Author: openjargon

• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recently rallied support for President Biden in a swing through Wisconsin.
• Moore told BI that while Biden's age was a concern for some voters, it didn't dominate discussions.
• "It's not so much about the age issue … it's the issues," Moore said in a recent interview.

During a recent swing through Wisconsin, Wes Moore pointed to President Joe Biden's efforts on health care and infrastructure as he spoke to voters about backing the Democratic ticket this fall.

For the first-term Maryland governor, Moore's praise of the Biden administration and his engagement with voters — especially Black voters — across the Badger State couldn't have come at a more critical time for the president.

Biden's widely panned June debate performance sent Democrats reeling, with some in the party pressing Biden to reconsider his reelection bid while others are still assessing the situation as the party inches closer to its August convention in Chicago.

Many Democrats are also worried about an enthusiasm gap as multiple polls have shown high GOP support for former President Donald Trump compared to lagging Democratic support for Biden.

But Moore recently told Business Insider that when he traveled across swing-state Wisconsin, he saw a party that's pumped up about November. And he stressed that polling is a "snapshot" of a small group of individuals.

"For literally every single event that we've gone to, there's been triple the attendance that we anticipated when we show up at events," the governor said.

"I was literally at the bottom of the pile when I first ran for governor in the primary. The reason I bring that up is because I just feel like we can't over-index on polling," he continued. "I wouldn't let a poll get me too excited. I wouldn't let a poll get me too down."

For over a year, voter concerns about Biden's reelection have often centered on the president's age. Biden, who's currently 81 years old, would be 82 in January 2025 and 86 at the end of a second term.

So the stakes for Biden's debate were much higher than for many presidential candidates in the past.

Biden's age — which was amplified by the debate and in interviews where the president has directly addressed the issue — is a concern that Moore said he's heard from voters. But the governor said that the voters he's spoken to are more focused on issues like the economy and reproductive rights as they look toward the general election.

"It's not so much about the age issue … it's the issues," Moore said. "For voters, they're asking: 'Which administration actually has a vision for what I hope for in my family?'"

"That's what I'm hearing more than anything else. It's the issues and it's the stakes," he added.

• Russia is planning to use barrage balloons to counter Ukrainian drone strikes.
• The balloons will rise up to 300 meters and drop a 250-meter net to stop drones from getting through.
• The tactic was inspired by barrage balloons used in the First and Second World Wars.

Russia is developing a network of barrage balloons to repel Ukrainian drone strikes, inspired by a tactic used in World War I and II.

Speaking at a conference in St. Petersburg this week, Polina Albek, the general director of the Russian aerospace firm First Airship, which is developing the network, said: "Our main activity is building cargo airships, but today, based on the experience of our ancestors, we have created the 'barrier' defense system," the Russian state-run outlet RIA Novosti reported.

The balloons are designed to rise in a row up to 300 meters (984 feet) before dropping a 250-meter (820 feet) net designed to stop incoming drones, per The Telegraph. They have a maximum load of 30kg (around 66 pounds).

Albek said that the the balloons can also be fitted with a "vacuum gun" to shoot nets at oncoming drones, adding that the system has already been tested and that preliminary orders had been placed.

She noted that the developers had been inspired by the use of barrage balloons in WWI.

Barrage balloons were first used in WWI, but they played a particularly key role in Britain's defenses during WWII. According to London's Imperial War Museum, Britain had 2,748 barrage balloons in use by September 1941.

They were also crucial during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, providing protection to Allied soldiers and ships.

The balloons forced German aircraft to fly at higher altitudes, making their targets more difficult to strike as well as making them more vulnerable to antiaircraft fire.

The cables that anchored the balloons to the ground could also pose a serious risk to any aircraft attempting to fly through them.

The balloons offered "a vital means of defence against the [German] Luftwaffe as their trailing metal cables would severely damage or destroy any aircraft which touched them," according to the Royal Air Force's website.

"Attackers attempting to shoot down a balloon could be caught in an explosion of the hydrogen used to get them airborne," the site adds.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has continued to target Russian energy infrastructure and airbases with long-range drone attacks.

Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, told The War Zone in June that Ukrainian forces had launched 70 drones in a strike on Morozovsk airbase in Russia's Rostov region, almost 200 miles from the Ukrainian border.

