Vladyslav Plak and his team run Drone Fight Club, a school that teaches Ukrainians how to fly drones in combat. Vladyslav Plak/Drone Fight Club 2025-04-03T04:57:41Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Vladyslav Plak's school uses a simulator and practice ranges to teach Ukrainians to fight with drones.Only a third of people who try the course actually succeed in becoming a drone pilot, he says.Playing music and sewing are two skills that often tell Plak that a candidate is the right fit.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vladyslav Plak, the CEO of Drone Fight Club, a Kyiv-based company that trains combat drone pilots for the Ukrainian military. The following has been edited for length and clarity.Not everyone can learn how to fly a drone to fight the Russians. But over the years of training pilots, I've figured out ways to tell if someone fits the role.Since Russia invaded my country in 2022, we've worked with thousands of Ukrainians at Drone Fight Club. Only a third of the candidates who come to us make it all the way to certification. We don't just train men; about 15% of our students are women.Our country's battle drone industry is still young. But we've already found that most people wanting to be combat drone pilots are not ready for the studying required. Our war environment changes quickly and is difficult to navigate, and we don't have enough time to work with people who are not completely suited for the job.It's like "Top Gun." Be the best, or get out. At the zero line, you don't get a second chance. You are either alive, or you get killed.Musicians make for great pilotsBeing a good combat drone pilot is more complicated than just quick reflexes. It is about being able to make the right decision at the snap of a finger.When we screen candidates, we tell them to watch two balls: one green and one red. Then, we tell them which ball to catch. If their reaction speed is slower than half a second, it is not fast enough. This is the top requirement for all pilots.Fine motor skills are also very important because the drone controls are sensitive. If one of our candidates works with a hammer in their day job, they may be good at big movements, but it may be hard for them to be a drone pilot.However, if they play the piano or a similar instrument, they will usually learn fast. Knowing how to play music is a strong sign you will be a successful drone pilot.To be good with music, your brain has to be wired to think ahead. You have to multitask and plan your next steps while you are already using your fingers for finer movements.When you know how to think ahead, your choices will be made with foresight. Those choices matter when you fly in battle. Basic courses at Drone Fight Club last a minimum of three weeks. Drone Fight Club Women who excel at sewing are also often great combat drone pilots. Here, it's the same. They need to think ahead to envision the bigger picture of what they want their clothing material to look like while simultaneously making decisions and using fine finger movements.Generally, our good combat drone pilots are also people who can focus on the task at hand. If your mind is jumping between everything you see, you will lose your concentration.From the simulator to the rangeAt Drone Fight Club, basic courses last a minimum of three weeks and have an exam each week. If you fail one exam, you are dropped from the class and advised to repeat the course.Lessons at our school are split between our simulator, theory lessons, and indoor and outdoor practice ranges.Our simulator, Drone Fight Simulator, is made to work with two pilots who can team up, and the scenarios are all based on the real missions that our guys fought.The same rules that we fight with on the front lines are put in our simulator. When the soldiers come back, they tell us exactly what happened, and we update the simulator with their battles. Drone Fight Club has developed one of several simulators used by Ukrainians to train their pilots for war. Drone Fight Club Just like with learning to fly a plane, you go through a pre-mission checklist, with things like checking the propellers and the data link. On the battlefield, if you forget one of these things, your mission can be a total failure.After using the simulator, students also go onto our target ranges. Each is in Ukraine and is up to four kilometers (2.5 miles) long.Our space is limited because of the war, but it's important that the range is large. In the war, our enemy can be 20 kilometers away. To effectively send a drone into combat, you have to understand what it means to fly long distances over different terrain, in different weather, and with jammers affecting your drone.When this war ends, we might start to help outside nations and militaries with their drones. We will be glad to help friendly nations defend themselves.It's not a matter of whether the war will end, but when it will end. I believe that this war must stop soon. It is costing too many lives.Recommended video

Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, has long said that he believes the world is moving toward great power conflict. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images 2025-04-03T04:59:49Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Tariffs can help the US prepare for conflict since they can lower foreign reliance, Ray Dalio says.Dalio wrote on Wednesday that such taxes are "necessary" in times of an international power struggle.The billionaire has regularly said he thinks the world is moving into a time of a high risk of war.Investing mogul Ray Dalio said tariffs aren't just a matter of tax revenue they're also a way for countries to prepare their economies for times of conflict and war.As the Trump administration announced reciprocal tariffs on China, the European Union, and dozens of other regions on Wednesday, Dalio wrote in a LinkedIn post that import taxes were "necessary in times of an international great power conflict."The billionaire's reason? They tend to lower reliance on foreign supply chains.Dalio, who founded the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, wrote that the tariffs "can reduce both current account and capital account imbalances.""Which, in plain English, means reducing the dependencies on foreign production and foreign capital, which is especially valued in times of global geopolitical conflicts or wars," the billionaire added.He wrote that this makes local companies less efficient because global supply chains are stifled but more survivable as long as domestic consumers can still buy enough of their goods.Dalio's post wasn't specifically dissecting the Trump administration's tariffs, so he's not necessarily saying that the White House introduced these taxes in expectation of war.Rather, he wrote about tariffs in general, highlighting their typical effects and the potential motivations for governments to introduce such measures.For example, the billionaire wrote that tariffs tend to bring inflation to the countries that introduce them and stagflation to the world.But Dalio's point about a potential "international great power conflict" aligns with the billionaire's regular warnings that the world is moving toward a period of great strife and a high risk of war.The billionaire published a book about this belief in 2021, in which he predicted that US-China competition would bring fundamental, messy changes to how the world is run.Either way, US debt must be tackled, Dalio saysIn his post on Wednesday about tariffs, Dalio recalled another of his usual points about the state of the world: He believes the US government's debt crisis must be solved. The federal debt-to-GDP ratio is about 120%."The production, trade, and capital imbalances (most importantly the debts) must come down one way or another, because they are dangerously unsustainable for monetary, economic, and geopolitical reasons," he wrote.Dalio warned in February that debt would cause a "heart attack" for the US financial system if left to accumulate."You're in a high risk of this heart attack, essentially, and now what are you going to do about it?" he said.He said at the time that while Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency would seek to slash the government budget, those efforts alone wouldn't be enough to fix the debt crisis.Bridgewater Associates and Principles, Dalio's book brand, did not respond to comment requests for Dalio sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.Recommended video

Celebrities are paying tribute to Val Kilmer after he died at age 65 on Tuesday.His daughter confirmed to The New York Times that pneumonia was the cause of the actor's death.Kilmer was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but recovered. However, due to a tracheostomy, his voice was permanently damaged.He was known for his roles in 1986's "Top Gun," 1991's "The Doors," and 1995's "Batman Forever."Following the news of Kilmer's death, friends and fellow celebrities shared their reactions on social media.Francis Ford Coppola said Kilmer was "a joy to know"Francis Ford Coppola worked with Kilmer on 2011's horror film "Twixt.""Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life. He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know I will always remember him," the filmmaker wrote on Instagram.Cher paid tribute to Kilmer, whom she dated in the '80s Cher and Kilmer briefly dated in the '80s. William Nation/Sygma via Getty Images "VALUS Will miss u,U Were Funny,crazy,pain in the ass,GREAT FRIEND,kidsU, BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness," the "Believe" singer wrote in a post on X, using her nickname for the actor. In 2021, she told People that Kilmer and she had nicknames for each other."We called ourselves Sid and Ethel. Val didn't want to yell 'Cher' and I didn't want to yell 'Val,'" Cher said. "We also called ourselves Valus Maximus and Cherus Reprimandus. It was just kind of who I was in the household. Of course, he was Maximus, come on."Michael Douglas shared a photo of himself and Kilmer from 1996's "The Ghost and the Darkness""RIP Val Kilmer. It was an honor working with Val on The Ghost and the Darkness nearly 30 years ago. Val will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on forever in the films and performances he so brilliantly shared with us," Michael Douglas wrote in his Instagram caption accompanying the photo.Josh Brolin shared a heartfelt message to KilmerActor Josh Brolin, who portrays Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shared a heartfelt message to Kilmer on Instagram."See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There's not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts," Brolin wrote in his caption.Michael Mann posted a throwback photo of Kilmer"While working with Val on 'Heat' I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val's possessing and expressing character. After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news," filmmaker Michael Mann wrote in his caption.Mann worked with Kilmer in 1995's crime drama film "Heat," which also starred Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino.Michelle Monaghan shared a photo of herself and Kilmer, whom she worked with on "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang""A kind, curious, committed, rebellious, and radical gent. I learned from one of the greats. An artist through and through. I treasured my time with you," The "White Lotus" star wrote in her caption. "Godspeed buddy."Josh Gad thanked Kilmer for being a part of many movies from his childhoodJosh Gad, best known for voicing Olaf in Disney's "Frozen" franchise and for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon," shared a tribute to Kilmer on Instagram along with a photo of the "Top Gun" star."RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon," Gad wrote in his caption.Matthew Modine shared an anecdote about meeting Val Kilmer in 1985"RIP Val Kilmer. If it wasn't for our chance encounter at the Source in 1985, I may never have been cast in FULL METAL JACKET. Thanks, Val," Matthew Modine, who also starred in "Stranger Things," wrote on X.Accompanying Modine's post was a video telling how his bumping into Kilmer in a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard set off a chain of events that eventually culminated in him getting cast in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket."Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash posted a photo of Kilmer from the film "Tombstone"In the 1993 film, Kilmer plays the American outlaw Doc Holliday."RIP #ValKilmer," Slash wrote in his caption.

"Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban said retailers like Walmart "will jack up the price" on their goods and "blame it on tariffs." Megan Briggs/Getty Images 2025-04-03T04:01:01Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on over 180 countries."Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban said people should "buy lots of consumables" now before prices go up.Cuban said retailers will raise prices and "blame it on tariffs" even if their goods are US made.Mark Cuban has a suggestion for Americans: "Buy lots of consumables now."Cuban made a post on Bluesky on Wednesday shortly after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs that would hit more than 180 countries:"It's not a bad idea to go to the local Walmart or big box retailer and buy lots of consumables now. From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory," Cuban wrote."Even if it's made in the USA, they will jack up the price and blame it on tariffs," Cuban added.Cuban declined to comment further when approached by Business Insider.On Wednesday, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries that have imposed tariffs on US goods. The tariffs, which Trump said will start at a baseline rate of 10%, will affect 185 countries."April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again," Trump said.While companies might absorb some of the cost increases from tariffs, American consumers are likely to see higher prices on items like cars and groceries.Last month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that "a good part" of the Fed's rising inflation forecast stems from Trump's tariff plans.Experts BI spoke to, however, said Cuban's concerns that tariffs would raise prices are valid but panic buying may hurt supply chains and cause prices to go up, too."Just as I said during COVID, no one should be panic-buying toilet paper and Clorox, and no one should be doing that now," Margaret Kidd, an associate professor of supply chain and logistics technology at the University of Houston, told BI.Kidd said consumers need to be "conservative with our resources" since price increases are "happening across the board.""We don't know how this is going to play out," Kidd said.Chris Tang, a UCLA professor and expert in global supply chain management, told BI that Cuban's suggestion could result in "bigger problems.""This kind of shift in demand would actually exacerbate this price increase. If the demand is more stable, then the price is more stable. If everyone starts stocking up toothpaste and toilet paper, the prices go higher," Tang said.To be sure, this isn't the first time Cuban has been critical of Trump's tariff policies. The "Shark Tank" star endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign last year, calling her a "pro-business" candidate.In September, Trump said he would impose a 200% tariff on John Deere if the agriculture equipment company moved its manufacturing to Mexico."This Lack of Understanding of Business is insane," Cuban wrote in an X post then.Imposing higher tariffs on American companies than their Chinese counterparts meant that "Chinese products will be cheaper to sell in the US than the American company," Cuban added."Good way to destroy a legendary American company and increase costs to American buyers," Cuban wrote.The White House did not respond to a request for comment from BI.Recommended video

