A bird flu outbreak has ravaged the world's birds since 2020 and infected cattle earlier this year.California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the virus this week.Health officials also confirmed the first "severe" case of and hospitalization for the H5N1 virus.The burgeoning global bird flu outbreak continued its flight path across the country this week, with two major developments that point to the virus's increasingly concerning spread.California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the virus on Wednesday, citing a worrying number of infected herds throughout the state in recent months and a need for more resources.Since the state first identified the H5N1 avian influenza virus in cattle in late August, California's agriculture department has confirmed 645 infected dairy herds.Newsom's announcement, meanwhile, came just hours after health officials confirmed the first severe case of bird flu in Louisiana, saying a person was hospitalized with an infection after being exposed to sick birds in his backyard.In recent months, infectious disease experts have grown more and more nervous about the possibility of a human pandemic linked to the virus, even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has maintained that the public health risk for humans is low.Here's where things stand.Bird flu outbreakThe H5N1 virus first reemerged in Europe in 2020 and has since become widespread in birds around the world. The outbreak has killed tens of millions of birds and tens of thousands of sea lions and seals in recent years.Birds carry the disease while migrating and can expose domestic poultry to the virus while never showing signs themselves, according to the CDC.The virus jumped to cattle herds for the first time ever earlier this year in a major escalation. Then, in October, a pig in Oregon tested positive for the virus, an especially concerning case as swine can host both bird and human flu viruses.There has been no known human-to-human transmission yet. Still, the growing pattern of mammal-to-mammal transmission has infectious disease experts on guard against the possibility that H5N1 could eventually become a human pandemic."If it keeps spreading in animals, then it is eventually going to cause problems for humans, either because we don't have food because they've got to start exterminating flocks, or because it starts to make a jump in humans," Dr. Jerome Adams, a former surgeon general and the director of health equity at Purdue University, told Business Insider in April."The more it replicates, the more chances it has to mutate," he added.The ongoing multi-state dairy cattle outbreak, which is believed to have started in Texas, has infected 865 herds across 16 states, according to the CDC, and has led to a growing number of human cases among US dairy and poultry workers.The CDC has thus far confirmed 61 reported human cases and seven probable cases across the US, though some scientists estimate that the real number of infections is higher.More than half of the human cases are tied to interaction with sick cattle. The remaining infections have been traced to exposure to sick poultry or have an unknown origin, the CDC said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture this month issued a federal order that requires the testing of the nation's milk supply. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images State of emergencyCalifornia's Wednesday announcement will give state and local authorities increased resources to study and contain the outbreak, Newsom said."This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak," the governor said in a statement.Earlier this month, the Agriculture Department said it would start testing the nation's milk supply for traces of the virus, requiring dairy farmers to provide raw milk samples upon request. Up until then, cattle testing for potential infections had been almost entirely voluntary.Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine and associate chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said the declaration will likely give California a greater ability to surveil dairy farms for signs of the virus.But declaring a state of emergency could be a double-edged sword.Phrases "like 'state of emergency,' given that we've just been through a pandemic, can induce panic," Gandhi said.And it's not time to panic yet, she said.Gandhi praised the CDC's "very measured" messaging around the virus thus far and said health officials are closely monitoring the spread.

Staff at major companies have asked their leaders if there are plans to follow Amazon's full return to office.Firms like Meta, Google, and Microsoft have a hybrid setup however, execs say they're eyeing productivity.Research findings on the subject are varied, and the debate will likely continue in 2025.Executives at major companies are referencing a specific term to hedge when asked by employees if they plan to follow in Amazon's footsteps and implement a return to 5 days a week in the office.That word? Productivity.While Amazon has been the most high-profile example this year of a full return to office policy, set to go into effect in January, telecom giant AT&T has also elected to double down on in-person work with a similar 5-day policy, Business Insider first reported.In the wake of Amazon's announcement, executives at both Google and Microsoft, which require employees to be in the office at least 3 days a week, have fielded questions from staff wondering if the days of hybrid work are numbered.Microsoft's executive vice president of cloud and AI, Scott Guthrie, said the company wouldn't change the hybrid work policy unless it noticed a drop in productivity, BI reported in September.In October, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company had no plans to order employees back to the office, so long as employees remain productive during their at-home work days, BI previously reported.Over at Meta, Mark Zuckerberg said last year that "early analysis of performance data,"early-career engineers in the office at least 3 days a week. A few months later, the company announced it was requiring employees to return to the office 3 days a week.Executives at Dell called the company's sales team back to the office 5 days a week starting at the end of September, writing in a memo, "Our data shows that sales teams are more productive when onsite."Though Amazon did not explicitly name productivity as a reason for its full return to the office, CEO Andy Jassy emphasized a similar term: effectiveness.Being back in person 5 days a week makes it "easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another," he wrote at the time.For those committing to a full return to office, preparing campuses for the influx of employees in the new year is its own challenge. Amazon has since delayed the announced January 2 effective date of the new mandate for some employees because it doesn't have enough office space in some locations, BI reported earlier this month.As CEOs and company leaders keep an eye on how employees in remote or hybrid setups perform, various studies since the onset of the pandemic have attempted to measure and compare the productivity of employees who work at home and in-office. Research studies have produced conflicting results, further complicated by the matter of how best to define or measure productivity.Goldman Sachs, which has a 5-day-in-office policy, reviewed several analyses that used different ways of evaluating changes in work-from-home productivity, from call-center workers who were randomly chosen to work from home to comparing the productivity of randomly assigned remote workers with their in-office peers.In short, it's hard to say for sure, and executives are deciding what their long-term setup will be after a year in which some of the world's biggest companies put a renewed focus on being "lean" and "efficient."Meanwhile, some employees have returned to commuting in (sometimes "coffee-badging" in and returning home), others have relocated to comply with a policy change, and some have resigned to pursue a hybrid or fully remote opportunity. As companies tighten their belts and conduct layoffs, other workers have taken to workplace forums to wonder if some of the RTO mandates have been a possible "quiet layoffs" tactic.As more major global companies revisit their policies and make changes, CEOs are likely to face more questions on the topic going into the new year.For some, the answer is simple: Stay productive and we'll stay flexible.

Dual citizen Michael Stiege was raised in Canada but spent many years working in the US.The darkness and cold climate of Canada pushed him to sunny California.For Americans thinking they can simply move up north, it's not that easy, he said.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Stiege, 75, a dual citizen of the US and Canada. Stiege was raised in Canada and spent roughly 30 years working in California before moving back to Canada 15 years ago. He soon plans to split his time between the US and Canada. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.Because I'm a dual citizen of America and Canada, traveling between the two countries is virtually a non-issue.If you're an American coming to Canada, you can travel visa-free. Still, if you're planning to move here and be able to work here, that's another story.You can visit for six months as long as you leave before the end of the six-month period. You can do that back and forth all the time but you won't get access to the social system and healthcare.My friends, who used to live in Chicago, moved to California and said, "We're going to move up to Canada when we retire," butthey couldn't get a visa.This fellow's a Ph.D. and a really smart technical guy and his wife is pretty bright, too. They couldn't get a visa because they were simply too old. Once you're let's say 50 the immigration system disadvantages you. They have a merit-based point system and start worrying about things like age. That's the thinking. Once you reach a certain age, or if you don't have certain other legs up, the criteria by which you can get a working visa is stacked against you.[In Canada's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) which rates potential immigrants based on age, language fluency, education, professional expertise, and if you have a Canadian partner applicants 45 years old or older receive 0 points.]Whereas if you're a young guy just out of college, you have some reasonable skills, and you even know a few words of French, you probably wouldn't have a problem.There are ways around it, but if the expectation is, "I'm just going to go up there and apply for a visa and get a visa," it may not happen like that.I needed a change from the cold and long nights in CanadaI was born in Stuttgart, Germany. When my parents and I moved to Canada, I was about 3 and written into my parents' passports.They got their visas and eventually became naturalized Canadians, which was bestowed on me. So, for all practical purposes, I'm a Canadian.I grew up in Toronto, went to school in Toronto, and it wasn't until the early side of my career that I moved out into western Canada to Calgary and British Columbia.I have an engineering degree and an MBA which, at that time, was a pretty good combination to earn a job and make a living. I looked at theI applied to a couple of things and got a call one day. It said, "Are you interested in coming down?" I said yeah, and there I was.I needed warmer weather, and I was able to get rid of Canada's long winter nights. The summers in Canada were great you could golf at 11 p.m. but the winters were awful.Seasonal affective disorder really got to me. It's not so much the cold as the long winter nights. It's dark. My wife says I had started hibernating, so I wanted to leave that behind.I rented in the US and bought a home in CanadaWhen I moved to the US, I found that if I pushed myself, I could've bought a house, but I kept holding off. I found it easy to rent it was affordable. I could get by without any problem. What I didn't put into a mortgage, I put into stocks and stuff like that.I lived there for almost 30 years in two or three residences. I paid about $3,200 monthly in Los Altos Hills, California, right by Stanford University.I came close to buying a couple of times, but the property tax burden in California is significantly higher than what you would find in Canada.If you buy a house in California for $3 million, you're looking at $40,000 yearly in property taxes. [Zillow estimates a $3 million home in Santa Clara County would cost $36,300 annually in property taxes.] I could go on a trip for six months on that.If I did the same thing in Toronto, I might spend between $6,000 and $8,000 and that's a big difference. [According to the city of Toronto, a $3 million home costs $21,459 in city, education, and building fund taxes.]I moved back to Canada about 15 years ago. My father was 96 then, and I said, "Let's go back." My wife is Canadian, and we have family up here. We settled in and bought our house.We have a summer home up north in the lake country. It's not bad, but it gets cold in the winter.If I ever move back to the US, my preference is California.

Floating fish farms used to be a common sight along Singapore's coast.But now, their numbers are dwindling: As of October, there were 74 sea-based fish farms left, down from 98 in 2023.Local farmers say they face high operational costs and cheaper imports from regional competitors.Once a week, Alvin Yeo hops onto a small, white skiff at Lim Chu Kang jetty and heads out to a farm on the water owned by his dad.It's a breezy five-minute journey that takes him past dozens of similar floating farms along the Straits of Johor, which separates Singapore from the neighboring country of Malaysia.Formed by interlocking planks held together with thick nails and buoyed by floating barrels, these platforms are living relics of the country's fishing village past. Towering buildings loom in the far distance. Amanda Goh. The sun is harsh on most days, but the water is surprisingly calm, save for the waves created by the passing coastal guard boats patrolling the area. Towering apartment buildings loom in the background, a stark contrast to the weatherworn wooden platforms bobbing in the water.Yeo's father a former civil engineer has been in the farming industry for almost 30 years, having started a fish farm in the '90s with his brother out of passion. These floating platforms are formed by interlocking pieces of wood held together with thick nails. Amanda Goh. "My father is a hobbyist. He likes to rear fish," Yeo, 35, told Business Insider. "But he's not exactly a businessman, so the farm wasn't really making any money."For small businesses like theirs, it's a constant struggle to stay afloat. Amid rising costs, environmental challenges, and a growing reluctance among younger generations to take on the demanding job, traditional farming in Singapore almost feels like a sunset industry.Yeo is a rare exception.Dwindling fish farm numbersAround 2020, Yeo a freelance musician decided to join the trade. Together with his father, the duo separated from the original business to start Heng Heng Fish Farm.Like most traditional farms, the fish are reared in open-net cages lowered directly into the sea.While his father oversees the farm's day-to-day operations, Yeo mainly handles the business side of things. Alvin Yeo (right) and his dad at Heng Heng Fish Farm. Amanda Goh. Yeo is also trying to adopt more modern and sustainable techniques to their traditional farm, such as using solar panels for energy and introducing pelleted feed, which pollutes the water less than typical fish feed made from expired confectionary and other food by-products."I just felt that I needed to do it because I have feelings for the sea I grew up in. So I didn't want to see it just deteriorate as years go by," he said.Much like street peddlers and traditional villages, the floating fish farms are a part of Singapore's cultural and economic identity that is rapidly disappearing as the city-state evolves past its fishing village origins.The country's "kelongs" offshore wooden platforms used to trap fish used to be a common sight along the coast. The government stopped issuing new licenses in 1965.Now, there are only four "kelongs" left in Singapore."With the dwindling catch from the wild and increasing cost of raw materials for maintenance of the 'kelong,' 'kelong' owners also saw the need to move toward fish farming as a viable commercial operation," the Singapore Food Agency, or SFA, told BI in a statement, adding that some of them have transitioned to coastal fish farms over the years. Fishes in open-net cages in a floating fish farm in Singapore. Amanda Goh. Many locals still refer to these floating fish farms as "kelongs," even though they're not quite the same thing, Yeo said.Fish farms are dwindling in numbers too, even as the resource-scarce country inches toward the deadline for its "30 by 30" goal an initiative set by the Singapore government to be able to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030.Tough to beat prices from regional competitorsAccording to SFA data, there were 74 sea-based fish farms left in Singapore as of October, down from 98 at the end of 2023. This means about a quarter of these farms have shuttered in the past year.Some farmers told the local paper The Straits Times that they had between June 2023 and June 2024 to take up a grant of 100,000 Singapore dollars, or $74,500, from the SFA to help them wind down operations. Those who had accepted the grant cited"To be competitive in the market, you have to be cheaper than imports. But it's hard to fight the cost of imports, especially from places like China, Indonesia, and Malaysia," Yeo said. Yeo is on the floating fish farm every day. Amanda Goh. The cost of running a business in Singapore tends to be higher compared to neighboring countries, Kevin Cheong, an adjunct lecturer at the Singapore Management University who recently co-authored a study on sustainable fish farming in Singapore, told BI."Electricity costs, land costs, labor costs, all these things stack up against the consumer," Cheong said. "Primary production in Singapore, essentially agriculture, would be very challenging." Fishes in open-net cages in a floating fish farm in Singapore. Amanda Goh. In Yeo's farm, the tilapia he grows can be harvested in six months. At the current scale of his production, he can harvest 12 batches of around 7,000 fish each in a year.Since the floating farms are made from wood, their structure requires regular upkeep and a metric ton of Chengal wood can cost up to SG$4,000, Yeo said."We don't really earn much. At the end of the day, it's just enough to keep the farm running," Yeo said.A challenging environmentBeyond cost constraints, farmers are bogged down by the effects of the climate crisis.Rising temperaturesAlgae blooms are deadly for fish because they deplete the oxygen in the water and cause widespread fish death, he added. A floating fish farm in Singapore, located along the Johor Straits. Amanda Goh. "Open-pen sea-based farms are particularly susceptible because the fishes are reared in the natural environment, which is almost impossible to regulate," he said.Farmers, in turn, have to grapple with worsening conditions."In my dad's era, fish didn't really have to be taken care of," Yeo said, gesturing at the bags of fish pellets behind him. "You could simply feed them till they got big, then sell them. But now, you have to feed and raise them."Dean Jerry, an aquaculture professor who teaches at James Cook University's Singapore and Australian campuses, told BI that to cope with the changing environment, sea-based fish farmers have to rear more hardy species or invest in aquaculture technologies.Many of these solutions are focused on closed-cageThe challenge is compounded by the fact that most sea-based farms don't have mains power, he said. This means farmers will end up incurring extra costs installing diesel generators or solar panels to run these systems, he added. Yeo King Kwee started rearing fish 30 years ago. Amanda Goh. "It's very, very costly to implement any sort of technological solutions because a lot of technological solutions will require power," he said.The challenging nature of the job seems to have discouraged younger locals from stepping up to continue the trade.Yeo, who only knows of one other farmer around his age, has two employees a husband and wife duo from Myanmar who work and sleep on the floating farm."Local help is just impossible to get," he said.Efforts to stay afloatTo help farmers sustain their businesses, the local government has stepped in with plans to overhaul the aquaculture sector.In November, the government announced its Singapore Aquaculture Plan. Some new initiatives include increasing the supply of locally produced, genetically superior eggs and facilitating the exports of local fish to China."Our fish farms, as part of local production, cushion us from overseas supply disruptions and complement our efforts to diversify import sources of seafood," said Damian Chan, the CEO of SFA, per a media release. The elder Yeo built the floating fish farm out of wood on his own. Amanda Goh. The SFA told BI in a statement that farmers who are keen to increase their farms' productivity can rely on the SFA for advice and funding support for technology adoption.On the other hand, the Singapore government will support those who choose to exit the industry by providing job-matching and training initiatives, it said.Despite uncertainties about the aquaculture industry, some young farmers are finding alternate ways to stay afloat. Wong Jing Kai, who left his marketing job a decade ago to run Ah Hua Kelong, is one of them."Farming is considered a sunset industry," said Wong, 35. "Nobody wants to do it. So I'm like, if people don't do, I'll do it then."But instead of being a wholesaler and pitting himself against more competitive imports, Wong opened Scaled a seafood restaurant and a fish soup hawker stall, to move his fish stock.He can support his farm by supplying his own fish to his eateries, he said. "My plan is to have five fish soup stores and three to four restaurants on land. Then, I think we're more or less covered," he said.Others, like Yeo, believe that the industry will survive as long as local consumers become more receptive to eating local fish."Of course, I hope to grow the business and be in this industry for a long time," he said. He hopes to have a high-tech fish farm one day ideally on land, where conditions are less unpredictable."I take each day as it comes," he added.

Beth Graham and her brothers cared for their mother for four years after she had a stroke.After their mom died, the siblings decided to spend the $75,000 inheritance on a trip to South Africa.Spending quality time with her brothers helped her deal with the loss.I grew up in one of those weirdly close families where we all genuinely enjoyed spending time together. My dad died young, at 56, leaving my adventurous, spirited mother a widow. I'm the youngest of three kids, with two older brothers, and we all share a love of travel.Five years ago, during a visit back home to Florida to see my mom, she came into my room early in the morning complaining about "the worst headache of her life." It was confirmed later, at the hospital, that she had a stroke.For the next four years, we were her caregivers. Thankfully, her long-term insurance covered most of the expenses, but my brothers and I chipped in to cover things like round-the-clock caretakers and a new stereo so she could listen to soothing music. As a wealth manager, my middle brother managed her larger assets and took care of things like selling her home, paying off her mortgage, and settling her estate. After she died and all of her outstanding expenses were covered, we were left with about $75,000 of inheritance. Our initial thought was to split that among her three grandchildren to help jump-start their young adult lives. But one of my brothers doesn't have children, so it didn't seem fair. We began talking about how best to honor her with those remaining funds. While it may sound selfish to some, we determined that she would have wanted to treat us with something she was the kind of mom who always put our needs ahead of her own.Caregiving is hard, and we all experienced burnout at different times, both emotionally and physically, so we wanted to find a way to unwind from the past few years.Including grandkids was too complicated As my brothers and I all enjoy traveling I suggested we take a trip in her memory. Getting everyone to agree to that was actually the easy part. Deciding where to go proved more difficult.The original plan was to include everyone on the trip: my husband, my sister-in-law, and the three grandkids. I suggested we rent a chateau in the south of France or a villa in Italy since my mom was such a foodie. But because of our range of interests some like museums, others like organized tours, and others crave adventure we concluded that a relaxing vacation in a home wouldn't work. The family celebrated their mother during the safari sunset in South Africa. Beth Graham We settled on a trip to South Africa that would include a one-week safari and another week in Stellenbosch wine country paying tribute to my mom's love for great wine.We soon realized that including our kids, some still in college and others just starting new careers, would not work. They wouldn't be able to take two weeks off. So, as disappointing as it was, we decided to leave them behind. We were also very aware that this would give us the extra money to plan a more luxurious trip.A trip to honor our momWe flew business class from New York to Cape Town and spent two days exploring the region with a local guide. Then we traveled to Kruger National Park to our luxury resort in the private Sabi Sands Game Reserve and spent five days tracking the Big 5. We saw all five almost every day. Graham made keychains filled with her mother's ashes. Beth Graham I ordered three small memorial key chains. Each sibling was to bring along some of my mother's ashes so that she could join us on the trip. One evening, we gathered at the resort's bar, poured a glass of wine for her, surrounded by our keychains, and toasted her for our amazing lives and sibling relationships.After a memorable and emotional week, we journeyed on to our luxury Airbnb in Stellenbosch to toast her some more as we sampled the wines of the region. The end of our trip was bittersweet because we knew our time together honoring her with this trip was coming to an end.We spent all of that money and then some, but none of us had any doubt that she was looking down on us and smiling. As an adult, it's rare that I get time to properly catch up with my own siblings. That quality time together was special and, hopefully, exactly what our mom would have wanted.Got a personal essay about reconnecting with family that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.