A security source told Sky News that the Ukrainian attack was part of a "sustained campaign to degrade the Russian Air Force."

Also in June, Kyiv said it had hit a prized Russian Su-57 stealth fighter jet stationed at the Akhtubinsk airfield in southern Russia — 360 miles from the front line.

In May, Ukraine claimed one of its longest drone attacks to date, with officials saying a drone traveled 930 miles to strike an oil refinery inside Russia.

• Hempstead House at Sands Point Preserve offers guided tours to learn about its history.
• Originally owned by Howard Gould, the estate was later sold to the Guggenheims in 1917.
• The mansion served various roles, including housing WWII refugees, before becoming a public park.

The North Shore of Long Island is known as the Gold Coast thanks to its collection of lavish mansions, which date back to the early 1900s. Many of these homes are thought to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's West Egg in "The Great Gatsby."

One such mansion is Hempstead House, which is located in Sands Point Preserve, a 216-acre park about 30 miles outside New York City.

The entire estate was once owned by Howard Gould, a financier. He sold the land to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim in 1917, according to the preserve's history.

The Guggenheims lived in Hempstead House together until 1930, when Daniel died. Florence then sold all of the furniture and moved to a smaller home on the property.

Hempstead House has had quite a journey since then, according to the Sands Point Preserve: British refugee children lived there during World War II, then the land was acquired by the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, which in turn donated it to the US Navy. The first in-flight simulator was even tested there.

By 1971, the land was in the ownership of Nassau County, which turned the former Guggenheim estate into a park, turned two of the mansions into museums, and opened the park up to anyone willing to buy a ticket.

In July 2024, I paid $15 to park at Sands Point Preserve and then another $10 to take a guided tour of Hempstead House.

Here's what it was like inside the 112-year-old mansion and what I learned about life there.

Hempstead House on Long Island's Gold Coast was built in 1912 by financier Howard Gould. He sold it five years later to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim.

Source: Sands Point Preserve

Daniel Guggenheim was the brother of Solomon Guggenheim, founder of the NYC museum, and Benjamin Guggenheim, who perished on the Titanic.

Hempstead House was part of 216 acres the Guggenheims purchased as a summer home. It's now known as Sands Point Preserve.

Today, you can tour Hempstead House. This entryway, with its original 60-foot chandelier, is one of the focal points of the home.

Immediately to the left is what was once known as the Palm Court. The ceiling used to be entirely glass, giving it a greenhouse feel. The metalwork is all original to the Guggenheims' time.

Here's what the Palm Court looked like 100 years ago. In the bottom-right photo, the Guggenheims are pictured with Charles Lindbergh and one of the Wright brothers.

Directly behind the Palm Court is the summer living room, which provides a great view of the garden.

It also features the largest fireplace in the home.

Another photo on display shows what the room looked like in the 1920s. The now-open archways used to have French doors.

Next to the living room is the library, which has a window seat that looks perfect for lounging on.

The ornate ceiling in this room is original, with busts of Shakespeare and other scholars engraved into the plaster.

This room might be familiar to viewers of HBO's "The Gilded Age." It doubles as George Russell’s office on the show.

HBO really got the aesthetic down — Russell’s office essentially looks like this.

These doors, which were originally carved in Spain in the 16th century, lead to the billiards room.

The billiards room also has a luxurious window seat.

Across from the summer living room is the dining room. The stenciling along the tops of the walls is relatively new and was put there for a design showcase.

Even though it's new, the art pays homage to the history of Hempstead House. This is a rendering of Kilkenny Castle in Ireland, which was the basis for another home on the property, Castle Gould.

Source: Business Insider

This is the separate servants' hallway. I learned that at its peak, Hempstead House had 16 servants living in the home, plus more in Castle Gould.

This is the door to the silver safe. When the US Navy vacated the home in 1967, they sealed it up and it was only rediscovered in 2014.

This bathroom has been converted, but it used to be the servants' dining room.

We then headed upstairs, giving us another view of the impressive tower and chandelier.

We stopped at another ornate room. This was where guests were served breakfast.

Directly next to the breakfast room was another wood-paneled study.

Hempstead House has four floors, but we only saw two. This room used to be Mrs. Guggenheim's sitting room.

It has yet another perfect window seat.

