• I took my 85-year-old dad on a bucket-list trip to a remote part of Alaska.
• I worried my dad would struggle during our trip to Katmai National Park, but he proved me wrong.
• His energy and sense of adventure made me realize curiosity doesn't have an age limit.

As I looked out the window of a tiny seaplane approaching Alaska's remote Katmai National Park, I felt my 85-year-old dad squeeze my shoulder from the seat behind me.

The roar of the engine made conversation impossible, but I didn't need words to understand his excitement when he spotted a herd of caribou galloping along the river below us.

As the seaplane dipped closer to the water, we saw our first brown bear of the trip, half submerged in the river and swiping a fat, pink salmon with its enormous paw. We were awestruck.

I couldn't believe we were experiencing this together.

Exploring the Alaskan wilderness with an 85-year-old might sound unimaginable and a little worrisome, but my dad proved to me it's possible.

My dad loves traveling, but he had never been to a national park

Growing up, my family's travel mainly centered on cities, and it wasn't until later in life that I discovered a love for the outdoors.

So, when I invited my dad on a six-day excursion to Alaska, including a visit to Katmai National Park to see the famous brown bears, I was a little surprised he immediately said yes.

Not only was he agreeing to go on his first trip to a national park at 85, but he was also trusting me to be his guide in one of the most remote places in the country.

Even though I was so excited to embark on this adventure with my dad, and he is in amazing shape for his age, I was concerned he might struggle in the wilderness.

In preparation for the trip, he supplemented his regular workouts — weekly pilates and gym sessions — with long walks to build endurance.

We also stocked up on guidebooks, thoroughly researched travel options, made a packing list, and watched YouTube videos so we would know what to expect when we arrived in Katmai.

He was one of the oldest people there, but he never acted like it

Even after all our research, I was surprised at how challenging it was to exit the seaplane when it landed, for both my dad and me.

As we deboarded, I carried his new backpack so he could focus on balancing as we walked along the bobbing, narrow float until the water gave way to the beach.

Once we started along the sandy trail leading to the Brooks Camp Ranger Station, every sound made our heads turn, wondering if it would be our first on-the-ground bear sighting.

The adrenaline of being in one of the most brown-bear-dense places on Earth began to hit us.

After a mandatory safety lesson, we headed to Brooks Falls, one of the best places to view and photograph the bears. When we spotted the first one emerge from the brush, we froze and watched in wonder.

While we waited our turn to step into one of the area's most coveted viewing spots, I noticed how much older my dad was than anyone else on the platform.

Yet there he was, embracing a completely new experience, equipped with his backpack and his always-present sense of adventure.

Once on the viewing platform, we laughed when we saw one particularly large bear lose its footing and tumble down the falls, then pop up victoriously with a prized salmon hanging from its mouth.

Laughing with him in that moment made me feel like a kid again. It didn't matter that he was in his 80s — all that mattered was this once-in-a-lifetime moment we were witnessing together.

As we explored deeper in the park, I was touched by how often my dad stopped to admire the wildflowers. Normally, he walks quickly with a destination in mind, but in Katmai, he slowed down to photograph bright-pink fireweed and purple lupine along the trails.

Seeing my dad take on this adventure was inspiring

I feel so lucky to have a father who still wants to experience firsts, even in his 80s. For him, getting older doesn't mean his world is getting smaller.

Watching my dad embrace a place as wild and remote as Katmai National Park reminded me that curiosity doesn't have an age limit.

To me, he is proof that you never have to stop seeking adventure, no matter your age.

• After graduating from UC Berkeley, I felt prepared to enter the workforce with a job lined up.
• Within months, my position was eliminated, forcing me to rethink and find something new quickly.
• After cold emailing targeted companies in my field, I landed a new job.

After landing an entry-level position at a PR firm specializing in hospitality, I eagerly awaited my start date, which was just weeks after my graduation from UC Berkeley.

Seven months later, I joined a Zoom call with my manager, expecting to discuss my growth, coming prepared with questions about my performance and future with the firm. Within minutes, the tone had shifted completely: my role was being eliminated with budget cuts.

The devastation, confusion, and frustration held me captive for days. I understood their reasoning, but couldn't shake the helplessness of feeling sucker-punched by the decision.

While I worked all those months, I watched as the job market shook its unforgiving finger at other new graduates, my close friends, all with industry experience, passion, and mentorship behind them.

Assuming it was my turn to feel defeated, I imagined months ahead, spending long hours applying to job postings and watching my San Francisco apartment suck up money for rent. I had to pivot somehow.

Starting the process

After allowing time to sit with my emotions, I focused on a game plan — a method of attack for my search.

First, I defined my interests and long-term goals. I knew I wanted to continue working at the intersection of communications and hospitality, so I broadened my scope beyond my previous experience: marketing, communications, events, and copywriting. I would try anything that could get me in the door.

I browsed Bay Area hotels, restaurants, and hospitality groups online, then created a targeted, niche list of businesses that had caught my eye.

Rather than scouring job boards, I found cold emailing with an introduction felt more genuine. I had no idea whether it would actually lead to a job, but it was a chance to start on a more personal level.

I created a simple formula for cold emailing

Even if there were no postings available, I would still take the chance and email. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so why not shoot my shot?

I titled my emails with some variation of "PR and Marketing Opportunities at _____." Simple and straightforward.

The body consisted of a description of what specifically drew me to their company — whether it was the caliber of service or the prestige within San Francisco — so the recipients would know I had done my research.

Next, I added a sentence or two about myself. I had a few years of internship experience, but more importantly, I was genuinely curious about growth within the industry. I then asked for a time to chat about any open roles.

The clock was ticking; every email I sent had to be the perfect combination of direct, personable, and worth the effort. After logging every draft and email address in an organized spreadsheet, the last step was to send it off and hope the right person saw it.

Momentum started to build

In the beginning, I didn't have much hope that things would turn around quickly. I started slower than expected, yet more methodical, averaging three to four emails per day.

But it all starts with one moment.

Within two days, I was surprised to hear back from one of the first hotels I had contacted. They had accepted my inquiry asking to meet and learn about the company's marketing team, and before I knew it, I was joining a call with my now-director.

Though marketing had no openings, he mentioned a position in catering — someone who would facilitate planning for conferences, galas, and other events hosted at the hotel. With my experience in event planning, this piqued my interest, and I pushed for more.

From an email that started as a drop in the ocean, a ripple formed into opportunities I hadn't even expected, and suddenly, more and more.

When I accepted the position three weeks later, I was ecstatic. Although it was completely off my radar initially, I was thrilled at the chance to serve in a leadership role and join a company with such a proud culture.

After feeling like the bottom rung on the ladder, I learned that in tough times, you have to be bold and ask for what you want.

• The Army has added three more tech executives to its special Detachment 201 reserve unit.
• Det 201 members join as lieutenant colonels, advising the service on AI, cyber, and modernization.
• The new troops come from places like Cloudflare, a major private equity firm, and Facebook AI Research.

A second crop of tech executives entered the Army Reserve last week, expanding the service's ties with Big Tech as it continues a dramatic effort to modernize its equipment and systems and better prepare for modern warfare.

Those who recently joined include Dane Knecht, the chief technology officer of Cloudflare; Sam Pullara, managing director and CTO of Sutter Hill Ventures, a Palo Alto investment firm; and Serkan Piantino, a former Reddit executive and co-founder of Facebook AI Research.

The executives have joined a unit known as Detachment 201, a special unit "designed to bridge the gap between private-sector innovation and military modernization," the Army said in a press release, reflecting the Pentagon's push to leverage private-sector technical expertise to address complex national security and defense challenges.

Members are reservists, can work remotely, and must complete a minimum of 112 hours of service annually.

"Their primary role is to serve as senior advisors to help drive the Army Transformation Initiative, concentrated on high-level technological strategies in areas such as cyber, AI and machine learning applications, and other data-driven capabilities," Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Orlando Howard said in an email to Business Insider.

They join four other tech leaders who entered the Army Reserve one year ago: Shyam Sankar, the chief technology officer of Palantir; Andrew Bosworth, the chief technology officer of Meta; Kevin Weil, former chief product officer at OpenAI; and Bob McGrew, an advisor at Thinking Machines Lab and former chief research officer at OpenAI.

All entered the Army as lieutenant colonels, a rank that takes most officers over a decade to reach. The senior entry, known as a "direct commission," is not unheard of, though. Most military medical providers, chaplains, and veterinarians join at slightly more senior ranks, though they undergo their own version of boot camp, while Det 201 does not.

"The program selects applicants who are highly skilled civilian technology professionals at the executive or C-suite level to serve as part-time strategic advisers," Howard said. "These officers use their advanced expertise in commercial tech and private industry to offer a different perspective and advise senior Army leaders on solving military problems."

Detachment 201 previously prompted questions from skeptics who voiced concerns about the ethics of bringing in people with deep professional ties to military technology and defense acquisitions as advisors.

The new officers "are governed by a multi-layered ethics framework, including the Joint Ethics Regulation," Howard said. That includes mandatory confidential financial disclosures, annual ethics training, and legal review of each work assignment. "Recusal from any matter affecting the financial interests of members of Detachment 201 is mandatory."

It's not clear what the daily duties of Detachment 201 personnel entail, though the Army has highlighted the group's strategic counsel on "critical challenges" such as munitions supply chain data analysis, organic industrial base investments, and strategies for autonomous systems and counter-drone technologies.

Munitions, industrial investment, and drone tech are significant areas of concern for the Pentagon. The war in Iran has strained US munitions stockpiles, raising concerns about the Pentagon's ability to sustain a major conflict, while the rise of drones is creating new opportunities and challenges for the military and manufacturers. And the Pentagon is increasingly seeking for new ways to revitalize the American defense industry to build the arsenal it believes it needs for future fights.

Addressing some of these issues for the Army is where Det 201 comes into play.

"They participate in collaborative advisory and brainstorming sessions with senior military leaders to accelerate Army transformation, while also directly advising our teams in making technical system changes," Howard said.

• Ukrainian troops are wearing what they call "tactical Crocs" when they're away from the front line.
• Soldiers say wearing combat boots all day isn't sustainable.
• They say the shoes are a hit with younger troops.

Ukraine's soldiers are wearing what they call "tactical Crocs" when they're off the front lines.

Dmytro Zhluktenko, a Ukrainian soldier who recently transitioned from his role as a drone operator to a drone lessons analyst with Ukraine's 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment "RAID," described the gear he wore and carried in a YouTube video.

His pack included slip-on shoes he described as "tactical Crocs."

He told Business Insider that they are "absolutely essential." At war, "really, it's impossible to stay in combat boots all the time. So you have to somehow decompress."

Being able to change footwear is important for soldiers moving on and off the front lines, particularly after long periods in trenches and bunkers. Staying in boots for extended periods in harsh conditions can lead to injury and disease, as past wars have shown.

Getting troops out of combat boots, built for protection, helps prevent infections and fungal diseases, blistering, musculoskeletal issues, and nerve damage. Doing so also provides psychological relief.

Another Ukrainian soldier, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said that he uses similar shoes.

He said they're convenient and popular among younger soldiers. "It is quite fashionable," he said.

Zhluktenko said he wears his in positions away from the front lines, in positions where there are no Russian drones and "almost no danger."

So, "when it's safe, I'm wearing my Crocs."

The ones that he wears are from the Ukrainian company M-TAC, which makes gear for Ukrainian forces fighting Russia. Zhluktenko described them as "quite good, I think, in what they do.”

They're also "quite cheap," he said, at just over $8 a pair.

The shoes don't have any connection to the US footwear company Crocs, but they share certain similarities, from an appearance standpoint.

Oleksii Donchenko, M-TAC's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider that the product, which the company actually describes as a pair of rubber slippers, is "simple everyday footwear" that is "intended for routine use — for example, in temporary accommodation, bases, or rear-area environments."

The company, which makes tactical clothing, military gear, and outdoor equipment, began making its own products in 2014, when Russia annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, sparking a conflict in eastern Ukraine that continued into Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Donchenko said it was "a moment when Ukraine effectively embarked on a path of armed resistance in defense of its European future in the face of Russian aggression." To defend itself, Ukraine needed high-quality equipment, he said.

He said that the company is making "combat gear, tactical clothing, footwear, and equipment developed with direct reference to real wartime experience." It said it has thousands of products "developed by our in-house design and engineering teams."

Donchenko called the company "the largest and most recognizable military and tactical brand in Ukraine."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pictured wearing some of M-TAC's gear, including a fleece that sold for around $111,000 at a 2022 fundraising auction for Ukraine. M-TAC doesn't have any direct government contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Soldiers and civilians alike buy from them directly.

Zhluktenko said his gear is a mix of state-funded equipment, items that he bought himself, and crowdfunded supplies. What the military provides is good but not always the best fit, he said.

The military allows soldiers to use personal gear, letting them choose what works best.

• FIFA introduced 3-minute hydration breaks for this year's World Cup due to the hot weather.
• But many broadcasters are taking the chance to show more commercials.
• It also changes the flow of the game, giving teams a chance to regroup like in a timeout.

Soccer players and fans have criticized one very American addition to the World Cup: commercial breaks.

A soccer game usually consists of two 45-minute halves. However, for this year's tournament, FIFA has introduced mandatory "hydration breaks" halfway through each half.

Essentially, it feels more like a game of four quarters — like basketball, hockey, or American football.

Virgil van Dijk, the Netherlands captain, spoke about the change after his team drew 2-2 with Japan on Sunday.

"Hydration breaks are a bit interesting," he said in a press conference. "Every time going to commercial is a bit ... Not really that I like it."

When it announced the breaks last December, FIFA said it is prioritizing "player welfare" with the three-minute breaks during North America's hot summer weather, but some broadcasters have taken the opportunity to show more commercials.

"I just think it's another way of getting adverts into it from an American point of view," Ian Wright, a former England striker, said on ITV.

During the first World Cup game, Fox, one of the broadcasters of the event, didn't return to the live action until 10 seconds after play had resumed following a hydration break, although FIFA said broadcasters must return from commercials 30 seconds before play restarts, The Guardian reported.

Even for networks that don't cut away to commercials, such as the BBC, as in all the games it broadcasts, viewers can still see screens in the stadium promoting Powerade, which is the official sports drink partner of the World Cup.

While commercials and timeouts may be common in American sports, soccer is known for its free-flowing action. The breaks also give teams the chance to regroup and receive tactical instructions from coaches.

"For me, it's a coaching break more than a cooling break, so to me it's very important," Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said in a press conference. "Maybe if we are in a good moment, in a good flow, maybe it can interrupt, so this also we will see."

The weather isn't always particularly hot, either. For example, there was still a hydration break after 10 p.m. when Scotland played Haiti in Massachusetts on Saturday. Plus, the Netherlands-Japan game took place at the air-conditioned AT&T Stadium.

"If it's really hot, obviously it would be good to put them in," van Dijk said. "But I think you have to look at it in every game, separately, in my opinion."

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• My Great Aunt Joanne helped raise me, and we've always been close.
• When I had a midlife career change and became a teacher, we became even closer.
• She always had thoughtful advice while I was in school, and our shared experiences bonded us.

From early childhood, I was close to my Great Aunt Joanne. The youngest of my great-grandmother's five children, she was born long after her siblings, making her closer in age to my mother than her own sister. She became an aunt at just two months old when her eldest sister gave birth, which set the stage for her lifelong role as a nurturer.

When my mother moved to California, leaving us in Boston, Joanne — whom I call Auntie — stepped in, becoming like a surrogate mom to my brother and me. Along with my grandparents and other relatives, she helped raise us in our parents' absence.

Though she helped raise us, she was also the 'cool aunt'

Auntie handled essentials like dentist and doctor appointments when my grandmother worked. As an elementary school teacher, her flexible schedule allowed her to take care of us when others couldn't.

She was also fun, taking us to movies or to buy an amazing birthday gift. Spending the night at Auntie's was a regular, but still special, occurrence throughout my childhood. We'd pop Jiffy Pop popcorn and watch Lifetime movies. Before I was born, back in the late 1960s, Auntie was the first in her family to go to college and then graduate school. In her 20s, she had traveled around Europe, which made her even more interesting. She had done things. She had been places.

Auntie was a local teacher who seemed like a celebrity

A lifelong teacher, Auntie would sometimes take me to school with her, where I witnessed firsthand the affection her students had for her and her calm, patient teaching style. In the evenings, I'd help her grade papers — each one receiving a smiley face from her signature red pen.

Auntie started teaching right after college and made a difference. In our city, someone almost always recognized her — a former student or parent. They all adored her. It was like traveling with a local celebrity.

Like my aunt, I also went to college and later to graduate school. However, while Auntie always knew teaching was her path, I spent years searching for mine, earning degrees in English and television/video production before moving into corporate roles and starting my own family.

"Geez, Nicole," she'd say, "you should have been a teacher." With four kids, my schedule wasn't a great fit for my 9-to-5. Auntie often pointed out that if I taught, I'd get out early. I'd have summers off. Sure, I played school with my friends as a kid, sometimes borrowing Auntie's school supplies, but I didn't want to teach. I thought I was going to do something great — a job where I'd make a lot of money. How things change.

Following in Aunt Joanne's footsteps

In my 40s, inspired by my children's journeys through elementary school, I decided to return to school to become a teacher. My aunt, then in her late 60s, had recently retired after 40 years but continued teaching part-time, first in literacy and then in English as a second language.

Auntie remained not just a beloved relative but also a mentor. While I was in school, her encouragement and our frequent conversations about curriculum and teaching challenges brought us even closer. She understood exactly what I was going through and was always ready with thoughtful advice.

As I pursue more opportunities in education by taking extra classes to earn a postgraduate certificate to become an Assistant Principal, Auntie continues to support me. We also share the same last name, coincidentally. We are both Mrs. Johnson. She married a Robert. I married a Craig. When she passes things along from her own days of teaching, I don't even have to change the name on them.

I'm lucky to have such an amazing shared experience with her. She taught me that what makes a person great isn't the amount of money they make, but the impact they have on other people.

• SpaceX has agreed to buy AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion, the company confirmed on Tuesday.
• SpaceX had the option to acquire the fast-growing startup as part of a deal struck earlier this year.
• It comes as SpaceX's valuation soars after Elon Musk's rocket company went public on Friday.

SpaceX has announced its first major acquisition after a record-breaking IPO.

Elon Musk's rocket company said on Tuesday that it is buying the AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion, after the two companies struck a deal earlier this year.

The deal caps Cursor's rapid ascent to become one of Silicon Valley's fastest-growing startups and is a validation of the soaring interest in AI-assisted coding.

This week, Business Insider profiled Michael Truell, the 25-year-old Cursor cofounder and CEO, who told employees the potential merger with SpaceX was "a big risk, or a big bet, that we're making."

Founded in 2022 by Truell and three others who met at MIT, Cursor has ridden a wave of popularity for AI coding tools, which have dramatically shaken up the software industry over the past year by making coding more productive and accessible.

Cursor's tools have been adopted by millions of developers, and the company announced in November that annualized revenue had multiplied by 10 in less than a year to over $1 billion.

The partnership SpaceX struck with Cursor in April 2026, which was first reported by Business Insider and saw the two companies collaborate on compute and AI training, gave SpaceX the option to buy the AI coding firm for $60 billion or pay $10 billion for their work together.

Cursor is SpaceX's first big post-IPO move

The Cursor purchase comes days after SpaceX raised a record-breaking $85 billion in the largest IPO in history.

The company's valuation has continued to rise in the days after it started trading and closed at a $2.5 trillion on Monday, just below Amazon and above Meta and Tesla.

Despite this, SpaceX continues to play catch-up on AI. Grok, the AI model developed by Musk's AI startup xAI before it merged with SpaceX in February, continues to lag behind models built by Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, especially in coding.

Cursor was bought onboard to help improve Grok in April, as part of a radical shake-up at xAI that saw a string of cofounders and engineers leave.

In recent months, Musk has posted on X that new versions of Grok have improved performance after being trained on "a lot" of Cursor data.

• SpaceX's stock price continues to rocket on its third day of trading.
• The company's shares are set to open up 6% on Tuesday, pushing gains since its IPO to more than 50%.
• If it holds onto its premarket gains, it would become the world's fifth-largest company, passing Amazon.

Day 3 of trading. Day 3 of mega gains for SpaceX.

Shares in Elon Musk's rocket company look set to increase by around 6% at the market open on Tuesday, adding to the near 20% gains seen in both its first and second days of trading.

SpaceX, which trades under the ticker SPCX, went public in the largest IPO in history on Friday, raising an initial $75 billion at a valuation of around $1.8 trillion. On Monday, it revealed that the banks underwriting the IPO had exercised a so-called greenshoe option, adding another $10 billion to the total raised.

At the close on Monday, SpaceX's market capitalization had climbed to just over $2.5 trillion, making it the 6th-most-valuable company in the world, ahead of corporate titans like Broadcom, Meta, and Berkshire Hathaway. Its valuation was almost $1 trillion higher than that of Musk's other listed company, Tesla.

With an indicated Tuesday opening price of around $204 — a 6.2% gain from its $192.50 closing price on Monday — SpaceX's market capitalization stands to jump to just shy of $2.7 trillion, rocketing it past Amazon and making it the world's 5th-most valuable company. Earlier in premarket trade, the stock had been set to open as much as 11% higher.

SpaceX's monumental rally in its first 3 days of trading has split opinions in the market. As Business Insider's Joe Ciolli noted in his "First Trade" newsletter on Monday, some point to Musk's leadership and SpaceX's technological advantage as reasons the rally is justified, while others argue that it is overblown.

One analyst dubbed it "the biggest meme stock in town."

"It is a probably speculative bubble (though in theory, it is not a bubble until it bursts)," Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote, wrote in a Tuesday morning email.

"People are buying SpaceX in the expectation that others will buy too and push the price higher — that's speculation. The risk is that one day, someone will say, 'Hey, the Emperor is naked,' and on that day, the company's fundamentals won't be there to stop the sell-off," she added.

Also on Tuesday, SpaceX announced that it would buy AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion.

This week, Business Insider profiled Michael Truell, the 25-year-old Cursor cofounder and CEO, who told employees the potential merger with SpaceX was "a big risk, or a big bet, that we're making."

• Melania Trump has been in the public eye since she was a model in the 1990s.
• Her style has evolved in the past 30 years, particularly as she went from socialite to first lady.
• In 2026, she's been favoring simple, monochromatic looks.

Melania Trump has been a public figure since she first became involved with Donald Trump in the 1990s.

She was a model then, working in New York and often accompanying her future husband to red carpet events.

Her life changed dramatically as she became a high-profile businessman's wife, and it changed even more when she became first lady — as did her style. She swapped her sheer red carpet looks for skirt suits, and in her husband's second term, she's been balancing high-fashion designers with simple silhouettes.

Take a look back at Melania's fashion evolution, from her days walking red carpets to her political life.

When Melania first began making public appearances in the late 1990s, her style was similar to that of other models of the day.

At a "Celebrity" party in 1998, Melania chose a figure-hugging silk dress in periwinkle. Its neckline scooped gently.

At an awards show in June 1999, she embraced sparkles.

Melania arrived at the 1999 Annual Fragrance Foundation Fifi Awards in a form-fitting dress covered entirely in pink sparkles.

The gown's subtle slit was sexy without being over the top.

Melania also experimented with sheer fabric in the early days of her career, as she did at a film premiere in October 2000.

She attended the New York premiere of "Charlie's Angels" in a white skirt suit, but added a daring edge to the look with a sheer lace top.

Strappy heels completed her outfit.

The daring neckline on her dress for the March 2001 Academy Awards wasn't uncommon for Melania at the time.

When she accompanied Donald Trump to the Oscars, Melania wore a form-fitting white dress embellished with sparkly sequins.

The gown had a V-neckline, which mirrored the slit running up the center of the dress.

In September 2002, Melania showed off a more laid-back style during New York Fashion Week.

Before her life had political ties, Melania was often spotted in casual looks, like this all-orange ensemble she wore to a Fashion Week show.

She paired the silk off-the-shoulder top with wide-legged pants that featured a striped pattern and sparkles.

The gown she wore to the Angel Ball in October 2003 featured a strapless neckline.

A full skirt accented the gown's form-fitting bodice.

The black-and-tan dress had a feathered skirt with sheer detailing, and she paired it with coordinating shoes.

The night she got engaged, Melania wore a semi-sheer dress to the Met Gala.

Trump proposed to Melania on April 26, 2004, the evening of the Met Gala.

She paired her 15-carat engagement ring with a black ball gown, which had a corset covered in cutouts.

A few months after she got engaged, Melania once again showed off her casual style.

Attending a Fashion Week event, Melania paired fitted jeans with a sheer pink babydoll top. High heels completed the look.

Melania still leaned into daring looks while pregnant in October 2005.

Melania attended the Night of Stars party in October 2005 when she was expecting Barron Trump.

She wore an empire-waist black gown to the event, which featured sheer fabric on the neckline and sparkly embellishments.

See-through fabric and lace remained staples for Melania in September 2006.

Black dresses with sheer detailing became a bit of a uniform for Melania in the early 2000s, as she showed with her dress for the Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Dinner in 2006.

The silk dress had lace detailing on the sheer bodice and the neckline. Crisscross straps and lace paneling on the skirt added to the sexy gown.

She still looked every bit the model at the 2007 Met Gala.

At the 2007 Met Gala, Melania wore a shiny gold minidress with fabric tassels that swayed as she walked. She paired the look with coordinating gold shoes.

In February 2007, Melania showed off a chicer side of her style at a Fashion Week event.

Melania was photographed attending a Fashion Week event in 2007 alongside Donald Trump.

She wore all-black, and her hat and wrap featured fuzzy detailing. Knee-high boots completed the wintry ensemble.

Her dress for the 2008 Met Gala was hot pink.

Melania kept up her streak of eye-catching Met Gala looks in 2008, arriving in a bright-pink, strapless Vera Wang dress.

The dress had a bow on the neckline and ruffle detailing on its mermaid skirt.

Melania seemed to still be a fan of sparkles in December 2009.

At the premiere of "Nine," Melania wore a short, long-sleeved dress embroidered with sparkles, which she paired with pointed-toe shoes.

Melania's style was simple but chic at a November 2010 event.

Melania's black cocktail dress had a form-fitting bodice with a subtle sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps. The dress hit her knees, and she paired it with open-toe shoes.

But when she appeared at a SiriusXM event in September 2011, Melania showed off a more professional side of her style.

Melania's black suit was simple, featuring flared pants and a fitted jacket. The top buttons of her white blouse were open, and the sleeves poked out from under the jacket.

Black, pointed heels complemented the ensemble.

Melania donned a more modest dress for an August 2012 appearance on "Good Afternoon America."

Melania's gray dress for her "Good Afternoon America" appearance had a professional feel.

The fitted dress had a V-neckline and covered her knees, and a black belt cinched her waist. She also wore black heels.

She wore an all-white look to a golf event at Mar-a-Lago in January 2013.

When Trump hosted an Invitational Grand Prix at Mar-a-Lago in January 2013, Melania showed that she could nail a dress code.

Her white, sleeveless dress had a scooped neckline and a pleated skirt that felt like an elevated version of a golf ensemble. She added white heels to the look.

Melania's outfit for the New York Ball in November 2014 blended her love of sheer with a professional edge.

The jumpsuit featured long sleeves, subtly flared pants, and semi-sheer paneling on the bodice adorned with black lace.

Black heels accented the ensemble.

When she appeared on a Barbara Walters special in 2015, Melania looked every bit the politician's wife.

After Trump announced he was running for president in the summer of 2015, he and Melania appeared on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2015."

Melania chose a simple pink dress with short sleeves and a modest neckline for the interview. Her pink, pointed shoes matched the dress.

Her white dress for the July 2016 Republican National Convention was simple, aside from its playful sleeves.

Lauren A. Rothman, a style strategist and image coach, told Business Insider that Melania seemed to be telling "two narratives" with fashion throughout her life, leaning into glamour and slightly more daring looks when she was first in the public eye.

But after Trump entered politics, Rothman said Melania's looks became more intentional because "she was trying to say something with more storytelling" about her identity and her husband through her fashion, as she showed at the 2016 RNC.

For the RNC, Melania wore the "Margot" dress from Roksanda, which she bought from Net-a-Porter, according to Vanity Fair. The modest white dress had a high neckline, a knee-length hem, and quarter-length sleeves that ended in ruffles.

The dress was simple and elegant, striking a similar tone to first ladies of years past.

Melania nodded to Jackie Kennedy with her outfit for Trump's inauguration in January 2017.

Melania attended her husband's inauguration in a powder-blue dress designed by Ralph Lauren Collection. The dress was paired with a matching shrug and gloves.

The silhouette was reminiscent of Jackie Kennedy's outfits during her time as first lady.

"It was so curated," Rothman said of the look. "It was an instant revival of that Jackie memory."

Rothman said the nostalgia in the look lent Melania some of the power Jackie Kennedy held in the American mind, striking the right tone for the beginning of her tenure as first lady.

Ralph Lauren is also a classic American designer, though Melania would go on to wear European designers throughout Trump's presidency.

Her dress for the 2017 inaugural ball was custom-made.

Melania changed into a gown custom-designed by Hervé Pierre Braillard for his Hervé Pierre line.

The form-fitting, cream dress had off-the-shoulder sleeves made of the same fabric as a three-dimensional swath that cut across the bodice, creating volume. The same fabric flowed on the skirt, creating a train on one side, and a red belt cinched her waist.

Braillard became Melania's stylist and strategy consultant throughout Trump's first term.

Melania didn't always send the right message after she became first lady.

In 2018, Melania visited the Texas-Mexico border to speak to child migrants wearing a green jacket that said "I really don't care, do u?" on the back.

The Zara jacket instantly became controversial, leading people to speculate that the first lady was sending a message to the president or migrants at the border.

In her book "I'll Take Your Questions Now," Stephanie Grisham, Melania's former aide, wrote that Trump yelled at Melania for wearing the jacket, though he later told media outlets she wore it to send a message to "fake news" outlets. Melania later repeated Trump's comments on the jacket, CNN reported.

She dressed for the occasion when she had dinner with the royal family in June 2019.

Melania dined with members of the royal family at Winfield House in June 2019.

She wore a red Givenchy cape dress, a silhouette favored by royals like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.

She leaned into a professional look to accompany Trump to a September 2020 presidential debate.