My parents have given me subtle and not-so-subtle hints that they want me to have kids.But honestly, I have no interest in having kids of my own.Being child-free has allowed me to have friends of different ages and backgrounds.A few years ago, when I was in my late 30s, my dad sent me two birthday cards with the identical message "Have a child. It's the best investment you can make in your life!"My dad's wishes for grandchildren weren't new. Over my adult years, I've received subtle and maybe not-so-subtle proddings of having progeny from both my parents. That said, they didn't stir any newfound desire in me to have children. Maybe it's the simple fact that I love having plenty of alone time and pursuing my passions, but having a family has never really been a bucket list item for me.And while I appreciate, love, and respect my friends and cousins who have decided to have children, I've found that asking whether I want kids is like asking whether I want a peanut butter and sardine sandwich not on my radar, and doesn't stir up any interest or intrigue.As a proud childless cat lady, I've found that I have a greater capacity for different types of friendships.I'm able to have friendships with friends of different ages and backgroundsI can say that being child-free has likely allowed me to have the time, space, and energy to make friends of all ages and backgrounds.For example, I am friends with folks in their late 50s through 80s from my morning water fitness class. My good friends Sally and Melanie and I have co-hosted nature healing parties and other gatherings at their house, and we go out to eat when we can.I've also developed close relationships with fellow stationery and sticker lovers. We're a gaggle of folks in our 20s to 50s who are single, married with kids, divorced, or recently separated from their partners. We try to get together in person every few months to exchange "happy mail" and engage in sticker chatter and snobbery.I can make the time to maintain longer-distance friendshipsFor a while, I was able to trek across Los Angeles County to see my friend Marie, which would often take an hour each way and back.When I first got to know Marie, she was newly widowed. We met at a meditation sangha when I lived in West LA. In her 80s, she had acquired a new friend: a then-late 20-something-year-old me. What started as short conversations after meditation blossomed into a decadeslong friendship. Despite our over 40-year age difference, we were kindred spirits. Over the years, we enjoyed many happy hours, meditation retreats, and camping trips together.Despite moving from West Los Angeles to Pasadena, which meant hourlong drives to see one another, our friendship endured. And when she passed at 88 several years ago, it hit me hard.I have more time to volunteerSince I am not busy raising a family, I've had more free time to contribute to community efforts that are important to me. I'm an active participant in my Buy Nothing group, where I've been deemed "The Sicker Fairy" for delivering happy mail to the neighborhood kids during holidays throughout the year.My mom and I also volunteer at a local botanical garden. We get to dig in the dirt and spend time in nature, and we've both made new friends through the program.On occasion, I help out on an on-call basis at a food pantry. On a given day, 200 people wait several hours to receive their weekly allotment of groceries. In the coming months, I'll be putting together a money workshop for women in transition. Giving back to the community in different capacities has been greatly rewarding, and I hope to continue volunteering as much as possible.Not having kids has afforded me greater space to be present for others as a friend, daughter, partner, cousin, and "auntie." Growing up in a single-parent household where my mom worked two full-time jobs, time could be scarce. I can practice the tenets of compassionate presence and deep listening and cultivate relationships with the potential for an authentic connection.

2024-12-17T16:06:10Z Read in app Angle down iconAn icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. Jaquel Spivey as Damian Hubbard, Angourie Rice as Cady Heron, and Auli'i Cravalho as Janis 'Imi'ike in "Mean Girls." Jojo Whilden/Paramount This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Remaking movies has been a popular strategy for Hollywood executives."Nosferatu" has received positive reviews ahead of its December 25 international release.But Rupert Sanders' "The Crow" didn't need a resurrection.Hollywood loves a reboot.In January, "Mean Girls" completed its 20-year journey from film to Broadway musical to musical movie; in May, Chris Pratt revived "Garfield"; and in December, Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu" will enter theaters again more than one hundred years after its silent film debut in 1922.It's clear the industry has no intention of retiring old IP and why should it?"Mean Girls" and "The Garfield Movie" grossed upward of $100 million and $200 million, respectively, according to Box Office Mojo, suggesting that audiences are willing to buy the nostalgia they're being sold, even if they're not asking for it.Before 2025 brings even more Disney live-action remakes this time in the form "Snow White" and "Lilo & Stitch" more "Jurassic World" action, and yet another "Superman," here's a look back at the best and worst movie remakes of the year, according to critics.Rotten Tomatoes and Box Office Mojo data were accurate as of December 16. WORST: 4. "Road House"Jake Gyllenhaal and Lukas Gage played Dalton and Billy in "Road House." Amazon Prime Video Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter who's been recruited to be bouncer at a bar in the Florida Keys, in this remake of Patrick Swayze's 1989 action adventure.Critics' reactions to the film were mixed. The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday wrote, "Remaking 'Road House' is a supremely dumb idea, so it's fitting that it has morphed into a self-consciously dumb movie," while Time Out's Phil de Semlyen gave the film a three out of five star rating, writing, "The combination of Gyllenhaal's easy charm, some Florida sunshine and at least one fight scene for the ages make this 'Road House' worth stopping by. Just try to grab a seat in a quiet corner." 3. "Lisa Frankenstein"Kathryn Newton played Lisa in "Lisa Frankenstein." Focus Features Rotten Tomatoes Score: 52%Written by Diablo Cody ("Jennifer's Body," "Juno," "Tully") and directed by Zelda Williams (daughter of the late Robin Williams), this new interpretation of "Frankenstein" brings audiences back to the 1980s as teenager Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) develops a relationship with a revived corpse (Cole Sprouse) and causes mayhem in her town."'Lisa Frankenstein' tries to thread a delicate needle, stitching together a mix of horror, comedy, romance, and teen angst, all while adopting a decidedly off-kilter tone," Brian Lowry wrote for CNN. "The result is an interesting misfire, yielding a few amusing moments while adding up to considerably less than the sum of its parts."Meanwhile, The Wrap's Lex Briscuso found that the genrebending film "makes for a ridiculously brilliant spin on a timeless story over 200 years old." 2. "The Garfield Movie"Chris Pratt voices Garfield in 2024's "The Garfield Movie." Sony Pictures Entertainment Rotten Tomatoes Score: 37%In the newest "Garfield" movie it's a reboot of the Garfield franchise, which began in 2004 with "Garfield: The Movie" the lovably lazy tabby cat (voiced by Chris Pratt) meets his long-lost father and goes on a high-stakes adventure to steal milk.Mark Kennedy wrote for the Associated Press that the film is "a curious new animated attempt to monetize the comic icon again by giving him an origin story and then asking him to do things a galaxy away from what he does in the funny pages. It's like if Snoopy ran an underground bare-knuckle fight club."Yet, it was a box-office success, grossing $234.5 million at the global box office. 1. "The Crow"Bill Skarsgrd played Eric Draven and The Crow in "The Crow." Lionsgate Rotten Tomatoes Score: 22%Critics' worst-rated remake of the year was Rupert Sanders' "The Crow," a remake of the 1994 film with the same title. Starring Bill Skarsgrd and FKA Twigs as murdered lovers Eric Draven and Shelly Webster, the film follows Draven's resurrection from the afterlife to avenge their deaths and save Webster."'The Crow' is not a waste of talent or resources; worse, it just hangs there on the screen, as undead as Eric himself," Ryan Lattanzio wrote for IndieWire. BEST: 4. "Mean Girls"Avantika Vandanapu as Karen Shetty, Rene Rapp as Regina George, Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners, and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron in "Mean Girls." Jojo Whilden/Paramount Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%Looks like Tina Fey is still trying to make fetch happen, and with some success, too. Rather than a direct remake of the 2004 classic, 2024's "Mean Girls" is actually a film version of the adapted Broadway musical, complete with songs like "Meet The Plastics," led by Rene Rapp as Regina George, and "Stupid With Love," led by Angourie Rice as Cady Heron."It turns out that 'Mean Girls: The Musical: The Movie' is pretty good, and likely to succeed at its primary purpose, which is to remind you that the original 'Mean Girls' is fun. The movie gets by via a relentlessly self-deprecating awareness of the absurdity of its own existence," Jackson McHenry wrote for Vulture.He added, "Mean girls are everywhere, even among the mathletes. And so long as they flourish, we'll keep returning to 'Mean Girls.'" 3. "The Fall Guy"Ryan Gosling played Colt Seavers in "The Fall Guy." Universal Pictures Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%Loosely based on the 1980s TV show "The Fall Guy," 2024's film stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt as stuntman Colt Seavers and director Jody Moreno. When the star of Moreno's directorial debut goes missing, it's up to Seavers her former flame to save the show.Maureen Lee Lenker wrote for Entertainment Weekly that the movie is "a joy-ride of a summer blockbuster that packs all the right punches from its action sequences to its chemistry-laden central romance to its meta love for the movies and the unsung heroes who make them feel real.""Every frame is a testament to [director David Leitch's] love for movies and a reminder of why we should love them (and the people who make them), too," she added. 2. "Speak No Evil"Aisling Franciosi and James McAvoy play Ciara and Paddy in "Speak No Evil." Universal Pictures Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%As a remake of the same-titled Danish film from 2022, director James Watkins follows an American family (Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Alix West Lefler) traveling to the English countryside to stay with a family they met while on vacation in Italy (James McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, Dan Hough). But their weekend getaway quickly turns into something far more sinister."Watkins has rewired the film's dynamics, switching our focus from the beset husband to Davis's uptight wife. He's made his remake more Hollywood, but, for my money, he's also made it more fun to talk about afterward and during arranging his plot beats to encourage the audience to howl advice at the screen," Amy Nicholson wrote for The Washington Post. 1. "Nosferatu"Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp played Thomas and Ellen Hutter in "Nosferatu." Focus Features Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%Director Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu" is the highest-rated remake of the year. Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgrd, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, and more, this remake of 1922's iconic silent film, "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" and its 1979 and 1992 successors "Nosferatu the Vampyre" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula" follows Depp as Ellen Hutter, a young woman haunted by disturbing visions and the subject of a vampire's obsession. Though the film is set for international release on December 25, it's already garnered more than 90 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes."Exciting, repulsive, and beautiful in equal measure, this feels like something the writer-director has been working toward since his unsettling 2016 debut feature, 'The Witch,'" David Rooney wrote for The Hollywood Reporter."It's thrilling to experience a movie so assured in the way it builds and sustains fear, so hypnotically scary as it grabs you by the throat and never lets go," he added. Close iconTwo crossed lines that form an 'X'. 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Alex Karp grew up in Philadelphia.Karp has described his parents as hippies. Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images His parents were a pediatrician and an artist who Karp has described as hippies, saying they often took him to labor rights demonstrations and anti-Reagan protests when he was young. A 2018 Wall Street Journal profile called Karp a "self-described socialist."Karp got his bachelor's degree at Haverford College in Pennsylvania before attending law school at Stanford University.Karp met Peter Thiel, one of several people with whom he'd later co-found Palantir, at Stanford University, pictured here. Getty At Stanford, he was classmates with PayPal cofounder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel. After law school, Karp began working on a Ph.D. in philosophy at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, studying under famed philosopher Jurgen Habermas.Karp also pursued a Ph.D. in philosophy in Frankfurt, Germany, pictured here. Pigprox/Shutterstock Karp is fluent in German and speaks French as well.Around the same time, an inheritance from his grandfather sparked an interest in investing.Before heading up Palantir, he got into investing on behalf of wealthy clients. Stefani Reynolds for AFP via Getty Images According to Forbes, he quickly became successful at it and created a London-based firm called Caedmon Group, named after his middle name, investing on behalf of high-net-worth clients. By 2003, Thiel, Karp's law school classmate, had already founded and sold PayPal to eBay for $1.5 billion.Palantir was founded by several Stanford and PayPal alums. John Lamparski/Getty Images He decided to launch Palantir, along with Stanford computer science graduates Joe Lonsdale and Stephen Cohen, plus Nathan Gettings, a PayPal engineer. By 2004, Karp joined as CEO.Karp is known for being an eccentric leader.Karp is known for some eccentric behavior. Brendan McDermid/Reuters He often wears brightly colored athletic wear, keeps Tai Chi swords in his offices, and was known to practice martial arts on his Palantir cofounders in the office hallways. Karp is a fan of fitness and wellness who practices Qigong meditation and keeps vitamins and extra swim goggles stocked in his office.He's a fan of Qigong meditation. Yasuyoshi Chiba/Getty Images He told Forbes that the only time he isn't thinking about Palantir is "when I'm swimming, practicing Qigong or during sexual activity." Despite a net worth of around $7.1 billion by Forbes' estimates, Karp doesn't appear to spend lavishly.Palantir was previously based in Palo Alto, California, but since moved its headquarters to Denver. Palantir Karp has been known to sometimes work out of a barn in New Hampshire. He has never been married and told Forbes that the idea of starting a family gives him "hives."Palantir is also pretty secretive. Because of the company's contracts, many employees have government security clearances and receive five-figure bonuses for choosing to live close to the office, according to the Journal. Palantir has courted numerous controversies over the years.Palantir has drawn ire for licensing its tech to law enforcement. Drew Angerer/Getty Images The company has been criticized for licensing its technology to law enforcement, which has used it for practices like predictive policing and tracking cars' routes using just their license plates.Palantir has also come under fire for its contracts with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Palantir has also faced controversy for its ICE contracts. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton The company provides software that helps the agency gather, store, and search through data on undocumented immigrants. After employees pressed Karp on ending the company's contracts with ICE, he denied that its technology was being used to separate migrant families. Karp has responded boastfully to criticism of the company's contracts with the military.Karp has defended Palantir's use by military and intelligence agencies. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images "The death and pain that is brought to our enemies is mostly, not exclusively, brought by Palantir," he said at a talk in December 2024."You may not agree with that and, bless you, don't work here," Karp said in 2023 of tech workers who have qualms about the company's data mining.The company went public in 2020.Palantir began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2020. Noam Galai/Getty Images It went public via a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2020 at an estimated $20 billion valuation. Following Palantir's Q3 2024 earnings report, Karp boasted about the company's performance and defended himself from critics.Palantir's US revenue increased 44% year-over-year, it said in Q3 2024 earnings. Bertrand Guay/Getty Images "This is a US-driven AI revolution that has taken full hold," he said in an earnings release. "The world will be divided between AI haves and have-nots. At Palantir, we plan to power the winners."During the subsequent earnings call, he said, "Given how strong our results are, I almost feel like we should just go home."Responding to criticisms of his leadership, he said, "Instead of going into every meeting saying, 'Oh, yes, Palantir is great, but their fearless leader is batshit crazy, and he might go off to his commune in New Hampshire,' whatever thing we're saying, it's now like, yes, the products are best, and we have great products."Palantir's stock has since hit an all-time high in December. Now, Karp has a forthcoming book.Karp's book comes out in February. BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images Slated for release on February 18, 2025, his book "The Technological Republic" argues that Silicon Valley has become complacent and lost its ambition.He cowrote the book with Nicholas Zamiska, Palantir's head of corporate affairs and legal counsel to the office of the CEO.

A virus that affects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem causes polio.A young girl using an abacus in a bed at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, circa 1950. Douglas Grundy/Three Lions/Getty Images Polio mainly affects children under the age of five. Most people only have mild symptoms, but one in 200 cases causes irreversible paralysis. Between 5% and 10% of paralyzed patients die when muscles used for breathing can no longer move, according to the World Health Organization. The US had several polio epidemics in the 20th century, including in 1916 and 1937.A doctor removes special casts to examine the a polio patient's legs in 1916. Bettmann via Getty Images Polio was first identified in 1909, though it had been around for centuries, and the US had a serious outbreak in 1916, which started in New York.At the time, doctors understood very little about the disease, including how to treat and prevent it.An estimated 6,000 people died and 21,000 had resulting paralysis from the 1916 outbreak. There were a series of polio outbreaks in the 1940s and 1950s.Two-month-old Martha Ann Murray is watched over by a nurse in an iron lung in 1952. AP Photo The number of polio cases rose from eight per 100,000 in 1944 to 37 per 100,000 in 1952, according to Yale Medical Magazine. During that period, about 60,000 children were contracting the disease each year.There was an increase in people over the age of 10 getting the virus, too. Treatments for polio included hot wool and physical therapy.Larry Becker draws a hospital floor plan using his right foot in 1955. AP Photo Early on, some doctors would put patients in full-body casts, which could make paralysis permanent.Roosevelt sought relief by taking dips in Georgia's warm springs.During a 1940s polio outbreak, the Hickory Emergency Infantile Paralysis Hospital in North Carolina tried treating patients withboiled wool "hot packs" for the skin and physical therapy. Patients with severe cases lived their entire lives in iron lungs.A nurse oversees a boy with polio in an iron lung in 1955. Kirn Vintage Stock/Corbis/Getty Images Bellows inside the large metal box provided suction to help patients breathe when they could no longer do so on their own. The device was first used to save the life of an eight-year-old patient in 1928. Some famous people contracted polio as children, including Mia Farrow and Alan Alda.John Farrow carries daughter Mia out of the hospital in 1954. Bettmann via Getty Images Farrow, the daughter of director John Farrow and the actress and Tarzan-girl Maureen O'Sullivan, became ill during an LA polio outbreak in the summer of 1954."What I saw will never leave me in the hospitals and in the public wards for contagious diseases," Farrow said in 2000. Franklin D. Roosevelt started the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, now known as the March of Dimes, to find a cure for polio.Children with polio meet Basil O'Connor, president of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Matty Zimmerman/AP Photo Roosevelt founded the organization with his former law partner, Basil O'Connor, to help fund research into a polio vaccine.Roosevelt knew the effects of polio first-hand. He was diagnosed with polio in 1921 at the age of 39 and used a wheelchair, mainly in private, while he was president.Celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Joan Crawford helped promote campaigns for a vaccine.Grace Kelly with Mary Koloski at a March of Dimes event in 1955. API/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images These campaigns helped raise half of all donations to health charities in the US, PBS reported. Jonas Salk was one of the researchers working on a polio vaccine.Developer of the polio vaccine, Dr. Jonas Salk in a laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1954. AP Photo At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Salk began developing a vaccine in the early 1950s.He grew polioviruses on cultures of monkeys' kidney cells and then used formaldehyde to kill the virus.When he injected the dead virus into live monkeys, it protected them from the disease,according to the Science History Institute.After his vaccine proved successful on monkeys, Salk began testing children.Jonas Salk gives a vaccine to a child in the 1950s. Mondadori via Getty Images Salk first injected children who had already had polio. He noted that their antibody levels rose after vaccination, a promising sign that it helped the body fight the infection. Roosevelt's foundation also backed another potential prevention method, gamma globulin.A line of children and parents wait to be immunized with gamma globulin in 1953. Paul E. Thomson/AP Photo In the early 1950s, over 220,000 children were injected with gamma globulin, proteins in blood plasma that are rich in antibodies. The hope was that the serum would boost kids' immune systems and keep them from contracting polio.After looking at the data, though, a committee of epidemiologists and other experts concluded that gamma globulin wasn't effective. The gamma globulin trials helped pave the way for similar trials with Salk's vaccine.Salk gives a shot of the polio vaccine to a girl during test trials in 1954. Bettmann/Getty Images In 1954, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis sponsored a trial to test Salk's vaccine.Nearly 2 million children between 6 and 9 years old participated. They were called "Polio Pioneers."Participants were divided into three groups: the first group received the vaccine, the second received a placebo, and the third received neither the vaccine nor a placebo.The following year, in 1955, the vaccine was declared 90% effective against Types 2 and 3 poliovirus. It was 60% to 70% effective against Type 1. Nearly 2 million children participated in the trials, and the vaccine was found to be 90% effective.Jonas Salk arrives in Pittsburgh with his family in 1955. AP Photo At a press conference, Thomas Francis Jr., director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center at the University of Michigan, called the vaccine "Safe, effective, and potent."It was headline news. "The story has blanketed the front pages of all the papers I have seen along a 1,600-mile route from New York to Saint Louis, to Memphis and Dallas," Alistair Cooke reported for The Guardian at the time.Though he had some detractors, Salk won many Americans' trust.Joans Salk's polio vaccine in 1955. AP Photo It took mere hours for Salk's vaccine to be licensed for use after the announcement of its efficacy. Vaccine distribution began almost immediately.Polio vaccines are shipped to Europe in 1955. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images NFIP had already funded facilities that could start producing the vaccine right away. The US sent some vaccines to Europe, and some countries started up their own productions.Children would receive a series of shots to complete the vaccination process.Eight-year-old Ann Hill gets the polio vaccine days after Salk's announcement that it's effective. AP Photo Children needed three shots, each costing between $3 and $5 (around $35-$59 today), according to The Conversation. Shortly after the vaccine program began, a tragic incident caused several deaths.Vaccines are prepared to be distributed around the West Coast from Cutter Laboratories in April 1955. Ernest K. Bennett/AP Photo One of the facilities manufacturing the vaccine, Cutter Laboratories, had kept the live polio virus in hundreds of thousands of doses.In April 1955, over 400,000 children received the improperly prepared vaccines. The mistake led to 260 cases of polio-based paralysis and several deaths, according to the National Institutes of Health. Despite the incident at Cutter Laboratories, hundreds of thousands of children were vaccinated in 1955.Son of the US Surgeon General Leonard McCormick "Bobo" Scheele receives the polio vaccine in May 1955. Byron Rollins/AP Photo The incident at Cutter Laboratories panicked many parents and the vaccine was pulled from the market on April 27, 1955.However, after a massive effort to recheck all the vaccines confirmed they were safe to use, immunization resumed on May 15, 1955. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of children received the vaccine. Elvis got the vaccine backstage during the "Ed Sullivan Show."Oct. 28, 1956: Elvis Presley receives the polio vaccine in New York City. AP Photo If people were hesitant to have their children vaccinated, Elvis may have helped persuade them. After he got the jab in the fall of 1956, many followed suit.Within six months, 80% of America's youngest generation were vaccinated, Scientific American reported in 2021. Other celebrities, including Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, also promoted the vaccine to help inform people of all races and genders.A nurse prepares elementaary school children for a polio vaccine shot. Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images Roosevelt's foundation was heavily involved in promoting the vaccine and recruited celebrities like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald for their campaigns."There was a very early recognition that you couldn't just have white people talking about the vaccine," Stacey D. Stewart, former president and CEO of the March of Dimes, told NPR in 2021. The polio vaccine quickly began protecting people against the virus.Edward Scheffler with his mother after traveling by railroad in 1957. AP Photo Between 1953 and 1957, cases in the US dropped from 35,000 to 5,300 a year, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, Salk's rival, Albert Sabin, was still working on his own polio vaccine.Mark Stacey is visited by Albert Sabin (right) and Dr. Walter Langsam (left) in 1959. Gene Smith/AP Photo Sabin disagreed with Salk's method of using a vaccine with a killed virus. Instead, he preferred a live, yet weakened form that could be taken by mouth instead of injected.Once Sabin showed his version was effective using a trial in the Soviet Union, it was approved for use in the US in 1961.Because Sabin's vaccine was inexpensive and easy to administer many countries began using the oral method. In fact, the song "A Spoonful of Sugar (Helps the Medicine Go Down)" in the 1964 film "Mary Poppins" was inspired by Sabin's polio vaccine. A combination of the two vaccines helped nearly eradicate polio worldwide.An emergency polio ward in Boston, Massachusetts in 1955. AP Photo During the 2010s, the world eradicated polio Types 2 and 3. Only Type 1 remains. The World Health Organization hopes to wipe out the final strain by 2026, but that goal is impossible without polio vaccines.This story was originally published on August 13, 2022, and updated on December 16, 2024. Jake Johnson contributed to a previous version of this post.

