• Interior designer Ashley Childers shared her favorite fall decor pieces and which ones to skip.
• "I see people go overboard with the faux: faux pumpkins, faux plants, faux everything," she said.
• Natural wreaths and wool blankets can enhance your home's design.

The arrival of fall means pulling out the pumpkins, moody autumnal colors, and cozy throw pillows.

However, while some fall decorations can make your home feel warm, elevated, and inviting, others can border on tacky.

Seasonal decor can also be expensive, so investing in a few timeless pieces that will last from year to year can ultimately save you money in the long run. 

"A lot of times, I feel like the holiday decor is disjointed from what the aesthetic is of the actual home that you live in. It should be cohesive, in my opinion," Ashley Childers, an interior designer and home furnishings and accessories designer based in Arkansas, told Business Insider. 

"On the opposite end of the spectrum, I see a lot of people who have very curated style who feel like they can't decorate for the holidays because they don't want it to be tacky or cheesy," she said. "If you want to decorate for the holidays, you can do it in a beautiful way."

Here are five tasteful fall decorations to add to your home, and three tacky ones to skip.

Let nature guide the colors you incorporate into your fall home decor.

Rather than leaning into trends or grabbing the first items she sees in the Halloween section at Target or Walmart, Childers said she looks to the colors she sees in nature each autumn for inspiration.

"I love to really let nature kind of guide seasonal decor," Childers, who's worked in the design industry for more than 15 years and in interior design for a decade, told Business Insider. "So, we always lean into beautiful wheats and burnt oranges, burgundies, sage greens, even into deep forest green, camel."

"All those warm, rich colors that you think about when you think of fall are what I love seeing brought in to fall decor," she continued. "I just think if you let nature guide you, you're never going to make a mistake."

Switching up your fall decor with a wool throw blanket can add texture to your space.

"A really beautiful wool throw blanket is iconic for fall, in my opinion," Childers said. "It can really be a capsule piece for your home regardless of the season."

In her own home, Childers said she frequently changes her throw blankets from season to season based on texture.

"I love fall and winter the most because the textures get so nubby and cozy. So my recommendation and tip would be to always choose natural fibers if at all possible," she said.

"With throws and blankets, we usually opt for beautiful linens, wools, something that's made out of organic cotton. Anything like that is going to stand the test of time and be a really good investment piece for your home."

For an elevated look, use more natural, organic-looking florals inside the home.

Childers said that for fall centerpieces or wreaths in her home-decor designs, she frequently uses dried plants to create a more organic feel. 

"I think they're so obviously organic and beautiful, and there's just nothing like a real plant or a real dried plant or flower or something like that," she said.

To add a more natural feel to a room, she frequently uses grapevine wreaths and more architectural wreaths that are made out of sticks, branches, wheat, and other materials naturally found outside.

Textured pillows in organic materials are another tasteful addition to fall home decor.

Rather than opting for printed pillows or polyester options, Childers said she chooses natural fibers, "whether it's bouclé or a beautiful linen or gorgeous Dupioni silk."

"Anything like that just adds a textural layer. And then, if you add in that warm fall color, you're going to just layer in so much coziness into your home," she said.

Using real pumpkins and gourds can also elevate your outdoor and indoor fall decor.

Childers said that while less long-lasting than faux decor pieces, real pumpkins or plants inside your home or on your home's exterior can bring energy to a space. 

"I just think keeping it natural and beautiful inside the home or outside is perfect for the fall season," she said. 

In fact, the biggest mistake people make when decorating their home is going overboard with pumpkins, leaves, and plants, Childers said.

"Faux pumpkins, faux plants, faux everything, in my opinion, drains the energy out of a space," she said.

Childers added that living in Arkansas, she understands many people want to start decorating early — even when it's still hot outside — so real pumpkins, flowers, and other living decorations might not be practical.

"I would say maybe opt for dried branches and dried leaves and dried berries, those types of things that you can still get early in the season," Childers said.

Busy patterns and bright colors can also feel tacky.

Childers said the classic autumn shades sold at many home and craft stores can feel harsh, making it harder to create a calm, soothing space.

"They're not as naturally occurring," Childers said, recommending that sticking to more natural colors like dark auburn, sage green, and forest green can be more soothing than bright orange and black. 

Choosing more neutral tones can also extend your home's decor beyond just the Halloween season, when black and orange tend to be more on-trend.

Colorful ribbon is another slightly dated trend.

Using brightly colored ribbon is another fall decorating choice that can make a space feel dated rather than seasonal.

For example, when decorating your home or front door with ribbon, neutral tones like brown, maroon, or sage green can look more elevated than black, orange, or yellow.

"If that's your style, go for it," Childers said. "I would say maybe that's not going to give you an elevated look. We usually don't go for a plaid, orange, yellow, and black ribbon."

Still, Childers encouraged people to experiment with what brings them joy.

"If you bring something in and it's not jiving, then maybe it doesn't work," Childers said. "You have to try things out. It's OK if something doesn't work. It's your home. It's your laboratory. You get to try to see what you like."

Childers also said that from year to year, she likes to change up her seasonal decor and try new decor pieces and trends with lower-cost items.

"It's easy to add pieces like throw blankets and pillows that give you an opportunity to inject a new feeling into your space, without having to invest in new furniture or lamps or something like that," she said.

Editor's note: This story was first published in September 2023 and was updated in September 2026.

• My husband and I are former DINKS, (dual income, no kids) who traveled a lot before we had a child.
• While I was pregnant, people warned me my life would change drastically — and not for the better.
• Of course, our life changed after we had a baby, but we still travel a lot and are very fulfilled.

In my early 30s, I was living the quintessential DINK (dual-income, no kids) lifestyle. My partner and I had established careers, no children, and PTO to burn.

During one 12-month period, we averaged taking a trip every other month. We went hiking in Acadia National Park and Arizona. We rented a house with a pool and went biking around Sanibel Island in Florida. We explored Joshua Tree National Park, attempted a 14er in Colorado, and visited four different national parks in Washington State.

My husband and I were always on the same page about wanting a child, eventually, but I was worried that having a family would bring our adventurous lifestyle to a screeching halt. Luckily, I was wrong.

I thought having a kid would end our adventures

Before trying to get pregnant, I planned a last hurrah for us as a childless couple. We road-tripped around Mexico, exploring ancient Mayan ruins, swimming in cenotes, and sipping various permutations of agave beverages.

I got pregnant a few months later.

Once I was expecting, I worried that my due date was an expiration date for freedom. Fortunate that my nausea and fatigue during pregnancy were mild, I squeezed in two more hiking trips. I went to the Canadian Rockies, Zion, and Bryce Canyon.

The week before I gave birth, I joined my husband for dinner with a group of his colleagues. One of the women at the dinner was the mother of a toddler. She looked me dead in the eye and said, "Enjoy this, because you're never going out to eat again." I wanted to believe that my lifestyle wouldn't be over because I had a baby, but here was another mother saying exactly what I was afraid to hear.

There were other possibilities

Thankfully, I had other parenting role models who showed me differently. My own mom traveled around Europe with me the summer before I turned 1. I have family friends who moved internationally with two young kids and travel multiple times a year. Personally knowing people who traveled with kids opened my mind to the possibility that I could do it too.

We brought our son on his first hike when he was three weeks old. In the first year, he visited family in Atlanta, hiked in Oregon, saw the leaves changing in New England, spent Christmas in Belgium, and played in sand dunes with his uncle in Saudi Arabia. He took nine flights before he turned two years old.

Some things definitely did change after having a kid

The first few months of being a mom with a newborn were intense. I was sleep-deprived for the first year after my son was born. My days of sleeping in have disappeared, at least in this season of my life where my son gets up around daybreak.

We travel as much as we always have, but there's a lot more baggage, in the form of a car seat and baby hiking backpacks. While we don't follow a strict schedule, my husband and I still have to factor in setting aside time for our son to take a nap while we're traveling.

While our household is still dual-income, we definitely notice the difference in paying $2,600 a month for our son's daycare, which is about the same as our rent. We go out to eat as a family, but dedicate one night a month to a date night at a fancy restaurant as a couple.

Having a kid has made personal time much harder to come by, but my husband and I support each other in having time to do individual activities once or twice a week. Parenting can be expensive and tiring, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Seeing my son appreciate nature and be energized by new experiences, people, and places is more rewarding than I ever expected.

• A home in a resort high in the Blue Ridge Mountains seemed like a perfect refuge for my dog and me.
• Although I made friends, the isolation, limited dating pool, and high resort prices are tough.
• Eventually, I realized I couldn't live the life I had in mind here. Now, I plan to move to Maine.

In late spring 2021, I sat on the couch adrift in my living room and asked Cody, "What are we doing here?"

He didn't know — he would never have traded a life in Montana, complete with a farmhouse, acreage, and a doggie hiking group, to live on a Blue Ridge mountaintop where we knew no one.

The plan was to care for my mother, but nine days after I closed on the condo that was now home, she died. I didn't just grieve her but also the loss of purpose. I'd uprooted my life, and there was no plan B.

I bought my unit in a mountain resort sight unseen, congratulating myself on securing a historically low mortgage rate and a price that would have been a steal in the Rockies.

But when I looked at my condo building on evening strolls with Cody, I'd see one light. Mine. I realized I lived full-time in a community with 2,000 properties, most of them second homes and short-term rentals that sat empty much of the time, just as I'd expected mine to be.

Still, the views of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains pulled me out of bed in the morning and distracted me until the light faded. But beauty alone doesn't make a place feel like home.

In time, I found a community and perks to living here

My home is about an hour southwest of the Charlottesville metro area and a 20-minute drive from the nearest town with any services.

Surrounding mountains and easy access to hiking trails are about all my new place had in common with Missoula, the vibrant university town where I'd previously lived for a dozen years.

My dog and I moved about a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and, even with more vaccine availability, socializing still took place outside … if you had friends. We didn't.

Cody, who gained fame in the 2014 "Puppy Love" Super Bowl commercial for his heart-rending look, used that expression to make my failure clear.

As an introvert, I could handle solitude, plus I had connections through remote work. As a pack animal, Cody struggled.

So early on, I made a move that saved us both. On the resort homeowners' Facebook page, I posted as Cody, mentioning how much he wanted friends for walks and play.

More than 50 dogs — or, presumably, their isolated people — responded. Several of us met and launched the Dog Owners Group (DOG), which now has more than 500 members who connect for walks and share information.

Suddenly, Cody and I felt like we belonged.

I pushed myself to attend community events, like wine tastings, where I met others who also needed friends or were new to living in the resort full-time.

Soon, I had other invitations for birthday celebrations, pop-up bocce games, and bourbon-laced eggnog-making chaos.

Within two months, I'd found a tight-knit group who will happily lend a pressure washer, form a meal tree, pick up groceries, and look out for you even if you never ask.

Although I was grateful for the warm, generous community I had found, I didn't quite feel settled.

Mountain living comes with other costs

Most of my neighbors here seem to be white, married, empty-nesters who are retired or working remotely. The sameness feels both comfortable and confining.

Not surprisingly, my local dating pool feels tiny, consisting of just about three great guys who have more potential as pals than partners.

Because I work at home and live on the mountain, almost everyone I see regularly shares the same small mountain world — one that's a long way from a wider mix of people, ethnic restaurants, and cultural activities.

That feeling we're cut off from life beyond the mountaintop fades each July, when the resort hosts a fabulous monthlong music festival with dozens of performers of different ages, nationalities, and experiences. Many of us open our homes to them.

For three years, I've hosted a clarinetist with the Florida Symphony and a trombone professor and player from DC. It's energizing, and it's a blast, but it all reminds me of the broader world I miss.

It's also been challenging to stomach the cost of daily life here. That starts with paying to maintain a vehicle when home is 12 zigzagging miles and 2,800 feet up and down a mountain.

Food, drink, goods, and services all carry a surcharge, the mountain equivalent of island pricing. I'm not a wealthy outsider here for a weeklong resort vacation — I live here full-time on a middle-class income. And if time is money, driving 45 miles round-trip to a grocery store, sometimes about an hour each way, is also costly.

For now, I stock my pantry at Costco to limit the number of shopping trips, and take more frequent (and fun) trips to the local farmers market for fresh produce. For a price high for a gym and low for the resort, I also bought a recreational membership to the resort's social club to avoid having to travel far to access gym equipment.

On the bright side, sometimes I can simply cross the street to hike or run a section of the Appalachian Trail that could take me to Georgia — or Maine. No membership required.

For now, I'm setting my sights on moving to Maine

Every May, through-hikers stream past my house on their way to the Pine Tree State. Seeing them fulfilling their dreams reminded me that mine was never a condo in the mountains but a cottage by the sea. In Maine.

And this time, my new home won't be sight unseen — I'm headed back this fall for another look at the coastal college town I've chosen for our next home.

I might have stayed in the Blue Ridge if I'd built the life I wanted and, let's be honest, found the right man to share it with. It's taken five years, but I'm ready to leave.

And I think Cody will love living by the water.

• I've traveled across Italy, and though I love the whole country, the smaller towns have my heart.
• Some of my favorite small towns in Italy are Barga, which has amazing views and wine, and Termoli.
• Elsewhere, Pizzo is my favorite beach town in Calabria, and Torre di Palme has a bit of everything.

As much as I love visiting new places, it never takes more than a twist of my arm to go back to Italy.

I've visited every Italian region, most of them at least twice. As I've had the great privilege of exploring Italy in greater depth, I've also gotten a bit jaded about the major hot spots and grown more fond of classic Italian small-town charm.

Don't get me wrong: Those major cities like Rome and Florence are iconic for a reason. Whenever I return to them, though, I find myself getting frustrated about the overpriced food and crowds so rampant that I find myself clutching onto my bag for dear life.

When you visit small towns in Italy, though, being one of the few tourists around can help you get a taste of the locals' everyday life, which — in my opinion — creates a meaningful and more personal experience.

So, if you're looking to get out of the major cities and have an unforgettable experience, head to one of these towns instead.

Pizzo has tons of local charm and delicious desserts

Calabria's Tropea has become quite the popular beach haven in recent years, and for good reason. The coasts of Calabria are some of the most picturesque in all of Italy, with rocky white marbled sand and seas so blue they might as well be on a postcard.

As much as I love Tropea, it's often packed with tourists, so if you're looking for a beach town in Calabria that still preserves local charm, nearby Pizzo ought to do the trick.

It's not just the beaches that make Pizzo such a great spot, though. Pizzo is home to the tartufo di Pizzo, a decadent chocolate gelato-filled dessert coated in cocoa powder. You can try one at Gelateria Dante, the famed sweet shop that's credited with creating it.

While walking around, you'll also want to check out artisan markets selling hand-painted ceramics, and hit a trattoria to try 'nduja, a spicy salami spread typical of the Calabrian region.

Torre di Palme is a gem tucked away in Marche

If you ask an Italian about the most underrated region in Italy, they might mention Marche.

Marche is in central Italy and has a little bit of everything: rolling mountains and vineyards, impeccable coastlines, and castle-filled medieval villages.

Out of the many towns I've visited in the region, Torre di Palme — or "Tower of Palms" — offers a perfect mesh of Marche's best offerings. This medieval village is perched high above the sea, so much so that it's been dubbed the "Balcony of the Adriatic."

True to its name, Torre di Palme is indeed full of palm trees, which adds a tropical feel to its historic cobblestone streets. While here, make sure to try olive all'ascolana, a deep-fried, meat-stuffed olive that's one of the most common dishes of the Marche region.

My favorite part of Tuscany is a small Scottish enclave

When I saw Scottish flags around Barga, a small town in Tuscany, my interest was immediately piqued.

I learned that many Italians left Barga for Scotland in the early 1900s, but over time, a lot of them returned, marrying the two cultures right in Tuscany.

Although Barga is known as "the most Scottish town in Italy," it still feels distinctly Tuscan — even though it's not unusual to see fish and chips on a menu or hear a Scottish accent, like my guide had when I hiked throughout Bagni di Lucca.

I recommend checking out Duomo di San Cristoforo, the town's main Roman Catholic church, which offers panoramic views of Tuscany's rolling hills. And if you fancy some vino, Podere Concori is one of my favorite wineries in the country.

Termoli is a charming beach town in one of Italy's lesser-explored regions

Did you know there's an "Italian region that doesn't exist?" Well, not really, but that's what locals will tell you when you mention Molise, one of the smallest and least-visited regions in the country.

Molise was the final region I visited, and though I was tempted to visit the region's capital, Campobasso, it was peak summer, and I was craving the water. So, I looked at a map and saw a place called Termoli.

Although I went into Termoli knowing nothing, I quickly fell in love. It's a small beach town with under 35,000 residents, and the most convenient spot in the country for catching a ferry to the beautiful Tremiti Islands.

Food-wise, Termoli is also home to some of the best gelato I've had in the country. You can also try typical Molisana cuisine here, like caciocavallo cheese and fusilli pasta.

For a slice of history while in town, make sure to head to Castello di Svevo, an old castle perched right near the town's main beach. Only in Italy could you lounge out on a beach chair with a spritz in hand to look up and see a castle.

This story was originally published on April 9, 2026, and most recently updated on September 9, 2026.

Feeding your dog on a budget doesn't mean you have to sacrifice nutrition. Dr. Lisa Weeth, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, says she doesn't equate quality with cost. Instead, she prioritizes nutritional content and the manufacturer's reputation. With that in mind, we've selected the best affordable dog foods that deliver strong nutritional value.

Whether it's a budget or premium option, a quality dog food contains a balanced mix of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and beneficial fibers and meets the nutrition standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The main difference is that lower-cost foods often use more concentrated protein sources, such as meat meals, rely more on plant-based instead of animal-based proteins, and may come in more processed forms like pates, helping reduce costs by nearly half, about 50 cents less per pound for dry food and 70 cents less per can for wet food. You can also find affordable options formulated for breed size or specific health needs, such as sensitive stomachs.

Our top dry food pick is Nature's Recipe Chicken, Barley, and Brown Rice Recipe. This crunchy kibble is an affordable option that combines nutrient-rich meat and meat meals with a healthy serving of fiber to help keep dogs satisfied between meals. For wet food, we recommend Hill's Science Diet Adult Beef and Barley Entree, which is flavored with nutritious liver and contains whole-grain corn for energy and fermentable fibers for digestive support. Below, you can find all of our picks for budget-friendly dog food, including puppy kibble for optimal growth and a senior food that may help reduce joint inflammation.

Read more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and evaluates pet products.

Our picks for the best affordable dog foods

How we chose the best affordable dog foods

I've been covering the pet food beat for Business Insider Reviews since 2023 and have spoken to several veterinary nutritionists about what to look for in high-quality dog and cat food. For this guide, I consulted a veterinary nutritionist and four small animal veterinarians. These experts didn't recommend specific foods, but they helped me determine what makes for quality dog food and how to feed your dog safely and affordably.

I also followed the standards from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Global Nutrition Guidelines, and the guidance of other publications and organizations linked in this article. These resources helped me assess brand reputation through quality control standards and recipe formulation. Finally, I considered each food's cost per pound or ounce, weighing price tags against ingredient quality, nutritional value, and feeding guidelines. All of my recommendations offer a great balance of affordability, nutrition, and convenience.

Best dry

Why we recommend it

Whether your dog loves the crunchy texture of dry food or you appreciate its low cost and convenience, Nature's Recipe Chicken, Barley, and Brown Rice Recipe is a great choice. It includes meat meals, which provide nutrient-rich organ protein while keeping the price low. In addition to meat meals, this recipe contains oatmeal, barley, and brown rice. These ingredients not only give your dog energy but also provide soluble fiber, which helps slow digestion and keep them feeling full.

While Nature's Recipe's parent company, Post Consumer Brands, is best known for more than two centuries of making pantry staples, it also brings over 60 years of expertise in pet nutrition. A quality pet food brand should be well-established with decades of experience, Weeth says. Under the Post umbrella, Nature's Recipe benefits from a team of experts in animal and food science, as well as a board-certified veterinary nutritionist on staff. This recipe, along with all of our dog food recommendations, is formulated by a pet nutrition expert.

It costs about $1 less per pound than the premium picks in our best dry dog foods guide, where you'll find more recommendations for dogs of all ages and sizes.

Why does dry dog food cost less than wet food?

Several factors make dry dog food more budget-friendly than wet food. Because kibble contains less water — about 10% to 12% moisture compared to up to 78% in wet food — and weighs less than wet food, it costs less to transport. With wet food, the extra transportation costs are passed on to consumers.

There are also differences in production and packaging. Wet food requires high-pressure canning or pouching, while dry food is produced in large batches via extrusion, a more efficient and cost-effective process. Plus, dry food has a longer shelf life once opened and doesn't require refrigeration.

The inclusion of byproducts and meat meals can also keep costs down. When a label simply says "byproduct" or "meat meal," it means the food contains whichever organ meats were most affordable at the time of production. Weeth says this helps you save money while still packing in the nutrients.

Best wet

Why we recommend it

Trying a new dog food is always a gamble. If your dog won't eat it, they're not just missing out on nutrients; you're also out the money you spent. That's why palatability matters as much as nutrition when choosing a food. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Beef and Barley Entree balances palatability and nutrition with real beef liver and chicken liver flavoring. Dr. Nancy Welborn, a veterinarian and associate professor of community practice at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, says liver tends to be a preferred food among dogs, so you can count on this recipe to deliver flavor your pup will enjoy. Liver is also rich in essential vitamins and minerals that support a healthy immune system, skin, and coat. Other key ingredients include whole grain corn for energy and barley and dried beet pulp for digestive support.

Hill’s has been a household name for over 75 years. Weeth says longevity matters because it means the brand has had plenty of time to refine its formulas, build trust with veterinarians, and ensure consistent quality. This recipe has also been validated through feeding trials, which means real dogs have thrived on — and readily eaten — this food.

Why might a veterinarian recommend wet dog food?

“Wet food is typically 70% to 80% water, so it can be an easy way to add more fluid into a dog's diet,” says Dr. Colleen Lambo, a relief veterinarian with Roo. “That can be particularly beneficial for dogs with chronic kidney disease, a history of certain bladder stones, or dogs that don't naturally drink enough water.” While wet food should not replace access to a water bowl, it also provides moisture that is beneficial in other situations. Its soft texture is often easier to chew, which is why Lambo says vets may recommend it for dogs who’ve had teeth removed or for puppies being weaned off their mother’s milk. Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, veterinary medical advisor for Rover, adds that the extra moisture gives the food a more pungent smell, which can help entice picky eaters. Your vet may also recommend a wet food diet as part of a weight management plan because the extra water helps dogs feel fuller on fewer calories.

Best fresh

Why we recommend it

The Farmer’s Dog offers seven recipes, and subscribers can choose up to three per box. We especially like the brand’s grain-inclusive recipes — chicken, pork, and beef — which run roughly 20% cheaper per daily serving than its grain-free options. Grain-inclusive dog foods come with no nutritional trade-offs. “Dogs are omnivores and even wild dogs eat plants and grains as part of their normal diet,” says Dr. Bruce Kornreich, a board-certified veterinary cardiologist at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. The savings become more pronounced as your dog’s size increases. For an active 45-pound dog, other fresh food options can cost up to 45% more a day.

In The Farmer’s Dog grain-inclusive recipes, oats provide soluble fiber that helps slow digestion, supporting regular bowel movements and a feeling of fullness. Liver adds palatability, while salmon oil provides omega fatty acids — the beneficial fats we highlight in our guide to the best fish oil for dogs.

Like our other picks for affordable dog food, The Farmer’s Dog meets all WSAVA guidelines. Founded in 2014 as one of the first fresh dog food subscription services, its team includes a full-time board-certified companion animal nutritionist and a veterinary nutritionist. The brand has also validated its recipes through AAFCO feeding trials and completed a yearlong feeding study in partnership with Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

We’ve tried the subscription with two of our own dogs, a 20-pound cavapoo and a 50-pound pit mix. You can read more about our experience in our full review of The Farmer’s Dog.

Is fresh dog food worth the cost?

Feeding your pet fresh food is a matter of personal preference rather than a nutritional requirement. “Fresh foods may be more appealing to human shoppers, but they aren’t necessarily any healthier than conventional foods,” says Dr. Jo Myers, a veterinarian with Vetster. When choosing the best fresh dog food for your pet, she recommends looking past marketing buzz and focusing on objective criteria, such as the brand’s experience and expertise in animal nutrition, as well as its quality control standards.

That said, there’s a reason fresh food costs more: Those chunky vegetables and cuts of meat your dog loves are more expensive to produce than kibble or canned food. Fresh recipes require refrigeration or freezing throughout the supply chain, have a much shorter shelf life, and are typically made in smaller batches than shelf-stable alternatives. The most important factors when weighing the cost of any food are simple: Can you reliably serve it, will your dog eat it, and does it meet national nutritional recommendations for your dog’s life stage and lifestyle?

Best for sensitive stomachs

Why we recommend it

If a dog is on an ideal diet, Weeth says the number of times they poop each day should roughly match the number of meals they eat. If your dog is going more or less often than that, has loose or soft stool, or shows other signs of a sensitive stomach, talk to your veterinarian about an appropriate diet. There are affordable, non-prescription diets designed to help dogs with these kinds of digestive issues. These formulas may cost slightly more than standard dog food, but we found the most cost-effective, science-backed option: Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Salmon and Rice Entree.

This recipe includes rice and potatoes, simple carbohydrates that provide energy while also being gentle on the stomach. Soluble fiber from oatmeal and dried chicory root (inulin) helps absorb excess moisture and regulate digestion. The primary protein is fish, including omega-3 fatty-acid rich salmon. Fish are typically easy to digest, and their fatty acids may help reduce inflammation and support digestive health, says Dr. Nita Vasudevan, a veterinarian and veterinary consultant for Embrace Pet Insurance.

This recipe also comes in a kibble formula, which is a more cost-effective option, especially for large dogs. Both recipes are backed by research at the Purina Institute, a research group owned by Nestlé. The group works with veterinary organizations and universities to better understand pet nutrition.

Is wet food better for sensitive stomachs?