For vice presidents of the United States, frequent travel is in the job description. Luckily, they get to travel in style.While traversing the country and the world, Vice President JD Vance flies in a custom C-32 plane featuring an advanced communications center, conference room, and private stateroom.The plane measures 155 feet long and can fly 5,500 nautical miles without refueling. When Vance is on board, it's known as "Air Force Two."Take a look inside the vice president's plane.Any Air Force plane carrying the US vice president is called "Air Force Two."Air Force Two. BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images Similar to the president aboard "Air Force One," the designation of "Air Force Two" refers to any Air Force plane carrying the vice president, not a specific jet or model.Over the years, several different planes have carried the Air Force Two title, transporting vice presidents and their staff around the world. The most commonly used jet is a C-32, a customized military version of a commercial Boeing 757-200 plane.The vice president is generally prohibited from flying on "Air Force One," a plane carrying the president.Vice President JD Vance on Air Force Two. Ben Curtis/POOL/AFP/Getty Images The president and vice president don't travel together for security reasons.It's customary for presidents and vice presidents to salute service members as they board and disembark presidential planes.Kamala Harris saluted service members while disembarking Air Force Two. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson Service members are required to salute the president as commander in chief, but not the vice president. Still, it's customary for troops to salute vice presidents, as well.Richard Nixon was the first vice president to travel internationally via jet on official business, visiting what was then the USSR in 1959.Richard Nixon on Air Force Two. Thomas J O'Halloran/US News & World Report Collection/PhotoQuest/Getty Images Nixon, who served as President Dwight D. Eisenhower's vice president, flew on a Boeing VC-137A Stratoliner to visit the USSR in 1959.Beginning with the Ford administration in 1975, this DC-9 jet flew as Air Force Two until 2005.A retired DC-9 that was part of the Ppresidential fleet. Matt York/AP The jet was first used by President Gerald Ford's vice president, Nelson Rockefeller.It featured a VIP cabin with 10 seats and a main cabin with 32 first-class seats.A retired Air Force Two plane. Matt York/AP The plane was retired from service during the Bush administration in 2005 and placed up for auction by the General Services Administration in 2013.Vice President Al Gore decorated the VIP cabin with family photos.Al Gore and Tipper Gore on Air Force Two. LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images Gore worked on his acceptance speech for the 2000 Democratic National Convention aboard Air Force Two.The cabin also featured a clock with different time zone displays.A clock inside the retired DC-9 that served as Air Force Two. Matt York/AP The clock featured the time in Washington, DC, and whatever destination Air Force Two was bound for.The updated C-32 plane most commonly used by vice presidents first deployed in 1998.Air Force Two. IAN LANGSDON/AFP via Getty Images With a wingspan of nearly 125 feet, each engine features 41,700 pounds of static thrust, according to the Air Force.As vice president, Joe Biden hung a map of the world in his Air Force Two work area.Joe Biden on Air Force Two. Charles Ommanney/Edit by Getty Images Biden traveled over one million miles on Air Force Two during his time as vice president.Mike Pence's staff decorated Air Force Two for his birthday in 2017.Mike Pence celebrated his birthday on Air Force Two. @VP45/Twitter Staffers celebrated the vice president's birthday with streamers and balloons aboard the jet.Kamala Harris also celebrated birthdays on the plane.Kamala Harris celebrated a staffer's birthday on Air Force Two. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson Harris brought cupcakes and sang "Happy Birthday" to her domestic policy advisor, Kate Childs Graham, in 2021.Second gentleman Doug Emhoff traveled aboard Air Force Two, as well.Doug Emhoff on Air Force Two. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson Air Force Two is occasionally used by the first lady and Cabinet members.Emhoff filled out his March Madness basketball bracket en route to Las Vegas in March 2021.The back of Air Force Two contains 32 business-class seats for members of the press.Kamala Harris addressed members of the press on Air Force Two. RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images Vice presidents and staff occasionally hold informal briefings with reporters known as "press gaggles" aboard Air Force Two.The press area features TV screens that can play cable news.Kamala Harris on Air Force Two. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The rear cabin also contains a galley, two bathrooms, and closets.Vice President JD Vance has taken several international trips on Air Force Two, including to France, Germany, and Greenland.JD Vance disembarked from Air Force Two in France with his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children. IAN LANGSDON/AFP via Getty Images In February, Vance visited France and Germany with his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children. Vance attended the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference.In March, the vice president and second lady toured Pituffik Space Base, the only US military base in Greenland. Usha Vance was originally scheduled to visit historical sites and attend Greenland's national dogsled race on a solo trip. The visit was scaled back amid tensions between the US, Greenland, and Denmark as President Donald Trump doubled down on his longtime goal of acquiring Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, in the interest of national security.

Mexico and Canada were spared from Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs, but according to the White House, that doesn't mean the US' neighbors are off scot-free. WhiteHouse.gov 2025-04-03T02:02:24Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced sweeping tariffs on imports of goods from around the globe.Two countries, Canada and Mexico, were notably spared from the latest round of tariffs.However, the two neighboring nations are still subject to pre-existing 25% tariffs.President Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs had two surprising omissions: Mexico and Canada.Many countries, including China, were slapped with large reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday. After Trump's announcement, CNBC reported that Chinese goods could receive a 54% tariff when combining the new tariffs (34%) with ones that have been previously announced. European Union goods will be subject to a new 20% tariff.According to the White House, this doesn't mean the US's neighbors are off scot-free. Pre-existing 25% tariffs on most Mexican and Canadian goods will remain.USMCA and Trump's previous tariffsUnder Trump's previous order, a 25% tariff was applied to all Mexican and Canadian goods that are not compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.The White House has said the tariffs are necessary because the two countries are not doing enough to stop illegal immigration and the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States from the northern and southern borders. Leaders of both countries have disputed this claim.The USMCA trade deal, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020, maintains NAFTA's zero-tariff treatment for most agricultural products, textiles, apparel, and other goods that meet the trade agreement's rules of origin.Non-compliant energy and potash from the bordering nations remain subject to a 10% tariff; the latter was viewed as the White House bowing to pressure from the farm industry worried about a key ingredient in fertilizers.Chris Tang, a UCLA professor and expert in global supply chain management and the impact of regulatory policies, told Business Insider the Trump administration's choice to leave Canada and Mexico off the tariffs list on Wednesday may be a symbol that the president recognizes the neighboring nations' significance to the US economy but it's also likely a negotiation tactic."So, for example, right now, the products that comply with the USMCA are still tariff-free," Tang said. "But that's temporary. Trump has said, 'Well, that may adjust.' And that gives him still some wiggle room to negotiate."If Trump's prior order were terminated, a spokesperson for the White House told Business Insider all non-USMCA compliant goods would be reduced to a 12% tariff.Margaret Kidd, an instructional associate professor of supply chain and logistics technology at the University of Houston, told Business Insider, "It's not in our best interest for the United States to alienate our two closest trading partners."She added that there was about $945 billion in trade between Mexico and the US in 2024, with most of the products exchanged flowing through Texas. The tariffs on the southern country, she said, have an outsized effect on the border states, which rely on the local economy built around international trade."It's all intermingled," Kidd said.Tang said he's hopeful that the omission of Canada and Mexico from Wednesday's tariffs could act as a sort of olive branch with the nation's allies to soothe the trade tensions that have increased since Trump took office."Really, our economies are interlinked," Tang said. "So, hopefully, they can really sit down and work it out because these are our allies, our neighbors this is very important. So I hope there is a possibility that these three countries can work together."Recommended video

Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine were among the Republicans who voted for a resolution that would block Trump's tariffs on Canada. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images 2025-04-02T23:43:36Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? The Senate voted to block Trump's Canada tariffs right after his "Liberation Day" tariff event.It's a largely symbolic vote, and Trump's tariff power won't be restricted.Still, it's an embarrassment that Trump tried to avoid.Just hours after President Donald Trump unveiled a host of new tariffs, the GOP-controlled Senate voted to block a major part of his trade agenda.The Senate passed a resolution to terminate the national emergency that Trump declared on February 1 that enables him to enact tariffs on Canada. The bill is not expected to be taken up by the House, so Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada won't be affected.Still, it's an unwelcome symbolic rebuke of the president's trade agenda, coming on what he had dubbed "Liberation Day."It was a 51-48 vote, with every Democratic senator voting for the bill, along with four Republicans:Sen. Susan Collins of MaineSen. Mitch McConnell of KentuckySen. Lisa Murkowski of AlaskaSen. Rand Paul of KentuckyRepublican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas was not present for the vote.Paul, a libertarian Republican who's consistently spoken up in support of free trade, even co-sponsored the resolution, which was introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia."Tariffs on Canada will threaten us with a recession," Paul told reporters on Wednesday. "I mean, it's a terrible, terrible idea."Collins, who faces a competitive reelection fight in 2026, cited her state's reliance on trade with Canada in a floor speech earlier on Wednesday."The Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner," Collins said. "The tariffs on Canada would be detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies."While Murkowski isn't up for reelection next year, her state is also reliant on trade with Canada, and she hasn't been shy about criticizing Trump and his administration. McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader, has also been critical of Trump's tariff plans.Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on imports from all foreign countries, plus higher reciprocal tariffs on a long list of other countries and a 25% tariff on foreign auto imports.Trump did not announce new tariffs on Mexico or Canada, and the White House said that there will continue to be no tariff on goods that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.At a press conference on Tuesday, Kaine and other Democratic senators said that tariffs on Canada specifically didn't make sense, given the country's longtime alliance with the United States."The President has justified the imposition of these tariffs on, in my view, a made-up emergency," Kaine said. "The fentanyl emergency is from Mexico and China. It's not from Canada."In an early morning Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said that he hoped that the GOP senators who planned to vote for the anti-tariff resolution would "get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change.""They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels," Trump wrote. "The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans."That argument may have won over some Republicans who are otherwise suspicious of tariffs, such as Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin."I'm not going to support their attempt to damage Trump," Johnson told reporters.When asked about Trump's argument, Paul was undeterred."I would argue that tariffs, particularly that leads to a recession, are devastating politically," Paul said.Recommended video

Tejas Vijh moved to the US in 2022 to grow his career in venture capital. Tejas Vijh 2025-04-03T00:00:02Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Tejas Vijh navigated visa challenges to secure a venture capital role in the US.Visa sponsorship is rare in venture capital, and many international students stick to Big Tech.He feels more secure about his job at a small firm than his peers at Big Tech companies.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tejas Vijh, an employee at a venture capital firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his employment and visa history.After I completed my bachelor's in computer science in India, a series of internships and connections led me to a role at a very early-stage venture capital firm. I loved the job and the research it involved.Seven months into working at the firm, I wanted the exposure of living and working abroad. I got into a business analytics master's program at Columbia University and moved to New York City in 2022.Right off the bat, I figured out that venture was not a typical career path for international students, including MBA and business majors, for one main reason: visa sponsorship issues. I interned at two places in the summer, and both said they wouldn't be able to sponsor my long-term visa, even though they liked my performance.When I started researching the job market after graduation, I could not find a single person in the industry who was an immigrant, which was really demotivating. But I was convinced that I wanted to work in healthcare or climate tech and decided to keep going.As a Science-Technology-Engineering-Math graduate, I am allowed a three-year work permit called the Optional Practical Training visa. It's seen as a pathway to securing an H-1B a visa for highly skilled foreign workers.500 cold emailsUsingMany firms replied to me even though they weren't hiring, and I met people for coffee and built connections.I started getting some interviews by my 200th email.By my 500th email, I had two offers one from a larger firm that told me they could not sponsor my H-1B but that I could join them for my three years of OPT, and another from my current firm, where our managing partner took time to understand my visa requirements and the support I would need from them. I told him how I'm loyal and I will stay where I go. My firm has three partners, and I'm the only employee.The advantages of a small companyI did not get my H-1B visa last year, but my visa was selected as part of this year's lottery last week. My firm has also been supportive and has helped me explore alternative routes like the O-1 visa or the EV-1, which are visas for extraordinary talents in the event my H-1B did not come through.Some of the recent changes around H-1B also give me a lot of hope, since they are focused on making the process fairer. The US immigration authorities have reported fewer entries into the lottery this year compared to 2024. Elon Musk, who is working with President Donald Trump's administration, has also publicly supported the H-1B program.I'm grateful I decided to join a small company over a Big Tech company, where a lot of my classmates from my master's and family members work. Large companies are traditionally seen as more stable and a safer bet for visa holders, but as layoffs sweep the tech industry, this mindset is changing. I have family members who are always on edge about when they may lose their jobs and be forced to quickly pack up and leave the US because their stay depends on their employment.I believe my partners will honestly give me a heads-up if we need to cut employees. The firm is also heavily involved in helping me find alternative visas, whichRecommended video

