Benedict Evans: Current AI market dynamics point to frontier models becoming commodity infrastructure as the token crunch eases, with value shifting to products built on top  —  There are only two things you can say with certainty about token prices: we're in a supply crunch, and this is unstable.

Ninja's latest slushie machine builds on the popularity of the original Slushi, but with a big upgrade.

Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (R) were both at the Sun Valley conference over the weekend. Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday. Getty Images Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, accusing it of stealing trade secrets. The iPhone maker accused OpenAI of poaching its engineers and accessing confidential documents. The tech and business world weighed in over the weekend. The AI talent war may now be worthy of a Hollywood adaptation. In a new lawsuit that reads like a corporate crime thriller, Apple accused OpenAI of poaching former Apple employees, conducting "show and tell" interviews, and accessing confidential documents to accelerate its consumer hardware push. The complaint centers on OpenAI's hiring of an Apple employee who Apple says kept a company laptop, exploited a security bug to access internal systems after leaving, downloaded confidential files, and helped others leaving for OpenAI to evade Apple's exit checks. The complaint also says OpenAI asked candidates to bring physical components to interviews and used a shared supplier to replicate a proprietary Apple metal-finishing process. In a brief statement on Friday, OpenAI said it had "no interest" in the secrets of other companies. "We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere," a spokesperson said. The bombshell lawsuit between two of the premier tech companies in the world, which were once partners, has generated a lot of reaction. Here's what smart people are saying about the latest legal battle in Big Tech. Jean Gan, AI governance leader Jean Gan, director of legal, compliance, and enterprise risk at Savills Singapore Group and a Ph.D. researcher focused on AI and law, said that protecting trade secrets, particularly in California, is difficult. "Look at how Apple pleaded this. California courts have largely rejected the inevitable disclosure doctrine, and the state won't enforce non-competes, so Apple can do nothing about the 400 former employees now at OpenAI," she wrote on LinkedIn. "So every allegation rests on conduct: retained devices, unauthorized access, misused documents, coached evasion. In a jurisdiction where talent moves freely by design, trade secrets law is the only legal perimeter left around institutional knowledge, and Apple has pleaded squarely inside it." She also said that the complaint highlights a serious risk to company secrets: the supply chain. "Apple alleges OpenAI had a manufacturing partner perform a proprietary Apple metal-finishing technique and misled that partner into believing Apple had consented. That leak ran through a shared supplier. No employee needed to carry anything out the door. Supply chains move trade secrets just as easily as departing staff do, and few confidentiality frameworks treat them with the same rigor." Paul Semenza, professor and tech analyst Paul Semanza, a professor and chair of the Engineering Management and Leadership Department at Santa Clara University and an analyst who focuses on tech hardware, said Apple is unlikely to settle this suit quietly. "Getting an existing Apple employee to take the risk of bringing parts to an interview seems more like a test of how desperate they are to work at OpenAI than anything else," he wrote on LinkedIn. "Targeting Apple's supply chain is a declaration of war. And given that Apple fought Samsung for years over rounded corners, it is hardly surprising to see Apple listing metal finishing as an example of IP theft. The question here is how this gets settled, given that, unlike with Samsung, Apple is unlikely to be interested in cross-licensing anything from OpenAI." Alistair Barr, author of BI's Tech Memo newsletter Alistair Barr, the author of Business Insider's Big Tech newsletter, professed little sympathy for Apple in a post on Saturday. "Cue the tiny violins; someone may have stolen something from Apple," he wrote. "It's a sorry tale, but one the tech giant knows very well. Maybe too well." Barr goes on to detail similar lawsuits filed against Apple. "Over the years, Apple has itself faced lawsuits from companies accusing it of using remarkably similar tactics: recruiting away key employees and then using their knowledge to build competing products." Rohit Mittal, cofounder of Helium Ventures Rohit Mittal, the cofounder and CEO of Helium Ventures, a firm that acquires software businesses, wrote on X: "Did not have Apple suing OpenAI on my bingo card for this year. They were the first to partner and integrate ChatGPT into their ecosystem. Crazy that Apple couldn't resolve this amicably and had to sue. Apple and Google have been partners for decades, but never heard about a lawsuit between them." Parker Ortolani, product manager Parker Ortolani, the associate director of product development at Penske Media, wrote on X: "well sun valley just got extra awkward." This past week, tech and media executives gathered in Sun Valley for the annual Allen & Co. conference, an invite-only gathering often called "summer camp for billionaires." The event is often a place for dealmaking behind closed doors. Apple's lawsuit became public just as the conference was ending and the executives began to leave. Stephen Robles, podcaster Stephen Robles, the co-host of the Primary Tech podcast, responded on X to a post from Drew Pusateri, OpenAI's director of strategic communications, in which he shared the company's statement that "we have no interest in other companies' trade secrets." Robles pushed back, arguing that OpenAI's decision to hire Jony Ive, the famed iPhone designer whose company OpenAI also acquired and is named in Apple's suit, suggests an interest in Apple's products. "'We have no interest in other companies' secrets,' while hiring Jony Ive to make you a device rings pretty hollow." Ive, the designer behind many of Apple's most iconic products, left the company in 2019 and later partnered with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to develop AI hardware. OpenAI acquired Ive's startup, io, in 2025, positioning Ive as a potential competitor to his former employer. Max Weinbach, tech journalist Max Weinbach, a tech journalist and analyst at Creative Strategies, wrote on X that the lawsuit focuses more on the alleged conduct of Chang Liu, a former senior electrical engineer at Apple, and Tang Tan, a former vice president at Apple, rather than on OpenAI itself. "This really seems like the suit is against Liu and Tan personally and OAI by extension," he wrote. "Apple seems to really be pushing Liu and Tan as the bad actors and OAI, because it owns IO, rather than OAI was asking them to do all of this stuff. Nuance, but feels worth mentioning." Paul Lembo, tech executive Paul Lembo, the chief technology officer at Broadcom, wrote on LinkedIn: "Apple suing OpenAI for trade secret theft. Damn. Tim Cook is not Elon. He doesn't play. Knowing this was imminent was another reason for OpenAI not to IPO," he wrote. "The ex-employee theft angle can be hard to prove in court, but again, I expect Apple to bring heavy lumber to the bbq. We will see." Livia Judith Szabo, venture capitalist Livia Judith Szabo, the founder and executive chair of the venture capital firm Moshulu Enterprise Partners, wrote on LinkedIn: "The Apple vs. OpenAI lawsuit is a masterclass in partner-competitor risk for VCs and M&A professionals. Yesterday's filing (July 10, 2026) reads like a due diligence nightmare. Trade secrets, 400+ poached engineers, and a hardware chief accused of coaching new hires on how to dodge exit security checks. Two once-close partners, now suing each other in federal court, weeks before OpenAI's expected IPO. The lesson for founders raising serious capital: your IP and talent-transition protocols will get read line by line in diligence. Fix them before someone else's lawyers find them for you. This is exactly the kind of risk we flag before term sheets get signed, not after." Peter Rojas, tech and media executive Peter Rojas, a senior vice president at Mozilla leading new products, wrote on LinkedIn: "I don't know how strong Apple's claims are, but I doubt they would be this aggressive if they weren't deeply concerned that OpenAI was planning on making a phone. I still think it's a better move for OpenAI than some sort of AI wearable." Sahil Patel, marketing executive Sahil Patel, the social lead at Okara, an AI marketing agent, wrote on X: "apple is probably the last company you want to fight in court. they've got some of the best lawyers in tech and $140b in cash. apple doesn't file nor lose lawsuits very often. they definitely have a very strong case and will fight this aggressively. this is not going to end well." Read the original article on Business Insider

Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic: Psychologist Peter Gray argues that school stress, not smartphone use, is the main driver of the teen mental health crisis, challenging Jonathan Haidt's thesis  —  An evolutionary psychologist is challenging the popular understanding of kids and technology.

England and Norway face each other in the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. ANP/Richard Pelham/Getty Images England and Norway are facing off in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. British Airways and Norwegian Air Shuttle bet on the match's outcome earlier this week. The loser has to use the winner's logo on social media for a day. The most exciting bet ahead of England and Norway's World Cup quarterfinal match isn't taking place on DraftKings. Norwegian Air Shuttle proposed a wager against British Airways in an Instagram post after the matchup was set earlier this week. The challenge would pit Scandinavia's second-largest airline against the United Kingdom's flag carrier. "Hey @british_airways, do you wanna make a bet?👀🇳🇴🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿," Norwegian Air Shuttle wrote on Instagram. "If Norway wins, you have to switch to our logo on Instagram on Sunday (one day). And vice versa. Deal?" British Airways accepted the challenge with a cheeky comment. "Don't make bets you can't win 😉," it replied. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Norwegian (@flynorwegian) The wager caught the attention of other major airlines. "We'll be watching with our satay in one hand and signature drink in the other.🍹" Malaysia Airlines wrote in the comments. "You two fight over the logo," Austrian Airlines wrote. "We'll bring the Schnitzel." On Friday, the airlines posted a joint video featuring an official handshake and the exchange of logos. "After all the comments, all the banter, and all the speculation, the handshake has officially been delivered at @british_airways HQ🤝 The deal is on," the post's caption said. The two airlines continued to take playful jabs at each other in the days leading up to the match. "Today's the day @flynorwegian, nervous yet? 👀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇳🇴," British Airways wrote. "just chilling innit xx," Norwegian Air Shuttle replied. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Norwegian (@flynorwegian) Eivind Hammer Myhre, a spokesperson for Norwegian, told Business Insider that its social media team came up with the idea to challenge another airline. "But what wager is fun without risk? And we thought, what's the most visible thing we can bet? Our logo," Myhre said. "From there, we created the post, and while we were quite happy with the idea, we would never in a million years have anticipated this kind of reception." Myhre said the social media posts have reached tens of millions of people around the world. "I think the most important thing is that every single comment and feedback has been positive," he said. "Throughout this, we were a bit worried about the reception at British Airways, but they have been such great sports. This has almost gone from a wager to being a collaboration between two airlines and what seems like the entire internet." Still, Myhre couldn't resist one more jab. "May the best Norwegian team win!" he said. England and Norway will face off at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. The quarterfinal match will pit tournament standouts like Harry Kane and Erling Haaland against each other. As of Saturday afternoon, platforms like DraftKings, Polymarket, and Kalshi are predicting England to win. Read the original article on Business Insider