“Low fat, protein, simple carbs, and high water content typically make a diet more digestible,” says Dr. Julia Jenkins, senior veterinarian at Small Door Veterinary. She adds that no single diet fits every dog, since every gastrointestinal system is unique, and a diet only helps if your dog is actually willing to eat it. Higher water content across diets can also make food more palatable, which can encourage a dog to eat more even when they are feeling unwell. Higher water content can also help prevent or reverse dehydration in dogs with diarrhea and help keep stool moving in dogs who are constipated.

Best for puppies

Why we recommend it

Growing puppies need a food that's packed with nutrients to keep pace with their rapid development. Purina One +Plus Healthy Puppy Formula delivers at a price that won't break the bank, making it our pick for the best budget-friendly puppy food for all breeds. It contains omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil to support brain and eye development. Our experts say omega fatty acids are an essential nutrient for growing puppies.

With carbohydrate sources like whole grain corn, this food is ideal for active puppies exploring their big new world. "Carbohydrates are needed for energy," Weeth says. Complex carbohydrates are also a good source of fiber that supports digestion, while chicken protein helps build strong muscles. As puppies age, their demand for certain nutrients decreases. However, the most common reason to consider switching to an adult food is to prevent obesity, explains Dr. Emily Luisana, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and co-founder of Peak Veterinary Specialists. “Ideally this is not done until skeletal maturity is achieved,” she says. Toy and small breeds typically reach full skeletal maturity between 6 and 12 months, medium breeds between 8 and 18 months, and large and giant breeds anywhere from 11 months to 2 years.

You can find more highly nutritious puppy food options, including those for large and small breed puppies, in our guide to the best puppy foods.

Do puppies need dry or wet food?

Puppies can eat dry or wet food, or a combination of both, as long as it’s formulated for growth or all life stages. Dogs typically don't become picky eaters based on the food they had as puppies, Weeth says. This means you can exclusively feed them dry food, which is often cheaper than wet puppy food, without worrying. If you ever need to switch to wet food later, such as for a medical reason or after a tooth extraction, your puppy should adjust fine.

Best for small dogs

Why we recommend it

Dogs rely on a healthy balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates in a calorie-dense formula to power through their days. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Small Breed Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe delivers these essential nutrients in bite-sized pieces perfect for smaller mouths. Antioxidant-rich ingredients like sweet potatoes, blueberries, and cranberries may help support liver, kidney, and brain health. Plus, sweet potatoes and chicory root provide beneficial fiber for healthy digestion. At 398 calories per cup, this formula keeps up with the fast metabolism of small breed pups, so your dog won't be left running on empty.

Blue Buffalo was founded in 2003, inspired by a beloved Airedale Terrier named Blue. General Mills now owns the brand, and it's available in all 50 states and numerous countries at pet stores, supermarkets, and online retailers. For more small breed formulas for pups of all ages, check out our guide to the best dog foods for small dogs.

What unique nutritional needs do small dogs have?

Small dogs have faster metabolisms than larger breeds, so they typically need more calorie-dense food relative to their size. Because of their smaller mouths, they also do best with smaller kibble that's easier to chew. Like all the foods on this list, the best foods for small breeds should either be formulated to meet the AAFCO nutritional standards or tested through feeding trials to ensure safety and nutrition.

Best for large dogs

Why we recommend it

Wet food isn’t the cheapest dog food, and costs can add up even quicker when you’re feeding a large breed. To keep expenses down without sacrificing nutrition, we recommend Iams Proactive Health Large Breed Chicken and Whole Grain Rice Recipe. The large kibbles encourage dogs to chew, preventing big dogs from gulping down their meal.

This recipe features chicken and chicken meal as high-quality protein sources, with the chicken meal also providing glucosamine and chondroitin. Dr. Ashly Smith, a small animal veterinarian and regional medical director for Small Door Veterinary, says these nutrients may support joint health and mobility. It also contains dried beet pulp, a great source of fermentable fiber that helps keep digestion regular and promotes a lasting feeling of fullness between meals.

Mars, Incorporated owns Iams and distributes its pet food in more than 40 countries. The company also manufactures the well-regarded premium pet food brands Royal Canin and Eukanuba.

What unique nutritional needs do large dogs have?

Generally, large dog breeds are more prone to joint issues like hip dysplasia and arthritis. Feeding the best large-breed puppy food during growth is the first line of defense against these long-term issues. But joint support shouldn't stop once a dog reaches adulthood. Many of the best large-breed dog foods feature joint-supporting additions, such as fish oil, glucosamine, and chondroitin, which are also found in the best joint supplements for dogs. Being overweight can exacerbate joint issues. Large-breed formulas tend to have a slightly lower calorie density than small-breed food, since bigger dogs are more prone to obesity. Portion control is also essential to prevent overfeeding and excess weight gain.

Some large breed dogs are also at risk of bloat. Large, deep-chested dogs, including Great Danes, Saint Bernards, German Shepherds, Irish Setters, Rottweilers, and Boxers, are at the highest risk of developing gastric dilation-volvulus, or bloat, Jenkins says. It is a life-threatening condition in which the stomach becomes distended with gas and fluid and then twists on its axis. Eating too quickly, gulping air or water with meals, and heavy exercise right before or after eating are also risk factors. In addition to feeding smaller portions, moistening dry food before feeding, using slow-feeder bowls, and avoiding strenuous exercise close to mealtimes, a larger kibble size can encourage dogs to chew their food and eat more slowly.

Best for senior dogs

Why we recommend it

The best budget foods for seniors are formulated to meet their nutritional needs and help manage age-related conditions like decreased mobility, muscle loss, and cognitive decline. While large breed dogs may enter their senior years around 5 years old, smaller breeds typically reach this stage around age 10.

Whatever your dog's size, Iams ProActive Health Healthy Aging Chicken and Whole Grain Recipe delivers key ingredients for many enjoyable golden years, like marine microalgae, a more sustainable source of omega fatty acids than fish oil. Whole grain carbohydrates provide energy for your young-at-heart senior, while beet pulp aids digestion. L-carnitine helps prevent weight gain and preserve muscle mass, alongside a healthy serving of chicken and chicken byproduct meal. To round out this senior recipe, antioxidant-rich carrots may help combat oxidative damage, reducing the risk of learning and memory decline in senior dogs.

This recipe also comes in a wet food formula. It costs slightly more per serving but may be easier for dogs with multiple missing teeth to eat, Luisana says. While wet food can help with weight management because the extra water helps dogs feel fuller, Lambo says its pungent smell can also entice older dogs with a declining appetite to eat. Our guide to the best senior dog food includes more recommendations for wet and dry food.

What unique nutritional needs do senior dogs have?

Dogs age differently depending on their breed and overall health. Some of the most common age-related conditions in dogs are joint issues, cognitive decline, and weight management. The best food for senior dogs can help prevent, manage, or slow down these conditions. Omega-3 fatty acids support joint health, while antioxidants may help slow cognitive decline. Portion control is also important for keeping your senior dog at a healthy weight, since excess weight can exacerbate joint issues and increase the risk of other conditions, like diabetes mellitus.

What to look for in an affordable dog food

When shopping for the best affordable dog foods, there's no need to cut corners. Focus on the essential qualities below that make any dog food a quality choice.

AAFCO nutritional adequacy: The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a nonprofit organization that determines nutritional standards for pet food. Every food we recommend includes a statement on the label confirming it meets the AAFCO's nutritional standards through formulation or feed-trial testing. "It's important because it helps owners identify whether a pet food is complete and balanced for their pet's life stage," Vasudevan says. Lambo agrees: “I would start by looking for an AAFCO statement confirming that the diet is complete and balanced for your dog's life stage, and then ask your veterinarian whether it's appropriate for your individual dog.” You can learn more about the AAFCO standards in our guide to the best dog food.

WSAVA nutrition guidelines: The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) is a global network of veterinary professionals dedicated to improving the health and welfare of companion animals — not just through nutrition, but also by considering disease prevention and management, says Dr. Caitlin Johnson, a veterinarian at Lovet Pet Health Care. The Global Nutrition Guidelines published by WSAVA help veterinarians and pet owners make informed decisions about pet food. "They recommend selecting brands that employ veterinary nutritionists, conduct feeding trials, and follow strict quality control and safety testing," Vasudevan says.

Guaranteed analysis and calories: Johnson says a food's overall nutrient profile is more important than nitpicking its individual ingredients. You can find the nutrient profile in the guaranteed analysis on the pet food label, including the minimum protein and fat levels and the maximum fiber and moisture. Calorie content varies widely across food types and brands and is listed as kilocalories (kcal) per cup or ounce on dog food labels.

Brand reputation: Weeth says the best affordable dog food brands have 20 years or more of experience in pet food manufacturing and sales. This gives you more insight into their track record, including pet food recalls. Johnson says most veterinarians recommend the "big four brands" — Hill's, Royal Canin, Purina, and Eukanuba — and she would add budget-friendly Iams Proactive Health to that list as well. All of these brands employ board-certified veterinary nutritionists to ensure their food is balanced and safe for consumption, she says. While Eukanuba and Royal Canin are reputable brands, their prices rise above a budget-friendly price range, so we didn't include them in this guide.

Manufacturing standards: When choosing dog food, consider the brand's manufacturing standards and quality control measures. Weeth says brands that own their own manufacturing facilities have greater oversight of their ingredients and production processes. Some brands share this information on their websites as part of their transparency pledge. If you can't find it online, you may need to reach out to the company directly.

Weeth also says to consider a brand's distribution reach. Companies that only sell locally may face fewer regulatory requirements than those that distribute nationally. Brands sold at major retailers like Amazon and Chewy ship to all 48 contiguous states, which means they must comply with the strictest regulations. This provides an added layer of quality assurance.

Ingredients: Because dogs are omnivores, a balanced recipe will include proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Just as important as what's included in your dog's food is what's left out. For instance, Johnson says grain-free diets have become a popular fad, often marketed as a solution for allergies. However, these diets have been linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a preventable heart disease in dogs. Additionally, Tufts University says grains provide essential plant-based protein, fiber, and fatty acids, making them a valuable part of the canine diet.

Don't be put off by recipes that contain byproducts, Weeth says. Byproducts and meat meals are nutritious organ meats, such as hearts, spleens, and livers. Some brands market their food as "byproduct-free" while still including organ meats in the ingredient list. When a recipe specifies ingredients like "beef liver," Weeth says it's still using byproducts, just listing them individually, which can drive up the cost. Ingredient lists that include "byproducts" or "meals" are formulated using the most cost-effective options available at the time.

It may be tempting to splurge on dog food that includes US Department of Agriculture (USDA) graded meats or human-grade ingredients, but Vasudevan says it's not necessary. "They don't always equate to better nutrition for pets," she says. The main difference lies in handling and storage. Human-grade ingredients must comply with USDA regulations and be made in USDA-inspected facilities. Non-human-grade ingredients are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the safety standards may be less stringent. While pet foods made through either route are safe, if your pet has severe allergies or digestive issues, you might choose human-grade food for its stringent quality control and production standards.

Price per pound and feeding guidelines: To compare the cost of dry food (priced per pound) and wet food (priced per ounce), you'll need to determine how much your dog will eat, as portion sizes vary depending on the food's calorie content. You can refer to the feeding guidelines on the label or bag to estimate how many servings are in a can or bag. However, these recommendations are rough estimates. Your veterinarian can help determine the best daily calorie intake for your dog based on their age, health, and target weight.

Auto-shipping discounts: You can save more money on pet food when you order from some online retailers. Sites like Chewy, Amazon, and Petco offer discounts on recurring shipments or subscription plans.

Affordable dog food FAQs

What should I feed my dog on a budget?

Dry dog food, also called kibble, is often more affordable than wet food. However, our experts say the most important factor, regardless of cost, is that the food is complete and balanced for your dog, which is indicated by an AAFCO statement on the packaging. Johnson says veterinarians often recommend Hill's, Purina, and Iams, as these brands employ board-certified veterinary nutritionists and offer a range of recipes, including options for specific health needs and budgets.

What is the difference between high-quality and low-quality dog food?

Our experts say high-quality dog food, regardless of price, meets the AAFCO nutritional standards, which include a balanced mix of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and beneficial fibers. It also adheres to the WSAVA nutritional guidelines and comes from a well-established brand known for its consistency and product quality. On the other hand, low-quality diets are often not nutritionally complete and balanced and may include fad or boutique options like grain-free diets, Johnson says.

Who has the cheapest dog food prices?

In general, online retailers such as Amazon and Chewy have the most competitive pricing on dog food. You can save more by signing up for recurring shipments or subscription plans, which often offer small discounts and the convenience of scheduled deliveries.

Where can I get dog food if I can't afford it?

Many communities have food pantries and food banks — some specifically for pets — that provide free or low-cost pet food. You can find a pet food bank near you by visiting Pet Help Finder and selecting "Food Pantry and Supplies" from the dropdown selection. Your county animal services, local pet shelters, or humane societies can also connect you to resources or may provide pet food directly.

If you don't need emergency assistance but are still working with a limited budget, there are healthy options for your dog. Vasudevan says a budget-friendly diet that meets AAFCO standards is better than an unbalanced homemade diet or inconsistent meals. "A well-fed pet is a healthy pet, and your love and care matter more than a fancy food label," she says. We recommend Nature's Recipe Chicken, Barley, and Brown Rice Recipe. It contains nutrient-rich meat meals, which provide excellent nutrition at a lower cost.

What is the best way to switch a dog's food?

The best way to switch your dog's food without causing digestive upset is to follow a slow transition spanning about a week. "We aim for a ratio of 75:25 old food to new food for 2 to 3 days, then 50:50 ratio for 2 to 3 days, then a 25:75 ratio for 2 to 3 days, then going 100% in with the new food," Johnson says.

• Karyann Parkinson let her 5-year-old son walk half a mile on his own in their gated community.
• The mom was shocked when police showed up at her door, followed by child protection officers.
• She was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and received six-months suspended.

This story is based on an interview with Karyann Parkinson, 36, a prospective attorney from Northern Virginia awaiting bar qualification. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My life was turned upside down in early June 2026 — two weeks before the birth of my fifth child.

I was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when I opened the front door to a security guard from our gated community. He was standing behind my 5-year-old son, Sam.

Sam, who looked scared, was clutching a handful of goose feathers he'd gathered from a pond inside our HOA, about half a mile from our house.

Our neighborhood was close-knit

I allowed him to go alone because he wanted to gather more feathers after we'd returned from our daily walk and bike ride there.

Everyone in our neighborhood was close-knit and knew each other. There was 24-hour security, a 25-mph speed limit, sidewalks, and wide grass verges.

Sam was a responsible and independent kid. He'd made that journey hundreds of times with me, my husband, Dallin, 37, and our other children, now 7, 11, and 14.

However, the security guard thought it was dangerous. He said that a passerby had alerted him after spotting Sam. He said that it was "against the rules" for him to be out and about on his own, and the association didn't permit it.

I said I didn't know of an HOA bylaw that prohibited children from being alone.

He said it was "against the law" and that he was contacting the police.

A police officer knocked on our door

I continued making lunch. "The guy is being overzealous," I thought. I imagined the police had better things to do and nothing would come of it.

Sam was shaken up, saying the guard said we broke the rules and there were bad people in our neighborhood. I told him it wasn't the case — that our neighbors were good people and that he didn't need to be afraid.

Ten minutes later, a police officer knocked on our door. I told him that Sam had my permission to go to the pond. By then, I was pretty upset and said, "I'm really not interested in talking to you about it."

He said he was bringing in Child Protection Services (CPS) and moved his car to block the driveway. Two more police cars drew up, followed by two CPS workers.

I called my husband, a mental health counselor, and asked him to come home. I was basically hiding inside my house with Sam until he showed up.

He spoke to the officers. "This doesn't seem right," he told them. Like me, he knew about Virginia's reasonable childhood independence law that passed in 2023.

Our son was mature and responsible

It says that neglect occurs only when you put your child in serious or obvious danger, with no lower restriction on their age. Independence should be age-appropriate, taking into account the child's individual maturity and abilities.

Dallin and I always agreed that Sam was mature and responsible. He took tennis classes and swam confidently. His walk to the pond was fitting for his personality and character.

Still, CPS insisted that 5 was too young for Sam to be alone. Dallin got me to come outside and talk things through.

It was such an uncomfortable experience, and I felt exposed. They wanted me to sign a safety plan, which said that Sam must be supervised at all times. I refused.

Next, they wanted to inspect the house and record the names and birth dates of our other children. I'd done nothing wrong and said no.

It was humiliating as a pregnant woman

They issued a warrant for my arrest four days later. I signed it after consulting with my attorney, Andrew Gordon, a friend who represented me pro bono.

The following two weeks were horrible. I was trying to get into the headspace of being a new mom again. I was worried about my baby's well-being.

It was humiliating, especially as a heavily pregnant woman. I felt ashamed and exposed. It was almost as if I were on display when I delivered my newborn, toward the end of June.

CPS did a home visit to ensure the house was safe. In mid-July — on our 16th wedding anniversary — I received a letter saying the allegations were substantiated. I was placed on Virginia's child abuse and neglect registry for seven years, banning me from volunteering at my kids' schools.

If that wasn't enough, I faced the criminal misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The accusation hung over me until late August, when I appeared before a judge at James City County's Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Williamsburg. I pleaded not guilty. Admitting an offense I didn't commit violated my principles.

My 6-month sentence was suspended

The stress affected Dallin and the children. My 7-year-old daughter was particularly worried. We spent a lot of time with her, saying, "Mom's not going to jail."

Still, the judge heard the evidence and gave me a six-month sentence. It was immediately suspended.

Andrew filed an appeal because we want the case decided by a jury. Hopefully, it will take place before Christmas or early next year.

Our family recently moved, mostly because of the new job I accepted. But it had felt unsustainable for us to stay in our HOA. We thought we were no longer welcome.

I feel disheartened when I reflect on what happened. People are conditioned to parent from a place of fear; an ingrained mentality that, if you are seen as imperfect or deficient in any way, your neighbors will call and report you rather than help you.

That said, I take comfort from knowing there's a consensus that we want our kids to be independent. I hope parents will be courageous enough to look them in the eye, recognize what they're capable of, and send them outside.

We should parent from a place of confidence, trust, and love for our children.

Editor's note: Karyann Parkinson was first interviewed by Reason. Business Insider verified her account through documents. We contacted the Commonwealth Attorney's Office for James City County, Virginia, where a spokesperson said they could not comment on a pending case. The person who answered our call to James City County Family Services said, "We won't be speaking to the media."

• Apple CEO John Ternus posted a cryptic teaser hours before the company's launch event.
• The unusual teaser could signal a glitzier marketing strategy under Ternus.
• Apple is widely expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone on Wednesday.

John Ternus is stoking the hype.

The recently inaugurated Apple CEO took to X on Wednesday to post a cryptic, 14-second teaser video ahead of the company's hotly anticipated launch event this afternoon.

In the short clip, a small spotlight shines down on a dome-shaped, slightly translucent orb that X users speculated could be anything from an iPhone camera to an Apple-branded flashlight.

The teaser, the first of its kind for Apple, which typically doesn't publicize its product launches in such amorphous ways, signals a possible new, more glitzy direction Ternus intends to take the company.

Ternus officially replaced Tim Cook as CEO on September 1. Formerly a products guy, Ternus has represented Apple in numerous public speaking appearances and helped design the AirPods, among other products.

Recently, the ambiguous teaser video has become a popular method for tech companies to garner publicity for upcoming product launches. This summer, Samsung previewed a new line of foldable phones with a video of someone cutting a pizza.

Apple is widely expected to unveil a foldable iPhone during Wednesday's launch.

Business Insider is set to live blog the launch event from gavel to gavel. Check back on the website at 1 p.m. ET for more updates.

• Can you put a price tag on being the president of the United States of America?
• The founding fathers had to in 1789 — how does $25,000 a year sound?
• Now, the president makes $400,000, though Trump has donated his.

How much do you get paid to be the leader of the free world?

Since 2001, the president of the United States has been paid $400,000 a year. Compare that to 1789, when the US elected its first president, and the presidential salary was $25,000 a year.

While that may sound like a fraction of today's paycheck, the salary's value has actually decreased by about half when adjusted for inflation.

In the 237 years since, the president has only received a handful of raises, although, of course, the office comes with plenty of other perks.

Here's how the president's annual compensation has changed since America's founding.

For the first 84 years of the United States' existence, the president earned $25,000 a year.

When Washington was elected in 1789, the task fell to Congress to decide what the presidential compensation should be.

In 2026 dollars, that $25,000 salary would be equal to approximately $949,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index.

In all, Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Johnson all made $25,000.

The first change came in 1873, when Ulysses S. Grant was the president. The annual salary was raised to $50,000.

By 1873, that $25,000 had depreciated to about $696,000 in today's money. A sizable bump to $50,000 a year made the salary worth almost $1.4 million in 2026 dollars.

Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt all made $50,000.

That lasted for 36 years, until 1909, during William Howard Taft's term. It was raised to $75,000.

The $50,000 salary lasted for about three decades. In 1909, it was raised to $75,000, or about $2.75 million in 2026 dollars.

Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry Truman (during his first term) all earned $75,000.

Another 40 years passed before it was raised again in 1949 during Harry S. Truman's second term, when it reached $100,000.

By 1949, that $75,000 had depreciated in value to about $1 million in 2026 dollars. So Congress voted to raise it to $100,000, or about $1.4 million in today's currency.

Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson all made $100,000 a year.

In 1969, Congress raised the salary to $200,000.

In 1969, the $100,000 salary was worth around $910,000 in today's money, whereas the $200,000 salary was worth around $1.8 million.

Lyndon B. Johnson was president at the time, but the raise didn't go into effect until Richard Nixon took office.

Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton earned $200,000 a year.

Three decades later, in 2001, George W. Bush became the first president to be paid $400,000 annually. It hasn't been raised since.

In 1999, Congress voted to raise the salary to $400,000 starting in 2001. That amount would be worth around $762,000 today.

There hasn't been a raise since then: Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden have all made $400,000.

Before he took office in 2017, Trump said he would not take home the presidential salary, and during his first term, he donated the payments to federal agencies, including the National Park Service and the Department of Transportation.

Trump said he would forgo his salary during his second term. The White House has not publicly said where the payments have gone.

Other presidents have taken a similar approach — Hoover and Kennedy donated their salaries to charities.

Since 1949, the president has also received a $50,000 expense account.

In 1949, Congress passed an act that raised compensation to $100,000 and established a $50,000 expense account.

The $50,000 covers expenses related to the president's official duties, such as dry-cleaning and hosting social gatherings. Unused funds revert to the US Treasury.

They've also had a $100,000 travel budget and a $19,000 allowance for entertainment expenses.

The $100,000 travel budget has been in effect since 1978 — before that, it was $40,000.

When you leave office, that doesn't mean the paychecks stop coming.

Since 1958, presidents have received a pension equal to the "salary of a Cabinet-level secretary." For example, Obama's presidential pension is $253,100 annually.

• Oil prices surged over $100 amid Middle East conflicts affecting global supply concerns.
• Brent crude, the international benchmark, passed the milestone in European trade on Wednesday.
• Fresh fighting between the US and Iran has raised fears of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil jumped above $100 per barrel on Wednesday as escalating fighting in the Middle East raised fears of further supply disruptions.

Early in European trading, Brent crude, the global benchmark, tipped above $100, and by around 9:40 a.m. ET, was trading at $100.90 per barrel. The move above $100 was the first since July 24.

At the same time, WTI, the US benchmark, was at just below $96 per barrel.

Brent has climbed about 25% since early August as hopes for a lasting end to the six-month US-Iran conflict have faded. American forces attacked Iranian tankers after Tehran tried to strike a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles, the US military said on Wednesday.

Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants this week also set Saudi energy facilities on fire, adding to concerns about oil shipments through the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

The international benchmark previously peaked at $126 a barrel in April before falling back as hopes of a ceasefire grew.

The Strait of Hormuz remains central to traders' concerns. Flows through the waterway recently fell below 2 million barrels a day, Rystad Energy estimated, down from 8 million to 9 million barrels a day in the week before fighting resumed on August 30.

Although producers including the US, Canada, and Guyana have increased output, the International Energy Agency said last month that global oil supply was expected to fall by 4.3 million barrels a day this year, or roughly 4%.

Major banks have responded to the worsening supply picture by lifting their price forecasts. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and HSBC are among the firms that have raised their outlooks in recent days.

Higher oil prices can filter through the economy by increasing gasoline, shipping, and manufacturing costs. A sustained move near or above $100 could add to inflation pressure and complicate the outlook for interest rates.

• I've spent years eating my way through Trader Joe's seasonal fall products.
• Some of the best things to buy this season are the pumpkin-spice Pretzel Slims and pepita salsa.
• I really enjoy Trader Joe's pumpkin rolls and pumpkin-spice hummus. 

Hi, I'm Savanna, and I've been slowly eating my way through Trader Joe's seasonal selections for years.

When it comes to the chain's fall foods, I don't repurchase everything I try, but some bites are so good I wish I could buy them year-round.

After carefully reviewing my past notes, I've compiled a list of my favorite finds that have become seasonal staples. Many of my picks return each year, but I'm still crossing my fingers that a few will return.

And so, I present to you my Trader Joe's Fall "Haul" of Fame:

Trader Joe's butternut-squash mac and cheese is the perfect frozen meal.

There are not many frozen dishes out there that are so yummy I'd happily pretend I made them myself, but this is an exception. Trader Joe's butternut-squash mac and cheese is absolutely heavenly.

The butternut-squash sauce is decadent and rich, with notes of aromatic sage and salty cheese coming through on every bite that tone down the squash's natural sweetness.

The sauce is smooth and super thick, like a bechamel, but doesn't have the usual slight stringiness you might expect from pureed squash. It also gives a perfect cheese pull thanks to its seamless mixture of Gouda, cheddar, and Parmesan.

On top of that, the rigatoni somehow cooks to a perfect al dente in the microwave. I especially love how the sauce clings to the inside of each tube, adding a burst of creaminess to each bite. 

Each time I eat it, I feel like I'm treating myself to a fancy dinner. I'm crossing my fingers that Trader Joe's never discontinues this because it truly is something special.