Melania accompanied Trump to the debate in a pinstripe Dolce & Gabbana suit.

She wore the jacket open over a white blouse with no tie and completed her look with Christian Louboutin heels.

Melania wore contrasting looks on Inauguration Day 2021, sending two different messages.

When the Trumps left the White House on January 20, 2021, Melania wore an all-black outfit comprising a Chanel jacket with gold button detailing, a Dolce & Gabbana dress, and Christian Louboutin heels. Black gloves and sunglasses completed the somber but chic ensemble.

But when they arrived at Mar-a-Lago later that day, Melania exited Air Force One in a $3,700 Gucci dress, though she wore the same sunglasses she had on earlier that day. Her loose gown featured quarter-length sleeves and an orange-and-navy print.

"Like anyone, sometimes we take off our work clothes, and we put on our play clothes," Rothman said. "She went from wearing something super fitted to something loose that is right out of Palm Beach."

Her public appearances became less frequent in 2022, but Melania wore sparkles for a New Year's Eve party.

Melania kept her public appearances more limited after Trump left office, but she appeared alongside him at a New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago in December 2022.

For the occasion, she wore another Dolce & Gabbana dress. The knee-length, silver gown had long sleeves. It was covered in sparkles, as were her pointed-toe shoes.

When photographed entering Trump Tower in June 2023, she wore a more casual look.

Melania paired a black long-sleeved top with a high-waisted, midi-length brown skirt from Martin Grant, which was belted with a bow at her waist. Her Chanel ballet flats featured both colors.

A black Chanel bag completed her look.

When she attended the July 2024 RNC, Melania had returned to the first lady playbook.

Melania appeared at the Republican National Convention in July after being largely absent from Trump's campaign.

She attended in a blazer and coordinating skirt designed by Christian Dior. The entire outfit was red, the color of the republican party, even down to her pointed-toe, red heels.

Rothman said the outfit struck the perfect tone for the occasion because it seemed to send a specific message.

"There's more intention," she said. "From the red shoe to the red suit to the brighter hair on the stage, there's just more of a power punch of intention with that story than what she was wearing before she was in that role and was in her 20s."

"She understood the assignment," Rothman added.

Before her husband took office again, Melania wore a more daring look for New Year's Eve 2024.

Melania stepped out at Mar-a-Lago in a black Versace dress for the last day of 2024.

The gown had an asymmetrical neckline that scooped low, hugged Melania's figure, then formed a slit on one leg.

It was glamorous and more reminiscent of her looks before Trump entered politics.

Her navy ensemble for the 2025 inauguration struck a different tone than her 2017 look.

Melania arrived at the 2025 inauguration in a custom navy coat designed by Adam Lippes.

The double-breasted jacket was elegant, and Melania paired it with navy pumps and a white scarf. However, the standout element of her look was her Eric Javits hat, which was also navy and white.

"It's a huge fashion moment," Rothman said of Melania's hat. She said the summery shape of the hat nodded to Melania's day-to-day life at Mar-a-Lago, while the wool texture and dark colors spoke to the role she was stepping back into.

"She wore a hat that bridges her worlds together," she added.

Melania changed into a black-and-white gown for the 2025 inaugural balls.

Melania again turned to Hervé Pierre for her evening look at Donald Trump's inaugural balls, donning a strapless white dress. Black fabric crisscrossed the bodice and skirt, creating a slit on one side.

A black choker made of the same fabric tied the look together.

She embraced menswear in the early days of Trump round two, like a taupe suit in March 2025.

The first lady wore a slew of menswear looks in early 2025, including a Ralph Lauren suit she wore to support the Take It Down Act at the US Capitol in March 2025.

The camel-toned, three-piece suit included a jacket, fitted trousers, and a vest. She paired it with a white blouse, black tie, and coordinating pumps, giving the look a distinctly formal feel.

Melania switched from neutral looks to brighter ones in September 2025.

In September 2025, Melania joined her husband on a state visit to the UK, spending time with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.

For a white-tie dinner at Windsor Castle, Melania wore a bright-yellow gown designed by Carolina Herrera. The off-the-shoulder dress had long sleeves and a floor-length skirt, and it cinched at Melania's waist with a wide purple belt.

The gown's bright color was a bold choice for the royal dinner and a marked change from the neutral looks Melania had been wearing for much of 2025.

Some of her colorful looks held symbolic meaning, like a green gown she wore in November 2025.

The Trumps hosted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for dinner at the White House in November 2025.

The first lady wore a strapless, green gown for the dinner. Designed by Elie Saab, the $3,350 dress featured ruching on the bodice and skirt, with a slit running up the center.

The dress was pretty, but it also radiated a warm welcome for Salman, as the deep-green fabric resembled the colors of the Saudi flag. Likewise, Elie Saab held a historic fashion show in Saudi Arabia in 2024, so the choice of designer seemed to nod to Salman's country as well.

Likewise, a colorful touch to an outfit she wore the same month brought a festive flair to her look.

When the 2025 Christmas tree arrived at the White House, Melania donned a knee-length white coat. The high-neck, wide-sleeved coat was typical for the first lady, but her accessories were more colorful than she might have worn in years past.

She wore red leather gloves from Max Mara, which brought drama to the look, as well as tartan pumps from Manolo Blahnik. The look was festive but still felt authentic to Melania's style.

The first lady returned to her neutral style as she promoted her documentary, "Melania."

At the start of 2026, the first lady returned to her more neutral-toned wardrobe in a Dolce & Gabbana look while promoting "Melania."

Her high-neck suit jacket was buttoned down the center and belted at the waist. Her midi-length skirt was column-style, and she paired the set with black pumps.

The outfit struck a professional, restrained tone, particularly compared to the colorful looks she wore in the second half of 2025.

She went luxury and professional for the State of the Union address in February 2026.

The first lady continued her minimalist style in February 2026, arriving at the State of the Union in a dark charcoal Dolce & Gabbana suit.

The fitted jacket was cinched at her waist, while the pants were wide-legged. She paired the suit with a white blouse, no tie, and Manolo Blahnik heels.

Melania wore little jewelry, making the look feel simple and high-end.

Melania switched up her style when King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the White House in April 2026.

The president and first lady welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House in April 2026.

Melania wore a butter-yellow Adam Lippes suit for their arrival. The jacket was double-breasted and had pockets, while the knee-length skirt was simple. She paired the look with Manolo Blahnik snakeskin heels.

The brighter color was a style departure for the first lady, but it was a good choice for the royal visit. It was similar in color and style to an outfit a member of the royal family may choose for an engagement, making it fitting.

She combined that brighter color scheme with one of her signature hats the next day.

Melania chose a lighter look on day two of the royals' visit, which kicked off with the state arrival ceremony at the White House.

She attended the event in a white Ralph Lauren pencil skirt and blazer with gold button detailing lining the center. She paired the set with cream Manolo Blahnik pumps and an Eric Javits hat.

The hat had a similar silhouette to the Javits hat she wore to Trump's 2025 inauguration, adding to the Americana feel of the look.

Melania showed off a sultrier side of her style at the UFC Freedom fight at the White House in June 2026.

When the president hosted the UFC Freedom 250 fight at the White House in June 2026, Melania attended in one of her signature monochromatic looks. However, her outfit had a slinkier feel compared to the suits and skirt sets she's favored for much of her husband's second term.

Melania arrived in a form-fitting Dolce & Gabbana dress that hit her just below the knee. She paired it with a leather blazer that sat on her shoulders and black pumps. A cross choker sat on her neck for a touch of glam, and she wore her hair in long waves.

The look was a departure from the more conservative looks Melania has worn in recent months.

• Prices on Uber and Lyft vary — even when riders want the exact same ride, a new report finds.
• Consumer Reports collected pricing data across the US as part of an investigation published Tuesday.
• Uber and Lyft dispute the findings, saying that their prices change every second.

Not everyone sees the same prices on Uber and Lyft, according to a new study.

The rideshare apps appear to price trips differently — even when riders request the same route at the same exact minute, a new investigation from Consumer Reports found.

The results, published Tuesday, show "that Uber and Lyft use AI to routinely charge different customers significantly different prices," according to a summary of the report.

While some trip requests only resulted in a few different price offerings, others varied much more. In some cases, the differences between the highest and lowest price groups were 50%.

"One route in Kansas City, Missouri, generated 29 different prices for 55 potential customers for the same ride at the same time," Consumer Reports said.

For the investigation, Consumer Reports virtually requested rides for 30 routes around the US. The publication also recruited volunteers to request rides at the same time in-person in Portland, Oregon.

Another test, conducted in the Phoenix area, saw prices for a ride on Uber range from $41.21 to $56.96 after accounting for discounts — a difference of about 38%. Consumer Reports observed the prices among 18 volunteers, each of whom requested the same ride at the same minute.

Dynamic pricing is becoming more common on purchases from Big Macs for delivery to clothing at Old Navy. Companies, including Uber and Lyft, have said that they change prices for goods and services based on supply and demand, like requesting a ride to the airport on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, for instance.

Consumer Reports said that its investigation controlled for differences in time and place by requesting rides on Uber and Lyft in the same place and at the same time, and prices still varied widely. That, the report reads, calls into question "whether the price differences observed are based only on market forces."

Consumer Reports did not say what accounted for the differences in fares documented in its investigation. Uber and Lyft said that they use a variety of factors to price rides.

Lyft's privacy policy gives some examples, Consumer Reports said: The company might infer riders' gender based on their name or assume that they're frequent travelers if they often request rides to or from an airport. Lyft said it doesn't "group" customers together, and Uber said it doesn't consider "protected characteristics," such as race or disability.

Uber and Lyft challenged the findings in the report, saying that the tests might have inflated demand, according to Consumer Reports. Prices also change every second, making it "impossible" to compare fares, an Uber spokesperson told Consumer Reports.

"In an open, dynamic marketplace like ours, with nearly 1.7 million mobility and delivery trips per hour, a trip is defined just as much by when it is requested and what's happening nearby as where it is going," the spokesperson said.

Uber and Lyft did not respond to an additional request for comment from Business Insider.

Besides encountering a variety of prices, Consumer Reports also found that, about half of the time, Uber and Lyft offer customers what look like discounted ride fares, complete with lower prices replacing higher, struck-through ones and messages like "Fares lower than usual."

About 11% of those discounts were based on what "appeared to be inflated original prices," Consumer Reports found. Uber and Lyft said that the struck-out amounts weren't discounts but reflected past prices for the rides. An Uber spokesperson called them "historical comparison messaging."

"A reasonable consumer would conclude that those are discounts, regardless of the semantic distinction that Uber and Lyft claim," said Derek Kravitz, an investigative reporter at Consumer Reports who wrote the report.

Do you have a story to share about Uber? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Jalen Brunson solidified himself as a NYC legend by carrying the Knicks to an NBA championship.
• The team's title trajectory can be traced back to a selfless business decision made by Brunson in 2024.
• The two MSG entities affiliated with the Knicks have seen $8 billion of value added since Brunson joined the team.

If you watched the NBA Finals in any capacity, you were treated to the Jalen Brunson Show.

The Knicks superstar ran the offense like a maestro, sinking mid-range jumpers and draining clutch 3-pointers. His 45 points in Game 5 clinched the first Knicks title in 53 years. He was virtually unstoppable across four playoff rounds.

But Brunson's biggest contribution to the Knicks championship run came back in 2024, when he sacrificed what could've been $113 million in additional compensation. He did so by agreeing to a new team-friendly deal while still under contract, rather than testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

The selfless move allowed the Knicks to comfortably retain their core and have greater financial flexibility as the roster became more expensive.

It's hard to imagine the Knicks going the distance without Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, or Karl-Anthony Towns. We didn't know it then, but Brunson's choice two seasons ago crystallized his team's championship trajectory.

At the time, people scratched their heads about his decision. The NBA is a league where the goal for most players is to maximize earnings potential. And can you blame them? Every last digit matters when you're talking about millions of dollars.

Brunson, meanwhile, has become Exhibit A for playing the long game. A championship is worth its weight in gold, especially in a place like New York City. It's entirely possible he'll make up that $113 million in lifetime endorsements alone. He'll probably never pay for a meal in the city again. The proceeds and savings will add up.

But the wealth machine is much bigger than just Brunson and his personal finances. The newly anointed NBA Finals MVP is helping create billions of dollars of value for investors, and serving as rocket fuel for the global Knicks brand: merch, tickets, etc.

With all of that in mind, you could make the argument Brunson is the most valuable employee in America right now.

Not buying it? Check out the chart below, which plots the torrid performance of Madison Square Garden Sports stock before and after Brunson joined the Knicks:

A few main takeaways:

• MSGS stock was down 27% over the three seasons before Brunson joined
• It then climbed 66% across Brunson's first three seasons with the team
• MSGS spiked another 70% during his fourth season, when the Knicks won the title

In total market value terms, MSG Sports has gotten a roughly $6 billion boost from the Brunson era. Add to that MSG Entertainment — a separate entity that owns the actual arena — and the total swells to about $8 billion added.

While Brunson's team-first decision was relatively rare in pro sports, there is a high-profile precedent. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was known for avoiding the open market and accepting below-market contracts so his team could sign better players.

When you combine Brady's seven Super Bowl titles (six of which were with the Patriots) with his ultra-lucrative broadcasting career and omnipresent advertisements, it's clear that playing the long game worked for him as well.

Brunson may be just starting down the Brady path. But with his first championship in hand, he's already living proof that it can pay big to bet on yourself.

• Toptal CEO Taso Du Val used to be a proponent of remote work and regular company off-sites.
• He said he now believes that teams focusing on innovative AI initiatives should work in person.
• Du Val said the company has spent millions on off-sites and didn't find them that productive.

A little over six months ago, Toptal CEO Taso Du Val told Business Insider he believed in what he called an 80/20 model: 80% remote work and 20% in-person work at quarterly off-sites.

Now, that 80-20 ratio means something different to him: 80% of the workforce can be fully remote and 20% should show up in person.

While he said still believes remote work is here to stay — and plans to keep his roughly 700-person company largely structured that way — he said he's come to believe over the past few months that some complex AI-related work is better done in-person.

"I hate to say it, because I wish everything could be done remotely just as proficiently as it could in person," Du Val told Business Insider. "But there's just something about the intensity, and the brainstorming, and the sparking of ideas that needs to be in person."

The revised 80/20 model

Du Val has operated the global hiring company remotely since its founding in 2010, and he's still bullish on that structure. However, he's now considering building a headquarters for the fraction of employees focused on highly innovative AI work.

Du Val said the shift reflects changes in the software development lifecycle. Until recently, most software development — even advanced SaaS — was relatively straightforward, he said. Teams could tweak features, and ship updates as needed.

Now, he said, the nature of the work is evolving. While some traditional development cycles still exist, developers increasingly need to focus on building datasets that AI models can effectively use. That means thinking carefully about how large language models create agents that can perform narrow and specialized tasks, he said.

"It's much more scientific work. It's much more creative. You have to actually do math and science, and talk about new techniques, and there's a lot of brainstorming," Du Val said.

The CEO said that in some ways, remote workers are thriving in this new development cycle, especially when it comes to managing AI agents and related workflows. But in other areas, Du Val said, being in person can make a meaningful difference, particularly when certain technical teams are trying to drive breakthroughs.

As an example, he pointed to seven recent PhD hires specializing in AI and reinforcement learning who report directly to him. The group is focused on "intense" work and transforming data into new initiatives.

A pause on off-sites

Du Val said the company has moved away from its previous goal of bringing employees together 20% of the time. For now, only Toptal's "very innovative pockets" are meeting in person, rather than routine quarterly gatherings for every team.

He said Toptal ramped up off-sites in 2021 after the pandemic, holding as many as 62 in a single year, and spending "many" millions. The company has hosted off-sites in a number of locations including Turkey, Thailand, France and Spain.

Cost wasn't the main reason Toptal reduced its number of off-sites, Du Val said. He said the company ultimately found that many of the gatherings weren't productive enough.

"It really wasn't driving value, so I realized, 'wow, this is really pointless, unless you're doing very specific intent-driven work,'" Du Val said.

Du Val said Toptal paused routine company off-sites in the last six months because the firm lacked the right leadership for its gatherings. However, he said it plans to hire people who can help facilitate more productive gatherings in the future.

Du Val said he still sees value in off-sites under the right circumstances, though. He said he recently spent a month in a 15-bedroom villa in Turkey with a team building a fintech branch for the company. He said the setup worked well.

Even as Du Val considers creating a physical office for innovation-focused teams, he said he remains unconvinced that even the teams that benefit from concentrated in-person time always need to be together. In Turkey, he said, there came a point when the brainstorming had run its course, and people needed to return home to execute.

"It's still like, 'OK, we've brainstormed enough, now let's go do the work,'" Du Val said.

• Bets connected to artificial intelligence have seeped into every part of the market.
• The world's biggest public companies, new private asset classes, run-of-the-mill debt issuance — all are tied to AI.
• Investors looking to diversify from the biggest investing trend of our lifetimes have few options.

It's inescapable.

Artificial intelligence and the broader buildout of the technology are touching every part of investing and everyone who has money to work in the capital markets. The smart money is all in on the biggest public companies burning through billions. The success of private market investors is tied to the trend, whether they are shoot-for-the-moon venture investors or more staid infrastructure allocators. And retail portfolios and run-of-the-mill retirement plans are thoroughly intertwined with AI.

The Magnificent Seven stocks, all of which have lots to gain from AI advancements, make up nearly a third of the value of State Street's SPY fund, which tracks the S&P 500 and, with $783 billion in assets, is one of the largest ETFs in the market. When factoring in semiconductor companies, the number rises to more than 40%, according to Business Insider analysis.

With IPOs from Anthropic and OpenAI on the way, AI bets will make up an even larger portion of portfolios.

No one wants to miss out on what is the most expensive investing trend in our lifetimes, but the omnipresence of AI in portfolios big and small begs the question: Where does an industry that worships diversification put money in such an environment?

"Most of our institutional clients are very focused on how much AI risk do I have and what do I invest into so that I'm not fully exposed to this one factor," said Alexandra Wilson-Elizondo, Goldman Sachs' co-head and co-chief investment officer for multi-asset solutions, at the annual Milken conference last month.

Even areas of the market that might seem disconnected from growth stocks have plenty of AI risk. Vanguard's Real Estate ETF has more than 10% allocated to data center REITs. One of the biggest holdings in Fidelity's Enhanced High Yield ETF is CoreWeave debt.

"How do you own things that have nothing to do with AI?" said Jay Jacobs, US head of equity ETFs at BlackRock.

Anti-AI Trade

Wilson-Elizondo pointed to emerging alternative asset classes like sports teams and royalties at Milken as examples of the "anti-AI trade." Jacobs told Business Insider that the firm's Core High Dividend ETF has performed well during AI sell-offs.

"In many ways, that dividend component is antithetical to what we are seeing in the AI space, which is all about reinvesting in their businesses," Jacobs said.

The ETF is made up of "industries that aren't really participating in artificial intelligence." The holdings overlap of the dividend ETF and the firm's main AI ETF is less than 2%.

"This is more value stocks than growth stocks," he said.

International markets, similarly, offer a chance to invest in companies less exposed to tech, said Don Calcagni, CIO of $99 billion wealth firm Mercer Advisors.

"A very easy way to do that is through an allocation to non-US equities," Calcagni said. "Non-US equity markets have significantly less exposure to technology stocks broadly than the US equity markets."

For example, the Canadian stock market is "heavily dominated by natural resources," and could provide a real-world hedge.

Investors are also looking at real assets. Goldman Sachs described utilities, energy, and telecommunications as sectors that benefit from AI's buildout while remaining less dependent on the technology itself.

Real estate, battered after the pandemic hit office assets and rate hikes hit the rest, is another heavy asset sector. Peter Zabierek, a senior portfolio manager at asset manager Easterly Ranger, told Business Insider that office assets are looking sunnier than they have in a while.

Another relatively uncorrelated asset is gaming REITs that own regional casino real estate. These sorts of casinos are essentially "social clubs" for locals.

"Maybe there's some impact of AI behind the scenes, but this is something that people will just continue to do regardless," Zabierek said.

Is it even worth it?

Investors shouldn't go looking for a 100% short-AI portfolio or try to avoid exposure to something that's going to transform the global economy," said Calcagni, but it's a good idea to build "shock absorbers" in a portfolio for the "inevitable periods when AI is going to struggle as a broader asset class, he said.

There are no "AI-free asset classes anymore," said Gene Goldman, CIO of Cetera Investment Management. Goldman agreed with others that dividend stocks, international stocks, cash-flowing infrastructure assets, and alternatives such as royalties all offer good diversification options.

But investors should think less about eliminating AI exposure entirely and more about making sure they aren't dependent on a single factor driving returns.

"If you try to avoid AI entirely, it's like trying to avoid the internet back in the 1990s," said Goldman. "You may reduce some risk in the short term, but you're going to miss a huge structural shift in the long term."

• The healthcare sector has lagged the broader market in 2026.
• But UBS and Franklin Templeton see a potential turnaround for the sector.
• The firms cited GLP-1 drugs, AI, and an aging population as bullish growth drivers.

Healthcare stocks are typically seen as defensive investments. When things go south for the market, they outperform.

That hasn't played out this year, with tech once again dictating momentum and pacing gains. The sector is down about 1.5% year-to-date, a period that's seen the S&P 500 climb nearly 11%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 has fared even better, up 21%.

But despite their defensive traits, healthcare stocks are poised to play a bit of offense, according to two Wall Street firms. In notes to clients this month, both UBS and Franklin Templeton said the sector is set to stage a turnaround.

Detailed below is the reasoning behind each firm's bullish outlook.

UBS

UBS listed three reasons they like the sector, starting with GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. The drugs are a huge growth driver for pharmaceutical stocks, which make up around one-third of the sector.

"GLP-1 drugs may be creating one of the largest new drug markets in pharmaceutical history," Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, the bank's global head of equities, said in a June 8 note, adding: "What started as a treatment for type 2 diabetes has evolved into a global market, with the potential to exceed USD 100bn in revenues by 2030."

Second, AI is helping healthcare firms discover new drugs faster. That's a boon for investors because companies won't have to spend as long developing the drugs, and will be able to spend less on the research, UBS said.

And third, the world's population is aging, which will create "inelastic demand" for treatment going forward, the bank said.

Franklin Templeton

Franklin Templeton highlighted some similar reasons for upside potential, including AI as a driver for growth. The firm said companies are using the technology to become more operationally efficient, as well as for applications such as surgical robots and clinical trials.

Strong demand — both right now and down the line — was another reason Franklin Templeton likes the sector.

The stocks are also historically cheap, the firm said.

"Many investors have been putting money into technology stocks, especially those related to AI, instead of health care," the firm wrote in a June 9 note. "As a result, health care stocks are now priced lower, even though the companies are still performing well. This could make them a good buying opportunity."

The MSCI All-World Healthcare Index trades at a 12-month forward price-earnings ratio of 18.5 times, compared to 26.5 for the global tech sector.

Healthcare companies are also increasingly doing stock buybacks, which boost returns, Franklin Templeton said.

Examples of funds offering exposure to the healthcare stocks include the Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT), the iShares Global Healthcare ETF (IXJ), and the Invesco Pharmaceuticals ETF (PJP).

• Jim Paulsen, the former chief investment strategist at the Leuthold Group, sees a historic split in stocks.
• He says there's never been a bigger divergence between old- and new-era stocks.
• Paulsen makes the argument that this setup helps with diversification, helping to protect against drawdowns

The AI-driven stock market's growth has fueled comparisons to the dot-com era crash of 2000. Jim Paulsen isn't worried, mostly because of the way the market is currently split.

The former chief investment strategist of The Leuthold Group hasn't been shy about discussing potential cracks he sees in the market. But as he recently laid out in a post on his Substack, he sees the divide between "old era" and "new era" stocks shielding it from the type of risk it saw during the late 90s.

"New" basically refers to tech, while "old" encapsulates the other nine sectors in the S&P 500.

"The performance bifurcation between new and old era stocks has probably never been as extreme as it is today," he wrote. "However, a lower correlation between new and old era stock prices compared to their relationship during the 1990s may be keeping overall contemporary stock market risk much lower than it was during the latter stages of the dotcom run."

He added: "Today, because old era stocks provide a much larger stabilizing force than they did in the 1990s, investors are incented to diversify more broadly than they did during the 1990s," he noted.

Paulsen is far from the only investing pro so analyze how the current AI boom stacks up against the dot-com bust. Goldman Sachs analysts recently said that while stock market breadth is at its lowest level since 2000, it doesn't yet rival the depths of the pre-crisis era.

"Boring 'old era stocks' may ultimately substantially mitigate the investment carnage to the overall stock market once the music finally stops for new era stocks," Paulsen added.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tony Latham, the 53-year-old President of Bacardi North America, based in Miami. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I'm from Australia, and I've worked in consumer goods at well-known companies such as SC Johnson, Danone, and Unilever.

The US is the eighth country I've lived in in the past 25 years; I moved around a lot with those companies. I spent about 10 years in Asia, about eight in Europe, and when I joined Bacardi in 2019, I was the global CFO, based in Bermuda.

I took over as president of Bacardi North America in April 2023 and moved to Miami. Here's a typical day in my life.

I wake up at 5:30 a.m.

I spent some time in the military, so I like getting up early. I enjoy a bit of peace and solitude by myself in the morning.

I have an Oura ring, and I was an early adopter of wearable fitness technology. I always check the quality of my sleep and my readiness for the day, and make any adjustments I feel I need based on the technology's inputs.

In the first 30 minutes of my day, I have an espresso from my Nespresso machine

I also have a banana and some yogurt before everyone else in the house wakes up, which is quite nice.

I like to work out four or five days a week, and then a couple of times on the weekend. I have a three-car garage that I've converted into a home gym.

I live with my wife of 20 years, who's Canadian, and our two sons — one is a high-school junior, and the other just graduated.

After working out, I have a second breakfast

By that time, the house is pretty hectic with the boys waking up and rushing out the door. I tend to have a second breakfast on the commute to work, or when I get to the office.

I've got about a 45-minute commute, and that gives me an opportunity to either make some calls (our headquarters in Bermuda is an hour ahead of us) or reflect on the day ahead and listen to some music.

Whenever I'm in Miami, I'm in the office. We've recently opened a new one, and it's a beautiful, modern space in the Coral Gables area.

I travel anywhere from two to three weeks a month

Depending on meetings in Bermuda, I have a lot of domestic travel, visiting our key markets, our commercial people out in the field, and customers.

There could be brand activations around big sporting events or big music festivals, where I may be taking customers or interacting with consumers.

I try not to schedule meetings before 10 a.m.

I'm not always successful at that. When I get to the office, I like to get through a few things early in the morning and set myself up for a day where I can be fully present for the meetings I'm in. Once my meetings start, they're scheduled through until about 3 p.m.

I use AI in my workday to collect and analyze data across the business. Having information at our fingertips helps us make decisions more quickly.

When considering potential personal investments, I love using AI to generate summaries. I might ask an AI for a quick moat assessment to understand a company's competitive advantages before I invest.

I have lunch at the office

We have lunch catered in the office. I try to meet for lunch in our common space. There's usually a lot of conversation and banter. It's a great opportunity to recharge in the middle of the day for the afternoon.

I like to be visible and available to the team. I spend a lot of time walking around the office and checking in with people.

After lunch, it's back to meetings

I've got visibility on my schedule two months out, but there can be some fluidity around travel. Bacardi's global leadership team meetings in Bermuda and our board meetings are scheduled more than 12 months in advance.

At 3 p.m., after meetings are over, I might go to a local account to provide support. It could be an on-premises venue, a bar, or a restaurant. I meet with the owners before they get busy.

If I'm still at the office, I typically leave between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The traffic in Miami has gotten increasingly worse over the past couple of years. I'll quite often have a look at the traffic and make a decision based on the traffic patterns.

My boys both play sports, so I might be running back to pick one of them up from training or to get them to a sporting match.

On the first three days of the week, my wife cooks dinner

I have business dinners a few times a week. The household at the end of the day is a bit manic. My wife is a Pilates instructor, so she might be out teaching courses between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

If we get to sit down and have a meal together at the house, that's great. Occasionally, we'll order in, particularly as the week comes to an end and everybody might be getting a little weary.

I like to cook on the weekends. I love to grill, and I've got a really good outdoor kitchen set up. I like to make homemade pizzas and steaks on the weekends.

Miami is a great place to visit, so we often have visitors, particularly in the winter months, from up north. My wife's parents sometimes look to escape the Canadian winter and come down to spend some winter months here. We love hosting and entertaining.

I try to avoid going back to work after dinner

I find that my productivity levels are not what they were at the beginning of the day. In the evenings, I like to read about current affairs.

I've gotten into streaming a few shows, though I'm not one to sit in front of the TV for long. When I travel, I work on the plane and stream a few shows. I've been watching The Night Agent, The Recruit, and The Gentleman.

I try to get to bed around 9:30 p.m.

I find that sleep is by far the most important thing for me right now, so I try to eat a little earlier. I aim for a good seven-plus hours of high-quality sleep, but I'm all about a balanced lifestyle. I love making a cocktail, particularly when I'm barbecuing on the weekend.

Among my go-to cocktails is the Bacardi Ocho Old Fashioned, where the aged rum complements the citrus and aromatic bitters. As for my favorite Bacardi product, if I had to pick now, I'm really enjoying Patrón Reposado, which adds richness and a hint of sweetness to a spicy margarita.

If I have a cocktail, I keep it to one or two drinks, drink plenty of water, and try not to have them too late in the evening.

I try to keep the getting up early routine going on the weekends

I use that time to do a bit of work, trying not to disrupt the day's balance while still keeping that routine of getting up.

I eat something, do a bit of work, and work out because the boys tend to sleep in a little longer on weekends, which gives my wife and me time to connect.

• David Selinger cofounded Deep Sentinel, an AI security firm, after working at Amazon in the early 2000s.
• At Amazon, Selinger worked directly with Jeff Bezos, which shaped his AI and business acumen.
• Deep Sentinel, backed by Bezos, uses AI to prevent crime and innovate home security.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with David Selinger, the 48-year-old CEO of Deep Sentinel, based in Pleasanton, California. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I went to Stanford but didn't finish my degree, so I went back in 2000 to finish. In 2002, I got hired at Amazon through on-campus interviews while still in college.