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP 2025-04-02T21:00:48Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Trump announced a range of new tariffs on April 2, his so-called "Liberation Day."He signed an executive order to impose reciprocal tariffs and a 25% tariff on car imports.Some economists warned that uncertainty around the tariffs could strain consumers and businesses.President Donald Trump's highly-anticipated new round of tariffs is here, and it could mean increased prices on a range of goods Americans rely on.On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order announcing reciprocal tariffs on all countries that have placed tariffs on US goods. These tariffs fall on Trump's so-called "Liberation Day," which the president has been touting for weeks as the day when his expansive trade plan would drop."April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again," Trump said during Wednesday remarks.The motivation for the reciprocal tariffs: "They do it to us, and we do it to them," Trump said. "Very simple. Can't get any simpler than that." He added that all of the tariffs would have a baseline 10% tariff rate.Trump said during his remarks that he would charge countries "approximately half" of what those countries have been charging the US. Trump said that would amount to a 32% tariff on goods from China, 20% tariff for the European Union, 32% tariff for Taiwan, and 26% tariff for India.Trump also announced a 25% tariff on all car imports into the US. He did not mention any new tariffs on Canada or Mexico during his remarks.In the weeks leading up to April 2, Trump signaled a range of tariffs he was planning to implement. They included a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, a 25% tariff on all car and car part imports into the US, tariffs on agricultural goods, and reciprocal tariffs on all countries that have placed tariffs on US goods. A 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports is already in effect.The reciprocal tariffs are the broadest category, and Trump previously indicated that there would be "flexibility" in terms of the scope of the tariffs he would end up imposing on those countries.These tariffs are likely to increase prices on impacted goods, and while some companies might choose to absorb some of the costs, consumers are set to shoulder most of the burden.Ahead of Trump's tariff announcement, the White House wrote in a press release on Wednesday morning that tariffs will "level the playing field for American workers and businesses." However, markets and consumers have already been feeling financial strains due to the ongoing uncertainty with Trump's trade plans."When the president doesn't have a clear strategy or direction, it is extremely difficult for businesses in particular and consumers as well, to plan for the future, and that's why you're seeing so much uncertainty in the consumer market right now and so much uncertainty in the business community," Alex Jacquez, an advisor on the National Economic Council under former President Joe Biden, told reporters on a Tuesday press call.The US is likely to see retaliatory tariffs from impacted countries following Trump's announcement. Canada's Justin Trudeau previously said he would place tariffs on American goods until Trump's tariffs were withdrawn.The United Auto Workers union previously lauded the president's plan to place a 25% tariff on all cars and car parts imported into the US, saying it would bring more jobs back into the US auto industry."These tariffs are a major step in the right direction for autoworkers and blue-collar communities across the country," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.Recommended video

Meghan Markle in September 2023. Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images 2025-04-02T22:11:01Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Meghan Markle's first As Ever collection sold out within an hour of its launch.The Duchess of Sussex's show "With Love, Meghan" was also a hit when it was released in March.Despite vocal criticism, Meghan's pivot to lifestyle is off to a good start.Meghan Markle just dropped her first lifestyle collection and it's already sold out.After months of anticipation, the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle venture As Ever officially launched on Wednesday. The brand's entire collection sold out within an hour of it dropping online.As Ever's triumphant launch follows the successful debut of the duchess' Netflix series "With Love, Meghan," which was a hit with viewers despite widespread criticism from the media and some fans who called the show boring and out of touch.Despite that, Meghan is proving her bet on her lifestyle career was worth taking.Entering the lifestyle spaceBoth "With Love, Meghan" and As Ever were met with plenty of criticism. Outlets published dozens of negative articles about the series when it was released, lamenting its lack of relatability for the average viewer and criticizing Meghan's hosting tips as unnecessary.However, that criticism seemed detached from the show's successful reality. "With Love, Meghan" hit Netflix's top 10 list the week it premiered and amassed over 2.6 million views, according toThe New York Times. Netflix also already announced thatseason two of the show will premiere in the fall of 2025. Meghan Markle on "With Love, Meghan." Netflix As Ever is on a similar path. When it was first announced, naysayers questioned Meghan's product line, saying items like flower petal sprinkles were gratuitous or assuming she would overcharge for her products. Others questioned whether Meghan had a clear vision for the brand since she changed its name from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever, despite the swap being largely due to a trademark issue.Lo and behold, it seems the Duchess of Sussex and Netflix, her business partner in the brand did have a clear vision for As Ever. As Ever blends the type of California luxury you might associate with Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop or Martha Stewart with royal elegance, creating a glossy feel that clearly appeals to buyers.Stacy Jones, the founder and CEO of Hollywood Branded, told Business Insider Meghan and Netflix are creating a brand that seemingly reflects the duchess herself."She's not an A-list actress. She's an A-list personality," Jones said."She's really pushed herself back into that influencer side of it versus that celebrity side of it where her brand requires content to be created around her, either by her or by someone else," she added. "That's what Netflix is doing."A sold-out collectionAs Ever's first collection featured items that cost $12 to $15 aside from a $28 limited-edition honey and they sold out within an hour of its launch. The honey was gone in just five minutes.Thanks to standard shipping, it will be a few days before people get to try the products they ordered. And although it's unclear how much merchandise was available to begin with, the launch itself was a win for Meghan.Jones said the gap between the vocal criticism of Meghan's lifestyle ventures and their real-life success isn't surprising."People like to be able to complain and be really, really loud about that," she said. "The haters are gonna hate, but she has a fan base." Meghan Markle's first As Ever collection immediately sold out. As Ever Meghan has meticulously built up her base over the past decade. Many of them started out as fans of her blog, The Tig, which she ran from 2014 to 2017. They loved her recipes and hosting tips before she ever knew Prince Harry."She had a consumer base who are probably still fans of hers," Jones said. "There's not been a big step away from where she was before, back in the days of actresshood and 'Suits,' but she's bringing in a new level of branding."Jones also said that Meghan's fan base has proved fiercely loyal, sticking with her through her royal controversies. That makes them a huge asset for the duchess, which she seems aware of. As she shared on Instagram, Meghan reconnected with her "OG Tig girls" ahead of As Ever's launch.Meghan is finding a sweet spot in the lifestyle world because it blends her passions and the glamour of royal life. She's finding a way to share that with the world, and the proof is in the pudding (or rather, the jam).Recommended video

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Alex Wong via Getty Images 2025-04-02T20:28:12Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Meta blocks ex-exec Sarah Wynn-Williams from speaking to Congress on China dealings, her lawyer says.The block follows an arbitration ruling enforcing a non-disparagement clause in her severance.A Senate Subcommittee is investigating Meta's China ties, seeking records and details based on Wynn-Williams' memoir.Meta has blocked former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams from communicating with members of Congress who are investigating the company's dealings with the Chinese Communist Party, her lawyer said.Ravi Naik, the legal counsel for Wynn-Williams, told Business Insider that his client is barred from speaking to lawmakers because of an emergency arbitration ruling Meta obtained last month. The ruling enforces a non-disparagement clause in Wynn-Williams' severance agreement. It comes just as a bipartisan Senate investigation cites her memoir, Careless People, as the catalyst for a probe into Meta's dealings in China."Congress has made it clear they expect to be able to communicate with Ms. Wynn-Williams, and my client wishes to do so," Naik said in a statement. "Meta has, however, silenced Ms. Wynn-Williams through an arbitration process, which means that she is prohibited from communicating with Congress. Ms. Wynn-Williams believes that people deserve to know the truth.""We're not intending to stand in the way of her exercising her rights," a Meta spokesperson told BI.They added that the company did not operate its services in China. "It is no secret we were once interested in doing so as part of Facebook's effort to connect the world," they said. "This was widely reported beginning a decade ago. We ultimately opted not to go through with the ideas we'd explored, which Mark Zuckerberg announced in 2019."The Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and joined by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Republican Sen. John Hawley, opened the probe into Meta's dealings with China on April 1.The committee's letter sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday outlines a sweeping request for records dating back to 2014. Lawmakers are seeking all Meta communications with Chinese government officials, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, and records on Meta's subsidiaries and partners in the country, among other details.They also want information about whether Llama, Meta's AI model, was used by the People's Liberation Army or Chinese tech firms. The request also includes all documents related to "Project Aldrin," which Wynn-Williams' book claims, was Meta's three-year plan to break into China, as well as any internal deliberations about censoring content at the request of national governments.Through her attorney Wynn-Williams, who worked at Facebook from 2011 to 2017, has said she wants to cooperate. But an emergency arbitration order Meta secured last month enforces a non-disparagement clause from her severance agreement and prohibits her from talking to Congress. The ruling, issued just one day after Careless People was published, also bars her from promoting the book or publicly criticizing the company.Wynn-Williams' spokesperson said she sought to lift the gag order, but the arbitrator explicitly denied her request. The ruling warned that allowing her to speak to lawmakers could result in them publicly repeating statements she is barred from making. Allowing Wynn-Williams to talk to legislators would create "an exception that would eat the rule" and could enable public officials to amplify any disparaging statements, the arbitrator said."This ruling implies that the gag order on Ms. Wynn-Williams takes precedence over elected officials' right to know information pertaining to national security," her spokesperson said.Meta has dismissed Wynn-Williams' allegations as false and characterized her as a disgruntled former employee. A spokesperson previously told BI that her claims were "a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives."Wynn-Williams, who worked at Facebook from 2011 to 2017, has filed a whistleblower complaint with the SEC. Neither the arbitrator's ruling nor Meta's arguments in arbitration dispute the factual content of her memoir, her spokesperson says.Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at or Signal at . Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; .Recommended video

After Democrats notched a victory in Wisconsin, they say they're eager to see Elon Musk keep campaigning for Republicans. Robin Legran/AFP via Getty Images 2025-04-02T20:35:46Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Elon Musk waded into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race and lost.Now, Democrats want Musk to keep hitting the stump.Musk has quickly become a key foil for Democrats. The Wisconsin election vindicated that approach.After handily winning a Wisconsin Supreme Court race on Tuesday, Democrats are sending a message to Elon Musk: Keep campaigning for the GOP.Ben Wikler, the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, told reporters on a Wednesday press call that Musk should become President Donald Trump's "special envoy for midterm elections.""At the same time, Elon Musk should be removed as quickly as possible from any position of power over the federal government," Wikler added, referring to the billionaire businessman's role as the de facto leader of DOGE.Musk had poured millions of dollars into the race, arguing that the future of Western civilization was at stake. It was the first statewide election since Trump's 2024 victory and was seen as a barometer for the national mood. He even hit the campaign trail in person, holding a town hall event in Green Bay on Sunday night."Elon Musk's money might buy some ads, but it repels voters," Wikler said. Polling has broadly shown that Musk is less popular than Trump.Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, also mentioned Musk on the call."The more Elon Musk wants to get out there, I say go for it Elon," Martin said. "There are plenty of other states we would love you to campaign in."The Wisconsin race along with closer-than-expected special election results in two deep-red House districts in Florida has emboldened Democrats when it comes to the House of Representatives, where Republicans currently hold an extremely narrow lead. In 2024, Musk spent more than $19 million supporting various Democratic candidates.Katarina Flicker, a spokeswoman for House Majority PAC, said in a statement that the Democratic-aligned group "encourages one of the most unpopular men in America to campaign with Republicans across the country.""His efforts will be crucial to Democrats taking back the House in 2026," Flicker said of Musk.A spokesman for Musk's super PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Recommended video