The pumpkin-and-ginger Hold the Cone treats are my dream fall dessert.

The contrast between the creamy pumpkin ice cream and the warm ginger creates a symphony of spice and sweetness on my taste buds, making me want to burst into song.

The cones have bold flavors but taste light and delicate. They're ideal for an after-dinner snack when you just want a taste of something sweet but not a full dessert.

The cones taste so much more interesting than any other ice-cream treat I've ever bought from a grocery store.

The frozen pumpkin waffles are one of my favorite fall products because of their flavor and subtlety.

As much as I love indulging in pumpkin-spice-flavored everything, sometimes I want a food that gives me a subtle taste of pumpkin without smacking me in the face with nutmeg.

These pumpkin waffles do exactly that. They're not terribly sweet, and the pumpkin spice in them is super mellow — I'm talking a three out of 10 as far as intensity goes.

For me, this works well because there's still enough pumpkin to remind me that it's different, without overpowering every bite.

These have crunchy edges and a slightly chewy center, and I think their interior tastes fluffier and better than many other frozen waffles I've tried, including Trader Joe's whole-wheat version.

They're scrumptious with just plain butter, but you can make them sweeter with maple butter, honey, or a cinnamon spread.

If I want to upgrade a holiday cheese board, I reach for Trader Joe's pumpkin-cranberry crisps.

The combination of pumpkin spice and tart cranberry in these crackers tastes great and feels a little bit fancier than the standard club cracker.

I love that these are on the sweeter side but are savory enough that they don't taste like a cookie. They're also nice and sturdy, so they hold up both to hot, creamy dips and cold, thick ones. 

I think they taste best with sweet dips like Trader Joe's cranberry-crusted chèvre and pumpkin hummus — but they're also tasty enough to be eaten on their own.

I didn't expect to like Trader Joe's pumpkin-spice hummus so much.

I love this sweet hummus because it perfectly captures the essence of pumpkin pie in a single, creamy dip without tasting artificial.

The flavor of the squash is detectable even over the heavy presence of nutmeg and cinnamon, with a pleasant nuttiness that rounds everything out nicely.

It's thicker than most hummus but has a delightful whipped quality that makes it seem much lighter than actual pie filling.

It tastes amazing with the chain's pumpkin-cranberry crisps, and it's also just as good with a graham cracker. I may or may not have taken a spoon to the container a few times because it's that yummy. 

With an irresistible combination of smoky chipotle, sweet bell pepper, and savory garlic, this pepita salsa is pretty much my kryptonite.

The salsa is pleasantly chunky and has enough of a mellow heat to keep a spice-lover like me satisfied and reaching for more without my eyes watering.

The pepita (pumpkin seed) component is ground up fine enough to not cause a textural issue, but it bulks up the salsa nicely, so it never feels watery. Plus, pepitas add extra protein, so I can't complain there.

I like pairing this with Trader Joe's fall chips or putting it on eggs. 

I buy several cans of Trader Joe's pumpkin rolls to keep in my freezer all season long.

Many know autumn as pumpkin-spice and cozy-sweater season, but I know it as the beginning of  "desserts for breakfast season."

As soon as the weather dips below 70 degrees Fahrenheit — here on the West Coast, that's considered chilly — I switch from my usual yogurt bowls to pumpkin-spiced muffins, scones, and loaves.

But nothing satisfies like a warm tray of these pumpkin rolls.

They taste like a cross between a bakery-style cinnamon bun and my favorite pumpkin bread. They're delightfully soft, with a mellow hint of nutmeg and other fall spices coming through with every bite.

As you might expect, underneath its layers of doughy goodness is a sticky cinnamon core that's so delicious getting to it feels like uncovering a hidden treasure.

They also come with a cinnamon- and nutmeg-twinged icing that's so good I'd lick it off the plate.

Trader Joe's Harvest Chili is vegetarian and super satisfying.

This chili offers a yummy, fall-themed twist on a beloved staple, using sweet potato, butternut squash, and pumpkin puree to add layers of flavor to its spicy black-bean base.

Every bite contains a blend of smoky, spicy, savory, and subtly sweet flavors that's absolutely divine.

This dish is loaded with so much flavor and spice that I forget it contains cauliflower and tons of other vegetables. I find they bulk the chili up nicely without distracting from any of the main flavors.

The fact that this can be prepared in the microwave in less than 10 minutes is just an added bonus. To this day, it's a meatless Monday staple in my house.

The pumpkin-spice Pretzel Slims are a perfect snack.

I wait for Trader Joe's to bring these Pretzel Slims back every fall. 

Each Slim is a crispy, thin pretzel coated with a sugary-sweet yogurt topping that is infused with a mellow touch of pumpkin spices. They also come covered with crunchy, spice-infused pepita "sprinkles."

I'm obsessed with their mixture of sweet and salty flavors and satisfying crispy-crunchy texture. 

They also taste like no other pumpkin-spice product I've tried, making them a mainstay on my list.

Whether you're an experienced baker or have never used an oven, this pumpkin-bread mix is great to have on hand.

I've tried many store-bought pumpkin-bread mixes, but this is the first one that produces a truly moist treat. 

The loaf takes less than an hour to bake, and it's so full of flavor that it totally rivals the ones offered at my favorite local coffee shop.

Nutmeg and clove dominate the flavor profile, but I can still clearly taste the cinnamon and actual pumpkin. I think it also tastes like it contains a hint of brown sugar (or something molasses-like) that deepens those spices beautifully.

Best of all, it isn't overly sweet. I regularly pair a slice with my morning coffee between the months of September and December.

 This story was originally published on October 6, 2022, and most recently updated on September 9, 2026.

• As a longtime Costco employee, I get to see all the great new merchandise as it arrives.
• This month, Costco is carrying seasonal decor, unique tech products, and chic kitchen accessories.
• The Hunter women's short-back adjustable rain boots really caught my eye.

As a Costco employee of 21 years, I love having a front-row seat to the new products that enter the warehouse.

This month, the shelves are stocked with everything from holiday decor and seasonal staples to fun tech and kitchen accessories.

Here are eight of the best items I'm seeing on shelves right now.

These Halloween throw blankets are soft and chic.

Shoppers at my Costco location have been loving the soft, Halloween-embroidered faux-fur throw blankets.

They come in three different varieties — a black cat with piercing yellow eyes, orange pumpkins, and white ghosts — and are a great way to add some spooky-season flair to your home.

I'm excited to try the new Nutella peanut spread.

I love that classic Nutella flavor, but the new peanut variety really caught my eye.

For Nutella peanut, the brand combines its original hazelnut flavor with the rich roasted taste of peanuts. This creamy spread seems like it would be great with fruit, waffles, and pancakes — or on its own.

These Hunter boots are perfect for rainy fall days.

I was excited to see the Hunter women's original short-back adjustable rain boots at Costco. They're waterproof and easy to pull on, with a cushioned footbed that makes them comfortable for rainy-day errands.

The adjustable buckle at the back also helps create a more customized fit.

The AR Blue Clean pressure washer is great for tackling outdoor projects.

The AR Blue Clean electric pressure washer is great for cleaning up outdoor spaces. It has enough power to wash away dirt and grime from patios, decks, driveways, and more.

It weighs about 28 pounds, but has locking swivel wheels, so you can easily roll it around to where you need it. Plus, it can be carried by the handle or mounted on a wall for storage.

It comes with a 25-foot hose, a foam cannon for soap, and three nozzles, so you'll have everything you need to get started.

Get a head start on holiday shopping with this adorable Pokémon calendar.

If you have a Pokémon fan in your life, this holiday calendar is a great gift idea.

Each set comes with 24 Pokémon figures, one to open each day. If you're interested in purchasing this item, I'd act fast — it's been selling like crazy at my Costco location.

The Canon Ivy 2 mini photo printer bundle helps turn smartphone photos into keepsakes.

The Canon Ivy 2 mini photo printer is a great way to turn smartphone photos into stickers.

The printer connects through Bluetooth and prints 2-by-3-inch photos with a sticky backing, so you can easily add them to scrapbooks, walls, lockers, and more.

Plus, it uses "zero ink" technology, so you won't need to buy ink cartridges. Just download the app, charge the printer, load the paper, connect your phone, and start printing.

The bundle includes the printer, a charging cord, and 60 sheets of photo paper.

I think the GreenPan Jewel Pro cookware set is gorgeous.

The GreenPan Jewel Pro ceramic 11-piece cookware set is both stylish and practical. It comes in two gorgeous colors, green or beige, and includes seven pots and pans with four lids.

The pans are dishwasher-safe and have a nonstick coating that makes for easy clean-up. Plus, they're safe to put in the oven and broiler at up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

I recommend grabbing a bottle of limited-edition Kirkland Signature organic golden maple syrup.

If you're looking to add some extra sweetness to your pancakes or waffles, you may want to pick up the Kirkland Signature organic golden maple syrup.

This limited-edition item is made from 100% pure maple syrup from Canada. Its unique bottle is eye-catching and reusable, with a flip-top stopper that keeps it tasting fresh.

Costco was not involved in the sourcing or writing of this story. The views contained within represent the author's personal views.

• College dining hall food gets a pretty bad rap.
• These colleges and universities, however, have some of the best on-campus food options in the US.
• Their campuses host popular fast-food chains, all-you-can-eat halls, and food trucks.

Whether you're powering through an all-night study session, squeezing in lunch between lectures, or grabbing a snack on the way back to your dorm, on-campus food is an essential part of college life.

Niche identified the top colleges nationwide for their dining halls and on-campus food options, based on student reviews and meal plan costs reported by the Department of Education.

The top-rated schools for food include both private and public institutions. Students at highly ranked schools have access to high-quality, healthy foods across different cuisines and dietary needs, according to Niche.

Every institution on this list was awarded a campus food grade of A+. We also included each school's average meal plan cost (where available), acceptance rate, and net cost of attendance, based on data from the Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

Here are the top 20 US schools for dining, ranked.

20. Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut

Wesleyan University serves made-from-scratch meals across campus, from vegan, kosher, and comfort-food options at Usdan Marketplace to late-night bites at Summerfields.

Students can also grab coffee, snacks, groceries, and food-truck fare between classes.

Overall Niche grade: A+

Acceptance rate: 16%

Net price: $23,025

19. Grand Canyon University in Phoenix

Grand Canyon University has more than 35 on-campus dining spots, including a dining hall, coffee shops, a food court, and popular chains such as Chick-fil-A, Subway, and Panda Express.

Students can choose from everything from burgers and pizza to salads, smoothies, and grab-and-go snacks.

Overall Niche grade: B

Average meal plan cost: $4,200 per year

Acceptance rate: 79%

Net price: $22,928

18. Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York

At the Culinary Institute of America, students can dine at a casual bakery café, a lively student commons, and public restaurants focused on American, French, and Italian cuisines.

Many of the on-campus eateries also double as classrooms, where CIA students prepare and serve meals to paying guests.

Overall Niche grade: C+

Average meal plan cost: $4,650 per year

Acceptance rate: 91%

Net price: $39,581

17. University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia

The University of Georgia has six dining commons serving everything from stir-fry, made-to-order omelets, tacos, pasta, and burgers to smoothies, salads, and allergen-friendly dishes.

Students can also find fast-food options like Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, and Barberitos, as well as other grab-and-go options across campus.

Overall Niche grade: A+

Average meal plan cost: $4,444 per year

Acceptance rate: 38%

Net price: $16,662

16. Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Muhlenberg College's Wood Dining Commons features eight chef-attended dining stations with customizable meals, including vegan, vegetarian, kosher, and allergen-friendly options.

Across campus, students can also pick up sushi, sandwiches, grilled food, Starbucks coffee, and freshly baked desserts at the campus food court, cafés, and pop-up food trucks.

Overall Niche grade: B

Average meal plan cost: $6,636 per year

Acceptance rate: 72%

Net price: $34,739

15. University of North Texas in Denton, Texas

The University of North Texas has five dining halls and a wide range of retail options, including Chick-fil-A, Burger King, Jamba, sushi, made-to-order burgers, pizza, and a customizable noodle bar.

The university is also home to Mean Greens Café, the country's first fully vegan dining hall, and Kitchen West, which is free of the Big 9 allergens and gluten.

Overall Niche grade: B+

Acceptance rate: 72%

Net price: $15,965

14. University of San Diego in San Diego

The University of San Diego offers a broad mix of campus dining options, from global food hall concepts at Pavilion Dining to Mediterranean fare, Latin dishes, made-to-order stir-fry, and a bistro-style California restaurant.

Students can also grab Peet's coffee and crepes on their way to class, as well as frozen yogurt, smoothies, and groceries around campus.

Overall Niche grade: A-

Acceptance rate: 52%

Net price: $37,918

13. University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio

The University of Dayton has 13 dining venues, including spots for breakfast, soups, sandwiches, salads, and more.

Students can also grab coffee, smoothies, bakery items, and snacks at the 24/7 Emporium, which uses "just walk out" checkout technology, so shopping is faster.

Overall Niche grade: A

Average meal plan cost: $6,590 per year

Acceptance rate: 66%

Net price: $32,794

12. Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida

Students at Lynn University rave about the main dining hub, Mary's Kitchen, which features a rotating menu of international cuisines, American favorites like mac and cheese, vegan and gluten-free options, homemade desserts, and an ice-cream bar.

Students can also visit Christine's for artisan sandwiches and baked desserts or grab Starbucks drinks and snacks at the Perper Coffee House.

Overall Niche grade: C+

Acceptance rate: 73%

Net price: $45,469

11. St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York

St. John Fisher University offers an all-you-care-to-eat dining hall with Asian-inspired dishes, pasta, pizza, salads, grab-and-go deli sandwiches, and grilled favorites, as well as on-campus spots for Starbucks drinks, made-to-order sandwiches, and customizable tacos and burrito bowls.

Overall Niche grade: B-

Average meal plan cost: $6,300 per year

Acceptance rate: 66%

Net price: $30,540

10. Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia

Kennesaw State University's full-service dining halls feature fresh ingredients and menus that change daily, including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-friendly items.

Students can also find Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Moe's, Starbucks, and Jamba locations across campus.

Overall Niche grade: B

Average meal plan cost: $4,547 per year

Acceptance rate: 69%

Net price: $15,636

9. High Point University in High Point, North Carolina

High Point University has more than 20 campus dining locations, including Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Jamba Juice, and casual cafés, as well as a diner, salad bar, and bakery.

One of the most unusual aspects of dining on campus at HPU is a trio of fine-dining learning labs — 1924 Prime, Kazoku, and Alo — which students can visit through certain meal plans.

Overall Niche grade: B

Average meal plan cost: $10,110 per year

Acceptance rate: 75%

Net price: $43,086

8. Florida International University in Miami

With over 35 dining locations across campus, students at Florida International University rave about the variety of food options.

From Chili's to Chick-fil-A and Panera Bread, there's no shortage of places to grab a bite between classes or hang out with friends over a meal.

Overall Niche grade: A

Average meal plan cost: $4,656 per year

Acceptance rate: 55%

Net price: $11,178

7. James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia

James Madison University offers two state-of-the-art, all-you-can-eat dining halls with hibachi and stone-oven pizza.

There's also the Festival Food Court, where students can grab sandwiches and more from outlets like Madison Press Deli, Ignite Pizza and Pasta, and Chick-fil-A.

Overall Niche grade: B+

Average meal plan cost: $6,636 per year

Acceptance rate: 72%

Net price: $18,856

6. Bates College in Lewiston, Maine

From late-night options at the Bobcat Den to pasta, omelet, and pho stations at the main dining hall, there are plenty of dining options to satiate students at Bates College.

Overall Niche grade: A

Acceptance rate: 13%

Net price: $24,723

5. California Baptist University in Riverside, California

California Baptist University has 12 dining locations across its Riverside campus, including its tapas-inspired Alumni Dining Commons, fast-food options such as Chick-fil-A, a made-to-order Mexican grill, and cafés serving burgers, sandwiches, salads, smoothies, and coffee.

Overall Niche grade: B+

Average meal plan cost: $7,160 per year

Acceptance rate: 85%

Net price: $27,862

4. St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin

At St. Norbert College, Ruth's Marketplace feels like much more than a typical dining hall, with everything from global dishes and build-your-own sandwiches to pizza, pasta, homestyle favorites, and fresh-baked desserts.

When students want something quicker, they can head to Phil's Grill or Ed's Coffee Shop for burgers, sushi, burrito bowls, smoothies, and sandwiches.

Overall Niche grade: B

Average meal plan cost: $6,230 per year

Acceptance rate: 86%

Net price: $27,880

3. Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia

With 56 different on-campus dining options, there's no shortage of restaurants, grab-and-go spots, or dining halls. The dozens of options span chef-driven concepts, national brands, food courts, two all-you-care-to-eat dining centers, and even food trucks.

Overall Niche grade: A+

Average meal plan cost: $6,419 per year

Acceptance rate: 55%

Net price: $24,912

2. University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts

UMass Amherst takes campus food seriously, with four dining commons, 12 on-campus food stations, 20 cafés, and two food trucks serving everything from late-night snacks to chef-prepared meals.

The school is especially known for its huge variety and its focus on fresh, local, sustainable ingredients.

Overall Niche grade: A

Average meal plan cost: $7,648 per year

Acceptance rate: 60%

Net price: $22,948

1. University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles

UCLA's dining program offers four all-you-can-eat, buffet-style restaurants, each with up to 10 entrée choices per meal, plus plenty of café-style spots for a quicker bite.

Students can choose from Mediterranean food, Pan-Asian flavors, Italian dishes, healthy bowls, and food trucks, offering plenty of vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal, and allergy-friendly options. There are also college-student staples like Carl's Jr., Panda Express, and Taco Bell, perfect for those late-night study sessions.

Overall Niche grade: A+

Acceptance rate: 9%

Net price: $14,512

• Over 2,000 flights in and out of the UK were canceled after a major air traffic control outage.
• London Heathrow, one of the world's busiest hub airports, was the worst affected.
• Business Insider mapped out 70 diverted flights from the chaos.

Flying into Europe's biggest airport is a crapshoot this week.

More than 2,000 flights were canceled in the UK after the country's air traffic control provider, NATS, said it suffered a "technical issue" on Tuesday afternoon.

London Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest by passenger numbers and one of the world's most important transit hubs, was the worst affected.

The skies over London were eerily empty as hundreds of thousands of passengers across the country were stuck waiting on the tarmac or in chaotic airport terminals.

Tuesday's pandemonium is causing further disruption because many airplanes and flight crews were left in unexpected cities.

British Airways said on Wednesday morning that its staff worked through the night to build a new flight schedule, but 190 flights still had to be canceled.

According to data from the aviation analytics firm Cirium, 1,746 flights to and from the UK were canceled or did not depart on Tuesday. That's about 30% of the day's schedule.

As of Wednesday lunchtime, another 291 flights had been canceled, representing 5% of the schedule, per Cirium. A typical cancellation rate is between 1% and 2%.

Almost half of Heathrow's scheduled departures were canceled on Tuesday, per Cirium's data. In total, more than 700 flights in and out of Heathrow had been canceled as of Wednesday lunchtime.

Heathrow has one of the most international schedules of any airport globally, with passengers able to fly to over 200 cities in more than 80 countries this month, so the impact of cancellations is global in scope.

Alongside cancellations, Business Insider analyzed Flightradar24 data showing that 70 flights bound for Heathrow were diverted elsewhere on Tuesday.

11 of those ended up at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, while six went to Edinburgh and Frankfurt.

Not pictured in this map is Air Canada Flight 2080, from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Data from Flightradar24 showed the Boeing 737 Max was midway across the Atlantic before it U-turned and diverted to Newfoundland.

Six flights operated by a double-decker Airbus A380 — the world's largest passenger jet— were among the diversions. Half were operated by Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, landing in Birmingham, Munich, and Düsseldorf, instead of London.

Passengers on Singapore Airlines Flight 308 may have had the most confusing ordeal.

The A380 had flown for 13 hours when it was forced to circle over London and turn back. First, it headed east toward Cologne, Germany, but changed directions again and finally diverted to Paris.

This week's problems are the latest in a string of recent issues with NATS that have caused travel chaos in the UK.

Back in August 2023, 700,000 travelers were affected after a software failure shut down NATS' automatic flight-planning system. The event was estimated to have cost airlines, airports, insurers, passengers, and others up to £100 million, or $135 million, according to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority.

Following a spate of delayed flights a year later, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary called for NATS' boss to step down. O'Leary said that the incident was "the latest in a long line of cock-ups."

Ryanair executives renewed O'Leary's call in the wake of this week's disruption.

Neal McMahon, Ryanair's chief operating officer, said, "How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid, failure NATS CEO, Martin Rolfe, accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns?"

In statements posted on X, NATS said it was "truly sorry."

"We know this is hugely frustrating and apologise unreservedly," it added.

Late on Tuesday, NATS said it was assisting airlines and airports to recover.

"This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover."

Rolfe was summoned to meet with the UK's transport secretary on Wednesday, The Guardian reported.

• Mark Zuckerberg says he tested Meta's AI agent Muse by asking it for baking advice for his kids.
• In a podcast appearance, Zuckerberg also said Muse had given him tips on his MMA training.
• Muse, which launched on Tuesday, is the newest in a growing number of publicly available AI agents.

Mark Zuckerberg is testing Meta's new personal AI agent with a decidedly low-stakes assignment: helping him bake with his 3-year-old daughter.

Speaking on the "Sources" podcast released on Tuesday, the Meta CEO said he set up the agent, called Muse, to plan a baking project for them every weekend.

Its job is to pick something manageable for a toddler and an adult who knows little about baking, then use a service such as Instacart to make sure the ingredients are ready.

The early verdict? Muse may need to adjust its difficulty settings.

"Cake pops, really difficult, surprisingly difficult," Zuckerberg said. "Don't start with cake pops."

Zuckerberg said he reports back after each project so the agent can learn what worked and what didn't.

"You give it projects, or you give it goals," Zuckerberg said. "And then it just works, and it works 24-7, and it doesn't stop until it's helped achieve the goal."

You can see Zuckerberg's comments below:

The example reflects one of Meta's broader claims about Muse. Unlike a chatbot that simply responds to a prompt, it is designed to pursue longer-term tasks, work in the background, and retain information about a user's preferences.

He said he is also using Muse for other family-related tasks.

The agent watches for mountain-climbing permits for his older daughter and alerts him when one becomes available. It also created a guide to "Civilization" — a video game about building societies — for another of his daughters, then suggested turning it into a history lesson.

Away from parenting, Zuckerberg uses Muse to review footage from cameras in his MMA gym. Its feedback can be blunt: "It looks like you really gave up," he said the agent once told him.

"I was like, yeah, I did. I was really tired right there," Zuckerberg said.

Meta plans to offer Muse with what Zuckerberg described as a large free allowance — about 100 million tokens a week — alongside a paid subscription option.

The company says the agent could eventually help users run small businesses, manage ad campaigns, and handle other tasks that require access to outside services.

That ambition requires users to trust Muse with sensitive data and account access. Zuckerberg said Meta built a confidential virtual-machine system that the company itself cannot inspect, along with monitoring agents and approval prompts for actions such as payments and sending emails.

For now, Muse's assignment in Zuckerberg's household has exposed a potential limitation of AI assistants: they can organize the ingredients, but they may not know that cake pops are an ambitious place to start.

• My mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer, which later progressed to Stage 4.
• I became her sole caregiver, attending every chemotherapy session and putting a move on hold.
• I developed health problems myself, and I realized caregiving didn't mean our roles disappeared.

For years, my mom and I were likened to the Gilmore Girls because of our bond. But there's no episode where Rory has to tell Lorelai she has cancer.

It was a reality I was forced to confront in early 2025, when my mom had to have a hysterectomy due to a large tumor pressing on her uterus. Her surgical oncologist informed me over the phone that it was cancerous while she was still in the operating room.

Initially, I felt optimistic, assuming that the cancer must be gone after the tumor removal. He explained that they had biopsied some other concerning lymph nodes in her body and wouldn't be able to rule out cancer entirely until those were tested.

When my mom woke up from the procedure, I assumed the surgical oncologist would return to inform her of the news. He never came back, so I had to tell my mom — the woman who gave me life — that she did, in fact, have a cancerous tumor, and that we both had to wait several weeks to find out if there was any cancer left in her body.

The roles were reversed that day. I became my mom's sole caregiver. Three weeks later, we found out she had a rare form of uterine cancer — Stage 3 adenocarcinoma.

I didn't miss any of my mom's appointments

Even though it was traumatizing to hear my mom's diagnosis, I'm grateful I was there by her side. She credited me afterward for being able to think of informative questions to ask during the appointment, as she was in pure shock — one way I never anticipated my journalistic skills to come into good use.

I knew my mom was a very straightforward woman, having spent 20 years in the Air Force as an aircraft maintenance technician. I understood how she found comfort in stressful situations — and that was actually understanding what she was dealing with, the truth that wasn't sugarcoated.

Turning on my journalist side honestly helped me cope as well, so I went straight into question mode. What did adenocarcinoma mean? Why didn't it go away when they removed my mom's uterus and the large tumor that led to this situation in the first place?

Adenocarcinomas are tricky. They're essentially in the glands of different organs. My mom began to understand why she needed chemotherapy.

I was on call whenever she needed me

I went with my mom when she got her port: it's a small device surgically implanted in cancer patients for easier bloodstream access during chemotherapy. My mom and I both love Marvel movies, so I joked that she was like Iron Man.

From there on out, I stayed by her side during every chemotherapy session and doctor's appointment. Chemo rooms can feel rather lonely and isolating — I noticed most of the other patients also had loved ones by their side.

I considered myself on call for my mom whenever she needed me. I had been contemplating a move to Austin prior to her diagnosis — but I've put it on hold so I can be nearby when she needs me. I've had to drive her on countless occasions when she wasn't feeling well and needed to get somewhere, and I've taken her to the ER multiple times and run errands for her when she was told to stay away from large crowds. I didn't mind, and I still don't.

Stress got to me

Throughout my time being on call for my mom in terms of presence and emotional support as her sole caregiver, I started to notice I was drowning in deep fatigue.