M.G. Siegler / Spyglass: Apple's lawsuit could sidetrack OpenAI's hardware aspirations for years, or possibly forever, as the startup gets into yet another controversy and messy divorce  —  If their lawsuit is successful, that ChatGPT device may be no more...  We all know the old saying “don't poke the bear.”

The author moved from New York to rural Tennessee. Courtesy of the author Moving to rural Tennessee left my daughter and me feeling isolated. It took years of searching before we found a community of local moms. Those friendships transformed both my daughter's childhood and my mental health. As a native New Yorker, I thought my move to Tennessee was temporary. But I'm a country girl at heart. Starting over a thousand miles from loved ones is challenging, especially as a new mom aged out of childbearing years. My daughter Violet longed for friends, and I did too. But we couldn't find any. I tried going to things even miles away I joined every mom Facebook group within a hundred miles, driving 50 minutes for mom coffees, hikes, tinker-tots, gymnastics, and play centers. Coffees and hikes were one-offs; I got lost in the city park looking for tinker-tots, melting down while my daughter happily swung. The play center was great, but families came pre-paired. Gymnastics was amazing but anti-social. My heart cracked every timeViolet shouted, "Look! Kids!" at our playground, right before they'd leave. Like storytime, everywhere were closed, tight-knit families. One invited us to a creek, but canceled. Like an awkward 4th grader scanning the cafeteria, I kept returning. Every trip North visiting cousins was bittersweet; she loved them so much that I questioned starting a life across the country. I slowly found community A flyer on the library's bulletin board introduced a Friday playgroup, 40 minutes away. Twelve moms awkwardly made small talk while 30 kids ran wild. Violet clung to me. When the playgroup ended two months later, we were just starting to warm up. Another mom also wanted community, so she reached out. Our smaller group was less overwhelming, and very slowly, organically grew. The kids loved each other. We moms do, too, bonding over stories of new mom fears and the difficulty of finding friends. Now six families with 12 kids meet four hours multiple times a week — more time than I've spent with anyone besides my husband since high-school. Meeting other moms helped my mental health Right before Violet's birth, my husband became disabled, and my mom died. Suddenly transitioning careers, I also navigated the new terrain of motherhood and loss. Denial and newborn demands cushioned me from realizing how alone and frightened I felt. I reached for the phone to call my mother when Violet didn't latch immediately, or to ask for suggestions for safe bug spray. After I jumped out of bed at midnight to trim 1-year-old Violet's tiny nails, convinced she'd scratch her eyes, then an hour later woke her again to change her bedding, sure she'd choke on a nail clipping, my husband gently suggested postpartum depression. I insisted he was wrong. Finding a community of other moms brought joy and confidence back into my life, and I hadn't known I'd missed. They gave me a perspective no one else could, helping me relax and enjoy motherhood. Violet sang the names of her friends throughout the day. Another mom said her kids recite their friends' names in the car, and a third shared her girls say them alongside their bedtime prayers. Then, the ice storm came. Our Middle Tennessee area was the hardest hit, stuck without power for six days. When my phone reconnected on the third day, I discovered a chain of concerned texts from "The Moms" (as my husband dubbed us). The family closest to us took us in, turning our disaster into a fun sleepover party. Our relationships deepened as we shared how deeply we appreciated each other — and not just for our kids — and how, from a small library flyer, this mom group had now bettered all our lives. We support each other Our ages range from 26 to 43 — but I don't feel older. We're from all parts of the country, and include a former engineer and a pandemic nurse. They all plan to homeschool their multiple children. I'm the only mom still working, and with just one child. The unspoken motto in our group is that different families have different rules, and we support each other. Whenever new moms come to the library, we welcome them. As birthdays rolled around, Violet eagerly anticipated hers. When we asked what she wanted, she shouted: "Allllll my friends!" Read the original article on Business Insider

The glasses are targeted at people who might be constantly in meetings, giving presentations, and traveling to countries where different languages are spoken.

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: Apple's OpenAI lawsuit follows months of simmering tensions and highlights OpenAI's hardware chief Tang Tan's strained relationship with former boss John Ternus  —  When iPhone engineer Chang Liu quit for a job at OpenAI's nascent hardware division, Apple Inc. says he left with more than just years of experience.