This was her actual bedroom. It's now used as a bridal suite when weddings are held at Hempstead House.

Down the hall was Mr. Guggenheim's bedroom. Now, it's used by grooms during weddings held here.

It's also one of the only rooms with a private bathroom.

We stopped at one more guest room, which was more modest.

As the tour concluded, we were able to explore the gardens outside.

You might be wondering where the name Hempstead House comes from — it's because that's the Hempstead Harbor in the distance.

Hempstead House is just one of many Gold Coast mansions on Long Island that would be interesting to any history buff, and definitely worth the $10 ticket.

• Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland has been one of Biden's strongest gubernatorial allies.
• But Moore said he wouldn't "sugarcoat" the president's lackluster debate performance.
• Moore told BI he's leaning in to help Biden. "I don't do disloyalty," he said.

Last week, the nation's Democratic governors met with President Joe Biden as he sought to reassure them that his candidacy remained viable after a debate that has imperiled his reelection bid.

It was one of the most critical moments in Biden's decades-long political career, as he rallied support for a campaign that several Democratic lawmakers and a sizable bloc of voters believe he should forgo in favor of another candidate.

But for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who was at the White House meeting, his decision is clear. He told Business Insider that he's standing with Biden.

However, Moore was also blunt in assessing his view of Biden's debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

"It was a terrible performance and I don't think you can sugarcoat it," the first-term governor said. "The problem is it was hard to watch."

Moore, a former US Army paratrooper who often relies on his military training in tough situations, said the next step was to "move on" and figure out how to help Biden.

"I remember when in the military, there's only three answers for something. Yes, no, or no excuse," he continued. "Everything else is a waste of time. And I think the answer to this is no excuse."

The governor, who was first elected in 2022, said that Biden has been a strong partner for Maryland.

So he's returning the favor.

Moore said he doesn't do 'disloyalty'

At the governor's meeting, Moore said Biden laid out a strategy for the final months of his campaign.

"The thing that we left with was that there's not only the plan, but also that there's the focus and the commitment and the energy," Moore said of the sentiment among the governors.

"And I was clear, I don't do disloyalty," he continued. "This is an administration that has been with us when we were knocked down, which I saw when I received a call from them when we were mobilizing units to respond to the Key Bridge crisis.

Moore is referencing the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March, which occurred after the container vessel Dali struck the bridge and sent it into the Patapsco River. Tragically, six construction workers lost their lives as they worked to repair potholes on the bridge.

The governor has worked with the Biden administration extensively following the bridge's collapse. And it's a relationship that he deeply values as the administration works to secure full federal funding for the bridge's replacement.

However, regarding the presidential race, there is no consensus regarding Biden's candidacy among the Democratic base.

Among the Democratic voters who put Biden in office four years ago and overwhelmingly supported him during the most recent Democratic presidential primaries, a significant share of them harbor reservations about him running for a second term.

In Moore's eyes, Biden has to be visible and present to reassure them.

"I think he's got to be out there," the governor said. "I think he's got to keep doing what he's doing right now. He's got to show people in unscripted moments that the agility that this job requires and the stability that this job requires … that he's best prepared to do that."

"One thing I know about elections is nothing is given and everything is earned," he continued. "You've got to win by being the most aggressive, thoughtful, and visionary campaigner out there, and you need to have people who buy your vision. So I think the president cannot take anything for granted."

• Waymo's autonomous robotaxis were made available to the public in San Francisco last week.
• I made two trips across the city during peak hours.
• Aside from a few minor hesitations, Waymo's autonomous driver offered a smooth rider experience.

Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous taxi cab company, is now available to the public in San Francisco — a culmination of more than a decade of testing and wading through regulatory hoops.

About 300 cars are operating in the city. The company has about 700 robotaxis in total — most in SF and Phoenix — but Waymo's spokesperson told Business Insider there are plans to expand access to the public in Los Angeles and Austin.

I took two rides on June 27 to and from the Financial District of SF during peak morning commute hours.

My verdict? Waymo's autonomous driver is pretty damn smart, and aside from a few hesitations, the robotaxi offers a smooth, comfortable experience with competitive pricing against other ride-hailing apps.