The hardest part of divorce was being without my kids, especially during the holidays.I felt overwhelmed with pressure to compensate by making them extra special.Relaxing on what I thought the holidays were supposed to look like has allowed us to start new traditions.I sobbed as I sat surrounded by the remnants of Christmas morning half-eaten cinnamon rolls, discarded wrapping, and little piles of presents my 3 and 6-year-old daughters stacked up before they left to spend the rest of Christmas break with their dad.I was still getting used to sharing custody, and the hardest part was being without them, especially during the holidays.This was my new normalIt felt so wrong, but it was our new normal, thanks to a divorce and custody order specifying that we would only spend every other birthday and major holiday together.I was devastated, my mom guilt was in overdrive, and I felt overwhelmed with pressure to make the holidays better than ever, to compensate for my children's suffering, our lack of time together, and what I perceived as my failure to fix everything.I set unreasonably high standards for myself in the hopes of making every Christmas better than the one before more gifts, extravagant decorations, and fun, memorable experiences. It was exhausting, I never felt good enough, and I was spending money I couldn't afford as a single parent raising two kids in one of the nation's most expensive cities.In my quest to make up for what we'd lost, I'd unwittingly turned half the year from Halloween through their first-quarter birthdays into my own unwinnable marathon of misery.I was setting a poor example for themIt took me a while to understand that our enjoyment of these special days was inversely proportional to the size of my ever-growing to-do list, but once I did, there was no going back. Especially when I realized what a poor example I was setting for my daughters by reinforcing the patriarchal message that women, especially mothers, are responsible for everyone else's joy, even when it means abandoning our own.Moving forward, I decided to change my approach and relax my death grip on what I thought the holidays were supposed to look like. Most importantly, this meant reducing the number of items on my to-do list so I could spend more time just being with my kids and savoring their easy, childlike joy.This may sound simple, but it's just not. The expectation that moms create an abundance of magic is so ubiquitous that we're not often aware of how we surrender to it.I changed how I did thingsSo instead of spending time I didn't have putting up lights I couldn't afford, we packed into the car and drove around listening to cheesy Christmas music while admiring our neighbor's decorations and drinking to-go cups of hot chocolate not the kind you film yourself making from scratch at an Insta-worthy cocoa bar with 10 toppings, but the kind you buy for $3, mix with warm milk, and call it good.Instead of competing with my ex-husband to buy the best gifts, I finally admitted to myself that I would never be able to match his budget and decided that it was in fact a win to let him buy the laptops, smart phones, and sneaks, while I focused on more affordable and traditional gifts like books, music, and pajamas.As I began to prioritize my own needs, I realized that the religious holidays my ex-husband favored were less important to me than nature-based ones like spring equinox and winter solstice, which relieved even more competitive pressure. This was also an important reminder that holidays are just an arbitrary day on the calendar, and we could celebrate anytime.Later, when my daughters were in high school, I gave them cash for birthdays and Christmas instead of spending hours searching for the perfect gifts. They loved being able to buy what they wanted, and I loved saving myself the time, effort, and worry that they wouldn't like my selections.As a single mom of two daughters, the freedom to adapt and reimagine the holidays on our own terms was the gift we needed to truly enjoy them.

Elon Musk is the founder-CEO of rocket company SpaceX.But Musk isn't privy to all of SpaceX's classified work with the US government, per the WSJ.Musk obtained top-secret clearance in 2022.SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's security clearance doesn't grant him complete access to the company's classified work with the US government.Musk isn't allowed to enter SpaceX facilities where classified information is being deliberated upon, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.The billionaire also isn't privy to the classified cargo SpaceX launches into space as part of the company's contracts with US national security agencies, per the outlet.In October, Musk said at a Trump campaign event in Pennsylvania that he has "top-secret clearance" for his work at SpaceX.Musk obtained his top-secret clearance in 2022, following a review process that took years, the Journal reported. SpaceX's lawyers had advised the company not to seek a higher security clearance for Musk because he would have to disclose details about his drug use and interactions with foreign nationals.In 2018, Musk appeared to smoke a joint during an interview with Joe Rogan. Musk later said in an interview with "60 Minutes" that he had "no idea how to smoke pot."When the Journal reported about Musk's drug use in January, he said that "not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol" in his system when NASA requested that he undergo three years of random drug testing.As for interactions with foreign nationals, Musk's business dealings have seen him meet with various foreign leaders over the years.In April, Musk visited China, where he met with Premier Li Qiang, the country's second-highest-ranking politician. The two discussed the roll-out of Tesla's self-driving technology in China.In October, the Journal reported that Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. In a statement, SpaceX said the Journal's story was "incredibly misleading" and based on "completely unsubstantiated claims."Musk and Trump's relationship grows closerMusk's clearance status might no longer be a problem for him, given his close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump.Musk endorsed Trump and spent at least $119 billion on his campaign. In the past weeks, he has reportedlyjoined Trump on calls with world leaders,including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.In November, Trump announced Musk as the co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO will lead the commission alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.Musk and Ramaswamy have talked about significantly reducing the size of the federal workforce and shutting down entire government agencies like the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. It was valued at about $350 billion during the latest round of staff share purchases. Musk is currently worth an estimated $455 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him the richest person in the world by a roughly $200 billion margin.Representatives for Musk at SpaceX and the Defense Department did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

While fantasizing about a trip to the South of France, I realized it would be more fun with friends.I dropped my dream itinerary in a group chat with three friends I'd known for just a few months.To my surprise, they all wanted to go, and we had the trip of a lifetime.I found myself crafting the perfect itinerary to the South of France, envisioning pristine beaches and dazzling scenery from Provence to the glamorous St. Tropez and Monaco, The dilemma? Though I was planning a solo trip, I realized it was actually the perfect destination for a glitzy girls' trip. The kind you make memories you'll still laugh about years down the line. Yet, as I'm nearing 40, the number of friends I have who can take time to travel as their lives move in the direction of marriage and growing families is dwindling.So, I took the plunge and tossed my itinerary in a group chat a friend created after we all had a blast together at my birthday brunch, where they initially all met. I was nervous about the possible chorus of, "Love this but can't maybe next year?" replies. But seconds later, responses like "I'm down!" and "I'd be interested" came rolling in.Following the enthusiastic replies, we started seriously planning our trip to the French Riviera in another dedicated group chat. They rented a convertible to get around while on their trip. Courtesy of Brittany Vickers Planning a trip with women I didn't know well had some challengesThat's when the frustrations kicked off. We were four women with vastly different vacation styles who were now planning a seven-day trip to the Cte d'Azur.The first issue was the budget. The pings from the group chat were never-ending as we attempted to merge various travel practices and budgets to fit the group.Initially, it was suggested to fly into a cheaper city and completely rearrange the original itinerary. It became overwhelming, and to avoid headaches before takeoff, we ultimately settled to move forward with what I initially proposed to the group. Once we all agreed on expectations, the next step was to finalize bookings. The author and her friends had a great time on their trip. Courtesy of Brittany Vickers From there, we leaned into each other's strengths to round out the finishing touches of the planning. I assumed the heavy lifting in finding the perfect places to stay. Because we didn't know each other well, we all agreed to look for accommodations that would allow everyone to have their own room and if that didn't work, at least their own bed. We were excited to go on the trip, but also wanted to give each other space to unwind and recharge.My method was simple: I looked around for spaces that fit the bill, selected my two favorite, and created a poll in the group chat for everyone to vote. It eliminated unnecessary back-and-forth and decision fatigue.Chelsea, whom I had met in a group for girls who love fine dining, was the group's resident foodie. In a location as splashy as the South of France, it's easy to get lost in the ritzy beach clubs and restaurants and rack up unnecessarily expensive tabs for every meal. To help us avoid this, she did some digging on both the hot spots and local affordable gems. We didn't go a day wondering, "Where should we eat?" They enjoyed wine and food at plenty of local hot spots. Courtesy of Brittany Vickers Then, Jen and Michaela who I had met individually, at a late-night museum event and art gallery, respectively took on the responsibility of organizing travel during the trip, which included renting a fabulous convertible, perfect for navigating the beautiful coasts and charming towns. We wanted the freedom that comes with renting a car but also needed someone who could maneuver the endless winding roads, which Jen agreed to tackle for the entire trip. And with Michaela coordinating plans for flights, trains and yachts when needed, the group trip made it out of the chat in less than a month.We all pitched in and planned an amazing tripEveryone pitched in, which ensured no one was burdened by an unfair amount of responsibility. I occasionally chimed in with restaurant suggestions, and we designated a second captain to assist Jen while navigating unfamiliar roads.Additionally, we all gave each other freedom to explore while still relishing each other's company, whether it was sharing a bottle of wine with the freshest fish as the sea stretched ahead, partying at a beach club, or having a siesta on our sun-drenched balcony before a night out. The author and her friend took a helicopter ride while on their vacation. Courtesy of Brittany Vickers A key to a successful group trip is also accepting everyone does not have to be attached at the hip. While in Monaco, two of us spontaneously decided to splurge on a helicopter tour while the other two settled into a fabulous lunch with glasses of ros. That kind of flexibility ensured everyone walked away satisfied at the end of the trip.You often hear the true test of friendship is if you can travel together. For us, our stay in the South of France was just the beginning of our friendship. We all took pieces of each other home. Thanks to Chelsea, I'll always remember to look for hidden gems away from tourist traps, and I've expanded my wine lists thanks to Jen, who often said, "Why not just order a bottle?" I also came home with an appreciation for jumping off yachts with Michaela. While still laughing from memories we just made, we departed already throwing out potential ideas for our next getaway.

TikTok Shop is now a more popular online retailer than Shein and Sephora among Americans.TikTok Shop first launched in September 2023.A new consumer trends report found that 45% of surveyed Americans have bought something on TikTok.TikTok Shop has surpassed retail giants Shein and Sephora in the online battle for US shoppers.A 2025 consumer trends report by Coefficient Capital and The New Consumer's Dan FrommerTikTok Shop launched in September 2023, making it a relatively new online retailer compared to its peers. However, the consumer trends report said 80% of surveyed Americans who use TikTok at least once a month are aware of TikTok Shop, signaling the retailer's growing reach.That reach has helped TikTok overtake retailers like Sephora, Shein, and Qurate in US consumerSephora and Shein are two popular online retailers in the United States, especially with younger generations like Gen Alpha. Qurate Retail Group owns and operates six retail brands, including QVC. The company sells items online through its brands.Sephora helped its parent company, LVMH, achieve record-breaking sales in 2023, reaching $10 billion in revenue across North America. Shein made $2 billion in profits that year. Although Qurate's third-quarter earnings report said revenue decreased by 5%, it generated $152 million in operating income.A March Financial Times report cited three sources who said TikTok had reached $16 billion in sales in the United States. It's unclear how much the TikTok Shop has made since its 2023 launch, but the company said in its 2024 economic report that the app drove $15 billion in revenue for small businesses in the United States.The consumer trends report said 45% of surveyed Americans purchased "fashion, clothing, and accessories" from TikTok Shop. Beauty and personal care items came second at 44%. Surveyed TikTok users also indicated purchasing electronics, home goods, food, toys, books, and more from the online shop.TikTok has led the growth of social media shopping apps in the United States in recent years. TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, likely wants to replicate the success of its sister app in China, Douyin, which drives hundreds of billions in sales annually, often through influencer livestreams.Despite its rising popularity with content creators and shoppers alike, TikTok faces a potential federal ban in the United States next month.In April, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The law gives ByteDance until January 19 to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the United States. On December 6, a federal appeals court upheld the ban as constitutional.Lawmakers worry that the Chinese government could compel the app's Chinese ownership to manipulate content for propaganda or leverage the personal data of millions of Americans.Ahead of the potential ban, TikTok launched a "limited-time offer " promotion this week, allowing users to earn $50 in TikTok Shop credits to recruit a new user. Users can earn up to $350 in shop credits in total.Representatives for TikTok, Shein, Sephora, and Qurate did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Deborah and Jason Brawn bought an abandoned house in rural Japan for about $23,000 in 2023.The Australian couple plan to restore the property in the coming years as they transition into retirement.They say that integrating into the local community is a crucial part of being a homeowner in Japan.Deborah and Jason Brawn's shared dream was to buy a house in Japan.The couple from Brisbane, Australia had long been interested in Japanese culture and its way of life, having visited the country multiple times over the years.In 2023, they finally decided to take the plunge. With their four kids all grown up, they were soon-to-be empty nesters it was now or never to follow their dreams. The couple's love affair with Japan started with Deborah, who studied Japanese at university in the '90s. NekoAshi Japan. "We knew that Japan had an issue with akiya, and because we really love the Japanese lifestyle, the people, the culture, and the old traditional houses, we thought, why not?" Jason, 51, told Business Insider. "Everyone else seemed to be following their dreams. Why can't we?"A lifelong connection to JapanThe couple's love affair with Japan started with Deborah, who studied Japanese at university in the '90s. After graduation, she moved to Tokyo for five years, where she worked as an English teacher. For three decades, she also practiced karate.Her love for Japan eventually rubbed off on Jason.However, it was during the pandemic that the couple first learned about akiya, or abandoned houses, in Japan. The couple says that the akiya was built in 1868. NekoAshi Japan. Due to the shrinking population and internal migration toward cities, there are millions of unoccupied houses in rural Japanese towns.In recent years, the Japanese government started offering incentives such as renovation subsidies and even free properties in an effort to lure residents to these "ghost towns.""I'd actually looked at foreclosed properties years and years ago, wanting to buy a property in Japan before the word 'akiya' had become popular. But I was in a position where I had young children," Deborah, 52, told BI.Now that their youngest is 18, it made sense for the couple to start planning for the next stage of their lives, including retirement. That's where buying an akiya comes in."We wanted a project. Like the word 'ikigai,' we wanted to be able to get up and say, that's our passion now. We've raised kids, we want to go there as much as we can and just tinker," Deborah, a business analyst, said. They were looking for a project to work on as they were transitioning into retirement. NekoAshi Japan. However, since Japan's borders were still closed at the time, the couple did most of their initial research online. They joined Facebook groups and spoke to like-minded people to learn more about the process.They knew they wanted to be outside the city and close to nature. While browsing online listings, they put together a list of potential houses they wanted to see in person once travel resumed."We were sort of matching them against what we are looking for something old, very traditional," Jason, a construction workplace health and safety inspector, said.In November 2022, after the borders opened, they jumped on a plane to Japan for a quick visit.In April 2023, they returned to the country for a six-week trip, where they drove around and looked at all the houses on their list. The idea was to restore the akiya to its former glory but with some modern amenities. NekoAshi Japan. It was in Mitocho, a small town near Masuda city, where they found the perfect akiya a traditional Japanese house constructed in 1868, during the Meiji era. Masuda city is about a two-hour drive from Hiroshima, and a 90-minute flight from Tokyo."We drove over there, and when we saw it, we just knew that was the one, and we didn't look anymore after that," Deborah said.The property had been vacant for 12 years before they came along. The couple was told it had served as a sake brewery until the early 1900s.In order to inspect the property, they had to fill out a couple of forms for the local akiya bank. An akiya bank is a database maintained by the local municipalities for abandoned or vacant houses. The akiya had been a sake brewery at some point in the past, and the couple found a sign as well as other sake-brewing instruments while cleaning up the property. NekoAshi Japan. "They were very serious," Deborah said. "It was all in Japanese. We had to fill out a form with all our details, our families, what we do for a job, all that stuff. And then another form about our intentions and what we want to do with the house."A retirement projectThe couple paid 3.5 million Japanese yen, or $23,000, for the akiya in August 2023.It was a 7LDK, which in Japanese housing terminology means that the house has seven bedrooms, a living room, a dining area, and a kitchen.There are about 300 houses in their village, and their akiya is situated along a street leading to the community center. There's also a 7-11 across the rice field from their akiya.So far, the couple has fixed up the front of the house by tidying up the garden, as well as adding a new gravel driveway and car park. They've also restored the kitchen, and gotten rid of the old toilet in favor of a modern bathroom. The couple paid 3.5 million Japanese yen for the akiya. NekoAshi Japan. "The intent is to bring the house back to its former glory with one or two modern touches," Jason said.While they were prepared for the challenges of fixing up the old house, they were surprised by the amount of wildlife they encountered, including both spiders and snakes."And we've got monkeys, we've got centipedes, we've got bears, and killer hornets too. I was chased by one inside the house, so that was really scary even though it makes a funny story now," Deborah said.The language barrier was also a bit of a challenge for Jason, even though he's taking Japanese classes now."I can't really speak Japanese, whereas Deb can. So it puts a lot of pressure on her too," Jason said. "It's not like being in Tokyo or Kyoto where a lot of Japanese speak English." The couple splits their time between Australia and Japan. NekoAshi Japan. The couple expects to spend the next few years chipping away at this project. They have also started documenting their restoration progress on their YouTube channel."We've got no urgent timeframe, and we're not trying to make money out of the property. We don't want to Airbnb it or anything like that. This is for us," Deborah said.The couple still lives primarily in Brisbane, where their jobs are based. They plan to continue splitting their time between Japan and Australia until they fully retire in "hopefully five to eight years," Deborah said.Integrating into the local communityWhen they're back in Australia, the akiya sits empty, but Jason said they've installed cameras around the property so they can monitor the yard.The couple has also become friends with the real-estate agent who handled their akiya transaction so much so that he even drives by their property once a week just to check on it on their behalf. The couple say it is their responsibility as akiya owners to be heavily involved in the local community. NekoAshi Japan. Building relationships with their neighbors and the wider community has been the key to the success of their akiya project."We've got a good support network there, but that doesn't just come along. You've got to work at that," Deborah said.She added that they've been involved in the local community since day one, and even joined the neighborhood association.In fact, the couple says that participating in the local community is one of the most important aspects of buying an akiya in Japan. In September, they traveled from Australia to Japan to join their neighbors in cleaning up the local river. NekoAshi Japan. It's also why the local akiya bank was so invested in knowing why the couple wanted to buy the property, Jason said.In recent years,foreigners have been snapping up these old, abandoned homes, in part due to the low price tags and the lack of restrictions on foreigners purchasing property in Japan. For many of them, it's more affordable to own an akiya in Japan than to own real estate in their home countries."In most cases potential buyers are asked their intentions before attending a viewing or submitting an application," Alex Shapiro, the cofounder of Blackship Realty, a Tokyo-based real-estate agency, told BI.The local municipal governments may prioritize potential buyers who intend to live there, contribute to the local community, and pay local government taxes, he said.However, each local government sets its own rules, Sami Senoussi, the cofounder of Akiya Heaven, which offers consulting services for akiya purchases, told BI."Some rural communities, especially those with aging populations, impose stricter guidelines in an effort to preserve the character and culture of their towns," he said. In more urban areas, including Tokyo, it's less common, he added.Additionally, potential buyers may also be asked to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to fund the renovations, especially if the akiya in question requires significant repairs, he said.Indeed, while buying an akiya may be relatively affordable, the cost of fixing the house up can balloon quickly, Jason said."There's a lot of time, effort, and money that needs to go into them. And commitment you can't just turn up in the community and play no part. You've got to put an equal amount of time into the house as much as you've got to put it into the community, and forge those relationships," he added.Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