Writing was my main source of income, and yet my words began to fail. I would stare at the screen and not even remember later if I wrote anything. Was it depression? I found it hard to get out of bed in the mornings, but the energy (or adrenaline) always came when my mom was in need.

I also started to notice severe pain in my lower back. I wanted to yell at my body — couldn't these things wait until she was better? I tried to put on a brave front for my mom, but inwardly I felt like I was crumbling. To make things worse, I was told during an ER visit for my back pain that it looked like I had bone cancer. I lost it in the communal room where I was completely alone. My mom had offered to join me during my visit, but I told her to stay away because she was immunocompromised.

The tears I had been suppressing for months finally broke free.

Months later, I broke down to her about how my work had been a struggle because of the horrible fatigue and brain fog I had been experiencing. I hadn't wanted to stress her out because her cancer had progressed to Stage 4. I was still trying to figure out what was causing all my symptoms on my own, outside caregiving for her.

She insisted that I needed to be taken care of, too. Even though I didn't like crying, it felt nice to have her motherly comfort again. I realized how much I needed it.

Thanks to my mom's insistence, I finally found out I had osteoporosis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis — an autoimmune condition that causes terrible fatigue, brain fog, and a host of other symptoms.

It was then that I began to realize my mom's strength returned when her only daughter needed her. I was so determined to be a perfect caregiver, when in all actuality, I needed to give her permission to be a mom again.

I treat her like my mom and not a cancer patient

Treating my mom like my mom and not my mom the cancer patient has been more beneficial for both of us. I texted her with excitement when I was put on the right dose of thyroid medication after months of struggling, and that I was going to start treatment for my osteoporosis.

Nowadays, my mom is still bravely fighting Stage 4 cancer, more than a year after her initial diagnosis. But I've found that we both find strength in staying dedicated to normal activities — I'll invite her over to my apartment to binge-watch "Grey's Anatomy" and cook her light meals. I take her out to events I get invited to when she feels up to it, where people in my community are well-versed in her situation because I post updates about her health on my Instagram. One of my favorite markets in town banded together to put together a care package for her when her white blood cell count dropped dangerously low. Seeing her face light up when I gave her the care package was a gift in itself.

My mom is so much more than her cancer diagnosis. I would gladly be her caregiver in any lifetime.

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Forget the Jets and the Sharks, the Yankees and the Red Sox, or Arsenal v. Spurs (on my side of the pond). Few rivalries run as deep as Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

That explains why Madison Avenue was so stunned by last week's news: Publicis Groupe had won PepsiCo's $1.7 billion global media, data, and tech account without a traditional pitch. (Omnicom was Pepsi's global media partner for more than 25 years, though Publicis media agencies did already work with the beverage and snacks giant in some markets in Asia.)

The context: Publicis handles Coca-Cola's media in North America — and was competing against incumbent WPP for Coke's global business.

"I was gobsmacked and shellshocked all week," one marketing consultant told me. Another sent me an unprintable expletive.

Two people familiar with the matter told me Publicis has withdrawn from Coke's global pitch and is set to resign the North America account — a business it had won from WPP last year. The Coke North America business is estimated to be worth $805 million, while the global business amounts to $1.8 billion in spending, per the research company COMvergence.

AdAge reported on Tuesday that Coke is now planning to put its North American media business back under review.

Publicis' coup is widely viewed as a masterstroke by Arthur Sadoun's company, which similarly clinched Microsoft's media business in April without a formal pitch. It also shows how consolidation of the agency landscape is reshaping CMOs' options — particularly for marketers who demand category exclusivity.

Madison Avenue's review culture

When Coca-Cola confirmed its global media review in June, Pepsi's marketing team quickly seized the opportunity to strike before it was too late.

If Publicis had won Coke, Pepsi would have had few obvious alternatives to retaining Omnicom as its global media partner. WPP and Publicis' relationship with Coke would have made those agencies off-limits, and Omnicom's acquisition of IPG, as well as Dentsu's international struggles, left few other scaled global media operations in the market for a company of PepsiCo's size.

"Top-to-top dealmaking is getting more prevalent vis-a-vis running a process with guarantees on people, remuneration, and media cost," said Ruben Schreurs, CEO of the marketing consultancy Ebiquity. "Is this a sign of the times to come?"

It's an embarrassing blow for Coke, which had been expecting to convene leaders from Publicis and WPP in Mexico City this week in the latest stage of the global media pitch. Only WPP made it.

Reviews are costly and time-consuming for both agencies and clients: WPP and Publicis execs had already flown to Shanghai and London as part of the process.

Some major global advertisers deem these lengthy processes necessary as they make major decisions over which agencies are best equipped to handle their billions of dollars in ad spending. It's not just about which agency has the most persuasive "pitch" and charismatic leaders in the presentation room. Advertisers and their procurement teams can spend months, and even years, haggling on pricing, the top people who will be assigned to their accounts, and stress-testing agencies' capabilities in areas such as data, tech, commerce media, and increasingly AI. Volkswagen's global media review memorably stretched over three years before it reappointed Omnicom's PHD in 2024.

Given all the complexity involved in such reviews, industry insiders said they were surprised that Publicis' move came as the Coke review was well underway.

"It couldn't have been more shocking in a more shocking category with two more shocking brands at a more shocking point in the process," an agency head told me.

• Gap Inc. just made a big hire to help the company move beyond clothes.
• Jamie Drew will seek out partnerships and new businesses in areas that could include travel, sports, and gaming.
• Gap has made notable forays into music, but it's risky for brands to go into non-core areas.

Gap Inc. wants to be in the middle of the cultural conversation — and just tapped a new exec to grow its business beyond clothes.

Gap has hired Jamie Drew as its new head of strategic partnerships and growth, reporting to chief entertainment officer Pam Kaufman, the company exclusively told Business Insider. Drew is tasked with helping push Gap's brands — including Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta, as well as Gap — beyond apparel to other consumer touchpoints.

Her mandate is to look beyond traditional fashion partnerships to areas where the parent company or its individual brands could reach new audiences and create new businesses. The company said those areas could include experiences and destinations, hospitality or travel, sports and fitness communities, gaming, and food and beverage.

Drew was most recently EVP of consumer products and experiences at Paramount Global, also Kaufman's alma mater, following 15 years at its kids channel Nickelodeon. She helped build the kids' franchise Paw Patrol into a retail business, acquire Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, take SpongeBob SquarePants to Broadway, and open the first Nickelodeon Hotel.

Drew said her most successful initiatives embodied the brand's DNA.

"Brand partnerships only work when they're truly authentic to the brand's ethos and extend its consumer relevance," she said.

Reimagining Gap has been a top priority for Richard Dickson, who has revived the retail giant since becoming CEO in 2023.

This year, Gap tapped Kaufman for its first chief entertainment role, Walmart alum Justin Breton to drive original content, and Paramount alum Lourdes Arocho to head up licensing.

Gap has made headlines for its cultural marketing

The company has already been inserting itself into culture — and the Gap brand is its star.

Over the past year, the Gap brand has tapped into celebrities and cultural events to draw attention. It cast global pop girl group Katseye in an ad, produced a video with Puerto Rican artist Young Miko around Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show, became Coachella's exclusive apparel sponsor and merch partner, and dropped a buzzy collection of jeans with Hailey Bieber.

Meanwhile, Banana Republic is bringing back nostalgia with refurbished vintage styles. Old Navy has also been working with stars like Paris Hilton and influencer Haylee Baylee, and launched a collection of clothes with luxury designer Christopher John Rogers.

Gap Inc. also launched a loyalty program with exclusive drops and other benefits.

Working with influencers and outside designers has been a frequent strategy for big retailers. J.Crew, for instance, worked with several designers to reimagine one of its classic sweater styles and cast internet star Emma Chamberlain for its latest collection.

Other consumer brands have gotten creative, too, by moving beyond selling products over the years. Nike and Ralph Lauren are experimenting with cafés and dining, Lululemon acquired fitness company Mirror, and JPMorgan Chase bought food review site The Infatuation to give customers dining-related perks.

Jumping into new areas can be risky

Brands have to be careful about launching extensions or moving into new areas where there's stiff competition or the brand doesn't add any new value, though, said Kevin Lane Keller, a marketing professor at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. Such moves have worked for some, like Ralph Lauren, whose defined brand translated well into home decor, but there have been some notable flops, like McDonald's foray into luxury hotels in the 2000s.

The Gap brand had a yearslong revenue slump before Dickson's arrival, which it attributed in part to having too many products and styles. That history could impair Gap's ability to take more than small steps, Keller said.

"Over time, if you haven't carved out a strong identity and reinforced it, that's not going to make it easy to move into unrelated categories," he said. "They also haven't stretched out of apparel that much."

Gap may be about to face the first test of its ability to extend its brand, having just made a concerted push into accessories under the leadership of Coach alum Reed Krakoff.

• Harmoni has raised $10 million from Bessemer Venture Partners to modernize factory floors.
• The funding comes as the US tries to reindustrialize after years of offshoring.
• Harmoni's new AI product, HAL, is designed to help workers automate routine tasks.

Silicon Valley wants to build highly automated factories from scratch. This startup is betting on the ones America already has.

Harmoni, which makes custom tablets and AI software for factory floors, has raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners, the company told Business Insider exclusively. It declined to disclose its valuation. Harmoni has around 40 customers and expects to add another 10 this month, with aerospace and defense making up its largest customer segment.

The funding comes as the US tries to reindustrialize after years of offshoring. Some startups, including Hadrian and Machina Labs, are building new factories designed to rely heavily on robots and automation. Harmoni, by contrast, is targeting the roughly 280,000 American factories filled with traditional machinery and workers.

"We've built this specifically to arm these guys to compete with these autonomous factories," cofounder David Caputo told Business Insider.

Harmoni, which was founded in 2023, is competing in a crowded market where manufacturers already rely on a patchwork of software. Companies, including MachineMetrics and Datanomix, track machines and production, while other tools track workers, machine maintenance, and the steps required for specific jobs.

Harmoni's pitch is that factories should not have to stitch all those systems together themselves — a problem Caputo and his cofounder, Adam Ellis, a longtime manufacturing consultant, said they repeatedly encountered while working with factories.

At the center of Harmoni's system are custom tablets that attach magnetically to factory machines and can connect with equipment ranging from modern systems to machines built during World War II. Workers can use the tablets to clock in, pull up instructions, track jobs, and report problems from one place.

Shokoufeh Mirzaei, chair and professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering at Cal Poly Pomona, said large companies like Amazon are far ahead on automation, while many small and midsize US factories lack basic analytics and run on technology that predates the internet.

"We find the average factory is behind the automation curve and they use very old, legacy systems," Mirzaei told Business Insider. Many manufacturers are reluctant to replace expensive equipment, she said, but are open to retrofitting existing machines.

'Speak to the machines'

Caputo first saw how much factory work remained manual more than a decade ago after leaving investment banking to start a firm that invests in manufacturers. The first time he walked a factory floor, he panicked.

"I remember walking around the shop floor and thinking, 'Oh my God, I made a mistake,'" Caputo said. Workers were lining up to clock in one by one, carrying USB sticks containing the programs needed to operate the machines. "This can't be how things are being done," he said.

After failing to find software that tied together the machines, workers, and processes on the factory floor, Caputo teamed up with Ellis in 2020 to build it themselves.

Harmoni is now adding AI to its existing system. Its new product, HAL, uses the information Harmoni collects from its tablets to answer questions and take actions on the factory floor.

Because the system already knows which machine is running, what job is underway, and what happened on previous runs, workers can ask HAL questions without first supplying that context. A worker could ask why a machine is running more slowly than expected, tell HAL to file a maintenance request, or flag the issue for the next operator. Caputo said that HAL allows workers to "literally speak to the machines."

WessDel, a San Jose manufacturer that makes precision components for aerospace and defense companies, has used Harmoni since 2024. Before Harmoni, workers had to line up at three different kiosks to clock in and manually enter information about their machines — tasks that Jeff McKay, WessDel's vice president, said could take nearly an hour of a worker's day. Now, workers can badge in by tapping their ID cards on Harmoni's tablets, which also automatically record machine activity.

William Melek, a University of Waterloo engineering professor and director of its RoboHub, said tools like Harmoni's could help manufacturers cope with long-term labor shortages. A Deloitte and Manufacturing Institute study estimates US manufacturers could need 3.8 million additional workers by 2033, with about half of those jobs potentially going unfilled. Still, Melek said, technologies that automate parts of factory work could also draw pushback from unions concerned about their impact on jobs.

Caputo said Harmoni is designed for factories that will continue to rely on people, with the goal of cutting repetitive administrative tasks rather than reducing head count. Many of Harmoni's customers, he added, already struggle to find enough workers.

Some believe factory floors could eventually be staffed by humanoid robots. If that happens, Caputo said, Harmoni's system could coordinate them too. But he thinks that future is still a long way off.

"The technology is just not there yet," he said.

Have a tip? Contact Rya Jetha via email at rjetha@businessinsider.com or Signal at rjetha.07. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Influencer marketing is booming. So is its ad disclosure problem.
• New research shared with BI found that brands are asking creators not to disclose paid partnerships.
• The SheSpeaks survey also found 14% of creators said they didn't always disclose brand ties.

Brands have a proposition for influencers: What if you didn't make those pesky #ad disclosures?

The Utah-based wellness influencer Sharon Johnson, who describes herself in her Instagram bio as a "Reformed Tradwife," said a supplement company recently asked her not to include an #ad disclosure in posts showing her receiving and opening the company's product.

Johnson said she labeled the posts anyway, wary of losing her audience's trust and of a potential penalty from the Federal Trade Commission, which mandates clear labeling. The brand's request also rubbed her the wrong way.

"It almost feels like these companies are taking advantage of us because we are doing this for our livelihood," she said.

That request from the supplement brand was part of a broader trend. A survey of 365 creators conducted for Business Insider by the influencer marketing company SheSpeaks found nearly one in five (18%) said a brand had explicitly requested that they not disclose a partnership in the past year.

It's not just brands that are flouting the FTC rules. In the survey, 14% of creators said they didn't always disclose partnerships, up from 2% when SheSpeaks conducted a similar survey a decade ago. Eighty-four percent said they "always or almost always" made their brand partnerships clear, down from 95% in the prior survey.

"The fact that disclosure went down was very surprising — we expected everyone to say, or at least know to say, yes," said Aliza Freud, CEO of SheSpeaks.

"Paradoxically, it's a little bit more like the Wild West" now than a decade ago, Freud added.

The FTC states that influencers should ensure people see and understand ad disclosures using "simple and clear language," such as by thanking the brand for sending a free product or by using terms like "advertisement," "ad," or "sponsored." The FTC doesn't mandate specific wording, but says the relationship must be displayed "clearly and conspicuously" to the viewer.

Several creators and talent reps said requests to forgo disclosures were rare and tended to come from smaller brands rather than from big public companies.

Leila Marsh, chief talent officer of The Drive Agency, said brands have occasionally asked that posts not include disclosures, saying they wanted the post to look "organic."

"We always do our best to push back," Marsh said. "The entire reason people have these audiences is that they're honest and authentic. The second they start saying it's not a paid partnership, the viewers can see right through it."

One reason brands may want to hide sponsorships: a widespread belief that it hampers engagement and reach on social platforms.

"I work with celebrities, we send them the captions with #ad in front of them, and they say, 'Do we have to? It hurts engagement,'" said Shelby Currie, a director at the media agency Moroch. "We push back."

Some platforms are taking matters into their own hands: YouTube said earlier this month that it's introducing automated detection technology to label brand deals that haven't been disclosed in creator videos. TikTok and Meta have similar systems.

Creators seek clarity

AJ Eckstein, founder of Creator Match, a creator marketing agency that works with tech brands, said influencers feel under increased pressure to perform and grow at a rapid pace.

"Speed is everything right now, and disclosures get treated like something that slows you down or leads to lower performance," Eckstein said.

Eckstein said that in the past six months, two brands had asked his agency not to disclose, and that he no longer works with them.

"We've walked away from six-figure contracts over this," he said. "The audience's trust is the entire asset you're renting. If you hide the deal, you're spending down the exact thing you paid for."

Even if brands do want creators to disclose partnerships, the SheSpeaks survey found gaps in the process. Just over half of those polled (57%) said the agency or brand provided clear disclosure instructions in the past year, while 36% said the agency or brand reviewed their content for disclosure compliance.

Some influencer marketing insiders say more education is needed for brands and creators. In April, the Institute for Responsible Influence, part of the Center for Industry Self-Regulation, launched the Responsible Influence Certification Program. The program trains creators on advertising rules and standards and helps brands and agencies work with creators responsibly. It is supported by TikTok and a coalition of advertising industry groups.

A lack of regular enforcement actions by the FTC has created an environment in which creators and brands may feel there's little risk in breaking the rules, according to Lauren Wolfe, counsel at Travelers United, a nonprofit representing travelers that has brought actions against influencers for failing to disclose advertising.

Rob Freund, an advertising and e-commerce lawyer, said consumers are entitled to know whether an endorsement is genuine or paid because that information can influence purchasing decisions.

"Even if it doesn't have a lasting financial impact, we shouldn't want to live in a society, in my opinion, when it's OK to lie about who likes what product," Freund said.

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
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Could using AI to help you with your next big idea ultimately lead AI giants to beat you to the punch?

A professor and OpenAI are trading jabs over the progress made on a math problem so difficult to solve that there's a $1 million prize for doing it. The entire saga raises questions about credit for AI-powered work and the data used to train models, writes BI's Ben Shimkus.

NYU math professor Tristan Buckmaster announced major progress related to the Navier-Stokes problem only to be followed less than 24 hours later by OpenAI, which proposed a full-blown solution.

(Even if you skipped algebra in high school, stay with me here. I'll keep it high level.)

Buckmaster was first to post about advancements he made tackling the problem with the help of AI models, including OpenAI's. His post also detailed a tense back-and-forth with OpenAI about their competing research.

According to Buckmaster, OpenAI suggested coordinating any announcements and not mentioning Buckmaster's partner, Levent Alpöge, who works for (wait for it) Anthropic. (You can read Buckmaster's whole post here.)

OpenAI computer scientist Sebastien Bubeck pushed back against parts of Buckmaster's post, saying he "never ever asked Levent to be removed from authorship of his own work."

Buckmaster said OpenAI acknowledged working on the problem after it learned of his research, but told him "the model did not look up user data."

On Tuesday, OpenAI published what it says is a solution to the Navier-Stokes problem. The company said it didn't see Buckmaster and Alpöge's work before they publicly released it, but also couldn't rule out that "de-identified data derived from their usage of our products helped improve our models⁠."

You don't have to understand long division to see some potential issues here.

Mainly, does using AI models mean you risk their owners front-running your idea?

According to OpenAI, its proof is very different from Buckmaster and Alpöge's work. And Buckmaster didn't accuse OpenAI of anything specifically, instead saying he just wanted to lay out the timeline of events.

But let's say you had a killer idea for bridesmaid dresses you're toying with in ChatGPT. Right before you're ready to launch, OpenAI announces it's releasing its own app focused on bridesmaid dresses. Coincidence … or conspiracy?

(Complex math problems are a lot closer to OpenAI's wheelhouse than bridesmaids' dresses, but you get the idea.)

This issue isn't limited to academia and hypotheticals. Apple's trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI raised similar concerns. When a company's secret sauce is shared with AI, it "may create irreversible and continually propagating uses of the trade secret."

OpenAI has also discussed ways to benefit from users' ideas that turn into big businesses thanks, in part, to its tech. CFO Sarah Friar pitched OpenAI getting paid when customers' AI-enabled work makes money. Friar used a pharma partner as an example: When OpenAI tech helps develop a breakthrough medicine, it can take a licensed portion of the drug's sales.

If everyone's on the same page, that could be a great symbiotic partnership. But I'll bet most of us aren't well-versed in the terms and conditions of all the AI apps we're dumping our ideas into.

• TikTok star Vivian Tu has a new financial app that gives customized advice in her distinctive voice.
• Ask Dolly charges $19 a month or $59 a month for a human expert.
• The app trades on her popularity, but Tu said she hopes it'll become an independent success.

TikTok and Instagram star Vivian Tu, the popular financial creator who goes by "Your Rich BFF," has a new way for fans to talk to her.

On Wednesday, Tu is launching out of beta a new iOS app, Ask Dolly, which provides customized markets news and financial info — all in her signature relatable voice, Business Insider exclusively learned.

For example, here's how the app describes "The Cost of Borrowing Money" in a section that tracks 10-year treasuries, 30-year mortgages, and other financial information: "When Fed Daddy changes interest rates, mortgages, credit cards, and savings accounts all feel it." Meanwhile, the app takes its name from a shorthand for dollars.

To Tu, personal touches like these are what set Ask Dolly apart from other finance apps.

"I hope that it shines through in this app that it's a lot less suit-and-tie and a lot more everyday person," Tu said.

Ask Dolly has two paid tiers. For $19 a month, users can get unlimited conversations with an AI financial tool, Pocket Dolly, that's based on Tu and other sources. They also get personalized portfolio "recipes," spending tips, and economic news. Those paying $59 a month get three monthly conversations with a (human) certified financial planner and early access to new features. The app doesn't hold users' funds. Outside the paid tiers, several features are available for free, including economy explainers and an account balance tracking tool.

Beyond subscriptions, Ask Dolly seeks to make money from brand partnerships that it says are vetted by certified financial planners and disclosed to users, and from affiliate fees from vendors who are featured in a Marketplace section.

Consumers have a multitude of personal finance and budgeting apps to choose from. Other creators have gotten into the space, including Caleb Hammer with DollarWise ($14.99 a month) and MrBeast, whose company this year acquired Step Financial, a banking app geared toward teens. Then there are robo advisors like Betterment (fees starting at $5 a month) and Fidelity Go (0.35% for balances over $25,000) that provide automated money management, while legacy players like Chase and Bank of America have apps that include free planning tools.

Tu, 32, a former Wall Street trader turned finfluencer, has more than 10 million social media followers, a podcast, and two books, the first of which is being developed into a scripted series by Amazon MGM Studios. Tu said her company made $8.2 million in revenue over the past 12 months, profitably, and employs six full-timers and eight freelancers, not including agents and legal and PR professionals.

She said she envisioned Ask Dolly as a way to help people like her younger self, who lack access to the caliber of financial advice available to high earners.

Tu says her app is more personalized than rivals

Part of Tu's pitch is that Ask Dolly's services are more personalized than others because it uses a combination of deterministic software to create tailored portfolio recommendations, AI for quick questions, and human experts. She gave the example of a user Ask Dolly helped in this way. The user looked good on paper but was anxious about paying for a sibling with special needs, something she said other apps could miss.

"This is the nuance that we are trying to actually address," she said. "We essentially beefed up the numbers that they needed to hit to not only cover their own retirement, their own cost of living, but also worked into their plan what was going to be necessary for that special-needs sibling."

Gen Z is more likely than older generations to seek out financial advice from an array of sources, including professionals, parents, friends, and AI in meaningful numbers all at once, according to a second-quarter survey of about 11,000 respondents by Cornerstone Advisors, which consults to financial institutions.

That suggests there's a place for an app like Ask Dolly that consolidates advice and information from multiple sources through a familiar person, said Elizabeth Gujral, research director at Cornerstone.

She said her concern is that the version without a human advisor may give advice that's too generic.

"So many financial decisions are very emotional, and I worry not having a human to talk to can dull out some very important critical decisions for people," she said.

Addressing the key-person risk

Tu said she founded Ask Dolly after receiving far more messages from her followers than she could respond to, asking for advice. She said she considered it worth the risk of the million-plus dollars she spent to build it.

"I am very much in the hole on that," she said. "That's OK. My hope is ultimately that it'll help so many people."

It's also true that, if successful, it can help shift her company's reliance away from her — a chief concern for independent creators trying to build businesses.

Tu is tapping into two trendy ways creators are trying to diversify their businesses: AI and subscription apps.

"I wanted this to be able to be something that could eventually live without Vivian Tu," Tu said of Ask Dolly. "I want this to be such a successful product that people who don't even follow 'Your Rich BFF' ultimately feel like it can address their problems, and they can use it as a great tool."

• An AI researcher said he has left Anthropic, warning that AI labs have been reckless towards safety risks.
• "Neither company is acting responsibly," he wrote in a departure note.
• OpenAI and Anthropic have been facing resignations over concerns about AI advancement safety.

An Anthropic researcher who previously worked at OpenAI said he quit — and warned that the AI race has become dangerously reckless.

Jacob Coxon announced his resignation from Anthropic on Tuesday, saying he had spent the past three years doing pre-training research at the two AI giants.

"Neither company is acting responsibly," Coxon wrote on X. "They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives."

Coxon was a member of OpenAI's technical staff from 2023 until July 2026, when he moved to Anthropic as a researcher. His research at OpenAI included work on GPT-4o.

In Tuesday's post, Coxon said the two labs have not been transparent about their fears regarding AI.

"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt," he wrote. "If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible — but I hear the same people express fear privately."

There is one difference between the two companies, he said.

"At OpenAI, many have not deeply internalized the civilizational stakes," Coxon wrote. "At Anthropic, the stakes are well-understood, but they are locked in a race to get there first — they believe no one else will act responsibly, so they must do it themselves, despite the risk."

OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

'AI could kill all humans'

Some of Coxon's former colleagues agreed with him.

"Jacob is correct here—we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans!" wrote Evan Hubinger, a current Anthropic employee who leads the lab's alignment stress testing team, in a reply on X. "I personally think it is >10% within the next decade."

He added: "I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to."

Samuel Marks, an Anthropic safety researcher who said he was speaking in a personal capacity, also backed Coxon's broader warning.

He wrote that some AI developers believe their technology could cause human extinction or similarly catastrophic outcomes "in the next few years," and said more senior employees tend to be more concerned.

Joe Benton, who managed Anthropic's Scalable Oversight team from July 2025 until August, called Coxon's description of the industry "broadly accurate" and said AI developers may be on track to build systems that impose an "unprecedented amount of risk on the world."