Croatia won me over with its local hospitality, beautiful natural views, and incredible food. Tricia Patras 2025-04-02T18:24:01Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? I've been to 26 countries but none has impressed me as much as Croatia.The local hospitality and cuisine was unmatched I had incredible meals in Croatia.Plitvice National Park is beautiful and the gorgeous beaches weren't very crowded during my visit. At 30, I quit my job and took a year off to travel the world. In the span of 365 days, I visited 26 countries. I went to popular spots like Florence, London, and Santorini, but my favorite destination was a place I'd almost missed: Croatia. I decided to visit the European country on a whim after seeing posts about it on Instagram and having it recommended to me by a few friends. I knew it was a filming location for "Game of Thrones," but other than that, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived in Croatia. I found myself delighted by the local cuisine and Croatian hospitality Croatia is beautiful. Tricia Patras One of my friends recommended I stay on Hvar, an island on the Adriatic Sea that she described as a "more relaxed version of the Greek Islands."I was worried the island life would feel too slow and not as enjoyable as a solo traveler. However, I soon ate my words and one of the best meals of my life. During my first night in Hvar, I ate handmade spaghettini at a small restaurant on the water. As I was living in Italy at the time, I wasn't expecting to find the best pasta I ever had in Croatia but here I was.I devoured every bite of the delicious pasta, which was served with fresh mussels and seafood from the water before me. The waiters laughed at how much I enjoyed my food and even gave me a free limoncello to celebrate my meal.Although Hvar is small, it felt filled with life. After two days of exploring its wine bars and local bakeries and swimming in the Adriatic Sea, I headed to the mainland.When I arrived in Split, one of Croatia's largest cities, I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't feel crowded or swamped with visitors. After exploring tourist-infested place after place, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I found so much to enjoy in the city, which is surrounded by blue waters and filled with historic architecture. Again, I found more delicious food. I spent my first night in Split alone at a restaurant eating squid-ink gnocchi and olive-oil bread. As a Greek native, I have high standards when it comes to olive oil and the bread I had was incredible.My server was so kind and friendly that I forgot I was even dining alone. He gave me 10% off my bill as a welcome to Split.Again, I found myself touched by the local Croatian hospitality.The nature and beaches felt otherworldly, too Some of the waterfalls I saw in Croatia were incredible. Tricia Patras As I continued to explore Croatia, I felt overwhelmed in the best way possible.I went on a day trip to the gorgeous Plitvice National Park with a group of strangers who ended up becoming friends. I was in awe as we hiked through the otherworldly park, filled with lush greenery and waterfalls galore. The next day, I explored the hills of Park Suma Marjan and relaxed on local beaches. I didn't run into many crowds during my trip. Tricia Patras In popular places like the Greek Islands, beautiful beaches like the ones I visited this would be crowded with tourists and drinks would cost 20 euros a pop. Here, I didn't fight anyone for a lounging spot and I paid no more than 8 euros for a cocktail. I felt relaxed and I felt even more gratitude for Croatia.I'm so glad I visited CroatiaEverything about this country surprised me in the best way possible.The food was a gorgeous hybrid of Italian and Eastern European cuisines. The lush greenery and natural beauty I'd seen couldn't compare to anything else I'd seen on my travels.Plitvice National Park felt wonderfully otherworldly, and so did the hospitality that I received from locals throughout my trip. After just a few days, Croatia had completely won me over and I can't believe I almost didn't visit it. Recommended video

Most US measles cases are in Texas, which has outbreaks in multiple counties. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images 2025-04-02T18:36:39Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? 19 states, including Texas, New York, California, and Florida, have confirmed measles cases.There are 70% more cases in 2025 so far than in all of 2024.The majority of measles cases are in unvaccinated children. Texas has the most cases, at 422.Measles cases in the US are growing exponentially. There are already 70% more confirmed cases in 2025 than in all of 2024.Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 due to high measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates. In 2019, the US nearly lost its measles elimination status when outbreaks caused over 1,200 measles cases. While the US still technically maintains its elimination status, measles cases continue to rise worldwide as childhood vaccination rates drop and more unvaccinated people travel to the US and elsewhere.2025 has seen 483 confirmed measles cases so far across 19 states.Texas has the biggest outbreaks87% of all US measles cases are in Texas, which has had outbreaks in multiple counties.Measles cases have also been confirmed in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.Most cases are in unvaccinated childrenThe majority of cases are in children under 19, and almost all of them are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Only 3% of cases have occurred in people with one or two doses of the MMR vaccine.So far, there's been one confirmed death caused by measles and one caseunder investigation because the person tested positive for measles after death. 70 people have been hospitalized.You can protect yourself by getting a boosterDoctors recommend getting an MMR booster if you were vaccinated before 1968 since earlier versions of the vaccine weren't as effective. You can get a booster if you don't know your medical history, and children under 1 can also get early doses of the vaccine.Measles is highly contagious and can live in the air for two hours. If you're traveling, the CDC recommends being fully vaccinated two weeks beforehand, and monitoring for symptoms for three weeks after you return.Recommended video

Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff, Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff, and Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff in season three of "The White Lotus." Fabio Lovino/HBO 2025-04-02T16:25:58Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? "The White Lotus" pays all series regulars equally, the show's producer told The Hollywood Reporter.The actors make about $40,000 per episode, and Bernad said the salary is "not negotiable."Despite fixed salaries, the show's prestige still attracts actors.Each season of HBO's Emmy-winning series "The White Lotus" features a mix of veteran actors and rising talents, but each series regular walks away with an equal paycheck."Everyone is treated the same on 'The White Lotus,'" producer David Bernad said in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday. "They get paid the same, and we do alphabetical billing, so you're getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons, not to quote 'The Bachelor.'"The system has been in place since the show's first season, which had a tight budget by necessity: "The White Lotus" was developed during the pandemic as a show that could film in one fixed location in season one's case, the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea to adhere to COVID protocols.Since premiering in summer 2021, "The White Lotus" has established itself as one of HBO's flagship shows. Each season focuses on a new group of wealthy guests staying at a different location of the titular luxury resort chain. With 43 Emmy nominations and 15 wins to date, getting cast in the anthology series is one of the hottest roles in Hollywood.The Thailand-set season three features seasoned actors like Jason Isaacs and Walton Goggins, plus younger stars like Patrick Schwarzenegger and Aimee Lou Wood."Everyone auditions for 'The White Lotus,'" Carrie Coon, who stars as Laurie in season three, told THR. Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood in season three of "The White Lotus." Fabio Lovino/HBO THR reported that the actors make about $40,000 per episode, and Bernad and casting director Meredith Tucker said that having a fixed, equal salary for the series regulars levels the playing field."It makes it so much easier," Tucker said. "You tell people this is what it is. And some won't do it and honestly, you can't hold it against people who need to make a living. Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale.""And it's not negotiable," Bernad added.While that might be a deterrent for some, the high-profile nature of the show all but guarantees that actors will get a boost in recognition if they're cast. For those who say yes, that's more than enough."I think people love this show so much that they're willing to audition," Tucker said.Recommended video

Macy's is clawing back bonuses paid to executives after an accounting error. Noam Galai/Getty Images 2025-04-02T16:26:26Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Some Macy's executives have to pay back bonuses as a result of an accounting scandal.Macy's overstated one of its earnings metrics in 2023, leading to the inflated bonuses.The executives owe Macy's over $600,000 as a result, the retailer said.Macy's executives will have to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonus payments as a result of an accounting scandal, the department store firm said on Tuesday.The retailer overstated one of its earnings measures by $81 million in 2023, the company said in a filing with the SEC. That metric influenced how much Macy's executives were paid in bonuses the following year.As a result, some execs will have to pay back a cumulative $609,613 in cash bonuses that the company awarded them through the end of 2024, according to the filing.The company has already reclaimed some of the bonus payments and had to collect the remaining $352,093 as of April 1, the filing said. Macy's "will seek to recover the remaining amount of the erroneously awarded compensation" from the executives during the company's 2025 fiscal year, the company said in the SEC filing.A Macy's spokesperson declined to comment in response to questions from Business Insider, including which executives had to pay back bonuses.Last fall, Macy's delayed its third-quarter earnings report after it said that an employee hid more than $150 million in expenses. The company said at the time that one employee who oversaw expenses for small package delivery was responsible for the incorrect figures.Accounting experts told BI then that the problem likely wasn't just bad accounting but the failure of multiple internal controls at Macy's.In December, Macy's corrected some of its past financial figures, according to a filing. The department store chain said that its net income for 2023 was 57% lower than it initially reported, for example.Recommended video