Dozens of unidentified aircraft have been spotted over cities in the eastern United States.Some of the suspected drones have been seen flying over military bases and airports.The FBI said Saturday it is still investigating but doesn't believe they pose a threat.Dozens of unidentified aircraft, at least some ofOfficials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security told reporters on Saturday that they were still investigating but had no evidence the aircraft pose a threat to the public"But ... we don't know," a spokesperson from the Joint Staff said in a Saturday statement that confirmed sightings at two military bases in New Jersey. "We have not been able to locate or identify the operators or the points of origin."New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also spoke out on Saturday, calling for more federal oversight of drones. "This has gone too far," she said.Here's everything we know so far about the "mystery drones."Where have residents reported unidentified aircraft?Residents and officials have reported spotting unidentified aircraft,New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters on Monday that some of the suspected drones are "very sophisticated" and can "go dark" the "minute you get eyes on them." Others have described the aircraft as bigger than normal hobby drones and able to avoid detection."This is something we're taking deadly seriously and we've gotten good cooperation out of the feds, but we need more," Murphy told reporters.Drones have been spotted near Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, both military bases in New Jersey, and an airport in New York serving the public and the military. However, officials have stressed such sightings are routine."This is not a new issue for us. We've had to deal with drone incursions over our bases for quite a time now," the Joint Staff spokesperson said Saturday. "It's something that we routinely respond to in each and every case when reporting is cited."There have also been reports of suspected drones following a US Coast Guard vessel, as well as local police statements on the presence of unidentified aircraft near critical infrastructure.US Northern Command, which is responsible for overseeing the protection of the US homeland, said it was "aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey," including around the Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle.The latest sightings were in Connecticut, according to a statement on Friday from StateWhat officials are saying about these mystery drones?President-elect Donald Trump said Friday on Truth Social that the drones "can't be done without our government's knowledge" and suggested they be shot down. Other officials have expressed concern about shooting them down due to the threat to local populations of falling debris. Neither kinetic nor electronic warfare methods are particularly ideal near civilian areas.Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey said on Fox News on Wednesday that the drones came from an Iranian "mothership" off the East Coast of the United States, citing "very high sources."Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh rejected that assertion in a press conference later that day, saying that "there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called mothership launching drones toward the United States."Singh said that the Pentagon has no evidence that the reported drone sightings are the work of a foreign adversary. While Iran does have vessels that can carry drones, they were spotted off its southern coast as recently as Thursday debunking Van Drew's claims.He doubled down on Thursday, saying the government isn't telling the truth. The congressman said it could be another ship belonging to another foe. A Department of Homeland Security official said Saturday that there is no evidence of any foreign-based involvement in sending drones ashore from vessels in the area.John Kirby, a White House National Security Council spokesperson, said on Thursday the United States had "no evidence" that the reported drone sightings are a public safety threat. He added that the government believes some of the suspected drones were actually crewed aircraft operating lawfully.Kirby also said that the federal government had not been able to confirm any of the sightings.Speaking to reporters Saturday, an FBI official said that the bureau had received 5,000 tips through a national tip line, but of those reports, fewer than 100 were deemed worthy of more investigation."We're doing our best to find the origin of those drone activities," the FBI official said. "But I think there has been a slight overreaction."Local officials, meanwhile, are calling for more information.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Saturday that runways at Stewart International Airport in Orange CountyMayors of 21 towns in New Jersey also sent a letter to Gov. Murphy on Monday demanding more transparency."Despite inquiries made to relevant authorities, we have yet to receive satisfactory answers about the purpose, operators, or safety protocols governing these flights," the letter says.The FBI said that it's leading the investigation. Local law enforcement agencies are also investigating.Previous unidentified flying objects and drone sightingsThere have been a number of sightings of suspected drones and other unusual flying objects over military installations in recent years.In February 2023, for example, the United States shot down three unidentified objects flying over American airspace over the course of three days. The incidents followed the US takedown of a spy balloon off the coast of North Carolina the government said came from China.As for drone activity, The Wall Street Journal reported in October that fleets of drones had been spotted over a military base in Virginia and the Energy Department's Nevada National Security Site the year prior. RetiredWhile the federal government says that the latest sightings are not the work of adversaries or a public security threat, multiple recent incidents near bases have raised national security concerns.For instance, federal authorities on Monday charged a Chinese citizen residing in California, Yinpiao Zhou, with failure to register a non-transportation aircraft and violation of national defense airspace. The Justice Department accused Zhou of using a drone to photograph Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County on November 30.Police arrested Zhou at the San Francisco International Airport before he boarded a China-bound flight.Another man, Fengyun Shi, a Chinese national, was sentenced to six months in federal prison in October for photographing classified US Navy ships with a drone in Virginia. Fengyun, a student at the University of Minnesota, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of aircraft for the unlawful photographing of a designated installation.The FBI official who spoke to reporters on Saturday said about the most recent sightings: "We are doing everything we can, alongside our partners, to understand what is happening and whether or not there is more nefarious activity that we need to explore."

Aritificial Intelligence is likely to disrupt the global workforce, research shows.Mark Cuban believes impacted jobs will be those that require simple yes or no decisions.Cuban told BI that the impact on a company's workforce will depend on how well AI is implemented.Billionaire Mark Cuban doesn't believe artificial intelligence will devastate white-collar work.In an interview published Thursday on "The Weekly Show with John Stewart," Cuban said he believes the fast-advancing technology will not impact jobs that require workers to think."So if your job is answering the question, 'yes or no,' all the time AI is going to have an impact," he said. "If your job requires you to think AI won't have much of an impact."Cuban, the CEO ofCost Plus Drugs, an online prescription service, said workers must supervise AI and ensure that the data the models are being trained on and the resulting output are correct."It takes intellectual capacity. So somebody who understands what the goal is, somebody who's been doing this for years, has got to be able to input feedback on everything that the models collect and are trained on," he said. "You don't just assume the model knows everything. You want somebody to check to grade their responses and make corrections."AI's recent advancement has raised existential questions on the future of work.The World Economic Forum reported in 2023 that employers expected 44% of workers' skills to be "disrupted" within five years, requiring a massive effort on worker retraining.A McKinsey study, however, found thatAI won't decimate white-collar rolessuch as those in legal or finance. Instead, AI can potentially enhance those jobs in the long term by automating about 30% of overall hours worked in the US.Cuban told Business Insider in an email that AI's impact on any company's workforce numbers will be on a case-by-case basis."Every company is different," he said. "But the biggest determinant is how well the company can implement AI."

Montana contractors are struggling to hire due to a construction labor shortage.Many contractors say they are actively recruiting Gen Z to get more young people into trades.Some firms have apprenticeship programs that help young workers learn on the job.Although Montana's population has grown considerably in recent years, it's facing worker shortages in several trades, according to a September report from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.Construction and healthcare were identified by Sarah Swanson, the department commissioner, as industries that would "need considerably more employees between now and 2032."Contractors say that although demand for construction in Montana is strong, they can't hire enough people to keep up with all the potential work.Now some Montana contractors are investing in recruiting efforts to attract more workers to the field, including by launching educational and apprenticeship programs and visiting high schools to encourage Gen Zers to consider construction as a career."We're trying to prove and show that these hands-on careers do have value," Bill Ryan, the education coordinator at Dick Anderson Construction, one of the largest contractors in Montana, told Business Insider. "The tide is turning a little bit," he said. "We're starting to see more Gen Z consider going into trades."Contractors are raising wages to attract workersThe construction labor shortage is not just hitting Montana, putting added pressure on contractors trying to hire.Brian Turmail, the vice president of public affairs and workforce at the Associated General Contractors of America, told BI contractors around the US are struggling to fill roles.AGC's annual workforce survey released in December found 94% of contractors said they had openings that were difficult to fill.Ken Simonson, the chief economist at AGC, told BI that the number of workers in construction in Montana grew by 7% year-over-year as of October, compared to 3% growth nationally. Even as the sector is growing in the state, there's still more roles to fill.Turmail said one factor driving the shortage is not unique to construction: an aging workforce. "We just have a lot of people hanging up the tool belts and moving off to Florida to retire," he said.He said there's also been about 40 years of federal government policy that focused on encouraging every student in America to go to college to get a four-year degree and work in the "knowledge economy." As a result, he said there's been underinvestment in vocational or technical training, and in turn fewer young people pursing trades.Some construction companies have tried to draw more people to the field with proactive recruiting efforts and higher wages including trying to attract workers from out of state. Montana has already lured a high number transplants in part due to a relatively lower cost of living, especially when compared to a state like California, where many have moved from.Ian Baylon, a tradesman from California, told BI earlier this year that when he visited Montana in 2022 and was considering moving there, he decided on a whim to see if anyone was hiring.When he reached out to a company about an opening, they quickly invited him in for an interview. A week later when he was back home, they offered him the job matching his Bay Area salary, plus moving costs and other perks.In Montana, wage growth in construction grew annually by an average of 0.6% from 2020 to 2023, according to the state government report, with an average salary of $67,386.Still, some say the growth in wages has not been enough to keep up with the rising costs of living in the state. An analysis by Construction Coverage, an industry site that reviews construction software and other services, found the average construction worker in Montana would need to work 68 hours a week to afford a median-priced home. Construction employment in Montana is growing faster than other states but contractors still can't fill all their open roles. Noah Clayton/Getty Images Apprenticeship programs allow young workers to 'earn and learn'Two of the largest contractors in Montana told BI that folks interested in getting into construction do not need any experience in the industry to get hired they can learn on the job.Representatives of both companies, Dick Anderson and Sletten Construction, said they also have dedicated apprenticeship programs that are a draw for new workers to the field, especially young people.Ryan, of Dick Anderson, said he was hired by the company in 2021 to develop an education program that would help attract and retain employees. The four-year apprenticeship program allows employees to work and earn while also enrolling in classes at a college they partner with. Students who complete the program can come out of it with an associates degree, real work experience, and actual earnings.While jobs in construction do not require an associates degree, Ryan said they can help with career advancement and promotions, as well as satisfy a desire to pursue some level of college."When we are talking to young people and mom and dad are saying, 'You're not going to work. You need to go to college,' we can at least say, 'Well, what if they're doing both at the same time?'"Michelle Cohens, who works in human resource management at Sletten, said the company also has a four-year apprenticeship program that allows employees to "earn and learn." Employees in the program also take a week several times a year to do trainings with the union, and then come back and hop right back into work.Both companies said they've developed relationships with high schools and high school educators to help reach young people, who they said seem increasingly open to forgoing college and considering trades.After several years of trying to get in front of students, Cohens said the efforts do seem to be paying off, with more reaching out about jobs. She said young people are drawn in by the chance to work with their hands rather than sit at a computer all day, and the chance to avoid taking on student loans."We highlight how good paying jobs they are, how you can get into the trades right out of high school or without any true knowledge," she said, adding, "You're not paying us to learn, we're paying you to learn."David Smith, executive director of the Montana Contractors' Association, said companies are also evolving their culture to meet Gen Z workers where they're at. Young people today, he said, don't necessarily want to work 55 hour weeks in the summer. They want breaks. They want to take time off.In the last five or ten years contractors have realized "you can't just throw a job out there and say, 'Hey, we pay big wages,'" he said. "You've got to have other things, and the construction world has to think differently too."Have a news tip or a story to share? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@businessinsider.com.

A series of NATO air policing missions around Estonia has seen F-35 and Rafale jets called into action.French Rafale jets intercepted a Russian IL-18 aircraft off Estonia's coast on Friday.Dutch F-35s intercepted three Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea last week.A series of recent NATO air policing missions around Estonia has seen Dutch and French fighter jets called into action to intercept Russian aircraft.Two French Rafale jets intercepted a Russian Ilyushin Il-18 airliner off the coast of Estonia on Friday, the General Staff of the French Armed Forces said in a post on X.NATO Air Command said the mission was the Rafale's first scramble since it began an air policing mission based out of iauliai, Lithuania.It comes after Dutch F-35 fighter jets intercepted a number of Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea last week.The Dutch defense ministry said two F-35s stationed in Estonia were scrambled after three Russian planes an Antonov An-72, a Su-24, and an Ilyushin Il-20 were identified in the region.Dutch F-35s have been keeping a watch over NATO airspace on the alliance's eastern flank since the start of December, the ministry said.It's not the first time such an incident has occurred in recent months.Norwegian F-35s were called into action in November in response to Russian aircraft "not adhering to international norms" off the coast of Norway, NATO's Air Command said at the time.Italy's air force also intercepted a Russian Coot-A plane flying over the Baltic Sea on the same day.The RafaleThe Dassault Rafale is a French twin-jet fighter aircraft that can operate from both an aircraft carrier and a land base.It entered service with the French Navy in 2004 and with the French Air Force in 2006.It is used to carry out a variety of missions, including air policing, deep strikes, and reconnaissance, according to the manufacturer.The F-35The F-35, which is billed as the "most advanced fighter jet in the world" by manufacturer Lockheed Martin, has faced criticism from Elon Musk.The Tesla CEO said on X in late November that the jet's design "was broken at the requirements level, because it was required to be too many things to too many people.""This made it an expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none. Success was never in the set of possible outcomes," Musk wrote, adding: "And manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed."Some reports have suggested that Musk may be eyeing the F-35 program, and possibly other fighter jets, for potential spending cuts through his role in the Department of Government Efficiency.Although he would likely face an uphill battle to do so, as Business Insider previously reported.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour raked in over $2 billion, more than any tour in history.One of the reasons: She capitalized on some of her most popular spots with "mini-residencies."Here's a look at Swift's touring strategy and how it's made her so rich.Taylor Swift wrapped up her Eras Tour in Vancouver last week and it grossed more than any tour in history.With 149 dates across 21 countries, the Eras Tour earned more than $2 billion, according to Pollstar. While that 10-figure sum is in large part due to the sheer number of shows she played she said the tour was attended by over 10 million people there was a strategy to her touring that helped her maximize the profits from each stop.Swift spent eight nights in London and six in cities like Toronto, Los Angeles, and Singapore. Meanwhile, she skipped nearby cities that she visited on past tours, like Ottawa and Pasadena.These mini-residencies likely added millions of dollars to her personal bottom line.The underlying business assumption was that Swifties would travel and pay big bucks for tickets, no matter where she performed. It turned out to be correct: All of her shows were sold out. Playing in fewer cities meant less money spent on production, travel, and labor which in turn meant more profit for Swift and her team."It significantly reduces the overhead of a tour," Nathan Hubbard, the former CEO of Ticketmaster who founded the management firm Firebird, told Business Insider. "Think about the cost of taking down an entire stage, packing up 50 trucks, moving it all to another town. Every night you can avoid striking the set saves millions of dollars."Swift's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.Swift isn't the first performer to employ this strategy.Harry Styles tested it with his 15-night runs at New York's Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles' Kia Forum, an extension of the Las Vegas residencies that have long minted millions for stars."Coming out of Covid, the largest artists understand that their fan bases will travel to be with them," Hubbard said. "Previously, this was just happening in Las Vegas. But so many of these cities can be a fun excursion for a fan and their friends. That's driving a lot of what we're seeing in the evolution of touring right now."BI spoke with several fans who said they traveled out of state to see and across the Atlantic to see Swift perform."I probably would've come to Scotland at one point, but it was the concert that got me here," one Swiftie from Minneapolis told BI."We said to ourselves, 'Let's just go and have an adventure," her friend added. "Tickets are outrageously expensive in the US, and this entire trip for both of us was cheaper than our friends back home paid."Of course, it's a delicate balance. Swift is considered among the pop stars most in touch with her fans and wouldn't want to alienate anyone by skipping over their local venues. But with nearly 150 shows in 50-plus cities, it would be hard to complain about her doing a few extra nights in one place and passing over another.Plus, she's charged less an average of about $219 per ticket, per Pollstar than she could have. The average resale price for the North American leg of her tour was $3,801, Pitchfork reported.And she's not the only one profiting.The Common Sense Institute said that "the totality of Taylor Swift's US tour could generate $4.6 billion in total consumer spending, larger than the GDP of 35 countries." In Europe, the total figure will surely be impressive as well.Turns out that she's an industry disruptor if not the smooth-talking huckster after all.

The infamous "lock-in" effect that's restricting home supply may be going away next year.Realtor.com's chief economist expects more homeowners to list their homes for sale in 2025.High levels of home equity and life changes will encourage home sales, Danielle Hale said.2024 has been a tough year for homebuyers.Affordability levels are still low with elevated home prices and mortgage rates. A huge jump in mortgage rates to around 6.8% today from under 3% in 2022 has also created a "lock-in" effect, where existing homeowners don't want to sell into a higher mortgage rate environment than when many of them bought further limiting home inventory coming onto the market and sending prices soaring even higher.There's reason to be optimistic, though. The US housing market will see more favorable buying conditions in 2025, according to Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. Hale sees two trends that will help encourage existing homeowners to put their homes up for sale.Existing homeowners have built up home equityExisting homeowners have reaped big home equity gains in recent years thanks to rapidly rising home values.Homeowners are also increasing their home equity by making monthly mortgage payments, as those who bought houses a few years ago have had the opportunity to make a sizable dent in their mortgage, Hale said. Homeowners with a smaller mortgage balance may be less sensitive to the higher interest-rate environment of today's housing market.According to Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, homeowners are feeling richer now thanks to the home equity they've accumulated over the last few years of dizzying home price increases. As a result, more listings are being put on the market.Homeowners can put their home equity to work when they move and buy a new house."If they're using their home equity to make a move, that enables them to either be a cash buyer or take out a very small mortgage," Hale said. "That gives them a bit more flexibility in today's market."Mortgage rates may become less important to buyers and sellersHomebuying decisions can also be influenced by factors other than mortgage rates or home prices, according to Hale.The more time that passes since a homeowner's initial purchase, the more likely it is that they'll have a life change requiring them to move, regardless of the cost of moving, Hale said.People buy houses for reasons other than financial ones, Hale pointed out. Big life changes that could spur a move include a new job, retirement, marriage, or having children."All of these can be reasons that people might make a move even if the costs are more expensive to buy a home," Hale said.Additionally, consumers might be getting accustomed to high mortgage rates, according to Redfin."Buyers realized mortgage rates may not drop below 5%, and probably not below 6%, in the near future," Mimi Trieu, a Redfin real-estate agent, said. Existing homeowners holding off on moving due to high mortgage rates may soon give up on waiting it out.A more "buyer-friendly" housing marketThese changes won't be immediate, but they will have a noticeable impact on the housing market, according to Hale. She believes that the housing market is trending in a more "buyer-friendly direction.""It's going to take more time," Hale said of the lock-in effect. "But as it diminishes, that's going to free up more sellers."Lower interest rates and subsequently, lower mortgage rates would certainly speed up the erosion of the lock-in effect, Hale said. However, even if mortgage rates hover around the 6% range in 2025, which is what Realtor.com expects, the lock-in effect will still fade.Homebuyers could see a notable change by the end of next year, Hale predicted."In mid-2024, 84% of homeowners with a mortgage had a mortgage rate under 6%. We think that by the end of 2025, that share will be 75%," Hale said.

