of staying on a houseboat outweighed the potential nausea, which I thankfully didn't experience.

Here's what it was like to stay in an Amsterdammer's houseboat.

Our houseboat was located on a canal filled with others just like it.

To reach the boat, I had to walk down stairs, which had railings and anti-slip mats. At night, I used a flashlight to see where I was going.

When I walked in, I made a right turn down a hallway to the main living space. It was split between a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room.

The kitchen may look simple, but it was packed with space-efficient appliances. It reminded me of a tiny home.

The washing machine/dryer was hidden in the first cabinet. It wasn't big, but since I was there for just a few days, I didn't have much laundry.

Next to it was the dishwasher, which was also compact, but got the job done.

And finally, there was the mini-fridge, which was a good size for leftovers. On the other side was the oven.

Next to the kitchen area was this large table, which was directly in front of the huge windows that looked out onto the canal and other boats.

One of the boats across the canal had a back patio, and one of its inhabitants waved to me through the window in the morning.

I also got to say hello to some local wildlife, which swam up to the window. You can see a ladder as well — my host said swimming in the canal was possible, but it wasn't warm enough yet.

This houseboat had two real bedrooms, but the host lives in the boat full-time, so his room was off-limits. Instead, I slept next to the dining area.

It meant my "bedroom" doubled as the living room, with a couch at my feet. I couldn't complain, though — the space was large.

At first, the boat felt so steady that I couldn't believe it was actually on the water. But over the weekend, I felt it gently moving up and down. It might not suit a person who gets seasick.

A hallway led to the rest of the boat. The first door is the primary bathroom.

The bathroom had a tub, shower, and large vanity. It would've been roomy for a house, let alone a boat.

I appreciated the double sinks and huge mirror.

There was also a skylight in the ceiling for some natural light.

The host warned that the bathroom could get steamy and recommended opening this porthole to let some air in.

There were also built-in shelves for linens.

Next to the bathroom was the other bedroom. It also had huge windows overlooking the canal.

The bedroom had a wardrobe and a dresser for storage.

One of the windows in the bedroom was practically on top of the neighboring boat. As a result, my parents usually kept the shades down.

You might have noticed something was missing from the bathroom: a toilet. It was in a separate bathroom on the opposite end of the boat.

This bathroom had just a sink, mirror, and toilet, but it meant someone could use the toilet while someone else was showering.

Here's the view of the back of our boat. You can really see how long it is and how close it is to other boats. They look like horizontal apartments.

This houseboat was deceptively large and made me feel connected to the water.

I recommend staying on a houseboat, even if for only a night or two. It was a brand-new experience for me and made me appreciate Amsterdam's canals in a new way.

• The Senate voted on party lines to effectively end Alejandro Mayorkas's impeachment trial.
• GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted "present" on both votes.
• It caps off a months-long drama that helped spur one House Republican's resignation.

And just like that, it's over.

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats voted to declare as unconstitutional both articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — effectively ending the trial.

It put a swift end to what had been a monthslong process by House Republicans, championed originally by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Democrats were unable to convince any Republicans to side with them.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted "present" on the first article, alleging "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law," while voting against the second article, alleging "breach of public trust."

Some Republicans, including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, had long questioned the case against Mayorkas but ultimately sided with his party on Wednesday — a break from the last two impeachments he's dealt with.

Senators did not officially vote to dismiss the case. Rather, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer moved for each article to be declared unconstitutional because neither article alleged an impeachable offense. Democrats agreed with Schumer's move, effectively rendering the articles moot and the trial over before House Republicans could present their case.

Schumer proposed to effectively end the trial after Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican, rejected a deal that would have allowed Republicans a few hours to debate the case. Without the consent of all senators, Republicans were left with little other power to delay the trial, as no public debate is allowed during an impeachment trial without an agreement. The only other ways the Senate could have held such a debate is either behind closed doors or for the impeachment trial to be temporarily put on hold. Republicans unsuccessfully tried to pursue both of those options.

"We gave your side a chance for a debate in public where it should be, and your side objected," Schumer said on the Senate floor after Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, proposed a private debate. "We are moving forward."

After the trial ended, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said it was "not a day that's a proud day in the history of the Senate."

Senate Republicans were also unsuccessful in their effort to pressure vulnerable Democrats to back their push for a longer trial. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, who faces perhaps the toughest reelection race of any senator, voted with his party.

House Republicans struggled to get the impeachment articles over to the Senate in the first place, initially failing to impeach Mayorkas in an initial vote in early February.

Shortly thereafter, Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin — once seen as a rising star in his party — announced his resignation soon after voting against the impeachment. His resignation is set to take effect sometime this week.

The GOP was successful on their second attempt, ramming through what is only the second impeachment of a Cabinet secretary in history.

Unable to get a full trial, a handful of Senate Republicans resorted to needling their colleagues over their historic decision to dismiss the charges against a sitting administration official before even holding a trial.

Democrats have countered that they are not worried about establishing a new impeachment precedent, since they viewed the case against Mayorkas as especially weak. The White House has repeatedly pointed out that leading conservatives, and even House lawmakers, long questioned whether the charges against Mayorkas truly met the constitutional bar of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Republicans have hammered the White House for months over President Joe Biden's immigration policies. Polling shows that Americans largely agree with their disdain over Biden's handling of the US Southern border, and they likely hoped a trial would offer a grander stage for their attacks.

Former President Donald Trump pushed Republicans to press their case against Mayorkas. But even his involvement could not paper over the disputes about what to do about the Homeland Security secretary. Greene forced her colleagues to vote on moving forward with Mayorkas' impeachment last November.

In response, eight Republicans joined Democrats to punt the issue to the House Homeland Security Committee. Greene railed against the eight Republicans but ultimately ceded the ground to Homeland Security Committee chairman Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee.

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American Horror Story is finally back with Delicate: Part 2. This season of the anthology series has been on hiatus since October and only just returned in early April, so it's been a long wait for fans of the franchise. If you're hoping to catch Delicate: Part 2 live, then you're in luck. We have all the details on where to watch American Horror Story, including both new episodes and past seasons.

Created by TV masterminds Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, American Horror Story has become one of the foremost TV horror franchises in its almost 13 years on air. The anthology series is known for using a rotating cast of familiar faces to tell its creepy stories. The horror stories include tales from a '60s asylum, a '50s freak show, and a modern-day take on Roanoke.