I worked at Dutch Bros, now a publicly traded coffee company, then. I was running their tech side.

I didn't initially want to work at Amazon, but I considered it because I was bored. I had a great job at Dutch Bros, worked very few hours, and made a ton of money. I took the Amazon interview very nonchalantly.

I found the data side of Amazon appealing

At Stanford, I studied machine learning, robotics, and AI, but Amazon's dataset was unique. Few companies at the time used the word "terabyte" to describe data.

Amazon sucked me in because of the opportunity to work closely with Jeff and to work on something that I wasn't very experienced with, which was large data sets. I got the job.

My job title was the manager of customer behavior research

I joined what became the customer behavior research group at Amazon in January 2003. At that point, we had a few thousand employees, and we were in an office called Pac Med. On average, I met with Jeff once or twice a week.

My office was down the hall from Jeff, and I could hear him laughing constantly. He was great and amazingly intense; I greatly enjoyed working with him. Jeff Bezos made me rethink the way I view the world.

I worked 80 hours a week at Amazon in a gladiatorial culture. You got stuff done. Amazon removed the coordination and restrictions that other traditional companies had. Everyone criticized Jeff for that, but that's also what motivated people like me to do things.

Jeff saw e-commerce as a trillion-dollar opportunity before it became mainstream

He had the vision. Jeff believed, without exception or a willingness to compromise, that nobody else's opinion mattered about how hard or how impossible something was, that something could truly be that big.

When I joined Amazon, the media was saying Amazon would go out of business this quarter or next — that was the assumption. Jeff steamrolled ahead, and Amazon took on debt to build warehouses because he had confidence and clarity, which enabled him to overcome what everyone else said was impossible.

Jeff taught me that common sense requires common assumptions

One of the things Jeff invented was the two-pizza teams. It was like an org chart, with little teams led by essentially Rambo squads — each operates independently. They don't collaborate; they're sent out to battle.

Many people said this would fail. That was all based on common-sense knowledge — if you do that, people will quit. Jeff said, "Okay, let's deal with the assumption. Assumption No. 1 is that I want to keep people." Businesses assume the leaders want to keep people.

In its early days, Amazon often rotated leadership out of mid-management every 12 to 24 months. Jeff believed he could attract the best talent and get the most out of them in those 24 months.

Amazon reinvented the idea of an organizational structure, from being for stability to being for volatility, and discovered the greatest talent in that way.

Jeff taught me that data can transform anything

That wasn't obvious in 2000, 2002, or even 1995. When I built my team, Jeff had to convince the board of directors that building a team that would use Amazon data was unique.

My biggest accomplishment at Amazon was convincing Jeff to allow the advertising business unit to exist and grow. In our first meeting about the potential of ads on Amazon, Jeff said that Amazon is a retailer — we don't put ads on our website. After I showed him the data that proved we should run ads, he approved them.

I was recognized as a high performer, but I still decided to leave

I walked away from so much stock. At the time, I didn't realize it would be that big, but I wanted to start my own thing.

I left Amazon in 2004 and cofounded Redfin, a real estate company, and served as its CTO. I was full-time for a year, got it funded, got them to hire a CEO, and then I moved on.

I then started Rich Relevance, a machine learning enterprise software company for big retailers, which would eventually merge with another company. I was in the hopping stage of my life.

I next started an AI security company called Deep Sentinel

Throughout my career, my love for AI has grown. I wanted to start a company that would have an unequivocal positive impact on the world.

Deep Sentinel provides a security solution that includes cameras and a back-end service that connects the cameras to an AI and connects that AI to live guards. We stop thousands of active crimes every month at an affordable price point.

We manufacture our cameras and provide the guard service, and I oversee and manage it. We built all the software and all the back end ourselves.

I self-funded the start of Deep Sentinel and invested about $1M in it. Then, we funded it in partnership with Jeff Bezos, one of our earliest investors. I reached out to Jeff, and he agreed to be a part of it.

My daughters helped me get Deep Sentinel started

They did some of the early branding work and logos, and talked about how it would work and operate, and what technology we'd build.

I'm a dad and a CEO. I still work a lot. I have offices in Makati, Philippines, Taiwan, and Pleasanton, California. All my employees in the US are remote. I go to the office once or twice a month.

My experience at Amazon became the foundation for my career.

• Steve Jobs once turned the prospect of a US export restriction into a marketing moment.
• In 1999, Apple's Power Mac G4 "supercomputer" exceeded the allowed computing threshold for US exports to some countries.
• Apple released an ad that leaned into the US government's concern that the computers didn't fall into the wrong hands.

Sometimes, the US government's concerns that a powerful new tech product could fall into the wrong hands can be a marketing opportunity. Just look at Steve Jobs and Apple back in 1999.

In August of that year, Jobs, who was then Apple's interim-CEO, took the stage to unveil the company's new desktop "supercomputer": the Power Mac G4. Jobs called it "the most powerful personal computer ever brought to market," CBS News reported at the time.

The only issue was all that computing power technically meant that the device crossed the threshold that would trigger US export controls limiting which countries Apple could ship the computer to.

Jobs highlighted the distinction in the wake of the computer's unveiling.

"The Power Mac G4 is so fast that it is classified as a supercomputer by the US government, and we are prohibited from exporting it to over 50 nations worldwide," Jobs said the Apple Expo, CNN reported in September 1999.

The restriction Apple faced at the time stemmed from a Government Accountability Office report that called 50 countries a concern "for military or proliferation reasons," with seven others facing near-embargo restrictions on computer exports.

Jobs told the audience that the new Macs, capable of operating at up to one gigaflop, could not be exported to the nations in that report, including China, Iraq, and North Korea.

Now — as Anthropic faces US export restrictions for its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models — Jobs' computer unveiling and subsequent marketing have renewed relevance.

Behind the scenes, Apple pushed to ease the US restrictions (and was eventually successful). In public, Apple leaned into the US government's concerns in an ad campaign recently resurfaced by Tom's Hardware.

The commercial showed tanks surrounding the Power Mac G4 as a voiceover declares that, "For the first time in history, a personal computer has been classified as a weapon by the US government."

The commercial ended with a jab at Intel-powered PCs: "Well, they're harmless," the voiceover said.

Apple's 1999 run-in with export controls was an earlier example of Washington treating cutting-edge commercial technology as a national-security concern.

Today, there's an AI-flavored twist that's landed Anthropic into very real hot water. Over the weekend, the Trump administration ordered Anthropic to restrict foreign nationals' access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models, citing national security concerns related to a possible jailbreak to get around safeguards.

Anthropic disabled the AI models for all customers while it works to clear up what it described as a misunderstanding from the White House. The company has disputed the severity of the issue that was originally flagged to the White House.

Anthropic has long championed its focus on AI safety, and earlier this year said its Mythos Preview model was too powerful to release widely due to its hacking abilities, instead offering early access to selected partners to help bolster cybersecurity safeguards.

The severity of the White House's Anthropic order means it's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison (pun intended) to Steve Jobs and Apple in 1999. After all, Apple was still able to launch and sell its Power Mac G4s.

But if Anthropic manages to smooth over its latest clash with the US government and re-launch its Fable 5 and Mythos models, Jobs and Apple demonstrated decades ago that having a product so powerful it raises government export concerns doesn't have to be all bad.

• Mode Inc acquired Trimbox and QR Code Reader, boosting its reach to 100 million monthly users.
• Mode Inc pays consumers for their everyday data, unlike gig-focused AI training startups.
• Mode's acquisitions are part of a thesis that AI labs will need more consented data moving forward.

The next wave of AI needs your photos, receipts, and emails to get smarter. One startup wants to help you get paid for it, and it's on a corporate shopping spree.

AI training startup Mode Inc has acquired two consumer applications, bringing its total buyouts in the past year to seven.

The company bought Trimbox, an inbox management app, and QR Code Reader, a code scanning app.

"We're not really focused on just going after the Mechanical Turk or the Outlier/Scale AI gig workers," Mode Inc CEO Dan Novaes told Business Insider, naming pay-per-gig contracting sites. "It's really about everyday consumers and doing the things that they do every single day."

These include uploading receipts from Amazon or Walmart purchases, streaming data, and wearable device data. The deals expand Mode Inc's portfolio to include more than 100 million monthly users, who turn in such data for cash or rewards.

While not a direct competitor, the company is part of a slew of startups such as Scale AI, Mercor, and Handshake that pay hundreds of thousands of contractors around the world to collect and label data. This data is used by companies to help improve everything from self-driving cars to OpenAI and Meta's chatbots.

Noaves said he founded Mode Inc in 2019 for people to get paid for the time they spend on their devices and the data they generate.

To date, the company has handed out $1 billion in earnings, savings, and incentives. Novaes has raised about over $80 million through crowdfunding and said he intends to take the company public in the next two years.

Novaes said he believes growing legal scrutiny around AI companies' use of online content, such as recent lawsuits against Anthropic and Perplexity, will spike demand for consent-based data collection.

He shared a recent example of what an AI lab client requested.

"'Hey, we want people to submit forms that have handwriting on them,'" Novaes said, referring to doctors' notes or oil change receipts. "The point is they needed millions of documents of that. And so we basically sent out one notice to our users: Get some samples."

Mode's broader ambition is to build a portfolio of niche apps that collectively reach massive scale. Novaes said he is looking into an app that could make users' photo libraries available for AI training.

"There are two ways to get to a billion monthly active users," Novaes said. "You can create the next Telegram or Twitter, or you can acquire 1,000 apps that have a million monthly active users each."

Have a tip about startups in the AI training industry? Contact Shuby via email at sgoel@businessinsider.com or Signal at shuby.85.

• Perplexity's CEO said he learned valuable lessons from Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Tesla's Elon Musk.
• Srinivas said that he doesn't agree with founding a company only to sell it for the money.
• "You always need to be doing something," he said. "You need to work forever."

Perplexity's CEO shared two unusual pieces of advice he learned from the leaders of two of the world's biggest companies.

On an episode of the "20VC" podcast released on Monday, Aravind Srinivas said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla CEO Elon Musk taught him two important entrepreneurship lessons that stuck with him.

Srinivas cofounded AI search engine Perplexity in 2022 after working as a researcher at Google's DeepMind and OpenAI. In August, Business Insider reported that the company was seeking fresh funding at a $20 billion post-money valuation. The startup's investors include SoftBank, Nvidia, and Jeff Bezos.

On Monday's podcast, he said that he learned the importance of always staying on your toes from Huang.

"Think about it. $5 trillion, guaranteed to make $500 billion in revenue in the next two years. He has the most advanced chips in the world," he said, about Nvidia. "And he operates with the mentality that he could be 30 days away from going out of business. That is what it takes to be Jensen Huang."

Srinivas added that Huang also tells others around him that the chip company is a month away from going out of business.

From Musk, he took away the importance of working for more than the money.

"If you look at his pay package for SpaceX, it's structured around creating a colony on Mars with a million inhabitants," the Perplexity CEO said. "It's not motivating to be worth 10 trillion in net worth or something."

'Work forever'

Srinivas said that he doesn't agree with the entrepreneurship mindset of founding a company, selling it, and then staying home once you have generational wealth. He said that it allows children of founders to have trust funds, but it does not set a good example for them to see their dads sitting at home.

"You always need to be doing something," he said. "You need to work forever."

His take on entrepreneurship and work contradicts the rapidly growing financial independence, retire early (FIRE) movement. The concept is seen as an ultimate goal by many in the tech community and revolves around retiring in your 30s or 40s after accumulating a net worth sufficient to live off.

Shark Tank judge and investor Kevin O'Leary is another vocal opponent of the FIRE philosophy. He retired for a few years after selling his first company and described it as a period when he was "bored out of my mind."

"Working is not just about money. People don't understand this very often, until they stop working," he said in a 2019 CNBC interview. "Work defines who you are."

• Australian mining billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has invested in SpaceX's record-breaking IPO.
• Hancock Prospecting says it sees opportunities to work with SpaceX in critical minerals.
• The IPO raised more than $85 billion and pushed SpaceX's value above $2 trillion.

Australian mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has made a major bet on Elon Musk's SpaceX that could lead to more than just a financial return.

Rinehart — Australia's richest person with a fortune estimated at $38.4 billion by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index — invested through Hancock Prospecting, her privately held mining and agriculture company.

Hancock Prospecting said Monday that it was allocated shares in SpaceX's initial public offering. The company did not disclose the size of its "significant investment," though The Wall Street Journal reported that the stake was worth more than $1 billion.

"In the future, we also see the possibility of mutually beneficial arrangements between SpaceX and Hancock Prospecting's significant critical minerals investments, as demand grows for the materials and infrastructure needed to support advanced technology," said Garry Korte, the CEO of Hancock Prospecting, in a statement. He described the SpaceX share allocation as "generous."

The comments point to potential opportunities between SpaceX and Rinehart's growing portfolio of critical minerals investments.

SpaceX has identified asteroid mining as a potential future opportunity, while NASA is supporting efforts to develop a commercial economy on and around the moon that could eventually include resource extraction.

Those ambitions could increase demand for the kinds of critical minerals that Rinehart has spent years investing in.

While Rinehart built her fortune through iron ore — the key ingredient in steelmaking — she has spent years investing in rare earths and other critical minerals.

Hancock holds major stakes in companies including Australia's Lynas Rare Earths and US-based MP Materials, two of the most prominent rare-earth producers outside China.

Rinehart, the executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting, described the SpaceX investment as significant.

"We are pleased to have received an allocation in what has been an extremely popular and oversubscribed IPO," she said in the statement.

"We see SpaceX as a rare business: led by a truly exceptional person, technically exceptional, and operating in sectors that are crucial, and with long-term potential," she added.

The investment gives Rinehart exposure to one of the world's most closely watched technology companies.

SpaceX began trading publicly on Friday after raising $75 billion in what was billed as the largest IPO on record. Shares surged nearly 20% in their first day of trading.

On Monday, SpaceX announced that the underwriters had exercised a greenshoe option, increasing the amount raised to more than $85 billion.

SpaceX closed nearly 20% higher on Monday, lifting its market capitalization to over $2 trillion.

• Ukraine's new drones are restoring a strike role it once relied on HIMARS to provide.
• Recent videos show they're beating Russian jamming while carrying heavy explosive payloads.
• Analysts say the drones have helped Ukraine regain momentum in recent weeks.

Three thousand feet above the fields of Zaporizhzhia, a recon drone watches over a deserted village. Its target: a trio of houses surrounded by trees, tucked into a corner of the settlement.

All looks quiet until a winged drone flashes into view, skimming over the grass. Built like a small plane, it races toward the largest house, striking the roofline. The explosion is instant. Tiles and debris burst above the trees, and within a second, the upper floor is torn open, smoke and dust pouring from the exposed rafters.

"This was a house where Russian FPV drone pilots lived," said Spring, a drone pilot with the Ukrainian National Guard's Typhoon unit. Business Insider reviewed footage of a mid-range drone strike from mid-2025, which she said was her first successful strike.

Spring, identified only by her call sign for security purposes, flies a newer type of winged drone that enables Ukraine to consistently strike Russia's rear areas — a capability previously only provided by Western artillery and munitions, such as the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

Mid-range HIMARS strikes were key to undermining Russia's attack style early in the war, but Russia was able to curb that threat after the first year, analysts told Business Insider. Now, they said, the new drones are bringing that strike effect back in a way Western arms have not been able to do at scale.

"We argue that the Ukrainian mid-range strike is actually heralding a new phase of the war," said George Barros, the director of Innovation and Open Source Tradecraft at the Institute for the Study of War. "What we're looking at here is a really solid foundation for Ukraine to blunt Russian advances."

These cheaper, medium-range drones can travel roughly 30 to 300 km, carrying heavier explosive payloads built to devastate command posts, supply trucks, and air defense assets. Some, equipped with artificial intelligence systems, can overcome Russian jamming by autonomously locking onto their target if they lose the pilot's signal.

"In some sectors of the front, they appear to be having a meaningful impact on Russian logistics, which steadily affects front-line forces and makes even the piecemeal Russian infiltration tactics less viable," said Gil Barndollar, a non-resident fellow at Defense Priorities.

The use of these drones has risen in the last two months, and Russia has been losing more ground than it has gained, marking a reversal of a yearslong trend in which Ukraine had been slowly bleeding territory.

"We're actually quite bullish on the prospects for Ukraine having some substantial upper-hand momentum as we go into the summer," said Barros of ISW.

HIMARS supremacy in the war has faded

Mid-range drones give Ukraine several new advantages: Kyiv can now conduct intermediate-range strikes at much lower cost, independently decide what to target, and hit those targets more effectively despite jamming.

Early in the war, Ukraine's ability to strike deep behind Russian lines was heavily dependent on Western-made weapons.

British-French Storm Shadow missiles allowed Kyiv to hit headquarters, rally points, supply depots, and other key rear targets, while its roughly 40 US-made HIMARS launchers could fire rockets up to 150 kilometers and longer-range missiles up to 300 kilometers, delivering similar blows.

However, those weapons came with strings attached. Ukraine often relied on donor countries for targeting support, giving foreign governments a say in which attacks could proceed. The US Department of Defense has repeatedly restricted what Kyiv can hit, including a monthslong 2025 freeze on the use of the longest-range HIMARS munitions made available to Ukraine. And by the time the restrictions had been lifted, the weapon's overall effectiveness had been diminished.

"The peak of HIMARS was in the summer and autumn of 2022," said Mykola Bielieskov, senior analyst for Ukraine's largest crowdfunding organization, ComeBackAlive.

Ukraine only received a limited number of the longer-range missiles, and Russia learned to electronically disrupt the GPS guidance on other HIMARS-launched rockets. As for the Storm Shadows, those are too few to be used at scale.

Barros said that by 2023 and 2024, the Ukrainians continued to use HIMARS, but that they were "quite a substantial downgrade" in the face of Russia's jamming.

"In the past, it may have taken one rocket to achieve an effective strike," he said. "Now, it maybe would take four or more rockets to achieve the same level of efficacy."

Beating HIMARS at its own game

Mid-range drones provide Ukraine with the ability to survive Russian electronic warfare, but the capability wasn't easy to come by.

"They have to communicate at this longer-than-100-kilometer range, and then overcome really aggressive Russian jamming," Barros said. "There's a lot of actual technical challenges in being able to maintain communications with the pilot or control stations at that range."

Ukraine has worked for years to get that tech to work over longer distances. Now, it's finally showing up on the battlefield, he said.

Key to these developments is that artificial intelligence is now reliable enough for many mid-range drones to feature an onboard targeting system that can read what the camera sees and pursue a target in the terminal phase, Barros added.

"That is a significant and new technology that is absent in long-range strike tech," he said.

For example, the AI can be trained to identify Russian logistics trucks as legitimate targets and attack one even if it loses contact with a pilot or operator.

Therein lies another advantage over HIMARS, Bielieskov said. The smaller, more nimble drones can strike moving targets, whereas rocket systems like HIMARS typically attack fixed positions.

Bielieskov said that in the last six to eight weeks, there's been video evidence of at least 100 targets, such as fuel lorries, destroyed by Ukrainian mid-range drones in Russia's reserve areas.

The full impact on Russia's overall war effort is still a "work in progress," said Bielieskov, adding that it would largely depend on how quickly the Kremlin introduces countermeasures.

"The key piece going forward is true autonomy," said Barndollar, the Defense Priorities researcher.

"If that can be attained and maintained in an EW-soaked environment, then yes, drones will be replacing most of what artillery does, to include rocket artillery and SRBMs," he said, referring to short-range ballistic missiles.

HIMARS-style strikes at scale

Another major advantage is the cost. A single Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, the standard HIMARS munition, costs about $187,000 per rocket, while its extended-range version costs an estimated $479,000 per rocket. The Army Tactical Missile System, the longest-range HIMARS-launched weapon provided to Ukraine, costs about $1 million per missile.

Mid-range drones, meanwhile, can reach targets at a similar depth while typically costing as little as $5,000 each, though some advanced models are sold for up to $50,000. Spring, the Typhoon drone pilot, said that she's flown about 10 types of mid-range drones, which cost between $1,000 to $15,000.

The low-cost allows Ukraine to scale this capability in a way it couldn't with HIMARS or other Western weapons.

"We have been seeing more and more footage of these strikes; it means companies like FirePoint are producing at a steady rate," Bielieskov said. FirePoint is a local manufacturer that charges about $50,000 per drone, saying in May that some of its mid-range models would soon carry an explosive payload of 440 pounds.

That could put the explosive yield on par, or even above, that of a GMLRS or ATACMS strike, which are about 200 and 500 pounds, respectively. Until then, HIMARS retains an advantage in the pure devastation its payload can unleash, analysts said.

Barros said that the US' newest HIMARS munition, the Precision Strike Missile, is much more advanced than the older munitions and would likely still work effectively against Russian jamming. This weapon has not been offered to Ukraine.

"We can't be certain that we can rely on the US," Bielieskov said. "92 kilometers, GPS-guided is not enough, it can be spoofed. So we have the incentive to develop something of a bigger range, more reliable, and with a bigger warhead."

• A B-52 bomber crashed at Edwards Air Force Base, likely leaving eight crew members dead.
• The crash occurred during a routine test mission shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base.
• The Edwards Air Force Base is known for advanced flight testing programs.

Eight crew members are believed dead after an Air Force B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene after the aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. local time during what officials described as a "routine test mission."

"An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today shortly after takeoff at 11:20 a.m. (PDT)," Edwards Air Force Base said in a social media statement. "Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable."

Edwards Air Force Base did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

Images from the crash showed a large plume of black smoke rising from the base.

Edwards Air Force Base posted on X that it has closed operations and diverted incoming aircraft as of 12:48 p.m. local time.

Edwards Air Force Base is home to some of the military's most advanced flight-testing programs, including the Air Force Test Center and Test Pilot School. The 480 square-mile base in Kern County was where pilot Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947.

In a separate statement on Monday evening, Boeing said two of its employees were on board the aircraft when the B-52 crashed.

"We are in contact with their families and are offering support," the firm said.

The Boeing-made B-52 Stratofortress first entered service in the 1950s and remains a key part of the Air Force's bomber fleet. The aircraft has been used in conflicts in the Middle East, including recently against Iran.

The US maintains an active fleet of 72 of these heavy, long-range bombers. The workhorse strike aircraft for the Air Force, they can refuel mid-flight and thus can deliver a maximum payload of 70,000 pounds practically anywhere in the world.

The warplane has also long been a pillar of the US nuclear umbrella, with some versions capable of carrying up to 32 nuclear cruise missiles at a time.

The Air Force plans to keep flying the B-52 until 2050. To that end, it's been upgrading the fleet, including replacing the aircraft's aging engines.

• Charlie Fang, now 31, grew up in China, and attended a high school where studying abroad was common.
• Studying and working in the US led him to adopt a different understanding of work-life balance.
• He returned to China in 2024 after entering the H-1B visa lottery three times and says he's experiencing culture shock.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Charlie Fang, 31, who works for an American tech company in China as a strategic partner manager. Fang left the US in 2024 after three failed attempts to obtain an H-1B visa.

His words have been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in China and attended a school in Nanjing, where studying abroad was common. More than half of my classmates planned to leave China for college, so from a young age, overseas education felt normal to me.

Before college, I briefly lived in the US with a family in Portland, Oregon. My host mother, who worked in branding, was curious about what brands people wore in China. The family had watched the Beijing Olympics and had many questions about the country.

I was there during the 2008 presidential election, when Barack Obama was running against John McCain, so politics came up often at the dinner table. That was new to me because politics wasn't something we often discussed at home.

The family took great care of me. Before I left, my host mother handwrote a letter in Chinese to my mother using Google Translate. It left my family and me with a hugely positive view of Americans.

College in the US

I later attended the University of Minnesota for my bachelor's degree, where I experienced what people call "Minnesota nice."

Once, at a local restaurant called Hong Kong Noodles, I learned that another customer whom I'd never met had quietly paid for my meal.

Another time, I accidentally ordered Starbucks from the wrong location, but the closer branch still made me a new drink without charging me again.

I also remember missing my bus stop because my friends and I forgot to pull the stop cord. We were sitting in the back, but other passengers passed the message forward so the driver would stop for us.

What surprised me most in the US was the attitude toward education and individuality. Professors didn't seem concerned if students skipped class. If someone wanted to enjoy life rather than study, that was considered their personal choice. I couldn't imagine professors accepting that kind of student behavior in China.

At the time, though, I didn't think I wanted to stay in America permanently. After graduation, I returned to China and joined an adtech startup.

Startup grind

Back in China, I got along well with my colleagues and enjoyed the work, even though I worked what people call a "996" schedule — often from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. I loved the job and didn't mind the hours because my salary increased every year.

After work, I still went out with friends for drinks or board games.

I returned to the US in 2021 to enroll in a master's program at Harvard. While I was there, I reconnected with friends I hadn't seen in years. I talked enthusiastically about startup life until one friend told me it was shocking how much I had changed. They called me a workaholic.

That comment stayed with me.

I realized that I'd relate every conversation back to work. I began wondering if I should adjust my mindset.

I started talking more about other parts of my life with friends, including my childhood, my beliefs, and my values. I also did things that I previously would have considered a waste of time, like traveling to Mexico and Alaska or attending friends' birthday parties.

Lottery losses

After graduate school, I moved to California. I started working at a startup before moving to the gaming company, where I managed partnerships with content creators. During that time, I entered the H-1B visa lottery three times.

By then, I had built a life in the US.

Among Chinese international students, there's a belief that eating at Chick-fil-A improves your chances of being selected in the lottery. When results come out, some friends even change their social media profile pictures to the company's logo to signal they've been chosen.

I ate at Chick-fil-A, and I even visited the Pao Hua Temple in California. I asked my family to burn incense for me at temples back in China.

Still, I wasn't selected.

I've always been someone who looks forward. Once I realized I couldn't stay in the US, I began applying for jobs in Beijing and eventually joined an American tech company as a strategic partner manager.

Reverse culture shock

When I moved back to China in 2024, the second time, I experienced reverse culture shock.

I had become more direct and less sensitive to authority and hierarchy after living in the US. In China, people often use cues to find out who holds influence in the interaction.

Working for an American company in China also led to strange questions. Some relatives asked whether I represented American interests or whether I had obtained a green card.

I told them I'm simply an employee and I pay taxes to China. At times, it felt like they were viewing me through the lens of US-China tensions rather than as an individual.

I now have a much healthier work-life balance than I did at the startup. I find it easier to make close friends here because we share similar experiences and histories.

In the US, relationships are simpler. Here, I feel I have more people to take care of, but also more people taking care of me.

• Seth Rogen says relationships last when couples adapt to "new parameters" and "new boundaries" as they grow.
• He said he and his wife are "very different people" now compared to when they first met in their 20s.
• "But we grew in a way that we stayed very compatible with one another," Rogen said.

Seth Rogen says he and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, aren't the same people they were when they fell in love in their 20s — and yet their relationship still works.

On Saturday's episode of "The Interview" podcast, Rogen spoke about his latest film, "The Invite," in which he plays a husband in an unhappy marriage. He said conversations among the cast and crew about what makes a relationship good or bad prompted him to reflect on his own marriage.

"I remember feeling like I could really confidently speak about what a very good relationship was like, and one that had been good for a very long time," Rogen said.

Rogen and his wife, who first met in 2005 and married in 2011, have also collaborated professionally on multiple projects, including "Superbad." They do not have children.

He said a healthy relationship involves partners who love each other, treat each other kindly, and "go out of their way to excuse the other person, rather than to find things that they hate about the other person."

Both partners also have to choose each other actively. "You have to want to love your partner, and you have to want them to love you back, you know?" Rogen said, adding that intimacy and sexual attraction also matter.

Those discussions also made Rogen consider how people grow and change within a long-term relationship.

"It's this very simple idea that you have many relationships throughout your life as you change, and you age, and your perspective changes," Rogen said.

"Sometimes your partner changes with you, and you have several relationships with the same person that have new parameters, new boundaries, and new guidelines that are reflective of who you are as you become different people," he said.

However, there are also times when couples grow in different directions and ultimately become incompatible. Rogen added that he's seen both outcomes firsthand, including in his own relationship.

"We're obviously very different people than we were in our early 20s now that we're in our mid-40s," he said. "But we grew in a way that we stayed very compatible with one another, you know, and I've seen other couples not have that happen."

This isn't the first time that Rogen has spoken about his marriage. In 2023, Rogen said he and his wife "thank God" they never had kids.

"The older we get more happy and reaffirmed we are with our choice to not have kids," he said on "The Diary of a CEO" podcast.

Other celebrities have also shared their own secrets to making a long-term relationship work.

Nick Lachey, who cohosts "Love is Blind" with his wife, Vanessa, said in 2025 that they have a "golden rule" about keeping their professional and private lives separate.

"It's 'Don't bring work home. Don't bring home to work.' Try and keep it as separate as you can," Lachey said.

In 2025, Food Network star Ina Garten said one rule has helped her marriage last almost 60 years: every decision she and her husband, Jeffrey, make has to benefit them both.

"And this is what Jeffrey taught me: Let's figure out how we can both do what we want to do. It's not about whether we get to do what you want to do or I want to do," Garten said.

Every Amazon Prime Day starts the same way. Millions of products go on sale, thousands get slapped with a red discount badge. Suddenly, everyone is debating whether they need a countertop ice maker, a massage gun, or a 12-pack of compression socks.

After analyzing what Business Insider readers actually bought over the last two years, it became clear that the BI audience doesn't chase random Prime Day discounts; they invest in premium products that they already wanted once the moment is right to buy them.

In fact, the biggest winners last year weren't impulse purchases; they were category leaders. Think Apple devices, premium TVs, and kitchen upgrades that solve a real problem.

When it comes to Prime Day, smart shoppers don't just want deals; they want permission to buy something they've been thinking about for months. So before the flood of "100+ Prime Day deals" headlines arrives, here's the much shorter list I'd watch, based on the buying habits of BI readers.

Top 9 Prime Day deals for BI readers

Shark NeverChange Air Purifier Max

The biggest selling point of the Shark NeverChange air purifier is right in the name. It's currently on sale for 38% off and there's no pricey filter to replace every year, so you don't have to calculate the add-ons. Once it's set up, the unit automatically adjusts its fan speed based on your home's air quality, making it a true set-it-and-forget-it appliance. We like it for households with pets, kids, or anyone with allergies, and its low energy consumption means you can leave it running around the clock without worrying about your summer electricity bill.