Andre Ware 1989 Heisman winnerAndre Ware was the first Black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy. George Gojkovich/Contributor/Getty Images Andre Ware made history in 1989 as the first Black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.In his third season with the University of Houston, Ware threw for 4,699 yards and 46 touchdowns and set 26 NCAA records.Ware declared for the 1990 NFL Draft and was selected seventh overall by the Detroit Lions. However, he saw little playing time behind starting quarterback Rodney Peete and backup Erik Kramer.In Ware's four seasons with the Lions, he played in 14 games, throwing for 1,112 yards, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He later bounced around to other teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Raiders (now the Las Vegas Raiders), and Jacksonville Jaguars, but never took the field with any of them. He also played in the Canadian Football League and in the NFL Europe League (which existed from 1991-2007) before retiring.Ware was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.Business Insider was unable to reach Ware for comment. Ty Detmer 1990 Heisman winnerTy Detmer won the Heisman Trophy in 1990. Focus on Sport/Contributor/Getty Images Detmer won the Heisman Trophy during his junior year at Brigham Young University in 1990. That season, he led the Cougars to a 10-3 record, passing for 5,309 yards and 42 touchdowns.The win that perhaps solidified Detmer's chances at the Trophy was BYU's 28-21 win over the University of Miami in just the second game of the season. Detmer threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns.Two years later, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the ninth round of the NFL Draft. As the backup for starter Brett Favre, Detmer only had an opportunity to play in seven games for the team. In those games, played in the 1993 and 1995 seasons, he threw for 107 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.In 1996, he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles, and became the starter after Rodney Peete endured a season-ending knee injury. In 13 games, Detmer threw for 2,911 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.However, the following season, he was relegated to being a backup quarterback again, and only played in eight games. Detmer went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and Atlanta Falcons, but remained a backup for the majority of his career, which he finished with 34 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.Detmer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Gino Torretta 1992 Heisman winnerGino Torretta won the Heisman Trophy in 1992. Stephen Dunn/Staff/Getty Images University of Miami quarterback Gino Torretta is a 'Canes football legend. In his Heisman-winning season, he threw for 3,070 yards and 19 touchdowns to lead the Hurricanes to an undefeated regular season. He also won the Davey O'Brien Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Award, the Johnny Unitas Trophy, and the Chic Harley Award.But despite his collegiate success, Torretta was selected in the seventh round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. After not playing at all his rookie season, he was picked up by the Detroit Lions but again as a backup.Torretta only ever played in one NFL game as quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. He completed five of his 16 passes for 41 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He retired from the NFL in 1999.Torretta did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Danny Wuerffel 1996 Heisman winnerDanny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy in 1996. Jonathan Daniel/Stringer/Getty Images Wuerffel's Heisman-winning season with the University of Florida Gators saw him pass for 3,625 passing yards and 36 touchdowns, leading the team to an 11-1 record.The following year, he was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 99th pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. Across his three seasons with the Saints, Wuerffel played in 16 games, throwing for 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns.He also spent single seasons in Green Bay, Chicago, and Washington before retiring after the 2002 season.In an email sent to Business Insider, Wuerffel said, "While I didn't have the NFL career I dreamt of as a kid, I still consider my time in the NFL a success. I met many amazing people and, more importantly, my pro journey led me to New Orleans where my life's mission of serving others began with Desire Street Ministries."Desire Street Ministries is a religious organization that was founded in 1990. Wuerffel is the executive director. Ron Dayne 1999 Heisman winnerRon Dayne won the Heisman Trophy in 1999. Bob Levey/Stringer/NFLPhotoLibrary/Getty Images Ron Dayne was one of the most prolific rushers in college football history, with a University of Wisconsin career total of 6,397 yards, not including statistics from bowl game appearances.He earned the Heisman Trophy after his senior season, as one of just five players to finish each year of his collegiate career with more then 1,000 rushing yards. He's also the only Big Ten player to win back-to-back Rose Bowl MVP awards.Dayne now holds the record for second-most all-time rushing yards, though if his bowl game statistics were included (like the current all-time leader Donnel Pumphrey), he would lead with 7,125 total yards.In the 2000 NFL Draft, Dayne was selected by the New York Giants. He finished his rookie season with 770 rushing yards for five touchdowns, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. His stats remained similar during his following three seasons with the Giants, recording 1,297 yards for 11 touchdowns and averaging between 3.4 and 3.8 yards per carry.For context, in 2002, the top-10 running backs each rushed more than 1,297 yards that season.Dayne later spent one season with the Denver Broncos and two seasons with the Houston Texans. He finished his NFL career with 3,722 yards and 28 touchdowns across seven seasons.He did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Chris Weinke 2000 Heisman winnerChris Weinke won the Heisman Trophy at 28 years old. Gregory Shamus/Stringer/Getty Images Prior to pursuing a career in football, Weinke was actually selected in the second round of the 1990 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He played in the minor leagues until 1997 before attending Florida State University at 25 years old.In his Heisman-winning senior season at age 28 Weinke led the NCAA in passing yards with 4,167. He is the oldest athlete to ever win the Heisman Trophy, and he still leads the Seminoles in all-time passing yards with 9,839.He was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. As a rookie, Weinke threw for 2,931 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions; and the Panthers finished the season 1-15. He remained with the Panthers for the following three seasons as a backup, playing in just 12 games and recording three touchdowns.Weinke spent his last season in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup quarterback. He played in two games, threw for 104 yards, and one touchdown.He's now an assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech University. He did not reply to Business Insider's request for comment. Johnny Manziel 2012 Heisman winnerJohnny Manziel played in the NFL for two seasons. Stephen Brashear/Stringer/Getty Images In 2012, Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy after a stellar season at Texas A&M.Nicknamed "Johnny Football," Manziel threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed 1,410 yards for an additional 21 touchdowns. He returned to the Aggies the following year and finished the season with 4,114 passing yards for 37 touchdowns, and 759 rushing yards for nine touchdowns.After just two collegiate seasons, Manziel declared for the NFL Draft and was selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2014.But before he could take his first NFL snap, Cleveland.com reported that the Browns were "alarmed" by Manziel's off-field partying. His troubles continued into the season, from flashing an obscene gesture at the Washington bench during a preseason game in August to seeking treatment in January 2015.In the post-game press conference, Manziel said he gets "words exchanged" with him throughout every game, adding, "I should've been smarter ... I need to be smarter than that. There's always words exchanged on the football field." He also described the moment as a "lapse in judgement."He finished his rookie year having played in just five games, passing for 175 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions for a passer rating of 42.0. Manziel returned to Cleveland the following season, where he played in nine games and passed for 1,500 yards and seven touchdowns.However, it was off-field troubles that continued to plague Manziel's career, including a 2016 misdemeanor domestic violence charge. ESPN reported that the charges were dismissed in November 2017 after Manziel met the requirements of a dismissal agreement.The Browns released Manziel in March 2016."When I got to Cleveland, I wasn't in this head space to be able to just go play football," Manziel told Business Insider's Meredith Cash in 2023. "I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning. I was struggling to fight thoughts and feelings that I had never really had before in my life.""I know that I'm still gonna walk down the street or go to a restaurant or go to a football game and people are still gonna recognize me," Manziel added. "But at the end of the day, I wanna live a more normal, simplistic lifestyle now. I'm finding things that truly do make me happy without having to be in a spotlight every day."Manziel did not reply to Business Insider's request for additional comment for this story.

"Barbie" director Greta Gerwig said she was at "totally zero" regarding ideas for a sequel.THR reported in December 2024 that "Barbie 2" is in "early stages" based on a concept from Gerwig and Noah Baumbach.However, reps for Gerwig, Baumbach, and Warner Bros. denied THR's report, calling it inaccurate.It looks like everyone is living in a "Barbie" world, and the party might not be over yet.The 2023 Greta Gerwig-directed movie starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken raked in $1.4 billion globally, winning the box office battle against Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer.""Barbie" wasn't just a box office sensation. The movie earned an 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, landed eight Oscar nominations, and became a pop culture phenomenon.Given its critical and commercial success, it's only natural to wonder whether the studio is planning "Barbie 2" with Mattel, the toy company behind Barbie.Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz previously told Time magazine that the company is keen to make "more 'Barbie' movies.""We're looking to create movies that become cultural events. If you can excite filmmakers like Greta and Noah to embrace the opportunity and have creative freedom, you can have a real impact," he said.At the time, Gerwig said she was unsure about taking on a sequel, but a new report suggests that she might be back for more.Greta Gerwig addressed 'Barbie 2' in a 2023 interview with The New York TimesIn an interview published in July 2023, the director told The New York Times that she exhausted all her ideas for "Barbie.""I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I'll never have another idea, and everything I've ever wanted to do, I did," Gerwig said.She added, "I wouldn't want to squash anybody else's dream but for me, at this moment, I'm at totally zero."However, speaking to Uproxx about Ken's obsession with Sylvester Stallone in the movie, Gerwig joked that the "Rocky" star could show up in "Barbie 2," or even direct it himself."You never know!" she said. "Or that he's going to direct it. I mean, he's welcome to it. It would be an honor. It would be such an honor."While Gerwig wasn't sold on the idea of returning, star and producer Robbie told Time in June 2023 that conversations about a sequel had yet to happen."It could go a million different directions from this point," she said.But Robbie also said that "you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels."Mattel is also looking to make movies based on its other properties, like a Hot Wheels movie being developed by J.J. Abrams.A new report suggested a 'Barbie' sequel could be in the works, but it's unclearOn December 13, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter published a story reporting that Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who cowrote the "Barbie" screenplay, presented Warner Bros. with an idea for a sequel that was in the "early stages." The publication also said that talks about a deal were in similarly early stages.Don't get excited yet, though: Gerwig and Baumbach's rep denied THR's report, telling the publication, "There is no legitimacy to this reporting."And a rep for Warner Bros. said, "THR'sreporting is inaccurate."

OpenAI published Elon Musk's old emails in a blog post on Friday.The AI company released its version of a timeline of events amid a brewing legal feud with Musk.In a 2015 email, Musk said OpenAI's nonprofit structure didn't seem "optimal."OpenAI responded to co-founder Elon Musk on Friday with a new legal filing and a pointed blog post featuring the billionaire's old emails in which he pushed for the AI startup to be for-profit.The emails and filingfeud between OpenAI and Musk. Last month, Musk asked a federal court to stop OpenAI from moving to a for-profit business structure. In the last year, Musk has twice sued OpenAI in an effort to stop the startup from adopting a more traditional business structure.In a Friday afternoon legal filing, OpenAI accused Musk of trying to hobble the AI startup while he perfects his competitor, xAI.The company also detailed its version of a timeline of events in a post titled "Elon Musk wanted an OpenAI for profit," saying that the Tesla CEO "not only wanted, but actually created a for-profit" structure in 2017.The emails stand in contrast to Musk's more recent public stance against OpenAI transitioning from a not-for-profit company to a for-profit organization.Musk did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.In one image of a November 2015 email, Musk wrote to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that the startup's then-non-profit structure "doesn't seem optimal," according to the post.OpenAI wrote in the blog that the company and Musk both agreed that a for-profit was the next step for the startup in the fall of 2017. But when Musk failed to win majority equity, OpenAI accused him of walking away and saying the company would "fail."Musk left the OpenAI board in 2018, but his lawyers have said he continued contributing to the company until 2020."Now that OpenAI is the leading AI research lab and Elon runs a competing AI company, he's asking the court to stop us from effectively pursuing our mission," OpenAI wrote this week.Musk announced xAI, his competitor to OpenAI, last year and has since released the Grok chatbot.OpenAI also published Musk's private emails in March after Musk sued OpenAI and Altman.In a November 2015 email published earlier this year, Musk said the company should say it was starting with a funding commitment of $1 billion, promising to cover "whatever anyone else doesn't provide."OpenAI also accused Musk at the time of wanting the startup to merge with Tesla and be its "cash cow."Musk's most recent filing is his fourth attempt in less than a year to "reframe his claims," OpenAI said in the blog post."You can't sue your way to AGI," the company wrote in the blog post. "We have great respect for Elon's accomplishments and gratitude for his early contributions to OpenAI, but he should be competing in the marketplace rather than the courtroom."

My preteen feels left out because he's one of the few kids in his class without a cellphone.My husband and I are concerned he lacks the impulse control for a phone or smartwatch.We decided against getting him one for now, but will keep an open conversation about the topic.My 12-year-old feels left out at school because he's not in a group chat with his classmates. He says he's one of the only kids in his class without a phone or smartwatch. At first, I was surprised, but Common Sense Media reported that 71% of 12-year-olds had their own smartphone as of 2021.I don't want my son to feel left out. However, he already owns a Nintendo Switch, a Kindle, and an iPad. Even with strict screen usage limits, his access to the digital world feels robust enough for his age.At the kitchen table a few nights ago, my son wrote a persuasive essay about why he should be permitted a smartwatch or a phone. It was well-researched, including this zinger: "I only need to use it when I go out with friends, so you don't worry about me. I can leave it on the charger when I'm at home."It sounds innocent enough a tool that will keep him in contact with us when he isn't home. However, I doubt the device will live on the charger. I've heard from other parents whose preteens are in the school group chat, that the messages come in fast succession and often at odd hours. With access, my son will likely obsess over the influx of messages, making his emotional attachments to friends even more complex.I worry about the consequences of getting him a phoneFor preteens, a phone or other tech device often has more consequences than only staying connected, Dr. Kyra Bobinet, a physician and behavioral expert, told Business Insider. Because the prefrontal cortex, which manages impulse control and decision-making, is still developing, "introducing phones too early may overwhelm a preteen with constant notifications and endless online options, making it harder for them to self-regulate," she said. These distractions can make it hard for them to form boundaries around screens.Our preteen already melts down when his timer rings to turn off his devices, and he sometimes attempts to sneak more screen time. In my experience, he lacks the impulse control and self-constraint for a cellphone or smartwatch.Dr. Zishan Khan, a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, said that because preteens (children between ages 9 and 12) are in critical stages of emotional and cognitive development, devices can expose them to adult content, peer pressure, and social media dynamics they aren't ready for.Excessive screen time can impair their ability to focus. He added that it can also contribute to sleep disruption and interfere with their development of healthy coping strategies and positive social skills. Khan also said that preteen phone usage comes with other risks, such as cyberbullying and privacy and safety concerns."They may not fully understand the implications of oversharing on the internet, whether through text, photos, or geolocation features," he said. "It never ceases to amaze me how many times a very intelligent, well-meaning, and genuinely innocent child is coerced into doing things totally out of character, even being convinced to share inappropriate pictures.My preteen is more tech-savvy than I am. Even if we give him a phone with boundaries, it's possible he'd outsmart our restrictions.While we decided against it, we're keeping open communication about the issueMy husband and I took a few simple steps immediately following our son's request. We communicated with our son why we don't feel he's ready for a phone or smartwatch, including a conversation about his current behavior patterns.We told him that we don't know when he'll get a device, and we also assured him that when we do get him a phone or smartwatch, we'll need to enforce healthy boundaries and restrictions. In the meantime, we offered him a compromise. He can use our phones to text friends until the time comes to get him his own device. We also promised to schedule intentional time with friends outside school so he doesn't feel as left out.Although my preteen isn't happy with the decision, my husband and I strive for open, honest dialogue at home. I hope this will create bridges in our relationship instead of building walls because, like all well-meaning parents, we want to enter the teenage years with a strong relationship.

Amazon plans to donate $1 million to Donald Trump's inauguration, according to WSJ.Meta also confirmed that it will be donating $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.The moves show Big Tech's effort to mend relations with Trump, who has been critical of the industry.Jeff Bezos' Amazon plans to donate $1 million to Donald Trump's inauguration, following Wednesday's news that Mark Zuckerberg's Meta made the same contribution, The Wall Street Journal reported.Meta confirmed to the Journal Wednesday that the company donated $1 million to the president-elect's inaugural fund.The donations would mark a shift in the relationship between tech leaders and Trump, who had previously been critical of Big Tech bosses. Trump has previously accused Zuckerberg and Bezos of bias against his administration, among other criticisms.Last month, the Meta CEO paid a visit to Trump at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago resort for Thanksgiving Eve dinner. Google CEO Sundar Pichai also plans to meet with Trump, The Information reported.Mark Zuckerberg's been over to see me, and I can tell you, Elon is another and Jeff Bezos is coming up next week, and I want to get ideas from them," Trump told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday.Spokespeople for Amazon and Trump did not respond to a request for comment.In previous years, Bezos and Trump have frequently feuded with each other. During his first campaign and term, Trump would take shots at Amazon, once stating that the company was doing "great damage to tax paying retailers."Bezos on the other hand has previously criticized Trump's inflammatory rhetoric, including the president-elect's call at the time to imprison Hilary Clinton.As Trump took office in 2017, Amazon donated about $58,000 to Trump's inauguration much less than what other tech companies donated at the time, according to the Journal.Similarly, Zuckerberg has criticized Trump's violent remarks on Facebook. In 2021, the social media platform took the extraordinary step of deplatforming the president after Trump praised Jan. 6 rioters.Both tech leaders have appeared to warm up to Trump in recent months.The Amazon tycoon said at The New York Times' DealBook Summit last week that he's "actually very optimistic" about a second Trump term, saying that Trump has likely "grown in the last eight years" and that he was encouraged by the president-elect's focus on deregulation."He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help do that, I'm going to help him," Bezos said.Zuckerberg also appears to be mending his relationship with the president-elect, despite Trump threatening to throw the Meta CEO in prison as recently as July.After the first assassination attempt against Trump, Zuckerberg called the president-elect a"badass"but stopped short of endorsing him during the Bloomberg interview.On November 6, Zuckerberg joined the chorus of CEOs congratulating Trump's decisive election victory."Looking forward to working with you and your administration," Zuckerberg wrote in a Threads post.

In May 2023, Jennifer Kusch relocated to Dubai for a job opportunity.Her teen sons were initially against the move and said she was "ruining" their lives.But she says the experience of living abroad has brought them closer together.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jennifer Kusch, 47, who works in talent acquisition. Kusch moved from Idaho to Dubai with her kids in 2023. The following has been edited for length and clarity.Early last year, my company approached me about a job opportunity in Dubai.At first, I said no. I had just bought a house in Idaho, where I was raising three kids. As a single mom, moving to the Middle East sounded hard, so I declined. But my boss at the time encouraged me to apply, and I thought, "Fine, why not?"I got the job and was set to start in 30 days. My daughter was 18 then, and my sons were 15 and 13. When they came home from school, I read them the book "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss and then said, "Guys, we're moving to Dubai."My daughter was about to graduate fromThe job commitment was for two years. I said, "We're going to go for two years. We're going to see what happens."I remember crying in my bedroom after thinking, "Oh my gosh, I'm doing this selfishly. I want to do this for my career. Am I ruining my kids' lives?"But then I thought aboutteenagers mustAnd so I had another discussion with my children a week later and said, "I hope that you can look at this as an adventure."It was a big move for all of usI had traveled outside the US but never lived abroad or been to Dubai. I traveled to the city alone lastWhen I arrived in Dubai, I tested out the public transportation so I could teach my kids how to ride the bus, hop on the metro, or take a taxi.I found a townhouse-style villa away from downtown Dubai and spent six weeks furnishing the place so that all the kids would have to do was unpack their suitcases. My company provided an allowance to "settle in." While it didn't cover rent, it helped me set up a home for my family. They also covered the flights and most of my kids' school fees.When I was done, I flew back for my daughter's graduation. I decided to sell everything I owned apart from my house as I didn't want to have to pay loads of money for storage.Although my initial commitment was for two years, I was on a local contract and could stay in Dubai as long as I had a job. It was a calculated risk, selling everything and anticipating my love for living abroad.In May 2023, I flew with my kids to Dubai. We arrived at the beginning of summer when many expats tend to leave the city because of the heat. The high temperatures in Dubai between May and August range from around 100 to 105 F. Kusch and her kids made a bucket list of things to do in Dubai. Jennifer Kusch That summer, my kids didn't have any friends. However, they had one another. I was grateful for that.Before I went to work, I said, "While I'm gone, I want you guys to make your bucket list of things you would like to do in Dubai."When I got home, our wall was full of sticky notes with things to do. We planned fun outings, like visiting Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi and having an Emirati dinner. When we were done, we would move the sticky notes on the wall from "to do" to "done."So, instead of sulking and being sad inside, we were excited about what we could discover.My kids have benefited from living in DubaiMy sons now attend a school with an American curriculum, but they are the only American students. ItThey also have independence here that they never had in the US. My 14-year-old son will get in a taxi and go wherever he wants. There's freedom and safety that they have not experienced before.This has all contributed to why they now love Dubai. On Thanksgiving last year, my older son said, "I'm so grateful that you moved us here." That was music to my ears because I've watched them grow up a lot.Nothing is the same here. But they've navigated it with resilience, agility, and grace.The experience brought us closer togetherIt can be lonely to be an expat in a new place.But having to rely on each other and experiencing new things together have made us closer. My kids enjoy my company, and I am so grateful for that.I miss my family and friends, and I know they would like us to come home. At this point, however, I love Dubai and our quality of life here.My daughter has since returned to the US for work, and my sons will soon leave the nest as well.I don't know what the future holds, but for now, Dubai is home.