Season 12 of American Horror Story (or AHS, as fans call it) brings back a frequent flyer in the franchise, Emma Roberts, as the star of the show. She's joined by a star-studded cast that includes Kim Kardashian and Cara Delevingne. For the first time in the show's history, this season is based on a book, Delicate Condition, by Danielle Valentine. Delicate sheds light on some of the horrors of pregnancy and reproduction with a Rosemary's Baby-esque tone. 

New episodes of Delicate: Part 2 air on Wednesday nights. We'll show you everything you need to know about the second half of the season, including how to watch it live.

• See also: Where to watch Doctor Who | Where to watch 9-1-1 | Where to watch Game of Thrones

Where to watch American Horror Story in the US

American Horror Story: Delicate airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX in the US. For those who don't have cable, this will mean trying out a live TV package like Sling TV or Hulu + Live TV. For Sling TV, you'll need to choose Sling Blue, which carries FX. Subscriptions start at $40 a month.

Hulu + Live TV also carries FX. Plans start at $76.99 a month and are part of a bundle that includes standard Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+. This is the ultimate package for AHS superfans in the US since it grants access to live streams of new episodes and the show's entire back catalog.

New episodes of American Horror Story: Delicate will be available to stream on-demand the next day on Hulu. In addition to Delicate: Part 1, all 11 past seasons of American Horror Story (from Murder House to NYC) are streaming on Hulu. Hulu subscriptions start at $7.99 monthly for an ad-supported plan and come with a 30-day free trial. Hulu is also the home to several other Murphy/Falchuk-related shows, including Glee, American Horror Stories (which is made up of one-off story episodes), and American Crime Story. 

Where to watch American Horror Story in the UK

In the UK, Disney+ is home to every season of American Horror Story. All 11 past seasons, as well as Delicate: Part 1, are streaming in full. Delicate: Part 2 has now started airing on Disney+, with new episodes arriving on Wednesdays. The UK release came a week behind the US release. Disney+ plans start at £4.99 a month in the UK. 

How to watch American Horror Story from anywhere

If you're traveling outside the US but want to keep up your shows, you can use a VPN (virtual private network). VPNs change your electronic device's virtual location so that you can access websites and apps that might otherwise have regional boundaries. Plus, they can help increase your online privacy. Since the live TV options we've recommended require US forms of payment, this recommendation is best for Americans who are simply abroad at the moment and hoping to keep up with their existing live TV services.

If you're ready to take the plunge on VPNs but unsure where to start, we recommend ExpressVPN. It's an easy-to-use option with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can find more information in our ExpressVPN review and keep reading to learn how to use it.

How to watch American Horror Story with a VPN

• Sign up for a VPN if you don't already have one.
• Install it on the device you're planning to watch on.
• Turn it on and set it to a US location. 
• Sign up for a live TV streaming service mentioned above with a US form of payment—or regular Hulu if you don't mind watching the day after.
• Select the FX channel and enjoy the show.

American Horror Story: Delicate trailer

FX released a new trailer for Delicate: Part 2 in March. In it, Kardashian's publicist character can be seen asking Anna (Roberts), an actress, what she would give up for the life of her dreams. Check out the creepy, drama-filled trailer below:

How many episodes are there in Delicate: Part 2?

American Horror Story Delicate: Part 2 started airing on April 3, following an almost six-month-long hiatus. There will be nine total episodes this season, with four episodes airing for Part 2. The season finale is scheduled for April 24 in the US with an episode titled "The Auteur."

There are two episodes left in the season, including this week's "Little Gold Man." While this might seem like an abbreviated season, American Horror Story seasons are always on the shorter side. 1984, the ninth season, also only aired nine episodes. Most seasons consist of 10-13 episodes, with the earlier seasons running longer than the recent installments. 

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

• The Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA over a betting scandal.
• If you think that's a crisis for the NBA, think again: The NBA is happy to make an example of Porter.
• The NBA — and lots of other institutions — really wants sports betting to thrive. This move is supposed to give bettors confidence to keep betting.

How dumb do you have to be to throw away an NBA career in a betting scandal?

Or, if you don't like that framing, try this: How much trouble do you have to be in — financial or otherwise — to throw away an NBA career in a betting scandal?

I have no idea. I can't fathom what led the Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter to allegedly 1) conspire with bettors about a game he was playing in and 2) bet on NBA games, including betting against his own team.

But it's easy to understand why Porter's case resulted in a lifetime ban from the NBA, where he had reportedly earned at least $2.3 million in three years.

In fact, you can argue that Porter's case is good for the NBA: It allows the league to set a clear-as-day bright line for any other players dumb or desperate enough to do this stuff. And, crucially, it allows everyone else to believe that Porter's case is an anomaly and that they should get right back to betting on NBA games.

And the NBA, like every other pro sports league, really wants people betting on games. It believes sports betting — mostly illegal in the US until 2018 and now a booming business — is important for its future growth.

You can debate the accuracy of that theory — yes, people are betting tons of money on sports now ($120 billion in the US last year alone). But is that a narrow-but-deep niche of bettors or a wide swath of people who occasionally drop a couple dollars on a game? And you can also debate the morality of the theory — even if gambling is something people like to do, should we encourage it?

But the NBA and the rest of big-time sports — along with a sports media ecosystem that expects sports betting to generate huge payouts for TV networks, publishers, podcasts, and many other outlets — is all-in on betting now. It seems unlikely it will ever go back.

You may see some tweaks in the future to make it even less likely to see future Porters — even though sports betting scandals keep cropping up in all kinds of sports. NBA boss Adam Silver, in a statement about Porter's ban, referenced "important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players."

Silver is presumably talking about "prop bets," which move beyond basic who's going to win/by how much bets even non-betters may have heard of, and to much more narrowly focused bets, like how many points an individual player might score — or even how long the national anthem might last at a Super Bowl.

Sportsbooks often push props because they can entice betters with big payouts. (The entire plot of "Uncut Gems" hinges on the preposterous, low-odds, high-return prop bets Adam Sandler's character makes.) But you can see the obvious downside there, especially with prop bets focused on individual players — it gives players the ability to directly affect the results.

And that's reportedly happened with Porter: The NBA says a bettor placed an $80,000 prop bet that could have won $1.1 million wagering that Porter would have a bad game — and then Porter took himself out of that game after a few minutes, saying he was sick.

But these are details: What the NBA can't — or at least thinks it can't — allow is to give lawmakers a chance to rethink their stance on sports betting and make it illegal again. There's simply too much money at stake.

Which made Porter's fate an easy call.

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Those who have heard of M.Gemi's shoes are just as likely to know the startup's tagline: "Made in Italy the old way and sold the new way." And that pretty much sums it up.