Here's how the rides went:

Hailing a ride

The user experience of Waymo's app is straightforward and similar to that of other ride-hailing apps: You pick a destination and adjust the pick-up location as needed.

For now, Waymo's robotaxi fleet is limited to the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs, which have a maximum of four seats. There are no other options.

A Waymo spokesperson told BI that the company plans to add the Geely Zeekr, an all-electric van, to its fleet when it rolls out the 6th-generation autonomous driver software. The van will have five seats.

A neat feature of Waymo's cars is that riders can set a unique vehicle ID or initial that appears on top of the car. This will make your ride more easily identifiable, especially since all of Waymo's cars look the same for now.

Pricing

Prices will always vary, but on that Thursday morning, Waymo's prices were competitive with Uber and Lyft, which took me a bit by surprise.

A nearly six-mile trip across SF was $24.19 with Waymo. An UberX for the same trip was $26.96, and a Lyft with standard pickup time was $23.94.

A few things to consider, however. With Waymo, riders know what vehicle experience they're going to get. For now, the Jaguars are clean and have comfortable leather seating. With Uber and Lyft, the vehicles can be a toss-up unless you pay extra for a higher-quality experience.

Uber offers an all-electric car option, while Lyft offers "extra comfort" vehicles that are supposed to be "roomier & quiet." Waymo's cars already cover both options.

Plus, Waymo riders don't have to tip a driver because there isn't one.

A Waymo spokesperson told me that the company continues to evaluate its pricing structure but anticipates staying competitive over time.

Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft noted to BI how autonomous vehicles will be integrated into the companies' existing network of ride-share drivers.

"A lot has happened in the autonomous landscape over the past two years, but one thing remains clear: Autonomous vehicles will be a part of the mobility fabric of the future," Andrew Macdonald, Uber's senior vice president of mobility, said at February's investor meeting. "Our strategy is to be the platform partner of choice for AV tech. Rather than building AVs ourselves, we are bringing developers' fleets onto our network."

Pick up

Waymo's car took about 21 minutes to arrive and pick me up that morning.

But pick-up times will vary, as my second ride showed. That time, the car arrived in less than two minutes. Riders should plan accordingly.

I stood near busy streets for both rides to see where Waymo would pull over.

Both times, Waymo found a safe place to stop and avoided double parking the car. However, this may mean walking a block or two away from the original pick-up location.

After I unlocked the car through the app, stepping inside was a jarring experience, as I quickly noticed that there was no driver.

But Waymo appeared to try its best to soothe the riders: The vehicle was automatically playing ambient neo-classical music, and the climate was set at a precise 69 degrees Fahrenheit. It's as if the car was telling me, "Relax, and welcome to the future."

All of this can be adjusted to a rider's preference, which is a plus. A little Sexyy Red during the morning commute, anyone?

Instructions are played once you press "Start Ride" on the touchscreen located at the center console, telling riders to buckle up and not to touch the steering wheel at any time.

The auto message also indicated that there was a camera inside the car. The message added that the vehicle has a microphone that only operates when passengers need to connect with rider support.

Driving in SF

Waymo's 5th generation autonomous driver could be best described as a safe but not an annoyingly cautious driver.

It maintained the city's speed limits, caught yellow lights from a reasonable distance without speeding, and could make a succession of lane changes smoothly on busy streets.

What impressed me more, however, was how it handled riskier drivers on the road and maneuvers necessary to execute in SF.

For example, double-parked cars are a common sight in the city. Sometimes, this means drivers will have to briefly move into the lane of opposing traffic to get around a vehicle.

The Waymo driver knew how to do that, recognizing that the car in the opposing traffic lane stopped to give us the right of way.

The Waymo also appeared to detect a person on an e-scooter coming from behind and inched a little to the left of the lane to give room for the scooter rider. It did the same thing to give itself more room when it detected a large parked bucket truck slightly in Waymo's lane.

In one instance, when another driver cut off Waymo, the autonomous driving system handled it with poise since the other driver had plenty of room to go in front of the Waymo.

At yellow lights, the Waymo made good judgment calls about whether it had enough space to catch the light or stop without pressing the brakes hard.

The expectation I had that the Waymo driver would be stiff, as the term "robot taxi" might suggest, was dispelled throughout the rides.