The billionaire Jared Isaacman said his Polaris missions with SpaceX are "a question mark" now.Donald Trump nominated Isaacman for NASA Administrator months after he did SpaceX's first spacewalk.Space experts doubt Isaacman will fly during his NASA term, due to job demands and safety risks.SpaceX and its go-to billionaire-turned-private-astronaut seem to be going their separate ways, at least for the next four years.Jared Isaacman has flown two SpaceX missions to space and is slated to fly two more.However, Isaacman may no longer fly those missions now that President-elect Donald Trump has tapped him to lead NASA.Isaacman is the founder and CEO of a payments-processing company called Shift4,first commercial spacewalk in September. The spacewalk was the main feature of the first mission of the Polaris Program, which Isaacman started in partnership with SpaceX to supercharge the company's human-spaceflight capabilities as it aims for the moon and Mars. Jared Isaacman stands at the hatch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship during the world's first commercial spacewalk. SpaceX The program is scheduled to fly two future missions, including the first human flight aboard SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket.Isaacman has previously indicated that he would be on board that flight. It would be a crucial step in Elon Musk's plans to establish a human settlement on Mars using Starship.The NASA nomination throws that mission into uncertainty, Isaacman acknowledged on Wednesday."The future of the Polaris program is a little bit of a question mark at the moment. It may wind up on hold for a moment," Isaacman said at the Spacepower 2024 conference in Orlando, according to Reuters.Indeed, shortly after his nomination, experts told Business Insider that it was unlikely Isaacman would fly to space during his term as NASA Administrator."Well, it certainly has never happened before," John Logsdon, the founder of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, told BI.That doesn't mean it can't happen, but Logsdon added, "NASA Administrator is a full-time, high-level government job. Taking time off to train for and carry out another spaceflight seems to me to be a little implausible." Isaacman returns from a flight aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship. Polaris Program / AFP If Isaacman wanted to fly a SpaceX mission during his NASA term, "that would take some thought on his part and the rest of the team," George Nield, a former head of the FAA's office of commercial space transportation, told BI. "What's the risk, what's the benefit, what happens if there's a bad day, and are there succession plans?"Nield co-authored a 2020 analysis which calculated that US spaceflight has a 1% fatal failure rate, because four out of nearly 400 spaceflights have ended in deadly malfunctions. That's a rate 10,000 times greater than commercial airliners.The US Senate has to confirm Isaacman's nomination before he can take office."Having the boss of the enterprise take the risk of spaceflight would be unusual, but we live in unusual times," Logsdon said.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday outside a Midtown Manhattan Hilton.Luigi Mangione was arrested and faces a murder charge in the killing.The killing of the 50-year-old father of two sparked a manhunt in New York City and beyond.Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is fighting his extradition to New York City, where he'll face a murder charge in the Midtown Manhattan killing.The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate appeared for a hearing on Tuesday at Pennsylvania's Blair County Courthouse where his lawyer told the judge that Mangione was contesting his extradition.Mangione, who was arrested on Monday on local charges and later arraigned, made a bail request, which the judge denied during the hearing.The suspect will remain at Pennsylvania's Huntingdon State Correctional Institution as the extradition proceedings play out.Thomas Dickey, Mangione's lawyer, told reporters later on Tuesday that Mangione will plead not guilty to all the charges in Pennsylvania.In New York, an arrest warrant obtained by Business Insider shows Mangione faces a second-degree murder charge in connection to the fatal December 4 shooting of Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two from Minnesota. That charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.(A charge of first-degree murder is reserved for those accused of killing a law enforcement official or witness of a crime, or for when a murder is committed during the commission of another high-level crime, including robbery, rape, or kidnapping.) Mangione also faces four other charges related to the killing of the insurance CEO: two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second-degree, one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third-degree.During Mangione's Monday arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, officers found a three-page handwritten document "that speaks to both his motivation and mindset," New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference later that day.An internal NYPD report obtained by The New York Times gave the clearest view of the potential motive yet. Based on the so-called manifesto that was discovered, Mangione "likely views himself as a hero of sorts who has finally decided to act upon such injustices," the NYPD report said, as reported by the Times.Mangione "appeared to view the targeted killing of the company's highest-ranking representative as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption and 'power games,' asserting in his note he is the 'first to face it with such brutal honesty,'" according to the NYPD report by the department's Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau, the Times reported.In a statement to BI, representatives for Nino Mangione a Maryland state legislator and a cousin of Mangione's declined to comment on the news of Mangione's arrest."Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione," the statement read. "We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest."Recognized at a McDonald'sMangione was eating in an Altoona McDonald's when an employee recognized him from the several surveillance images that authorities released in the aftermath of Thompson's killing and called the police, New York police said at the Monday press conference.Altoona police found Mangione in the McDonald's with multiple fake IDs and a US passport, as well as a firearm and a suppressor "both consistent with the weapon used" in the shooting of Thompson in the heart of Manhattan, Tisch, the NYPD commissioner, said.The gun appeared to be a "ghost gun" that may have been made on a 3-D printer with the capability of firing a 9-millimeter round, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at the press conference.A Pennsylvania criminal complaint filed against Mangione said officers found a black 3-D-printed pistol and 3-D-printed silencer inside the suspect's backpack.When Altoona officers questioned Mangione and asked him if he had been to New York recently, he "became quiet and started to shake," the criminal complaint said.Clothing, including a mask, was also recovered "consistent with those worn" by the suspect wanted for Thompson's killing, along with a fake New Jersey ID matching the ID that the murder suspect used to check into a Manhattan hostel before the attack, Tisch said.Based on the handwritten document that police found on Mangione, according to Kenny, "it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America."During an interview Tuesday morning on NBC's "Today" show, Tisch said the "manifesto" revealed "anti-corporatist sentiment" and "a lot of issues with the health care industry.""But as to like particular, specific motive that'll come out as this investigation continues to unfold over the next weeks and month," the NYPD commissioner said.NBC News and The New York Times, each citing an unnamed senior law enforcement official, reported that the handwritten document read in part: "These parasites had it coming.""I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done," it added, according to the reports.Police believe that Mangione acted alone.NYPD investigators traveled to Altoona on Monday to interview Mangione after Altoona officers took him into custody.Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said at Mangione's Pennsylvania arraignment that Mangione was carrying $10,000 in cash, including foreign currency, according to the Associated Press.Mangione disputed the amount in court. NYPD released images of the person of interest in Brian Thompson's killing. DCPI/NYPD Mangione was active on social mediaOn the social media site X, Mangione posted and amplified posts about technological advances like artificial intelligence. He also posted about fitness and healthy living.He frequently retweeted posts by the writer Tim Urban and commentator Jonathan Haidt about the promise and perils of technology.He also appeared to be a fan of Michael Pollan, known for his writing about food and ethics, and lab-grown meat. At the top of his profile was a header image with three images: a photo of himself, smiling, shirtless on a mountain ridge, a Pokemon, and an x-ray with four pins or screws visible in the lower back.Mangione founded a company called AppRoar Studios in 2015 while still in high school. AppRoar released an iPhone game called Pivot Plane that is no longer available.The two other cofounders of AppRoar could not be reached for comment.Mangione's X account has been deactivated. A spokesperson for YouTube said his three accounts on the platform were also terminated, but that they had not been active for about seven months.A manhuntMangione's arrest follows a nearly week-long manhunt.According to police, Manigone was born and raised in Maryland, and has ties to San Francisco, California. His last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii.The New York Post, citing law-enforcement sources, reported that Mangione's mother reported him missing in mid-November.Kenny, the NYPD's chief of detectives, said that Manigone has no prior arrest history in New York and no known arrests in the US.A Luigi Mangione with a matching birthday and address received a citation for simple trespass for entering a forbidden area of a state park in Hawaii in November 2023. He pleaded no contest and paid a $100 fine."For just over five days, our NYPD investigators combed through thousands of hours of video, followed up on hundreds of tips, and processed every bit of forensic evidence DNA, fingerprints, IP addresses and so much to tighten the net," Tisch said at Monday's press conference announcing the arrest of Manigone.Thompson was shot multiple times on a Midtown sidewalk as he was walking toward the Hilton hotel. He was steps away from a side entrance to the hotel where he was set to speak at UnitedHealth Group's investor conference when a hooded gunman opened fire on him from behind.The chief executive of the nation's largest health insurer was struck at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf, police said.Surveillance footage showed the gunman firing his weapon as Thompson, wearing a blue suit jacket, walked several feet in front of him.The gunman fled the scene, first on foot and then on an electric bike, which he rode into Central Park before ultimately escaping from New York City, police said.Shell casings and bullets found at the scene had the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" written on them, according to multiple reports citing unnamed sources. BI couldn't independently confirm these details.In the aftermath of the attack, the NYPD offered a $10,000 reward for tips leading to the gunman's arrest, with the FBI offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.A spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, reacted to news of Manigone's arrest in a statement to BI, saying: "Our hope is that today's apprehension brings some relief to Brian's family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family's privacy as they mourn."This story is developing and will be updated.

On a podcast, Marc Andreessen said he has spent half his time at Mar-a-Lago since Election Day.He said he regularly discusses tech and economic policy with President-elect Donald Trump.Andreessen donated millions to the pro-Trump super PAC "Right for America" and other GOP candidates.Marc Andreessen said in a recent podcast appearance that since Election Day, he has spent roughly "half" his time at Mar-a-Lago discussing policy issues with President-elect Donald Trump.Speaking with Bari Weiss for an episode of her "Honesty" podcast, the venture capitalist and vocal Trump supporter said he's "not claiming to be in the middle of all the decision-making" but is trying to help shape policy in a second Trump administration."I've been trying to help in as many ways as I can," Andreessen said. "Trump brings out a lot of feelings in a lot of people. People have very strong views. And then there are many political topics that, you know, we're very deliberately not weighing it on."He added that he's "Not Mr. Foreign policy, or Mr. Abortion policy, or guns" because he's "not an expert on those things," but has instead focused his input on issues he does have experience in, like technology and economics."When I talk about these things, it's around tech policy, business, economics, and then, you know, the health of the country, the success of the country," Andreessen said.Representatives for Andreessen and Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.Andreessen was a vocal supporter of Trump's reelection bid. Business Insider previously reported he donated millions of dollars to a pro-Trump super PAC called "Right for America," and available data from OpenSecrets shows numerous donations to other Republican candidates and causes, such as the Republican Party of Michigan, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin, in the most recent election cycle.Last month, Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, the founders of the pair's powerful venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, celebrated Trump's win during an episode of their podcast, "The Ben and Marc Show.""It felt like a boot off the throat," Andreessen said of Trump's reelection. "Every morning I wake up happier than the day before."

Luigi Mangione has been arrested in an investigation into UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killing.Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, left an online trail before his arrest at McDonald's.He founded an app, talked about Artificial Intelligence on X, and read The Unabomber Manifesto.Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, left a vast online trail before police in Pennsylvania picked him Monday as a "person of interest" in the Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.He was arrested and charged with local gun and forgery charges, but New York Police Department officials say he's expected to be extradited to New York, where he'll face additional charges.Here's what to know about Mangione:Mangione attended elite schoolsMangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020.He achieved a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a major in computer science and a minor in mathematics. He also received a Master of Science in Engineering the same year with a major in computer and information science, a university spokesperson told Business Insider.Before that, he attended Gilman School, an elite all-boys preparatory school based in Baltimore. His yearbook entry, obtained by BI, says he was involved in robotics and Model UN. He wrote on his LinkedIn account that he was the valedictorian of his high school class.A spokeswoman for Gilman didn't immediately return a voicemail from BI.He favorably reviewed The Unabomber ManifestoOn Goodreads, Mangione reviewed Ted Kaczynski's "Industrial Society and Its Future" book, also known as The Unabomber Manifesto, in early 2024. He gave it four out of five stars."He was a violent individual rightfully imprisoned who maimed innocent people," Mangione wrote. "While these actions tend to be characterized as those of a crazy luddite, however, they are more accurately seen as those of an extreme political revolutionary."Mangione's review of the manifesto also quoted another online comment about the book, which appears to have originated on Reddit, praising the use of violence "when all other forms of communication fail.""'Violence never solved anything' is a statement uttered by cowards and predators,'" Mangione quoted.Online breadcrumbs suggest he dealt with back painAt the top of Mangione's profile on X formerly Twitter was a triptych of three images: a photo of himself, smiling, shirtless on a mountain ridge; a Pokemon; and an x-ray with four pins or screws visible in the lower back.Some of the books reviewed on Mangione's Goodreads account related to health and healing back pain, including "Back Mechanic: The Secrets to a Healthy Spine Your Doctor Isn't Telling You" and "Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery."The Pokemon featured in his X cover image, next to an apparent spinal X-ray, is Breloom. In the Pokemon games, it has special healing abilities.He founded an app and worked in techWhile still in high school, in 2015, Mangione founded a company called AppRoar Studios. AppRoar released an iPhone game called Pivot Plane that is no longer available, but a reviewer in 2015 called it "a fun little arcade game brought to you by 3 high school juniors."He lived in a coliving space in Hawaii as recently as 2023.He posed for photos indicating he participated in Greek life at the University of Pennsylvania.The fraternity chapter represented in his photos couldn't be reached for comment.He cofounded a video game design club at the University of Pennsylvania, according to a blog post on the University of Pennsylvania's website that was removed Monday.Stephen Lane, a professor of video game design at the Ivy League university, who did not advise the club, told BI that "the fact he took the initiative and started something from nothing, that means at least in the context of Penn, that's a pretty good thing." However, the shooting of Thompson, Lane added, was "obviously not a good thing."According to his LinkedIn page, Mangione worked as a data engineer at the vehicle shopping company TrueCar starting in 2020.A TrueCar spokesperson told BI that Mangione has not worked for the company since 2023.He was previously cited for trespassingMangione had at least one encounter with the legal system before his Monday arrest. Hawaiian court records indicate that he was cited in 2023 for entering a forbidden area of a state park.Mangione appears to have paid a $100 fine to resolve the matter.Mangione was interested in AIOn his X account, Mangione posted and amplified posts about technological advances like artificial intelligence. He also posted about fitness and healthy living.He frequently reposted posts by the writer Tim Urban and commentator Jonathan Haidt about the promise and perils of technology.He also appeared to be a fan of Michael Pollan, known for his writing about food and ethics, and lab-grown meat.On Goodreads, he praised Urban's book "What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies," describing it as "one of the most important philosophical texts of the early 21st century."Urban posted to X on Monday: "Very much not the point of the book."He was arrested while on his laptop at a McDonald's, police saidWhen police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, responded to a McDonald's after a call about a suspicious person, they found Mangione sitting at a table looking at a silver laptop and wearing a blue medical mask, according to a criminal complaint.The complaint said that when asked for identification, Mangione gave police officers a New Jersey driver's license with the name "Mark Rosario."When an officer asked Mangione if he had been to New York recently he "became quiet and started to shake," the complaint said.Mangione correctly identified himself after officers told him he could be arrested for lying about his identity, according to the complaint.When asked why he lied, Mangione replied, "I clearly shouldn't have," the complaint said.Do you know Luigi Mangione? Have a tip? Reach out to jnewsham+tips@businessinsider.com.

My husband and I met on eHarmony and had a whirlwind relationship.I knew a proposal was coming, and thought it might happen while we were enjoying a weekend away.The proposal didn't happen when or where I expected, but it was still wonderful.My first date with my now husband was on a cold December day. We had lunch at a diner, followed by browsing at Barnes & Noble. We had met on eHarmony, after years of trying to find love. It was a last ditch effort for both of us before giving up on online dating. Starting with that first date, I knew that there was something different, something special about him. While I'm not a person that expects grand gestures, I didn't anticipate that eight months later he would propose in a hotel parking lot.Our relationship was a bit of a whirlwindWe met in December, got engaged in August, and married the next December. It may seem fast to some people, but we both knew we had found the one that we wanted to spend our lives with. In the summer we started talking about getting engaged. I couldn't imagine having a piece of jewelry that had so much significance and that I was going to wear every day and not having any input, so we went ring shopping together. Initially I thought I would pick a style I liked and then he would pick out the ring. Then I found a ring that I fell in love with.He later told me he had ordered the ring, but I had no idea what he had planned for the proposal. I don't love surprises, so something elaborate, embarrassing, or public was definitely out and he knew that.A weekend away seemed like the perfect time for a proposalThe first weekend of August we drove a few hours away so my now-husband could fill in with a quartet that he used to sing with. I went into that trip with a feeling that he was going to propose. But as we were driving home at the end of the weekend and day turned into night I figured it probably wasn't going to happen, which was disappointing.Then a song came on as we were driving through rural Delaware. It was "I Could Not Ask for More" by Edwin McCain, and he sang it to me. After the song was finished, he told me how much he loved me and how he could never ask for anything more. It sounded like a proposal speech, but no proposal came. He just said he wished he wasn't driving so he could hug me. I replied, "I wish you could just pull over and propose." The author and her husband Tom while on a roadtrip in California in 2017. Sara Rowe Mount The proposal turned out to be a surprise, even to himAbout a mile up the road, he pulled off into a Holiday Inn Express parking lot as I asked, "What are you doing?" After all, I hadn't been completely serious about pulling over. Turns out, he was. He parked, reached over and hugged me as he rooted in the back seat for something. That's when I knew it was happening. There sitting in the front seat of his car in a hotel parking lot he asked me to be his forever. I said yes.I commented that he hadn't gotten down on one knee. So he took the ring off my finger, went around to my side of the car, got down one knee, and proposed again. He was crying, but I was so excited I just started laughing and jumping up and down.Honestly, the entire thing was pretty on brand for our quirky, goofy relationship. There may not have been a romantic dinner with flowers and champagne or a scavenger hunt that had been planned out for weeks, but I didn't really mind. Yes, the proposal was spur of the moment, but I still think it was pretty romantic, even now that we've been married for nine years.