Moves like swagger: Kraft Heinz's global chief growth officer, Diana Frost, said she wants her marketing team to adopt a sense of pride and swagger in their work. WFA 2025-04-02T13:26:03Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? At the World Federation of Advertisers conference, it was clear marketers are under pressure.Tariffs, DEI rollbacks, the potential for ad budget cuts it's a lot.But CMOs are a creative bunch. They told me they're hopeful marketing can steer brands through."Snafu: Situation normal, all fd up."Stephan Loerke, CEO of the World Federation of Advertisers, dropped this f-bomb part of an acronym coined by the US military during the Second World War onstage at the ING Arena at the trade body's recent flagship event in Brussels. He said it was an apt way to describe how marketers feel three months into 2025.Yet marketers will often say they're at their most creative when they're under pressure. (Just don't mention cutting their budgets.)The duality was on full display at the glitzy conflab, replete with snazzy onstage graphics and a house band playing electropop in between sessions. Speakers from brands like Mastercard, L'Oral, and Kraft Heinz painted an optimistic vision to the 2,000-strong audience about how marketers could position their companies for growth, despite the tectonic shifts happening around them.Between the prospects of tariffs, inflation, the rising cost of living, global conflicts, political polarization, and the disruptive impact of AI, there's a lot for a CMO to keep on top of.Almost all (99%) of the roughly 600 marketers polled in a recent survey from the WFA and the consultancy firm Oxford said economic and geopolitical uncertainty and the need to quickly adjust priorities and budgets would be important or more important in the next five years. Roughly two-thirds (68%) said they'd anticipate these pressures would grow.One knock-on effect of that is ad budgets are likely to take a hit. Marketing is often the first department to feel the impact of cost cuts. In separate reports last month, analysts from Madison and Wall, as well as Magna Global, trimmed their US ad market forecasts for 2025. World Federation of Advertisers CEO Stephan Loerke didn't mince words. World Federation of Advertisers Backstage, Loerke told me that many marketers felt the uncertainty was at an inflection point, which was driving conversations about how to prove marketing's value as CMOs prepare for a tough year."Usually, when that conversation starts, it means that actually there's a recession coming," said Loerke, a former marketer at L'Oral in the 1990s.I interviewed six top global CMOs and spoke with other marketing execs attending the Brussels event to get a sense of what's top of mind for marketers as they navigate the turbulence.Marketers are scenario planning while trying to keep on track with their long-term strategiesMany marketers are spending a significant portion of their time locked in scenario-planning meetings with their CEOs, chief finance officers, and other members of the C-suite."Back in the day, when I started in the business, it was an A plan and a B plan," said Diana Frost, global chief growth officer at Kraft Heinz. "Well, that's a C plan and a D plan now."With the costs of raw materials going up, marketers in sectors like consumer goods and food are having to make rapid-fire decisions about prices, packaging, and product formulations. Consumers' willingness to pay more at the checkout is often partly determined by years of brand-building designed to make them choose one product over another.Patrik Hansson, EVP of marketing and innovation at the dairy company Arla Foods, said that while companies may encounter a year with disappointing growth, it's important for CMOs to stick to their plans a five-year horizon rather than a six-month horizon, say to ensure their marketing has a long-term impact."If you have a way forward, then a bit of noise, a bit of turbulence doesn't distract you from the long term, and that's what we're trying to focus on because otherwise, you get lost in this," Hansson told me.It all adds up for marketing measurementOver coffees, canaps, and cocktails, job security was a hot topic at the event.A February survey published Tuesday from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business found that 63% of the 281 US marketing leaders polled felt increased pressure from their chief finance officers, up from 52% in 2023."One of the big problems is that the advertisers themselves are shedding people in an attempt to cut costs, so CMOs are risk-averse and look for signs of success that are supposedly measurable," Nick Manning, founder of the media consultancy Encyclomedia, who was in attendance, told me after the event."Saying 'trust me, it'll work' doesn't play in a world where short-term is the only term," Manning added. A side dish of marketing effectiveness chat with your lunch, sir? World Federation of Advertisers Diageo is often seen across the industry as a poster child for demonstrating marketing effectiveness.In 2023, it began working with a tech company called CreativeX. CreativeX uses artificial intelligence to generate a "creative quality score" that predicts whether digital marketing assets will be effective.The drinks giant is also using an AI listening tool, developed with its partners Share Creative and Kantar, to predict consumer trends. One insight: 2025 is the year of "zebra striping," in which consumers cut down on their alcohol consumption by alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.Diageo's marketers also use an internal tool called Catalyst to get immediate access to data to help them make planning decisions."I want our marketers to have a business mindset and delve into the insights we can now access to plan spend, design campaigns, create content, and collaborate with partners based on what scenario best delivers the brand-building outcome that drives growth," said Cristina Diezhandino, Diageo's chief marketing officer.At Kraft Heinz, Frost wants to instill a sense of swagger and pride within the marketing department and she's got the receipts to back it up. The Heinz brand, in particular, has marked compound annual revenue growth of 6% over the past two years, adding around $600 million in top-line growth to the broader Kraft Heinz business, Frost said. She credits the creation of its internal digital ad agency, "The Kitchen," and also the repeatable frameworks it's put in place for Heinz marketers around the world to help grow the brand further."When you have these proof points of growth, then you can build the pride, then you can build the momentum of how it's actually possible as you roll it out to the rest of the portfolio, " Frost said.Jitters over brand safety and DEI rollbacks loomed large"Brand safety" was the elephant in the room at the event.Unspoken but present were lawsuits filed by Elon Musk's X and the video platform Rumble, plus a Jim Jordan-led House Judiciary Committee investigation. These took aim at the WFA's now-shuttered voluntary initiative, the Global Alliance of Responsible Media, and more than a dozen of its advertiser members. The lawsuits and the probe, which are ongoing, allege GARM's members illegally colluded to boycott platforms like X and Rumble. While GARM closed, which the WFA said was due to its limited resources, the WFA has said it adhered to competition rules and would prove so in court. The WFA told me in Brussels it didn't want to discuss the matter.(Side note: For all its glamour, the WFA's event had been originally due to take place at the far-flung locale of Mumbai, India, but after the legal troubles arose, it was shifted to Brussels, where the WFA is headquartered. The WFA partnered with the local advertising trade body, the UBA, to run the main show.) A bull market for marketing: Attendees packed the former Brussels stock exchange building to dine and dance at the gala dinner. World Federation of Advertisers While GARM was off limits, marketers did open up about another topic that's become newly contentious, particularly in corporate America: the anti-woke movement and the vocal backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.Gael de Talhouet, VP of brand building at the Swedish hygiene company Essity, said marketers should be mindful that "a brand is not a political stage.""It's something where you tell people about the good you bring to the world," he added.Rupen Desai, CMO and venture partner of the Una Terra Early Growth Fund, said the recent DEI rollbacks had revealed two types of companies: those where DEI was hard-coded into the company's economic model and those that were investing in these sorts of programs just because everyone else was.For the second type of company, Desai said the recent movements are a "huge sigh of relief.""When you're grappling with growth, or the lack of it, and this investment isn't really yet showing results, it's probably easier to take a step back," Desai said.But he added: "The companies who continue on this journey will be bigger winners than the ones who took a step forward, took a step back."As the sun set over the Palais de la Bourse, the former Brussels stock exchange, where the event's gala dinner was held, the mood was buoyant, despite the complexities the people in the vast dining room were having to navigate this year. (And sure, perhaps the frequently topped-up wine, exquisitely cooked duck, and performance from the French comedy TikTok creators Supermassive helped a tiny bit.) My name is Lara O'Reilly, and I approve this duck. Lara O'Reilly CMOs are complex creatures, after all, as David Wheldon, the new WFA president and chief brand officer of the lottery group Allwyn, summed up."A marketer has to have this strange combination of optimism and belief in what you're doing personally, and belief in what you're doing for your company and your customers and you have to be aware of the context you're in," Wheldon said. "If you flip-flop because the context is changing rapidly, then you cause yourself a problem."Recommended video

James Doohan as Lt. Commander Montgomery Scotty Scott on Star Trek CBS via Getty Images 2025-04-02T13:26:24Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? If AI agents catch on, there may not be enough computing capacity.AI agents generate many more tokens than chatbots, increasing computational demands.More AI chips may be needed if AI agents grow, Barclays analysts warned.In Star Trek, the Starship Enterprise had a chief engineer, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, who regularly had to explain to Captain Kirk that certain things were impossible to pull off, due to practicalities such as the laws of physics."The engines cannae take it, Captain!" is a famous quote that the actor may actually not have said on the TV show. But you get the idea.We may be approaching such a moment in the tech industry right now, as the AI agent trend gathers momentum.The field is beginning to shift from relatively simple chatbots to more capable AI agents that can autonomously complete complex tasks. Is there enough computing power to sustain this transformation?According to a recent Barclays report, the AI industry will have enough capacity to support 1.5 billion to 22 billion AI agents.This could be enough to revolutionize white-collar work, but additional computing power may be needed to run these agents while also satisfying consumer demand for chatbots, the Barclays analysts explained in a note to investors this week.It's all about tokensAI agents generate far more tokens per user query than traditional chatbots, making them more computationally expensive.Tokens are the language of generative AI and are at the core of emerging pricing models in the industry. AI models break down words and other inputs into numerical tokens to make them easier to process and understand. One token is about of a word.More powerful AI agents may rely on "reasoning" models, such as OpenAI's o1 and o3 and DeepSeek's R1, which break queries and tasks into more manageable chunks. Each step in these chains of thought creates more tokens, which must be processed by AI servers and chips."Agent products run on reasoning models for the most part, and generate about 25x more tokens per query compared to chatbot products," the Barclays analysts wrote."Super Agents"OpenAI offers a ChatGPT Pro service that costs $200 monthly and taps into its latest reasoning models. The Barclays analysts estimated that if this service used the startup's o1 model, it would generate about 9.4 million tokens per year per subscriber.There's been media reports recently that OpenAI could offer even more powerful AI agent services that cost $2,000 a month or even $20,000 a month.The Barclays analysts referred to these as "super agents," and estimated that these services could generate 36 million to 356 million tokens per year, per user.More chips, Captain!That's a mind-blowing amount of tokens that would consume a mountain of computing power.The AI industry is expected to have 16 million accelerators, a type of AI chip, online this year. Roughly 20% of that infrastructure may be dedicated to AI inference essentially the computing power needed to run AI applications in real time.If agentic products take off and are very useful to consumers and enterprise users, we will likely need "many more inference chips," the Barclays analysts warned.The tech industry may even need to repurpose some chips that were previously used to train AI models and use those for inference, too, the analysts added.They also predicted that cheaper, smaller, and more efficient models, like those developed by DeepSeek, will have to be used for AI agents, rather than pricier proprietary models.Recommended video

An officer presents soldiers with the insignia of Germany's new 45th Armored Brigade as it officially entered service in Lithuania. Alexander Welscher/picture alliance via Getty Images 2025-04-02T12:02:50Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Germany is deploying troops to another country on a long-term basis for the first time since World War II.It's putting thousands of soldiers in Lithuania, a NATO member that borders Russia.It described the move as an effort to protect NATO. Germany's defense spending is also rising.Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, announced on Tuesday that it had created a new brigade, the 45th Armored Brigade, to be stationed in Lithuania.It will be the first long-term deployment of German soldiers to another country since World War II, according to the Associated Press.Brigadier General Christoph Huber, Commander of the 45th Armored Brigade, said that with its creation, "we're not only moving toward operational readiness, we're taking responsibility.""For the alliance, for Lithuania, for Europe's security," he said. "As a sign of our determination to defend peace and freedom with our partners."Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a surge of defense agreements and spending among European countries.When plans were first made for the 45th Armored Brigade in 2023, Germany described it as part of growing efforts by NATO members to boost both their own security and the security of NATO's eastern borders.Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, previously said, "With this war-ready brigade, we're taking on leadership responsibility on NATO's eastern flank." German and Lithuanian soldiers hold a German flag at a ceremony for the new 45th Armored Brigade. Alexander Welscher/picture alliance via Getty Images The new brigade is made up of several battalions and will have around 5,000 soldiers and civilian staff, the Bundeswehr saidIt added that the brigade's command facility was already fully operational and that the aim was to have it at full wartime readiness by 2027.Lithuania which borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and close Russian ally Belarus is one of the countries that has sounded the alarm the loudest that Russia could move beyond Ukraine to attack elsewhere in Europe.It is also one of NATO's biggest defense spenders by proportion of GDP, and one of Ukraine's biggest allies, describing Ukrainian troops as the ones who are protecting all of Europe.There are already NATO troops in Lithuania, on a rotating basis, with a multinational battlegroup led by Germany. NATO countries have also deployed assets like fighter jets and air defenses there.US troops are among those stationed in Lithuania, although their long-term future is less clear, with President Donald Trump critical of US allies, of NATO, and of assistance to Ukraine.Dovil akalien, Lithuania's defense minister, told Business Insider in February that her country wants US troops to stay, and that she expected the US could see "eye to eye" with countries who pay their part when it comes to defense."We do our part," she said, adding that she expects the US to do its part, too.Lithuania has also been strengthening its border with Russia.Germany's new brigade is the latest in a series of measures introduced by the country since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.It spent an estimated 1.51% of its GDP on defense in 2022, which jumped to an estimated 2.12% in 2024, according to NATO estimates.The rise in defense purchases by Germany, and Europe more broadly, has been a boon for the continent's defense industries.German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall said in March that it expects sales this year to rise by 25% to 30%.Germany's defense spending has increased less than some of its allies: It ranked 15th out of 31 NATO members for defense spending as a proportion of GDP in 2024, according to NATO estimates.But it has vowed to do more.After grappling with its World War I and World War II legacies, which led to an avoidance of heavy militarism, Germany has committed to major military moves.Lawmakers this month voted to alter the German constitution in a way that would unlock billions of dollars that could be used for defense spending.akalien, Lithuania's defense minister, told BI in February that Europe "needs to up our defuse spending very fast and very significantly."She said that Europe needs to be able to match the US, and to match Russia, which is escalating its own defense production: "We need to catch up to the speed of Russia," she said.Recommended video

AA Flight 167 was operated by a Boeing 787-9. JanValls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images 2025-04-02T12:24:10Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? An American Airlines flight to Tokyo turned back to the US in a 12-hour journey.The Boeing 787 U-turned over the Pacific Ocean due to a "maintenance issue."It's one of the longest flight diversions this year.American Airlines passengers spent more than half a day on a plane only to end up in Texas instead of Tokyo.Monday's Flight 167 took off from New York's JFK Airport about 11 a.m. ET.Seven hours into the journey, the Boeing 787 U-turned over the Pacific Ocean about 900 miles off the western Canadian coastline, per data from Flightradar24.It then traveled for another five hours, crossing half the US to land at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport shortly after 10 p.m. local time.The roughly 12-hour trip was only about an hour shy of the average flight time from New York to Tokyo.One Reddit user who said they were on the flight said there was no meal service on board, "so we've gone 14 hours with only dried snap peas as a snack."An airline spokesperson told Business Insider the flight was diverted due to "a maintenance issue.""We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused," they added.Passengers were put up in hotels overnight before the flight departed again the following day.While spending hours on a diverted flight can be frustrating for passengers, it's typically an easier alternative for the airline than landing at the closest airport.For example, the flight went past Seattle and Denver but Dallas is American's main hub. Landing there likely made it easier to reroute passengers, find new crew, and repair any issues with the plane.Diverted flights can also be costly for airlines, with knock-on effects on their schedules. Data from Flightradar24 shows a return flight from Tokyo to New York was canceled on Tuesday, as was a flight from Dallas to Philadelphia scheduled for the same plane.The passengers' 12-hour ordeal is among the lengthiest diversions this year.In February, an American Airlines flight from New York to Delhi landed in Rome after 15 hours, and had to be escorted by Italian fighter jets due to a bomb threat.Last month, an Air India flight turned back to Chicago after most of its bathrooms stopped working, resulting in a nine-hour flight to nowhere.Recommended video