Instagram launched a new AI tool on Tuesday. It was gone by Friday. Anna Barclay/Getty Images Meta launched a new AI image generation model, Muse Image, on Tuesday. The tool allowed users to generate AI images based on public Instagram posts. Following backlash from users and entertainment groups, the feature is no longer available. It started as a routine product drop. Then it spiraled into a PR nightmare. Now it's gone. On Friday, Meta said a new feature that allowed users to generate AI images from public Instagram posts is no longer available. Users learned of the feature on Tuesday when Meta unveiled Muse Image, the first image-generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. Muse Image is available through Meta AI. "Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We've heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it's no longer available," Meta said in an Instagram blog post. Meta announced the tool in a press release on Tuesday. Instagram Other Muse Image features, like the ability to make edits directly on photos, are still available. Instagram users swiftly rebuked the feature after its rollout. They said it raised privacy concerns and created space for deepfake content. Many users shared advice on how to opt out of the feature on social media sites like X and Reddit. Privacy advocates like Apar Gupta, the founding director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, criticized Meta in a video posted on X on Friday. "Just because Meta owns one of the largest social media platforms, and we're forced to use it, it's been taking it as an excuse to violate our consent and privacy again and again," Gupta said. Entertainment groups also criticized the feature. SAG-AFTRA, a labor union representing about 160,000 entertainment and media professionals, urged its members to opt out of the feature. In a statement to Business Insider, SAG-AFTRA said that "anything other than a clear and conspicuous OPT-IN for these types of uses of Instagram users' images is unacceptable, and an utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use." The union applauded Meta's decision to reel back the feature. "With the dangers of nonconsensual digital replicas well known to all, a feature that encouraged that behavior is unwise. We appreciate its discontinuance. It is the responsible thing to do," the union said. Creative Artists Agency, a talent group representing a slew of A-list stars, also criticized the feature. "No one's name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent," the agency said in a statement shared with Variety. "True innovation puts creators first: respecting their rights, protecting their livelihoods, and giving them real control, not handing it over to platforms." AI has become a source of tension for entertainers, some of whom worry that it will be used to steal their likeness, voices, or iconic phrases without their consent. Celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and Jeremy Clarkson have registered trademarks to protect their likeness from AI. Like Meta, OpenAI faced backlash after releasing Sora 2, an AI video-generation platform, in 2025. The platform initially allowed users to create content featuring trademarked characters, drawing ire from entertainment companies such as Studio Ghibli. Although OpenAI secured a partnership with Disney to legally use those characters, Sora 2 shut down in March. Read the original article on Business Insider

Ernesto Van der Sar / TorrentFreak: Filing: Google urged the European Commission not to target DNS resolvers, VPNs, or IPs to fight piracy, calling the measures ineffective and easily circumvented  —  Google has told the European Commission that pirate site blocking causes “significant harm” and should not target DNS resolvers, VPNs or shared IPs.

LLMs don’t fail because they forget—they fail because they remember too much. As conversations grow, prompts accumulate redundant and low-value tokens, driving up cost and latency while silently degrading output quality. This article introduces a deterministic prompt-pruning layer that reduces token usage without breaking dependencies, backed by real benchmarks and production-tested design. The post Long Context Isn’t Free — I Built a Safe Prompt-Pruning Layer That Makes LLM Systems Work appeared first on Towards Data Science.

For more than a decade, the strange light patterns emitted by “Tabby’s Star” have sparked speculation about alien megastructures and exotic natural explanations. The discovery of a giant planet is a new twist.

Silicon Valley, from the air Kirby Lee/Getty Images A version of this story originally appeared in the BI Tech Memo newsletter. Sign up for the weekly BI Tech Memo newsletter here. AI isn't replacing engineers so much as reshaping who else gets hired. New data from SignalFire shows software engineers make up 55% of hiring at major tech companies, up from 46% in 2019, even as overall hiring remains below pre-pandemic levels. Other functions are shrinking faster. While engineer hiring is down 11% since 2019, design hiring is down 48%, product management has fallen 39%, and marketing is down 36%. The result is a leaner org chart built around technical talent, with fewer specialized support roles. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider

ChatGPT is hiring a dedicated product manager to build experiences for families, caregivers, and older adults, according to a job posting.