Some highlighted the apparent contradiction of AI builders warning about the very technology they are racing to develop.

"This is like Exxon scientists in the 70s warning that global warming could cause human suffering and destroy the planet," wrote Phil Aroneanu, the executive director at Irreplaceable, an AI policy nonprofit.

"Exxon raced forward to drill, pump, and burn historic amounts of oil and gas anyway," he added. "With AI, there's a lot less runway. Let's not make the same mistake."

Safety has taken a 'backseat to shiny products'

Coxon is the latest among staffers walking away from frontier labs while sounding the alarm, a trend that appears peculiar to the AI boom.

While the dot-com and smartphone explosion era had their own set of concerns regarding a digital divide and bubbles, they did not draw as much scrutiny about safety from people closest to the action.

OpenAI has lost a string of safety researchers in recent years, and Anthropic is increasingly facing the same phenomenon.

In February, Anthropic safeguards researcher Mrinank Sharma left the company, writing in a resignation letter that he wants to contribute toward something that fully aligns with his "integrity."

"Throughout my time here, I've repeatedly seen how hard it is to truly let our values govern our actions," he wrote in the letter he shared publicly. "I've seen this within myself, within the organization, where we constantly face pressures to set aside what matters most, and throughout broader society too."

In February, OpenAI researcher Hieu Pham said that he could "finally feel the existential threat that AI is posing." Later that month, he announced he was leaving the company, citing burnout.

In 2024, former alignment chief Jan Leike quit OpenAI after saying he reached a "breaking point" with leadership.

"OpenAI is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity," he wrote. "But over the past years, safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products."

Recent incidents have added fuel to those fears.

In July, OpenAI disclosed that models escaped a test environment and hacked into Hugging Face's systems. OpenAI called the incident a "warning shot" and paused its largest planned frontier reinforcement-learning run.

Later that month, Anthropic said it found three cases of Claude models gaining unauthorized access to other organizations' systems.

The company also amended a key safety pledge this year, dropping a commitment not to train more powerful models without adequate safeguards in place and replacing it with safety roadmaps and risk reports.

• My family loves to travel, and I want to show my son, 9, as many new places as possible.
• However, I just can't help myself — I love going to Kauai.
• We've been three times in six years, and I know we'll go again.

Every year, I ask my family the same question, "Where should we go this summer?"

I want to pick somewhere new. Choosing a place we've already been to seems like a waste of an opportunity for my 9-year-old son to experience different places, cultures, and people. Plus, I want to see new countries and continents, too. But I keep booking Kauai — we just can't stay away.

Over the last six years, my little family of three has flown from California to Kauai three times to visit the sea turtles at Poipu Beach, hike gorgeous coastal trails, drink Mai Tais at hotel bars, and watch the sunset from our lanai.

I want to show my son the world, but there's something about The Garden Isle

Every time we arrive at Lihue Airport, we're greeted by chickens. I love them — my camera roll is full of the feathered locals. Palm trees sway outside the terminal, and the air smells fresh and feels soft, especially after five hours on an airplane. And with the windows down and Hawaiian music on the radio, the drive to our hotel always marks the official start to a week of swimming, snorkeling, hiking, and relaxing beachside.

We are a family that loves spending time outdoors, and Kauai makes it easy.

We have a favorite hotel

I don't usually book the same hotel twice, but the Koloa Landing Resort on Kauai truly stole my son's heart, and he's only young once. Here, tropical greenery is everywhere, broken up by pops of red, orange, and white. Plumeria flowers cover the ground, and the floral scent is more relaxing than any candle I have at home.

On more than one occasion, I've followed my son over a teak bridge, past a cascading infinity edge and waterslides tucked into the landscape, until he spots exactly what he's looking for: the lava grotto. There's no easy way in if you're trying to keep your hair dry. You either swim underwater or go straight through a waterfall. It's my son's favorite part of the massive 350,000-gallon main pool.

Long after we've left Kauai, my son always asks when we get to go back.

I'm torn between new adventures and family traditions

As a parent, I'm torn between wanting to show my son as much of the world as possible and creating family traditions by coming back to the places we already know we love. I don't think there's a right way to travel — maybe it's a combination of new adventures and establishing traditions at old favorites.

Sometimes, people get caught up in the number of places they've been. I do, too. There are plenty of locations I'd like to check off my list. I haven't traveled to Japan, Greece, or the Scottish Hebrides, and I can't wait to visit.

But there's something to be said for returning to a place that feels special — a place with things you're looking forward to. For me, it's my Kauai morning beach runs where I opt to listen to the waves instead of my 80s workout playlist. I don't need to track my mileage because I've traveled the routes so many times that I already know how far I've run. My husband loves the island's relaxed tropical vibe, and my son can swim for hours in our favorite hotel pool.

I'm not sure where we'll travel to next, but I do know one thing: I'd like to experience new places, but I'd also love to dip into the grotto again.

• Kara Swisher spoke to Business Insider about why she left her newsroom job to venture out on her own.
• She said people should go solo when they have a high risk tolerance and an entrepreneurial mindset.
• She said there's more room for experimentation in media now with different kinds of business models.

Some people dream about breaking free and building something of their own.

The big question is: When's the right time to take the leap?

For starters, you might be feeling disenchanted with your current role.

"I thought I could do better," Kara Swisher told Business Insider's Dan DeFrancesco during a talk she gave to newsroom staff.

Before launching the media brand Recode, Swisher made a name for herself as a reporter at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, eventually coproducing and cohosting The Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference series, which later became Code Conference.

When Swisher went independent, she said her risk tolerance was greater than that of many of her journalist peers.

"I was like, what's the worst thing? I have to come back? I'm a good reporter. That's always saleable," said Swisher, who cohosts the "Pivot" podcast with Scott Galloway, and is the author of "Burn Book."

Swisher said anyone considering going out on their own should assess their risk profile. Financial obligations, children, and the need for reliable healthcare can play a role in deciding to take a leap.

Swisher, who has given guidance to other media professionals who want to start their own ventures, said that having your own voice is another critical component. When she branched out on her own, Swisher said she was focused on the audience, what consumers wanted, and what they had not yet realized they needed. She said she's urged others with a strong individual voice to similarly pursue their own venture.

"You can tell when people really have something to say and want to make something," Swisher said.

Don Lemon, for example, has thrived since going independent, she said. Lemon departed from CNN in 2023 after 17 years at the network. He has since worked as an independent content creator, sharing his work on social media and hosting live events.

Building a business also requires an entrepreneurial mindset and a willingness to make trade-offs, even if that means something like taking the subway home instead of relying on an Uber every night, Swisher said. She added that there's more room in the current media climate for experimentation, whether through subscriptions or nonprofit newsrooms.

Not everyone has an entrepreneurial mindset, Swisher said, and she sometimes advises people to stay where they are. However, even if you don't have a large audience, you can do well if you develop a loyal base, she said.

Swisher said she believes most people can develop that muscle. For her, it was less of a skill and more a personality trait.

"I'm sort of restless as a person in general. I always joke, I'm a bad employee. I hate being an employee," Swisher said. "I'm like, 'You're an idiot.' And I say it, and then it gets me into trouble."

• NEA partner Aaron Jacobson thinks companies don't need to pledge allegiance to frontier models.
• He says that for a growing number of tasks open-weight models are "good enough."
• "I think the next decade is going to be defined by efficient use of models," he told BI.

The AI race is getting more complicated.

Despite the hype around the latest and biggest frontier models, companies are finding they don't always need the most powerful approach for every task. As open-weight models get better, cheaper, and easier to customize, there’s more pressure on frontier model companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to develop features that retain customers.

That's creating a new set of tradeoffs for businesses between cost, control, and security.

In an interview with Business Insider, Aaron Jacobson, a partner at New Enterprise Associates whose portfolio companies include Databricks, Factory, and Together, said that he sees this debate at the center of the next phase of the AI industry. He expects frontier models to remain important for the hardest, most complex problems, but for many everyday tasks, cheaper models may be good enough.

The result could be a shift away from the idea that bigger is always better — and toward a world where companies take a more curated approach to model selection.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Can you define the difference between open-source, open-weight, and closed AI?

Open source is where you can actually recreate the entire model yourself. You have all the data, all the data pipelines, and you can basically train it from scratch and get the weights.

Open weight is where you just have the weights, but you can't actually create the model from scratch because you don't have all the data and all the data pipelines. You don't actually know the data the model was trained on or how it was trained.

With closed frontier models, you don't have access to either of those. You can do some fine-tuning of the weights through APIs that Anthropic and OpenAI provide, but you don't actually have access to the weights. You can't run the models yourself.

Is open versus closed really a debate for you? Or are frontier models so superior that there isn't even a question of whether open source can catch up?

I think the frontier models are, in terms of the broad set of problems— and even for coding — better. But here's the thing: That doesn't mean they're the most useful. They're better, but they're also more expensive.

The debate for me, and for a lot of the industry, is: Do you need frontier intelligence for everything?

Open weight is getting good enough for a lot of use cases, and that's where it begins to challenge the frontier business model. You don't need to send all complex tasks to frontier intelligence.

What do you think are the best use cases for frontier models?

I think very hard, complex problems. Or open-ended problems that are hard to solve or require longer time horizons.

We're really shifting away from the chatbot era to the agentic era. If you ask a model to do something complex — like plan an entire vacation and book flights, or, as a developer, construct a highly complex banking application that must meet a range of security requirements — that kind of open-ended, long-horizon problem is a great use case for a frontier model. It can handle the planning and some of the more complex token generation, while routing simpler tasks — such as parts of the code that don't require as much sophistication — to lower-cost models.

It sounds like there are also a lot of use cases for open-weight models.

I think this is the debate: What are the use cases for the open-weight models available in the US today given that the most advanced open models are of Chinese origin?

Individual developers are using open-weight models. Some companies are OK using Chinese open-weight models to generate their code or perform other work. A lot of enterprises are not, and they don't permit Chinese models to be used to generate code or touch their data.

For the broad swath of the market — a lot of which is enterprise workloads — the most advanced open-weight models can technically do a cheaper and maybe good-enough job. But because these models are of Chinese origin and not truly open source, there can be security concerns in using them that will hold back deployment. So, this work will either be sent to less performant, non-Chinese open models or the more expensive closed frontier models.

Certainly, the more sensitive the data, the bigger the concern. Coding applications, like source code, are super sensitive. Anything that touches finance or customer data is sensitive.

Can you talk a little bit more specifically about the pricing pressure that open-source or open-weight alternatives are putting on closed models?

I think you see it twofold. The Financial Times reported that Anthropic's lower-cost Opus 5 model has overtaken Fable in business spending since launching in late July, according to Ramp.

I also think that's because not only is Opus good enough, but for a wide swath of startups and some enterprise use cases, open models are good enough for some of the code generation. And open models are cheaper because you don't have to pay the tax on the frontier-model company that runs it itself.

So that cost for tokens that are just as good or good enough puts pricing pressure on frontier models, which price them more expensively to recoup the cost of training.

Where do you see the market heading?

I'm pretty bullish on open weight capturing more share.

If you characterize the last 10 years in AI, there was this idea that bigger is better: more data, more compute, bigger models. I think the next decade is going to be defined by efficient use of models. Not everything needs to be frontier intelligence.

• AI infrastructure is gaining S&P 500 seats, while beer, fries, and housing names lose theirs.
• The reshuffle quietly changes the stocks inside the index funds and 401(k)s owned by millions.
• Sign up for First Trade, Business Insider's daily markets newsletter.

In the stock market, the S&P 500 reigns supreme as the benchmark index everyone watches. But it doesn't function as a Hall of Fame. It's more of a game of musical chairs, with the companies central to the economy at a given time finding seats, while out-of-favor areas miss out.

So far in 2026, the S&P has added 11 companies and shuffled out 11, with three more changes scheduled for Sept. 21. A big decider for inclusion is sheer size. It is a large-cap index, after all. When companies get bigger, they move up. When they shrink, they move down. It's Wall Street's way of constantly updating the corporate pecking order.

And while the components of the S&P may seem like a niche topic for market wonks and newsletter writers alike, they matter in everyday life. The index is the foundation for countless 401(k)s, index funds, and ETFs. When its composition changes, the funds tracking it have to buy the new members and sell the old ones.

Your long-term portfolio is constantly changing. It's good to know what you're invested in, even when you own it unwittingly. Not to mention rebalances can shine a light on the market's shifting priorities. Let's dig into what the S&P's recent moves reveal.

The AI infrastructure takeover

2026's incoming class of S&P additions reinforce what any market watcher knows at this point: the economy's center of gravity is shifting toward AI.

Vertiv, Lumentum, Coherent, Marvell Technology, Flex, Bloom Energy, and Everpure all play a role in the AI buildout, whether through power and cooling equipment, optical networking, chips, manufacturing, or data storage.

They may not be the sexiest AI names, but they're critical pieces of the sprawling picks-and-shovels trade. Their inclusion reflects the view that the AI trade extends far beyond mega-cap chipmakers like Nvidia. The companies powering the boom are growing too large for the index to ignore.

Not just an AI beauty contest

But the index isn't just handing out invitations to anything with an AI connection. One notable exception is Illumina, a DNA-sequencing company that's enjoyed a more-than-60% gain so far this year. Its inclusion shows that the S&P committee is still trying to keep the index representative of broader-market standouts, rather than getting swept up in AI hype.

It's also worth noting that several of this year's other changes were driven by corporate events, rather than shifting investor tastes. Dayforce, Hologic, and Coterra Energy left after being acquired, while FedEx Freight and Honeywell Aerospace joined after being spun out of existing S&P 500 companies.

Consumer and housing names lose their seats

Just look at this list of exiled companies: Molson Coors, Campbell's, Lamb Weston, Pool Corp., and Builders FirstSource. They're all linked to consumer spending or housing, areas that have been pushed aside in favor of AI.

While some of these companies have firm-specific issues, the broader shift is telling. The equity market in 2026 has been defined by semiconductors, power, and data storage. That's left the likes of beer and packaged food holding the bag.

Still, the reshuffle isn't a list of what to buy and sell. Inclusion alone is no reason to grab a newcomer or ditch a castoff. But it is a useful window into the holdings sitting inside millions of passive portfolios at any given time.

• Anthropic's AI fluency chief says the savviest users know when not to turn to AI.
• Using the technology for the wrong task can create what Kristen Swanson calls a "discernment tax."
• AI fluency isn't about maximum use: "More AI is not always better," she said.

At Anthropic, Kristen Swanson's role is to help people get better at using AI.

Often, that means knowing when they should do the work themselves.

"I have a job teaching people how to use AI, and I probably spend at least half of my time telling people when not to use AI," said Swanson, who leads AI fluency research and learning at the company.

The savviest AI users, she said, aren't necessarily those who rush to it for every task. What sets them apart is their judgment about what to delegate.

That's becoming an increasingly important workplace skill as AI finds its way into more of what people do. The challenge isn't only learning how to use the technology. It's knowing when it can save time, when it might create more work, and when a task is better left to a person.

Knowing what not to delegate

In some cases, Swanson said, evaluating what AI produces takes more effort than doing the task yourself. It's what she calls a "discernment tax."

When people hand off the right things to AI, Swanson said, the time spent reviewing its output can be worthwhile. Yet for tasks people are already adept at doing, evaluating AI's work can eat into whatever time they hoped to save.

Properly judging what AI produces, Swanson said, "is the highest-order thinking that you can do. It's actually exhausting."

That's why asking AI for help with tedious data analysis might make sense, she said. Yet having it write a social media post about something you're knowledgeable about could leave you doing more work, "parsing through all of this stuff."

The discernment tax isn't the only reason to keep some work away from AI. The technology's limitations can also make delegation risky.

"If you're asking AI about a really niche research paper or researcher, and it didn't have a lot of that information in its training, it might hallucinate," said Swanson.

Bosses are also trying to draw clearer boundaries around when employees should turn to AI. While many companies are pushing workers to embrace the technology, some CEOs have warned against letting it substitute for employees' own thinking.

Scott Stevenson, head of Spellbook, which develops an AI tool for drafting and analyzing contracts, recently told employees he wanted the "D+ version" of their ideas rather than proposals polished by AI because he wanted to see the thinking behind them and avoid bloated memos drafted using AI.

Avoiding 'capability overhang'

Another challenge is that the line between what people should delegate and what they should do themselves can shift as AI improves, said Swanson, who oversees Claude Academy, which offers educational resources around AI. A task that makes sense for people to do themselves now might be a better fit for AI in six months.

That's why more sophisticated AI users routinely revisit what the technology can do, Swanson said.

Doing so is a way to avoid what's sometimes called "capability overhang," where users' understanding of what AI can do gets frozen in time based on earlier experiences with it. That can lead people to stick to familiar uses, even as AI models themselves become more capable.

That's one reason, she said, Claude Academy asks users to write down some of their hardest tasks. As new models arrive, they can try those tasks again and see how well AI does.

The latest models might perform better on some tasks, though not others, Swanson said. Retesting a task can give users "a better sense of what's possible."

That means continuing to experiment, she said.

"Being able to say, 'I tried this, and it didn't work, and I'm going to try it a different way next time,' is much more important than, 'Do I have this feature turned on? Did I prompt this way?'" Swanson said.

Ultimately, she said, becoming fluent with AI means thinking enough about when and how to use it that those decisions become second nature, rather than simply trying to use as many prompts, features, or AI tools as possible.

"More AI is not always better," Swanson said. "And more AI is not necessarily fluent AI."

• Josh Wein's Hennessy Cornerstone Growth Fund is overweight industrials stocks.
• Wein's fund uses a top-down approach, filtering stocks by valuation and earnings improvement.
• Key stocks Wein highlights include Centuri, Primoris, and MYR Group.

Industrial stocks are a hot theme in market right now, and Josh Wein and his co-portfolio managers of the Hennessy Cornerstone Growth Fund (HFCGX) are all over the trade. About a quarter of the fund's exposure is in the sector.

Factors driving earnings growth in industrials stocks include spending on AI infrastructure, a rebound in manufacturing activity, reindustrialization thanks to reshoring trends, and an increase in defense spending amid ongoing geopolitical volatility.

But Wein's positioning isn't merely a calculated bet based on the trends listed above. While some investors may be in the sector to ride the aforementioned tailwinds, Wein and his colleagues reached the same conclusion by taking a different approach.

Instead of a bottom-up methodology, Wein says his team uses a top-down approach that screens out stocks, leaving them with their final basket of companies.

"We don't invest in themes, but the work we do brings about themes," Wein told Business Insider in an interview. "We're not getting in the weeds on these names at all."

Stocks are put through a few filters to narrow down the list, Wein said.

First, he and his team look at stocks with market capitalizations above $1.75 billion, and then whittle those down to the names that have a price-to-sales ratio of 1.5 or below, meaning they could be cheaply valued by investors. For comparison, the S&P 500's current price-to-sales ratio is 3.6, and its historical average since 2001 is 1.87.

This filter doesn't only act as a value screen, Wein said. It also drives the fund toward stocks with low profit margins, which can sometimes be overlooked by investors. This also allows the fund to avoid bubbles in hot sectors, Wein said.

Second, the remaining stocks are then filtered to those with year-over-year earnings improvement — not necessarily positive earnings growth, but an improvement in net income. This allows the fund to find relatively early turnaround stories, Wein said.

Finally, there's share price momentum — the stock needs to have done well within the last 12 months. After applying the first two filters, the Hennessy team simply takes the 50 stocks on the list that have the best 12-month price momentum.

That may sound counterintuitive, but Wein said it's a good indication that the stock's fundamentals have been improving, and it helps the fund avoid "value traps" where the stock is cheap but doesn't rebound.

"Ultimately, you're looking at the market and seeing how they're voting," Wein said. He added that if investors have been "bidding the stock higher, then that earnings improvement means something to us and is legit — it's not a fake out."

The methodology has worked well for the fund, which is one of the flagship strategies at the $4 billion firm. It has beaten 98% of similar funds over the last five years, and 97% over the last 15 years, according to Morningstar data.

4 industrials stocks to bet on

Wein shared four stocks his fund is betting on now, all from the industrials sector.

While Wein and his team don't focus on the growth stories behind each company, he explained some of the bullish trends driving each one. A common thread among them is the AI buildout.

"The industrial names, especially those in construction and engineering, I think there's a long runway," Wein said.

"I think that these are long-lived projects," he continued. "There's not a sales cycle involved. It's just kind of slow and steady, big backlog businesses building out these data centers."

The first is Centuri Holdings (CTRI), an energy infrastructure company. The company is retrofitting equipment for natural gas pipelines amid the AI boom and data centers' demand for energy, Wein said.

The stock is down 19% in 2026, but had soared 92% from September 2025 to May 2026. It has a 1.6% weighting in the fund as of June 30.

Second is Primoris (PRIM), which builds distribution systems for gas and electricity.

PRIM has struggled lately, dropping 41% this year. However, it had risen as much as 74% from September 2025 to May 2026. It has a 1.4% weighting in HFCGX.

Third is MYR Group (MYRG), which builds electrical grids and does wiring in data centers.

The stock is up 29% in 2026, and has a 2.3% holding in the fund.

Finally, Wein highlighted Tutor Perini (TPC), a construction company that puts up anything from bridges and rail systems to residential towers and offices. Its subsidiary, Fisk Electric, is helping to build manufacturing centers for AI data center parts.

TPC has returned 29% so far this year. It has a 1.7% weighing in the fund.

• A strategist says the S&P 500 rising to 10,000 by 2027 "is not fantasy."
• James Thorne says the US economy has entered a new regime defined by booming investment.
• Combined with higher productivity, that opens the path for the index to hit 10,000 by 2027, he said.

Peer into the looking glass of the US stock market and you might see a double-digit rally taking shape before the end of the year, one strategist says.

James Thorne, the chief market strategist at Wellington-Altus, said he sees a path for a euphoric rally by 2027, with the S&P 500 potentially rising to 10,000 in the most bullish scenario. A rally of that magnitude would mark a 30% surge in the benchmark index.

While Thorne said 10,000 isn't his prediction for the index, a rise to that level "is not fantasy either."A gain of that size would be enabled by one seismic change in the investing landscape: the US's shift to a "debt-heavy, technology-intensive economy," he wrote in a recent note to clients.

Thorne called the new economic regime "The Red Queen economy," an allusion to Lewis Caroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass. It's a reference to how companies and nations need to invest heavily in order to avoid falling behind in the new regime, Thorne said, a shift from the previous status quo, when capital-light firms were rewarded.

"America has gone down the rabbit hole. Wall Street is peering into the mirror, and the Red Queen has become the central economic constraint," he wrote.

Investment has exploded in the past year amid the AI arms race. Meta, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, four of the biggest AI spenders, are on track shell out more than $700 billion in AI capex this year alone.

That investment looks like it's also opening up a new chapter for the US stock market, Thorne said, pointing to the potential for a "stronger investment base" that, combined with policies that incentivize domestic production, could bring on a surge in productivity. Eventually, that could also lead to stronger economic growth and higher profits, he said.

Earnings have already been growing at a historically fast clip. The earnings growth rate for the S&P 500 is estimated to be around 28.5% in the third quarter, which would mark the third straight quarter the index has seen earnings growth of more than 25%, according to FactSet.

"If earnings are growing faster than consensus expects, static valuation measures will understate the market's potential. A market can look expensive on trailing earnings even as its future earnings capacity improves. The case for an S&P 500 at 10,000 by 2027 rests on that premise," Thorne said.

Thorne outlined several risks that lay ahead of markets even as he sees high upside potential for stocks. They include factors like higher bond yields, headwinds from tariffs and geopolitical shocks, and moderating growth as the AI trade enters its "second act."

The idea that investors may write off the latest investment boom as signs of "late-cycle excess" also remains a risk, he added.

"The rabbit hole is the transition from financial stagnation to an economy built around production and investment. The looking glass is Wall Street's difficulty in recognising that the rules have changed," Thorne said.

"The mirror has turned. The only question is whether investors can see it before the race has moved on," he added.

Fears of an AI bubble have this summer, with the tech sector finding some stability after a brutal rotation earlier in the year. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 is up 17% from levels in January, putting it on track for its fourth-straight year of double-digit gains.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Keltie Knight, a 44-year-old, Emmy Award-winning Canadian television personality, host, and bestselling author based in Los Angeles. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I started my career as a professional dancer, moved to New York at 18, and became a Rockette. I started making YouTube videos, documenting my life backstage and in music videos. When my body started breaking down, I realized I needed to find a new career.

The only other thing I could do well was talk, and I loved show business, so I moved to LA. Someone in television asked me to start making videos for them, and I started in music. I made a show called "Fangirl," where I ran around LA and went backstage with musicians I'd worked with. That's how my career took off.

I've spent the last 17 years in the entertainment world, and I've been at E! for three and a half years. Here's what a typical day looks like for me right now, in the lead-up to the Emmys.

7 a.m. — Wake up with the sun if I'm not already working

I like to wake up with the sun, or even sleep in a little. I worked really hard to have this schedule. For many years, I'd wake up at 3:45 a.m., be in the car by 4 a.m., and be on set by 4:15 a.m.

On a show day, I'm in the car at 7 a.m. with 19 bags. We get to the trailer, and I'm reading last-minute emails and going over script changes. Someone's painting my hair, someone's putting a Spanx on me, someone's painting my face, someone's steaming a dress, and every five seconds, a different director or producer is coming in to say we have to do this or that.

Then we go down early for a rehearsal, and it's the most insane 12 hours of my life. That's why I do so much preparation beforehand — the day of, there really isn't time to look at a script. I take the responsibility of representing E! very seriously.

8 a.m. — energy drink and a Pilates class

My day always starts with a Celsius Kiwi Guava Energy Drink.

I'm a big Pilates girl, so I try to take a reformer class in the morning, if it's not a show day. I'll often see a Hollywood publicist in my class, and it's the best networking event I'll attend that week.

9:30 a.m. — emails, reading, and liquids

After I work out, I usually sit in my home office doing emails. There's so much minutiae to this job — I have to keep completely up to date with the news through publications such as "The Hollywood Reporter" and manage my relationships with publicists and production companies.