Breville espresso maker

Every coffee hobby seems to have a gateway product, and for home espresso, it's often a Breville. The brand built its reputation by packing grinders, steam wands, and beginner-friendly features into machines that don't require barista-level skills to operate. Our current top pick among Breville machines is the Barista Pro, but Prime Day shoppers can save $200 on its predecessor, the Breville Barista Express right now.

Midea Duo portable air conditioner

Buying a seasonal product like an air conditioner comes with its own special set of circumstances. If temperatures spike around Prime Day week, demand spikes too. A reliable unit like the Midea Duo — an upgraded version of the top pick from our guide to the best portable air conditioners — is a great investment, but won't provide much comfort if it's backordered until August. Get it now while it's 29% off.

Apple AirPods

If Prime Day had a mascot, it would be Apple AirPods. Whether you're commuting, in a Zoom meeting, or using the noise canceling feature during a noisy flight, they earn their keep. While last year's darling was the AirPods Pro 2, today the AirPods Pro 3 are hitting their lowest price ever — and you can even score basic AirPods for under $100.

E-readers

This one is simple. Amazon slashes prices on devices more dramatically than almost anything else it sells. If there's one product on this list I would (and actually have) wait for, it's a Kindle Paperwhite, our favorite e-reader on the market.

Smart floor cleaners

Few products have generated more "Where has this been all my life?" discourse than smart floor cleaners. Shark has already marked down our favorite robot mop and vacuum, the PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro, by a massive 40%. A high-end wet-dry vacuum like the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro vacuums and washes your floors at the same time.

Samsung The Frame TV

Most people don't invest in an aesthetic TV like Samsung's The Frame because they need another television; they buy it because they're tried of looking at a giant black rectangle on their wall. That makes this a discretionary purchase, they kind of product that gets a deep Prime Day discount as brands chase volume sales. (The 2025 model of The Frame is 20% off right now.)

High performance vacuums

Ask any home editor and they'll tell you that getting the best deal on a top-rated vacuum is the unofficial sport of Prime Day. We've logged hundreds of hours of testing to find the best premium vacuums money can buy, and since leaders like Dyson, Bissell, and Shark rarely want to be the most expensive option on the page. Patience usually pays off here.

OLED and QLED TVs

This time of year, TV pricing is basically a big game of chicken. The biggest markdowns appear once, calibrate quickly, and sell out quickly on Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. If you're in the market for a premium OLED or QLED TV, BI Reviews tech editor Steve Cohen advises you to make your choice now and monitor for the price drop over Prime Day.

How Business Insider covers Prime Day differently

Most Prime Day coverage starts with discounts. I started with receipts.

To build this list, I looked at what Business Insider readers actually purchased during major sales events over the last two years. I found that the products people ultimately bought weren't impulse purchases or viral gadgets. Instead, they bought premium products they had already researched, compared and waited to see discounted.

That's why you'll find products like AirPods, a Breville espresso, machine, robot vacuums, Samsung's The Frame TV, and high-end air conditioners on this list. These are category leaders that solve a real problem, whether that's making better coffee at home, keeping a room cool during a heat wave, or finally automating a chore you hate doing.

The BI Reviews team spends thousands of hours every year testing products, updating buying guides, and tracking prices across major retailers. Many of the products featured here are the current top pics in our buying guides or close relatives of products we've recommended for years. Just as importantly, they're backed by actual purchasing behavior from BI readers, not just clicks or PR pitches.

As Prime Day approaches, I'll continue updating this article with the best live discounts on the products readers consistently wait for. The goal isn't to help you buy more stuff, it's to help you identify the products worth waiting to invest in when the price is finally right.

FAQs

What are the best products to buy on Prime Day?

The most satisfying Prime Day purchases tend to be premium products you've already been considering for months. Based on Business Insider reader purchasing data, categories like TVs and tech, premium floor care, air conditioners and air purifiers, coffee and espresso makers, Apple products, and Amazon devices consistently perform well because smart shoppers use Prime Day as an opportunity to buy category-leading products at a discount rather than make a bunch of impulse purchases.

How can I tell if a Prime Day deal is actually good?

Start by identifying the products you actually want before the sale begins, then monitor pricing as Prime Day approaches. Amazon's Alexa shopping features can track products and alert you to price drops, but the most important step is having a plan before the discounts start rolling out.

• GitHub used to run its own data centers, and Microsoft aimed to move GitHub to Azure by 2027.
• This year, GitHub has faced capacity and reliability issues after an AI-driven surge in usage.
• Now, GitHub is adding capacity from Amazon's cloud to address the issues.

Microsoft is turning to its biggest cloud rival, Amazon, to help address capacity issues on its GitHub coding platform following a series of AI-driven outages, according to two people familiar with the plans.

GitHub, which Microsoft acquired in 2018, is a popular place for engineers to store and manage code, and collaborate on projects. As an independent company, GitHub mostly operated its own data centers, but Microsoft had planned to move the coding platform entirely to its Azure cloud service by 2027.

Now, a boom in AI demand is forcing Microsoft to lean on Amazon. AI coding tools have made it easier for developers to write more software. That has swamped GitHub with a flood of new code, straining its compute resources.

GitHub commits — records of code changes that serve as a proxy for development activity — were on pace to reach 14 billion in 2026, up from 1 billion in 2025, Chief Operating Officer Kyle Daigle wrote on X in April.

To handle this surge in activity, Microsoft is adding extra computing capacity via Amazon Web Services, the people familiar said.

The move is notable because Microsoft is battling AWS for market share in the cloud market. Giving an arch rival more business, rather than addressing GitHub needs via its own Azure cloud service, is likely not an ideal move for Microsoft.

However, AI-driven demand is so strong that other big tech companies are having to make similar deals.

Earlier this month, SpaceX and Google disclosed a new deal in which Google will pay SpaceX $920 million a month for AI compute capacity from October 2026 to June 2029. That emerged just two months after Google's own cloud business agreed to sell AI compute capacity to Anthropic.

GitHub's "multi-cloud" strategy

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed GitHub is tapping multiple cloud providers but declined to comment on any Amazon involvement.

"The incredible spike in agentic development that began late last year has tested our infrastructure's limits," the spokesperson said. To meet this demand, Microsoft is "both accelerating our move to Azure and continuing to explore a multi-cloud strategy to ensure we have the future capacity, compute elasticity and horizontal scale required to support continued growth."

An Amazon spokesperson said the company doesn't comment on individual clients, but said "customers choose AWS because they need global infrastructure that performs reliably, securely, and efficiently at scale, and we're committed to providing the best performance no matter the workload."

Keeping services running

While these deals might seem strange, the main goal is to keep popular services running for customers — no matter who you have to work with.

For Microsoft, that's likely the situation with GitHub, which has suffered dozens of major outages in 2026.

Mitchell Hashimoto, cofounder of startup HashiCorp, in April wrote that GitHub was "no longer a place for serious work if it just blocks you out for hours per day, every day."

GitHub had an early lead among engineers. Lately, though, it has faced more competition from AI tools such as Cursor and Anthropic's Claude Code.

Microsoft recently projected that its capital expenditures for the 2026 calendar year will reach $190 billion, largely to expand data center capacity. However, many data center projects are delayed, and Microsoft has a host of other important AI projects and businesses that it must support with compute capacity.

In an internal meeting late last year, a Microsoft executive spoke about needing to overhaul GitHub to compete with Cursor and Claude Code, according to audio reviewed by Business Insider.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at astewart@businessinsider.com or Signal at +1-425-344-8242. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

After seven years of tracking Prime Day pricing, testing products, and analyzing shopping behavior — and buying more than my share of actual deals — I've learned that behind the deal banners and countdown timers lies a game of digital chess, and, with the right strategy, you can score some memorable deals.

The real secret to navigating early Prime Day deals isn't waiting around for the official launch, it's out-shopping the competition by knowing which items have already hit their lowest prices, and which ones you should avoid until the sale starts. This way, you can unlock the exact moment the math swings in your favor.

After a deep dive on the pricing history of some of the most popular Prime Day deals and BI product recommendations, I've found three great early deals to shop now and 7 to wait for until Prime Day starts on June 23.

Buy now: The 3 early deals worth buying now

TCL QM8K TV

Why it's in my cart: My old TCL TV has definitely seen better days, and I'm ready for a major upgrade. I want a premium display that is fully compatible with Roku TV, and frankly, I want something BIG. The QM8K hits the absolute sweet spot. While BI Reviews editor Steven Cohen notes that Prime Day is consistently the best time to buy last year's TV models at all-time lows, this specific set stands out now because it costs significantly less than comparable models from Samsung, LG, and Sony, with a picture performance that matches or even exceeds them. (It's also available in a 98-inch size if you want to go all-in on your home theater setup.

Why buy it right now: TCL is famous for aggressive pricing, and this 65-inch model has already been discounted to a low of $898. Given TCL's penchant for big deals, it's highly likely to hit a similar or slightly lower price on Prime Day, but pulling the trigger now secures your inventory and avoids the inevitable shipping delays that come with the sale kickoff.

The smart alternative: If you prioritize home aesthetics as much as technical performance, look at the Samsung LSO3F Frame TV. It earned the top spot in our guide to the best frame TVs and is currently 20% off.

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Why it's in my cart: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are sitting firmly at the top of Business Insider's buying guides as the best wireless earbuds on the market. (Tech reviewer Tyler Hayes calls them "Apple's best AirPods.") While they run on the same H2 chip architecture as the previous gen, Apple has completely overhauled the internal airflow and acoustics. The real-world upgrades are clear: double the active noise cancellation, an on-device heart rate sensor for workout tracking, an improved IP57 dust and waterproof rating, and support for Apple Intelligence Live Translation. That said, some users complain that the updated fit isn't as comfortable as the previous model. Because it's an everyday-carry item, shoppers buy them in huge numbers once a discount hits.

Why buy it right now: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 retail for $249, but a pre-sale window brings them down to $179 (28% off). That's a solid deal worth buying right now.

The alternative: If you are buying replacement AirPods for a tween, teen, or anyone who has a habit of losing them, don't drop $200 on these. Put the standard AirPods 4 in your cart instead. They regularly fall to $99 on Prime Day and offer the same seamless iOS pairing.

FlexiSpot E7 Pro standing desk

Why it's in my cart: If you work from home like I do, a great standing desk isn't a luxury, it's preventative healthcare. I finally added the FlexiSpot E7 Pro to my watch list because the BI Reviews team flags it as the gold standard for WFH setups. Unlike many budget models that wobble at full extension, the E7 Pro's dual-motor frame is a total tank. It also adjusts smoothly and hides all your cords. I'm ready to see if moving more throughout my day finally fixes my afternoon slump and saves my aching lower back from my kitchen chair.

Why buy it right now: The WFH-friendly FlexiSpot setup is currently marked down 21% to $270. Since this price is already competitive for a dual-motor desk of this quality, there's not much benefit to playing the waiting game for Prime Day. Pull the trigger now rather than risking inventory sell-outs or delivery delays when the sale rush launches on June 23.

The smart alternative: If you already have a standing desk you love but want to be more active during the workday, skip the furniture swap and put your money towards a compact under-desk treadmill or a walking pad instead. Designed to absorb shock, the Goyouth 2-in-1 Treadmill is safe to use for both walking and running, with speeds ranging from 0.5 to 6 miles per hour.

Hold off: 6 items to wait for until June 23

Yeti Rambler 20 oz. travel mug

Why it's in my cart: I am fiercely loyal to my Peace Corps-era Nalgene bottle, but trying to drink hot coffee out of a wide-mouth plastic bottle is a recipe for disaster. I'm not looking to start a collection of trendy tumblers, but I do need one rugged upgrade for my morning caffeine. If it goes on sale, I'll give the Yeti Rambler 20 oz. travel mug a shot because it's dishwasher safe, insulated enough to keep my coffee hot until lunch, and has a heavy-duty lid that seals shut.

The target price: Don't wait around expecting a 50% off Prime Day miracle. Instead, look for Yeti to temporarily slash prices on discontinued seasonal colors (like cosmic lilac or camp green) by up to 25%. If you see a color you like, hit that buy button, but do it before the inventory clears out.

The smart alternative: If you're not a member of team Yeti, try the Owala SmoothSip tumbler. It has an ultra-comfortable sipping spout, triple-layer insulation, and is currently sitting at a great baseline discount of $24, which is 20% off the usual retail price.

Tineco Floor One S7 Pro wet-dry vacuum

Why it's in my cart: I love my Miele canister vacuum, but hauling a heavy, corded machine — or a mop and a broom — out of the closet just to clean up daily messes is too much for a Type B like me. That's why I've got my eye on the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro wet-dry vac this year. Tester Alex Temblador rates it as her top-tier pick for hard floors because it clears dry debris and mops up spills at the same time. When you dock it, the unit flushes out its own roller brush, so you'll never have to touch dirty mop water again.

The target price: If you look at the verified product listing, the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro is currently sitting at a peak price of $599, the highest it's been in 30 days. This is the kind of pre-holiday pricing spike I mentioned earlier: anchoring a high baseline so the upcoming discount looks massive. Put it in your cart and wait for the algorithm to drop it closer to the all-time low of $399.

The alternative: If your home is mostly carpeted or your hard floor space is small, skip the Tineco and track the Bissell Crosswave Omniforce wet-dry vacuum instead. It has advanced features like hot-water washing and ultra-fast drying, and is versatile enough for routine kitchen, bathroom, and entryway messes. Plus, it's under $300 and already on sale for 46% off right now.

Medicube Booster Pro

Why it's in my cart: I've tested many of the viral skincare masks and wands that have dominated Prime Day over the last few years, and frankly, most of them delivered zero visible results. (The only skincare tech I've actually stuck with is my TheraFace mask.) Last week, I met Sir John — Beyoncé's former longtime makeup artist — at an industry event in LA. He's the creative director for Korean skincare brand Medicube, and when the guy responsible for the most iconic skin in music tells you a device is worth it, you listen. So I've added the Medicube AGE-R Booster Pro to my Amazon cart. Now that I'm in my 50s, I'm incredibly strategic about my routine, so I'm genuinely interested to see if the tool's deep serum absorption setting lives up to Sir John's hype and thousands of positive shopper reviews. Plus, it comes with high praise from our beauty reviewers.

The target price: If you check the Amazon listing for the Medicube AGE-R Booster Pro, you'll see it listed at $199, a modest 7% drop from its typical $215 list price. Don't fall for this early deal. If the price falls to the $130 to $150 range, buy it. Getting a clinical-grade K-beauty device at this price would be a steal.

The smart alternative: If you already know you lack the patience to spend time gliding a device over your face every night, stick with a hands-free option like the TheraFace Mask by TheraBody. It tackles antiaging goals entirely on autopilot.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 16GB

Why it's in my cart: I bought two of these last year during Prime Day to give as birthday gifts, and they were an absolute hit. As the most popular Kindle model on Amazon, it's my go-to recommendation because it's so lightweight, making it the perfect solution for reading in bed without the arm fatigue that comes from holding a hardback or even a tablet. It's truly a game changer for anyone who's a member of a summer book club.

The target price: Amazon consistently reserves its deepest price cuts for its first-party devices. During major shopping events, the algorithm routinely slashes the price of Amazon gadgets like the Kindle Paperwhite by 30% to 40% to drive ecosystem adoption. Buying a Kindle in the weeks leading up to Prime Day means paying more than you should.

The alternative: If you're not set on having the latest model, an older version of the Kindle Paperwhite is a solid alternative and will likely also be on sale.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

Why it's in my cart: I need an air fryer, but my culinary skills are lacking, and my countertop space is at a premium. So I turned to culinary tester Jennifer Zyman, who just completed a massive round of air fryer testing, for her expert recommendation. Jennifer explained that this multi-tasking workhorse goes beyond the typical air fryer setting to toast, reheat, bake, roast, and even dehydrate a multitude of foods. If it goes on sale for Prime Day, it's coming home with me.

The target price: You'll rarely see steep discounts on this premium appliance, but it is possible we'll see it drop 15% to as much as 25% during Prime Day. That's exactly what happened during last year's Black Friday sales.

The alternative: Jennifer's top choice for best air fryer is the Cosori TurboBlaze, which is frequently discounted. The six-quart capacity is a good size for most households and a practical choice for everyday use.

Ninja Woodfire Grill

Why it's in my cart: When my host's fancy built-in propane grill broke over Memorial Day weekend, she pulled out a Ninja Woodfire grill to cook up our holiday hot dogs and burgers. I was surprised by how well it handled the task. It's much smaller than a traditional grill, heats up in a fraction of the time, and is significantly easier to clean. It's also the perfect size for a small backyard gathering or a quick weeknight barbecue.

The target price: Ninja is a staple brand for Amazon's big sales events, so expect to see this model dip into the $375 to $400 range over Prime Day.

The alternative: If you want the convenience of an electric grill but don't need the built-in smoker or smart app features, or you want to grill year-round, the brand also offers a 5-in-1 indoor grill for under $250.

Anker Nano Power Bank

Why it's in my cart: After seeing tech writer Tyler Hayes' review go viral, I finally understand why a solid power bank is a must-have for travel. The absolute game-changer is the built-in USB-C cable that completely eliminates the need to dig through your bag for a separate cord, and between the 45W fast-charging power source (enough to keep a phone, tablet, or compact laptop running) and the display that shows charging status. It's more than a battery pack; it's one of those rare gadgets that simplifies a routine instead of complicating it.

The target price: Anker pricing on Amazon is usually pretty stable, but I have seen this 10,000mAh model dip below the $59.99 retail price since Tyler's article took off. Wait for it to drop to $49.99 or lower, then add it to your cart.

The smart alternative: If you want a portable charger but prefer a design that snaps directly onto your phone for wireless charging, buy the Anker Nano Magnetic power bank instead. It features a magnetic design that's perfect for iPhone users who want to avoid cables completely and is frequently discounted.

Save it for later: 2 things I'm waiting to buy on Black Friday

Smartwatches and fitness trackers

Why I'm not buying it on Prime Day: I've learned the hard way that buying a smartwatch in the spring or summer often means paying full price for a device that will be considered "last year's model" by October. Because major manufacturers like Garmin and Apple typically roll out new lineups in the fall, there is a major incentive to clear out stock during the Black Friday season. I'm happy to wait a few months to snag a better deal on the latest model.

If you need it now: If your current tracker dies and you need a new one right now, consider the Fitbit Charge 6, which is currently 38% off at $99. The Charge 6 is impressively accurate in measuring heart rate, sleep stages, and step counts, rivaling more expensive wearables from Apple and Garmin.

Winter apparel

Why I'm not buying it on Prime Day: Right now, every online retailer is fighting for space to hawk cooling fans, hiking boots, and patio furniture. Investing in a heavy parka or specialized snow gear in June is a losing game. The selection is often picked over, and the prices are set for off-season clearance rather than holiday competition. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are when major brands like North Face, Patagonia, and Columbia launch site-wide sales that include their core, high-demand items, not just last season's leftovers. By waiting, I can ensure I get the specific sizes and colors I actually want rather than settling for what's on the rack.

If you need it now: If you've got a trip to a colder climate coming up, look at Amazon's Orolay sale section for reasonably priced outerwear.

How Business Insider covers Prime Day differently

Prime Day doesn't need more deals; it needs more context.

Every year, the internet is flooded with thousands of articles claiming to feature the "best" Prime Day deals. Many are built around what's trending in the moment, but our approach is different.

The BI Reviews team has spent years testing products, updating recommendations, monitoring pricing, and analyzing shopping behavior. We look at what readers click on — and what they ultimately buy. That's important because the products generating the most buzz aren't always the same products that deliver the most value. The Prime Day deals on our lists do both.

Everything on this list has earned its place for a reason. These are the products that have either been thoroughly tested by the BI Reviews team and featured in our buying guides, or products I have personally used and keep buying. They're also backed by real Prime Day shopping behavior, not just clicks.

I'll be updating this article regularly as Prime Day approaches and replacing predictions with real deals as they go live.

FAQs

What are the best products to buy on Prime Day?

Historically, some of the strongest Prime Day deals appear in categories like headphones, vacuums, kitchen appliances, bedding, and Amazon devices. These products often see larger discounts than they do during routine sales throughout the year.

Is Prime Day a good time to buy Apple products?

Yes. Prime Day frequently delivers some of Amazon's best prices on AirPods, iPads, and other Apple devices. Popular models often sell out quickly, but watch out for pre-sale pricing anchors. Check out our Prime Day hub to ensure you're getting the absolute best price.

Is Prime Day a good time to buy a TV?

It can be. According to BI Reviews tech editor Steven Cohen, Amazon Prime Day consistently offers excellent TV deals, but certain models get better discounts than others. Generally speaking, Prime Day is the best time to buy last year's TV models at all-time low prices before stock gets harder to find.

How can I tell if a Prime Day deal is actually good?

Start by identifying the products you actually want before the sale begins, then monitor pricing as Prime Day approaches. Amazon's Alexa shopping features can track products and alert you to price drops, but the most important step is having a plan before the discounts start rolling out.

Keep tabs on our Prime Day coverage to prepare for the huge deal event.

Follow our Instagram and WhatsApp channels for more deals and buying guides

• Anthropic met with Trump officials to resolve the export ban on Fable, POLITICO reported.
• Anthropic argued the breach was minor, not a "jailbreak."
• AI experts warn export controls may hinder US AI leadership, impacting innovation and competition.

Anthropic staff met Monday with senior Trump administration officials for their first in-person sit-downs after a federally imposed export ban forced the artificial intelligence startup to pull its latest model from the market Friday night, two administration officials, a person familiar with the discussions and a person close to the company told POLITICO, which is — like Business Insider — part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network.

It will likely take longer than a few days to reach a resolution that eases the federal government's Friday action, which had barred Anthropic from allowing non-U.S. users to access its newest model because of potential security vulnerabilities, a senior White House official said. But the official left the door open to the possibility that it can be done quickly.

"That's up to Anthropic," the official said.

The company raced to send senior leaders with research and safeguard expertise to D.C. after multiple hourslong calls among Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross over the weekend, said the officials, who like others quoted in this story were granted anonymity to describe the discussions. Anthropic head of public policy Sarah Heck was also present on those calls.

Monday's in-person meetings, held by Commerce and Cairncross' office, were more technical and were led by staff, including Chris Fall, who heads Commerce's Center for AI Standards and Innovation, the person familiar with the discussions said.

Anthropic gave a presentation to administration officials, explaining Anthropic's cybersecurity safeguards in hopes of moving past the restrictions, the administration official said.

Representatives from Anthropic included Logan Graham, who evaluates and stress-tests models as part of the company's Frontier Red Team; Dave Orr, the company's head of safeguards; and Nicholas Carlini, its lead security researcher, a person close to Anthropic said.

The export restriction was the most significant escalation yet in the administration's attempts to regulate the AI industry, which is developing faster than the government's infrastructure around the groundbreaking technology. It was also the first time the White House has forced a company to remove a model from public access — but only the latest in a series of spats between the administration and Anthropic over ethical restrictions on potentially catastrophic AI risks.

Anthropic has defended its safeguards since the restrictions were handed down Friday night.

"These vulnerabilities all appear relatively simple, and we have found that other publicly-available models are able to discover them as well without requiring a bypass," it said in a blog post.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who played a leading role in the discussions with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei before the administration implemented the export restrictions, was less involved over the weekend, and Treasury did not participate in the in-person meetings Monday.

Lutnick was tapped in by the president and became more heavily involved over the weekend because of his oversight of the nation's export policy, the person familiar with the discussions said. Lutnick and Bessent both traveled on Air Force One with the president to France for G7 meetings taking place Monday through Wednesday.

The export control, which banned Anthropic from allowing foreign nationals to use its latest model, Fable 5, effectively forced the company to pull the model down entirely in order to comply, the company said Friday night.

The escalation came after a disagreement between Anthropic and the administration over a perceived security concern with Fable that Amazon, a key investor in Anthropic, had raised to the White House late last week, as POLITICO previously reported.

Amazon reported that it found a way to bypass Anthropic's guardrails on Fable, a long-awaited model designed to be less powerful than the company's highly advanced model Mythos. Anthropic has allowed only a select group of companies to gain access to Mythos because of its ability to exploit cyber vulnerabilities faster than any human.

Fable performed at a level similar to Mythos, but came with built-in safeguards to prevent users from prompting it to carry out a cyberattack or to detail how to create a bioweapon, the company said. Amazon's discovery, elevated to the White House and the National Security Agency, prompted Cairncross, Bessent and others to demand that Anthropic halt access to Fable.

When Anthropic did not agree, arguing instead that the security breach was minor and not a larger so-called "jailbreak" that would allow people to use it for cyberattacks, the administration handed down an export control that the company said forced its hand.

Over the weekend, a group of nearly 80 technical experts and CEOs wrote an open letter to the administration urging officials to revoke the export control. They said the actions that Amazon researchers had gotten Fable to carry out were a "necessary capability in any model that is intended to write secure code," and "should not be considered an offensive capability."

The Trump administration's abrupt controls have "taken the best models away from defenders, created market uncertainty, and risked America's AI leadership without any real risk to justify it," the tech leaders wrote in the letter.

Graham, one of the Anthropic employees attending meetings with the administration, had told Fox News in April that Anthropic was looking to walk a fine line in giving defenders access to Mythos "without the bad actors having access."

"Ultimately, we think that tools like this need to be scaled to the entire world in a secure way because we need the entire world to use these tools to defend themselves as well," Graham added. The interview occurred before Fable's release.

Some in the tech community have vouched for the tough export restrictions and said the risks posed by the guardrails being broken were serious. But other AI experts, and even officials within the administration, have said the controls create a threatening regulatory landscape that will hobble the industry.

"AI is licensed now, but the requirements change constantly and are always a secret, even to the administration itself, which will discover the rules spontaneously in real time as it reacts to events," Dean Ball, a former Trump administration official who worked on AI policy, wrote on X.

One current administration official warned that the longer the export dispute goes on, the more likely it is to become a de facto licensing regime that AI companies would have to contend with when they release new models, slowing their innovation and competition with China.

If the export control doesn't amount to a brief "slap on the wrist" that's quickly alleviated, "it's going to be a huge problem for the entire industry," the administration official said.

"It means that every model going forward needs to ask the government's permission for whether it can be released. That's an extremely bad situation," the official said.

Megan Messerly contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared on POLITICO and is courtesy of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which harnesses the resources of the company's newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces, and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet, and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms.

Whether you're outside on a long run or grinding on a treadmill, a good playlist can make the miles fly by. But the best running headphones do more than just play music. They need to stay put through sweaty jogs, offer controls you can easily use mid-stride, and sound good enough to keep you motivated when your legs start to fade.

To find the best headphones for running, I tested a wide range of options over several months, using them on daily runs totaling around 500 miles. Along the way, I listened to everything from podcasts and audiobooks to high-energy playlists to see which pairs actually held up in real-world use. The Shokz OpenDots 2 stood out as the most versatile earbuds thanks to their secure, comfortable fit, high-quality sound, and natural open transparency. But if you mainly run indoors, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are especially good for blocking out noisy gyms and treadmill distractions.

Below, you'll find all of my picks for the best running headphones, plus a breakdown of how I tested each pair and the key things to keep in mind before you buy your next set of earbuds.

Our top picks for the best headphones for running

Best overall: Shokz OpenDots 2 - See at Amazon

Best for treadmills: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 - See at Amazon

Best for outdoor use: Nothing Ear (Open) - See at Amazon

Best overall

The Shokz OpenDots 2 are the best earbuds for running because they feature an open design that doesn't compromise audio quality while still providing a secure, comfortable fit. Whether you're running indoors on a treadmill or by a busy road, the OpenDots 2 have enough volume to work in most environments while still allowing you to be aware of your surroundings. That's particularly important for road running.

I previously recommended the Soundcore AeroFit 2 as my top pick. Those earbuds are still a great choice for running, especially if you're on a tighter budget, but their over-ear hook design makes them less comfortable when wearing a hat or sunglasses. The OpenDots 2 earbuds alleviate that issue by clipping onto the side of your ear, like a cuff.

The OpenDots 2 don't have physical buttons for media control, which is a potential downside, but since they use a large force-touch area that's easy to find while on the move, the controls are still passable. I also like the included charging case, which is compact enough to travel with and supports wireless charging. With the case, you get a total of 40 hours of battery life.

Of course, a good design and feature set would be moot without high-quality audio. Thankfully, the OpenDots 2 have a big, lively sound that is motivating to run with. Open-ear buds are notorious for lacking depth and bass since they don't create a seal in your ear. But the OpenDots 2 manage to avoid this pitfall. Over the course of more than 75 miles, I could still hear plenty of bass with all the songs I listened to. I thought vocals were clear, too. When I listened to podcasts, voices sounded natural and easy to hear.

The Shokz OpenDots 2 aren't quite perfect, but they're the most versatile running earbuds I've come across after years of testing. If you're looking for headphones to use only on a treadmill or only outside, you can find options tailored slightly better for those uses. But the OpenDots 2 are the best at delivering the complete package runners look for.

Read our full Shokz OpenDots 2 review.

Best for treadmills

Unlike my other picks in this guide, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 use an in-ear design with silicone tips that create a seal in your ear canal. This style of earbud is much better at blocking out ambient noise than open-style headphones.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 even have active noise cancellation (ANC), which makes them ideal for quieting distracting sounds when running inside on a treadmill — whether at a facility or home gym. Even the noise your feet make as they pound on the conveyor belt can get loud and may need to be dampened. These work great for that.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 also deliver robust low-end audio that comes through especially well when using ANC. With ANC on, the buds offer a respectable eight hours of battery life (36 hours total with the wireless charging case).

The Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds also have built-in heart rate sensors. This feature works with certain apps across iOS and Android to add another metric to treadmill runners. But be aware that this feature is disabled when you use an Apple Watch with the earbuds, since the watch already has heart-rate tracking.

Beyond their excellent sound quality, I love the earbuds' easy-to-reach volume buttons. The "b" button on each earbud also flexes to provide tactile control for playback or ANC. The fit was stable on my ears and comfortable enough that I nearly forgot I was wearing headphones.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 also have a transparency mode that lets in outside sounds so you can hear your environment when you need to stay aware. This feature works well enough to use out on city streets, but I recommend going with a truly open-ear pair of headphones if you primarily plan to run outdoors. Sadly, there is no adaptive audio mode to block out selective loud noises, but that's less of a concern if you're using these on a treadmill.