Once upon a time, corporate bosses, associates, and interns alike would set aside their different titles and gather each December for drinks, dancing, and conversation. There would be gourmet dinners, chocolate fountains, DJs, and even live bands. For some, it was a night of merriment and splendor; for others, of awkward small talk, followed by deep regret.Then the holiday party became endangered. In the wake of #MeToo in 2017, more professionals began rethinking the wisdom of a boozed-up night with their colleagues. The pandemic and remote work delivered a near death blow. In a 2020 survey of about 200 HR representatives by the executive-outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a mere 23% said they opted for seasonal celebrations, nearly three-quarters of which would be held virtually.But as the return to offices continues, companies are slowly reinstituting holiday parties. Last year, nearly 65% of companies surveyed by Challenger, Gray, & Christmas said they planned to host in-person holiday parties, within sight of the 80% reported in 2016, before the advent of #MeToo. If plans pan out, this year could have before-times levels of corporate holiday cheer.The return of the office holiday party could be a happier development than many jaded workers are likely inclined to presume. With two-thirds of the American white-collar workforce working remotely either some or all of the time, according to a USA Today survey conducted earlier this year, face time with colleagues and superiors is no longer a default feature of the 9-to-5. That might not be a big deal for everyone, but early-career workers stand to pay the steepest professional price for missing out on the kinds of networking and mentorship opportunities that are likelier to happen organically in a shared physical space. All the while, workers across the board are feeling increasingly lonely, overextended, and disengaged. They need something anything to celebrate.In a work environment punctuated by uncertainty and isolation, it might be premature to let one's inner Scrooge have the final word on the tradition.From Fezziwig's ball in "A Christmas Carol" to the power-suited backdrop of the 1988 Christmas Eve action thriller "Die Hard," the workplace holiday party has been a fixture of the cultural imagination for generations. But in the mid-20th century, the event garnered its enduring reputation for sloppiness and day-after regret. A 1948 Life magazine photo spread from a Christmas party thrown in the office of a Manhattan insurance brokerage depicts, among other modern-day HR violations, a pantless male executive dancing arm in arm with a young female stenographer and a pair of colleagues leaning in for a smooch beneath a bundle of mistletoe.Somewhere along the way, festivities evolved from low-key gatherings held at the office to lavish affairs that might include gourmet meals, hired entertainment, and even international travel and accommodation on the boss' dime. The pandemic notwithstanding, the economic pendulum has largely dictated its tilt toward excess or restraint.I've never experienced a company holiday party like it since.As a Toronto-area DJ during the halcyon days of the late-'90s dot-com bubble, Baruch Labunski had a front-row seat to corporate-party splendor. "I went to many and saw a lot of crazy things," he said. He described being flown to DJ holiday parties in far-flung global destinations such as Bora Bora, Palawan, and Ibiza and, on top of that, getting paid $50,000 to $100,000 per event. (When I asked how many holiday parties he booked in a typical season, he said only "many.") By the time the dot-com bubble burst and the demand for his services cooled, Labunski had tired himself out of the DJ booth and pivoted to a career in marketing.Economic recovery in the mid-2000s spurred a holiday-party renaissance, only to be dashed once again in the 2008 recession. A few years later, Wall Street firms were reportedly back to enjoying hush-hush holiday festivities reminiscent of their heydays. The free-money firehose of the ZIRP era was in full force, and excess was back in style.Danielle Kane, who was a reporter for a niche New York City financial-services publication between 2015 and 2017, said that one year her company flew the entire staff of 50 to 75 people to Berlin. "Hotels and flights were paid for, there was an experiential dinner at the Berlin TV Tower, and then they paid for everyone to get into a fancy club afterwards," she said. "It was a late night, and I've never experienced a company holiday party like it since."For all their fun, these often cringe-inducing affairs earned a bad rap one that may come to bite younger workers.Despite some companies' largesse, the general workforce's enthusiasm for holiday parties has long been mixed. In a 2017 survey of American workers by Randstad, 90% of respondents said they'd rather receive bonuses or extra vacation days than attend a company holiday party. "The ideal situation," Constance Noonan Hadley, an organizational psychologist, told me, "is to offer activities that foster employee social health (such as a holiday party) without asking them to sacrifice their financial health (such as a bonus) or their mental health (such as time off)."Companies squander the opportunity to make holiday gatherings meaningful in all sorts of small but critical ways. Hadley said the Christmas-specific focus of many company holiday parties could be alienating to workers who follow non-Christian religious traditions. Parties are often held at inconvenient times and places too late on a weeknight for parents, in a location that has expensive parking or is hard to access. Holiday parties at big firms can also be loud, hot, and crowded, which makes it difficult to have meaningful conversations or meet new people.Simply put, face time matters.Well-planned company holiday parties, on the other hand, can be a boon to employees' overall work experience and even strengthen company culture. A study of workers at several German companies in 2019 concluded that parties could encourage social bonding, especially when employees' feedback steered the planning. The study suggests, for example, that icebreaker activities that get people from different parts of the organization talking help build camaraderie, despite the eye rolls they may initially provoke. Over time, that can contribute to a happier and more cohesive work environment.For early-career workers, the benefits can be more pronounced. Rick Hermanns, the president and CEO of HireQuest, a global staffing company, said social events could help make up for the "intangible aspects of career growth and camaraderie between colleagues" that younger workers may miss out on when they're partly or fully remote. In a 2023 Adobe poll of more than 1,000 Gen Z workers at midsize and large US companies, 83% of respondents said a workplace mentor was crucial for their career, but only 52% said they had one. While holiday parties aren't the be-all and end-all of workplace networking, they provide a critical opening to build and fortify connections."When I look back at my early career in banking in Los Angeles, I appreciated the time I had to walk into a senior executive's office or grab a beer after work with colleagues," Hermanns said. "Those are the intangibles you can't quantify yet ultimately impact your career growth." Simply put, face time matters.It makes sense that Gen Z and millennial workers would be more enthusiastic about workplace holiday get-togethers than their Gen X and baby-boomer counterparts. "Company leaders need to help Gen Z as well as millennials, whose workplace experience was hugely disrupted by COVID to build strong interpersonal workplace relationships," Hubert Palan, the CEO of the product-management company Productboard, told Business Insider last year.Given that much of the global workforce feels lonely on the job, it's not just the youngest workers who need a social boost. A new study Hadley coauthored evaluating workplace loneliness and remedies found that the loneliest people at work were those who were offered the fewest social opportunities by their employer. "In fact, the number of social offerings provided was one of our most predictive variables in terms of whether someone was socially connected at work or not," she told me. Hadley also found that while fully remote work did seem to increase the risk of loneliness, it was less significant of a variable than whether a person was introverted or worked for an organization that held regular social activities for staffers.The German study suggests that a holiday party can serve as the ritual capstone for these more routine coworker events, making year-end hobnobbing just a little extra special. While the ideal party activities will depend on an organization's culture, a few basic considerations such as hosting the event somewhere besides the boring old office go a long way. Elements of fun help too, whether they take the form of a themed photo booth, a creative dining experience, or, yes, a DJ.A dash of festive foresight can make the difference between the raunchy affairs of yesteryear and a few hours of meaningful, PG-rated bonding between coworkers. "A nice holiday event gives people a break in their wallets and signals that the leaders value personal connections and socializing," Hadley said.For a company's youngest workers, the benefits may last a professional lifetime.Kelli Mara Korducki is a journalist whose work focuses on work, tech, and culture. She's based in New York City.

Rebecca Vijay, an online entrepreneur, faces isolation and challenges due to time zone differences.She works in publishing through the night and sleeps during the day while her family is away.Global connections through coaching groups have helped her overcome isolation and find support.I'm an online business owner who provides book writing and publishing services. My focus is on women's empowerment through faith, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.As a child growing up in New Delhi, every day was an adventure with friends and weekends were busy with church, youth events, and programs. Coming from a carefree youth setting to stepping into the workforce and adjusting to a 9-5 schedule took some time.Now, as I run my business from home alone, I feel even more isolated.I worked a few corporate jobs before starting my businessAfter working in different organizations at the start of my career, I settled at Oxford University Press for almost eight years, heading a commissioning team that published management books.I got married in 2008, found we were expecting twins, and lost my firstborn twin son on the third day of his life. I raised my preemie daughter with my husband's support.Infant loss can be a taboo subject, and most people around me chose to ignore it. Stifling my thoughts and emotions forced me into my shell.I had another son, and when he was a few months old and my daughter was in kindergarten, I decided that money can always be made but spending time with my kids during their formative years was more important. I left corporate life in 2014. Not many people in my life understood this decision.I became an author and struggled to feel understood by my community even furtherI started blogging, and in 2017, I wrote my first book, "My Angel in Heaven," about my son's death and finding comfort in God, which helped many bereaved parents and became a bestseller on Amazon.Though people around me congratulated me, I didn't feel like they understood what it took out of me to bring the book to life. I went on to have two more books published that year, and the response was the same, as they hit bestseller lists, too. It made me feel even more disconnected from the people around me.I then faced new challenges when I became an online entrepreneurI started my company, Fount of Grace Creatives, in 2018, providing publishing services to local authors and expanded it into an international publishing house in 2021.I created a concept for an anthology featuring inspiring stories of global women changemakers, trailblazers, and visionaries. Arranging coaching or networking calls is difficult; when for some, it's midnight, for others, it's early morning.As I work mostly with US clients now, I tend to work during the evenings, leading to late nights. Sometimes, I'm even up until 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. or maybe not sleeping at all, as I need to be up by 6 a.m. to get my kids up for school.Once my kids and my husband are out for their day, I try to get a few hours of sleep. It's extremely difficult as our maid will come, trash will need to be picked up, some courier will come, etc.I generally put my phone on silent as otherwise it will keep ringing and disturb my irregular sleep. On top of that, I get migraines, which get triggered by lack of or interrupted sleep.It's difficult for friends, family, and acquaintances to understand my scheduleMy husband works in logistics and others around me are mostly in IT, teaching, HR, finance, banking, or ministry.For them, I'm at home and need to be available whenever they call or message. Some feel that the online world where I work is not a "real" job and don't seek to understand it. They also don't understand why I've invested in mentors, online programs, and courses.I work on business development, sales and marketing, social media, and fulfillment. This is very different from more traditional jobs, and I'm all the more isolated as I can't share about my work or what it entails.The pandemic came and made everything worse We were imprisoned within our own four walls. I lost my mom and some close friends.Before I could even make sense of that, cancer stole two of my favorite and most inspiring authors whose stories I published. All this left me spinning out of control and alone.I started to make friends onlineI've connected with others through global coaching groups to learn strategy and skills for my business. These women have helped me break boundaries in my mind and figure out how to cater to international audiences and charge in USD, as they've had to break their own barriers and obstacles to gain success.These women have become friends and helped me feel less alone. We have similar struggles, share our success stories or tips, and speak the same jargon. Investing in myself, following through on my vision even when others didn't understand or see it, and focusing on my mission have helped me develop these deeper virtual personal relationships.The struggles are worth itLife as an online entrepreneur from a different time zone than most of my clients has been difficult and lonely, but when I look back at the lives I've touched through publishing their inspiring stories, the sacrifices have been worth it.I plan to go on to train corporations and educational institutes in personal development and women's leadership and continue to encourage my kids and women across the world to dream big, not be limited to a 9-5 job, and consider working online as a way to gain time and financial freedom.Do you have an isolating job and want to share your story? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com

Jenina, 36, and Adam, 38, spent about $60,000 building a tiny house in the Philippines countryside.They were inspired by the design of shepherd's huts in the UK, where Adam is originally from.Now, they're renting it out on Airbnb, and rates start from $150 a night.Jenina, 36, and her husband Adam, 38, have always wanted to own a tiny house in the woods.The couple, who met as students at a party while studying in the UK, dreamed of having a cozy place they could escape to and reconnect with nature.The two of them who asked to be identified only by their first names for privacy reasons were living in Bulacan, a province in the Philippines, at the time. Bulacan is about an hour's drive from the capital city of Manila. They were inspired by the design of shepherd's huts in the UK, where Adam is from. Sleepy Shepherd. Every weekend, they would visit the 22-hectare farm owned by Jenina's parents.The couple always thought it'd be a good idea to have a small retreat there, somewhere they could bask in nature. The family farm is in Doa Remedios Trinidad, also known by the acronym DRT, in the Bulacan countryside.tiny house dream into a reality."Initially, we envisioned this property as our personal holiday retreat a sanctuary for relaxation," Jenina, who co-owns a digital marketing agency, told Business Insider. "Being fans of tiny homes, we loved the idea of creating something minimalist yet functional."Designed like a shepherd's hutThe couple was inspired by the design of shepherds' huts in the UK, where Adam was originally from, and decided to model their tiny home after it. The couple built their tiny house on a clear plot of land so they didn't have to cut down any trees. Sleepy Shepherd. "We've always been fans of shepherd's huts for their practicality and charm. Their unique compact design inspired us, especially since they aren't widely known in the Philippines but are quite iconic in the UK," Jenina said.The couple thought the distinctive style of the shepherd's hut would stand out aesthetically against the surrounding greenery, she said. They worked with a structural engineer and a local architect to bring their vision to life. Sleepy Shepherd. The land was previously used as a pineapple plantation and to grow other fruit and vegetable crops. The couple made sure to build on a spot that was already cleared so that no trees had to be cut, she said.The whole construction process took about eight months, and the couple worked with a structural engineer and an architect to complete the project. They also landscaped the surrounding area. Sleepy Shepherd. They said the hilly terrain of the plot made things especially challenging."We had to dig out four septic tanks and lay a solid foundation, bringing in a structural engineer to ensure the build was both secure and sustainable," Jenina said. The tiny house spans 194 square feet. Sleepy Shepherd. She said it was also difficult to transport building materials to the remote site, as it was miles from the nearest main road.It didn't help that there was no electricity back then either, she added.Sourcing materials was another major hurdle since finding unique items like cast iron wheels, and frames required custom orders, which the couple collaborated on with a local architect. It comes with a sleeping area, a mini kitchen, and a full bathroom. Sleepy Shepherd. "Managing the entire project ourselves tested our patience and problem-solving skills, but seeing the final result made all the challenges worthwhile," she said.Turning it into a vacation rentalThe two of them aren't the only ones who have hopped onto the tiny house movement.As housing keeps getting more expensive for people all around the world, tiny houses represent a cheaper alternative to real estate.Six people who live in tiny houses previously told BI that it was a way for them to improve their finances. Not only did they reduce their housing expenses, living in a tiny house also forced them to reevaluate their daily spending habits."We evaluate what we buy a lot more carefully, which in turn ends up saving money from those 'I need to have this' moments. This allows us to invest back into our lives," Tim, a tiny house blogger in Florida, told BI previously. They've been renting it out as a vacation home ever since they relocated to Cambodia. Sleepy Shepherd. Jenina says they spent about 3.5 million Philippines pesos, or $60,000, to build the tiny house, including the cost of the landscaping around the structure.The tiny house measures about 194 square feet and has a double bed, a sofa bed, a mini kitchen, and a full bathroom.The internal and external walls are made of fiber cement, which helps keep the interior cool and comfortable even in tropical weather, Jenina said.The curved roof is also crafted with durable Polyvinyl Chloride material that can last up to 50 years much longer than traditional roofing options, she said. Their family members in the Philippines still visit and stay in the hut regularly. Sleepy Shepherd. Although the hut was meant to be their little getaway, the couple relocated to Cambodia in July this year after Adam accepted a job offer. He's a brand director for a luxury goods brand.With the move, the couple also decided to turn their shepherd's hut into a guesthouse so that others could enjoy the space.The tiny house which can accommodate up to four adults is available for rent on Airbnb or through their Facebook, with rates starting from 8,500 Philippine pesos on weekdays and 10,000 Philippine pesos on weekends and holidays. The couple will always pop by for a visit whenever they're back in town. Sleepy Shepherd. The tiny hut is surrounded by plenty of natural sights that guests can enjoy, such as the Biak-Na-Bato National Park, and the Verdivia Falls, a waterfall with clear pools popular for swimming and relaxing, Jenina said.Their family members use the hut often, and the couple will always pop by for a quick stay whenever they're back in the Philippines to visit the family.While living in the tiny hut permanently isn't in their immediate plans, they're definitely open to the idea in the future."Our favorite part of the hut is the stairs at the front. From there, you can take in the breathtaking view of the mountains. It's the perfect spot to relax and connect with nature," she said.Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

As a single mom having another baby wasn't something that seemed possible. When I met my now-husband we talked about another baby, but the age gap felt too big with my son. Also the idea of having to start all over again with a newborn depressed me. There were times when my son was young when I thought about what it would be like to have another child, but as a single mom, it just wasn't possible. When I met my husband, we talked a lot about having another baby, but by the time we got married, my son was already 8 years old. That meant that even if I got pregnant right away, my son would be nearly 10 by the time I had another baby.Having a newborn and a nearly 10-year-old boy seemed like what would be a large gap between siblings. Plus, with my son getting closer and closer to the age of 18, the thought of having to start over again with another baby was more depressing than anything else. It felt like I was halfway to the finish line, and the thought of beginning again from square one was not appealing. The older my son got, the closer I was to being "done," and that felt like a relief.When it came to being a mom, I was already so tiredI had been a single mom for seven years, and while I still look back fondly at that time of my life when it was just my son and I, I found motherhood to be exhausting. I sometimes wonder how I accomplished taking care of the two of us all on my own, and the only answer I come up with is survival. I can remember thinking when my son was born that I would never sleep again, and while that isn't true, I certainly never slept in late again. Even before I met my husband, I was already so burnt out.Ultimately, my husband and I decided not to have a child together. One of the main reasons that contributed to our decision was that parenting my son was already a lot of work. While I had already parented solo for years, he had become an overnight involved stepdad. We are on the same page in that parenting is a full time job on top of our careers, so there is little to no time left for us to rest. When we aren't working outside of the home, we are at home working as parents.My husband and I were well into our 30s by the time we found each otherThere is no doubt that our age played a factor in my husband and I deciding not to have a baby together. Since I already had a child when we started dating, he and I have never had the opportunity to experience our relationship outside of being parents. When my son graduates from high school, my husband and I will both be in our mid-40s. If we had decided to have another baby when we got married, we would each be almost 60 by the time that child graduated from high school. While we are still relatively young, we want to experience life as a couple without kids. We want to spend our time working less and traveling more as soon as we possibly can.Initially my husband and I leaned more towards having a baby than notI wanted to experience having a child with a supportive partner, while I think my husband didn't want to miss out on having his own child. So I was nervous to introduce my hesitation to have another baby into our conversation about having kids. But I'm glad I was brave enough to ask him to entertain the idea of what our life would be like without having another child. Until I brought it up as an alternative, he said he hadn't really thought much about life without a baby.I have always felt like I'm not allowed to say how much work being a mom can be. For a long time, I felt ashamed for being exhausted by parenting. I always felt that the expectation was to have more than one child. When I found my husband, many people assumed that having a baby together would be the next step, and I know he felt that expectation as well. We're both glad that we allowed ourselves to even consider not having a baby, because in thinking carefully about that, we realized that having another child wasn't what we wanted. It was what others expected of us.Every once in a while I'll think about what it would be like to have another baby. Mostly it's when I walk by an adorable set of footie pajamas in a store or encounter a storybook that I loved reading to my son. While on one hand it does feel sad that I'll never have a baby again, I always circle back to the same conclusion, and that is that we made the right decision.Having my son brings the fulfillment to our lives that being a parent can provide, but footie pajamas are not a strong enough reason to have another child. I am no longer ashamed to admit that I'm already too tired for a second child. While being a mom is something I'm proud of, I am also very much looking forward to the next part of my life once my son is grown.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York City on Wednesday, the police said.The NYPD said Thompson, 50, appeared to be killed in a targeted attack.Police officials say they have reason to believe the suspect has left New York City.Police believe the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan left New York City shortly after fleeing the scene Wednesday, as investigators broaden the scope of their dayslong manhunt.Police told CNN they believe the suspect left the city via the Port Authority's George Washington Bridge Bus Station on the northern edge of Manhattan."We have video of him entering the Port Authority bus terminal. We don't have any video of him exiting so we believe he may have gotten on a bus," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said in an interview published Friday. "Those buses are interstate buses. That's why we believe he may have left New York City," Kenny said.New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CNN the man wanted for the killing has been "traveling and walking around the streets of New York City largely in a mask, with his face covered. We had to go through lots of video evidence to get that one money shot with the mask down."The NYPD on Thursday released what Tisch called the "money shot" surveillance images giving the clearest picture yet of the suspected shooter in the early Wednesday killing of Thompson. Tisch told CNN police released those photos of the suspect not wearing a mask because they wanted a "wider audience to see the picture outside of New York City.""We are right now processing a tremendous amount of evidence in this case," the NYPD commissioner told the news outlet.Tisch said authorities already have "lots of forensic evidence," including fingerprints and DNA evidence.There's also a "massive camera canvass" of the suspected gunman's movements through New York City, Tisch told CNN.A law enforcement official told the outlet on Friday that investigators had also found a backpack in Central Park that they believed belonged to the suspect.The official said investigators had not officially confirmed where the bag had come from and that it was being taken for tests.As investigators work to identify the suspect, an NYPD spokesperson told Business Insider in an email on Saturday that the suspect "could possibly be a disgruntled employee or a disgruntled client."The spokesperson did not say what evidence the department has that leads investigators to believe so.Thompson was fatally shot outside Manhattan's New York Hilton Midtown hotel early Wednesday morning in what the police have described as "a brazen, targeted attack."Friday marks the third day of an intense manhunt for the shooting suspect, whose image was captured on surveillance cameras in the hours before Thompson was shot multiple times on the sidewalk outside the hotel in the heart of Manhattan.Thompson was set to speak at UnitedHealth Group's 8 a.m. investor conference when a hooded gunman opened fire from behind, striking him at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf, the police said."Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack," Tisch told reporters Wednesday at a press conference hours after the shooting, which the police said took place at 6:46 a.m. outside 1335 6th Avenue."It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes," Tisch added.The police said the gunman fled the scene first on foot and then on an electric bike, which he rode into Central Park.The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for tips leading to the gunman's arrest. The FBI said it is also offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the gunman's arrest and conviction.Kenny, the NYPD chief of detectives, told CNN on Friday that investigators do not yet know the suspect's identity.Investigators are still pursuing additional leads. According to multiple reports, they were conducting forensic tests on a discarded cell phone, protein bar wrapper, and water bottle.How the suspect arrived in New York is becoming clearer. According to multiple reports, authorities believe he may have traveled to the city ten days before the shooting, on November 24, on a bus that originated in Atlanta and dropped him off at Manhattan's main bus depot, the Port Authority Bus Terminal. It was not yet clear where along the route he boarded the bus.The Atlanta Police Department announced Friday that it was contacted by NYPD and will be providing assistance in the investigation as needed. NYPD released images of the suspect in Brian Thompson's killing. DCPI/NYPD The unmasked images of the wanted man were captured at a hostel on New York City's Upper West Side, a law enforcement official told CNN, when an employee asked the man to lower his face mask."That little flirtation between the two of them, in some good-humored way, actually yielded what is so far the most significant clue to identifying him," CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, said.The new photos will speed the chase considerably, Salvatore Tudisco, a retired NYPD homicide detective, told BI.Tudisco led the city's last big manhunt for a murdered CEO, Gokada founder Fahim Saleh, whose killer was captured in three days by traces on credit card, cell phone, and surveillance camera evidence."That's the best option to send it across the country, and someone will know him," the ex-detective said of the latest images.A facial-recognition trace will be less of an option, he added, because the hostel surveillance images do not show the suspect's full face."The ears are missing. The eyes, too," he said. "Facial recognition works better when the perp is facing forward."Investigators can still try to run the photo through state driver's license and arrest databases, he said, though some states require a judge to issue a warrant before state driver's licenses can be used as evidence in an arrest and beyond.On Friday, The New York Times reported that the suspect used a fake New Jersey ID to book a room at the hostel, citing an unnamed senior law enforcement official.Shooter was 'proficient in the use of firearms,' police saidUnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, said in a statement, "We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.""Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," the statement said. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian's family and all who were close to him."Kenny said at the NYPD's press conference in the aftermath of the shooting that the gunman arrived on 6th Avenue about five minutes before Thompson."The shooter steps onto the sidewalk from behind the car. He ignores numerous other pedestrians, approaches the victim from behind, and shoots him in the back," Kenny said. "The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot."Kenny added that the shooter's weapon appeared to jam during the attack."From watching the video, it does seem that he's proficient in the use of firearms, as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly," Kenny said.Surveillance footage captured the incident, showing the gunman firing his weapon as Thompson, wearing a blue suit jacket, was walking several feet in front of him.A law-enforcement source, who is not authorized to talk to the press, told Business Insider that the gun appeared to be equipped with a silencer. The source added that the gunman "definitely knew" where Thompson was going to be. UnitedHealth Group canceled its investor day shortly after reports of the shooting broke. Paul Squire/ BI The police said officers found Thompson unconscious and unresponsive two minutes after the shooting. Emergency responders rushed him to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m.Police have not identified a motiveThe shooting occurred blocks from Midtown holiday tourism landmarks, including Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center, whose Christmas tree lighting took place Wednesday night.By late Wednesday morning, six evidence cups remained on the taped-off section of the sidewalk where the shooting happened."That's covering the shell casings," an officer at the scene told BI, declining to give their name because they were not authorized to talk to the media.UnitedHealth Group canceled its "investor day" conference shortly after reports of the shooting broke.Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the killing.Kenny said investigators were combing through Thompson's social media and interviewing employees and family members and would be talking to law enforcement in Minnesota, where Thompson lived and where UnitedHealth Group and UnitedHealthcare are based.Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News in an interview that her husband had been receiving threats."Basically, I don't know, a lack of coverage?" she said. "I don't know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."The police department in his hometown of Maple Grove, Minnesota, told BI it hadn't been notified of any threats he might have received. Theresa Keehn, the Maple Grove police administrator, initially said Maple Grove had no record of calls for service to his house, but the department later said it had responded to a 2018 call from Paulette Thompson. An incident report said she had been walking to bed when she saw the front door deadbolt turn and grew afraid someone was inside the house. The police did not find anyone inside the house.An unnamed senior law enforcement official told NBC News that shell cases found at the scene were inscribed with the words "deny," "defend," and "depose." BI has not independently confirmed the description of the evidence, and an NYPD spokesperson didn't return a request for comment.Jay M. Feinman, an author and legal professor who specializes in insurance law, torts, and contract law, wrote a similarly titled book "Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It."The book is dubbed an expos of insurance injustice and explains how people can be more careful when shopping for insurance policies and what to do when pursuing a disputed claim.The NYPD said Thompson arrived in New York City on Monday and was staying at a hotel across the street from where he was shot.Police in Maple Grove, Minnesota, told BI homes of Thompson and his wife in a suburb outside Minneapolis were targeted with fake bomb threats Wednesday evening, more than 13 hours after the shooting. The police marked evidence at the scene of the shooting. Laura Italiano/BI Thompson was remembered as a 'hardworking Midwest guy.'Thompson spent 20 years at UnitedHealth Group and served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the health-benefits unit, since April 2021.While announcing his promotion, the company said Thompson would "drive continued growth across the global, employer, individual, specialty, and government benefits business while continuing the company's focus on ensuring access to high-quality, affordable healthcare."Leaders in the healthcare industry shared their condolences in the hours after Thompson's death.UnitedHealth's shares were broadly unchanged after the shooting. They've gained about 12% in the past 12 months, less than the 32% increase in the S&P 500 but outperforming competitors including CVS Health, Humana, and Elevance Health. During its third-quarter results in October, it gave what UBS called a "more conservative than usual" outlook for fiscal 2025. Ahead of Wednesday's investor day, it gave more detailed guidance for next year, forecasting revenue of $450 billion to $455 billion and adjusted earnings of $29.50 to $30 a share. The company also suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted pharmacy deliveries earlier this year.By Wednesday afternoon, UnitedHealth Group had removed the names of its executives from its website, an archived version of its site shows. Some executives also appeared to have deleted their LinkedIn profiles, though it's not clear when.Thompson had previously served as CEO of the group's government programs, running its programs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, said in a statement on the social-media site X that the shooting death was "horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.""Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian's family and the UnitedHealthcare team," Walz said.Thompson's former brother-in-law, Bassel El-Kasaby, told Business Insider that Thompson was "a good guy, very successful and very humble just a decent, hardworking Midwest guy.""Whoever did this is a coward and a loser," El-Kasaby said.Correction: December 4, 2024 An earlier version of this story misstated Thompson's work history at United Health. He worked at the company for 20 years but was not an executive there for 20 years.Update December 7, 2024: This story was updated as the manhunt continued.