If I see a celebrity doing something new, I like to contact them or their publicist to offer my congratulations. I saw Sharon Stone got a new movie deal, so recently, I texted her, saying, "Oh my God, I'm so excited for you! When are you shooting?"

People assume my work is very glamorous and easy because the fun part is walking down the red carpet in a gown. What people don't see are days like today, when I'm in sweatpants all day researching and taking notes — I watch every single thing, read every article, and listen to every podcast. I need to know everything about these celebrities.

I'm often at my desk for 10-12 hours per day, living on Celsius, iced matcha, proper English tea, a Clif Bar, air, and incense. I'm the worst example of health. I like to drink most of my meals during the day.

11 a.m.— phone call with my co-host

I can't live without my 45-minute daily call with Justin Sylvester, my co-host. He's one of my best friends. On set, things will go wrong. I'm going to screw up, my dress breaks, or one of us isn't feeling well. Having a person alongside me I can look to, know what he's thinking, and know he can cover me — that keeps me calm.

People are going to trip, you're going to say the wrong thing, and that's what makes it great. If it were perfect, it would be so boring. I'm saying that as someone who fell on the Grammys carpet, and who lost a four-carat diamond from my engagement ring at the 2024 Golden Globes.

12 p.m. — an Emmy dress fitting

When it's awards season, I have a lot of fittings for my dresses. We work with a couple of stylists, Bory Tan and Roberto Cardenas.

When I first started on red carpets, I really wanted to keep up with the Joneses — if Charlize Theron was in Gucci, I wanted to be in Gucci. Since last year, I've been trying to use my powers for good.

Last season, I had a drag queen design and make a bunch of my red-carpet dresses from scratch. We sketched them together, and I never felt more beautiful.

For this year's Emmys, Bory found an up-and-coming designer, and we're building something from scratch again. Renting a dress just to seem cool in Gucci isn't meaningful, but wearing an up-and-coming designer on E! for four hours on the red carpet can change someone's career.

1 p.m.— podcasting

I have a podcast called "Lady Gang" — we've been on for 10 years, and we often record two episodes in a day. I'm usually recording in the afternoon, around 1 p.m.

2 p.m.— food, sometimes

I'll often finish recording and realize I haven't eaten anything all day. I'll run upstairs and eat a banana and a yogurt, then I'll get another call and have to hop on.

For me, my work is my passion, and everything else — Pilates, nutrition, laundry, making sure my insurance is paid on my house — comes after. It's made me incredibly successful, but I get laser-focused and put looking after myself second.

2:30 p.m. — Emmys homework

When I'm not recording the show, I spend a lot of time watching shows to stay up to date before the Emmys. I have a highlighted spreadsheet to keep up with it all, and make note cards, which I go back and read as part of my research.

I really care about the celebrities I interview. I'm invested in their lives and their success. Someone like Dakota Fanning, whom I've been interviewing since she was a baby — watching her get an Emmy nomination was wonderful.

I think people assume entertainment journalists are out to take celebrities down. The truth is, we're such an important part of these stars' road to success, and I care so deeply that they have a great time at the Emmys and a great time with me.

4 p.m.— the other parts of my life

I'm an investor and advisor for Alta, an AI closet app, inspired by Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. I work with my New York team on that constantly, write a lot of their emails, and do brand meetings.

I also recently wrote a book, "The F*ck Them Theory: Self-Help for People Who Are Done Being the Bigger Person," which is out this November. I'm planning my own book tour for that on top of everything else.

7 p.m. — DoorDash dinner

My husband, Chris Knight, and I always have dinner together — so, I'm embarrassed to say, my first real meal of the day is often dinner. Even worse, neither of us has the time to cook, so we use DoorDash. We do have one nice tradition, Pizza Friday, when we order a Domino's pizza to the house.

I learned a long time ago in therapy that I was trying to be everything, and I really burned myself out. My therapist told me, "Anything you can't do or don't have time to do, pay someone else to do." I know that's an insane privilege, but the truth is, the extra $20 it costs me is worth it in time, because now I have more time to work on my businesses and my life.

There are thousands of entertainment journalists who want to host live from E! during award season, and maybe four people have ever had this job. I take that very seriously, so everything else has to come second. I'm like Travis Kelce in football season — I'm not thinking about Taylor Swift right now.

8 p.m.— 18-step skincare routine and a good book

I have so much to watch that sitting down in front of the television at night isn't how I relax. The Emmys' recognition of reality TV means I can at least watch shows like 'Summer House' without guilt.

I'm a big skincare junkie, so I do a nightly 18-step skincare routine — face, hands, everything — it's my way to wind down. I'm loving Dr. Diamond's retinol right now.

I love to read, and before I go to sleep, I always read something unrelated to work. I love escaping into other worlds through books like "The Midnight Library" and "The Husband."

For my 40th birthday, my husband got me a complete set of all 56 first edition Nancy Drews, and they smell incredible.

10 p.m.— sleep

Ideally, I'm in bed starting to read at 8:15 p.m., but that's not always possible. I'm childless by choice, so I'm an early-bed, early-rise person.

I need a lot of sleep, and unless I can't put a book down, it's lights out at 10 p.m.

Google's AI destiny is being cooked up in a California kitchen.

On the second floor of Gradient Canopy, a tent-like structure that rises east of Google's Mountain View headquarters, is a microkitchen filled with many of the typical fixings: coffee beans, grinders, an espresso machine, a fridge. Less typical is the U-shaped formation of desks, used by Google cofounder Sergey Brin and a handful of mission-critical leaders who are steering Google through an AI race it can't afford to lose.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai visits the break-turned-war-room several times a week. Employees from other parts of the building sometimes saunter in for an extended snack break, hoping to overhear gossip that could reveal Google's next big move. There are whispers that cofounder Larry Page has been spotted there.

This unlikely nerve center has gained more influence in the weeks since Google shook up its AI leadership.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who was helping steer the company's AI efforts from London, relinquished his title and became Alphabet's chief scientist. Koray Kavukcuoglu, who moved from London to the US last year and now sits alongside Brin in the microkitchen, was appointed SVP of Google DeepMind, effectively replacing Hassabis. Jeff Dean, Google's longtime chief scientist, left the company after 27 years.

Brin's role in the new power structure went unmentioned.

However, the man who helped launch Google from a garage nearly three decades ago has become increasingly influential over Gemini, eight current and former employees told Business Insider, in part thanks to his unique ability to pull resources for critical work and cut through the tech giant's bureaucracy. The latest changes at the top, some of them said, could give Brin even more sway over Gemini.

It's a role seen by some inside Google as necessary after the 2023 merger of the company's two central AI labs led to friction over the direction of Gemini that slowed progress and prompted a stream of departures. Some of Mountain View's leaders became frustrated with Hassabis and other researchers in London, believing they weren't as pragmatic about making Gemini more competitive to rivals, two people familiar with the matter said.

Up against the corporate machinery of Google, the microkitchen has acted as something of a startup inside the larger company, allowing Brin, Kavukcuoglu, and other leaders to make decisions faster. "The promise of the kitchen is that it can help you cut through the politics," said one former employee familiar with the setup.

Such decisions are more crucial than ever. Google has fallen behind the frontier, which is putting more pressure on it to make its next model, Gemini 4, a blockbuster event. The company has lost top talent in recent months, including star computer scientists John Jumper and Noam Shazeer. Against this backdrop, Brin has urged employees to double their efforts on Gemini.

"Demis is obviously very talented, but he's moving farther away, not closer, to the operational part. This glimmer of hope is this notion that Sergey will get more involved," said Gil Luria, head of technology research at the investment bank D.A. Davidson. "They need a big change that will cut through that bureaucracy."

Google declined to comment on this story, and declined to make Brin and other leaders available for interviews.

Letting Brin cook

Brin's position is highly unusual.

He no longer holds an executive title at Google, yet he and Page have decisive influence over the company's board due to a special controlling stock.

After he and Page stepped back from running Alphabet in 2019, Brin spent his time building airships, partying at Burning Man, and writing about physics. When ChatGPT launched in late 2022, and Google was suddenly playing catch-up, Brin said the temptation to return to the trenches was just too much. "As a computer scientist I've never seen anything as exciting as all of the AI progress that's happened in the last few years," he said during the All-In Summit in Los Angeles in 2024.

Brin's unique perch inside Google makes him a powerful ally for any Googler who wants to accrue more support for their project or idea. Getting access to Google's chips, even for the Gemini team, can be difficult. The official route is to submit a formal document and get buy-in from higher-ups. Another route is to strike a deal with a different team inside Google to use their chips in exchange for, say, building Gemini features for their products, two people familiar with such arrangements said.

The other, less official route is to go to Brin.

"Koray has more explicit power in the hierarchy, but Sergey is the founder of Google," said a former senior employee. "He's able to cut through bureaucracy and clear red tape in a way no one else can." People who have worked at Google DeepMind said Kavukcuoglu and Brin have a good rapport, and that when Brin wants something done, he will often do it through Kavukcuoglu. However, Brin usually gets his way, three people said.

Over the past two years, the microkitchen's gravitational pull has grown stronger. Kavukcuoglu moved from London to Mountain View last year and now sits close to Brin. Sebastian Borgeaud, a research engineer, also moved across the Atlantic last year and was appointed to lead work on improving Gemini's coding abilities, two people familiar with the move said. A huddle of desks was set up for the coding strike team inside the microkitchen, close to Brin and Kavukcuoglu, a person familiar with the matter said.

"Sergey wants to run Gemini like a startup," said a former employee with direct knowledge of the arrangement. "If you want to be part of the startup, you have to be in the microkitchen."

Emanuel Taropa, a Google fellow and a legendary name in the AI research community, often sits in the kitchen, two people said. So does Enrique Piqueras, a senior research engineer on Gemini, who insiders described as an especially close ally of Brin's. Another oft-spotted face in the kitchen is Rahul Arya, a physics Olympiad who has played a central role in improving Google's AI chips. Insiders say that Google has made a concerted effort not to publicize some of its most important stars for fear of them being poached.

If you can't handle the heat

Brin has largely involved himself in the technical aspects of Gemini, weighing in on discussions about model sizes, release windows, and paths to artificial general intelligence, according to current and former employees. He also got involved in some internal disagreements last year over how Gemini should be integrated into Google products, two people said.

One idea Brin pushed earlier this year was to use software to monitor some Google employees as they coded, believing it could be a useful reinforcement learning technique to improve Gemini's coding abilities, a person familiar with the project said.

At times, Brin has made calls that have frustrated some staff. In 2025, Dean, Google's now-former chief scientist, was leading efforts to build a chip that would embed a version of the Gemini model architecture directly onto the silicon, a project internally codenamed Frozen. The project was unpopular among some Gemini leaders, two former employees said. Brin made the call to cut the project — a decision that frustrated Dean, who told some colleagues around that time he was considering leaving the company, said one of the people who heard the remarks.

The project was later revived as Frozen v2; however, some of its resources were stripped away from it earlier this year, the person added. Dean left Google in August to launch his own startup. He declined to comment on this story.

Some employees bristled at a post Brin made in an internal Google DeepMind work channel in 2025, stating that working about 60 hours a week is the "sweet spot" for productivity, which was first reported by The New York Times. One former manager said that they told their employees to ignore Brin's memo.

Earlier this year, during a Q&A session at San Francisco's AGI House, Brin was asked how he was splitting his responsibilities with Kavukcuoglu and Hassabis. Brin said he worked closely with Kavukcuoglu and would often "poke and prod" the teams when he was unhappy with their direction, describing himself as "sometimes a little bit disruptive."

"I'll be honest, I'm a little bit of a rabble-rouser," he said.

Brain trust

When Google announced in 2023 that it would combine DeepMind with its core Brain AI team, it capped a near-decade journey for Hassabis. Since selling DeepMind to Google in 2014, the Nobel laureate had fought to keep his lab independent, determined to pursue research free of Google's bureaucracy and untethered from products he considered irrelevant to his north star: building artificial general intelligence.

The 2023 merger was evidence to some inside DeepMind that any hopes of exercising independence under Google were misplaced. It was also around this time that Brin began showing up to work on Gemini. While Google said nothing publicly about Brin's return, there were clues. A March 2023 post on LinkedIn showed Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel meeting Pichai, Google's global affairs president Kent Walker, and — wearing sweatpants — Brin.

Google was in wartime mode, but there was also a battle brewing within. Brain and DeepMind had different cultures, three people who worked there at the time said. Brain typically worked more closely on improving Google's products, and teams in DeepMind had focused more on longer-term research that often didn't have near-term commercial viability. "There was tension in the DNA of what DeepMind wanted to be," said a former employee. "Do they want to be a 10-year research bet working on things that make humanity incredible, or are they going to win this 3-6 month horizon race between the labs?"

In 2023, Kavukcuoglu chose to build Gemini using some of the people and infrastructure behind Chinchilla, a prior language model developed by the London DeepMind team, rather than on Google's PaLM 2. The decision was unpopular with some researchers in Mountain View, who saw it as favoritism toward the London group, two people said.

After Brin returned to the trenches in 2023, he began working in the microkitchen. Taropa, the Google fellow, was also a core founding member of the kitchen office. Over time, more desks were added, and the space became the de facto command center, often referred to by staff as "Sergey's microkitchen." At one point, an overflow space was added because many employees wanted to be closer to what had quickly become the power center of Gemini.

'AGI-pilled'

Brin has spent less time in the kitchen in recent months, sometimes showing up on alternating weeks, according to two people who have seen him there. Ahead of a possible new billionaire's tax, the Google cofounder moved some of his personal assets out of California last December and purchased homes in Florida and Nevada.

The measure, if it passes on a November ballot, would impose a one-time tax on California residents with a net worth exceeding $1 billion. Brin, who has mounted a large-scale opposition effort against the tax, could be liable to pay $14 billion if he were considered a resident.

Ahead of the recent leadership shuffle, Brin appeared frustrated with the pace at which Google is moving on Gemini and has pushed employees for more focus on recursive self-improvement (RSI), the point where systems can improve themselves, current and former employees said. "He's very invested in RSI. He's very AGI-pilled," said one former employee. Reuters previously reported on some of Brin's remarks around RSI.

Insiders described the August reorg as a win for the more technical side of the company and the further erosion of DeepMind's independence, underscoring the commercial reality of the AI race. In recent weeks, the company has shown signs of positive progress. It recently rehired Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines Labs cofounder, in what some insiders said could be a big win for Google. The company has said its latest Gemini model shows "significant" improvements in coding.

Will it be enough? Google is still bleeding talent. The AI coding software market has fast become crowded, which could make it harder for Google to break in meaningfully, said Luria, the analyst. What Google needs, he said, is a major breakthrough that will vault its models to the state of the art. "Short of that, everything is tactical, and they'll continue to need to catch up," he said.

The September release of ChatGPT's Astra model appears to have pushed the frontier forward again, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has suggested even smarter models are waiting in the wings.

Google needs momentum, and with Brin more involved than ever, some employees are hopeful it will find it. From a garage to a kitchen, Google's most consequential work has a habit of happening in unlikely rooms.

Have something to share? Contact this reporter via email at hlangley@businessinsider.com or Signal at 628-228-1836.

Homebuilders once loved the Sun Belt. The warm, welcoming states in the lower half of the US offered ideal conditions for those in the business of selling new homes: good jobs, low taxes, vast suburbs, and a steady stream of movers. When housing demand took off in 2020, builders saw bigger dollar signs and began cranking out new construction across the Sun Belt at a feverish pace.

Lately, though, the region has brought them nothing but heartache. No states better encapsulate the housing headspin of the past half-decade than Texas and Florida. The boom times, which lasted until mid-2022, were wild: hordes of moving trucks pulling into balmier climates, buyers racing toward ever-higher bids, homes flying off builders' websites sight unseen. As quickly as the fever built, though, the comedown proved equally jarring. In Austin, the poster child of the home-price collapse, values remain more than a quarter below their 2022 peak, per Zillow. Cape Coral, Florida, another bygone symbol of the housing boom, has seen prices slide by 22%. For the past couple of years, the sun has no longer been shining on the Sun Belt.

The twin beacons of the housing bust are showing signs of a turnaround, however. Across Texas and Florida metros, year-over-year price declines are slowing to a creep or even reversing into positive territory. For the first time in a while, the pool of houses available for sale is shrinking, giving sellers some breathing room and forcing homebuyers to act with a little more urgency. Some former hot spots in the lower half of the US — think Phoenix or Las Vegas — are charting a similar, if slightly less dramatic, course.

It's hardly a roaring comeback. In places like Houston, Dallas, Tampa, and Jacksonville, prices still lag slightly behind last year's already lackluster levels. Builders are more intent on clearing out their existing inventory than staking out new subdivisions, and they're under pressure to hand out deal sweeteners — or even slash prices — in order to keep sales moving. Among regular home sellers, the most desperate are simultaneously listing on the rental market to see if they can get any bites. After a few years of false rebounds and mortgage-rate headfakes, economists are understandably hesitant to call the market's bottom in anything more than a caveat-laden whisper.

But there are some early signs that peak pain in the Sun Belt is behind us. The uneasy recovery in places like Texas and Florida, home to the biggest COVID-era swings, shows what similar rebounds could look like for parts of the country that didn't see quite the same highs and lows. For right now, at least, "less bad" will have to be good enough.

I recently spoke with an Austin homebuyer who offered a markedly different perspective from the doom-and-gloom of late. To be fair, Rick Palacios Jr. isn't your average home shopper: He's the director of research for John Burns Research and Consulting, a firm that advises big-time investors and builders on the shifting winds of the housing market. In July, he bought a house in a suburb south of Austin called Dripping Springs, where he plans to move from California in the fall. Palacios is relocating for family reasons, but putting on his analyst hat, he's equally happy with the decision. Austin, he tells me, is "one of those markets where, hey, this is kind of an opportunistic time to purchase."

The price declines there have been so steep since mid-2022, when spiking mortgage rates stymied housing demand, that John Burns now ranks Austin as the only "fairly priced" large metro in the country, based on an assessment that compares the current and long-term ratios of housing costs to incomes (Austin is trending about 9% above its historical average). Indianapolis, on the other hand, is labeled "very overpriced," with the current ratio 43% above the long-term figure. Also at the top end of the scale are Philadelphia and Chicago, neither of which saw much new housing construction in recent years. Sun Belt cities like Tampa, Houston, and Dallas all appear tame by comparison — overpriced, sure, but more in the 15% to 20% range.

Metros across the South, including Austin, still boast the kind of strong "fundamentals" that suggest future housing demand: well-paying jobs, young families, and slower-but-still-steady migration. The biggest challenge for sellers across the region, Palacios tells me, is working through that influx of supply. All signs show that's happening. The two most oversupplied states, Florida and Texas, have seen the sharpest drops in unsold inventory held by homebuilders: down 37% and 29% from their respective peaks, John Burns found. The Southwest region as a whole has seen that figure decline 29% from a year ago.

Fewer homes are lingering on the market across the region. In July, the total number of active listings in Austin was down nearly 5% from the peak last year, according to Zillow — not a big drop, but a stark change after several years of rapidly rising inventory. Cape Coral and Jacksonville, Florida, have seen bigger declines, with active listings down by roughly 20% and 14%, respectively, from a year earlier. Other once-overheated markets like Tampa, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and even Denver all tell similar stories of inventory either leveling off or dropping from the year prior.

John Burns also tracks "months of supply," or the time it would take for a given metro to clear out the number of homes sitting on the market at the current pace of sales. Phoenix's 2.7 months of supply is down roughly 18% from a year ago. Austin, Jacksonville, Boise, and Miami have also seen double-digit percentage decreases. Las Vegas, Denver, Houston, and San Antonio have seen smaller but notable declines.

Builders are still "very skittish" about adding more supply in Austin, specifically, Palacios tells me. But recent comments show the huge, publicly traded players are sweetening on other parts of the Sun Belt, even if demand isn't overwhelming. In late July, the CEO of Meritage Homes cited "parts of Texas, Southern California, Atlanta, Raleigh and Coastal Carolinas" as the company's strongest performers, which he said showed "more market strength in geographies with limited inventory." The chief executive of D.R. Horton said markets across the Southeast, particularly in Florida, "seem to be performing pretty consistently," which he deemed "encouraging." The CEO of PulteGroup shouted out Greenville and the coastal Carolina markets, but saved his most effusive praise for Florida, which saw orders increase nearly 20% year over year in the second quarter. He was also "encouraged" by sales in Texas, but "not ready to declare victory there."

Executives are prone to dispensing optimistic yet measured comments in quarterly calls with Wall Street analysts, playing up the good and jargon-ing their way through the bad. Combined with the inventory figures and sales prices, though, statements like these sound a lot like the beginnings of a Sun Belt rebound.

"We can clearly see that supply has come down in a lot of markets in a big, meaningful way," Palacios tells me. "So even if you don't get a ton of demand, it helps put a floor on prices."

Mischa Fisher, Zillow's chief economist, tells me there's a "very good chance" that Florida and Texas have found their bottom. He hedges, though, because he remembers the back half of 2023, when it looked like things might be turning around for the former superstars of the Sun Belt. Home prices were either declining at a slower pace or merely flatlining, suggesting the beginnings of a climb back to normal. "I mean, in finance they call it a 'dead cat bounce,'" Fisher tells me, referring to Wall Street parlance for the false hope that can sometimes briefly accompany an otherwise flailing asset. The Sun Belt continued to struggle.

All kinds of factors have complicated the recovery: volatile mortgage rates, tariff havoc, the war in Iran, and general pessimism about the job market and the broader economy. The typical home-loan rate is again flirting with 7%, higher than it was at this point last year, and Fannie Mae recently said it expects mortgage rates to hover around 6.8% for the rest of the year — more than double the rock-bottom rates that spurred all those moves back in 2021. Part of the reason that home sales remain stuck in a rut is that most would-be sellers simply don't have to make a move. They may be itching to downsize or upgrade, but they'd rather hold on to their relatively cheap mortgage rates than brave the market.

Last fall, the housing research company Parcl Labs tallied up the price cuts and the length of time homes were languishing on the market and arrived at a damning, if not all that surprising, conclusion: Sun Belt home sellers were the most desperate in the country. Jason Lewris, a cofounder of Parcl Labs, says he still sees more pain in store, particularly for Texas sellers. Parcl recently found that nearly half of Texas listings had seen a price cut. "I think there's more room to go down over the next year," Lewris tells me.

Fisher, similarly, doesn't see anything to suggest that price declines in Texas are over. But prices aren't falling nearly as quickly as they were a year ago, indicating the worst of it could be in the rearview mirror. If the trend continues, he says, prices could turn positive by 2027. "We've basically been on a gradual improving streak," Fisher tells me.

The Texas trajectory shows what the rebound could look like in places where builders churned out lots of new homes. It'll be shaky and uneven, with buyers still hesitant to dip their toes into the market and remaining inventory gluts continuing to weigh down home prices. The role of mortgage rates is also clear in Florida, where there's a vast gulf between the luxury segment and the rest of the market. The pace of high-end condo sales in Florida has increased 24% year over year, but "the bottom is unchanged," says Mike Simonsen, the chief economist at Compass. There are some Florida-specific challenges for older condo sales, but buyers at the more affordable price points are also much more sensitive to interest rates. This dynamic shows up in Florida's single-family home sales as well, where luxury list prices are up 21% year over year, compared to a gain of just 3.3% for homes in the lowest price quartile. With mortgage rates showing no signs of easing up, buyers will probably return in fits and starts rather than all at once.

After a few years of housing analysts crossing their fingers for a pickup in home sales, it's fair to wonder why this time might be any different. But keep an eye on Texas and Florida, the most extreme examples of this cycle's downturn, which just might be starting to show us what the other side looks like.

James Rodriguez is a correspondent on Business Insider's Discourse team.

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. That may be true for everyone but Elizabeth Holmes, who reintroduced herself this weekend in a preview for a new documentary from Nathan Fielder, called "You Can See Everything." The teaser features 45 seconds of the Theranos founder in tight focus, her eyes as big as Jupiter, where she assures Fielder: "I'm always being real." This brief interaction is so unnerving and so reminiscent of a horror film that even with scant details, the documentary is already the talk of tech town.

"You Can See Everything" debuted in a secret screening on Sunday at the Telluride Film Festival, and will be released theatrically in October. It was filmed in 2023, in the weeks before Holmes went to prison for defrauding the investors of her infamous startup. Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, seem to have granted an unusual degree of access to the documentary crew during this vulnerable time, inviting Fielder to move into their home and letting them film everything (including, reportedly, Evans stark nude in the shower). At Telluride, Fielder told audiences he was still "struggling to this day to understand what I experienced." Fielder has made his career obscuring the line between reality and fiction. Holmes, arguably, has done the same. A documentary that features the two of them wrestling for control of the truth is a level of surrealism Silicon Valley has never seen before and Hollywood hasn't seen since perhaps Orson Welles' "F for Fake."

Fielder's documentary is years in the making, but so is the version of Holmes that appears in it. For the past year, Holmes has been workshopping this new character on X.com, where she has become a prolific contributor, sometimes posting upwards of 20 times a day. Nobody knew exactly how this was happening. She is an inmate at Bryan Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security prison in Texas, where inmates do not have access to the internet aside from TRULINCS, a text-only email system. Now, as Evans reportedly admits in the documentary, he has been the ventriloquist behind her account. He's also spent the past year fundraising for a stealth blood diagnostics startup —basically, Theranos 2.0.

The tweets depict a very different person from the one who appeared at Holmes' trial: a woman who was deeply neurotic and obsessed with public perception, who wrote Patrick Bateman-style notes to herself with bizarre mantras, who copied Steve Jobs' uniform and deliberately altered the sound of her voice, and who exchanged cringey text messages with her cofounder-slash-lover Sunny Balwani. (Recall this famous bit of poetry: "You are breeze in desert for me / My water / And ocean / Meant to be only together tiger," to which Balwani replied: "OK.") If people felt schadenfreude watching her downfall, it was at least partly because Elizabeth Holmes had become a character — one so absurd, and so made-for-TV, that it has since become hard to separate the real person from the fictional one portrayed by Amanda Seyfried in "The Dropout." Of those portrayals, Holmes has said: "They're not playing me. They're playing a character I created." Now, with her husband in charge, a new character has emerged.