Read our full Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.

Best for outdoor use

The Nothing Ear (Open) are terrific earbuds for running outside. The main reason I recommend these for dedicated outdoor runners is their loud volume and full sound. At the same time, their open-ear fit means they hover just outside your ear canal, providing awareness of cars and people. But in this case, the open style doesn't mean you have to sacrifice good music quality.

Compared to other open-ear-style buds, I found the Nothing Ear (Open) to be more audible outside without needing to turn the volume up quite as loud. Any time you can keep from turning up the volume to the max, the better it will be for your hearing in the long run — pun intended.

Even though the over-the-ear hooks don't allow for any adjustments, I still found them comfortable and relatively secure. The rubbery hooks are flexible enough for different-sized ears, and the soft material feels nice.

Regarding media controls, the earbuds use a hybrid system similar to AirPods' pinchable stems. Squeezing the earbuds will play or pause your audio, while a double squeeze will skip songs. There's no physical button, but there's an audible sound to provide feedback.

However, adjusting the volume is a bit cumbersome. You need to squeeze and hold the right side to raise the volume, and do the same on the left side to lower it. I'm not crazy about this gesture in general, but it's even tougher to do while running than while standing. Still, the controls work well enough that I didn't encounter many false positives.

Battery life is solid: eight hours with the buds themselves or 30 with the charging case. But while the case supports USB-C, it's disappointing that it doesn't support wireless charging.

Beyond performance and function, I find the earbuds' unique, clear design to be attractive. Few running headphones are concerned with their appearance, so it's nice to have an option that offers some added style.

What else we considered

The picks listed above are the three best running headphones I recommend, but I also tested a lot of other earbuds that are worth considering. Here are some quick thoughts on other options that didn't quite make the cut as top picks in this guide.

Soundcore AeroFit 2 - See at Amazon
The Soundcore AeroFit 2 were previously my top pick for the best running earbuds because they strike a strong balance between comfort, awareness, and sound. However, I now give the Shokz OpenDots 2 the edge, as I prefer their audio quality and clip-on design.

Bose Ultra Open - See at Amazon
These high-end open-ear buds use a clip-on (ear-cuff) style for a secure, stay-put fit. They never slipped around, even when I reached for the big, clickable button in the back. While these buds are great for running, they can also be used for everyday listening. If you have a compatible Bose soundbar, you can even use the earbuds to simulate rear surround sound speakers while watching movies. But no matter how you slice it, these earbuds are a premium product at $300, and their feature set is hard to justify at that cost if you're primarily just using them for running.

Sony's Linkbuds Open - See at Amazon
This unique pair of earbuds has a physical hole in its design to let in ambient sounds. The first generation was a good start, but this latest model doesn't quite live up to its potential for an active lifestyle. Compared to other options, the Linkbuds Open don't sound full or loud enough while out running on the road.

Read our Sony Linkbuds Open review.

Sony Linkbuds Fit - See at Amazon
These earbuds use digital processing to let in outside noise. The wing tip kept the earbuds secure during my runs while remaining flexible enough not to put pressure on my ears. They're especially great for cyclists, as the design works well with a helmet. But given their $200 price tag, I wish the Linkbuds Fit sounded just a little better, with fuller bass when listening to music.

Shokz Open Fit 2 - See at Amazon
These are good running earbuds in a lot of aspects, but they're not a master of any area. The midrange sound was a bit muffled compared to other earbuds, and the fit was just a little looser than other picks. I did like the media control button. It was easy to press while running and gave good audio feedback in addition to its tactile feel. That alone isn't enough to push it past other options, but they're certainly worth considering if they're on sale.

Soundcore C40i - See at Amazon
This is another solid cuff-style earbud option. In the context of running, they did everything well, and I like that they have a physical media control button. However, they may not fit all ears equally. I also found the button could be hard to press while on the move, and while running outside, I needed to keep the volume level cranked to 100.

SoundPeats PearlClip Pro - See at Amazon
These headphones are a neat, lower-cost option, but I found them just a little too loose for running. They would probably work best for stationary or walking use.

Belkin SoundForm ClearFit - See at Amazon
Belkin's earbuds are lightweight and open. The sound was okay for an entry-level budget model, but I didn't like the touch controls, and the fit may be too loose for some people.

How we test running headphones

To select the best running headphones, I tested several models and evaluated their performance during actual runs. I ran at least 20 miles with each pair of earbuds, though I logged closer to 50 miles with most of them. I listened to music, podcasts, and other audio to get a sense of how the headphones sounded with different types of content. I ran outside in the rain and frigid temperatures, and in the heat when the sun was out.

My daily routine primarily consisted of running outside with the earbuds, but I did occasionally use a treadmill indoors. I made sure to use each pick in both conditions to test versatility.

Since the best running earbuds are designed for active use, I also checked whether sweat affected any of the charging contacts in their cases. Unless you're extremely diligent about wiping all the liquid from the earbuds, I've seen corrosion prevent headphones from charging in their cases. The AeroFit 2 showed some signs of this after a couple of months, but it was easy to wipe away and never interfered with charging. The Soundcore C40i also showed signs of corrosion, but it was harder to reach inside its narrow case, making it trickier to clean.

While I primarily connected the earbuds directly to my Apple Watch with Bluetooth, I also connected them to my iPhone to check out their companion apps.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Tyler Hayes, contributing reporter: I've been writing about consumer tech products since 2013 and reviewing headphones for Business Insider since 2019. In that time, I've tested more pairs of earbuds than I can count. But for this guide, I didn't just sit at my desk and press play — I took every pair out on my own runs, logging 20 to 50 miles in them through heat, cold, and sweat. I also used them inside on a treadmill. I'm a daily runner, which means I'm picky about what actually stays put, sounds good when I'm pushing the pace, and holds up over time. The picks in this guide do just that.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

Running headphones FAQs

What makes headphones good for running?

One of the most critical elements that separates the best running headphones from lesser models is their fit. There's a lot of jostling in the sport, so keeping your earbuds secure is key to a good experience. I've found that even if the earbuds aren't at risk of falling out, feeling loose can be distracting and burdensome. If you aren't sure about fit, I would recommend starting with a pair that hooks over the ears or clips onto the sides.

Beyond the fit, you'll want to be mindful of how easy it is to access media controls and whether the headphones are water- or sweat-resistant.

Though the above guidance is geared toward finding the best headphones for running, many of these factors also apply to other uses. For more recommendations outside of running, check out our other headphone guides:

• The best headphones
• The best budget headphones
• The best earbuds
• The best headphones for working out
• The best noise-canceling headphones
• The best over-ear headphones
• The best Apple AirPods
• The best AirPods alternatives

Do running headphones need to be waterproof?

Different headphones can handle varying degrees of water or sweat. This level of protection is defined by the Ingress Protection (IP) rating system. In this system, the first number refers to debris, and the second refers to water. All of our picks for the best running headphones can at least handle liquid splashed from all directions, which is IPX4 — the "X" referring to no protection from dust and debris. A higher number provides better protection, but not all numbers are applicable to simply protecting against sweat from running.

Can any earbuds be used for running?

Though you can technically use pretty much any pair of earbuds for running, the best running headphones have features built specifically for the sport, including open designs, secure fits, and sweat protection.

Do over-ear headphones work well for running?

Generally speaking, over-ear headphones are not the best fit for running. This design tends to feel bulkier, trap more heat, and can shift around during high-impact movement. Their passive noise isolation also makes it hard to hear your surroundings.

If you run outside and prefer over-ear headphones, look for a lightweight pair with a secure fit and an awareness mode that lets you still hear your surroundings.

Why do many running headphones use an open-ear design?

Open-ear buds sit right outside your ears instead of going farther inside to create a full seal. This design allows you to hear more of your surroundings rather than the passive noise-blocking that can come from plugging your ear canals. Being aware of other people and vehicles is good for safety while running outside, so this style is popular for many of the best running headphones geared toward outdoor use.

Is it safe to use headphones for running?

Running with earbuds can be dangerous in busy environments, especially if the volume is turned up so high that it blocks out the sounds of cars and other people. (Turning the volume up too loud is also dangerous for the health of your hearing.) It's fine to use earbuds while running as long as the volume is moderate and you can still hear your surroundings when outside.

As a longtime Nugget owner, I've seen firsthand how the play couch earned its devoted following. I strongly believe in the power of imaginative, independent playtime. My 4-year-old has spent years building forts, obstacle courses, and imaginative worlds with ours, and we've even unfolded it into an extra sleeping space for when guests come to visit. But despite its versatility, I can't deny that the Nugget takes up a fair amount of space. When we lived in a smaller townhouse, the play couch took up a considerable amount of space in our living room, even when folded up.

That's why I was so excited by the prospect of an imaginative design like the Nugget, just with a smaller footprint. Enter the Nugget Smore, a play chair from the brand that encompasses everything that the original play couch does (comfort, versatility, and brain-exercising design) but at a considerably smaller (and lighter!) size, more comparable to the Chunk ottoman.

Like the original Nugget, it's made from sturdy foam pieces that can be rearranged into different configurations. But unlike most kids' chairs, it's designed to come apart and become part of playtime.

After testing the Nugget Smore at home with my preschooler and baby, I found it succeeded in a way that surprised me. It isn't just a chair, but it isn't trying to replace the original Nugget either. Instead, it occupies a middle ground that may make even more sense for some families.

What is the Nugget Smore?

The Smore is Nugget's newest addition to its modular furniture lineup. Unlike the original Nugget play couch or the Chunk ottoman, the Smore is designed primarily as a chair while still supporting open-ended play.

The Smore chair consists of three separate foam components: a chair base (block), a backrest (elbow piece), and a large U-shaped outer piece (frame). Together they can create a sturdy children's armchair, but each component can also be used independently for building, pretending, and lounging. They can be reconfigured as your child grows, to suit kids from two up to 11. The company describes the Smore as a "playwithable" chair built for independent imaginative play, a throughline with all the Nugget products.

Parents can choose from nine colors and three fabric options: microsuede, double-brushed microsuede, and the brand's new denim upholstery. Personalized embroidery is also available for an additional $19. Like all Nugget products, the fabric is removable and machine washable, so you can wash off any spills or dirt that are bound to come with kids.

First impressions

The Smore arrived in a surprisingly lightweight box, so much so that I was a little worried I was missing something. All three pieces ship compressed in a large oval shape, meaning you’ll need to take them out of the packaging and give it some time to fully take shape. It took surprisingly little time for this to happen, though we left the pieces out overnight to let them fully expand. I noticed no off-gassing odors.

Putting it together is completely straightforward - the largest part serves as the chair's back and arms, with the second-largest part providing additional back support and a seat. The third, smallest piece serves as the final seating, providing more height for small bodies. The sizing was perfect for my four-year-old daughter, who quickly made herself at home on her new throne. Everything feels sturdy, and it does look very much like a nice kid’s chair. Compared to the more traditional kids’ chairs we’ve had in the past, this one doesn’t seem like it will lose its shape or sink in over time.

Perhaps most importantly, my daughter could move it all herself. While she still occasionally needs help carrying pieces of our full-size Nugget, she had no trouble rearranging the Smore independently, quickly disassembling her chair to make it into a tunnel for her stuffies.

What I liked about the Smore

The lightweight design makes independent play possible

To me, one of the biggest advantages over the original Nugget is its weight. While the Nugget play couch isn’t a bag of bricks by any means, it is fairly cumbersome to move from room to room or put into different configurations.

In contrast with the Smore, my daughter was able to move every piece herself, carry them between rooms, and experiment with different setups without needing an adult. That independence made her more likely to actually use it throughout the day.

It works as both furniture and a toy

The "playwithable" claim turned out to be legitimate. While she regularly used the Smore as a reading chair, she spent just as much time incorporating it into imaginative play. Her favorite use was turning the large U-shaped outer piece into a tunnel. She also frequently draped blankets over it to create caves for stuffed animals.

Unlike traditional kids' chairs, which serve one purpose, the Smore regularly became part of whatever game she was inventing.

The covers are practical for real family life

Like the original Nugget, every cover can be removed and machine-washed.

That's a major advantage in a house with young children where spills are inevitable. After years of owning a Nugget, washable covers remain one of my favorite features, and I'm glad Nugget carried that design over to the Smore.

How my kids actually used it

My daughter used the Smore in ways I didn't fully anticipate. She certainly sat in it while reading books and watching shows. But much of its appeal came from what happened when it wasn't functioning as a chair. The large exterior piece became tunnels, caves, and hideouts. The interior cushion became a slide for her stuffies. That versatility is what separates it from a standard children's chair.

My son is still only crawling, but when we let him loose around the chair he was intrigued by it as well. At less than a year, he likes exploring it in its deconstructed form, crawling over the cushions, or underneath the large, exterior part. While his age isn’t the intended one for the design, it’s already clear that it’ll be something he can join in on playing with in the future.

Smore vs. the Nugget vs. Chunk vs. a regular kids’ chair

The original Nugget remains the better option for families interested primarily in fort building, obstacle courses, or large-scale imaginative play.

The Chunk works well as an ottoman, stepping stone, or flexible play piece.

The Smore sits comfortably between those products. It provides actual seating while still encouraging creativity. For smaller homes or families with younger children, it serves as a great entry point into play furniture.

A traditional kids' chair will almost certainly cost less. However, it can't evolve beyond its intended purpose. If you’re looking for it to be something other than a seat, one of the Nugget products may be a better option.

What parents should know before buying

Probably the biggest drawback is price. Starting around $199, the Smore costs significantly more than most children's chairs, which you can find for far less, in the two figures versus three.

Parents who already own a Nugget may also wonder whether the Smore adds enough functionality to justify another purchase. Truthfully, I can’t say whether it’s necessary to have them both, but I do know that when we were in a smaller living space, we probably would’ve preferred the Smore to the original Nugget if it had been available.

What it really comes down to is what your kid enjoys doing, and whether they’re at the right age to use this as more than just a chair. Even two years ago, I’m not sure my daughter would’ve had enough experience with imaginative play to really get the most out of the modular chair (certainly, my younger son isn't there yet). But now, she’s fully in a phase of life where everything is pretending, meaning she can very easily go between using the Smore as a chair or making it into something that adapts to whatever she’s playing.

If your kid is going to use this primarily as a chair, there are far more affordable options out there. But if you think they’ll be able to use it for play as well, I believe it starts to earn back more of its value for the price.

Nugget also offers a 30 day return window on unopened merchandise and a limited one-year warranty that covers manufacturing defects. The Smore must be unboxed within two weeks of delivery, or the warranty is voided (eight weeks for the Nugget), which is a short window of time if you're purchasing as a gift.

The bottom line

The Nugget Smore successfully fills a gap I didn't realize existed.

It's more engaging than a traditional kids chair but less cumbersome than a full Nugget. The lightweight pieces promote imaginative play and independence for kids, making it so the modular design continues serving a purpose long after kids are done sitting in it.

If you have a kid who is very into imaginative play and might prefer something lighter and smaller than the Nugget, the Smore is well worth considering. However, for those who know their kid will just use it as a chair and nothing more, stick to the more traditional options – they’re cheaper and will fulfill everything they need.

Who should buy it

• Families with toddlers and preschoolers
• Parents who already value open-ended play
• Homes with limited space for a full Nugget setup
• Kids who enjoy building forts and imaginative play

Who should skip it

• Families looking for the cheapest seating option
• Older children who have outgrown foam furniture
• Kids who are unlikely to use the modular features

• Rivian is developing autonomous-driving technology for its next-generation vehicles.
• CEO RJ Scaringe said the company is set to release Tesla FSD-like self-driving later this year.
• Autonomous driving is also part of Rivian's plans for a robotaxi launch through Uber.

Rivian's CEO says the company is on track to release a supervised self-driving system similar to Tesla's Full Self-Driving later this year.

During a fireside chat at a Masters of Scale event in Anaheim on Thursday, CEO RJ Scaringe said Rivian will release an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) that could enable the company's second-generation cars and the new R2 to drive on their own with supervision from one destination to another — also known as point-to-point driving.

The CEO compared the tech to Tesla FSD.

"Later this year, we'll have full supervised point-to-point, which will be very similar to Tesla's FSD," he said. "And that'll roll out to all of our Gen 2 vehicles and, of course, R2."

The release would be a notable step up from Rivian's current self-driving system, called Universal Hands-Free, if Scaringe's projection is realized.

UHF is an ADAS that can handle steering and speed control on about 3.5 million miles of clearly-marked roads in the US and Canada. It does not navigate turns, traffic lights, or parking lots like Tesla's FSD Supervised.

Scaringe's pronouncement could mean that Rivian has advanced its ADAS to a level of driving similar to FSD within a year of its release to customers.

The CEO did not specify if there would be a limit on the number of miles the self-driving tech could handle upon first release. Rivian did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last December, the company announced a push to develop fully autonomous driving technology for its future vehicle lineup, enabling hands-free, eyes-off driving.

Scaringe said at the event that unsupervised self-driving will be released next year.

Part of Rivian's strategy is to develop autonomous driving for robotaxi fleets. The company inked a $1.25 billion deal with Uber in March, in which the ride-hailing company could buy up to 50,000 R2s for its robotaxi aspirations.

• Aldi launched free "Blind Boxes" featuring mystery grocery items for budget-savvy shoppers.
• From June 22-25, Aldi will release themed boxes featuring protein and fiber products.
• The giveaway taps into consumer trends for budget-friendly and nutritious food options.

Aldi is betting that shoppers' love of mystery boxes extends to the grocery aisle.

The discount grocer, known for its low prices and private-label products, announced Monday that it will give away free "Aldi Blind Boxes" for four days, with a limited number of mystery grocery packages available daily through AldiBlindBox.com.

A different themed box will drop each day from June 22 through June 25 at noon ET, and shoppers can claim one while supplies last.

The giveaway arrives as many Americans remain focused on stretching grocery budgets while also seeking foods that align with popular nutrition trends. Aldi's four themes include protein, fiber, and snack products alongside a Mystery Blind Box, and will include items such as meats and fresh produce, snacks, cheeses, and pantry staples.

The promotion also taps into the popularity of mystery-box shopping, which has fueled demand for surprise collectibles, beauty products, and other limited-time retail drops.

"Our shoppers come to ALDI for value, but they also come for discovery," Bridget Kozlowski, Aldi's director of communications, said in a statement. "People love the thrill of discovering something new here."

To get a box, shoppers must visit AldiBlindBox.com when each day's giveaway opens and submit shipping information, according to the FAQ. Aldi said it will reveal each day's theme on its Instagram account.

The catch: The boxes are first-come, first-served — and once they're gone, they're gone.

Representatives for Aldi did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the supply of boxes that would be included in the giveaway or whether the promotion might return later.

When I moved to the California desert, I had to learn to embrace a material I once steered clear of: linen. I wrongly believed I'd only look wrinkled and disheveled.

And while linen does crease easily, its natural flax fibers work better in heat than synthetics. In search of a more affordable way to pad out my closet in linen, I turned to Quince, my preferred brand for affordable basics.

Over the past few years, I've collected a Quince linen dress, jumpsuit, pants, tops, and shorts. I wear them year-round and find them to be of good quality and construction considering their price.

To put it in perspective, the seven pieces I own total $362. From other retailers like Reformation, Madewell, or Everlane, that same sum would have only yielded me two, maybe three pieces total.

Not everything has been the biggest hit (the shorts… fell short), but the gingham Midi Dress and breezy Button Down have served me well for over a year.

Below are reviews of Quince linen clothing. We tested Quince linen bedding in our guide to the best linen sheets and our Quince home review.

How Quince linen compares

According to the brand, Quince linen clothing weighs 160 GSM (grams per square meter). This is a lighter weight linen that's substantial yet airy, and ideal for summer clothing like sundresses and blouses.

I had no sheer slip-ups with Quince linen — the fabric is tightly woven and smooth. That said, I recommend buying Quince linen in gingham or striped colorways if you're concerned about wrinkling or opacity.

Most pieces run for $40 to $50 each. Some are called "Premium Flax Linen," and others "European Linen," but there's no difference in quality between the two. If you want linen pants with more structure, expect to spend more. Opt for a medium-weight like the Eileen Fisher Organic Linen Wide-Leg Pant ($178), or a linen-viscose blend like the Babaton PowerLinen Pant ($148).

I wear a medium and found some variability in Quince's sizing. It offers plus-size linen clothing up to a size 3X, but they come in fewer colorways and cost more than their straight-size counterparts.

The Linen Square Neck Jumpsuit

I love a jumpsuit, as it's a one-and-done outfit. I've worn other Quince jumpsuits, so trying their linen one felt like a natural choice. It's not as soft as other linen I've tried, but still felt lightweight and breathable.

I've worn this Quince Linen Jumpsuit for about two years now. It's held up well without visible signs of wear and tear. I've put it through the washer, and never had an issue with odd creasing or shrinkage. Quince says it can go in the dryer, but I air dry mine for the best results.

The straps are wide enough that they'll conceal most standard bra straps. This one has a flattering square neckline with adjustable shoulder straps, front and back pockets, and a waist tie belt.

It runs a tad large in the bodice. I'm a pretty true-to-size medium. I do find that the back, which has an elastic panel for comfort and stretch, does gape and expose the backside of my bra. I usually try to adjust how the jumpsuit sits to avoid this, and it doesn't keep me from wearing it, but if I were to purchase it in another color, I'd size down to a small.

Would I buy this again? Yes, but I'll play with sizing next time, as it runs a little large.

The Linen Shorts

No one is perfect, right? And out of the seven Quince linen pieces I own, inevitably one had to flop. For me, it’s these Quince Linen Shorts — purely for how instantly and visibly they wrinkle (even for linen).

I tried the "Light Driftwood"color, and the wrinkles are glaringly obvious. If you want to try this style, I’d recommend a darker color, which might make some of those marks less visible. And it could be worth a shot, since they are soft, comfortable, and come with multiple pockets.

Their creases fold and bunch up, which makes these shorts feel even shorter. For me personally, when it comes to linen bottoms, I just prefer something longer like pants so the wrinkles aren’t so all consuming.

Would I buy this again? No. They wrinkle too easily, and there are more comfortable lounge shorts out there.

The Linen Scoop Neck Midi Dress

I've worn this Quince Linen Midi Dress for a little over a year, and it's become one of my favorites. The combination of the scoop neck, fitted bust, and midi length makes it sleek and sophisticated, but not so dressy that I can't wear it casually. Plus, it has pockets.

I really adore this dress because it's lined with 100% cotton, which acts as a barrier to prevent wrinkling. I've noticed fewer markings as a result, and it's still lightweight without added bulk. The gingham print I chose means wrinkles are mostly camouflaged.

Style editor Samantha Crozier tried the white version and found issues with the length of the liner. "Instead of a full-length lining, it stops right at the knees. You can't see this unless you're directly in the sun, but that's exactly what this dress was made for," says Samantha. "It cuts you off in an awkward way and is another example of how Quince gets it almost right, but how cost-saving measures get in the way of producing a truly great piece."

It runs large in the waist, but the fit details make it comfortable for all-day wear. The adjustable straps ensure I'm never tugging or pulling, and a hidden smocked back panel keeps this feeling comfy and light, even while wearing linen — which isn't exactly known for allowing much give on its own. My only drawback? I have to wear a strapless bra with this one, though that's really a "me" problem.

Would I buy this again? Yes. It's really comfortable, and the cotton lining helps give it structure. However, I know not to try the white version.

The Linen Long Sleeve Shirt

I feel effortlessly chic in this Quince Linen Long Sleeve. It looks fantastic paired with white shorts or pants in summer, or thrown over black leggings while I'm running errands around town. You could even wear it as a beach cover up. My favorite way to style it is to roll up the sleeves and button just two in the middle for a relaxed, yet pulled-together approach.

It runs a bit large. A medium fits just fine, but is still just subtly loose. I really appreciate the longer length that extends past my hips.

It gets softer the more you wash it. I have it in a light blue pinstripe color, which obscures most wrinkling. In total, it's available in 14 colors ranging from light neutrals to dark shades and stripes.

As with most Quince linen, it feels light and breathable. Even on scorching hot days, I feel regulated wearing it (though I tend to reach for the short-sleeve version when temps go above 90°, which is a regular occurrence as a desert dweller).

Would I buy this again? Absolutely. It looks great with everything, washes well, and the striped version doesn't show wrinkles easily.

The Linen Camp Shirt

Since the 100% European Linen Long Sleeve Shirt is my runaway Quince linen favorite, it felt like a no-brainer to try short-sleeve version.

This Quince Linen Camp Shirt has a front placket with buttons, a chest pocket, and oversized dolman sleeves that help make it feel airy and light. I wear a size medium, and find the cut to be relaxed and just a little loose. So if you like an oversized look, definitely size up. And likewise, for a more tailored, body-skimming fit, go down a size.

My only one admitted gripe is that even though it has a curved hemline like the long sleeve version, it seemingly doesn't extend as far. I wish the length was a touch longer, like the long sleeve linen shirt, though that's really the only downside I can find, and the difference is pretty minor.

Regardless, I still like that it comes in a nice range of neutral colors, and it's easy to style.

Would I buy this again? Yes, it's lightweight and easy to wear.

The Linen Patch Pocket Wide Leg Pants

I'm quite the fan of Quince clothing outside of linen — namely their jeans, which I find to be soft, super stretchy, and reliably true to size. The Bella Stretch Patch Pocket Wide Leg Jeans are my current favorite, so I was ecstatic to discover Quince has a linen version, too.

They fit high on the waist with a wide leg shape. Their front patch pockets make a nice statement. The linen is soft and light, and there's a pretty shell button atop the zip closure. The back pockets are a nice touch, too.

Like most linen pants, they crease easily around the thighs. I'm usually able to steam the lines out in just a few minutes without much trouble. I also like how effortless these Linen Patch Pocket Wide Leg Pants are to wear and style. I love them with a tank and sandals for casual days, or dressed up with the right accessories for dinner.

The lightweight linen has no stretch and no liner. However, I've never had any issue with anything showing through. If you're between sizes, I'd size up.

Would I buy this again? Yes, they feel nicely loose and wide-legged without swallowing me whole.

The Linen Pleated Trousers

These tailored-style Linen Pleated Trousers feel dressier than regular drawstring linen pants, so they're a great option to wear to the office.

The hidden elastic waistband at the back adds a lot of stretch, which is a pro — but also a con. In my case, it made the pants feel loose and I regret not exchanging them for a smaller size. They're okay, they just look a bit big and bulky (though that second part is because I chose the color white).

The liner means they're not see-through. For this particular style, the white and flax colorways come with a full inside lining that's made from 85% polyester and 15% cotton. That's a good thing, as it avoids any sheer wardrobe mishaps.

However, it does add some substantial bulk that's not present with darker colors. I'm okay with it because I specifically wanted crisp white linen pants for summer. But if you'd prefer a more streamlined style, I'd suggest going with a different shade.

Would I buy this again? Yes, but only if I sized down and chose a darker color.

The bottom line

As a whole, I think the Quince linen line is a fantastic option for anyone who loves wearing the summer staple but doesn't want to spend a ton of money. It's pretty remarkable that the most expensive item I tested is the $84 dress.

Every piece I tested lives up to its promise of being lightweight, breathable, and comfortable to wear. I found some pieces wrinkle easily, but that's the nature of the fabric. You'd encounter this problem anywhere, regardless of the brand or price.

If you're unsatisfied, there's a 365-day return window (just be sure your payment method adheres to the same policy, or else you may only get receive store credit).

• The White House hosted a UFC fight, branded "UFC Freedom 250," on the South Lawn on Sunday.
• The event coincided with President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
• Trump cabinet and family members were joined by Mark Zuckerberg, Joe Rogan, and others.

The UFC fight that President Donald Trump had promised would be "the greatest show on Earth" finally took over the White House's South Lawn on Sunday night.

UFC Freedom 250, a seven-bout event, was attended by Trump, who also turned 80 on Sunday, along with members of the Trump family, cabinet officials, tech leaders, business executives, and a handful of celebrities.

JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth were there, as well as other Republican leaders like Mike Johnson and John Thune.

Some business executives and celebrities showed up, too. Among those in attendance was David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, which owns exclusive streaming rights to UFC, and which was cleared by the US Department of Justice to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery just days before the White House event.

The New York Times reported that New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan was also spotted at the event, less than 24 hours after his franchise won its first NBA championship since 1973.

See other big names in attendance.

Mark Zuckerberg

The Meta CEO was seen speaking with Trump during a break at the event.

In late 2024, Meta donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund, and Zuckerberg later attended the ceremony alongside other tech CEOs and billionaires. Last year, he sat beside Trump at a White House dinner for tech leaders.

Joe Rogan

Rogan, a longtime UFC interviewer and color commentator, was part of the broadcast event.

Rogan interviewed Trump on his podcast ahead of the 2024 election, but has levied criticism against the president as recently as last Friday, speaking of his frustration over the Epstein files and the Iran war, The Hill reported. Rogan previously criticized the idea of an outdoor UFC fight, but has since praised the event.

Ari Emanuel

Emanuel is the CEO of TKO Group Holdings, which owns both the WWE and UFC. Emanuel and Trump have had a longtime professional relationship.

Shane Gillis

The comedian, whose impression of the president is well-known, and Trump previously met at the Super Bowl LIX. The president later said, "I like him," The New York Post reported, citing The Spectator.

Zac Brown

The singer performed the national anthem at the fight, drawing criticism from some fans. Brown said that he sang at the event because of "patriotism, not politics," USA Today reported.

Kris Marszalek

Marszalek co-founded Crypto.com, which is engaged in a "strategic partnership" with Trump Media, per the company. Crypto.com co-sponsored the UFC fight.

Tony Hinchcliffe

Hinchcliffe is perhaps best known for his comedy performance at a 2024 Trump rally in which he called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage," among other racial and ethnic remarks, the BBC reported.

Hinchcliffe later defended his comments, saying his critics had "no sense of humor."

I'm a daily runner, and over the last couple of years, I've tested more than 50 wireless earbuds in my search for the best running headphones. Though a few models have excelled in certain areas, I've finally come across a pair that nails the complete package: the Shokz OpenDots 2.