Joe Rogan's popular podcast has both video and audio components. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 2025-04-02T10:30:01Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? The definition of a "podcast" is evolving, with YouTube videos often considered part of the category.This shift complicates the picture for advertisers who want clarity and advanced tracking metrics.Industry leaders say they want a unified podcast definition to help ensure future growth.No one knows precisely how to define what a "podcast" is anymore and debate around the topic is roiling the industry.The term "podcast" used to refer to an on-demand audio show of people discussing things, but that definition has become blurry over time.More than half 52% of people now say videos that are only available on YouTube can be considered podcasts, according to a new report by Oxford Road and Edison Research aptly titled, "What Is a Podcast? Preserving its Essence, Structuring for Expansion."The most popular definition in the survey accepted by 72% was recordings of people discussing a topic on YouTube that's also available as audio shows elsewhere, like Spotify or Apple Podcasts.The answers changed based on people's media habits. People were more willing to consider YouTube-only videos as podcasts if they'd listened to podcasts, and even more so if they'd watched video podcasts. Oxford Road and Edison Research surveyed more than 4,000 Americans 12 and up for the report.The survey is another sign of how the format's definition is shifting and it's not just an academic issue.Podcasting has never been bigger. It's credited with helping shape the presidential election, and Big Tech is coming for its piece. YouTube revealed in February that more than 1 billion people every month listen to podcasts on the platform. Spotify, meanwhile, is pushing into video. Creators are increasingly getting into the medium, too.But the convergence of audio and video in the podcast medium has caused confusion and complexity for advertisers. Ad buyers now have to wrangle over which of their clients' budgets podcasting should come out of audio or video and that's slowing down the ad-buying process, the report found. Platforms like Spotify and YouTube also make third-party tracking difficult, which means performance advertisers struggle to assess how their ads are performing."Where there's lack of clarity, there's confusion, and there's frustration, and advertisers will take their business elsewhere," said Dan Granger, CEO of Oxford Road and Veritone One, which helps marketers buy podcast ads. "We have seen advertisers not buy shows because of this. It's material."Oxford Road and Edison's report calls for the podcast industry to agree on common definitions and explore the development of a system to measure podcasting across platforms.Video raises questions for hosts, tooThe shift to video has other consequences for podcasting. Uploading files as videos can make more money for the host and let advertisers reach a bigger audience, but it also creates more work."It's a good thing because it's pushing the industry forward," said Jeff Umbro, CEO of The Podglomerate, which makes, markets, and monetizes podcasts for organizations like PBS, Netflix, and others. "I also think that nobody's really talking about the administrative burden that this adds, figuring out how to reconcile all these payments, the time it takes to upload to all these platforms."More broadly, the shift raises identity questions for hosts. As they go beyond audio to video, and then do live events and sell ads on social media, they start to look more like influencers.Joining the influencer club means potentially accessing a bigger ad pie. Advertisers spent $9.2 billion on influencer marketing in 2024, versus $2.3 billion on podcast advertising, per EMARKETER. However, it could also distance them from the positive qualities that podcasting has become associated with, such as the intimate relationship hosts have with audiences.As hosts branch out to other things, it can also get complicated to figure out how to share the resulting ad dollars among stakeholders. And there's the question of what happens to a podcast's value on YouTube. YouTube videos can command around a third of podcasts' ad rates because advertisers discount the quality of the viewing.Steve Blackford, head of customer acquisition for LifeLock, a longtime podcast advertiser, said he's resigned to figuring out video advertising because that's where the audience is going. But it's hard to track an ad when it runs across both video and audio. Some podcasters sell video and audio together as a bundle and don't break out the audience by channel."As a performance marketer, it's hard to put those all together," Blackford said. "How do I know what value I'm getting?"Some players are trying to solve for the complexity. SiriusXM is rolling out Creator Connect, a tool that creates different versions of a podcast ad for video and social media. Gabe Tartaglia, who heads podcast and satellite sales for SiriusXM, said the company was hearing from advertisers that they wanted to be able to buy against hosts' multiplatform efforts. About 12% of SiriusXM's podcast advertisers are already running ads on more than one format.Spotify said in a statement that it offers dynamic ad tools and works with third parties to support its podcast ad ecosystem.What's in a name?The report's authors interviewed 30 industry stakeholders and found a few common themes. Some said the audio element was primary."If you can mute it and it doesn't make sense, it's not a pod anymore," Granger said.Some said it didn't matter what platform it was on.The researchers proposed a new definition for podcast: "An on-demand audio-driven program featuring episodic content across wide-ranging themes and formats."Or, more simply: "If it works with your eyes closed, it's a podcast."A video podcast, meanwhile, is "an episodic, on-demand program centered on spoken-word content, where synchronized visuals meaningfully shape the experience."Granger said without a shared vocabulary that enables podcasting to be measured and clarified for advertisers, the industry risks decline."Investment in the industry chases industry growth," he said. "And if they can't define it, you can't forecast it, and if you can't forecast it, institutional capital is less bullish, you have less growth."A few said they wouldn't mind if the word "podcast" went away entirely."If podcasting goes away, that's not a national tragedy," the report quoted Ira Glass, host of "This American Life," as saying. "Creative people will find a place to make stuff."Another view is that the industry shouldn't abandon a term that has earned strong credibility with advertisers.One area of agreement seems to be that video isn't going away as a format for podcasts, especially with YouTube making a big play for them. YouTube's role is poised to get even larger if it gets into dynamic ad insertion, as Semafor reported it's looking into. This would allow for more customization and potentially trackability.Recommended video

Deloitte is one target of the Trump Administration's push to cut spending on consultants. J. David Ake/Getty Images 2025-04-02T10:41:37Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? The Trump administration is slashing federal spending on consultants.Business Insider crunched the DOGE receipts to calculate how many contracts have been cut.Deloitte has had at least 127 contracts cut or modified more than twice as many as any of nine other firms.Ten major firms are under the spotlight as the Trump administration continues its consulting crackdown but one is taking the most heat.Deloitte has had at least 127 of its government contracts cut or modified since January, more than double the total for any of the other consultancies on the Trump administration's list, a Business Insider analysis of data on DOGE's website found.The Big Four firm is one of 10 of the federal government's highest-paid consultancies that have come under scrutiny amid the administration's push to cut waste and improve efficiency. The list includes Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM, and General Dynamics.According to DOGE, the cuts to Deloitte contracts will save taxpayers about $371.8 million.They include $51.4 million in savings from a contract providing IT services to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and $1.1 million in savings from a DEIA training contract that has been running since 2020.Deloitte US contracts with federal agencies were worth $3.3 billion a year, or almost 10% of its most recent annual revenues, it said in a recent earnings report.Booz Allen Hamilton, which generates almost all of its $11 billion in annual revenue from the public sector, is the second hardest-hit firm, with 61 contracts cut, according to BI's analysis.Accenture has had at least 30 contracts cut, saving $240.2 million, per DOGE's data. In an annual earnings call last month, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said that DOGE's cost-cutting efforts had already hit the firm's revenues, and staff have told BI they're worried about layoffs. The General Services Administration headquarters in Washington, DC. Douglas Rissing/Getty Images The General Services Administration (GSA), the government's largest procurement arm, is leading the effort to reevaluate federal consulting spend. The agency, which operates separately from DOGE, said that consulting contracts with the 10 firms were set to generate more than $65 billion in fees in 2025 and future years.In March, the GSA asked the consultancies to submit a scorecard containing a detailed breakdown of their pricing and suggestions for where they could reduce costs or cut waste.It told the firms to identify which contracts were "mission critical" and to use simple terms to do it: "A 15-year-old should be able to understand what service you provide and why it is important."Responses were due by Monday this week.A source at the agency told BI that the GSA and federal bodies were now reviewing the scorecards and would decide on further cuts. The goal was to cut waste and move toward a more outcome-based approach instead of open-ended contracts, they said. CEOs and senior executives at the consultancies appeared to be aligned with the administration's priorities, the source added.Here's the list of contracts cut and savings made, according to the DOGE website:Deloitte: 127 contracts, $371.8 millionBooz Allen Hamilton: 61 contracts, $207.1 millionGuidehouse: 49 contracts, $128.7 millionAccenture: 30 contracts, $240.2 millionGeneral Dynamics: 16 contracts, $202.7 millionIBM: 10 contracts, $34.3 millionLeidos: 7 contracts, + $78.5 millionCGI Federal: 7 contracts, $465,000Science Applications International Corp: 5 contracts, $7.5 millionHave a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@businessinsider.com or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.Recommended video

Tesla owner Ben Baker told BI that he supports people's right to protest but damaging personal property crosses the line. Ben Baker 2025-04-02T08:23:01Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Ben Baker returned his Cybertruck due to concerns about his daughter getting bullied.Baker's Tesla Model Y was keyed after the election and he told BI he was called a Nazi after getting the Cybertruck.He said while he believes protesting is a right, damaging property crosses the line.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ben Baker, a Tesla owner living in Sacramento, California. Business Insider has verified his identity and former Cybertruck ownership. This story has been edited for length and clarity.I have been a big tech guy as far as I can remember.In my youth, I liked space,SpaceX, and I liked all this stuff that Elon Musk was doing and he seemed like a Democrat at the time. So, I was like, "Ok, this guy is awesome. He's doing all this cool stuff."I was a Democrat my whole life but it wasn't too far back that I started to see the country getting more and more divided. It just felt like there was a huge push to run to as far left as people could go and that was a real shock to me being a Democrat. So I decided to switch to being an independent.Somebody keyed my Tesla Model Y not too long ago after the election and I was like, "OK, that's no big deal." I live in California, which is a Democratic state, and so I kind of figured that there would be some of that stuff. Someone keyed my Tesla Model Y after the election. Ben Baker I didn't think it would be that big of a deal until I went and bought a Cybertruck.My daughter asked me to return my CybertruckThe first week I drove the Cybertruck, I took my family to Starbucks in it.While my family went in, I took some cool pictures of it and was thinking, "This is super awesome." I wasn't buying it for other people. I was buying the Cybertruck for me because I wanted to drive the future. Ben Baker As I was doing that, three people walked behind me and started looking at me and laughing. Then one of them called me a Nazi.I go, "What are you talking about? I'm just buying this awesome truck. I think it's awesome. I'm not a Nazi." They were like, "Whatever, Nazi." I thought was weird.Later on, one of my daughters told me that if I kept the Cybertruck, she was going to get bullied. She said, "Dad, under no circumstances keep this." My son, who leans right, said I should be able to drive the car I want and not have to worry about what people say.But then I started thinking about if one of them is driving the Tesla Cybertruck down the road and people get out of the car and start vandalizing it in front of her or when she's driving it. My daughter is young, she's just had her license maybe a year. That's terrifying to me.I'm a father and I have to do the right thing by my kids, which is to protect them. Maybe if I had all the money in the world to own the Cybertruck myself and then send them to school with another vehicle, then great, it would be on me if it got damaged.But I can't have that happen to them in that vehicle. And who knows how far these guys will take it. They could harm my kids physically and I couldn't live with myself if that happened. To me, it just wasn't worth seeing my daughter live in fear of the vehicle getting vandalized at their school.I ended up taking it back and Tesla was really cool about it. I was able to unwind everything.This doesn't feel like freedom to meI feel like protesting has always been the American way.I think people should have the right to protest but they should have the right to protest without destruction. That's where the lines have been crossed.Nothing that's happening right now is logical at all. It's all emotionally driven and ideologically cultivated. My kids are afraid of taking this nice vehicle that's fast, awesome, and cool and saves on gas. It's probably great for the environment.It's a lot of money to invest in a vehicle and to buy one of these Cybertrucks, and I grew up from nothing. My mom was a single mother on government assistance so I had to work super hard to get where I'm at.What's worse is that I'm a huge fan of this technology. I really want a Cybertruck. I think they're freaking awesome. They're really fun to drive. They're roomy and spacious. I wasn't buying it for other people. I already own a Tesla which I absolutely love, but I was buying the Cybertruck for me because I wanted to drive the future.I thought this was the land of the free, but this doesn't sound like freedom at all to me.When you start going down a pathway of saying, "This is what we think you should believe, and if you don't believe this, then we're going to come at you and we're going to take away what you've earned." That sounds like something else and it doesn't sound good.I don't think that hate and division are the way forward for this country or the world. As long as we keep doing that and trying to put people into boxes and categorize them and label them, that's just going to create more division and hate and it's super unfair.We have got to find a way forward together that brings back basic human decency but also common sense so that we cheer for American companies to grow and thrive and help our pensions, versus cheering for the fall of an American company.Recommended video