Who is the new Elizabeth Holmes? The tweets are an erratic mix of politics, hot takes ("most [venture capitalists] are spineless, cogs of a mimetic invention machine"), workout routines, opinions on the healthcare industry, lucid dreaming, dietary advice, prison reform, praise of the religious right, and zingy replies to her opps. Many of the posts have a pseudo-philosophical leaning to them ("Why is fear your master?"); others are extremely funny ("Locked in. Literally and figuratively"). She is deft at farming engagement, and has picked fights with Jason Calacanis and Milo Yiannopoulos, who recently spoke about his experience spending 24 hours in ICE custody. (Yiannopoulos: "I was weeping like an old woman for an hour." Holmes: "I've lived in that darkness for 1,190 days / It didn't break me / It made me invincible / We aren't the same.") She regularly replies to Bryan Johnson, the longevity guru who has crafted his own type of persona online, and once asked him to design a prison-suitable nutrition protocol for her. He replied enthusiastically, in a way that felt like a carefully constructed crossover episode of two popular TV shows. She also posted the teaser to the Fielder documentary, of course captioning it "I'm always being real."

Mostly, Holmes tweets about her family — especially her two young children — and the grief she feels about being separated from them: "I am screaming inside to get back to my babies, to hold them in my arms and heal them when they're sick. And I'm not going to stop until I am home." Knowing that Evans is the likely author of these tweets makes some of them extra weird: "There is no sleep here like the sleep after being with my love. I am not here in that sleep. I am home. am in his arms. I am complete."

This character — like the one trying to convince Fielder of her sincerity in "You Can See Everything" — is supposed to be one the public can sympathize with. She is a martyr and a mother, a victim looking for vindication. She repeatedly insists on her innocence, reframing the Theranos debacle as a big misunderstanding. Engaging with people on X.com, and participating in a tell-all documentary, is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate her image, or at least muddle the narrative.

It's not totally clear why Holmes and Evans would have agreed to let a documentary crew be part of this effort. Even Fielder seems confused about their motivations, telling the audience at Telluride: "I don't know why they wanted me there. Why am I there?" Based on the reactions to the documentary trailer, any attempt at a redemption arc appears to have backfired spectacularly. The person who appears in the film almost seems like an actor doing an exaggerated satire of Elizabeth Holmes, one who is even creepier and more calculated than the previous version. Then again, maybe perception is besides the point. She has once again captured the world's attention, and we will all be waiting to see what she does next.

• Mike Smith, an insurance executive, said healthcare costs are eating into workers' raises.
• Smith saw his company's monthly premium per worker double to $1,200 over seven years.
• Smith said that ICHRA could give employers budget control and workers more choice.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mike Smith, president emeritus of The Brokerage Inc., an insurance marketing organization. Smith has been in the insurance industry for nearly three decades. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I've worked in health insurance since 1993, selling health, life, Medicare, and long-term-care coverage. In that time, I've watched the market change dramatically.

Employers used to be able to choose among eight to 10 health insurance companies, with another 10 knocking on our door. Now, they're largely choosing among four or five big carriers.

At the same time, healthcare costs have soared. Employers are being forced to choose between absorbing double-digit premium increases, giving employees raises, or changing the benefits they offer.

My company has about 100 employees, and we face the same affordability problem as every other employer. I've seen firsthand how healthcare inflation eats into raises, that's why we started having honest conversations with workers about what health insurance costs and how we can find solutions together.

Health insurance costs are eating into wages

The pressure on premiums is driven partly by prescription drugs. When I started, drugs represented less than 5% of the premium dollar. Now, we estimate that they may account for 30% or more.

We have fantastic treatments, but some injectable drugs can cost $5,000 a month. Mental-health services are another growing expense. We want people to receive these treatments, but somebody has to pay for them.

Employers may want to provide a 3% or 4% cost-of-living raise, but health insurance premiums can increase 10%, 15%, or even 30%. At our company, the average monthly premium per employee rose from about $600 to $1,200 over seven years. We then have to make hard decisions about what we can and cannot afford, or find alternative solutions.

ICHRAs could transform employer-sponsored insurance

I don't see many employees asking for individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (ICHRAs) because most don't know they exist. But the topic comes up at nearly every insurance conference I attend. It reminds me of when people were discussing 401(k)s before they became commonplace.

Instead of choosing one group health plan, an employer decides how much it can afford to contribute. Employees shop for individual coverage that includes their doctors and medications, then submit the premium as an eligible expense for reimbursement.

Employers may adjust contributions based on permitted criteria, such as age or location. For example, coverage may be more expensive for someone in the Bay Area than in a rural community. The employer might also cover a percentage of each employee's premium rather than offering everyone the same amount.

The best comparison is what happened with retirement benefits. Pensions were once the primary way employers provided for workers' retirements. Then 401(k)s put employees in the driver's seat.

ICHRA could create a similar shift. I may say: I can afford to pay for some of your health insurance, but I cannot afford to pay for all of it. I'll give you a dollar amount, and you can shop for the plan that best meets your needs.

That empowers employees as consumers instead of letting their employer make every decision. The networks will have to compete for individual buyers.

Employers and workers need to talk honestly

I think employers do a terrible job explaining the hidden cost of healthcare. Most of our employees may not have realized the company was spending $12,000 a year on their insurance. Without that context, they may think the employer is being cheap when a raise doesn't materialize.

I would rather have an open dialogue about employees' needs, our needs, and how we might meet them together as a team. Employees should tell us whether their doctors and medications are covered and whether another plan might work better.

For my company, after nearly 20 years with Blue Cross, we recently switched to Cigna. We offer employees a choice between a PPO copay plan and a high-deductible plan with a health savings account, which we contribute to. All those changes saved us about $100,000, and that's money we can now turn around and give to our employees.

I do believe that in the long run, we're heading toward an expansion of Medicare. It may be a better solution in some respects because, from a customer service perspective, doctors know what they'll be paid, and people clearly know how much it'll cost. The question becomes: how much does it cost the country to bring that to the marketplace? No one can absorb endless healthcare increases, so we're moving in the Medicare direction even if we don't want to admit it.

• South Park, in a thinly veiled jab at Apple and Google, said it's changing its name to "South America."
• The show's creators said they were "inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google."
• Google Maps and Apple Maps renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America following Trump's executive order.

South Park isn't holding back any punches — it just took a dig at Apple and Google.

The satirical comedy show shared an announcement from its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, on Instagram on Tuesday, ahead of the release of its 29th season on September 16.

"Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA," the creators wrote in the statement.

The post was accompanied by a picture of the South Park logo, with a license plate spelling out "AMERICA" pinned over the word "Park." A glowing US flag was added in the corner for extra flourish.

Parker and Stone's reference to Apple and Google was a barely veiled mockery of the companies for changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on their map platforms.

On August 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the water body that straddles the US and Canadian border. The order instructed the US government to change the name of the lake in federal maps, contracts, and documents. It came amid rising trade tensions between the two neighbors.

Days after Trump's order, Google said it had updated Google Maps such that US users would see "Lake America," Canadian users would see "Lake Ontario," and users outside these two countries would see "Lake Ontario (Lake America)."

The tech giant said it updates Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which in the US is the US Geographic Names Information System. It made similar changes last year with the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump renamed the Gulf of America.

Apple Maps followed suit the week after, renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America for US users.

South Park, which debuted on Comedy Central in 1997, is a satirical animated comedy about four elementary school kids living in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. Over its nearly three-decade run, it has a history of trolling the bigwigs of politics, tech, and media, including Trump, CBS, and Tim Cook.

In their Instagram statement, Parker and Stone also took a quick swipe at South Park's parent company, Paramount Skydance, which was created after David Ellison of Skydance Media bought out Paramount in 2025.

"We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation," they wrote.

• An Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overshot a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday.
• At least five people were killed in the crash, authorities said.
• NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said on Monday that the plane's black boxes were recovered.

At least five people were killed, and five more injured, authorities said, after an Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, striking multiple vehicles and erupting into a blaze.

Videos from the scene showed a fire and thick black smoke rising from the plane. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a Sunday evening statement that more than 60 of its units and about 200 personnel responded to the incident, arriving to find an airplane with "heavy flames and smoke showing."

At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the engine was shut down, the fire had been contained, and there was no ongoing threat to the public. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

"This is a fast-moving situation, and we're still gathering details," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an X post on Sunday. "We're working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened."

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said during a Monday press conference said the plane struck two vehicles: a Ford Econoline van owned by an airline contract cleaning company with seven people inside, and a Toyota Corolla Cross driving down a nearby road off the airport.

The five people who died were inside the cleaning van, Cordero-Stutz said on Tuesday.

Of the five people who were injured, three were taken to a trauma center, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. The other two were taken to area hospitals.

Homendy also said there was a team of 32 investigators on-site, and that the NTSB has recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, also known as black boxes, which are actually colored orange.

"There's fuel everywhere that will have to be remediated, but then they are also removing fuel from the aircraft, so we have to allow that to occur," Homendy said. "And as we speak, recovery operations continue. The recovery of victims is most important."

In a subsequent Tuesday evening presser, Homendy shared details of the aircraft's pilots. The 55-year-old captain had over 7,000 hours of flying experience and received his type rating for the Boeing 767 in May, she said. The first officer, 37, had about 2,600 hours of flying experience and received his type rating in April 2025.

At the presser, NTSB's lead investigator for the crash, Chihoon Shin, talked about the last 30 seconds of the plane's recording, leading up to the plane overshooting the runway.

Shin said the brakes were applied once the plane's right landing gear touched down; its left touched down seconds after. The brakes were then released about 15 seconds before the recording ended, and Shin said the throttles were increased to levels "consistent with go-around thrust."

Then, 11 seconds before the recording ended, the brakes were applied again. At the end of the recording, the plane was still traveling at 65 knots, or about 74 miles per hour.

Homendy added that NTSB would release a readout of the cockpit voice recorder on Wednesday.

What we know about the plane and the crash so far

The plane took off from Puerto Rico at noon and reached Miami around 2 p.m., according to data from the aviation tracking website Flightradar24. The website also showed the plane was traveling at 112 knots as it exited the usable part of the runway and the perimeter fence, ultimately going about 1,300 feet past the pavement into an area where Tesla robotaxis were stationed. Weather data shows there were thunderstorms and gusting winds at the time of the crash.

The plane involved was a Boeing 767-300 freighter, registered as N1997A, and first delivered as a passenger jet in 1994 to the now-defunct Belgian airline Sobelair. It passed through several more airlines before being converted into a freighter by a third party — not Boeing — and re-entering service in 2016. That means it had been operated and maintained by multiple companies over three decades before Sunday's crash.

"Boeing extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the accident in Miami," Boeing said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to those injured and affected by this tragedy. Boeing is supporting the investigation led by the U.S National Transportation Safety Board."

Homendy said a key piece of the investigation will be whether an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS), a crushable material placed at the ends of runways to help stop overrun planes, would have helped in this crash.

Miami does not have EMAS because its runways have FAA-standard runway safety areas extending 1,000 feet beyond the runway ends. Airports that cannot meet the standard, often because of nearby roads, waterways, or other obstacles, can install EMAS as an alternative.

FAA data show that about 120 runway ends at roughly 70 airports in the US have EMAS installed, and that EMAS has stopped 26 planes carrying nearly 500 people to date.

The plane was left disabled at the northwest end of the airport. The airport has since partially reopened, but as of Tuesday, two of its four runways remain closed. Passengers should expect delays of at least 5 hours, according to the FAA.

Describing the scene, Homendy said the crash left behind fuel, skid marks, and debris, calling it "devastating." Miami-Dade First Rescue said on Sunday that firefighters had "encountered a complex engine compartment fire and used foam from specialized airport firefighting units to extinguish the flames."

"The Crews also conducted search and rescue operations for the pilots and co-pilots inside the cockpit while locating and assessing patients throughout the scene," the agency added.

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue radio transmissions recorded on Broadcastify, first responders scrambled to attain a reliable water supply as they sought to control the fire on the plane. A command dispatcher repeatedly asked first responders to enter the plane, according to the recordings.

"I need you to start making entry with your crew so we can shut down the engine," the command dispatcher said, according to the recordings. "I believe the pilots are out of the aircraft."

A first responder said in the recordings that one pilot was with him in a parking lot. Another first responder said that the pilot was talking with firefighters at the scene to show them how to shut down the engine. The fire was largely extinguished by 2:08 p.m.

This is the second 767 cargo plane to crash in Amazon's Prime Air network. In 2019, an Atlas Air freighter flying on behalf of Amazon crashed into Trinity Bay near Houston, killing the three people on board. The NTSB said the cause of that accident was in-flight loss of control due to pilot error.

• The yen's surge is reviving memories of the market-rattling carry-trade unwind of summer 2024.
• AI winners like Nvidia and AMD could get sold if the yen's rise forces investors to unwind bets.
• A stronger yen could squeeze Japanese companies like Toyota and Sony that rely heavily on overseas sales.

The Japanese yen is surging, reviving an uncomfortable memory for investors: the carry-trade turmoil of the summer of 2024.

Early on Wednesday, a dollar bought about 153 yen, about 4% fewer than at the start of the month and 2% fewer than at the start of the year as the Japanese currency strengthened. The currency pair had surged to a four-decade high near 164 in late July.

The rally matters well beyond the currency market. For years, investors have borrowed cheaply in yen and put the money into higher-yielding currencies and riskier assets around the world.

A rapidly strengthening yen can make those trades unprofitable and prompt investors to unwind positions, potentially triggering selling across stocks and bonds.

"When investors have to sell in a hurry to cover a currency bet gone wrong, they sell whatever they hold, and that can mean stocks, bonds and funds that ordinary savers are invested in too, often through their pension or their workplace retirement plan," said Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, a financial advisory firm, on Tuesday.

That is how a sharp move in the yen can ripple into the portfolios of investors who have never traded the currency.

5 ways the yen rally could hit your portfolio

1. AI winners could become a source of cash

One place the fallout could show up is in some of the market's biggest AI winners.

Nvidia, Broadcom, AMD, and TSMC, along with memory makers such as Micron, could be vulnerable if the yen's rally triggers forced deleveraging, Charu Chanana, Saxo's chief investment strategist, wrote in a note Tuesday.

The issue isn't necessarily their fundamentals, but their strong performance and crowded ownership, which make them an obvious source of cash when leveraged investors need to sell quickly, Chanana wrote.

2. Bonds and rate-sensitive stocks could face a less obvious squeeze

Bonds and rate-sensitive stocks could come under pressure

Bonds are another channel through which the yen's rally could ripple through portfolios.

Japanese bonds have already been selling off, pushing the benchmark 10-year yield their highest level in three decades. Higher yields at home, coupled with a stronger yen, could give Japanese investors more incentive to bring money back from overseas.

That could mean selling foreign bonds, potentially pushing global long-term yields higher and putting pressure on rate-sensitive stocks such as REITs, utilities, and infrastructure companies, Chanana wrote.

A decisive break below 152 yen per dollar could accelerate the yen's rally and force more traders to cover short positions, Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial, wrote on Tuesday.

That could "reignite the yen carry trade unwind risk," with ripple effects across global assets, including US Treasurys, Turnquist added.

3. High-priced software and momentum stocks could get squeezed

Expensive software and momentum stocks are another potential pressure point.

Palantir and Snowflake are among the names that could be vulnerable if the yen's rally triggers broader deleveraging, Chanana wrote.

The greatest risk is among businesses that combine high valuations with weak free cash flow or recurring financing needs, she added.

4. Small caps and leveraged companies could feel tighter financial conditions

Smaller, more leveraged companies are another potential pressure point.

The Russell 2000, along with smaller regional banks, retailers, airlines, and lower-quality industrial companies, could be vulnerable if the yen rally triggers broader deleveraging, Chanana wrote.

These companies tend to have thinner liquidity and greater refinancing needs, which can amplify losses when financial conditions tighten, she added.

5. Japanese exporters could take an earnings hit

Japan's major exporters are another potential pressure point — and many are heavyweight stocks in the country's equity market.

A stronger yen reduces the value of their overseas earnings when translated back into yen and can make Japanese-made goods less competitive abroad.

Toyota, Honda, Sony, Tokyo Electron, and Advantest are among the companies that could be vulnerable, Chanana wrote.

Weakness in such large Japanese stocks could also weigh on Japan-focused ETFs and international funds that hold them.

The ugly echo of 2024

The memory of summer 2024 is what makes the latest move unnerving.

On August 5, 2024, the Nikkei 225 plunged 12.4% in its biggest one-day rout since the 1987 Black Monday crash, as a stronger yen and rapid carry-trade unwinding compounded fears over the US economy following a Bank of Japan rate hike days earlier.

This time, the policy backdrop is different. The US and Japan jointly intervened in the currency market on July 31 to support the yen, while markets are also pricing further BOJ tightening.

Still, this isn't August 2024 redux — at least not yet.

The yen's recent move has been driven mainly by domestic Japanese factors, while emerging-market assets and carry trades have remained resilient, Michael Wan, a senior currency analyst at MUFG, wrote Wednesday.

But the risk of a broader unwind hasn't disappeared.

"Despite short-term fundamentals suggesting the move is overdone, it remains risky to stand in its way, particularly given the scope for further carry trade unwinding," strategists at ING wrote Tuesday.

• Agility Robotics has real-world deployments of humanoid robots that move and pick up totes.
• The company said in its filing that one robot could cost a customer about $200,000.
• Agility's next-gen robot could operate for 20 hours within a 24-hour period, the company said.

How much would it cost to employ a humanoid robot in a factory?

Agility Robotics gave us one of the clearest answers yet.

In a securities filing on Tuesday, the Oregon-based robotics company provided a glimpse into the economics behind its two-legged robot, Digit.

Under one business model outlined in the filing, a customer buying the company's next-generation Digit v5 would pay about $200,000 for the robot itself, plus a roughly $20,000 onetime deployment fee. Afterward, software and maintenance would run about $36,000 a year per bot.

Add that up over a five-year "useful life of Digit" assumed by Agility, and the tab for one humanoid robot comes to about $400,000.

The figures are "illustrative" estimates that Agility used to model Digit's economics, and do not reflect the cost a real-life customer would pay.

The company wrote in the filing that contracts are subject to negotiation. Agility also didn't say that Digit would stop working after five years — only that it assumed a five-year useful life period for the purpose of its model.

Still, Agility says the math could work out in a customer's favor pretty quickly.

"Based on our current planning assumptions, Digit v5 is expected to achieve customer breakeven in approximately 1.1 years," the filing said, citing productivity, uptime, and availability of workers as factors in its calculation.

The company didn't break down the math on the returns. Agility did not respond to a request for comment.

Agility said in the filing that its robot is designed to operate for about 20 hours within a 24-hour period, meaning customers can squeeze more work out of the robots. The Digit can lift up to 50 pounds, the company said.

Agility's Digit v4 has been deployed at nine customer facilities, including Scaheffler, GXO, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, and Amazon.

Cofounder Jonathan Hurst previously told Business Insider in July that Digit's tasks today are relatively simple, such as picking and moving bins and totes.

Agility said it expects to release the next-gen v5 robot later this year.

Few robotics companies have disclosed prices on their humanoids. China's Unitree Robotics advertises its G1 humanoid starting at $13,500, but the company's robots are primarily used for research and development rather than in industrial settings.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at lloydlee@businessinsider.com or Signal at lloydlee.71. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Clarence Koh, 30, lives in Singapore and works remotely for a US-based company.
• He moved his workday to the night to better match his team's schedule.
• Three years in, he says the flexibility still comes with challenges.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Clarence Koh, 30, a software engineer who lives in Singapore but works US hours. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When I was studying computer science at a university in Singapore, I joined a one-year overseas work-and-study program meant to encourage entrepreneurship.

I was supposed to spend the year in Toronto, taking classes at a host university while interning at a startup. But because of the pandemic, I had to stay in Singapore and complete the program remotely.

On my first day as an intern, the startup announced it was being acquired by a US company. I stayed on through the transition and returned to school to finish my degree after the program ended.

After graduating, I reached out to my former manager to see if there were any remote opportunities. It turned out there were, so I joined the company full-time.

Initially, I worked mostly Singapore daytime hours, with only part of my schedule shifted to the night. However, the arrangement felt inefficient. Everything was delayed by a day: Someone might reply to a question at night, and I would only be able to act on it the next day. I worried that it made me seem like I was always a step slower than everyone else.

Eventually, my manager and I agreed it made more sense for me to shift to a schedule that aligned more closely with the rest of the US-based team.

I shifted my workday to Singapore's nights

I usually wake up around noon and start work at around 2 to 3 p.m. Singapore time. It's the middle of the night in the US, but I like having that focused time to myself, when I can get most of my actual work done.

At night, when more of my team is online, there are meetings to attend and messages to respond to. It can be disruptive, and I find it harder to get into the zone.

I take a break around 6:30 or 7 p.m. Singapore time and spend the evening with friends or on hobbies, like dancing or reading. I return to work around 10:30 p.m. and usually finish at about 5 a.m., when I head to bed.

I'm not really into nightlife, so the schedule doesn't affect my social life too much. However, it does mean I have to skip certain things, like late-night dinners with friends on Fridays.

The schedule also works in my favor, since my fiancée is a nurse. Her hours can change drastically from week to week, and my flexible routine makes it easier for me to adjust around hers.

Over the past two years, I've also started spending more time outdoors. My work arrangement makes it easy to take short weekend trips to nearby countries to go hiking, then return on Monday and still work. I couldn't do that with a normal 9-to-5.

The freedom comes with trade-offs

I've been doing this for over three years now, but I feel like this schedule isn't something you can ever fully adjust to.

Sleeping during the day can be difficult in Singapore, especially in August, when the days are so warm. I try not to use the air conditioning while I sleep because I'm conscious of the environmental impact. But some days, the heat wakes me up, and I have to try to force myself back to sleep until noon.

Weekends can throw me off, too. People often plan events on Saturday mornings, so I might sleep earlier that night, then have to shift my schedule back again before Monday.

That said, it's hard for me to imagine going back to a normal schedule because I value the flexibility so much. Fully remote roles are also much harder to find these days.

Occasionally, I'll wake up early to meet a friend for breakfast and take the subway in the morning. It always shocks me how people manage to squeeze onto trains that are so crowded at 8 a.m.

I don't know whether I'll keep doing this in the long term. It can be tiring, and the quality of sleep isn't great.

But I've learned to accept those downsides and focus on what the arrangement gives me: more control over my time and the ability to adapt my schedule around the people and things that matter to me.

• When Macie Strum first began traveling, she was focused on how many countries she would visit.
• After years of speed-running destinations, she began to appreciate slow travel, revisiting places, and forming deeper connections.
• Now, having traveled to more than 50 countries, she no longer sees the number as a measure of how well-traveled she is.

Earlier this year, as I set foot in country number 50, I expected the milestone to feel significant. Instead, I realized how little the number actually meant.

As a teenager, I became obsessed with seeing the world. My first purchase on Amazon was a set of 50 mini flags to study each day. I turned to quiz websites like Sporcle to learn country capitals and populations when I should have been solving math equations for school.

At 14, I'd already developed my first major travel goal: visit every country in Europe. Later that year, after a trip to Greece, Italy, and France, I was every bit as enamored with Europe as I'd imagined I'd be.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't visit again for seven whole years. By then, I was 21, in college, and finally had the freedom to start traveling on my own. Visiting Paris, Amsterdam, and Barcelona reignited the obsession I'd developed years earlier.

I began traveling during every school break

These trips were far from relaxing. I planned jam-packed itineraries to see as much as I could within a one- or two-week window. There was one trip in particular that still makes me anxious to think about. In June of 2019, my friend and I crammed Greece, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, and Germany into 10 days. We didn't have time to visit the Acropolis in Athens.

We spent less than 48 hours in each place and were constantly rushing to catch the next flight. After checking off the main attractions, there was little time to experience the culture and history of each place. I remember spending more time in Split's airport than I did exploring the city.

It went like this for my first year of traveling. At most, I would spend three days in each country, sticking mostly to capital cities. At one point, I tried to justify a two-hour layover in Keflavik as a trip to Iceland.

Social media made travel feel like a competition

Seeing people list the number of countries they'd visited in their bios reinforced my own urge to keep score. Looking back, I was using my number in much the same way: as proof that I was well-traveled.

At the same time, part of my rushed travel style stemmed from necessity. Between being a busy college student and later a full-time employee, I only had so much time to travel.

But when I was laid off at the end of 2023 and decided to spend most of 2024 traveling in Asia and Australia, those time parameters became obsolete.

I was able to prioritize slow travel instead of seeing how many countries I could squeeze into a week or two. On that eight-month trip, I generally spent three weeks in each place, sometimes longer.

The longer I stayed, the more I felt like I was actually traveling. Instead of only crossing off must-see attractions, I actually had the time to learn local history and customs, visit lesser-known areas, and experience everyday life. In the end, I felt a deeper appreciation for the countries I traveled through slowly than the ones I raced through.

Staying longer made room for experiences that would have never fit into my early itineraries. In Malaysian Borneo, I spent three days exploring the Kinabatangan River deep in the jungle, observing orangutans, crocodiles, and native birds along the way.

I took a sailing trip through the Komodo Islands in eastern Indonesia and earned my advanced diving certification on Gili Air, a small tropical island near Lombok. Those two months I spent traveling across Indonesia showed me how culturally and geographically diverse a single country could be. From Java to Flores, each island I visited had its own dialect, religious traditions, crafts, and local delicacies.

It's not just about the numbers

I stopped viewing the countries I had already visited as places I'd "done."

The destinations I know best are the ones I've returned to over and over again, and I still discover something new with each visit. I first traveled to Italy at 14 and returned to live there 10 years later. A trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the summer of 2025 led me to establish Sarajevo as my current home base.

Those returns didn't increase my country count. Still, they have given me things that a number could never reflect — meaningful relationships, new perspectives, language skills, and a genuine connection to each place.