Founder Maria Gangemi grew up along the olive tree-lined streets of Sicily. She would go on to mount a career in merchandising and creative for footwear and accessories brands, always reserving a special appreciation for the artistry bestowed upon shoes made in the mom-and-pop operations so commonly found in Italy. Three things ruled the hot, intimate shops clustered in town: quality, attention, and pride in one's work.

But it's not always easy to schedule a trip to Italy every time you need a new pair of flats. This is what led Gangemi to create M.Gemi — a startup that now connects anyone with internet access to shoes done "the old way" in Italy with the same quality as luxury names like Prada, for a fraction of the cost. 

The Felize driving loafer is known as M. Gemi's gateway shoe, because first-time shoppers tend to load up on more styles after giving them a try. This has rung true for us too — our favorite pairs from our M.Gemi review are featured heavily across our guides to ankle boots, loafers, and the most comfortable heels. 

The Felize is the classic driver that moonlights as the perfect travel shoe. It's been produced in over 160 unique color and material combinations since its debut. Currently, you can pick up The Felize in suede ($198), leather ($228), Croco leather ($278), glossy Naplak leather ($228), and even as suede mules ($198). 

It slips off easily for airport security lines, combines an effortlessly timeless style with extremely sensible comfort, and is made from a nice leather (or suede) and leather lining that gets better with time — molding to cup your foot like a custom-fit glove. It's the deceptively chic sub-in for sneakers on grocery trips, weekend mornings, or travel days.

Its versatility, quality, and the still-achievable price is probably why The Felize has been wait-listed over 36,000 times. 

How the Felize loafer is made

Part of the company's small-scale — and decidedly human, handmade process — means limited batches. And that can mean frequent sellouts, so not all colors and sizes are regularly available. However, the dexterity of a lean family-owned factory means that, overall, you've still got plenty of options (M.Gemi's also known for dropping styles on a regular basis, so there's always something new). 

Each pair is handmade in Tuscany in a tiny workshop that's been running for over 30 years. M.Gemi's partner artisan, Norina, oversees every detail — "including a tiny flame [taken] to the edges to singe away any loose threads." Plus, they're virtually season-less. 

Fit and sizing tips

I have The Felize Suede driving loafers in emerald green (a colorway that's now retired), and I'm happy to report that they're relatively true to size and required zero break-in time. My only fit tip is that they begin snug and grow looser and more custom-fit over time, meaning you should size a half size up for a looser fit immediately. For what it's worth, my regular size allowed for socks. 

I take them to brunch, the office, and the airport — making them one of the most versatile pairs of comfortable dress shoes I own. A rubber sole in the suede pair and a rubber peg sole in the pebbled leather pair make for distinctly cushiony steps for a signature driver. It also doesn't hurt that they've answered the age-old question of whether to prioritize strategic packing and polite outfits to the airport or the shameless, sloth-like comfort that would horrify my mother.

The bottom line

After over a year, I still wear them multiple times per week. They've worn into a customized mold over time, but haven't lost their shape. The color is still a vibrant green, and they show no real visible wear despite my frequent treks across the city. And I'd gladly buy a new pair if these ones vanished in the night. 

If you're looking for a chic shoe that can go anywhere, The Felize ($198) is my go-to recommendation for anyone that deems the price reasonable. Quality, style, fit, and comfort will deliver — so it really does come down to budget. If you're willing to spend a little bit more upfront to replace them less often, either because the fit isn't great, you're less ecstatic about the style or wear breaks down your cheaper pair, these are worth the splurge in my opinion. And, like other shoppers, you may find yourself returning to grab another pair of handmade Italian shoes from the startup before the year is up.

• Trump is cracking down on GOP campaigns that use his name and face to raise money.
• He wants them to send him a 5% cut of any money raised that way.
• His team is also reminding other campaigns not to impersonate the former president.

Republicans have long used former President Donald Trump's name and face to raise money from GOP voters.

Now, Trump's cracking down, asking campaigns to give him a 5% cut of any money that they raise that way.

"Beginning tomorrow, we ask that all candidates and committees who choose to use President Trump's name, image, and likeness split a minimum of 5% of all fundraising solicitations to Trump National Committee JFC," the Trump campaign wrote in a letter to GOP vendors this week, according to POLITICO.

The campaign is also asking fundraising Republicans not to impersonate Trump, suggest that donors aren't loyal to Trump if they don't donate, or mention the Trump family without his campaign's consent.

"Any vendor whose clients ignore the guidelines mentioned above will be held responsible for their clients' actions," reads the letter. "Repeated violations will result in the suspension of business relationships between the vendor and Trump National Committee JFC."

Trump has long trailed President Joe Biden in fundraising, and the apparent crackdown may be an attempt to make up lost ground.

• Iran and Israel have fought a deadly shadow war for decades.
• The two enemies have relied on proxy forces, assassinations, and strikes abroad to hit each other.
• Iran's unprecedented attack last weekend introduced a new dynamic into the simmering conflict.

A decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel has been thrust into broad daylight.

For years, the two bitter foes have relied on strikes in other countries, covert assassinations, and proxy forces to trade blows as part of a simmering — but deadly — conflict. Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend has notably changed the dynamics of this conflict, and it's now more dangerous.

A senior US defense official told reporters on Sunday that "it was the first-ever direct attack on Israel from Iranian soil," calling the barrage "reckless" and warning that it "risks dragging the region into broader conflict."

The fierce animosity between Iran and Israel can be traced back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which ushered in a theocratic regime in Tehran that has long opposed Israel's existence and has vowed to ultimately destroy the state.

Iran over the years has supported, funded, and armed proxy forces across the Middle East, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and has relied on them to attack Israeli interests. This has essentially allowed Tehran to strike at Israel indirectly.

Israel, on the other hand, has carried out airstrikes against Iranian assets abroad, including in Iraq and Syria, in an attempt to limit Tehran's ability to funnel lethal weaponry across the Middle East to its proxy forces, especially those close to Israel's borders.

Jonathan Lord, formerly a political military analyst at the Pentagon, told Business Insider Israel has found limited tactical success in this space, "so over time, those strikes have become more public and less covert, and certainly, we've sort of seen that grow and grow."

Israel has also tried to sabotage Iran's nuclear program, believing it to be an existential threat. It has assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists and launched cyberattacks on Tehran's facilities. The shadowy conflict has seen tit-for-tat exchanges at sea, too, including the recent Iranian seizure of an Israel-linked cargo ship in the Straight of Hormuz.

Amid persistent tensions, the two enemies managed to avoid a direct military confrontation with each other, but that is no longer the case.