These open-ear buds deliver just the right balance between fit, performance, and awareness that I look for when running. Their open-ear design lets you naturally hear your surroundings. They don't pool as much sweat in your ears as other models I've used. They also don't slip out or shift around as much because their clip-on attachment is nice and secure.

The problems I've had with other cuff-style earbuds are that very few of them manage to excel across the board. If they fit well, the sound isn't great. Or the sound might be good, but the media controls and fit are lacking. The Shokz OpenDots 2 make the fewest compromises and offer the most well-balanced performance I've found.

To really put the Shokz OpenDots 2 to the test, I used them every day across more than 75 miles of running. I listened to all kinds of audio content in loud and quiet environments. Here's why Shokz's latest wireless earbuds are my favorite running headphones yet.

The OpenDots 2 have an ideal fit and design for running

For me, the most important aspect of a good pair of earbuds is their fit, and the OpenDots 2 are a joy to wear. They use an open-ear design with IP57 sweat resistance and a comfortable clip-on fit that keeps the buds in place just outside your ear, without creating a plugged-in seal.

The buds aren't too big or too small. They don't clip on too tight or too loose. In fact, there have been times I've forgotten I'm wearing them. Though I've tested plenty of comfortable running earbuds, the OpenDots 2 beat them all out for extended use. If you wear glasses or run in sunglasses or a hat, you'll also appreciate that they don't use an over-the-ear hook, which can get in the way with other workout-style headphones.

Interestingly, neither of the OpenDots 2 buds is labeled for left- or right-ear orientation. The buds are interchangeable and auto-detect which side they're on, so left and right are a thing of the past. I mixed them up in my pocket once, and that led to some brief confusion about which side of the charging case they belonged to. Since then, I've loved not having to keep track of them. In all my tests, the correct stereo orientation worked automatically with no issues.

The charging case isn't a make-or-break part of this product, but I appreciate how compact it is. It's small enough that I don't have to think twice about bringing it on a trip. And despite the petite size, the case still charges wirelessly, so it's easy to set it on any Qi charger. The case offers 40 hours of battery life, and you can expect up to 10 hours of playback per charge from the buds.

Audio quality is good, even compared to traditional in-ear buds

There are plenty of decent open-ear buds on the market, but most fall short in audio quality. An open-ear design is great for running, since it lets you hear your surroundings. But the downside is that without a seal in your ear, open-ear headphones often lack bass and fidelity. However, the Shokz OpenDots 2 manage to buck this trend.

Despite their open design, the OpenDots 2 sound full and deliver performance that's more in line with traditional in-ear buds. This is one area where the OpenDots 2 clearly improve upon their predecessor. This is partly due to the company's new "Bassphere 2.0" audio technology, which aims to provide a richer listening experience. It features a redesigned diaphragm for less distortion, and software-melding of each bud's dual drivers to better work as one.

While I was at home, songs sounded robust with plenty of bass and clean mids. But sounding good in a quiet environment isn't too difficult for most earbuds. The real test comes when taking them outside on a run.

The first time I left my house and hit the road, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the music I was listening to. It only took about half a mile before I was convinced that these were something special. Since then, I've used the OpenDots 2 for over 75 miles of running and still feel the same.

Even when outside, songs like Billie Eilish's "Chirio," with its thick, rolling bass, had genuine punch. This is important because earbuds that lack fullness and power aren't motivational to use for running.

On the spoken front, voices also sounded natural. Speech was never distracting or hard to hear. So, if you run with audiobooks or podcasts, that's still a viable option with the OpenDots 2.

When it comes to rivals, the $300 Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are still the best-sounding open-ear buds I've tried. Those have a bit more power and better directional awareness. But the OpenDots 2 aren't too far behind, while costing $100 less and being a little lighter and smaller on the ear.

My only complaints are the touch controls and volume

Although the Shokz OpenDots 2 are my favorite running earbuds yet, they still have some drawbacks. The two main things keeping them from being perfect are their touch controls and max volume.

To control media playback, like skipping tracks or pausing songs, you can either tap the cuff or force-press the bulb on the back, behind your ear. The force-touch area is easy to feel and makes a faux-clicking sound, mimicking a physical button. It's very usable, but it's still not as good as a real, clickable button like you get on some rivals like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds or Powerbeats Pro 2.

I only encountered one false positive when the OpenDots 2 thought I tapped the side of the cuff. That's far fewer than I've encountered with similar running earbuds, including Sony's Linkbuds Clip. In the Shokz app, I ended up turning off the side taps. To Shokz's credit, you can heavily customize the gestures and other settings in its mobile app.

The other minor complaint I have is the max volume level. I wouldn't mind a few more decibels to work with in order to cover the busiest, loudest environments I might run in. This is minor because in normal situations, the max volume of the OpenDots 2 is plenty loud. It's just some noisy intersections, with cars honking and construction, that can eclipse certain music.

Should you buy the Shokz OpenDots 2?

After years of testing dozens of wireless earbuds for running, the Shokz OpenDots 2 have instantly moved to the top of my recommended list. The fit is secure, and the sound is big and full. Importantly, the buds don't block my ears, so I can hear all the dangers around me. Whether you run or not, these might be the best open-ear buds available right now.

The OpenDots 2 aren't cheap at $199, but they're polished. They've performed better than nearly every competitor and deliver real value to runners.

• President Donald Trump said the US and Iran have reached a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
• The Strait will be opened after the deal is signed on Friday, Trump said.
• Major US stock indexes ripped higher, while oil slumped 5%.

Stocks spiked and oil prices slumped after the US and Iran announced they had agreed to an interim deal to end the war.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran had reached a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a possible end to a 15-week conflict that disrupted global oil supplies and stoked fears of economic turmoil.

The secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end permanently starting on Monday night, according to a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

The deal will be signed on Friday, which is also when the Strait will open, Trump said on Truth Social.

Here's where major indexes stood as of the 4 p.m. ET market close:

• S&P 500: 7,554.29, up 1.7%
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: 51,671.03, up 0.9% (469 points)
• Nasdaq 100: 30,543.92, up 3.1%

A rundown of key commodities:

• Brent crude: $83.47 per barrel, down 4.1%
• WTI crude: $81.34 per barrel, down 4.2%
• Gold: $4,318.50 per ounce, up 2.5%

The positive Iran-war news and resulting decline in oil led investors to pare odds of a rate hike by year-end.

Trump orders immediate removal of US blockade

"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," Trump wrote on TruthSocial. "I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade."

Trump did not immediately offer further details about the deal.

The prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, a mediator in the negotiations, said the official signing ceremony would take place on June 19.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the two sides would use a 60-day ceasefire to negotiate a broader accord that could include sanctions relief for Tehran, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency.

Investors may be cheering the rally, but analysts aren't ready to sound the all-clear.

Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG, said uncertainty over upcoming negotiations could help limit further declines in oil prices.

"Furthermore prices had fallen heavily in recent sessions on renewed expectations of a deal so likely we are seeing some profit taking on shorts ‚ aka 'sell the rumour buy the fact,'" he wrote on X.

"Whilst the deal is very good news for markets, it looks like tough conversations will have to occur in the 60-day window to ensure the peace is sustainable," wrote Jim Reid, the global head of macro and thematic research at Deutsche Bank.

Opening a major oil transit blockade

Iran effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz to most shipping traffic after the United States and Israel first launched their surprise attacks on February 28. Iran briefly reopened the Strait in April as part of a ceasefire deal with the United States, but closed it again after the US imposed its naval blockade.

Iran's de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and through which about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows, allowed it to wield immense economic influence during what began as a military conflict.

The Strait's closure, along with damage to major oil hubs in the region, led to a steep spike in oil prices and what the International Energy Agency said in March was the largest disruption to the global oil markets in history.

Oil prices surpassed $100 a barrel on March 8 for the first time in four years, forcing several countries to implement energy-saving strategies to address the costs. The Philippines, for example, ordered a four-day workweek for government employees alongside other measures.

In the US, the national average for a gallon of gasoline exceeded $4 by the end of March. Prices have dropped in the past month, falling for three consecutive weeks, according to AAA, but remain above the psychologically significant $4 mark. As of Monday, the average nationwide gas price is $4.065 per gallon.

Jet fuel prices spiked above $200 a barrel in April, forcing some airlines to cut routes and raise ticket prices to cover costs. The conflict also drove inflation in the United States to a three-year high.

These economic pressures have impacted average Americans just months before the midterm elections.

Some economists warned that any prolonged standoff could severely damage America's economy, including Paul Krugman, who said it could be the "straw that breaks the camel's back."

• United Airlines plans to block some middle seats on Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
• The seats resemble "Eurobusiness" and will likely come at an upcharge.
• Blocking middle seats ensures it staffs the minimum number of flight attendants possible.

United Airlines is testing something new in economy class: blocked middle seats.

A viral Reddit post last week showed a mock-up of the supposed three-seat row, with a tray table as a middle divider, sparking speculation about what looks like a version of European-style business class, aka "Eurobusiness."

United confirmed to Business Insider that the concept is real and will be on its new Airbus A321XLRs, saying "we're always evaluating and testing new ways to further differentiate ourselves within the industry and add even more value to the experience."

These "extra-long-range" narrowbodies will replace United's Boeing 757s on mostly transatlantic routes, like Newark to Edinburgh, or even further to Northern Italy and West Africa. The first A321XLR was delivered in June, and it's expected to enter service later this year.

While United did not disclose its exact strategy for blocking middle seats, the setup appears to kill two birds with one stone: it saves money by keeping flight attendant staffing to a minimum, and it's another way for United to potentially upsell incremental comfort upgrades amid booming premium demand.

Contrary to online theories, the spokesperson said the row will not be on United's new Airbus A321neo "Coastliner" subfleet, which has 161 seats and is set to exclusively operate premium transcontinental routes.

Save on labor and upsell economy

Federal regulations require United's A321XLRs to have one flight attendant per 50 certified seats, plus a fourth due to the complexity of the sliding doors in business class.

Just one extra seat would trigger a fifth and add labor costs. The spokesperson said there would be at least four flight attendants on the A321XLRs.

United also just signed a new labor contract with its flight attendant union in May that hiked pay by 31% and added boarding pay.

The airline may also see the regulatory workaround as an opportunity to further monetize its premium-heavy airplanes.

A fifth of the A321XLR's seats will be either Polaris lie-flat business class suites or premium economy, leaving a large pool of coach passengers that United can still upsell — in this case, for more elbow room.

The idea reflects a broader push by United to expand premium options "nose-to-tail" across the cabin.

The airline recently introduced two-person business-class "Studios" on its new Boeing 787-9s. It's also preparing to launch a "Rest Row" in coach, which is a row of three economy seats with legrests that convert into a bed-like surface.

A version of 'Eurobusiness'

For decades, European airlines like Lufthansa, Finnair, British Airways, and Air France have blocked the middle seat in rows at the front of the plane to create a distinct business class on short-haul flights.

"Eurobusiness" is not a true domestic first-class recliner like United or Delta offers, but the ticket usually includes free luggage, priority check-in and boarding, and lounge access.

European-style business class is not entirely new to US travelers. US airlines broadly adopted blocked middle seats during the pandemic for health and distancing reasons.

Spirit Airlines, before its collapse, experimented with blocked middle seats as part of a broader test of premium-economy-like cabins. Budget carrier Frontier Airlines started blocking middle seats in 2024 through its "UpFront Plus" product.

Frontier's SVP and chief commercial officer, Robert Schroeter, said in a May earnings call that the seat "drives quite a bit of benefit," adding that its revenue contribution for the airline has "increased significantly."

• Dan Ivascyn, CIO of PIMCO, advises against holding cash due to potential Fed rate cuts impacting yields.
• He says 5-year Treasury notes offer higher yields and potential price appreciation during growth shocks.
• PIMCO outlines the tweaks it's made to its bond portfolio in response.

Cash is usually seen as just about the least risky asset in the world of investing.

You put your money into ultra-short-duration fixed income vehicles like money market funds or 3-month Treasurys bills, collect yield, and take on virtually no duration risk.

But Dan Ivascyn, the chief investment officer at PIMCO, which manages $2.2 trillion, says there's heightened risk in holding cash right now — specifically, the risk that the Federal Reserve slashes rates and investors lose out on the more robust returns they could earn going a bit further out on the yield curve.

Instead, the best opportunity in the bond market right now is the 5-year Treasury note, Ivascyn said.

"The risk for a cash investor is that there's some unanticipated growth shock," Ivascyn said during a media roundtable at PIMCO's New York City offices on Thursday.

"You may be stuck over a five-year holding period where I thought I was getting a great four-ish percent cash return, all of a sudden it dropped to 2%, and I earn 2% the rest of the way," he added.

Going to a 5-year duration allows investors to lock in slightly higher yields — the 5-year Treasury currently yields about 4.2% annually — for a longer period, Ivascyn said.

In a growth-shock scenario where rates drop, 5-year Treasury investors would also presumably get the added benefit of their assets appreciating in price, as investors move to safehavens like bonds.

On the opposite side of the risk spectrum, however, is inflation. The further out on the yield curve one goes, the more rates become sensitive to inflation. When inflation rises, as it is now, investors tend to demand higher yields to compensate. That then decreases the value of the bond, making it so investors would have to sell at a loss if they needed the cash.

But Ivascyn said PIMCO's base-case view is that inflation remains in generally check over the next five years, as he expects deescalation in Iran, and disinflationary pressures from AI.

Ivascyn told Business Insider that while PIMCO was overweight the short end of the yield curve as of two or three years ago, the firms has steadily moved up its average duration, adding to their 10-, 20-, and 30-year allocations, while also buying Treasury inflation-protected securities (also known as TIPS) to hedge inflation risk.

• 1.5 million DoD personnel and employees are using the military's enterprise AI program, a senior official shared.
• GenAI.mil launched in December 2025 with roughly 80,000 daily users.
• The Trump administration has aggressively pushed AI tools and capabilities across the federal government.

The number of Department of Defense workers using the military's generative artificial intelligence platform has surged to 1.5 million, according to the Pentagon's chief technology officer.

The system, GenAI.mil, was seeing fewer than 100,000 users just six months ago. The growth in usage suggests more personnel are engaging with the platform to help with monotonous parts of their jobs as Pentagon leadership encourages the widespread use of GenAI.mil and other AI platforms across its workforce.

Emil Michael, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and the Pentagon's chief technology officer, revealed at a Hudson Institute think tank event last week, that when GenAI.mil was introduced in December 2025, it had only 80,000 out of 3.5 million department workers using it.

"It wasn't really clear where to go for it, what you could use it for, the rules were unclear, so we just blew through that," he said.

The Defense Department then launched Google's Gemini on its unclassified networks, and since then, the number of daily users has skyrocketed, Michael said.

When GenAI.mil was first launched, DoD said that the program would improve efficiency for workers, providing them with analysis and creative tools that would make their jobs easier. The Pentagon more broadly is adopting AI across the department for regular functions and warfighting, including requesting billions of dollars for next-generation AI and computers in the fiscal 2027 budget.

Michael attributed the substantial increase in GenAI.mil users over the past six months to the directives from the Pentagon on what AI can and should be used for, as well as DoD employees being exposed to AI outside of work.

"So we just put it in front of them, and then we do case studies on what are the things people are using it for," he said. "Those things are now proliferated through the department."

The types of tasks that DoD workers are using AI for are similar to those in other sectors. Michael referred to paperwork, explaining that the use of AI gives workers flexibility to focus on other tasks.

"More and more people are like, 'Oh my God, I could write a job description.' I mean, very simple things to more exquisite things," he said. "'I have to report to Congress every year on this thing. Let me load all the papers onto it and have it draft me a congressional report that would otherwise take 200 hours of staffing time and do it in five hours.'"

"It's just a matter of trying to catch up to, in this case, what's basic in the commercial world," he said.

Other officials have pointed to similar potential benefits of AI, believing the technology can reduce the cognitive load on workers, help complete tasks that would typically require more time and manpower, and act as a resource.

DoD is also exploring how AI can be used in and around combat. Officials have assured that the technology has guardrails and humans will remain in the loop while acknowledging that the speed of future warfare may require AI to help process data and make faster decisions.

• Rebecca Yarros announced that she is working on book four of the "Empyrean" series.
• The "Fourth Wing" author published book three, "Onyx Storm," in January 2025.
• The author has offered hints about how Violet Sorrengail's story will continue. Spoilers ahead.

Rebecca Yarros' next "Fourth Wing" novel is finally on its way.

It's been over a year since Yarros released "Onyx Storm," the third installment in her "Empyrean" series. It followed "Fourth Wing" and "Iron Flame," and tells the story of Violet Sorrengail's journey to become a dragon rider and fight forces of dark magic at Basgiath War College. The series is set to comprise five novels, all published by Entangled's fantasy imprint, Red Tower.

"Onyx Storm" — the fastest-selling adult novel released in 20 years — ended on a cliffhanger, so Yarros' readers have been clamoring to get their hands on the next romantasy novel in the series since the moment they finished book three.

And in a March 2026 Instagram post, Yarros said she's officially writing book four. She's been sharing updates on her progress since then, getting her fans even more excited for what's to come.

The rest of this article has spoilers for the "Empyrean" series.

Yarros started writing the fourth 'Empyrean' novel in March 2026

Yarros released the first three books in the "Empyrean" series in under two years. "Fourth Wing" came out in April 2023, "Iron Flame" was released in October 2023, and "Onyx Storm" hit shelves in January 2025.

Yarros made clear she wouldn't be writing book four at the same pace. Speaking at an engagement in Philadelphia on January 25, 2025, Yarros said she wouldn't commit to a release date, as she was planning to write a contemporary novel and spend time with her family first.

Yarros told Elle that she intended to rest before returning to writing in part because the amount of work she did in recent years wasn't good for her mentally or physically, as she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and POTS.

She kept her word, keeping largely quiet about book four for the rest of 2025. Then, on February 8, 2026, she shared on Instagram that she had started plotting, and on March 19, 2026, she posted a Reel to announce she had officially started writing the next "Empyrean" novel.

In the Reel, Yarros walks up to a board and writes "#4" at the top.

"And now that my latest contemporary novel is off to my editor, I'm back writing in the Empyrean world for the foreseeable future," Yarros captioned the post. "Let's ride."

The author has posted a few updates about her progress since then, most notably on June 13. She shared a short video clip on Instagram of an ocean view and said in her caption that she would be spending the summer writing at the beach.

"Our home is undergoing distractingly noisy work, which gives us the perfect excuse to pack up our kids and spend the summer on Deverelli time while I'm writing book 4," she said. Deverelli is an isle that Violet visits in "Onyx Storm," and it plays a key role in the book's plot.

"I've already got my desk set up here (pink binders and all), and I'll be spending these beautiful days with some riders you may know and their dragons," Yarros continued her caption. "I feel so lucky to have such a breathtaking view for inspiration while I'm writing!"

It will still be a while before the fourth "Empyrean" book hits bookshelves, but fans can rest assured she'll be focused on the novel in the coming months.

The fourth book will hopefully address unanswered questions from 'Onyx Storm'

Many fans are finding it particularly difficult to wait for the next "Empyrean" novel because of the ending of "Onyx Storm."

At the end of the book, Xaden used more of his venin power, giving into the dark side of his transition; another unnamed dragon rider turned venin; Andarna returned to Violet after her time away with the irids; and Violet woke up with a wedding ring and blessing of her marriage to Xaden from the goddess Dunne with no memory of the last 12 hours of her life. In the book's final line, her fellow rider Imogen reveals she used her signet power to wipe Violet's memory of the night — at her request.

Violet's brother, Brennan, also revealed that six dragon eggs and four riders, including Xaden and his best friend, Garrick Tavis, are missing.

Hopefully, the fourth book in the "Empyrean" series will reveal what happened between Violet and Xaden, where Xaden and the other missing riders are, the location of the missing eggs, what Andarna learned from her time with the irids, and how Xaden's additional use of his venin powers harmed his soul.

Likewise, Violet will likely still be searching for a cure to turning venin to bring Xaden back, but as his wife, she also becomes the Duchess of Tyrrendor. She will have new power and responsibility in his absence, and readers will have to wait to see how she balances her new role while developing her signets.

Yarros shared some clues for book four while promoting 'Onyx Storm'

Yarros went on an "Onyx Storm" book tour after the book's January 2025 release, offering some insight into the series' future as she connected with fans.

For instance, at an event in Los Angeles on January 21, 2025, Yarros said, "Someone you love won't make it in book four." That comment isn't that surprising, as beloved characters have died in each installment of the series. However, Yarros got more specific with her hints as her book tour continued.

At an event in St. Louis on January 31, 2025, Yarros shared that readers have more to discover about the isles Violet explores in "Onyx Storm." When host Lexi Ryan asked her why there was no map of the isles included in "Onyx Storm," Yarros said it "was deemed to be too spoilery" by her editorial team, suggesting Violet doesn't know all she will about the isles by the end of book three.

Then, speaking at an event in Denver on February 2, 2025, Yarros shared clues about who Xaden's new venin brother could be.

"I would pay attention to who's missing at the end," she said. "I would pay attention to someone who feels like whatever they have given is not enough, which is always the case when you turn venin."

Fans think Xaden's cousin Bodhi Durran, Garrick, or even Violet's brother Brennan could fit that description at the end of "Onyx Storm."

Yarros also discussed a plot device she uses that may have consequences for the series. After riders bond a dragon at threshing at Basgiath, the rider announces the dragon's name to the Scribes so it can be recorded. However, Yarros pointed out to fans that the dragons never speak their names directly to the Scribes. It's possible some riders don't share their real names or that dragons lie to their riders, which could help the children of rebels bond dragons their relatives previously bonded, giving them second signet powers. The potential for faux dragon identities could also have other ramifications for the series.

Speaking more on signet powers in Denver, Yarros said readers had only seen "like 10%" of Violet's dream-walking abilities, in part because others who developed the power would have been killed, making it difficult for Violet to learn how to use the signet.

"There's probably one person alive that can train her," Yarros said, though she gave no information about who that person is.

She also said Xaden's inntinnsic signet has only reached "like 50%" of its potential, so his abilities will likely grow in book four.

In addition, Yarros revealed at the Los Angeles Festival of Books in April 2025 that she has a title picked out for the fourth book, though she didn't say what it was.

Yarros offered more hints about the next 'Empyrean' novel in late 2025

On October 24, 2025, Yarros appeared at Romantasy Bookcon in Orlando, hosted by Fabled Fantasy Events. She spoke with the hosts of the "Fantasy Fangirls" podcast, Lexi Ayala and Nicole Holleman, about the "Empyrean" series, and Yarros offered hints and sneak peeks at book four.

For instance, Yarros discussed how the dramatic ending of "Onyx Storm" will impact the next book, telling Ayala and Holleman that readers will know what happened to Violet during her 12 missing hours by the novel's end.

Likewise, when the duo asked Yarros about a scene she was excited to write in the next "Empyrean" novel, she said, "I'm really excited to write the moment Violet realizes why Xaden married her. That I am pumped for."

Of course, Xaden loves Violet, but considering he had turned venin and the marriage would give Violet political power as the Duchess of Tyrrendor, there is likely more to their union than meets the eye.

Yarros also warned that readers "should really be prepared in book four to see Xaden enter his villain era," indicating his marriage to Violet won't stop him from going full venin in the next "Empyrean" novel.

The "Fantasy Fangirls" also asked Yarros if Imogen had been wiping Violet's memories at other times in the "Empyrean" series, which many readers had been wondering after the ending of "Onyx Storm." Rather than giving a direct answer, Yarros said, "I think it depends on what you believe of Imogen's character. What has Imogen shown you of her character? What has she told Violet about her signet?"

In the "Empyrean" series, readers only see Imogen wipe memories when Violet or Xaden specifically ask her to do so. However, much of the series is only told from Violet's limited perspective, so there may have been occasions when Imogen wiped people's memories without Violet's knowledge.

Likewise, Yarros addressed some of her readers' concerns surrounding Bodhi, as there is a contingent of "Empyrean" fans who think Xaden's cousin has feelings for Violet, saying, "Bodhi has a thing for what Xaden has. But he doesn't want to."

Her response indicates that Bodhi may be jealous of Xaden rather than in love with Violet. And considering he is one of the potential candidates to have turned venin at the end of "Onyx Storm," Yarros' response is particularly eyebrow-raising.

Yarros also gave some hints about the structure of the next book, telling Ayala and Holleman that she plans to offer multiple points of view in the narration of book four. She even specified that some portion of the book will be told from Sloane Mairi's perspective.

Finally, Yarros told readers to pay attention to the black dragons in the "Empyrean" series, encouraging them to ask themselves why there are so few black dragons in the world, adding that it's "very relevant" that two new baby black dragons hatched in "Iron Flame."

Hopefully, Yarros' clues can tide readers over until book four is published. In the meantime, they can read other romantasy novels to make the wait a bit more bearable.

• Air Force tankers have fallen short of readiness standards from 2019 to 2025, according to a new watchdog report.
• Reported problems include parts shortages, maintenance staffing gaps, and insufficient infrastructure.
• Military demand for aerial refueling has surged during recent major combat operations.

The US Air Force's aerial refueling tanker fleet has fallen short of its readiness goals every year since 2019, a government watchdog found, raising new concerns about a critical part of the US military's airpower.

According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the Air Force's aging KC-135 Stratotanker and newer KC-46A Pegasus tanker fleets did not meet availability and mission-capable standards from fiscal year 2019 through fiscal year 2025.

Despite having identified "sustainment risks" for the fleet, the Air Force "has not comprehensively assessed these risks or developed a plan to mitigate them," the GAO report said. Those risks included shortages of critical repair parts, a lack of personnel to maintain the aircraft, and "infrastructure limitations."

The report noted that the service has taken some steps to remedy those failures but lacks a comprehensive plan to prevent more breakdowns.

Specific "annual availability" figures and "mission-capable rates" for the tanker aircraft were not included in the report; the Pentagon said those rates were too sensitive for public release.

Tankers effectively serve as flying gas stations for other military aircraft, extending their reach. They refuel planes like fighter jets and bombers, which are sometimes tasked with long missions exceeding the capacity of their own fuel tanks, forcing them to depend on tankers to stay in the air.

The report's findings come as the military has relied extensively on tankers and their skilled crews for last year's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, a major January raid into Venezuela to remove the country's president, and throughout the war in Iran.

Award citations for half a dozen fighter jet pilots who flew in support of the 2025 Midnight Hammer strikes said that they returned home "critically low" on fuel after encountering an "aerial refueling fallout" early on in the mission.

During the later war with Iran, tankers crucially supported intense combat air operations. Refueling aircraft were damaged amid exchanges of fire, and six US service members were killed in March when their KC-135 Air Force tanker crashed while flying over Iraq.

The KC-135 tanker carries more than 212,000 pounds of fuel, while the KC-46A carries slightly less, at 200,000 pounds. They're a critical component of American airpower facing readiness problems compounded by incomplete data, the report said.

The air service tracks aircraft availability and readiness rates, but those metrics aren't detailed enough to specify whether a tanker that can fly can actually conduct its most important job — refueling. Tankers can be counted as "mission capable" as long as the plane can perform at least one assigned mission, and that isn't necessarily refueling another aircraft.

The service's KC-135 fleet is growing old. The aircraft first entered service in the 1950s, and new problems arise as the fleet ages. Meanwhile, the newer KC-46A has been plagued by years of production delays and operational challenges, including problems with its refueling boom, which transfers fuel to receiving aircraft, and its remote vision system, a sort of rear-view camera.

The GAO report authors noted that earlier this year, Air Force officials identified "critical deficiencies" with KC-46A systems and more concerns related to manufacturer Boeing's "quality control procedures," citing problems with "frequently failing electrical components on the boom, sensors that do not perform accurately, airframe cracks, and other structural issues."

Military aircraft experts have previously raised concerns about tanker readiness. The refueling problems described in the fighter jet award citations point to a problem the Air Force is "whistling past the graveyard on," John Venable, a retired Air Force pilot and senior fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Business Insider last month.

It's unlikely the Air Force could support a major contingency operation based on the current status of its tankers, Venable said. "It's a very complicated situation," he said, but ultimately, "the Air Force does not have enough tankers," or repair parts, "to be ready for a major fight."

"The tanker fleet remains a cornerstone of US power projection, actively delivering vital refueling support around the globe," an Air Force spokesperson said in response to a Business Insider query on the GAO report's findings.

"The Air Force," they said, "concurred with the report's recommendations and is aggressively working to resolve readiness challenges so our tankers can continue to provide critical support to the warfighter."

• First lady Melania Trump has appeared at numerous White House events in recent months.
• The first lady released a documentary, "Melania," in January.
• She continues to promote her Fostering the Future and Presidential AI challenge initiatives.

Melania Trump has been known as an enigmatic first lady since President Donald Trump's first term, but her public appearances and outfit choices can provide a window into her approach to the role.

Ahead of the 2025 inauguration, Melania Trump told Fox News that she planned to divide her time between the White House, Trump Tower in New York City, and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

This schedule has, at times, made her an infrequent White House presence. However, she has attended numerous events in recent months, such as the premiere of her "Melania" documentary, King Charles and Queen Camilla's state visit, and appearances promoting her Fostering the Future and Presidential AI Challenge initiatives.

Melania Trump's muted fashion choices could also indicate a more guarded approach to the role of first lady. At White House events, she has largely appeared wearing suits and neutral basics in black, beige, cream, and gray. It's a departure from the bold outfits she often chose during Donald Trump's first term.

A spokesperson for the Office of the First Lady declined to comment.

Take a look at the first lady's White House activities and appearances thus far.

January 20, 2025: Melania Trump attended the inauguration.

Melania Trump held the Bible as Donald Trump was sworn in for his second non-consecutive term, and the couple danced together at several inaugural balls later that evening.

For the swearing-in ceremony, Melania Trump wore a navy coat and skirt by Adam Lippes, an American designer. She accessorized with a matching wide-brimmed hat by Eric Javits.

Her black-and-white inaugural gown was designed by Hervé Pierre.

January 21, 2025: The president and first lady joined Vice President JD Vance and Usha Vance at the National Day of Prayer Service.

The service, the last of Donald Trump's inaugural events, was held at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

January 24, 2025: Melania Trump and Donald Trump visited California and North Carolina to survey damage caused by natural disasters.