As small as it was, one moment stood out to me the most — almost a "Blade Runner" moment that convinced me that Waymo is getting close to making their autonomous driving system "more human than human."

At the intersection of Grant Avenue and Bush Street — the busy cusp of the Financial District — the Waymo stopped at a red light.

As it dutifully waited, the Waymo car inched up twice ever so slightly, almost like a human driver would to adjust her distance from the crosswalk or anticipate a light that was about to turn green.

"Why did it do that?" I wondered.

Moments of hesitation

Still, the Waymo driver isn't perfect, as BI's Peter Kafka recently noted.

I counted three moments of — let's call them hesitation — during my second ride in a Waymo.

One was when the Waymo made a right turn on a quieter street, changed lanes, and then returned to the other lane for no apparent reason. This is not to say the car swerved. The Waymo still signaled lane changes, but I couldn't immediately see why it chose to do that.

When the vehicle was driving downhill on the road, Waymo braked a few times — not harshly, but still noticeably.

Lastly, once on Pine Street, the Waymo hesitated for about a second to fully complete a lane change to the left. The vehicle appeared to ride a bit too close to the original lane it was coming from.

A Waymo spokesperson told me it's hard to determine what happened in those moments without examining the driver logs. The company continues to work out kinks as it gathers more data and feedback.

The spokesperson said it's also possible I failed to notice something the Waymo car picked up.

Fair enough, I suppose. I only have two decent eyes compared to Waymo's lidar sensors, radar system, and 29 cameras.

Drop off

As Waymo approached the drop-off, the system notified me that I was close to my destination and reminded me to take all of my belongings.

One feature I appreciate is the ability to ask Waymo to pull over — like telling an Uber driver, "Right here is good."

By pressing "pull over" on the touchscreen console or your phone, Waymo will find the closest spot to pull over.

Verdict

Waymo makes a convincing case for the autonomous driver.

Even in the hectic streets of San Francisco, where people have to deal with risky drivers and a relatively complex street grid, the Waymo delivered a smooth riding experience.

Plus, the ability to adjust the climate, blast music, and talk in the car would probably be a boon for riders — perhaps more so for introverts. I say this as someone who rolls their eyes at dudes who complain about having to talk to their Uber drivers.

Riders can also bring their service animals without worrying about a driver's discretion. Other pets are not allowed.

Waymo's service could be even more valuable if the company offered more seating. A Waymo spokesperson told BI it is testing the five-seater Zeekr vehicles, but the company has no roll-out date to share.

As I was dropped off from my second ride, a passerby noticed I was taking pictures of the Waymo.

"Cool, right?" he said. "Everything about it, I love 'em."

• China's largest coastguard ship dropped anchor in Manila's exclusive economic zone earlier this week.
• The vessel anchored there as "an intimidation," the Philippine Coast Guard said.
• Maritime relations between China and the Philippines have become increasingly tense in recent months.

The world's largest coastguard ship dropped anchor in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea earlier this week, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the PCG, wrote on X that the authority had successfully tracked the movements of the China Coast Guard's (CCG) "165-meter monster ship" by "using Canada's Dark Vessel Detection technology."

"On July 1st, the ship departed from Hainan and entered the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on the following day," he wrote.

The 12,000-ton CCG 5901 was later "radio challenged" by the PCG, which asked it to confirm its intentions and to remind it that it was operating within the EEZ, he added.

An exclusive economic zone is an area of the ocean "beyond a nation's territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources."

The Chinese ship anchored close to a Philippine vessel — "the distance between the two vessels is less than 800 yards," Tarriela wrote.

Tarriela told a news forum that the Chinese vessel's moves were "an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard."

"We're not going to pull out and we're not going to be intimidated," he added.

Maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines are on the rise

China and the Philippines have had frequent confrontations around the Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll located within the exclusive economic zone.

China claims sovereignty over the reef and most of the South China Sea, but an international tribunal ruled in 2016 that China's claims to waters within its "nine-dash line" had no legal basis.

The Philippines grounded a ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, on the reef in 1999 to state its own claims over the area.

But the Shoal remains what the Brussels-based think tank the International Crisis Group (ICG) has called a "dangerous flashpoint," as Chinese boats continually try to prevent efforts to resupply the grounded ship.