An 'escalation' in the shadow war

On April 1, an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, Syria, killed several military officials, including two generals in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for supporting Iran's proxy network, the so-called "Axis of Resistance."

The brazen strike marked a significant moment in the shadow war between Israel and Iran, distinguishing itself from past Israeli actions in Syria because it targeted an Iranian government-affiliated site and high-ranking individuals. Tehran vowed to retaliate, and nearly two weeks later, it did.

Iran and its proxies launched more than 300 one-way attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles at Israel — in a large and unprecedented attack. Nearly all of the Iranian munitions were shot down by Israel and partner forces in the region, including the US.

"Clearly, firing these missiles and drones from Iranian territory directly at Israel is an escalation" in the conflict, retired Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversaw US military operations in the Middle East as the commander of US Central Command, told BI.

One country attacking the other's homeland, he added, had generally been off the radar.

"That has been shattered, and that has been changed here," Votel said, noting that what normally tends to play out behind the scenes has now been brought "much more into the open."

Israel has promised its own retaliation for the Iranian attack and appears to be calculating its next move, despite some of its Western partners calling for the country to show restraint. Any Israeli military response to the attack risks an all-out confrontation with Iran and could plunge the region into even more violence.

"We're on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it," the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero this week, stressing that "we have to step on the brakes and reverse gear."

Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, the IRGC commander, suggested that regardless of whether Israel attacks Iran or its assets abroad, Tehran will retaliate directly like it did last weekend, rather than rely on its proxies, as it has historically done. But it remains to be seen whether such remarks would actually translate into action.

Going forward, the long-standing shadow war has very much been exposed. Neither party is concerned anymore about hiding attribution for its actions, Lord said, but rather, everything is now aimed more at establishing deterrence and limiting the activities of the other party.

"There was nothing shadow about what we saw over the weekend," Lord said. What used to be kept in the shadows, he said, was no longer the case after it became so overt "and the list of usual suspects that could be involved were reduced down to two: Iran and Israel."

• Cloud seeding involves spraying salts into incoming storm clouds to increase rainfall.
• Photos show how the UAE, United States, and other countries have been seeding clouds for decades.
• Historic floods in Dubai didn't come from cloud seeding, but humans' climate impacts are playing a role.

As the desert city of Dubai flooded on Monday, onlookers pointed the finger at the government's "cloud seeding" efforts.

The program sends planes into oncoming storm clouds to inject them with substances that can help make more rain. Could it be the culprit for two years' worth of rain falling on the United Arab Emirates city in just a day?

It's a tantalizing explanation. Trying to control the weather can sound tantamount to playing god. And if thousands of years of media and oral tradition tell us anything — from Prometheus to Frankenstein — playing god has bad consequences.

But the United Arab Emirates has been seeding clouds to encourage rainfall and battle drought for 20 years. Some US states have been doing it for even longer. These programs have found that the practice has a small effect on precipitation, increasing it by about 5 to 15%, though a UAE official told Reuters that it can be as high as 30% for them.

Many other countries, including China and Australia, have experimented with the technique.

According to several scientists, cloud seeding isn't the driving force behind Dubai's historic floods.

How cloud seeding works

To "seed" a cloud, you have to spray it with microscopic particles of a salt such as silver iodide, calcium chloride, or potassium chloride.

In the UAE and many US states, planes do the job. In some places, like Utah, machines on the ground shoot the substance into air currents that can carry it into the clouds.

All these particles have a crystalline structure, similar to ice, which gives water droplets something to stick to. As the water converges, it forms an ice crystal and eventually falls as snow or rain.

This mimics the natural rain-making process that happens inside the cloud.

"Cloud seeding can't create clouds from nothing. It encourages water that is already in the sky to condense faster and drop water in certain places. So first, you need moisture. Without it, there'd be no clouds," Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at the Imperial College London, and co-founder of the groundbreaking science collaboration World Weather Attribution, said in a statement to the Science Media Centre (SMC).

The real threat behind Dubai's floods

Many atmospheric scientists have dismissed the idea that cloud seeding was behind Dubai's floods. Experts told the SMC that the rains came from a rare thundercloud system, which was already forecast to bring heavy rainfall, and the effect of any cloud seeding would have been tiny.

"This is a distraction from the real story here — that due to our collective failure to phase out fossil fuels, we must prepare for unprecedented extremes, which will worsen until we reach 'net zero,'" John Marsham, an atmospheric scientist and Met Office Joint Chair at the University of Leeds, told the SMC.

Rising global temperatures are leading to heavier bouts of rainfall across the planet, even in places that are typically dry or even in the middle of a drought. This type of weather whiplash happens because of a fundamental fact of physics: Warmer air holds more water.

"Any possible effect of any cloud seeding in these circumstances would be tiny," Marsham added.

Indeed, the UAE isn't the only desert or drought-stricken region that's been devastated by heavy rainfall in recent years. Death Valley catastrophically and historically flooded in 2022, 2023, and this February.

A series of moisture-laden atmospheric rivers interrupted California's years-long drought last winter, killing at least 22 people, by the Los Angeles Times' count.

"If humans continue to burn oil, gas, and coal, the climate will continue to warm, rainfall will continue to get heavier, and people will continue to lose their lives in floods," Otto said.

• During Ramadan, Muslims gather to break fast and honor community practices.
• This year, queer and trans Muslims created their own celebrations to rethink tradition and feel connected.
• This article is part of "Community in Focus," a series highlighting Asian and Pacific Islander events.

On a chilly evening in late March, New York City's LGBT Community Center was filled with the warmth of belonging. A crowd of more than 100 Muslims — dressed in traditional dresses and robes in vibrant teal, rich brown, and bright red — set the room abuzz with chatter as they waited for the official call to Maghrib prayer, the set time for breaking fast during Ramadan.

Juicy dates, a symbol of abundance, were scattered on each table, as they would be at any Islamic iftar, a gathering where Muslims observing Ramadan eat and break a period of fasting. Among the dates were brochures reading "There is no one way of being Muslim," along with affirmations to help guests embrace the intersection of queerness and Islamic faith.

Many guests at The Center said these welcoming messages could be rare. "I've never been anywhere like this," Armana Khan said.

From March 11 to April 9, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims worldwide gathered for acts of togetherness. They held iftars in crowded makeshift tents at local recreational centers, stood shoulder to shoulder in mosques, and prayed late into the night to deepen their Islamic practice.

But for queer and transgender Muslims, this practice of ummah, or the connectedness Muslims feel while exercising their faith together, has often made them feel excluded from traditional Ramadan celebrations.