I turned right at Barry's Boot Camp and arrived at my destination: Arc, a communal sauna and cold plunge studio in London's financial district, which markets itself as a place for people to connect.You can start your week there with a guided contrast therapy class that is, switching between extreme heat and cold at 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning, and see it out with a sauna party on Saturday night, complete with DJs, aromatherapy, and of course, cold plunges.While saunas and ice baths aren't new (they're known to help athletes recover faster and are a must in any bougie gym or spa), they're quickly becoming a staple of social wellness: the blending together of socializing with wellness activities, such as running clubs and longevity retreats.The merging of these trends makes sense. The global wellness industry was valued at $6.3 trillion in 2023, up 25% since 2019, and after being starved of social connection during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are becoming more aware of the link between socializing and longevity.Social saunas are popping up everywhere. Rebase, another self-proclaimed "social wellness" club, opened in London last May, while Othership, a Toronto-based "social sauna" and ice bath studio, launched its first US spa in July with more than 20 locations across North America expected to follow in the next five years. Bathhouse, a New York-based spa with two locations, just added four additional pools and two saunas to its Williamsburg branch.Arc opened in London's Canary Wharf inDopamine Reset, a guided contrast therapy session that promises to "reset the brain's reward system," "break old habits," and "unlock new levels of growth and peak experiences" a tall order for a 50-minute class.I wanted to try it for two reasons. Firstly, as a woman in my twenties I naturally spend too much time on the internet and have anxiety. So, I'm always keen to experiment with something that might snap me out of my thought spirals. But secondly, and most importantly, I wanted to see if meeting new people while exposing myself to extreme temperatures, almost nude, would be as awkward as it sounds, or actually provide an opportunity for bonding. Breaking the ice, if you will.So I took the plunge and booked the 35 ($44) class.I felt uncomfortable walking into the classThe Lounge was an amphitheater-shaped communal area. Francesca Jones for BI Excited and nervous, I left the chic changing room in my swimsuit and entered a dimly lit ampitheatre-cum-cave called The Lounge: a terracotta room big enough for 50 people, with a tiered conversation pit at its center. I sat near three young women, all wearing smartwatches that were most certainly tracking their biometrics. So far, so awkward and lonely.Of the 12 out of a possible 40 of us in the 12:30 p.m. class, there was only one man, who was taking a break from training for Hyrox, a buzzy, intensive indoor fitness competition.(You'll notice that there are no people in the photos accompanying this piece the sauna understandably didn't want us to take pics of guests in their swimsuits, or disrupt their journeys of self-discovery).After a few minutes, our teacher or "sauna master" in Arc lingo appeared mic'd up and wearing a one-piece swimsuit and a long sarong to explain the structure of the class.We would be led through breathwork, meditation, and gentle stretches parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body relax starts to happen after the 30-second mark, she said.We spread out along the benches of the sauna built to accommodate 65 peopleThe sauna master at Arc threw an ice ball infused with essential oils over the coals in the sauna. Francesca Jones for BI The 65-person wooden sauna was wide and tall enough for the twelve of us to spread out along its three benches. Our teacher started the class by throwing a snowball filled with essential oils onto the coals at the center of the room and whipping a towel in a circular motion in the air to spread the floral aromas. The room was heated to a near-uncomfortable 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and I started sweating almost immediately.Breathing exercises in extreme heat weren't relaxingKim Schewitz in the 65-person sauna. Francesca Jones for BI As we started the breathwork which involved rounds of inhaling, holding our breath, and exhaling for four seconds each I loosened up a bit, mainly because we were encouraged to close our eyes. I'm used to breathing exercises like this in my weekly yoga classes and know my way around the Headspace app , but holding my breath in the extreme heat was strenuous and frankly unpleasant.I didn't feel particularly relaxed yet and hadn't shared so much as a smile with anyone. This all changed when we moved on to the next section of the class.I shared my ice bath with a fellow classmateThe ice baths were a maximum of 42 degrees Fahrenheit. Francesca Jones for BI After a quick post-sauna rinse in the shower room adjacent to the sauna, where I slathered myself with complementary Malin+Goetz shower gel, it was time to get chilly.In a charcoal-colored room made entirely out of stone were eight ice baths. It had a harsh feel compared to the light natural materials of the sauna and the lounge.Each bath was large enough for two people, and I partnered with Carli Wheatley, 42, who I later found out is a lymphatic massage therapist and has worked in the wellness industry for years a theme among my classmates.I felt apprehensive as we assumed our positions and at the count of three, all stepped inside the icy vats and sat down. The pain hit my feet, legs, and hands immediately, and I had to fight the urge to get out. But lo and behold, after about 30 seconds, my muscles started to relax, and I felt calmer. Wheatley and I intermittently shared exasperated looks, which reassured me.A gong signaled that two minutes were up, and we stepped out. My legs felt numb, and it was as if currents of electricity were zapping me. I felt awake from the inside out: an awakeness I had never felt before. Like an espresso entering your bloodstream, but without the mania.After the ice bath, I started to feel more comfortable and chatted with the people around meMost people hadn't come to socialize but were up for chatting. Francesca Jones for BI Re-entering the sauna, the atmosphere had softened. Everyone's body language was more open, and we started chatting about our shared experience (trauma). The intensity of the ice bath served as a welcome social buffer.I asked people why they decided to come and if they enjoyed it. Those I spoke to (I wasn't able to chat with everyone in the class) were either into health and wellness or worked in the industry. They had come for the sauna's physical and mental benefits, not to socialize, but I do wonder if this would've been different had I come to an evening event.Renata Bianchi, a 38-year-old hypnotherapist from Brazil, said that she found Arc online, thought the facilities looked beautiful, and wanted to try it. She told me she'd like to come back again next week.One woman, who wants to train as a sauna master and is a fan of the cult health-optimization podcast, the "Huberman Lab," told us that she had been to Arc about seven times in the three months since it opened. She grew up using saunas and loves the high she gets from contrast therapy."I've heard it's good for metabolism and brown fat, but that's not why I do it," she said.I went for a second dip, with friends!The sound of the gong signaled that two minutes in the ice bath was up. Francesca Jones for BI Although no one had come for the social aspect, they were all up for chatting, and a group of us decided to give the ice baths a second go. We exhaled loudly and giggled to get through round two. It reminded me a little of summer camp.We popped into the sauna again to warm up, shared some last-minute reflections on the state of the world, and gradually dispersed.As I made my way back to the changing area, I realized that I hadn't thought about anything outside of these three rooms for at least 20 minutes. That was a huge win, which told me I had been in the moment and felt calm.

Adam Kadyrov has been named curator of Chechnya's internal affairs ministry, which oversees counterterrorism and riot control, among other responsibilities. Chingis Kondarov/REUTERS 2025-04-02T06:01:07Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Adam Kadyrov, 17, was just appointed to oversee Chechnya's internal affairs ministry.He's the son of Chechen strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin.The teenager is set to lead a ministry in charge of police, counterterrorism, and local security.Adam Kadyrov is enjoying a stellar career.Russian state media reported that the 17-year-old was named curator of Chechnya's internal affairs ministry on Monday, meaning he'll oversee police and local security forces. The ministry also handles counterterrorism and riot control.A state broadcast showed the teen receiving the appointment at a ceremonial meeting as uniformed officers applauded.Soon after, he was filmed performing his duties by naming a new head of Chechnya's operational search division and handing out medals to police officers.The 17-year-old was already appointed overseer of Chechnya's Russian Special Forces University last April. The university says it teaches civilians and soldiers skills such as artillery operations and parachute landing.The teenager is also the third son of Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Russia's predominantly Muslim Chechen Republic.Allied closely with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov's family rose to power by helping Moscow defeat Chechen separatists in the early 2000s. They've played a pronounced role in the invasion of Ukraine, particularly in the earlier days of the full-scale war, when Chechen militias were frequently seen fighting on the front lines.Adam's boyhood rise came amid the war. He surged into public view when he was 15 after he was filmed in September 2023 beating and kicking a prisoner accused of burning the Quran.Russia's human rights authorities voiced concern about the assault, but Kadyrov lauded his son after the clip went viral and said he "did the right thing."Since then, the teenager has been bestowed with Chechnya's "Hero of the Republic" medal. He's been separately given at least eight other state awards and honors. Adam Kadyrov and his father are seen here in December 2023 after talks between Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Contributor/Getty Images In November 2023, just before turning 16, he was named the head of his father's security detail. For his role, the teenager was entered into Russia's "Book of Records" the country's version of the Guinness World Records for being the youngest recorded chief of a security detail.The accolades and appointments have prompted speculation that the teenager is being groomed to succeed his father amid rumors that Kadyrov may be suffering from poor health. Novaya Gazeta, a Russian independent newspaper, reported in April that the warlord may be battling issues with his kidneys and pancreas.Kadyrov was not seen at his son's appointment on Monday, but state media said the teenager was given the role under the Chechen leader's orders. State broadcasts showed him meeting with local residents during the Muslim festival of Eid.Kadyrov's press service did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.Recommended video

Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin released what it called the world's most complicated watch. Jesus Hellin/Europa Press via Getty Images 2025-04-02T06:06:26Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Vacheron Constantin unveiled a new wristwatch, which does a lot besides telling the time.The new timepiece comprises over 1,500 components and has 41 functions.The Swiss watchmaker that its development took eight years and 13 patent applications.If you need to know which constellations are above you in the sky at any given moment, Vacheron Constantin has you covered.The Swiss watchmaker is rolling out the "Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication La Premire," which it called the "most complicated wristwatch ever made."According to the watchmaker's website, the 45-mm-diameter and 14.99-mm-high watch comprises 1,521 components. The website says that the watch has 41 complications a horology term referring to any function of a watch that goes beyond the display of time.It took eight years of development and 13 patent applications to get the watch out, Vacheron Constantin said.The timepiece looks ultra sleek and modern, with black dials accented with metallic gray and white tones. The watch is double-sided, with its top face featuring four subdials and its inner face showing the position of the stars.Apart from telling its wearer the time, the watch also shows the sun's position, height, trajectory, and angle relative to the Earth. It also lets the wearer know which constellations are overhead and how long it will take for a star to be visible.The watch was revealed at the Watches and Wonders trade fair in Geneva on Tuesday, CNN reported.Representatives for Vacheron Constantin did not respond to queries from Business Insider regarding the retail price of the watch, when it would be available for sale, and how many pieces of this model would be released.The new watch follows the watchmaker's history of making ultra-complicated watches. In 2024, it released the "Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication," a pocketwatch with 63 complications and 2,877 components.Paul Altieri, founder and CEO of watch reseller Bob's Watches, told BI fitting 41 complications into a wristwatch while keeping it wearable was "mind-blowing" and "a total flex of horological muscle.""It's less of a watch and more of a statement the ultimate blend of art, engineering, and ego," Altieri said. But a watch with this many complications is "extremely delicate," Altieri said. Any servicing required would likely take months, and can probably be done only by Vacheron's top-level master watchmakers in Geneva, he added. "Collectors and horological folks will worship it, but it's definitely not meant for mass appeal. It's meant as a show-stopper. A jaw-dropper," Altieri said.Recommended video