Earlier this month, the China Coast Guard blocked a resupply mission using "dangerous and deliberate use of water cannons, ramming, and blocking maneuvers," according to a statement provided to US Naval Institute News by a spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Officials from China and the Philippines met on Tuesday and said they aimed to "rebuild confidence" to help manage maritime disputes.

But the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs stressed that it would be "relentless in protecting its interests and upholding its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction" in the South China Sea.

The ICG noted in May that "relations between the two countries in the maritime domain have never been as volatile as during the last seven months."

• US presidents are driven in a heavily armored limousine nicknamed "The Beast." 
• It features a secure communications system and fridge stocked with the president's blood type.
• Military cargo aircraft transport the presidential limousine for use abroad.

When US presidents aren't flying on Air Force One or taking helicopter trips in Marine One, they're driven around in a presidential limousine nicknamed "The Beast."

Weighing in at 20,000 pounds and outfitted with advanced security and communications systems, the newest model of "The Beast" debuted during the Trump administration in 2018. It reportedly cost around $1.5 million to build.

Take a look inside the famous vehicle.

US presidents travel in a secure limousine nicknamed "The Beast."

US presidents rode Lincoln limousines for most of the 20th century until the 1980s, when the Reagan administration switched to Cadillacs.

The latest model of the presidential limousine was commissioned by the US Secret Service in 2014 and used for the first time in 2018 by President Donald Trump.

Designed to look like a longer version of a Cadillac XT6, the chassis of the car is actually that of a Chevrolet Kodiak truck produced by General Motors, NBC News reported. The vehicle weighs around 20,000 pounds and cost around $1.5 million to build.

The heavily armored vehicle is bulletproof, blast-resistant, and sealed to withstand biochemical attacks.

While details about the limousine's security measures remain classified, NBC News reported that the vehicle features a night-vision system, tear gas firing capabilities, and door handles that can be electrified to prevent intruders.

The windows are believed to be 3 inches thick and the vehicle's armor around 8 inches thick.

"The Beast" is also equipped with medical supplies, including a refrigerator stocked with the president's blood type.

The limousine's secure communications system is able to dispatch the launch codes for nuclear weapons.

The presidential seal appears throughout the design of the car.

The seal, featuring an eagle holding an olive branch and 13 arrows in its talons below a banner reading "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of many, one"), appears on both the interior and exterior of the passenger door.

The limousine can seat up to seven people.

The interior features water bottle holders and plush leather seats. Previous presidential limousines have also included a fold-out desk, according to the US Secret Service.

"The Beast" travels with the president.

Presidential limousines are transported by military cargo aircraft, such as US Air Force C-17s, for use during the president's travels, according to the US Secret Service.

When abroad, the presidential limousine flies the American flag and the flag of the host country.

When Biden visited the UK in June 2021, the presidential limousine flew both the American flag and the Union Jack.

On Inauguration Day, Secret Service agents change the car's license plates as a new president takes power.

Some presidents have used the Washington, DC, "End Taxation Without Representation" license plates, while others have removed the slogan, Axios reported.

Accompanied by the presidential motorcade, "The Beast" remains an instantly recognizable symbol of the power of the presidency.

"It is safe to say that this car's security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world," the assistant director for the US Secret Service's Office of Protective Operations said of "The Beast, " according to the US Secret Service's official website.

• I'm a registered dietitian and my husband is a personal trainer, and we love Trader Joe's.
• The store has great, quick meal options, from burritos and stir-fries to burgers. 
• I like to stock up on sparkling water and blue-corn tortilla chips in the summer. 

Trader Joe's may feel like a kitschy neighborhood grocery store, but it's actually a multibillion-dollar chain with well over 500 locations across the US.

Luckily, despite its business successes, it's still an affordable place to pick up organic, nutrient-rich staples.

As a dietitian who married a personal trainer, here are some of our favorite things to get at Trader Joe's in the summer.

I love the Asian-style vegetable stir-fry.

Trader Joe's stir-fry kit is unique because it contains fresh vegetables, not frozen ones.

We often use preprepared packs when we run out of ideas for the evening. We also use them on days when we want to put together a 20-minute stir-fry with tofu, chicken, or shrimp on a bed of white or brown rice.

Chicken meatballs can do it all.

Trader Joe's chicken meatballs, which can be found in the refrigerated section, are more than just a nice addition to pasta.