For Khan, a 30-year-old transgender Pakistani Muslim living in Queens, New York, childhood trips to the mosque were tinged with discomfort and dysphoria because of gender-based separations.

"It was always really uncomfortable being on the men's side, and all I wanted to do was go to the women's side and be with my sisters and friends," Khan said. "Especially during Ramadan when we went more frequently, it became a place where I felt isolated."

Though Khan maintains a spiritual relationship with Islam in her everyday life, she can't remember the last time she participated with other Muslims in public. While attending The Center's queer iftar, Khan said she finally felt welcomed, not ashamed, in both her Muslim and her transgender identities.

The iftar — which included prayers led by a queer Muslim community member named Shiffa, and joyful drag-queen performances — was just one of many ways queer and transgender Muslims fostered community this Ramadan.

Reimagining togetherness and faith during Ramadan

Many queer and transgender Muslims said they'd felt isolated from traditions that emphasize togetherness, like praying at community mosques, fasting for Ramadan, or performing the Muslim pilgrimage called Hajj.

While over 30 majority-Muslim countries criminalize queerness in some capacity, many Islamic scholars disagree about whether Islam "accepts" queer and transgender people. Each scholar, institution, and government leads with their own interpretation of and perspective on Islam.

Sophia Uppal, a 28-year-old who's nonbinary, described their relationship with Islam as complicated. Some of Uppal's favorite childhood memories include waking up early to their mom preparing sehri, or the meal Muslims eat before sunrise to prepare for the day's fast.

But they said they'd also felt disconnected from Islam for so long because of the expectation to adhere to a heterosexual and cisgender lifestyle. "My mom would dress me up in hijab and clothes that did not feel aligned with me at all," Uppal said. "Now it's sometimes a deep trigger when I see gendered Islam forced upon me."

Both Uppal and Khan look back on their Islamic upbringings and recall feeling pressured to conform to generations of tradition and subjectively interpreted religious texts. At first, these teachings — like the interpretation that if a person was queer or transgender they couldn't be a Muslim — made Uppal and Khan feel excluded from their communities. But infusing queer and transgender experiences into Islamic tradition has helped Uppal and Khan create new relationships with their Muslim identities.

At the iftar, Khan reflected on how she reconciled her queer and Muslim identities during Hajj, one of Islam's five pillars.

"When I went on the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj, I continued to have very LGBT thoughts in my mind," Khan said. "I wondered, 'If God really hated me, why would he keep these thoughts in my mind and at his holiest place, nonetheless?' I realized then it was because God allowed me to be in his house the way that I am. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invited me to Mecca or even to Islam."

For Dena Igusti, a 27-year-old Indonesian Muslim, gathering with fellow queer people every day during Ramadan allowed them to reconnect with the community aspect of Islam they enjoyed when growing up.

"This is my first Ramadan where I've had every iftar exclusively with other queer Muslims, and it reminds me of the small community gatherings I had growing up," Igusti said. "We don't gather in an optic way but in a real deep sense of care for each other. It has really solidified my relationship with Islam and continued to show me the beauty of my faith."

Fostering a more inclusive Muslim community around the world

While there are very few examples of queer Muslim religious leaders, Imam Daayiee Abdullah, 70, the executive director of the Mecca Institute, and his ethos — "We don't tell anyone they are a Muslim; they tell us" — have been a guiding force for queer Muslims worldwide who are seeking to build community.

The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity began hosting inclusive virtual and in-person events for all kinds of Muslims in response to the widespread exclusion of queer Muslims from Islamic-identified spaces.

"MASGD spaces are not spaces where we're going to ask you to tell us your whole backstory about your devoutness to Islam or how you came into the faith," said Mx Yaffa, an indigenous Palestinian who's the executive director of MASGD. "We're not going to ask you the flip side either: about how queer you are or what part of the spectrum you fall upon."

MASGD aims to foster inclusive spaces, especially during Ramadan. This year, the organization launched a calendar to catalog the many queer-Muslim-focused Ramadan events hosted around the world, like queer Taraweeh and Jummah prayers, iftar events, and Chaand Raat celebrations. Hosting organizations included Queer Crescent, Queer Shia Collective, Masjid al-Rabia, the Halal and Queer Collective, and others.

At its inception in 2013, MASGD was one of the few organizations in the world that emphasized ummah for queer and transgender Muslims, but now it's one of dozens.

Queer-centered Ramadan celebrations highlight the beauty of layered identities

At The Center's iftar, when Shiffa delivered the adhan, or call to prayer, the crowd went silent.

After attendees broke their fast, they joined together in song and dance and enjoyed drag performances by queer and transgender Muslims from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

"To be in an Islamic space where I didn't have to question if I was Muslim enough or if people supported my trans identity was radically transformative," Khan said.

Being surrounded by fellow queer Muslims this Ramadan, Igusti said it was evident that their queerness is naturally complementary to their Islamic practice. Igusti added that each side of their identity continued to reveal different but inseparable parts of the other.

Yaffa similarly said these inclusive community events served as reminders of how each side of their identity strengthened the other.

"To me, Islam has never been this contradictory thing to everything else that I am. My identities amplify and elevate each other," Yaffa said. "I'm a better queer and trans person because I'm Muslim, and I'm a better Muslim because I'm a queer and trans person."

• Columbia University's president took a much stronger stance against antisemitism than her peers did. 
• She told Congress Wednesday that calling for a Jewish genocide would violate Columbia policies.  
• The presidents of MIT, Harvard, and UPenn wavered when asked the same question.

In her testimony to Congress on Wednesday, Columbia University's president avoided making the same viral mistakes her fellow college presidents did during their hearings last year.

Nemat "Minouche" Shafik, Columbia's president, appeared before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Wednesday. Republican members of the Committee, including New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, have harshly criticized elite US colleges, accusing their leaders of failing to protect students against antisemitic hate speech.

Shafik was called to Congress to discuss her school's response to antisemitism on campus following Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza. The presidents of UPenn, Harvard, and MIT had testified before Congress back in December for the same reason.

But there was a big difference between what those presidents said at their hearing and what Shafik said at hers. During her four-hour testimony, which was largely devoid of headline-grabbing moments, Shafik took a much stronger stance against antisemitism than her peers did.

When asked if students calling for the genocide of Jewish people would violate Columbia's rules, Shafik and three other Columbia leaders testifying with her all said yes, it would. Shafik added that any student who called for a Jewish genocide would be punished.