Melania Trump joined Donald Trump to visit Los Angeles in the aftermath of multiple wildfires and neighborhoods in North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Together, they met with first responders and residents who had lost their homes and businesses. Melania Trump was photographed hugging and shaking hands with those affected by the natural disasters.

February 22, 2025: Donald Trump and Melania Trump hosted the National Governors Association dinner at the White House.

Melania Trump wore a black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo, similar to the outfit she chose for her official White House portrait, while posing for photos with governors from across the US.

Donald Trump thanked Melania Trump in his speech, saying that she "made the evening beautiful."

March 3, 2025: She participated in a roundtable discussion on the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act targeting revenge porn.

"TAKE IT DOWN" is an acronym for "Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks."

The act criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes, and requires websites to remove them.

"Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themself freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm," Melania Trump said in her opening remarks.

She wore a tan three-piece suit by Ralph Lauren with a black tie.

March 4, 2025: Melania Trump attended Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress.

The first lady's guests included the families of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was fatally shot during an assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and Laken Riley, who was killed by a man who had entered the US illegally.

Melania Trump wore a gray skirt suit by Dior.

April 1, 2025: She attended the International Women of Courage Awards.

Melania Trump, joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, presented awards to several notable women in a ceremony held at the State Department. She wore a leopard-print coat designed by Milly Park.

"These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world," she said in her remarks at the event. "Their journeys remind us that true courage is born from a deep commitment to others, showing that love fuels the call for justice."

April 2, 2025: She spoke at the annual Congressional Club's First Lady's Luncheon.

"Our community flourishes when we unite to uplift our children and equip them to turn dreams into reality," she said in her speech.

April 21, 2025: She appeared alongside Donald Trump at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

Melania Trump read the book "Bunny with a Big Heart" to a group of children at the event while wearing a cream Mackage trench coat.

April 25, 2025: Donald Trump and Melania Trump departed the White House together to travel to Pope Francis' funeral.

The president and first lady were among several world leaders who attended the late pope's funeral in Vatican City.

May 8, 2025: She hosted an event for military mothers and unveiled a US postage stamp honoring Barbara Bush at the White House.

"I applaud Mrs. Bush's mark defending our society's vital need for women across all avenues, whether CEO or homemaker," Melania Trump said at the unveiling. "We have, can, and will build better families and run innovative businesses at the same time, ultimately shaping a brighter future."

She wore a white suit jacket paired with a black pencil skirt.

May 19, 2025: Melania Trump spoke at the signing ceremony for the "TAKE IT DOWN" Act in the Rose Garden.

The bill, which was first presented to Congress in 2024 before Donald Trump took office, received widespread bipartisan support.

"Artificial intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation: sweet, addictive, and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children," Melania Trump said in her remarks at the signing ceremony.

The first lady wore a gray Prada suit for the event.

May 20, 2025: Melania Trump hosted a Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day event for children in the Kennedy Garden.

The first lady greeted the children of White House staffers as they participated in an arts-and-crafts activity.

"It is always special to see children's creativity and spirit on display, especially here at the White House where so many hardworking men and women support the success of our nation every day," she said in a White House statement.

She wore a white Dolce & Gabbana button-down shirt and a patterned skirt by Michael Kors.

May 21, 2025: She spoke at the Senate Spouses Luncheon held at the National Gallery of Art.

Melania Trump, wearing a white skirt suit, spoke about her Be Best platform, which focuses on children's well-being, and her Fostering the Future initiative, which supports children transitioning out of foster care.

"Together, we will uplift and empower our children, ensuring they have the support needed to thrive," the first lady wrote in a post on X. "Let's continue this vital mission and inspire a brighter future for all!"

June 11, 2025: She accompanied Donald Trump to the opening night of "Les Misérables" at the Kennedy Center.

Melania Trump wore a black midi dress designed by Bottega Veneta, while Donald Trump wore a black tuxedo.

Second lady Usha Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s wife Cheryl Hines wore midi dresses similar to Melania Trump's.

June 12, 2025: She greeted attendees at the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House.

Melania Trump shook hands and took selfies with members of Congress and their families at the annual White House event. She paired a basic white shirt with vibrant floral pants by Dolce & Gabbana.

June 14, 2025: Melania Trump attended the US Army's 250th anniversary parade alongside Donald Trump.

The military parade featured 150 Army vehicles, 50 aircraft, and around 6,600 troops in uniform making their way down Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, to mark the US Army's historic anniversary. June 14 was also Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Melania Trump escorted Donald Trump onstage for his remarks at the event, but did not issue any statement of her own. She wore a pinstriped ivory skirt suit by Adam Lippes.

July 3, 2025: She visited Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, ahead of July Fourth.

After arriving at the hospital carrying toys for children, the first lady chatted with patients, took part in July Fourth-themed crafts, and visited the hospital's healing garden, which features a rose bush from the White House.

July 4, 2025: Melania Trump appeared beside her husband at Fourth of July events at the White House.

The first couple watched the July Fourth fireworks display from the White House. They also hosted a military family picnic on the South Lawn earlier in the day.

Also that day, Donald Trump signed his tax and spending bill, which he dubbed his "Big Beautiful Bill," after it was passed by the House of Representatives on July 3.

She wore a white shirtdress by Thom Browne.

July 11, 2025: The president and first lady visited central Texas towns devastated by flash flooding.

The first couple visited Texas a week after the Guadalupe River in Kerr County rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes as rain battered the region, leaving more than 130 dead. The Trumps met with families of victims, first responders, and local officials.

"It's a horrible thing, it's a horrible thing," Donald Trump told the press as he departed the White House on July 11. "Nobody can even believe it — that much water that fast."

At a press conference in Texas, Melania Trump said, "My deepest sympathy to all of the parents who lost beautiful young souls — deepest sympathy from all of us to the community, to everybody who lost a loved one. We are grieving with you. Our nation is grieving with you."

July 13, 2025: They attended the FIFA Club World Cup final, which Melania Trump watched from behind a striking pair of Dior sunglasses.

Donald Trump and Melania Trump watched Chelsea defeat Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Donald Trump, who received both cheers and boos at the game, called it "a great match."

Melania Trump watched the game from behind her bright-white Dior sunglasses, which resembled the Vuarnet glasses worn by Sam Altman at Sun Valley just days earlier. She wore them with a black-and-white Michael Kors outfit.

September 4, 2025: Melania Trump attended a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education.

The task force was created in April as part of Donald Trump's executive order, "Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education For American Youth."

"Our future is no longer science fiction," Melania Trump said at the meeting. "During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children — empowering, but with watchful guidance."

The first lady wore a gray striped suit with a white shirt and belt.

September 4, 2025: After her task force meeting, she joined Donald Trump for a White House dinner with tech and business leaders.

The guest list included Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Tim Cook among over a dozen tech and AI executives. Elon Musk was not in attendance, though he sent a representative to the event.

During the dinner, Altman called Donald Trump a "pro-business, pro-innovation president," and Cook thanked the president for "helping companies around the world" and the first lady for "focusing on education."

Melania Trump changed into a black outfit for the gathering.

September 11, 2025: The president and first lady attended a ceremony at the Pentagon on the 24th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

They observed a moment of silence in memory of those who were killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

September 16, 2025: She joined Donald Trump on a state visit to the UK.

Donald Trump and Melania Trump disembarked from Air Force One at London Stansted Airport and were greeted by British soldiers and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

September 17, 2025: They received a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

A horse-drawn carriage ride transported them to Windsor Castle, where troops were assembled in a Guard of Honor. Afterward, they viewed items from the Royal Collection and toured St George's Chapel.

Melania Trump accessorized her Dior skirt suit with a purple hat that matched Donald Trump's tie.

September 17, 2025: Later that evening, Melania Trump wore a yellow Carolina Herrera gown to a state banquet at St George's Hall.

Donald Trump was escorted into dinner by King Charles, and Queen Camilla entered with Melania Trump.

September 18, 2025: Charles and Camilla said farewell to Donald Trump and Melania Trump on the final day of their state visit.

"He's a great gentleman and a great king," Donald Trump said of Charles after their formal goodbye at Windsor Castle.

September 18, 2025: Melania Trump visited Queen Mary's Dolls' House with Queen Camilla and Frogmore Gardens with Kate Middleton.

Melania Trump changed from a tan skirt suit to a tan jacket and cream slacks, which were better suited for playing lawn games with children from the Scouts' Squirrels program at Frogmore Gardens.

September 23, 2025: The first lady launched a new project at the United Nations General Assembly.

Back in the US, Melania Trump launched a global coalition called "Fostering the Future Together" dedicated to "enhancing the well-being of children through the promotion of education, innovation, and technology," the White House said.

October 5, 2025: She joined Donald Trump to mark the Navy's 250th anniversary.

The president and first lady greeted sailors and observed demonstrations during a visit to the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in Norfolk, Virginia.

October 10, 2025: Melania Trump spoke about her connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin that helped reunite displaced children.

Melania Trump wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in August, urging him to end the war in Ukraine to restore the "melodic laughter" of children displaced by the conflict.

In October, she announced that her "open channel of communication" with Putin had helped reunite eight Ukrainian children with their families.

October 30, 2025: The president and first lady handed out candy at the White House for Halloween.

Neither dressed up in a Halloween costume — Donald Trump wore one of his signature red hats, and Melania Trump wore a brown coat with orange trim by Marni.

November 13, 2025: Melania Trump launched a new "Fostering the Future" initiative.

In the East Room of the White House, Trump signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the foster care system as part of Melania Trump's new "Fostering the Future" initiative.

The program, an extension of the first lady's "Be Best" initiative, aims to enhance opportunities for young people in foster care, including connecting them with educational and employment resources.

"This Executive Order, 'Fostering the Future for American Children and Families, ' gives me tremendous pride," Melania Trump wrote on X. "It is both empathetic and strategic. It will certainly be impactful."

November 18, 2025: Melania Trump and the president welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to a state dinner.

The couple welcomed the prince, who had met with Trump earlier in the day, to a state dinner at the White House.

The first lady wore a floor-length Elie Saab gown in what The New York Times dubbed "Saudi green," noting it was a similar hue to the green of Saudi Arabia's flag.

November 19, 2025: Usha Vance joined her while visiting military families and schools in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Melania Trump and Usha Vance stopped by DeLalio Elementary School on the Marine Corps Air Station New River, part of the Camp Lejeune Community Schools system.

November 24, 2025: Melania Trump welcomed the Official White House Christmas Tree.

The Official White House Christmas tree, an 18-foot concolor fir from Sidney, Michigan, was displayed in the Blue Room as part of the first lady's White House Christmas decorations.

Melania Trump wore a cream Christian Dior coat with red gloves and Manolo Blahnik heels in holiday plaid.

November 25, 2025: The president and first lady pardoned a turkey in the Rose Garden.

Donald Trump pardoned two turkeys named Gobble and Waddle. Melania Trump stood beside him in a brown tweed skirt by Ralph Lauren and a matching bomber jacket by Anine Bing.

November 30, 2025: After spending Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump and Melania Trump returned to the White House.

The first lady arrived on the White House lawn in an olive Burberry coat and sunglasses.

December 1, 2025: Melania Trump and Usha Vance made another joint appearance, this time at an American Red Cross holiday event.

Melania Trump and Usha Vance wrote holiday cards and assembled care packages for deployed US military service members at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

The first lady's wool shirt jacket and turtleneck were both by Ralph Lauren. She also wore brown skinny jeans and knee-high boots by Christian Louboutin.

December 4, 2025: Melania Trump and Donald Trump attended the National Christmas Tree lighting on the White House Ellipse.

Melania Trump wore a white Chanel coat as she performed the honors, pressing the button to illuminate the 32-foot-tall red spruce.

December 5, 2025: Melania Trump read the book "How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?" at a Children's National Hospital holiday event.

It was a busy day for the first lady. Later that night, she also welcomed singer Andrea Bocelli to the White House and attended the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

December 7, 2025: The president and first lady walked the red carpet at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors.

Melania Trump's black Givenchy gown may have been a nod to LVMH, the conglomerate that owns Givenchy as well as Tiffany, which designed the new Kennedy Center medallions awarded to honorees.

December 8, 2025: She was joined by Santa Claus at a Toys for Tots charity drive at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The first lady wore a white coat by Proenza Schouler as she greeted military families and supporters of Toys for Tots.

"This Christmas season, you, your friends, and your families should wish for the ultimate gift — love," she said in her remarks at the event. "After all, love travels further than Santa's sleigh and America's Ospreys."

December 11, 2025: Melania Trump spoke at the Congressional Ball held at the White House.

Wearing a Dolce & Gabbana suit with a black lace top, Melania Trump thanked legislators for their "overwhelmingly bipartisan support" for the Take It Down Act.

December 12, 2025: The president and first lady hosted a holiday reception at the White House.

Melania Trump wore a white skirt suit, while Donald Trump wore his signature red tie.

December 24, 2025: On Christmas Eve, Donald and Melania Trump called US service members and spoke to children while participating in the NORAD Santa Tracker.

The president and first lady spent Christmas at Mar-a-Lago, which has often functioned as Donald Trump's "winter White House."

On Christmas Eve, they called US service members to wish them a merry Christmas and fielded calls from children while tracking Santa Claus with the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The first lady wore a black Valentino dress with embroidered sleeves and black Christian Louboutin heels.

December 31, 2025: Melania Trump wore sparkles to Mar-a-Lago's annual New Year's Eve party.

Melania Trump's silver sequined dress was designed by The New Arrivals.

January 28, 2026: Melania Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange while promoting her documentary, "Melania."

"Superior storytelling drives culture, and in turn, moves markets," the first lady said in her remarks. "In the near future, cultural influence will matter as much as economic power."

She wore a black coat dress with a leather belt.

January 29, 2026: After holding a private White House screening, Melania Trump attended the world premiere of her documentary at the Kennedy Center.

She walked the red carpet wearing a black Dolce & Gabbana skirt suit alongside Donald Trump.

February 4, 2026: The first lady met with freed Israeli hostages Aviva Siegel, who appeared in "Melania," and Keith Siegel.

Aviva Siegel was held hostage in Gaza by Hamas for 51 days and freed as part of a temporary ceasefire brokered by the Biden administration. She previously met with Melania Trump while her husband, Keith Siegel, was still held in Gaza, in a scene featured in the "Melania" documentary. Keith Siegel was eventually freed after 484 days, and a title card at the end of the film notes that Melania Trump "played a key role" in securing his release.

When a reporter asked Melania Trump if it was appropriate to promote her documentary at a White House event, she responded that meeting with the Siegels was "not promotion."

"We are here celebrating the release of the hostages, of Aviva and Keith," she said. "They were in Washington, DC, and they called me. They said they would like to come over to thank me and to give hugs, and that's why we are here. It's nothing to do with promotion."

The first lady wore a black suit with a white button-down shirt.

February 11, 2026: Melania Trump participated in Valentine's Day craft projects at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.

Ahead of Valentine's Day, Melania Trump visited children receiving medical treatment at the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She wore a khaki dress with a red belt.

February 13, 2026: The president and first lady visited troops at an Army base the day before Valentine's Day in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

"Love letters have symbolized the union of patriotism and family devotion among our soldiers for 250 years," Melania Trump said at the event. "The harmony of love of country and love of family is what makes us uniquely American. It is this very balance which strengthens our military and builds our communities."

The first lady wore a tan wool Dolce & Gabbana coat with red leather boots from Vivian.

February 20, 2026: She donated her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, as is traditional for first ladies.

Melania Trump is the first non-consecutive first lady to donate an inaugural gown to the Smithsonian for a second time.

Her gown was designed by Hervé Pierre and paired with a reproduction of a 1955 diamond brooch by Harry Winston.

"Human nature resides in the discipline of detail," Melania Trump said in her speech at the museum. "Everything is in the detail. It's a testament as to why America's fashion industry can lead the rest of the world."

February 21, 2026: She accompanied Donald Trump at a White House dinner with state governors.

Donald Trump invited only Republican governors to the dinner, which was held in the East Room.

Melania Trump wore a black blouse with metallic pants from Dolce & Gabbana.

February 24, 2026: Melania Trump presented the Medal of Honor to a veteran at the State of the Union.

Captain E. Royce Williams, 100, was part of the longest aerial engagement in the Navy's history during the Korean War, a battle kept classified for decades due to Soviet involvement.

Melania Trump wore a charcoal Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit.

March 2, 2026: Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting.

Melania Trump became the first sitting first lady to preside over the UN Security Council, where she spoke about the importance of children's safety and education around the world.

"Security Council members, I encourage you to pledge to safeguard learning in our communities and promote access to heightened education for all," she said in her remarks. "I implore you to build a future generation of leaders who embrace peace through education."

The first lady wore a gray skirt suit cinched with a black belt.

March 7, 2026: The president and first lady attended the dignified transfer of six US soldiers who were killed in the Middle East.

Melania Trump wore an all-black ensemble as the soldiers' remains were returned to the US at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

March 12, 2026: Melania Trump appeared at a White House Women's History Month event with Donald Trump.

"To all of the young women, entrepreneurs, and future leaders: make time for yourself," Melania Trump said in her speech. "Educate yourself daily and spread your passion. Be courageous and take risks. Advance your profession through inspiration. Be a bold chief executive while keeping your family, if you choose so, at the center of your nation's future."

Melania Trump wore a black crewneck sweater with a leopard-print skirt.

March 24, 2026: She spoke on the first day of the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit.

The event, attended by the spouses of 38 world leaders, focused on children's well-being across education, innovation, and technology.

"This room is filled with extraordinary human capital," Melania Trump said. "Leaders: harness it to elevate your children, to empower your people, and to accelerate your economies."

Melania Trump wore a gray Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit.

March 25, 2026: On the second day of the summit, she held a roundtable at the White House with eight spouses of world leaders.

In attendance were Brigitte Macron of France, Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco, Sheikha Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, Marta Nawrocka of Poland, Maricel Cohen de Mulino of Panama, Fatima Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Gertrude Mutharika of Malawi, and Prindon Sadriu of Kosovo.

Melania Trump wore a white suit.

March 31, 2026: The president and first lady attended the opening night of "Chicago" at the Kennedy Center.

Melania Trump wore a flapper-inspired white fringe dress designed by Michael Kors.

April 6, 2026: Melania Trump read a book to children at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Melania Trump read "The Runaway Bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown. She wore a navy blazer and white shirt by Ralph Lauren, and white slacks by Dolce & Gabbana.

April 9, 2026: Melania Trump gave a statement dispelling reports of her ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Melania Trump said that Epstein did not introduce her to Donald Trump, that she "never had a relationship" with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, and that she was "not Epstein's victim" and had no knowledge of his abuse.

"The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said.

April 13, 2026: Donald Trump and Melania Trump greeted King Willem-Alexander and Queen Màxima of the Netherlands at the White House.

Melania Trump wore a black-and-white Erdem gown to greet the Dutch royals, who visited the White House as part of a three-day trip to the US.

April 15, 2026: Melania Trump spoke at a roundtable discussion about the foster care system with the House Ways and Means Committee.

Melania Trump advocated for legislation related to "housing instability, educational advocacy, financial barriers, transportation, continuity, access to technology, and other related issues" in the foster care system.

She wore a beige pantsuit.

April 23, 2026: She was joined by Usha Vance at the annual First Lady's Luncheon.

The bipartisan event is hosted each year by The Congressional Club Museum and Foundation.

Melania Trump wore an ivory Dior jacket with a black Dolce & Gabbana pencil skirt.

April 25, 2026: Melania Trump appeared alongside Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner before a shooting cut the event short.

The president, first lady, and other high-ranking administration officials were rushed out of the Washington Hilton ballroom by Secret Service members when shots were heard in the lobby during the dinner.

A suspect was charged with attempted assassination of the president in what is the third known attempt on Donald Trump's life.

Melania Trump later reappeared with Donald Trump in the White House Briefing Room, still wearing her black Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo dress.

April 27, 2026: Donald Trump and Melania Trump welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla to the White House for a state visit.

On the first day of the royal visit, the Trumps shared afternoon tea with the king and queen and showed them the new White House beehive. Melania Trump wore a butter-yellow skirt suit by Adam Lippes.

April 28, 2026: The royal visit continued with a state arrival ceremony at the White House, where Melania Trump and Queen Camilla wore similar looks.

The first lady wore a white Ralph Lauren skirt suit with a straw hat, while Queen Camilla wore a mint-green Fiona Clare coatdress with a wide-brimmed hat and a diamond brooch that belonged to Queen Elizabeth.

April 28, 2026: Later that night, the White House hosted a state dinner in the royals' honor.

Melania Trump's pale-pink Christian Dior gown coordinated with Camilla's fuchsia Fiona Clare dress.

April 20, 2026: Donald Trump and Melania Trump bid farewell to the king and queen at the South Portico of the White House.

Melania Trump wore a charcoal gray suit from Dior, while Donald Trump's blue tie matched Camilla's pleated Anna Valentine dress.

May 6, 2026: Melania Trump introduced Donald Trump's speech at a Mother's Day event for military mothers.

In her remarks, Melania Trump called mothers "the soul of our nation."

"This is a time of military conflict for America," she said. "And whereby we honor our selfless and valiant Service Members regularly, today is the day we hold their mothers in the highest regard."

May 19, 2026: Melania Trump joined her husband at the annual Congressional Picnic.

The first lady wore a pink floral Valentino jumpsuit as she greeted lawmakers on the South Lawn of the White House.

June 9, 2026: Melania Trump hosted the Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge National Champion Awards Ceremony.

Melania Trump presented awards to six student teams that placed as finalists of the Presidential AI Challenge. The student groups used AI to develop models, including a "Homework Helper" and a "Friendzone Chatbot Bullying Prevention App."

"Today is about opening doors," she said in her speech. "When new doors open, passions flow, courage blossoms, and dreams are realized. AI inspires."

She wore a Dolce & Gabbana pinstripe suit.

June 11, 2026: She appeared at the US Treasury Department to launch Fostering the Future Accounts.

As part of her Fostering the Future initiative, Melania Trump expanded access to Trump accounts — investment accounts for children supported by the US Treasury with a one-time $1,000 deposit — to support foster youth.

She wore a black Dolce & Gabbana blazer, a white skirt by Adam Lippes, and white Christian Louboutin heels.

June 15, 2026: Melania Trump accompanied Donald Trump to UFC Freedom 250.

Donald Trump held a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches at the White House in honor of his 80th birthday and America's 250th anniversary. The UFC Freedom 250 event was hosted in a temporary 4,000-seat arena built on the South Lawn of the White House.

Melania Trump attended the event wearing a black leather jacket and a black dress, both from Dolce & Gabbana.

• SpaceX climbed 19% in its stock-trading debut.
• Demand was strong, particularly from retail investors.
• After talking to a handful of institutional and retail traders, BI found a divided investor base.

As I was watching SpaceX's IPO debut, I couldn't help but get some flashbacks to a young LeBron James.

When LeBron entered the NBA at age 18, he was already anointed as the next big thing. This was the player who was going to challenge Michael Jordan as the basketball GOAT. And guess what … it's played out exactly like that. He lived up to — and even exceeded — every last expectation. Any haters were quieted almost immediately.

Fast-forward to SpaceX on Friday. It came in with all the hype in the world, touting far-flung ambitions of colonizing Mars. It wasn't profitable, but it had enough investor interest to help it debut as one of the 10 most valuable companies on earth. There was skepticism too, largely around the company's decision to cut in retail investors to such a large degree, as well as its eye-watering valuation.

Across an admittedly small sample size of one day, SpaceX — like LeBron before it — handily lived up to astronomical expectations. Yes, the indicated open price slid throughout the morning before the stock debuted 11% higher. But over the course of a couple hours, the shares extended gains to an intraday high of 31%. SpaceX ultimately closed with a 19% first-day gain.

Investing in SpaceX — like everything related to Elon Musk — is a polarizing prospect. The passion swings in both directions. Immediately after the first SpaceX trades, the BI markets team went looking for investor reactions, from both retail and institutional perspectives. Here's what we found:

Retail

Positive

• "Despite all odds, I have a feeling this is going to be great trade for those successful in getting IPO allocation because there is every incentive for this to go well." — Noor Al, WallStreetBets moderator
• "I see no downside in investing in a monopoly which SpaceX currently has on rockets … The untapped market of data centers in space, they aint going away anytime soon and I would much rather see them orbiting earth than sucking up resources here on earth." — retail trader Casey Dyer

Negative

• "Honestly, many of us wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole but we're here to see if this is the Hindenburg we think it'll be." — Reddit user msnrcn
• "The retail play is to hope that the Elon stans have enough dry powder to bail out the original investors and give retail a nice profit while smiling knowing they will make a fortune once data centers in space are operational." — Reddit user Dangerous-Quality-79

Institutional

Positive

• "The IPO signals that markets are ready for equity-funded AI capex, which is important given the upcoming wave of mega-IPOs." — Alexander Lis, CIO of SDV
• "The stock's strong opening reflects genuine market enthusiasm for the company's technological leadership and Starlink's growing recurring revenue." — Mike Alves, fund manager at VIDA Vision Fund, a private investor in SpaceX

Negative

• "At current trading levels, however, the valuation appears stretched relative to near-term profitability." — Mike Alves, continued
• "The AI story has sucked all of the oxygen out of the room and has become the only story, and I think this IPO is capitalizing on that … I don't think this thing just keeps going up and to the right … I think we'll start seeing things start to come back down to earth to some extent." — Scott Bickley, advisory fellow at Info-Tech Research Group

• The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973 on Saturday.
• It's been a long 53 years for long-suffering New Yorkers.
• Here's what the Big Apple was like the last time the Knicks were world champs.

Cue the Frank Sinatra song — New Yorkers are on top of the world this week.

After a 53-year-long drought, the New York Knicks are finally able to bring the Larry O'Brien championship trophy to New York City and celebrate with their loyal fans, who haven't given up in more than half a century.

Here's what life was like in New York City the last time the New York Knickerbockers were world champs.

The last time the New York Knicks won an NBA championship was in 1973. Here's the team celebrating their win at City Hall.

Knicks champs Jerry Lucas, Willis Reed, and Bill Bradley celebrated at the airport, too.

There was no ticker-tape parade because the then-mayor, John V. Lindsay, wanted to cut costs and avoid disruptions, calling for smaller celebrations instead.

It was a big year for New York City. The World Trade Center was officially dedicated in April 1973.

The year 1973 was the Year of the Ox. There were street celebrations, much like today.

Source: Lower East Side History Project

Here's what Coney Island looked like that summer. It remained popular throughout the 1970s, despite the city's financial crises.

Just like they do today, kids flocked to the carnival games, but they cost 50 cents back then, not $3.

The subway was a little worse for wear in 1973, with many cars covered in graffiti.

One ride cost 35 cents. Now, a subway ride is $3.

The Knicks weren't the only sports story out of NYC in '73. Secretariat completed his historic Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes near Queens.

Also in 1973, the New York Mets reached the World Series in October, despite being in last place in August.

The Knicks played at Madison Square Garden, an iconic venue. In July 1973, rock legends Led Zeppelin recorded a concert film there.

John Lennon was also spotted walking around the city, where he lived until his death in 1980.

While a lot has changed in the city, some things remain the same.

One thing that has remained the same in 53 years? New Yorkers love the Knicks.

• Melania Trump's style has been closely watched since she became first lady.
• Her best first lady looks mix her personal style with a professional edge.
• Melania Trump has also worn some controversial outfits over the years.

Melania Trump has been quietly reinventing her style in her second tenure as first lady.

Since she returned to the White House in 2025, she has largely struck a more subdued tone in her attire than when President Donald Trump first took office in 2017, though she still switches it up from time to time.

Since becoming first lady, Melania Trump's style has often drawn attention, with some of her outfits proving controversial.

Take a look at some of the best and worst looks she's worn during Donald Trump's presidency.

Melania Trump paid homage to Jackie Kennedy when she debuted as first lady.

Ralph Lauren Collection designed the knee-length, powder-blue dress Melania wore to Trump's inauguration in 2017, along with the coordinating shrug and gloves.

She accessorized the outfit with pearl earrings and blue, pointed-toe heels.

The full ensemble evoked Jackie Kennedy's style. From the bright color to the nod to one of America's most iconic first ladies, Melania's look was the perfect choice for her husband's first inauguration.

Her custom gown for the 2017 inaugural balls featured standout three-dimensional detailing.

Hervé Pierre custom-designed Melania's off-the-shoulder dress for the inaugural ball.

The cream dress had an A-line silhouette, a thigh-high slit on one side, and three-dimensional fabric that curved across the bodice. A thin red belt cinched at the waist for a pop of color.

The dress felt high-fashion, connecting the first lady to her past as a model as she stepped into a new role.

Melania's outfit for a visit to Texas in August 2017 got attention online.

In August 2017, the Trumps visited Corpus Christi, Texas, following Hurricane Harvey to assess recovery efforts.

The pair wore casual attire, with Melania arriving in a white button-down, black jeans, and sneakers. She also added a black baseball hat to her look that said "FLOTUS," first lady of the United States, on the front.

Melania's outfit quickly became a source of social-media chatter. Some said her hat called attention to her in the wake of the natural disaster, while others praised her casual outfit.

Her suit for a Canadian state visit in October 2017 was more fitting for the occasion.

When greeting Justin and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at the White House in October 2017, Melania wore a gray pinstripe suit instead of a dress.

The suit featured high-waisted pants, and she paired it with a white button-down and an untied black tie. The outfit was unexpected for a first lady, offering a fun style moment.

The president and first lady had a rare matching moment in April 2018, wearing coordinating striped looks.

In April 2018, the Trumps hosted Japan's prime minister at the time, Shinzo Abe, and his wife, Akie Abe, at Mar-a-Lago, during which the first lady wore an off-the-shoulder dress from Carolina Herrera.

The dress was covered in black and white stripes, with thicker black stripes on the bodice and the pattern reversed on the midi-length skirt.

She added white heels to her look, and Trump wore a navy-and-white striped tie that matched his wife's. The coordinating outfits were an atypical but welcome choice for the couple.

The same month, Melania stunned in a black minidress and coordinating coat.

Melania greeted President Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte, in a black minidress and black pumps at the White House.

The standout feature of her outfit was a Givenchy tuxedo cape, which added a flair of personality to the otherwise simple look.

The semi-sheer dress she wore to a state dinner for the Macrons during the same trip was a little too busy.

The first lady changed into a silver Chanel dress for the dinner.