They're low in sodium and high in protein, so my husband and I love using them to make lean meatball subs.

You can also create sweet and sour meatballs to vary the flavor profile of your meal.

Organic, firm tofu is a great plant-based protein.

Air-fried tofu is a favorite in our house.

Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever you add it to, so we can prepare it so many different ways. Plus, the plant-based protein has been known to improve heart health.

Sometimes, I'll season or marinate the tofu before tossing it in the Asian-style stir-fry to round out the meal.

I always pick up some sparkling water.

Trader Joe's has several different flavors of sparkling water, so hydration is the least of my worries this summer.

My husband and I occasionally jazz up our sparkling water by mixing in lemons, limes, or other fruits for an infused flavor. You can also blend watermelon, drain the liquid, and add it to the water for a refreshing treat.

Trader Joe's PB&J bars are a nice bedtime snack.

My husband is always looking for a late-night snack that's light but also not too sweet. I like that the store's PB&J bars are smaller than your typical granola bar, so they fit the bill for us.

The chewy snack would also be great alongside nuts or seeds for added protein.

I throw the Green Goddess Seasoning Blend on all sorts of dishes.

Trader Joe's seasoning blends are great toppers for streamed vegetables, pasta dishes, or a morning bagel.

There are so many varieties to choose from, but I like that the Green Goddess Seasoning Blend is a bit lower in sodium.

It's nice to have burritos in the freezer on busy nights.

Both of us have busy schedules, especially during the weekend, so frozen burritos help us eat regular meals on a daily basis.

As an added bonus, the beans offer fiber to assist digestion and keep your bowel movements regular.

The spicy shrimp fried rice is another quick meal.

Shrimp fried rice is a great meal starter.

Adding vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach will increase the fiber content of your meal.

I use the multigrain blend with vegetables to bulk up dinners.

Trader Joe's frozen grain and vegetable blend has plenty of fiber, so it pairs perfectly with lean protein such as salmon, shrimp, chicken, or eggs.

I particularly like to pair this with the shrimp stir-fry to bulk and balance out the meal.

Seafood burgers are a fun twist on the classic dish.

We love seafood, so when I first saw Trader Joe's shrimp seafood burgers, I immediately checked the sodium content. Each patty has less than 300 milligrams of sodium and packs some heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which is a win in my book.

My husband likes to grill but gets tired of eating the usual chicken, turkey burgers, and beef. These patties are great for switching things up in the summer.

I add chopped greens to everything.

Chopped greens are great for soups and stews in the winter and smoothies when the weather warms up.

I like to eat at least two to three servings of vegetables a day, and frozen spinach helps me achieve that goal.

The store's sweet-potato fries are great right out of the oven.

Regular sweet potatoes are excellent, so sweet-potato fries are fantastic.

I like to bake them in the oven with a drizzle of oil and serve them as a side for burgers and other meals.

I love sprinkling low-fat shredded cheese on things for a protein kick.

Cheese is one of our favorite, convenient protein sources, so finding a shredded version that's low in fat is a win for us.

Blue-corn tortilla chips are one of my favorite sources of fiber.

When people think of fiber, chips might not come to mind. But Trader Joe's blue-corn tortilla chips pack 3 grams a serving. That's almost as much as a serving of brown rice.

Grab a bag for your next barbecue and serve them alongside some tasty salsa.

Click to keep reading Trader Joe's diaries like this one.

• Diet culture effected me from a young age, and I always tried the latest fad diets.
• For my wedding day, I finally decided to stop dieting because I wanted to feel my best.
• I looked amazing in my wedding photos.

Diet culture doesn't first come to you when you look in the mirror at 18. It starts much younger.

For me, it began when I was a child, catching glimmers of what I thought bodies should look like. Music videos showed girls with hourglass figures, and it felt like every man's celebrity crush was Beyoncé.

Even as a child, I understood the benefits of being thinner and lighter; it was the pathway to admiration.

I followed diet culture for most of my childhood and teenage years. It wasn't until I got married in college that I decided to try something different.

I always struggled with diet culture

As a teen, I learned that dieting was not only about admiration; it was also about health…supposedly. Everywhere I looked, people described their health journeys using before-and-after photos. Some even described intense eating restrictions. The association between body image and health felt more appropriate than selfishly wanting admiration. Nonetheless, I wanted both.