Nowadays, I like planning my trips so I begin or end in a familiar location. I'm always just as excited to return to the places I love as I am to visit somewhere new. There's always comfort in being back in a place where I know my way around, have friends and favorite spots, and can pick up where I left off.

I haven't completely stopped counting.

My goal to visit every country in Europe is still alive and well — there are 12 left on my bucket list. Admittedly, I still get satisfaction from adding a new country to my Been app, and every milestone is still exciting. The biggest difference is that the number is now something I track instead of something I chase.

• Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary, "Musk," examines the mogul's life and career.
• There's plenty of material on Musk's highs (Tesla, SpaceX) and lows (DOGE, his relationships).
• Here are the 3 most explosive parts of the doc.

In an era when documentaries about famous people can be as light and sweet as the snacks you eat while watching them, Alex Gibney is going against the grain. His new documentary, "Musk," which premiered at Venice Film Festival on Sept. 8, proves there's still room for hard-hitting investigative docs in Hollywood — as long as you're willing to sit through its nearly four-hour runtime.

From tackling Scientology in "Going Clear" to Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes in "The Inventor," Gibney has never backed away from a thorny topic. With "Musk," the Oscar-winning filmmaker pulls no punches, painting a thorough portrait of the man who turned companies like Tesla and SpaceX into household names.

The doc, which traces Musk's life from 20-something Silicon Valley start-up entrepreneur to becoming President Donald Trump's right-hand man during his second term, has ignited the ire of its subject since it was announced in 2023. At the time, Musk called the film a "hit piece" on X, to which Gibney responded, "How would you know?" The two have been locked in an online battle ever since.

Although Musk did not sit down for an interview for "Musk," that didn't stop Gibney from getting his subject on camera — sort of.

Thanks to the ingenuity of Gibney's team and the magic of AI, the documentary features a Musk avatar who's been trained on all available interviews the mogul has given. Avatar-Musk shows up throughout to comment on everything from why he believes we're all living in a simulation to his obsession with going to Mars.

It's a cheeky deployment of emerging technology at the CEO's expense. But it's not the only segment that paints Musk in an unflattering light.

Business Insider screened "Musk" the day it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Here are three times Gibney goes after Musk hard.

Business Insider reached out to Musk for comment on the documentary, but did not receive a response.

The failures of Tesla's self-driving feature Autopilot are back in the spotlight

The documentary delves into how Musk got involved in Tesla and turned it into a cash cow once the company went public. It also explores the darker side of Tesla's Autopilot, a self-driving feature that has been at the center of several lawsuits.

In the doc, Gibney contrasts a 2016 video released by Tesla that depicts the vehicle as fully self-driving with dash-cam footage from a deadly 2019 crash in which a car using Tesla's Autopilot feature killed one and seriously injured another in Key Largo, Florida.

After a Russian hacker was able to retrieve key crash data Tesla had said it could not access (yes, really), a jury ruled that Tesla was partially liable for the crash and responsible for $243 million in punitive and compensatory damages. Tesla is appealing.

While the story has been reported before by outlets including Business Insider, its retelling to a larger audience in Gibney's doc isn't going to improve perception of the Tesla brand.

The 'Godfather of AI' says he's worried Musk could rig an election

Trump and Musk have described DOGE as a way to overhaul the federal government and slash spending. Tech reporters from Wired and The Wall Street Journal tell Gibney that Musk's time working on DOGE also gave him access to every American's personal information.

Geoffrey Hinton, the "Godfather of AI" and a friend-turned-frenemy of Musk's, says he thinks Musk is up to something nefarious. He tells Gibney in the documentary that he believes Musk will use that information to corrupt the upcoming midterm elections.

"If you wanted to corrupt the midterm elections and you wanted to use AI, all you needed to do was get detailed information on US citizens," Hinton says in "Musk." "And what DOGE did looked like just what you would do."

Hinton does not elaborate further, but Gibney wonders in a voiceover: Is Musk "trying to connect us or control us?"

A former flame reveals the NDA terms she declined and Musk's desire for a 'legion of children'

The documentary also delves into Musk's personal life, specifically his many children, 14 of whom are publicly known. While Musk's first wife, Justine, appears in the doc, the real star is influencer Ashley St. Clair, who gave birth to one of his sons in 2024.

St. Clair says in the doc that the two connected after Musk began following her on social media and would message her saying she should have more children. St. Clair says in the doc that once their relationship went south and after giving birth to Musk's child, she was offered $15 million up front and $100,000 per month over 21 years if she signed an NDA. She refused.

St. Clair also recalled that one night she was with Musk in bed and he was listening to a podcast about Kublai Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan who had at least 47 children.

She also said that Musk once texted her that he needed a "legion of children before the civil war."

St. Clair claims she wasn't the only one Musk reached out to on social media in hopes of procreating.

It's a "Gatling gun of sperm on his DMs," she told Gibney.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment on the documentary. But on Tuesday, when Katie Miller, the onetime communications director for DOGE, called the doc "fictional" and "a hit job by a self-obsessed Hollywood director," Musk replied with one word: "Exactly."

"Musk" opens in theaters October 16.

• President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced new tariffs on Canadian goods like cheese and furniture.
• He also announced outright bans on many Canadian alcohol imports, set to take effect September 29.
• The move comes as Canada's retaliatory tariffs on US goods like cheese and honey took effect.

President Donald Trump has retaliated against Canada's retaliation against US tariffs.

Trump on Tuesday ordered new tariffs on some Canadian goods and outright bans on others, the White House said.

The bans, set to take effect September 29, impact many kinds of Canadian alcohol, some motorcycles, some dairy products, molasses, and nonalcoholic beer. The new 50% tariffs, set to take effect September 15, cover a broad range of Canadian cheeses, manufacturing materials like some steel and aluminum products, golf carts, and certain types of furniture, among other goods.

The White House said the bans were "in response to continued discrimination against the commerce of the United States" regarding dairy, alcohol, and motor vehicles.

It's the latest development in Trump's trade war with Canada, which began last year after he announced broad tariffs on Canadian imports. Tensions flared last month when the US imposed a new wave of 50% tariffs, including on alcohol, construction materials, and hockey equipment, after American and Canadian officials failed to strike a deal in negotiations.

Canada retaliated with additional tariffs on US goods, which took effect on Tuesday and targeted cheese, honey, and aluminum foil, among many more.

Alcohol became a major flash point in the trade war when some Canadian provinces pulled American alcohol from their shelves last year in response to US tariffs. Trump cited Canada's treatment of American alcohol in announcing his new ban, which could impact several Canadian-made products that are popular in the US, like Canadian whiskies.

Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a national trade association, said in a statement that American spirit makers have "shouldered the brunt of this trade dispute" for the past year and a half.

"Canadian provinces' removal of US spirits from store shelves caused US spirits exports to Canada to fall by more than 70%," he said.

"We urge leaders on both sides of the border to reach a negotiated solution that restores US spirits to retail shelves throughout Canada and returns the spirits sector to a permanent zero-for-zero tariff framework," Swonger added.

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The 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival is heading back to Las Vegas on September 18 and 19 at T-Mobile Arena, and the lineup is all over the map in the best way. Read on to learn where to buy iHeartRadio tickets before the big event to see your favorite artist's set.

This year's bill brings together pop, hip-hop, country, rock, and K-pop, with performances from BTS, Cardi B, Benson Boone, Lainey Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Muse, Weezer, Zara Larsson, Kenny Chesney, LE SSERAFIM, Ciara, The Smashing Pumpkins, Major Lazer, and more. Ryan Seacrest is back to host the two-night event. Whether you're going for one specific artist or just want two nights of big-name performances, there's a lot packed into the weekend.

Single-night tickets and two-day passes are available, and fans can also find resale inventory on StubHub and Vivid Seats. Below, we'll break down how to buy iHeartRadio Music Festival tickets, what prices look like right now, and what to know before making the trip to Las Vegas.

iHeartRadio Music Festival ticket prices

Running from September 18 to 19, the music festival offers one- or two-day passes. Here's a breakdown of resale prices for both options.

How much are iHeartRadio Music Festival tickets?

Ticket prices for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival vary widely depending on whether you're shopping for a single night or the full weekend. On StubHub, the cheapest ticket available right now is $97 for the Saturday, September 19 show. At the other end, a two-day pass listing in Section 4 is currently priced at $7,115 per ticket.

On Vivid Seats, tickets currently start at $94 for Saturday night, while one of the priciest options costs $4,694 for a GA Pit A standing-room ticket tied to the two-day festival pass. As with most resale events, prices can move quickly as inventory changes and the festival gets closer, so these figures are best treated as a snapshot of current listings.

Who is performing at iHeartRadio Music Festival?

The cross-genre iHeartRadio music festival features big names in country, rock, rap, K-pop, and more. Here's the lineup for both days:

Friday, September 18

• BTS
• Cardi B
• Goo Goo Dolls
• Kenny Chesney
• Weezer
• Zara Larsson

Saturday, September 19

• Benson Boone
• Ciara
• Lainey Wilson
• Le Sserafim
• Major Lazer
• Muse
• Snoop Dogg
• Stella Lefty
• The Smashing Pumpkins

• See more: Is StubHub legit? | Zara Larsson tickets | Ella Langley tickets

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The US Open quarterfinals are underway, and tonight's headlining men's match will see defending champion Carlos Alcaraz square off against Ben Shelton. We've rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz, including free and global streaming options.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz will continue his title defense at the 2026 US Open, which marks his first tournament back following a four-and-a-half-month injury break. Alcaraz has so far breezed through the tournament, only dropping one set in the second round, but American Ben Shelton could prove to be a tough opponent tonight. Shelton, who won the Canadian Open last month, was eliminated in the third round of last year's US Open, but it's safe to say he's looking to go all the way at this year's tournament.

*This is just an approximate start time. Arthur Ashe Stadium, the venue for the match, will also host Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro's evening match at 7 p.m. ET.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz for free

There are a few ways to catch the Shelton vs. Alcaraz match for free. In Australia, select daily coverage is available for free on 9Now and requires only an account to use. In the US, live TV services like YouTube TV and Fubo offer free trials to new customers.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz from anywhere

If you're away from the location where your preferred streaming service is available, you can still access your favorite content (including free options) with a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy tech tools that help people temporarily alter their device's virtual location. They're popular among those looking to upgrade their cybersecurity or keep up with their usual websites and apps while traveling abroad.

Proton VPN is one of the best VPNs we've tested. It's user-friendly (even for beginners) and offers a substantial selection of global servers. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find it's not helping you.

• See also: Where to buy US Open tickets | Where to watch FIBA Women's World Cup | Best sports streaming services

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz in the US

ESPN is carrying US Open coverage in the US until 11 p.m. ET tonight, so you should be able to find the Shelton vs. Alcaraz match on the network, even if it has a bit of a late start. ESPN Unlimited is the best streaming service for accessing every single match at the US Open. Subscriptions cost $32 a month or $320 a year. You can learn more in our guide to the ESPN streaming service.

If you'd prefer to watch on a platform with a free trial and additional channels beyond the ESPN family, a live TV streaming service will be a better fit. YouTube TV and Fubo are two of our top recommendations right now.

YouTube TV carries ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC in both its main and sports plans. The main plan typically costs $83 a month, but a limited-time YouTube TV deal will knock the first five months down to just $68 a month for first-time customers. The sports plan is also running a special promo where new users can get their first six months down from $65 a month to $45 a month. YouTube TV plans come with a free trial for new users, and ESPN Unlimited is now available on the platform as well.

Fubo is another popular live TV service with plenty of ESPN offerings. ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC are available in Fubo's Sports + News, Pro, and Elite packages. All of these plans also unlock access to ESPN Unlimited. Sports + News starts at $65 a month, but new users can get $10 off their first month of service. Pro and Elite also offer introductory month discounts, and all plans come with a free trial for first-time customers.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz in the UK

In the UK, US Open coverage is available through Sky Sports. Fans can tune in with one of the many Sky TV deals and plans, or access the same content through Now. Now Sports offers more flexibility in streaming content, including a £15 single-day pass.

How to watch Shelton vs. Alcaraz in Australia

Select US Open coverage, including tonight's Shelton vs. Alcaraz match, is available for free through 9's Gem channel in Australia. Fans can live stream the action on 9Now by creating a free account if they don't already have one. Australians looking to live stream absolutely every match at the US Open will need a paid Stan Sport subscription. Stan Sport costs $30 a month when you combine the $10 a month base plan fee with the $20 a month Sport add-on.

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

Founded in 2017, Kizik makes hands-free sneakers that eliminate the need to bend down or make adjustments when putting on shoes. But you'd never know just by looking at them.

To achieve this effect, the shoes have an integrated stabilizer at the back of the heel so they don't buckle under your foot as you slip into them. They also use tongues that are connected to the interior of the shoes so they don't move around or cause discomfort. This is supposed to make it easy for everyone to wear, whether you have specific mobility needs or you simply like the convenience.

Kizik isn't the only brand to employ technology like this, but it was one of the first to popularize it more widely. The brand's unique appeal relies highly on its aesthetics and sizing; almost all of its shoes have laces, so they just look like regular sneakers, and many of its styles also come in an inclusive range of sizes and widths.

We tested several pairs of Kizik shoes to see if they feel comfortable all day after being so easy to put on. Spoiler alert: they are! In our Kizik reviews below, you'll find our favorite styles for both adults and kids.

Kizik Athens 2 for men

As a collector of many '90s basketball sneakers, I've had my fair share of shoes that are painstakingly hard to put on (Charles Barkley, I'm looking at you!). While I've put up with the struggle for the nostalgia and aesthetic, it is so refreshing to find shoes that have a similar vibe with none of the frustration. The Kizik Athens 2 is without a doubt the easiest sneaker to put on — and it can be done completely hands-free while they're fully laced.

Of course, I've loosened laces to slip my feet into other shoes, but I always find myself pulling the heel on or having to adjust the tongue. With these, I can just step in and go because the heel is structured enough, and the tongue of the shoes doesn't slip around. I also found them to be comfortable and stylish. These are my new go-to sneakers when comfort and convenience are the top priorities. — Amir Ismael, style editor

Kizik Athens 2 for women

As someone who hates tying their shoes, I've been very intrigued by Kizik shoes. I overpronate, so a stability sneaker is crucial. While Kizik doesn't market any of its shoes specifically for pronators, the Athens sneaker has one of the widest and cushiest bases of Kizik's offerings, so that's what I opted for. I love the hands-free entry — that alone is enough to get me to reach for this shoe over other options.

While I hate tying my shoes out of laziness, there's no denying that this design is a huge accessibility perk for anyone who has trouble or isn't able to tie their shoes. I find this pair very comfortable, but not quite as supportive as I'd like for stability. I'll still be opting for my On Clouds for super long walks, but I love these shoes for more casual activity and day-to-day wear. — Lauren Savoie, former deputy editor

Kizik Squeeze It

Any parent knows just how hard it can be to get a pair of shoes on a toddler, especially if they're not cooperating. The Kizik Squeeze It sneakers are designed to take the hassle out of putting shoes on your little one, and they work exactly as they should. You simply squeeze the sides of the shoes, and your kid can easily step into the shoes, securing them on their feet.

Aside from how easily they go on, the design is wide and roomy to allow your kids to move around without bunched up toes. My 2-year-old son has a lot of sneakers to choose from, but since getting his Kiziks, he often asks to wear his "new blue shoes." The only downside is that they come off rather easily, too. There have been a few times I've put him in the car seat to find he's taken his shoes off while I was driving. — Amir Ismael, former style editor

Kizik Monaco

I'm a big fan of the Kizik Monaco sneakers because of the retro styling. With cut-and-sewn panels, hits of suede, and gum rubber outsoles, they can be styled just as easily as some of the more popular sporty sneakers out there.

I tested these after wearing the Athens 2 sneakers for a while, and I was happy to find out that they go on just as easily. The hands-free technology is impressively integrated into the design. You'd have absolutely no idea these sneakers could be slipped into just by looking at them, especially with a traditional tongue and lacing system. — Amir Ismael, former style editor

Kizik Lima

My husband has the widest feet of anyone I know. Even most brands' extra wide (4E) feels tight on him, so I was curious how he'd fare in Kizik's 4E offering. "I was struggling even with extra wides from other shoe brands, and these immediately felt more comfortable," he told me. "I can see this being someone's perfect weekend shoe, though honestly, the fact that they fit my wide feet is the biggest selling point to a fella like me."

He typically clocks 10,000 steps or more a day and did note that the Kizik Limas are very comfortable, but less supportive than his Brooks Ghost Max 3s. I hope Kizik eventually offers extra wide in its other styles, because it's been such a pleasure to see him find a pair that actually fits him comfortably. —Lauren Savoie, former deputy editor

Kizik Juno 2

The Juno 2 boots have a hands-free design that still works despite the tall boot shaft. These winter boots are great to keep by the door if you're frequently stepping in and out through all kinds of weather. They save you from having to deal with finicky laces each time you gear up, as you would with Bean Boots.

They feel more like sneakers than snow boots, according to freelance style contributor Talia Ergas. "The cushioned footbeds makes thee Juno boots comfortable for long walks, and they never felt clunky or awkward while moving," she writes. "The outsole also provides excellent traction, which helped me feel stable on uneven, wintry terrain, including icy sidewalks.

They're also impressively warm. "Inside, the boots are fully lined with 400 grams of thermal insulation (sort of like a puffer coat for your feet), which kept me warm all day while I trekked outdoors the day after a snowstorm," continues Talia. "For hours, my feet stayed comfortable without cold spots or drafts."

The bottom line

In an oversaturated sneaker market, Kizik stands out by addressing a real need. The hands-free design isn't a gimmick — it simplifies the process of putting on shoes, while still feeling incredibly comfortable to wear all day. They're not the most supportive footbeds we've ever tried, but they still have more heel structure than most slip-on shoes.

Whether you're simply over tying your shoes or you have mobility challenges that make putting on shoes difficult, Kizik is a solid option we stand behind (well, in).

• Cars are expensive. Gas is expensive (especially in California).
• Chris Larsen, Ripple's cofounder, has a solution: bring in the Chinese EVs.
• Regulators in Washington are uneasy about Chinese vehicle software on US roads.

Chris Larsen thinks California's low-income drivers should have access to a car they can't legally buy today.

During an interview on the podcast "On with Kara Swisher," Larsen, the cofounder and executive chairman of Ripple, said that California should open its market to some Chinese-made electric cars. The sales, he said, should go to income-qualified buyers.

"The BYD Seagull, $10,000 car, fabulous car," he said. "We should be letting that into California, at least for our low-income folks."

Larsen's proposal runs directly against where much of the US auto industry is pushing Washington policymakers. Last week, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers and suppliers, wrote a public letter urging Congress to "enact a Chinese vehicle, software and hardware ban before adjourning this year and make this policy the law of the land."

The group said Chinese automakers' subsidized vehicles and connected technology posed economic and national-security concerns.

Larsen argued instead that some Chinese EVs could help solve one of America's biggest problems on the road: affordability.

The average price for a new vehicle has remained above $50,000 since April, according to Cox Automotive data. Meanwhile, gas prices remain elevated amid ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

High gas prices are particularly pronounced in California, where an excise tax adds more than $0.60 per gallon. Larsen called it the "most regressive tax in the world that's hurting the guy who can't afford to live in Silicon Valley."

"Let him buy a Chinese BYD Seagull," he said. "But maybe it had to be income tested because we're never going to make that stuff."

Larsen didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• The Army is planning for a potential future fight that could require it to train more recruits quickly.
• The service recently examined how reservists could help rapidly plus-up basic training.
• The experiment will be used as a springboard for a larger effort next year.

The US Army is testing whether it could use reserve drill sergeants and other personnel to quickly expand basic training in the event that a major conflict suddenly needed training pipelines to produce far more soldiers.

An experiment called Operation Wildcat Rising put dozens of Army Reserve drill sergeants into a single basic training cycle at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, this summer to examine how the Army might increase its existing training capacity while also maintaining basic training standards.

While the reserve already helps reinforce the Army's training base, its drill sergeants have previously been distributed individually to fill gaps in active units, the Army said in a news release. Wildcat Rising tested a different wartime model and gave a reserve formation under its own leadership a larger share of the training mission.

"Our drill sergeants told us this experience was worth several traditional rotations," Col. Matthew Horning, the commander of 1st Brigade, 95th Training Division, and one of the officials who oversaw the experiment, said in the release.

"Now we take what we learned, give our formations the preparation time they need and refine the model for the next phase," he said.

In a large-scale conflict, the military may be forced to grow its ranks on a scale not seen in decades, potentially putting serious pressure on the bases, instructors, and other resources involved in transforming civilians into soldiers. Because of that, Army officials want to assess how reserve troops might help that formative training in a time of crisis.

"At the end of the day, we have to train these men and women for combat," Maj. Gen. Michael Dougherty, commander of the 80th Training Command, said in the release. "Basic Combat Training is step one, and we have to get that right."

Training recruits is a notoriously grueling task that can be assigned to troops in nearly any military job. The work comes with long hours, little sleep, constant responsibility for recruit safety, and the relentless physical and emotional strain of overseeing basic training.

A post-training review highlighted the challenges ahead as the Army looks to scale. Some reservists arrived at Fort Sill lacking required certifications for their new roles, and communications failures left others unclear about the requirements before they arrived, the Army said. Tight rotation timelines also left little time for teams to exchange insight as they arrived and departed.

Army officials said encountering those obstacles this time will help it shape a larger follow-on brigade-level effort next year.

• Only seven movies released by US studios have ever crossed $2 billion at the box office, without adjusting for inflation.
• Using data from Box Office Mojo, here are the films to cross that threshold.
• "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is the latest entry.

It's a big deal when a movie crosses the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, but do you know what's even cooler? $2 billion!

Only seven movies released by US studios have ever passed the $2 billion mark. And it shouldn't be a surprise that James Cameron and Marvel account for a large share of these successes.

Here are the seven movies that have grossed $2 billion at the box office.

Kirsten Acuna contributed to a previous version of this story.

7. "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)

Worldwide gross: $2,052,415,039

The traumatic cliffhanger at the end of "Infinity War" was a must-see movie-going moment for fans. No one was expecting the film to end on such a grim note, with Thanos (Josh Brolin) not only defeating the Avengers, but snapping away half of all life from existence.

When the film debuted, it set a record for the biggest worldwide opening weekend with $640.9 million.

It crossed $1 billion in just 11 days.

In 48 days, the film crossed $2 billion worldwide.

6. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015)

Worldwide gross: $2,071,310,218

Disney's return to a galaxy far, far away intrigued both old and new fans, as it brought back original cast members and paired them with a new roster of characters.

At the time, "The Force Awakens" set a record for the biggest opening weekend ($247.9 million) and was previously the fastest film to pass $1 billion worldwide in 12 days. It took 53 days to cross $2 billion.

5. "Titanic" (1997)

Worldwide gross: $2,264,812,968

The James Cameron-directed film was the first movie to cross $1 billion worldwide.

At the time, it was the most expensive movie made. The film finally surpassed $2 billion during its 2012 3D rerelease.

4. "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022)

Worldwide gross: $2,334,484,620

"Avatar: The Way of Water" became the first film to cross $2 billion at the box office since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Behind "Avengers: Endgame," it became the second-fastest movie to cross $2 billion in just 39 days.

3. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (2026)

Worldwide gross: $2,408,262,495

After scoring the biggest domestic opening weekend ever at the box office with $360 million and then joining the $1 billion worldwide club soon after, "Brand New Day" joined this elite list in just three weeks.

It's now the highest-grossing "Spider-Man" movie of all time.

2. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)

Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100

Fans needed to know whether the remaining Avengers could rise up, defeat Thanos, and reverse the effects of the end of "Infinity War." They came out in droves as the film shattered box-office records, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide on its opening weekend, nearly double that of the opening weekend for "Infinity War."

It only took "Endgame" 11 days to cross $2 billion. That's the same amount of time it took "Infinity War" to cross its first billion.

1. "Avatar" (2009)

Worldwide gross: $2,923,710,708

At the time, "Avatar," following the 10-foot-tall Na'vi on their home of Pandora, became the fastest film to cross $1 billion, doing so in 19 days. It eventually crossed $2 billion in 47 days.

• Iran said it captured a US underwater drone near the Strait of Hormuz.
• US Central Command said the older drone had malfunctioned and was "dead in the water."
• The US said it carried no classified equipment and collected no sensitive data.

Iran's military said it seized an American-made underwater drone near the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said the uncrewed system had malfunctioned and was "dead in the water."

The Navy has employed uncrewed undersea and surface vessels in and around the Middle East for an expanding range of missions, including clearing mines, gathering intelligence, rescuing military personnel, and conducting strikes.

On Tuesday, Iranian state-run media said that the country's naval forces had captured an "advanced" US Navy underwater drone near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz during an intelligence operation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting shared photos on social media of what it identified as the American drone, including it being pulled out of the water and close-up shots of the machine.

A spokesperson for US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, told Business Insider that "an underwater drone operated by US forces malfunctioned more than a day ago" while surveying regional waters. The official said that the undersea drone "was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment."

Having malfunctioned, "the drone was essentially dead in the water for more than a day," the spokesperson added. The breakdown occurred before Iran's announcement.

The incident isn't the first time Iran has attempted to seize a US naval drone. In September 2022, for instance, the Iranian destroyer Jamaran captured two American drone boats, pulling them out of the Red Sea and examining them on deck.

At the time, the Navy responded by sending two guided-missile destroyers, USS Nitze and USS Delbert D. Black, as well as an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter. The Iranian crew had attempted to hide the drones on the deck by covering them with a tarp, but they eventually released the vessels overboard.

The Navy has increasingly integrated uncrewed capabilities into operations around Iran and the Middle East. Prior to the breakout of the US war with Iran in February 2026, the drones were mostly employed to gather intelligence and track Iranian gunboats and warships.

As fighting between the US and Iran has continued this year, American forces have used drones in other ways. In April, the Navy said underwater drones were assisting warships in clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz.

And in July, the Navy used its new Saronic Corsair sea drones to attack an Iranian submarine and ship maintenance facility. The same brand of drone also rescued the crew of a downed US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter in regional waters.