Guillermo Gallacher / Indeed Hiring Lab: US software development job postings on Indeed have grown by ~15% since the launch of Claude Code in February 2025, while overall job postings fell by 7%  —  Agentic AI may be flipping the relationship between AI exposure and job posting growth.  —  Key points:

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. SHAWN THEW/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and his wife, Elaine Chao, wed in 1993. Chao served as Transportation Secretary during President Donald Trump's first term. McConnell, 84, has been hospitalized for nearly 4 weeks, with few details available about his health. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for nearly four weeks, with few details available about his health, prompting growing questions about his condition and what members of his inner circle, including his wife, Elaine Chao, have been told. McConnell and Chao met through a mutual friend and wed in a private Capitol ceremony in 1993, and became a GOP power couple. McConnell has served as a US senator for over 40 years. Chao made history as the first Asian American woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet after she was confirmed as secretary of labor in 2001, during George W. Bush's administration. In President Donald Trump's first term, Chao was appointed transportation secretary. McConnell's Senate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Here's a look at their relationship timeline. Mitch McConnell, 84, is one of the longest-serving lawmakers in the Senate. Mitch McConnell. Mark Wilson/Getty Images He grew up in Alabama and Kentucky and became a US senator representing Kentucky in 1985. He has served as both the Senate minority leader and the Senate majority leader. He is serving his final term and is not seeking reelection in 2026. Elaine Chao, 73, served as the US secretary of transportation during President Trump's first term. Elaine Chao. Reuters/Carlos Barria Chao was the first Asian-American woman to be appointed to a presidential cabinet. She previously served as the US secretary of labor from 2001 to 2009, under President George W. Bush. Chao moved to the US from Taiwan at age 8 and grew up in New York. McConnell and Chao met through a mutual friend, Stuart Bloch, in Washington, DC in the early 1990s. Mitch McConnell in the early 1990s. Laura Patterson/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images Bloch and McConnell met in the 1960s, The New York Times reported. Bloch was married to Julia Chang Bloch, who was a mentor of Chao's. Bloch told The New York Times that he invited McConnell to a candlelit dinner with Chao. "I don't want to say that sparks flew," Bloch told the outlet, "because that's not the way either of them is." Bloch also described Chao as a "tiger wife" who is "made of titanium." They married on February 6, 1993, in a private ceremony in the chapel of the US Capitol. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), poses with Elaine L. Chao, president of United Way of America on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 6, 1993, before their marriage in the Chapel of the United States Capitol. The wedding was a private ceremony attended by their families. Shayna Brennan/AP Images They chose that wedding date for three reasons, The Washington Post reported: It's Ronald Reagan's birthday, it was just before Chao's 40th birthday, and it was right before a one-week Senate recess. McConnell was previously married and has three children from that relationship. Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao holding hands. Pablo Alcala/AP Images McConnell's first wife, Sherrill Redmon, went on to become a feminist scholar. The two divorced in 1980. In 1998, the couple told The Washington Post how they divide household labor. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., greets his wife, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, after introducing her at the Republican National Convention Wednesday, Sept.1, 2004, in New York. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP Images McConnell cooked once in a while and did the laundry, while Chao was responsible for fixing things around the house, The Washington Post reported. Chao has often campaigned with her husband, becoming known as the "campaign hugger," Time magazine reported. FLORENCE, KY - OCTOBER 31: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (C) and his wife U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao wave to supporters during a campaign stop on October 31, 2008 in Florence, Kentucky. McConnell is seeking re-election in a tight race with challenger former Kentucky Democratic Party treasurer Bruce Lunsford. Mark Lyons/Getty Images McConnell had polio as a child and finds backslapping painful, so Chao has stepped in to hug constituents in his stead. "She very actively listens. She really pays attention and remembers details about people," Kelly Westwood, head of the Kenton County women's Republican group, told Time in 2014. "She doesn't see them for months and then says, 'I know you sprained your arm, how's it going?' Or, 'How's [your] bid for city council going?' She remembers everything." Chao has also starred in campaign ads defending McConnell's record on women's issues. In a 2014 campaign ad, she praised McConnell as a co-sponsor of the original Violence Against Women Act in 1991, despite the fact that, as Talking Points Memo pointed out, McConnell voted against the final legislation in 1993 and its reauthorizations in 2012 and 2013. In 2017, when Trump criticized McConnell on X, Chao responded by telling reporters, "I stand by my man — both of them." Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao looks on as President Donald Trump speaks following a meeting on infrastructure at Trump Tower, August 15, 2017 in New York City. He fielded questions from reporters about his comments on the events in Charlottesville, Virginia and white supremacists. Drew Angerer/Getty Images After McConnell said the White House had "excessive expectations" for Congress at an event in Kentucky in August 2017, Trump took to X, then known as Twitter, to respond. "Senator Mitch McConnell said I had 'excessive expectations,' but I don't think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?" Trump wrote. Trump posted again the following day: "Mitch, get back to work and put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform & Cuts and a great Infrastructure Bill on my desk for signing. You can do it!" Reporters asked Chao, who had attended an infrastructure meeting at Trump Tower, what she thought of Trump's comments. She replied: "I stand by my man — both of them." The Washington Post reported that McConnell's wealth had increased sevenfold in 10 years, from $3.1 million in 2004 to $22.8 million in 2014. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., and his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, leave after casting their ballots in the midterm election at the voting precinct at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Images The Washington Post reported that McConnell's net worth increased due to an inheritance the couple received after Chao's mother died in 2007. Chao's father, James Chao, founded the shipping company Foremost Group in New York in 1964. In September 2022, Trump referred to Chao with a racist nickname in a diatribe on Truth Social while slamming McConnell. On Tuesday, January 31, (l-r) Elaine Chao after her swearing-in as the Transportation Secretary, with her husband Senator Mitch McConnell, in the Vice Presidents Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House. Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images Trump unleashed a barrage of insults against McConnell in a Truth Social post, accusing the Kentucky lawmaker of having a "death wish" and approving "trillions of dollars worth of Democrat sponsored bills" because he "hates Donald J. Trump." Trump proceeded to insult Chao, who served in Trump's own administration, with a racist nickname, calling her McConnell's "China loving wife, Coco Chow!" Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, along with some former Trump aides, denounced the post. In November 2022, McConnell voted against protections for interracial and same-sex marriages in the Respect for Marriage Act. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, waits to participate in a mock swearing-in for the 117th Congress with Vice President Mike Pence, as his wife Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao holds a bible, in the Old Senate Chambers at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 3, 2021. SAMUEL CORUM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images The Respect for Marriage Act codified same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law, requiring states to recognize marriages that were valid in the state where they were performed. McConnell was among 36 Republicans who voted against the bill, while 12 GOP Senators and all Democrats voted in support. McConnell did not publicly address his vote. In March 2023, McConnell was hospitalized with a concussion and a fractured rib after he tripped and fell at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC. UNITED STATES - MARCH 7: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is seen after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol Building on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images "This evening, Leader McConnell tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner. He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment," a spokesperson for McConnell told Business Insider in 2023. McConnell had previously fractured his shoulder in 2019 after tripping on the patio of his Kentucky residence. Chao did not release public statements about his condition at the time of the incidents. McConnell froze, stopped speaking, and appeared disoriented on two occasions during press conferences in July and August 2023. WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 26: (L-R) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) reaches out to help Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) after McConnell froze and stopped talking at the microphones during a news conference after a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans U.S. Capitol 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. Also pictured, at center, Sen. John Thune (R-SD). McConnell was escorted back to his office and later returned to the news conference and answered questions. Drew Angerer/Getty Images The Capitol physician attributed the episodes to the concussion McConnell suffered in March 2023 and cleared him to continue working, writing in a statement that "occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration." On June 14, McConnell was hospitalized after emergency responders were dispatched to his address. WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 08: A photo of Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao is displayed at his office in Russell Senate Office Building on July 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. McConnell's health has become the subject of speculation. Finn Gomez/Getty Images He has remained hospitalized for almost four weeks. McConnell's office released statements saying that the senator "appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital" and is "receiving excellent care," but has not disclosed details of his condition. Dispatcher recordings indicated that emergency responders performed CPR on an "unconscious" individual, who was not named, The New York Times reported. Republican Sens. John Thune and John Barrasso said they had spoken with McConnell on the phone, with Barrasso describing McConnell on Tuesday as "fully engaged" and "eager to get back to the Senate." Chao was in China when McConnell was hospitalized and did not immediately return. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in Beijing, capital of China, June 17, 2026. Gao Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images Chao was in China on June 12 — two days before McConnell was hospitalized — and met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on June 17 in Beijing during what a spokesperson told The Louisville Courier Journal was "a long-planned trip in China to support her family's philanthropic endeavors." "The senator's health did not warrant an immediate return to the US," the spokesperson said. She has since returned to the US. Read the original article on Business Insider