Shows like "The Biggest Loser" reminded me that other people had the same goal of health and admiration. It further intensified my desire for a body I later learned I would never be able to attain.

By the time I was in college, I knew the cycle well. Starting a diet felt hopeful, and ending one felt like a failure. Every diet pushed me further from my ideal weight. It felt like I was losing my health and closing my dating prospects all in one.

But the reality was that I walked at least two miles every day between classes, and as far as dating goes, I was engaged by my senior year. It sounds silly now that I didn't realize any of this at the time, but dieting has a way of distorting your self-image.

I explored the concept of intuitive eating before my wedding day, but I saw it as admitting defeat in my dieting journey. I told myself that a bride's wedding day is when she is supposed to look her best. That meant I was supposed to be at the peak of my youth, beauty, and health.

I decided to take a different approach to my wedding

Before the wedding, I talked with my now-husband about the stress of finding the perfect hairstyle to match my face shape and the perfect dress to match my body type post-diet. That's when I learned this man had done no such planning. He was going to get a haircut and a suit. The worst part was that I knew he would look great with so little effort.

I thought: Maybe I would be fine with minimal changes, too? But it was hard to shake the feeling that everyone would be critiquing me, the bride.

However, I knew that if I did a crash diet and lost 30 pounds, I wouldn't feel good physically or mentally on a day that mattered a lot to me.

Ultimately, I needed to change my mind about dieting because I realized I had planned my dream fall wedding, and I wanted the pictures to authentically show my face, my smile, and my body. I wanted to be able to recognize myself.

So, I decided to be brave and make choices counter to the bridal industry. I chose to do what made me feel good. I chose a lipstick color that would make my smile stand out. I chose a fitted dress that matched the fall theme. I wanted sleeves, not to hide my arms, but to match the season. I chose to be bold and stay true to myself.

It's all still a work in progress

Honestly, though, I thought the photos were going to look awful. We got the photos back online first. I was too nervous to look, so I decided to wait until we received the physical photo book. I still didn't look. It wasn't until after I was deeper into my intuitive eating journey — about six months later — that I finally looked through the photo book. I took a deep breath and started to flip through the pages.

I looked beautiful. I mean, these pictures were stunning. All the brave little choices I made came together in peak allure. I had found beauty in just being me.

Now, when people come to our home, I'm proud to point them to the wedding book sitting on the coffee table and the wedding photos on the wall.

• Ukraine says Russian forces were fooled into striking dummy models of military targets. 
• Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that Russia attacked the models with Iskander-M missiles.
• The Iskander-M is a short-range ballistic missile with a range of up to 500 km (around 310 miles).

Ukrainian forces say they duped Russia into striking dummy models of aircraft and air defense systems with Iskander-M missiles.

Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian air force, posted about the savvy tactic on Telegram.

He shared footage that he claimed showed recent enemy strikes with Iskander-Ms on the mock-ups, which he said were placed at an airfield close to the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine and the Yuzhne area, near the Black Sea port of Odesa.

He said the footage was captured by Russian reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles.

"The Air Force personnel successfully conducted passive defense measures!" Oleshchuk wrote in the post.

"Thank you to everyone who helps with high-quality models of aircraft and air defense systems. The enemy has fewer 'Iskanders,' and more models will be delivered," he added.

It would not be the first time that Ukraine has used "fake" military targets since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Photos and videos circulating on social media in February showed what appeared to be highly realistic decoy versions of radar and air defense systems.

Russia has also employed such tactics in the war, painting silhouettes of naval vessels on land to try to fool Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence said in an update on the conflict in March.

Business Insider contacted the Ukrainian Air Force for comment.

The Iskander-M missile

The Iskander-M is a Russian "road-mobile short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) with a range of up to 500 km" (around 310 miles), according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project.

The missile has a launch weight of up to almost 8,900 pounds, and it was first used in combat by Russian forces against Georgia in 2008, per the Missile Defense Project.

Moscow has claimed that the missile will not be rivaled by Western rivals until 2025.

"According to designers, foreign states will be able to create its counterpart no earlier than in 2025," Russian Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief Col. Gen. Oleg Salyukov said.