Most of the form-fitting dress was covered in textured fabric, while the top of the bodice and bottom of the skirt were made of a sheer, black fabric adorned with silver embellishments.

The fabrics didn't blend well, making the dress look too busy. It would have been a better look without the sheer fabric.

In June 2018, Melania received backlash for wearing a jacket that said, "I really don't care, do u?"

In June 2018, Melania visited an immigration facility in McAllen, Texas, where children were living, wearing a green Zara jacket that said "I really don't care, do u?" on the back.

Critics said the jacket was insensitive to wear for the visit, critiquing both the first lady and the president for the fashion faux pas.

Melania's former aide, Stephanie Grisham, wrote in her book "I'll Take Your Questions Now" that the president yelled at Melania for wearing the jacket, though Trump and the first lady both said she wore it to send a message to the left-wing media.

A different bow would have improved her dress for an Independence Day celebration in July 2018.

Melania wore a floor-length wrap dress from Ralph Lauren to celebrate Independence Day 2018.

The blue-and-white gingham dress was fun and festive for the holiday, but the oversize red belt tied at her waist overwhelmed the look.

If the first lady had swapped the bow for a thinner belt, her dress would have been more effective.

Melania's suit for a trip to Egypt in October 2018 also raised some eyebrows.

Melania posed for photos in front of pyramids in Egypt wearing cream trousers, a white blouse, a black tie, and a sand-colored Ralph Lauren blazer. A white-and-black boater hat completed the look.

The outfit may have been innocuously stylish in a different venue, but some social-media users thought the outfit looked similar to one worn by "Raiders of the Lost Ark" villain René Belloq during his visit to the pyramids in the film.

It wasn't the first time Melania faced criticism for one of her outfits on her visit to Africa. During her tour of the pyramids and the Great Sphinx, Melania told reporters, "I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear," following backlash for wearing a white pith helmet.

"You know what? We just completed an amazing trip," she added. "We went to Ghana, we went to Malawi, we went to Kenya, here we are in Egypt. I want to talk about my trip, not what I wear."

Brown pants weren't a great choice for Melania's evening arrival at the White House in December 2018.

Donald and Melania Trump arrived at the White House on the evening of December 27, holding hands as they walked across the lawn.

While the president was in a suit, Melania wore a green jacket, light-brown pants, and matching shoes.

The pants might have been a better choice for a daytime look, as it was difficult for some to tell if the first lady was even wearing bottoms at first glance in the dark. The addition of sunglasses to her nighttime look was also an odd choice.

Melania's outfit would have worked better during the day or with different pants.

In April 2019, Melania rocked a stylish polka-dot dress.

In April 2019, the first lady was photographed at the White House in a black-and-white polka-dot dress designed by Alessandra Rich.

The high-neck dress was cinched at the waist with a black belt, coordinating with the dots on the dress, and it hit her mid-calf.

Melania wore a cream coat over her shoulders and her signature sunglasses, adding glamour to the feminine look.

Gloves brought an elegant touch to her look for a June 2019 state dinner in the UK.

During a visit to the UK, Melania attended a state dinner with the royal family in a Dior gown.

A layer of semi-sheer fabric covered the gown's scooped neckline, forming points on the top of the bodice before transitioning into white fabric. The dress hugged her figure, then flared slightly at her waist.

Melania wore white, elbow-length gloves with the dress. The look was fitting for dining with royalty.

She appeared to take a page out of Kate Middleton's fashion book when she and the president hosted the royals for dinner during the same trip.

Ahead of a dinner at Winfield House, where the American ambassador to the UK lives, Melania was photographed in a red Givenchy gown.

Melania's floor-length dress was sleeveless and featured a built-in cape, a silhouette Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, often favors.

Melania's yellow and pink outfit in December 2019 was almost too colorful.

During another visit to the UK in December 2019, Melania stepped out in a high-neck, cape coat from Valentino. The coat was mustard yellow, and Melania paired it with a pink dress and coordinating pumps.

The jacket was a big statement in and of itself, so the look would have been more effective if the first lady had worn a more neutral color with it than bright pink.

Melania's black-and-white look for the Daytona 500 in February 2020 was stylish.

Melania's black Dior sundress was fairly simple. The midi-length dress featured a V-neckline and a white, dotted pattern.

The white lace belt from Alaïa and white Christian Louboutin pumps she wore with the dress made the look cohesive, and she also added sunglasses to the outfit.

The look balanced Melania's personal style and traditional first lady attire.

A pink dress Melania wore during the virtual Republican National Convention in August 2020 would have been better without the bow detailing.

Melania appeared alongside Trump in a hot-pink midi-dress from Jason Wu at the 2020 RNC.

The dress featured a boat neckline and a flared skirt, and two black bows sat on the waistline, which appeared to be cinched with elastic. Melania wore black pumps with the dress.

The bows on the dress could have been chic, but they looked a bit crumpled throughout the night, particularly because they sat atop the ruched waistline and contrasted so heavily with the pink fabric. The dress would have been a better fit if there had been just one or no bows on the waistline.

She wore a pleated dress at the 2020 RNC, but the green color felt out of place.

Melania wore a cape dress to close out the RNC, choosing a neon-green piece from Valentino.

The ankle-length, high-neck dress was covered in vertical pleats and featured two swaths of fabric flowing out from her shoulders like a cape. She added a thin pink belt and pink pumps to the outfit.

The silhouette was beautiful, but the green color was an odd choice for the RNC. Vanity Fair reported that it allowed social-media users to easily make memes out of the outfit using green screen technology.

If she had worn the dress in a different color, Melania's look would have been a slam dunk.

In November 2020, Melania wore a gingham coat with a stylish built-in scarf.

Melania oversaw the delivery of the 2020 White House Christmas tree in a gingham coat from Balenciaga.

The loose-fitting coat featured an off-center line of buttons, and the collar formed a scarf that wrapped around one of Melania's shoulders. Quarter-length sleeves showed off the first lady's black gloves, just as the knee-length hem spotlighted her black boots from Alaïa.

The look was effortlessly chic.

Melania's final outfit as first lady in January 2021 offered a full-circle moment.

When Trump left office in January 2021, Melania chose to wear an all-black outfit.

She paired a form-fitting Dolce & Gabbana dress with a cropped Chanel coat, gloves, Christian Louboutin pumps, and dark sunglasses.

The look seemed to nod to Jackie Kennedy, just as her first outfit as first lady did. However, the darker hues spoke to the more somber tone of the day for the Trumps.

Melania also made headlines for changing into a beachy dress before arriving at Mar-a-Lago later in the day.

When she returned to the White House on January 20, Melania set a new tone as first lady.

Rather than wearing another pastel look to mark the beginning of her husband's second term as president, Melania donned navy and white for the 2025 inauguration.

Adam Lippes designed her coat, which she paired with a white scarf, navy pumps, and a custom boater-style hat from Eric Javits. Boater hats are typically worn in summer, but the wool piece Melania wore offered a winter version.

Although the hat got some negative attention online as people compared it to the one the Hamburglar or V in "V For Vendetta" wore, Melania's inaugural outfit was a savvy choice. The look set a serious tone, blending professional style with Melania's personal taste.

Melania also managed to pull attention from Trump with the look, which was a feat considering how many eyes he had on him throughout the day.

And her custom dress for the 2025 inaugural balls had a modern edge.

Melania opted for another custom Hervé Pierre dress for the 2025 inaugural balls, arriving in a black-and-white dress that felt like a continuation of the fashion story she started with the look she wore during the day.

The strapless dress had an off-the-shoulder neckline, and a zig-zag of black fabric adorned the bodice before framing a slit on one side of the skirt.

A coordinating choker with a brooch completed the stylish gown.

Melania's trench coat for the 2025 Easter celebration went against tradition.

Traditionally, Easter fashion calls for pastel tones and festive prints like gingham, allowing people to have fun with their outfits.

However, Melania arrived at the 2025 Easter Egg Roll at the White House in a simple cream trench coat from Mackage and Roger Vivier heels.

The subdued look was a shift from Melania's more colorful outfits for previous Easter celebrations at the White House. Likewise, Mackage, a brand founded and headquartered in Canada, was a surprising choice for the first lady, given the trade dispute between the US and its northern neighbor.

Later that month, the first lady wisely chose an outfit made by Italian designers for Pope Francis' funeral.

Melania joined her husband at Pope Francis' funeral at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

She wore a black coatdress designed by Dolce & Gabbana for the occasion, as well as lace gloves and a lace veil from the fashion house.

Wearing an Italian designer was fitting for the occasion since the Catholic Church is based in the country, though Melania also favors Dolce & Gabbana when she isn't in Italy.

Melania wore a pretty yet pricey dress to see "Les Misérables" at the Kennedy Center in June 2025.

Melania chose a $3,900 Bottega Veneta dress for the show.

The dress had an asymmetrical neckline and gold detailing on the shoulder and waist. Melania paired the designer gown with silver and gold Christian Louboutin pumps.

The dress was pretty, but Melania's black-and-white looks for Trump's second term are starting to feel a bit repetitive. A pop of color could have made the dress stand out more.

A few days later, she wore an American designer for the US Army's 250th anniversary parade.

Melania appeared alongside Trump at the US Army's 250th anniversary parade in Washington, DC, wearing another suit from Adam Lippes.

Both her $2,490 jacket and $1,190 skirt were cream-colored, with a subtle navy pinstripe pattern. The double-breasted jacket and pencil skirt had a looser, relaxed fit.

Blue Christian Louboutin heels completed the ensemble.

Melania wore another stylish striped look during a White House meeting in September 2025.

On September 4, Melania attended a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education.

She wore a soft gray linen suit that featured white pinstripes. The jacket was oversized, and the pants were wide-legged. The first lady added structure to the look with a fitted white T-shirt and a white belt.

Stilettos completed the chic menswear look.

The bright yellow dress she wore to a state banquet at Windsor Castle was memorable, but it looked slightly out of place at a dinner with royals.

On September 16, the president and first lady arrived in the UK for a state visit. The following evening, they attended a state banquet with King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and other members of the royal family.

Melania wore a bright yellow dress designed by Carolina Herrera to the dinner. The dress had an off-the-shoulder neckline, a column skirt, and a slit on the side. She added even more color to the ensemble with a wide, purple belt and bright green, dangly earrings.

It was nice to see Melania add some color to her wardrobe in 2025, but the bright hue and belt made the dress look a bit too casual for the event. The silhouette was pretty, but the first lady may have been better off wearing the gown in a more subdued color.

Later the same month, Melania wore a chic white suit, but a different top could have improved it.

On September 23, Melania accompanied the president on a visit to the UN General Assembly, wearing a white blazer and tailored pants from Dolce & Gabbana.

The suit was a strong choice, as the contrast of the long blazer and cropped pants felt professional and chic, and the cream Christian Louboutin shoes she paired with the look were stylish, too.

However, the camel-colored blouse from Max Mara that she wore with the suit was almost too close to Melania's skin tone. The look would have popped more with a different colored shirt.

Melania could have worn a more festive look for the 2025 Halloween celebration at the White House.

When the president and first lady passed out candy at the White House on Halloween, neither wore a costume. Instead, Melania donned a wool coat from Marni, which nodded to the holiday with orange trim on the collar, pockets, and lining.

She wore the khaki-colored coat buttoned to the collar, and it cinched at her waist with a thick belt — one of her go-to silhouettes. She paired the coat with taupe Manolo Blahnik heels.

While the orange aspects of the look had a subtle Halloween feel, the outfit didn't feel festive enough for the holiday, especially when compared to the plethora of decorations covering the White House for the event. Melania would have made a stronger statement in a full orange coat or a black-and-orange look.

For dinner at the White House in November 2025, Melania chose an elegant green gown.

On November 18, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, dined at the White House during his visit to the US.

Melania donned a $3,350 Elie Saab dress for the occasion. The deep-green dress featured a strapless neckline, and ruching on both the bodice and the skirt added texture. A slit broke up the floor-length skirt, and Melania completed the look with black heels and sparkly earrings.

Every bit of Melania's look seemed designed to welcome Crown Prince Mohammed. The dress was similar in color to Saudi Arabia's national flag, seeming to nod to the nation. Plus, in November 2024, Elie Saab marked 45 years of his brand with "1001 Seasons of Elie Saab," a massive fashion show held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Her sparkly dress for a New Year's Eve celebration in December 2025 was a nice change of pace.

Melania celebrated the end of 2025 at Trump's annual party at Mar-a-Lago wearing a sparkly, silver gown.

Designed by The New Arrivals, the $1,450 dress was sleeveless, with a scooped neckline, hugging Melania's figure as it flowed into a midi-length skirt. She paired the dress with bedazzled Christian Louboutin shoes and loose waves.

The look was festive and fitting for Florida weather, offering a refreshing change from her more subdued style.

Melania's black ensemble for the premiere of her documentary was lackluster.

The first lady attended the premiere of her documentary "Melania" in a Dolce & Gabbana skirt suit.

Black buttons lined the center of the jacket, which was cinched at Melania's waist with a black belt. The column skirt hit her mid-calf, spotlighting her black pumps.

The outfit might have been fine for any number of first lady engagements, but it felt too understated for the premiere of her film.

A black gown with a professional flair may have been more appropriate for the occasion.

Melania looked underdressed for a White House dinner in February 2026.

Trump invited only Republican governors to the National Governors Association dinner, which was held in the East Room of the White House on February 21.

The event seemed to have a formal dress code, as indicated by most attendees' ensembles. The president and other men in attendance wore tuxedos, while women, including Usha Vance, wore gowns. Melania, though, went more casual for the event.

She paired silver, patterned Dolce & Gabbana pants with a black blouse that had tie detailing. Metallic pumps and shiny earrings completed the outfit.

Melania's look may have been a good choice for a girls' night, but it wasn't fancy enough for a formal dinner at the White House. A gown with the same texture as her pants would have been a better choice.

Her dark suit for the 2026 State of the Union address was a solid choice.

After wearing the designer to the dinner at the White House, Melania tapped Dolce & Gabbana again for her State of the Union look.

She wore a deep charcoal suit from the brand, featuring a tailored jacket and wide-legged pants. She kept the look simple, pairing it with a white blouse, black Manolo Blahnik pumps, and stud earrings.

The outfit struck a nice balance between simplicity and luxury.

Melania's leopard-print skirt for a March 2026 Women's History Month event could have been improved with a few tweaks.

The president and first lady hosted a Women's History Month event at the White House in March 2026, with Melania arriving in a black top and a leopard-print skirt designed by Adam Lippes. She paired the look with black heels.

While the printed skirt was fun, it was so high-waisted that it overshadowed the rest of the ensemble. The simple shirt also felt like an afterthought.

The outfit would have been stronger if the skirt had sat slightly lower on Melania's waist and if she had worn a different shirt.

Her dress for a visit from the Dutch royals was pretty but not right for the event.

The Trumps hosted the king and queen of the Netherlands for a White House dinner in April 2026.

The first lady wore a white, midi-length dress from Erdem for the dinner. A large, black flower appliqué was embroidered on the dress from the bodice to the skirt, contrasting with the simple silhouette.

The dress was pretty, but the embroidery was a bit loud for a political dinner. A dress with a similar silhouette and simpler design would have been a better fit for the event.

Melania wore a pretty, colorful suit to welcome the British royals to the White House in April.

When King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House for their state visit, Melania turned to Adam Lippes, one of her go-to designers, for an outfit to welcome them.

The blazer of her pale-yellow suit was double-breasted, while the coordinating skirt fell to her knees. The bright hue was a welcome change of pace for the first lady, contrasting the slew of dark looks she normally wears. It also felt similar to ensembles the royals favor, making it an even better choice for the visit.

She paired the suit with snakeskin Manolo Blahnik pumps for a high-fashion twist.

Melania's soft-pink gown for a state dinner at the White House was stylish and politically savvy.

During the same state visit, the Trumps hosted King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House for a formal state dinner.

Melania wore a pale-pink gown from Christian Dior Haute Couture for the occasion. The strapless gown billowed at the top and featured ruching at the waistline, adding dimension. She accessorized the look with off-white gloves and large earrings.

The dress was stylish and formal enough for the dinner, and even better, it coordinated with Queen Camilla's hot-pink dress. Their complementary looks sent a message of unity, as a style strategist told Business Insider.

The colorful jumpsuit Melania wore to the congressional picnic at the White House in May 2026 wasn't quite right for the event.

Melania attended the congressional picnic in a bubblegum-pink Valentino jumpsuit, which she previously wore in 2024.

Multicolored florals embroidered the quarter-length sleeves and flowy pants of the jumpsuit, and Melania cinched it at her waist with a wide green belt.

The jumpsuit was a fun fashion statement, but it read beachy, not White House lawn chic. A jumpsuit without a pattern may have been a better fit.

Melania's all-black look for the June 2026 UFC Freedom fight at the White House would have stood out more with a few tweaks.

The first lady attended the UFC Freedom fight on the White House lawn in an all-black Dolce & Gabbana look.

She wore a form-fitting dress with a leather blazer draped over her shoulders, as well as pumps and a cross choker. It was definitely an evening look, but the ensemble was almost too understated for a first lady to wear at the White House.

Melania's look may have felt more stately if she had worn the blazer buttoned rather than on her shoulders, or if she had opted for an ankle-length dress.

• The US imposed export controls on Anthropic's newest AI models. In response, Anthropic closed access.
• The restrictions could play directly into Mistral's long-standing AI sovereignty pitch.
• Mistral's CEO has warned for more than a year that Europe risks becoming dependent on US AI firms.

The White House's move to restrict access to Anthropic's newest AI models could hand one of Europe's leading AI startups exactly the opening it has been preparing for.

On Friday, US officials imposed export controls on Anthropic's cybersecurity-focused models, Mythos 5 and Fable 5. They cited national security concerns that safeguards meant to prevent misuse of Fable 5 could be bypassed.

The restrictions block any foreign national from accessing the two models. Anthropic responded by suspending access to the systems altogether, creating uncertainty around who ultimately controls access to frontier AI.

The episode has the hallmarks of a scenario Mistral's CEO, Arthur Mensch, has been warning about for more than a year — and has since made part of his pitch for why people should choose it over models from US firms like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Speaking at London Tech Week in June 2025, Mensch warned about American AI companies "having the keys" for their models, adding that he sees it as European companies "giving leverage to their providers."

"At some point, you need to be able to turn it off or turn it on, and you don't want to leave it to another country," he said.

Sovereign AI

Since then, the French startup has positioned itself around AI sovereignty, the idea that governments and businesses should not become overly dependent on a handful of foreign AI providers.

To do so, it has championed open-weight models that customers can deploy on their own infrastructure and customize using their own data.

"European governments are coming to us because they want to build the technology and they want to serve their citizens," Mensch said on the "Big Technology Podcast" in January.

Mensch doubled down on his position at a hearing on digital sovereignty and AI at France's National Assembly last month, warning that Europe has two years to build its own artificial intelligence infrastructure before becoming permanently dependent on American tech giants.

At Mistral's first-ever summit in Paris that same month, executives, government officials, and enterprise customers repeatedly returned to the same theme: AI sovereignty.

"You need to know where your data is and what happens to your data," Jan van den Bremen, Accenture's technology lead across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, told Business Insider at the event.

While Mistral is widely considered the top AI model provider in Europe, it lags behind the likes of Anthropic in terms of valuation, model capabilities, and user numbers. The French startup was last valued at around $13.6 billion, compared to Anthropic's $965 billion valuation.

But the Anthropic restrictions make Mistral's core argument easier to understand: Most of the time, control of AI ultimately lies with the provider and its government.

• There are so many things to stream. Wouldn't it be great if you could see them all in one place?
• And if you owned the place everyone came to when they wanted to stream, wouldn't that be worth a lot of money?
• That's the logic behind the Fox/Roku deal. Except …

Rupert Murdoch chased the TV Guide of the Future for years. He spent billions trying to build an on-screen map for digital television before giving up.

Now his son Lachlan looks like he's making it happen by buying Roku in a $22 billion deal.

On paper, Lachlan's transaction seems like the thing his dad spent much of the '90s and 2000s trying to put together: Once the deal closes, the Murdochs will own the interface that 100 million households use when they want to stream something.

It's a big deal because it means Fox won't just be a content company, but a distributor as well. Buying Roku gives Fox real estate it can use to promote its own services, like Tubi, its free streamer, and Fox One, its paid streamer. But it can also sell subscriptions to competitors' services and get paid when it does. And it can sell ads on all of the above.

One big catch: Fox is spending $22 billion to own a TV Guide. But it's not the only TV Guide.

Unlike the '90s and 2000s, there are now lots of ways to get something you want to watch onto a screen of your choice. Roku might be your home screen. But you might also use YouTube, or Apple, or Amazon, or Samsung, or Walmart's Vizio. You might still have a cable TV subscription, which would mean your cable TV provider is your home screen. Maybe you never use any of those services, and just turn on Netflix and never spend time anywhere else.

The other big catch: In the internet age, owning a portal that millions of people use to access stuff they like gives you lots of power. But it doesn't give you all the power: The biggest content companies and app makers have their own leverage.

Apple can't sell an iPhone that doesn't let you use Instagram, and Roku can't be a TV portal if it doesn't include YouTube and Netflix, the two biggest names in streaming.

You could see how that gave YouTube and Netflix leverage when Roku went public in 2017: Back then, the company disclosed that Netflix generated about a third of its viewing but immaterial revenue, while YouTube, its most-watched ad-supported app, generated no revenue at all. The details have changed a bit since then — I've asked Roku for the latest — but the lesson hasn't: If you are big enough, you don't pay the same tolls as everyone else.

Let's be clear: Lachlan Murdoch is getting value for his $22 billion. Roku is a massive player in streaming, and it makes $4.7 billion a year by selling ads and subscriptions. Owning it gives Fox a way to diversify its revenue streams: Now Fox can make money from its own shows and services, but it can also get a piece of the business happening around other people's shows and services.

That's a position lots of media companies have wanted to be in for a long time. It doesn't always work out — ask HBO, which keeps getting combined with distribution companies (like Time Warner Cable, AOL, AT&T) and then sold to someone else when that doesn't work.

It also has a built-in tension. Yes, owning a distribution platform means you can give your own stuff a boost — that's why Roku has three different streamers of its own. But if you turn on your Roku TV and want to stream "The White Lotus," you don't want to wade through a bunch of ads for Howdy or the Roku Channel before you get there.

So Roku, like every other distributor, has to balance out the stuff it wants you to see vs. the stuff you want to see.

That kind of tension, by the way, might normally be an issue for regulators to examine. But in 2026, the odds that a Fox-friendly White House is going to stop the Murdochs from getting a deal they want are very low. Just ask Larry and David Ellison, whose Paramount got the go-ahead to buy Warner Bros. Discovery from Trump's Department of Justice on Friday afternoon — and then hosted a UFC fight night on the White House lawn two days later.

All of which makes the Roku deal a big event — but not one that completely remakes streaming. When Rupert Murdoch wanted to own the next-generation TV Guide, he imagined owning the only way to get to TV. But there are lots of TV Guides in 2026.

• "The Social Reckoning" tells the story of Frances Haugen, a Facebook engineer turned whistleblower.
• The movie is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and is a companion piece to "The Social Network."
• The movie opens in theaters on October 9.

Sixteen years ago, David Fincher wowed audiences with the dorm-room origin story of Facebook with "The Social Network."

The movie would go on to earn eight Oscar nominations and three wins and make stars out of Jesse Eisenberg as its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, and Andrew Garfield as Zuck's former friend and collaborator, Eduardo Saverin.

Now, Aaron Sorkin, who won an Oscar for penning "The Social Network" script, is taking on the writing and directing duties for the movie's follow-up, "The Social Reckoning."

In this movie, things have changed dramatically for Zuckerberg (this time played by Jeremy Strong), as Facebook has grown into one of the most influential companies on the planet. But the company has some dark secrets.

Oscar winner Mikey Madison plays Facebook engineer Frances Haugen, who has put her trust in Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, to expose the company's internal research and decision-making.

Sorkin based the script on The Wall Street Journal's expansive investigative series The Facebook Files, which delved into the social network's impact on youth mental health, misinformation, and the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

Sony will release the movie on October 9. Here's everything we know.

Aaron Sorkin has wanted to do a "Social Network" follow-up for years.

Sorkin is no stranger to exploring power and the people who wield it. When he wasn't creating shows like "The West Wing" and "The Newsroom," he wrote the scripts for movies like "The American President" and "Steve Jobs."

But he's never been able to let go of Zuckerberg and Facebook. In a 2020 interview for the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, he noted that what fascinated him about a continuation to "The Social Network" was exploring "the dark side of Facebook."

That interest intensified a year later when The Wall Street Journal released The Facebook Files.

By the spring of 2025, Sony announced that Sorkin was attached to write and direct a follow-up movie.

"There isn't a life that Facebook's algorithm hasn't touched, and that influence has reshaped everything," Sorkin told a room full of movie theater owners at their annual convention, CinemaCon, back in April. "It's time to say more."

Sorkin says he spent 3 days trying to convince Jesse Eisenberg to play Mark Zuckerberg again.

When Sorkin took on "The Social Reckoning," one of the first people he sent the script to was Jesse Eisenberg, whose performance as Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" earned him an Oscar nomination.

"I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested," Sorkin told Vanity Fair about hoping Eisenberg would reprise the role.

Sorkin told Vanity Fair he spent three days trying to convince Eisenberg, but ultimately, the actor declined.

"He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy," Sorkin told Vanity Fair. "He doesn't like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say 'I'm CEO, bitch' for him to sign."

Eisenberg told the BBC in February 2025 that he no longer wanted to be "associated with someone like that," referring to Zuckerberg.

This opened the door for Jeremy Strong to take on the role.

Jeremy Strong plays Mark Zuckerberg.

Strong has a track record of taking on challenging roles. He crafted the complex nepo baby Kendall Roy from "Succession" into one of the most memorable characters in modern television. He's since wowed audiences with his performances as Donald Trump's cutthroat lawyer, Roy Cohn, in "The Apprentice," and Bruce Springsteen's loyal producer, Jon Landau, in "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere."

Playing an adult Zuckerberg will be his biggest transformation yet.

Since founding Facebook, Zuckerberg rebranded it as Meta in 2021, focusing on virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

Soon after Haugen testified at the Senate hearing, Zuckerberg announced on an earnings call that Meta was hiring 40,000 people to work in safety and security because, he said, "we care about getting this right." Facebook has long said it endorses establishing rules for online platforms.

Mikey Madison plays Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

This marks Madison's first role since she won the best actress Oscar for "Anora."

The Facebook Files is based on the thousands of pages of internal documents leaked by Haugen, who was a product manager at Facebook. Once Haugen's identity was revealed as the whistleblower, she did a "60 Minutes" interview and testified at a Senate hearing that Facebook knew it could be harmful to young people.

Jeremy Allen White plays Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz.

White is best known for playing Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto on the hit series "The Bear," which earned him two Emmy wins. White has portrayed a real person before: he played Bruce Springsteen in the 2025 biopic, "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere."

Horwitz is a former technology reporter at The Wall Street Journal who was behind The Facebook Files.

The first 'Social Reckoning' trailer was released in June.

Sony released the first teaser trailer of the movie on June 10.

Meta did not respond for comment about the trailer.

Watch it below:

• Caroline Huber started a nicotine replacement company targeted toward Gen Z.
• She and her best friend had both struggled to quit vaping.
• They make time for their friendship outside working together.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Caroline Huber, cofounder and co-CEO of Jones. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I started smoking very casually, mostly at parties after I'd had a few drinks. I wasn't dependent, and it didn't feel like a problem. I was happy to share a cigarette with friends once in a while.

That changed the first time I tried a vape. When I took my first hit, I experienced the most intense head rush I'd ever had. I couldn't believe how strong it was. At first, it was too much, but after a few minutes, I asked my friend to hit it again. Within a few weeks, I bought my own vape.

At the time, there was a narrative that vaping was healthier than smoking, but I knew almost immediately that wasn't true for me. I was dependent on the vape: I would get a panicky feeling if I didn't know where it was. Some people experience that with their phones, but I'd never had that urgency before, and I didn't like it.

My mom, a doctor, helped me realize how much I was using

Soon, I started noticing physical effects too. Running became more difficult, and my migraines got worse. I was frightened when I realized I was no longer getting a head rush from the vape because I'd become so dependent on the chemicals. I was using it all day, every day. And yet, that felt normal among my friends and colleagues.

After about a year, I wanted to quit. After a few starts and stops, I talked with my mom, who is a family physician. I was embarrassed, but she helped me look at my nicotine use without judgment. She calculated that I was using the same amount of nicotine as a two-pack-a-day smoker. That was pretty shocking to hear.

I didn't need to quit entirely, but I wanted to regain control

My mom helped me create a plan to use nicotine replacement therapy at a high enough dose that it would actually work for me. I also teamed up with my best friend, Hilary. Quitting together helped us succeed.

I was grateful for the nicotine replacement products I was using, but I noticed they were out of date and targeted toward smokers, not young vapers. Hilary and I wanted to create a nicotine replacement therapy paired with holistic, community-based support. That's how Jones was born, in November 2023.

We address physical cravings with nicotine replacement mints, and have an app to help address the psychological side of things. We're also reframing the idea of quitting: for Gen Z, it isn't all-or-nothing. I still smoke occasionally in social situations, but I feel in control of the choice, and I'm happy with that.

We've been intentional about protecting our friendship

Hilary and I have been best friends since we were 8. We heard lots of horror stories about working with a friend, and we didn't want founding a company together to ruin our friendship. We started seeing a couple's therapist occasionally, to help us communicate effectively.

Each week, we have a check-in as co-CEOs and best friends, where we talk about work and personal stressors. That's been fundamental to keeping our relationship healthy over the past few years. We also make time to hang out as friends, without talking about work.

Starting the company together has shifted our friendship dynamic, but not in a bad way. There's so much trust between us, and I've loved having Hilary beside me for the highs and lows. There's no one else I'd rather be doing this with.

I'm proud of how my friend and I have been able to help others

Since launching, Jones has seen some really healthy growth. But the thing I'm most proud of is the impact we've had on other young people. A few weeks ago, a user told me they felt like Jones saved their life: for the first time, they had the tools and support they needed to control their nicotine use.

Being able to have that impact, with my best friend at my side, has been life changing for me.