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, wielded a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images 2025-04-02T04:12:54Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Tesla is expected to release first-quarter vehicle production and delivery numbers on April 2.The Wedbush analyst Dan Ives expects deliveries to drop 7% versus the same period a year earlier.Ives said Tesla CEO Elon Musk's DOGE antics were partly to blame for the expected sales woes.Elon Musk has been taking a chainsaw to government spending. Later on Wednesday, we'll get an idea of how much these antics have chopped Tesla sales.The largest US electric vehicle company is expected to release first-quarter vehicle production and delivery numbers on April 2.This is the first time we'll get a full, official look at Tesla sales since Musk went full DOGE when President Donald Trump took office in late January.A well-known Tesla bull just shared his expectations for these numbers and estimated how much Musk's DOGE activity might have hurt sales."Musk leading DOGE has essentially taken on a life of its own as in the process Tesla has unfortunately become a political symbol globally," Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, wrote in a recent note to clients. He pointed to protests, demonstrations at Tesla dealerships, and keyed cars.A 'brand tornado crisis moment'He expects first-quarter Tesla deliveries of 355,000 to 360,000 vehicles, down about 7% from the same period a year earlier.Just a few months ago, Wall Street expected more than 400,000 Teslas to be delivered in the first quarter, so some of the DOGE impact has already been discounted, Ives wrote.Existing data suggests that Tesla's sales numbers in Europe have been under "major pressure," while there's also been "demand softness" in the US and China, the analyst wrote."This continues to be a moment of truth for Musk to navigate this brand tornado crisis moment and get onto the other side of this dark chapter for Tesla with much better days ahead we see for the story," Ives said.How much is Musk's fault?Ives attributed the sales woes to several issues that might be unrelated to Musk's DOGE exploits, such as consumers waiting for an updated Model Y and a lower-cost new car that may come later in 2025.He still conceded that anti-Musk sentiment and "brand issues" were causing problems, calling them "a major factor in this weak 1Q delivery number."He estimated that 30% of next week's expected soft Q1 delivery number would be related to "Musk/brand/DOGE," with the other 70% involving the timing of new or updated products and "non-brand headwind issues."Recommended video

"Lol I feel like a YC founder in 'build in public' mode again," Sam Altman wrote in an X post on Tuesday. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images 2025-04-02T04:28:17Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? OpenAI rolled out a new image generation feature for ChatGPT and it was a hit with users.Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, said the company had to introduce rate limits because "our GPUs are melting."Altman said the experience reminded him of his early days as a Y Combinator-backed founder.OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman said on Tuesday that handling the ChatGPT maker's new product releases are reminding him of his early days as a Y Combinator-backed founder."Lol I feel like a YC founder in 'build in public' mode again," Altman wrote in a post on X.Altman's remark comes after a busy week for OpenAI. The company released a new image generation feature for ChatGPT on March 25.The new feature was a hit with users, who flooded social media with AI-generated images in the style of Japanese animation firm Studio Ghibli's films. Altman said in an X post on Monday that OpenAI saw a record spike in users after the feature was rolled out.But the sudden uptick in users did cause some problems for OpenAI.On Thursday, just two days after the new feature was released, Altman said that OpenAI's "GPUs are melting" from all the image generation requests they were getting from users."It's super fun seeing people love images in ChatGPT. But our GPUs are melting. We are going to temporarily introduce some rate limits while we work on making it more efficient," Altman wrote on X.Then, in a subsequent X post made on Tuesday, Altman said the company was "getting things under control." He added that users "should expect new releases from OpenAI to be delayed, stuff to break, and for service to sometimes be slow as we deal with capacity challenges."Altman may be best known for his work at OpenAI now, but the entrepreneur cut his teeth in the tech world at Y Combinator. The startup accelerator counts organizations like Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, and Twitch as alumni companies.Altman's first startup, a social networking application named Loopt was one of the first few companies to be backed by Y Combinator in 2005. Loopt was later acquired by Green Dot, a banking company, in 2012 for over $43 million.In 2014, Y Combinator's founder Paul Graham named Altman as his successor. Altman replaced Graham as Y Combinator's president, and held the role for five years. Altman stepped down as president in March 2019 to focus on OpenAI.On Monday, OpenAI announced it had raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation. OpenAI's new valuation is nearly double what it was worth in October, when it raised $6.6 billion at a $157 billion valuation.Representatives for Altman at OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Recommended video

The Trump administration has set its crosshairs on dozens of universities across the US as part of an effort to crack down on DEI-related initiatives and what the administration has said to be a rampant presence of anti-semitism on campuses.Already, the administration's moves to reduce federal spending has had sweeping consequences for America's higher education institutions.Universities have implemented hiring freezes or pursued layoffs as billions of dollars worth of funding toward research remains at threat or has been taken away as a result of the White House's move to downsize or dismantle government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the United States Agency for International Development.But the administration also has directly threatened several universities to strip them of federal funds, accusing them of failing to properly respond to anti-semitism on campus or participating in "race-exclusionary practices."The Department of Education issued a letter in March to 60 higher education institutions, including a few Ivy League schools, warning them of potential probes if they do not do more to protect Jewish students.Columbia University was stripped of $400 million worth of federal contracts and grants after the Trump administration accused the university of mishandling its response to harassment against Jewish students.In two weeks, the Ivy League school conceded, by banning masks on campus and hiring more security, in hopes of restoring the contracts.Here's a list of notable cases in which the Trump administration targeted higher education institutions and how universities have responded:Harvard UniversityHarvard University may lose nearly 9 billion in federal grants and contracts. Brian Snyder/REUTERS The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it was conducting a review of $8.9 billion worth of federal contracts and grants.The Trump administration accused the university of failing to protect its Jewish student body and promoting "divisive ideologies over free inquiry."The review is to "ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities," according to a statement from the Department of Education."Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said in a statement that the school would "engage with members of the federal government's task force to combat antisemitism."Columbia UniversityColumbia came back to Trump with a list of nine proposals. peterspiro/Getty Images/iStockphoto Columbia University was the first Ivy League school the Trump administration targeted over concerns of anti-semitism on university campuses.The administration announced in a statement that it was cancelling about $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia.The university responded to the funding cuts on March 20 with a list of nine proposals that entailed increasing campus security and stronger enforcement of disciplinary actions, among other actions.Columbia's interim president, Katrina Armstrong, resigned after the university announced its concessions.Princeton UniversityBlair Hall at Princeton University in springtime. Photo Spirit/Shutterstock Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said in an announcement that dozens of research grants, including those administered by the Department of Energy, NASA, and the Defense Department, were suspended.The university leader said in a statement that the "full rationale" of the move was unclear but added that the school was "committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination."Prior to the announcement, Eisgruber penned an essay in The Atlantic saying the Trump administration's targeting of universities presents "the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s."Johns Hopkins University Facebook/Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins said it would get rid of more than 2,200 jobs as a result of the Trump administration's move to eliminate the US Agency for International Development.Part of the funding was directed toward work focused on preventing the spread of HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, the university said in a statement."Over more than five decades, our colleagues have brought the benefits of research, discovery, and clinical care to mothers, children, and families at home and around the world, from Nepal to Nigeria, from the Western highlands of Guatemala to our hometown of Baltimore," university president Ron Daniels said.University of MichiganThe University of Michigan elimiated its DEI office and related programs. Ken Wolter/Shutterstock University of Michigan leaders eliminated its office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and other related programs.University leaders said in a statement that the moves comes as "federal actions against DEI programming have intensified.""These decisions have not been made lightly," the statement said. "We recognize the changes are significant and will be challenging for many of us, especially those whose lives and careers have been enriched by and dedicated to programs that are now pivoting."The school said it would redirect funding towards other "student-facing programs," including financial aid for lower-income families and mental health services.University of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania Jumping Rocks/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The Trump Administration suspended $175 million in federal contracts from the University of Pennsylvania citing the participation of a transgender athlete, Lia Thomas, on the women's swimming team in 2022. "These contracts include research on preventing hospital-acquired infections, drug screening against deadly viruses, quantum computing, protections against chemical warfare, and student loan programs," the university's president J. Larry Jameson wrote in a statement at the end of March. "These stop work orders are in addition to several federal grants that have been cancelled recently, and the slowing down of the award of grants going forward," Jameson went on. "We are actively pursuing multiple avenues to understand and address these funding terminations, freezes, and slowdowns."

Elon Musk's foray into the Wisconsin Supreme Court election turned many heads. Scott Olson/Getty Images 2025-04-02T02:19:29Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Elon Musk's super PAC poured more than $12 million into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.In the end, the liberal candidate, Judge Susan Crawford, defeated conservative Judge Brad Schimel.The loss is a blow for Musk, who held a town hall in Wisconsin and urged voters to back Schimel.For Wisconsin Republicans, regaining a conservative majority on the state's Supreme Court was a top priority.Elon Musk, the world's richest man, funneledmore than $12 million via his America PAC to sway the pivotal judicial race in one of the country's premier swing states.It wasn't enough.On Tuesday, Musk's big bet on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race fell apart, with outlets including NBC News and CNN projecting that liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford has defeated conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in the most expensive judicial race in US history.Musk, the face of President Donald Trump's White House DOGE office, has been met with increasingly vocal opposition by voters over the task force's cost-cutting efforts. And the fallout from DOGE is also impacting Tesla, the company that catapulted Musk to international prominence.Crawford's victory is a significant blow for Musk as DOGE's work continues to face increased scrutiny from the public and could lead to electoral gains for Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.Here's how Crawford's win is set to upend Musk's political playbook:Musk is caught in the DOGE-houseFor weeks, scenes of frustrated voters sharply questioning and booing GOP members of Congress have become a defining narrative of DOGE, as many lawmakers have had to defend waves of staffing cuts.As a guiding force behind efforts to cut costs at critical federal departments along with efforts to eliminate the US Agency for International Development, or USAID Musk has faced mounting pushback over the task force's aggressive tactics to reign in spending.Musk went all in for Schimel, arguing that the Wisconsin race was "important for the future of civilization.""If the [Wisconsin] Supreme Court is able to redraw the districts, they will gerrymander the district and deprive Wisconsin of two seats on the Republican side," Musk said, referencing the potential for Democrats to make gains through a new congressional map."Then they will try to stop all the government reforms we are getting done for you, the American people," he added.In a state that narrowly backed Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris last November, voters this week made a new choice.Crawford's win keeps the liberal bloc in the majority. The court could potentially revisit the state's congressional maps, with a redraw likely to offer Democrats an opportunity to pick up additional seats.With Republicans currently clinging to a razor-thin 218-213 majority in the US House ahead of what could be a tough midterm cycle, holding the lower chamber will be key for Musk and Trump especially as it relates to future oversight over DOGE's work.Musk may approach other races differentlyMusk campaigned heavily for Trump in swing-state Pennsylvania last November, with America PAC pouring millions of dollars into the state, much of it for canvassing and other digital-related efforts.The tech mogul's decision to hand out $1 million checks to select voters who signed petitions at town hall events similar to what he employed in Wisconsin this time around drew many people out as he criticized Harris and the media. Trump would go on to win Pennsylvania in the 2024 general election.Schimel's loss, on the other hand, is a setback for Musk.Wisconsin Supreme Court races in recent years have become increasingly polarized, with issues like abortion rights, union collective bargaining rights, and voting regulations being used to drive up turnout among base voters. This week, conservatives fell short in their efforts to take the court in a different direction.Musk is poised to wade into other contests ahead of the midterms, especially with Trump's agenda on the line. However, the latest results in Wisconsin show that there's a limit to such an influence.Recommended video