The Harris campaign has $1.8 million cash after spending over $1 billion in the 2024 race.Harris continually raked in money during her 107-day presidential campaign against Donald Trump.But Harris could not overcome the headwinds against her party, coming up short in the swing states.After President Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democratic nominee last summer, the party felt an enormous jolt of energy as Vice President Kamala Harris embarked on a 107-day presidential campaign against Donald Trump.Throughout her campaign, Harris raised more than $1 billion, a stunning figure that mirrored the quick rise of her campaign.But Trump, now the president-elect, defeated Harris in the general election, with the vice president coming up short in the swing states.New federal filings show that the Harris campaign had $1.8 million remaining in the bank after spending over $1 billion against Trump in the presidential race.In the filings, the Harris campaign also reported that it had no debts.The filings reveal the pace of spending for the Harris campaign, which began with heightened enthusiasm from Democrats and major donors who had grown despondent over Biden's chances after a disastrous debate against Trump raised questions about his ability to mount a robust reelection campaign.From October 17 through November 25, which included some of the most frenzied stretches of the campaign through the postelection period, Harris raised $160 million and spent over $270 million. The Trump campaignraked innearly $87 million during that same periodand spent $113 million, the president-elect's campaign filings indicated.Harris held large rallies in swing states like Georgia and Pennsylvania throughout her campaign, especially in the immediate weeks leading up to the election. And despite the vice president's financial advantage over Trump, she had to boost her profile to an electorate that had long expected Biden to be the nominee and was uncertain about her positions on various issues from tackling inflation to her approach to foreign policy.The new FEC report also seemingly puts to rest any talk that the Harris campaign is heavily in debt, a notion that the campaign rejected last month when it told The New York Times that "there will be no debt" on the filings.But in the weeks since the general election, Democrats have still received fundraising appeals from the Harris operation. The "Harris Fight Fund" is the postelection operation of the general election "Harris Victory Fund" and is touted as a way to help provide accountability for the Trump administration.The Democratic National Committee's newest filings revealed that it had over $47 million in cash on hand, while its rival, the Republican National Committee, had nearly $43 million in the bank.Business Insider reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.

Trump's choice of NASA Administrator suggests he wants to shake up the agency's status quo.Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and SpaceX astronaut, is a mascot of the commercial space age.He might push for getting humans to the moon and Mars faster, but he'll have to go through Congress.President-elect Donald Trump has made a bold choice for NASA's new leader.Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that his choice for NASA Administrator is Jared Isaacman a CEO, fighter-jet pilot, and two-time SpaceX astronaut.Isaacman is not exactly a traditional pick. For one, he would be the first billionaire to lead the agency. More importantly, though, he's on the cutting edge of the new commercial space age, where private companies are becoming the biggest actors in space. Jared Isaacman at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX/Business Wire via AP Photo Some past NASA administrators were former NASA astronauts. Others were former executives from the aerospace industry. Many were politicians including Trump's last NASA chief, Jim Bridenstine, and the current administrator, Bill Nelson.Isaacman is none of those things. He has, however, flown to space in a Crew Dragon spaceship, conducted the first-ever commercial spacewalk in a brand-new SpaceX spacesuit, and plans to fly on future missions with the company aboard its Starship mega-rocket, no less.The nomination, which still has to be confirmed by the Senate, suggests that Trump wants to shake things up at NASA. Jared Isaacman stands at the hatch of Crew Dragon during the world's first commercial spacewalk. SpaceX "He certainly has the potential to be a disruptor," Leroy Chiao, a former NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander who now works in consulting, told Business Insider. "I think it's a great pick. It's much better than just status quo another retiring member of Congress."It's also another signal that Trump might make a big push to put the next humans on the moon, and even the first humans on Mars.Speeding up the road to MarsIsaacman's enthusiasm for space exploration isn't his only bona fide. He also has a businessman's mindset and a close relationship with Elon Musk. The two share the goal of getting humans to Mars.Chiao hopes Isaacman can speed up the process.Indeed, in a post on X accepting the nomination, Isaacman wrote that NASA would help make humanity "a true spacefaring civilization.""Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth," he added.NASA is already working on it. The Artemis programsend astronauts back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years, and eventually to use the moon as a jumping-off point to send people to Mars.However, Artemis is years behind schedule and billions over budget, largely due to technical and programmatic challenges with the giant Space Launch System that NASA is building for moon missions. Many industry commentators see SLS as a waste of government funds, when NASA could instead lean on commercial heavy-lift rockets like Starship. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA/Steve Seipel "Frankly, we have been at the status quo of this exploration program in one form or another over the last several presidents since 2004," Chiao said, "and we're not even close to launching the first astronaut on a new vehicle."In fact, NASA just pushed back the launch date for its first crewed Artemis mission, set to fly around the moon using SLS. On Thursday the agency delayed the mission by another seven months, to April 2026, citing issues with the system's Orion spaceship.That's the slow-moving status quo that Trump might aim to shake up.To that end, efficiency may be a top priority for Isaacman. That could mean reassessing Artemis entirely or cutting back some of NASA's centers and facilities nationwide, according to Abhi Tripathi, a former NASA engineer and SpaceX mission director who now leads mission operations at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab."I definitely think SLS will be on the chopping board," Tripathi told BI.First, though, Isaacman will have to go through Congress."He is going to ruffle a lot of feathers," Chiao said.Pushing through CongressCongress can be a formidable wall for anyone trying to revolutionize NASA.In places like Alabama and Southern California, a status quo NASA fuels the work of legacy aerospace contractors like Boeing and Northrop Grumman."The majority of members of Congress want jobs in their district, and they look at the space program primarily through that lens," Tripathi said.Plus, he added, "the lobbying arms of all of those big contractors will be basically camped outside their congressional representative's office, asking them to thwart any big plans that would change the status quo greatly."It'll all come to a head when the Trump White House makes its budget proposal. That's when Congress will approve or deny any cuts or reprioritizations that Trump and his NASA Administrator try to make.If Trump wants to put boots on Mars fast, he'll have to convince individual Congress members to push those changes through."I think Jared is a very smart and capable individual," Tripathi said, "but his ability to wield power will completely depend upon how much his president will back him up."

Netflix's new thriller series "Black Doves" follows a spy who hunts for her lover's killer.It stars Keira Knightley and "Paddington" voice actor Ben Whishaw.The streaming service renewed "Black Doves" months before the first season premiered.Netflix's new series "Black Doves" is taking off on the streamer.The London-based spy thriller was met with critical praise when it dropped on Thursday, receiving a 97% rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.The show stars Keira Knightley as Helen Webb, an operative for the Black Doves, a private espionage agency that gathers secrets and sells them to the highest bidder. She's also married to the UK government's defence secretary, something she uses to the advantage of her company.However, she embarks on a revenge mission with her old mentor, Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) when the man she's been having an affair with is assassinated shortly before Christmas.Knightley's role as a spy is a little different from what audiences might expect from her, and in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actor said that the series would've impressed her younger self."My teenage self is thrilled with this. Sometimes you have to listen to your teenage self and go, 'This one's for you,' you know. I think she would have found this very cool," she said.Fans who have binged the six-episode series already will be keen to know whether Webb and Young will return for more shady shenanigans. Here's what we know about "Black Doves" season two.'Black Doves' season 2 was confirmed in August 2024 Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley in Netflix's "Black Doves." Ludovic Robert/Netflix The streaming service seemingly had a lot of faith in "Black Doves," because it announced that it had renewed the series for a second season back in August 2024, several months before it premiered.The streaming service has not yet announced a release date or production timeline for the new season, so it's unclear how long of a wait fans will have.The ending of "Black Doves" leaves Webb and Young in a precarious place. In season two, their hunt for the person responsible for killing Jason Davies (Andrew Koji) will lead to more problems that will no doubt have to be solved with lots of guns and bloody murder.Showrunner and creator Joe Barton told Variety that he's in the middle of writing "Black Doves" season two, which might involve exploring Webb's backstory further using material cut from the first season."We're still early in the process. I'm writing the first episode still, and we're kind of feeling our way through it," Barton said. "We filmed some flashbacks, which didn't make the final cut, of young Helen and her stepdad and her sister Bonnie. I think that would be really interesting to find out more about.""Black Doves" is streaming on Netflix.

15. Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky. Getty Images Population of the metro area: 320,154Median home price: $331,000Median monthly rent: $1,600Median household income: $66,392Climate Vulnerability Index: 58th percentile (average vulnerability). This index shows areas of the US most likely to face challenges from climate change.Known for: Home to over 450 horse farms, Lexington is known as the horse capital of the world. While it doesn't have the Kentucky Derby, Keeneland Race Track holds its own horse races twice a year. 14. Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin. Walter Bibikow/Getty Images Population of the metro area: 280,305Median home price: $415,000Median monthly rent: $1,700Median household income: $70,484Climate Vulnerability Index: 6th percentile (lowest vulnerability)Known for: Wisconsin's capital is also the state's second-largest city. Madison is a college town, offering plenty of chances to see concerts and sporting events. 13. Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina. f11photo/Shutterstock Population of the metro area: 155,369Median home price: $617,500Median monthly rent: $2,800Median household income: $89,083Climate Vulnerability Index: 55th percentile (average vulnerability)Known for: With its cobblestone streets and 18th- and 19th-century buildings, Charleston is a dream for historic-architecture buffs. Plus, miles of beachy coastline are just a short trip from downtown. 12. Green Bay, WisconsinGreen Bay, Wisconsin. DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images Population of the metro area: 105,744Median home price: $318,000Median monthly rent: $999Median household income: $66,950Climate Vulnerability Index: 15th percentile (lowest vulnerability)Known for: Wisconsin's oldest city is home to the Green Bay Packers, a storied NFL team. Nature lovers can make the most of Green Bay's 25-mile Fox River State Trail, even in the winter. 11. Sarasota, FloridaSarasota, Florida. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Population of the metro area: 57,602Median home price: $488,500Median monthly rent: $2,800Median household income: $68,870Climate Vulnerability Index: 24th percentile (lower vulnerability)Known for: Sarasota earned the nickname the Circus City because Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus moved its winter quarters to the beachy town in 1927. These days, the weather, leisurely pace of life, and lack of income tax all attract people to Florida. Sarasota, in particular, has become a magnet for workers, according to a January LinkedIn report. 10. Boulder, ColoradoBoulder, Colorado. Page Light Studios/Shutterstock Population of metro area: 105,898Median home price: $945,000Median monthly rent: $2,995Median household income: $75,923Climate Vulnerability Index: 12th percentile (lowest vulnerability)Known for: Not far from the Rocky Mountains, Boulder is known for outdoorsy activities, including rock climbing, hiking, skiing, and cycling. The city's median age is 28.6, giving it a youthful, lively energy. 9. AustinAustin. Kruck20/Getty Images Population of metro area: 979,882Median home price: $484,900Median monthly rent: $2,000Median household income: $91,501Climate Vulnerability Index: 20th percentile (lower vulnerability)Known for: An artsy, contemporary city, Austin is known for its vibrant nightlife, live music, eclectic cuisine, and college scene. It also has a long history of attracting tech giants, and even more companies have opened offices there since the pandemic. West Coasters in the industry have moved to the city, lured by the booming job market and comparatively low cost of living. 8. Virginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach, Virginia. Kyle J Little/Shutterstock Population of metro area: 453,649Median home price: $384,500Median monthly rent: $2,195Median household income: $91,141Climate Vulnerability Index: 18th percentile (lowest vulnerability)Known for: Boasting a beloved boardwalk, Virginia Beach has miles of beaches, delectable seafood, and a mild climate. Murals, museums, and shops in the ViBe Creative District give the seaside destination some arty flair, too. 7. Huntsville, AlabamaHuntsville, Alabama. Denis Tangney/Getty Images Population of metro area: 225,564Median home price: $315,000Median monthly rent: $1,465Median household income: $73,319Climate Vulnerability Index: 54th percentile (average vulnerability)Known for: Since the start of the US space program in the 1950s Huntsville has been a hub for the aerospace and defense industries. Today it's bursting with startups, alongside long-standing workplaces like NASA and Boeing. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin also has a facility for building rocket engines in Huntsville. 6. Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North Carolina. Getty Images Population of metro area: 482,295Median home price: $450,000Median monthly rent: $1,826Median household income: $86,309Climate Vulnerability Index: 13th percentile (lowest vulnerability)Known for: This capital city has a busy downtown, free museums, and miles of hiking trails. Part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, Raleigh has a long history of fostering technology and science companies, creating a strong local economy. 5. Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina. Getty Images Population of the metro area: 911,311Median home price: $424,900Median monthly rent: $1,950Median household income: $80,581Climate Vulnerability Index: 35th percentile (lower vulnerability)Known for: Second only to New York, Charlotte is a bustling banking hub. Locals can root for the city's professional basketball, football, and soccer teams or soak up the art and food scenes. 4. Greenville, South CarolinaGreenville, South Carolina. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Population of the metro area: 72,824Median home price: $366,500Median monthly rent: $1,725Median household income: $73,536Climate Vulnerability Index: 55th percentile (average vulnerability)Known for: In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville attracts new residents with its moderate climate, burgeoning food reputation, and natural beauty. Greenville is also home to several major corporations, including Michelin, GE, and Lockheed Martin. 3. Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs, Colorado. Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images Population of the metro area: 488,664Median home price: $440,000Median monthly rent: $1,873Median household income: $83,215Climate Vulnerability Index: 34th percentile (average vulnerability)Known for: The US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center is located in Colorado Springs, making the city especially attractive to athletes. There are hundreds of miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking, and white water rafting is a popular summer activity. From the Garden of the Gods to the iconic Pikes Peak, gorgeous natural sights adorn the area. 2. Boise, IdahoBoise, Idaho. vkbhat / Getty Images Population of the metro area: 235,421Median home price: $472,500Median monthly rent: $1,774Median household income: $79,977Climate Vulnerability Index: 9th percentile (lowest vulnerability)Known for: Thousands of new residents flocked to Idaho's capital in the past decade, making it the US's fastest-growing city in 2018. Boise blends sought-after amenities such as microbreweries and cider houses with nearby scenic state parks full of rivers, canyons, and mountains. 1. Naples, FloridaNaples, Florida Mint Images/Getty Ima Population of the metro area: 19,704Median home price: $629,500Median monthly rent: $6,100Median household income: $135,657Climate Vulnerability Index: 32nd percentile (lower vulnerability)Known for: Located on Florida's Gulf Coast, Naples is like a postcard come to life, with white-sand beaches, luxurious residences, and over 1,350 holes of golf. The city has long attracted wealthy residents who can afford the high housing costs. Right now a $295 million compound is up for grabs, the most expensive home for sale in the US.Sources: Population and income data are from the US Census, median home price from Realtor.com, median rent from Zillow, and climate information from the Climate Vulnerability Index.This story was originally published on May 15, 2024, and most recently updated on December 4.