The presidents of MIT, Harvard, and UPenn, in contrast, waffled when asked the same question during a five-hour-long session in December — and two of them suffered the consequences.

Harvard President Claudine Gay answered with, "It can be, depending on the context," while MIT President Sally Kornbluth said, "I have not heard calling for the genocide for Jews on our campus." In a similarly soft response, UPenn's president Elizabeth Magill responded, "If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment."

All three presidents faced harsh criticism for their answers, which many argued did not adequately condemn hate speech. The backlash led to the resignations of both Gay and Magill, while Kornbluth has so far managed to hold onto her position.

Shafik was invited to the December hearing, but was unable to attend because she was speaking in Dubai at the time, The Wall Street Journal reported.

And that granted her more than just extra time to prepare — she also had the advantage of witnessing the fallout her peers faced, and making sure she avoided their mistakes.

She made herself especially clear. On Tuesday, the eve of her hearing, Shafik wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in which she explained the complexity of protecting free speech and political expression while also ensuring students' safety and condemning discrimination.

"Calling for the genocide of a people — whether they are Israelis or Palestinians, Jews, Muslims or anyone else — has no place in a university community," Shafik wrote in the Journal. "Such words are outside the bounds of legitimate debate and unimaginably harmful."

In Wednesday's hearing, Shafik also commented on a few controversial professors. She said that Mohamed Abdou, a visiting professor at Columbia's Middle East Institute, would "never work at Columbia again" after he voiced support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad.

Shafik was also questioned about a tenured professor in Columbia's Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies department, Joseph Massad, who had previously called Hamas' attack on Israel "awesome." Shafik said Massah had been "spoken to" about his comments. But when Stefanik pressed her on the issue, Shafik said she would get back to the committee on whether Massad would be removed from his position as chair of the academic review committee.

• The story of GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy's gunshot wound has seemingly taken on a new turn.
• Sheehy told WaPo that he lied about a shooting that he initially said occurred at a national park.
• But in newly-released documents, a park visitor "called park dispatch" to report a gunshot.

Montana GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy apologized for the discharge of a firearm at the state's Glacier National Park in October 2015, a revelation uncovered by The Washington Post after Sheehy's recent admission that he lied about being shot in the park.

Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and the leading Republican to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in November, recently told The Washington Post that he received a gunshot wound in his right arm while serving in Afghanistan, not during a shooting at Glacier National Park.

The GOP candidate told The Washington Post that he lied about his Colt .45 revolver falling to the ground and discharging in order to shield his former platoon members from being questioned about what he said was a 2012 shooting that occurred overseas.

Sheehy previously told the newspaper he was unsure if his bullet wound came from friendly fire or an enemy.

But after filing a Freedom of Information Act request, The Washington Post obtained National Park Service documents from 2015 where Sheehy said that a shooting had occurred at Glacier National Park.

"As a highly trained and combat experienced wounded veteran, I can assure you this was an unfortunate accident and we are grateful no other persons or property were damaged," he said at the time. "Due to my ongoing security clearance and involvement with national defense related contracts, I request leniency with any charges related to this unfortunate accident."

The newly-released National Park Service report said that "a park visitor called park dispatch" and stated that a firearm had discharged at Glacier National Park, which seemingly contradicts Sheehy's current statement that he was shot in Afghanistan.

The National Park Service summary didn't reveal the name of the individual who reported that a firearm had discharged at the park, according to The Post.

Sheehy in his 2015 National Park Service statement said that he retained a weapon in his car in case a bear posed a threat, adding that his firearm fell to the ground as he reloaded the vehicle.

"My deepest apologies for any inconvenience this incident caused," he said in the statement at the time.

Daniel Watkins, an attorney for Sheehy, said in a letter to The Post that the ranger didn't reveal that he had spoken to an aforementioned park visitor as part of his probe. And Watkins suggested that hospital staff in Kalispell, Mont., told park dispatchers about the incident at Glacier National Park after Sheehy's initial lie about the shooting.

"The released reports corroborate the information we have provided, and they confirm Mr. Sheehy's recollection of what took place," Watkins said in the letter.

The Montana Senate race is poised to be one of the closest contests in the country this fall.

Tester, now in his third term, is running for reelection in a state with a decidedly conservative tilt. Still, the lawmaker has successfully fought back his GOP opponents over the years, beginning with his first Senate election in 2006.

Republicans have touted Sheehy, the founder of Bridger Aerospace, as one of their most promising Senate recruits.

Business Insider has reached out to the Sheehy campaign for any further comment.

• A bill to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok is making its way through Congress.
• Legislators are concerned about ByteDance's ties to China given how much user data Tiktok collects.
• The Chinese Embassy reportedly lobbied against the bill.

China proved the point of the TikTok ban bill through Congress after officials from the Chinese Embassy reportedly lobbied against it recently.

News of the adversarial nation's pressure against the bill was reported Wednesday by Politico after more than a year of congressional deliberation on the matter. The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill in mid-March that, if enacted, would require TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app within 180 days or risk getting banned in the US.

The heart of the concerns against the massive social media app stems from ByteDance's reported ties to the Chinese government. Critics of ByteDance — including former TikTok employees — have accused the company of funneling sensitive US user information to China even after TikTok assured lawmakers its bevy of data from American users was safe.

On top of that, surveys have shown that TikTok's more than 100 million monthly American users turn to the platform for news. Given recent reports of China using social media to influence elections in Taiwan, congressional officials like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have voiced their concerns that China could use TikTok to meddle in the upcoming 2024 elections.

TikTok itself has waged an all-out war against the proposed legislation in recent months, prompting its US-based users to reach out to their local legislators to vote against it — even CEO Shou Zi Chew traveled to Washington, DC, to join the lobbying effort.

Members of Congress were already reportedly frustrated by TikTok's digital plea to users before the House voted on the ban. The Chinese Embassy's private pressure against the bill will likely only solidify the legislative body's disdain for TikTok.

President Joe Biden has said he'll sign the bill if it makes it to his desk, even though it could hurt his reelection bid.

• Trump said last week a near-total, Civil War-era abortion ban in Arizona had gone too far.
• But Republicans Wednesday shut down an attempt to repeal it.
• The law makes providing or helping with an abortion punishable by up to five years in prison. 

Arizona Republicans shut down an attempt by Democrats to repeal a contentious abortion ban from 1864 that was reinstated by the state's Supreme Court earlier this month.

Democrats attempted to introduce a bill Wednesday that would repeal the ban during a state House legislative session, NBC reported. But two votes moving to discuss the bill failed.