Sandra Bonola moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in 2021. Courtesy of Sandra Bonola/Getty Images Sandra Bonola left Connecticut for the South in search of a cheaper home and more excitement. After living in South Carolina, she realized the South wasn't as affordable or fun as she'd hoped. Now back in Connecticut, Bonola said costs are higher, but she's happier. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sandra Bonola, 56, who moved from Connecticut to Charleston, South Carolina, in 2021, then to Beaufort, South Carolina, in 2023, before deciding the South wasn't right for her. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I am a native New Englander, born and raised in Connecticut. In late 2021, I started thinking seriously about moving. I'm an empty nester, and thanks to my remote job, I can work from anywhere in the country. I was drawn to the South because people talked about it as if it were the promised land. The stories made it seem like it had better weather, cheaper homes, and a more affordable cost of living. I bought into that and told myself, "If I move to the South, I can have an easier life, and it won't be as expensive." I decided to move to Charleston, South Carolina. I figured that there, I'd be outside more, near the beach, have a lower cost of living, and have access to the coast. I was also hoping for that small-town vibe and Southern charm. I packed up the 2,500-square-foot Colonial I had lived in for 20 years and moved. I got rid of a lot of things I no longer needed and put the rest into storage. I was really hopeful Charleston would be right for me. But about four months after moving there, I realized that almost everything I had hoped for was turning out to be the opposite. I tested the waters in Charleston first In Charleston, I stayed in a friend's apartment and paid rent month to month while I decided whether I wanted to buy a home there. I'm grateful for that setup because it gave me a trial period. In those four months, I learned a lot about Charleston — and about what I actually wanted. One of the first things I noticed was that everybody seemed to be moving there. The city was crowded, and navigating the downtown area was always challenging. Its streets were also full of traffic — it would take me up to an hour to try to get to downtown Charleston from John's Island. The city was also more expensive than I expected. I was somewhat insulated from housing costs because I was renting from my friend, but food, entertainment, and taxes were all much higher than I had anticipated. The historic downtown of Charleston, South Carolina. Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The Southern charm I was hoping for also didn't feel as I expected. Charleston has a big "going out" culture, much of which seems to revolve around where to eat or drink. That's not really my thing. For me, the city lacked some of the creative flavor I was looking for. The climate was another big factor. Everyone knows New England can have brutal winters, and I don't like shoveling snow, so I was eager to get away from that. But after moving South, I realized I had traded brutal winters for brutal summers. It was just so hot. At first, I thought I just needed time to adjust. But the more I explored Charleston, the more I realized the lifestyle I had imagined didn't match my reality. I was getting annoyed, then frustrated, and then I was done. I tried the South again, but it still wasn't for me I didn't feel like I had anything to lose, so I moved back to Connecticut in 2022. Instead of feeling defeated, I actually felt grateful that I had given Charleston a shot. For a while, I rented a month-to-month beach house in Connecticut while I looked for a home to buy. But the homebuying search in New England felt bleak. I was trying to downsize, but even the smaller homes came with big-home prices. It made me feel like I might never find what I was looking for. After house hunting for 14 months in Connecticut, I really wanted to put down roots. The idea of moving to a quieter, more affordable small town was still appealing. So in July 2023, I decided to try the South again — this time in Beaufort, South Carolina, a small town I had explored while living in Charleston. There, I was able to purchase a beautiful three-bedroom ranch home for $425,000. It was a new build in a planned community. The house checked a lot of boxes. It was beautiful, new, and far more affordable than what I could have bought in Connecticut. But I still didn't feel at home in Beaufort. Affordability is important, but you also need community In Beaufort, it was so hot that I rarely saw or interacted with my neighbors. People would say hello and then quickly go back inside. I kept thinking, "How am I ever going to socialize here?" I joke that I'm an OG remote worker because I started working remotely in 2008. Remote work gives you some social interaction, but you still need to get outside and make real connections with people. I tried to put myself in situations where I could meet people. I looked for yoga classes, local events, and other activities I could join. But what I found was that many people had moved there for family or moved with a spouse, and they mostly kept to themselves. It lacked the kind of community connection I was used to seeing in the Northeast. I kept trying to make those connections and stay open to it, but it just kept falling flat. I tell people this story, and sometimes they understand it, and sometimes they don't. But I knew I was done one morning when I woke up, looked at the ceiling fan in my bedroom, and thought, "I really hate that fan, and I'm losing hope for my life." I didn't appreciate Connecticut's beauty until I moved back In 2024, I moved back to Connecticut. Right now, I'm living on the coast in an apartment inside a refurbished Civil War-era hospital. I'm on one of the top floors, so I can see the boats and the water. I'm still searching for a home and making offers with more confidence. Home prices are high here, but prices down South are creeping up, too. I've started thinking about owning in Connecticut more as an investment in both my future and my happiness. I've set a budget of about $800,000 for a home, though some of the homes I've been interested in have been closer to $650,000. I'm seeing possibilities I didn't see before, and that's exciting. A sandy bay in Connecticut. Kate Stoupas/Getty Images Being back in Connecticut has been eye-opening. I don't think I fully appreciated its beauty until I had something to compare it to. There's so much opportunity here. I love the energy and the people. I've been taking advantage of the location, too, doing things like hopping on a train to New York to see a show or making more of an effort to connect with friends. When I think about whether I'd move somewhere else again, I keep coming back to something a photographer once told me in Massachusetts. He had lived in Bali with his family, and I remember asking, "You lived in Bali? Why would you come to Massachusetts?" I'll never forget what he told me. He said, "I can go anywhere in the world from an airport, but you really have to realize the ground beneath your feet is beautiful if you choose to see it that way." That stayed with me. It changed the way I think about Connecticut and made me realize I needed to take the blinders off. There was beauty right at my feet — I just needed to see it. Read the original article on Business Insider