"I would ask everyone in this chamber to respect the fact that some of us believe that abortion is, in fact, the murder of children," Republican House Speaker Ben Toma said, according to NBC.

The ban has gotten pushback from many in the GOP, including former President Donald Trump and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake — both of whom are seeking reelection later this year. (That said, Lake praised the ban while campaigning for governor two years ago.)

Trump, for his part, said last week that the ban had gone too far. "That'll be straightened out," he said. "And I'm sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into reason."

The law effectively bans abortion — including in cases of rape and incest — except if a pregnant person's life is in danger. It makes providing or helping someone get an abortion a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Prior to the ban, abortions in Arizona were allowed through 15 weeks of pregnancy.

• Russian hackers caused a Texas town's water tank to overflow in a suspected hack earlier this year.
• Cybersecurity experts say the likely culprit is Sandworm, a Russian hacking group.
• The US earlier accused Sandworm of attacks on hospitals in Pennsylvania in 2017.

In January, Russian hackers caused a small Texas town's water tank to overflow in what was a rare but worrying attack on US infrastructure.

The Russian hacking group Sandworm is likely responsible for the attack on the water system in Muleshoe, Texas, the cyber-security firm Mandiant said on Wednesday.

Mandiant called the group a "dynamic and operationally mature threat actor that is actively engaged in the full spectrum of espionage, attack, and influence operations."

Security experts said they believe the group is likely connected to the Russian spy agency, GRU. While most state-backed "threat groups" specialize in specific areas, like collecting intelligence or network sabotage, Sandworm stands alone in trying to unify each capability into one full package, Mandiant reported.

Hackers posted a video to Telegram of themselves manipulating Muleshoe's water system, showing how they overpowered it and reset the controls, according to The Washington Post.

In the videos, the hackers refer to themselves as the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn. This marks the first attack on a public American infrastructure system by this group, according to the Post. US officials blamed a separate attack on water systems in Pennsylvania last November on Iran, according to CNN.

Ramon Sanchez, Muleshoe's city manager, told CNN that the city's water tank overflowed for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Authorities have previously blamed Sandworm, which has gone by different names over the years, for various attacks around the world, including on Ukraine's power grid and on the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea.

In 2020, The US Department of Justice charged six members of the group with crimes related to its attacks, one of which it said was also involved in disrupting the 2016 US presidential elections.

The Justice Department also accused the men of creating a virus called NotPetya, which caused $10 billion in damage to computers worldwide, shutting down the power grid in Ukraine, and taking down the computer systems belonging to a chain of Western Pennsylvania hospitals.

• Japan says first modification work on its newly converted light aircraft carrier has been completed.
• JS Kaga was helicopter carrier identified as a destroyer refitted with to carry F-35 jets.
• The Kaga will now undergo sea trials, and its results will help with the upgrades on another ship.

Japan is showing off the first changes made to one of its helicopter-carrying destroyers to turn it into a light aircraft carrier capable of operating F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters.

JS Kaga's successful modification will pave the way for another of its helicopter carriers, JS Izumo, to also be converted into an aircraft carrier.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force announced the completion of the first special modification work on the Kaga earlier this month. In a post on X, it showed off the carrier, which now features a flight deck designed to operate and launch F-35 jets.

The JMSDF noted in the post that it was still upgrading another vessel, the Izumo lead-in-class helicopter carrier, to be able to launch and recover F-35s. Once both ships are able to operate the jets, Japan will have a capability it hasn't seen since World War II.

And it'll need it, too. As of October 2023, Japan is still planning to acquire more than 147 F-35s — 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs.

Japan began to dramatically overhaul its Self-Defense Force in October 2021, creating its first amphibious military unit since WWII and launching a new class of modern frigates. It also announced the conversion of the two Izumo-class helicopter carriers into light aircraft carriers.

The upgraded Japanese warship resembles a US Navy big-deck amphibious assault ship, which the sea service and the Marines have previously explored using as light so-called "lightning carriers" in reference to F-35.

Although Japan has a long history with flattops and its navy was one of the first to use aircraft carriers effectively, the ongoing upgrades mark a milestone for it in the modern maritime era.

The project is also an opportunity in US-Japanese relations amid concerns about aggression from China, as Japan builds carriers that could eventually host American jets as well as its own, as it demonstrated back in October 2021 when two US Marine Corps F-35Bs landed on and took off from the deck of the Izumo.

In 2018, Japan said China was engaging in "unilateral, coercive attempts to alter the status quo based on its own assertions that are incompatible with existing international order." It's issued other complaints since.

China's growing military power has prompted worries from US military leaders and lawmakers, while the continued buildup of its navy, the largest in the world, has raised alarms about the US' faltering shipbuilding and what's needed for the future.

Earlier this month, China expressed concerns about Japan's partnerships and growing capabilities, particularly the potential that it could work with Australia, the UK, and the US on nuclear-powered submarines in the AUKUS security agreement.

"Given Japan's not-too-distant history of militarist aggression, Japan's military and security moves are closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

"Japan needs to seriously reflect on its history of aggression, stop its involvement in small military and security groupings, and truly embark on a path to peaceful development," she said.

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20 more races of free F1 live streams await us in the new 2024 season, and wherever you are in the world, we can help you watch every single lap. As the most popular motorsport in the world, there are plenty of options. And if you're a die-hard fan looking for the whole race weekend experience, we'll help you tune into F1 qualifying, and all Sprint events. All for free. 

This hub has everything you need to know about where to watch Formula 1 live streams each week, with multiple countries covered. Due to varying popularity and time zones, some countries charge more than others, and many lock it behind pricier paywalls. 

We're big fans of cutting down on streaming costs, so we'll find the cheapest F1 deals for you. More importantly, we can help you watch F1 online for free every week, thanks to numerous live streams around Europe. And if the race is on at a time you can't make, there are options for full replays and an extended highlights show (lasting 90-150 minutes) to help you catch up. We used these options throughout last season, too, and will continue to check they're correct for each race this year as we'll be watching them, too.

• See also: Free Champions League Live stream | MLB live stream | Free MotoGP live stream

For anyone outside the free F1 live stream countries listed below, geo-restrictions will block you from watching online unless you use a VPN to unlock them. A VPN (a virtual private network) will help simulate your device's location to be in the same country as the F1 broadcast country of your choosing, letting you watch along like a local.

Where to Watch a free F1 live stream

The simplest option for a free F1 live stream this weekend is to use a VPN to tune into one of the free options mentioned above.