The author at the FIFA Fan Festival in Atlanta. Courtesy of Jeanos Barr Atlanta's FIFA Fan Festival features concerts, activations, and a stadium-like atmosphere for fans. It's drawn 450,000 visitors so far, offering free entry and a vibrant atmosphere. Attendees praised Atlanta's diversity and welcoming vibe at the lively FIFA Fan Festival. I'm not the biggest World Cup fan, so when the first general-admission tickets went on sale earlier this year, it didn't cross my mind to check the prices for an individual game. World Cup tickets reportedly hit the market at seven times the expected rate, with one consumer telling Business Insider that they spent over $2,000 on a single ticket through FIFA's resale portal. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to attend, my bank account wasn't prepared to support such behavior. Lucky for me, in addition to the actual games, FIFA launched 13 Fan Festivals across Canada, Mexico, and the US. I figured this would be my best option for joining the festivities. I found it hard to ignore all the World Cup fanfare in Atlanta, my home city It was equally hard to ignore the starting price for attending the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival: $0. Guests still had to reserve both free and paid tickets online. The sold-out festival is taking place at the Centennial Olympic Park, right around the corner from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where seven World Cup matches have already been held. Atlanta will host its final match on July 15. With tickets ranging from free general admission to $325 VIP packages, Atlanta's FIFA Fan Festival has drawn more than 450,000 visitors, according to organizers, making it one of the country's most-attended events alongside Philadelphia's FIFA Fan Fest and Miami's. After checking out the hype for myself, I had such a good time with the music, concerts, activations, free swag, and energetic crowds that I went twice. On my second visit to the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival on June 26, I asked attendees why they think it's consistently been one of the country's most-attended Fan Festivals. Here are the guests who stood out from the crowd and what they shared. Atlanta's diversity is on full display Shanteria and Siera W., who chose not to share their last name for privacy reasons, cheered for Mexico, which lost to England in the second knockout round. Manseen Logan/BI Twin sisters Shanteria and Siera W. told BI that World Cup tickets were out of their budget. They only spent $15 on drinks to stay hydrated at the Atlanta Fan Fest. "Atlanta has just upgraded into something more and more popular," Shanteria said. "Atlanta is diverse. You can come from any culture, any background, and just have fun." "Everybody comes from different places, and we welcome everybody," Siera added. The crowd and giant screen create a stadium-like atmosphere Daniel S. attended the Atlanta FIFA Fan Fest as a guest and is also a volunteer. Manseen Logan/BI Another team Mexico fan, Daniel S., caught my attention with his small group of friends. Daniel, who shared that he's also an Atlanta FIFA Fan Fest volunteer, was enjoying the match between Spain and Uruguay on the 40-foot jumbo screen. Out of all the ways to watch the World Cup, being in a crowd of up to 15,000 with a few close friends is memorable and one of his highlights. Atlanta knows how to host major sporting events Torrence pointed out the Atlanta sports atmosphere and the beautiful city skyline. Manseen Logan/BI Torrence, a Chicago native who lives in Atlanta, said he didn't bother looking at World Cup tickets. He spent about $40 on drinks and enjoyed running into his frat brother while taking in the festivities. He was rooting for Côte d'Ivoire, which lost to Norway in the first knockout round. "Atlanta's a good city, good atmosphere. Super Bowl, College Football Championship — they're always doing something here," Torrence said. "I'm with it. I'm out here having a good time" Visitors found getting to the festival easy Rebecca S. and Anna H from Johns Creek, Georgia, didn't spend much to take the train into Atlanta. Manseen Logan/BI Friends Rebecca and Anna took MARTA into the city to watch Spain, which has advanced to the semifinals. The pair said they spent about $6 each after driving from Johns Creek, Georgia, to the nearest train station. They also didn't bother looking up World Cup tickets due to the high prices. Both ladies found the Atlanta FIFA Fan Fest to be a fun and affordable way to experience the World Cup. The Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival celebrated more than the World Cup teams Jordan McGlotten sported a Liberia jersey even though the country isn't playing in the World Cup. Manseen Logan/BI The festival was filled with jerseys from countries that weren't even competing in the World Cup. As a Liberian, I immediately spotted a Liberia soccer jersey in the crowd and had to speak with Jordan McGlotten, whose family is also from the country. McGlotten, who is from Virginia and lives in Atlanta, was on his third visit to the festival and said he spent roughly $80 altogether. "We've got a little bit of everything," McGlotten said. "It's very diverse. We have a lot of different nationalities. We have the trees, we have the skyline, we have everything." He also reminded me that the US Soccer headquarters and national training center are just south of Atlanta, making it somewhat of a soccer city. Being at the festival felt like being a part of history Joi and Xavier celebrated Haiti's historic World Cup appearance. Manseen Logan/BI Joi and Xavier, a couple cheering for Haiti, said the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival had amazing vibes. This was Haiti's first time in 52 years competing at the World Cup. Speaking with Haitian fans felt like being a part of the long-awaited return. Though Haiti was knocked out in the group stage, the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival wasn't about fans simply cheering on their team. It was about culture, pride, and unity. After spending time there, I can see why Atlanta's FIFA Fan Festival has become one of the country's busiest. Read the original article on Business Insider

The best AI models still hallucinate. These hallucinations are sometimes funny, and sometimes cause actual damage. In this post we will consider recent tales of AI hallucinations, and then look under the hood to understand why they happen. The post That Is Embarrassing: Why Frontier AI Still Makes Things Up, and What to Do About It appeared first on Towards Data Science.