None of this week's free F1 live streams come with English commentary. Instead, you would have to rely on the data at the side of the screen or driver comms, which are both usually in English. You could also use an online text commentary site or BBC Radio 5 Live to keep up with events behind the scenes. The extended highlights show we've mentioned is in English, though.

Our preferred option of all the best VPN providers to access free Formula 1 live streams from overseas is ExpressVPN, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're unsatisfied. Better yet, you can get an extra three months for free and save 49% on a subscription. Check out our ExpressVPN review for more information on the security app. 

We used these F1 live streams throughout last season and still double-check VPN compatibility with each channel every race weekend. These channels feature every race, except the Austrian option, as races alternate each weekend between ORF1 and ServusTV - ServusTV has the Shanghai GP.

How to watch F1 live streams with a VPN

• Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
• Install it on the device you're using to watch the race.
• Turn it on and set it to a country with a free live stream.
• Go to ServusTV (Austria) / ORF1 (Austria) | RTBF (Belgium) | RTL2 (Luxembourg).
• Watch on the live sections of the sites.

Are there extended F1 highlights later?

In the UK, Channel 4 has an excellent (and free!) extended highlights show a few hours after each race. As with the races, the time can vary wildly to mid-afternoon, early evening, or even later. So far this season, the highlights show has lasted for two and a half hours, which is much longer than last season.

You can tune in on the Channel 4 website online and use a VPN as outlined above to watch from outside the UK. Next up are the Chinese F1 highlights on April 21, which will be shown at 12:30 p.m. BST.

The actual race highlights are very comprehensive, too. For example, we've timed it this season, and the two-and-a-half-hour show dedicated 75 minutes to the highlights of a race that lasted around 90 minutes in full. The rest of the show features pre and post-race interviews and discussions.

This is the best option if you want English coverage and don't want to sign up for a sports streaming service. Even with the cost of a VPN accounted for, if you need one (and if you want to watch from outside of the UK, you will), you're coming out on top.

You can also watch these highlights on-demand the day after. That said, we sometimes notice this version is slightly shorter than the usual highlights program.

How to watch Formula 1 live streams in the US

ESPN has coverage of Formula 1 racing throughout the season. If you don't already have access to the channel, there are a couple of cord-cutting options for you to consider. Sling TV's Orange tier is usually $40 a month, but a special offer now sees that first month's price slashed to just $20.

Hulu's Live TV bundle also carries ESPN and is a very comprehensive bundle overall as it also includes Disney+ and ESPN+. This means it's pricier than Sling, though, and will cost you $76.99, but you can cancel anytime.

ESPN+ was an option for the first three races of the season, but that might be it for a while. We're not seeing anything else lined up on their schedules, which sadly means forking out for the full-sized ESPN channel via one of the above US options if you want a local option. As mentioned earlier, going for a free live stream from Europe will be cheaper, of course.

How to watch F1 live streams in the UK

The only free live Formula 1 race you'll likely get in the UK will be the British GP at Silverstone, as the last few seasons have seen Sky share coverage with Channel 4 for the event.

As for the rest of the season, Channel 4 runs an excellent extended highlights show a few hours after each race, which is a solid free alternative. They even do qualifying highlights a few hours after that wraps up the day before, too.

If you really want to see everything live, a Sky Sports deal is your best bet, and this is a great way to get it in glorious 4K, too. Sky has every race weekend, so you won't need to hop around between it and networks like TNT like you do for the Premier League.

If you don't want a traditional TV contract and would prefer a monthly option you can drop whenever you wish, Sky's Now TV offshoot has a Sky Sports tier that costs £11.99 for a day pass or £34.99 a month.

The main appeal of Now TV is it runs on a rolling one-month contract, but if you need it every week, it's arguably a better deal to get a proper Sky Sports package as you'll get way more bang for your buck. Also, Now TV is still operating in the dark ages and has the gall to charge extra for HD in 2024.

If you're craving an English F1 live stream from overseas, though, the online-only Now TV is at least compatible with a VPN, as are the free Channel 4 highlights mentioned earlier.

How to watch F1 qualifying

All the international streaming options mentioned earlier in this guide for the US and Europe will also show the qualifying sessions each race weekend. Japan qualifying is on Saturday, April 20, and starts at 3 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. BST, 9 a.m. CET, 3 p.m. AWST. 90 minutes of highlights will be shown on Channel 4 in the UK at 12:15 p.m. BST.

Note: Using VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

• UK Taylor Swift fans have lost over $1.2 million to Eras Tour ticket scams, Lloyds Bank says.
• The bank issued an urgent warning after it said 600 of its customers fell victim to the scam.
• Most of the ticket scams targeted 25- 34-year-olds through fake ads on Facebook.

It looks like it's heating up to be a Cruel Summer — at least for Swifties in the United Kingdom seeking Eras Tour tickets.

Fans of Taylor Swift have already been scammed out of over $1.2 million trying to purchase concert tickets, mostly through Facebook, according to Lloyds Bank.

This prompted the bank, which is among the United Kingdom's largest, to issue an "urgent warning." The warning said that at least 600 of its customers had been victimized by a ticket scam, losing anywhere from £332 to over £1,000.

Outside of its own banking system, Lloyds estimated some 3,000 more Brits may have fallen prey to the scams, losing as much as £1 million, or over $1.2 million, in total nationwide.

Most of the scams appeared to target 25- to 34-year-olds using fake ads on Facebook, the bank said.

"For her legion of dedicated Swifties, the excitement is building ahead of Taylor's Eras Tour finally touching down in the UK this summer. However cruel fraudsters have wasted no time in targeting her most loyal fans as they rush to pick up tickets for her must-see concerts," fraud prevention director Liz Ziegler said.

The popularity of Swift's Eras Tour has caused all manner of problems for its ticket-seeking fans.

Many Swift fans in the United States were forced to purchase resale tickets after Ticketmaster botched the 2022 release of tickets, prompting a congressional inquiry the following year. Swifties stateside told Business Insider they had to do serious sleuthing to confirm they weren't being scammed when they paid for resale tickets.

In July 2023, the San Francisco Better Business Bureau warned Swift fans that scammers were running ticket scams as her "Eras Tour" date approached in the city, according to ABC.

Alma Galvan, BBB regional communications manager, told the outlet that scammers will sometimes pretend to be friends on social media and sell fans fake tickets for a large price.

The BBB recommends only purchasing tickets from reputable vendors and using a credit card before a debit card, cash transfer app, or cash, the report said.

One Swift fan who spent more than $1,500 on tickets on Facebook Marketplace told BI that she insisted on using Paypal Goods and Services for the transaction because it helps users get a refund if their concert tickets never arrive.