Fashion designer Christian Siriano dresses some of the biggest names in entertainment and politics.
He's designed outfits for Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, and Kamala Harris.
Siriano told BI that being chosen to dress powerful women in politics is "the ultimate compliment."
Fashion designer Christian Siriano has dressed celebrities for red-carpet events including the Oscars, Grammys, and Golden Globes, but his creations have also graced the stages of the Democratic National Convention and the State of the Union.
While promoting his partnership with Persil laundry detergent, Siriano spoke with Business Insider about designing outfits for first ladies Michelle Obama and Jill Biden as well as Vice President Kamala Harris.
"When you get to dress those people, it definitely feels really great because the whole world sees them," Siriano told BI.
In 2016, Obama delivered her famous "When they go low, we go high" speech at the Democratic National Convention wearing a blue Christian Siriano dress with cap sleeves and a flowing skirt.
"When I dressed Michelle Obama for the DNC and she walked out in that blue dress, it felt really powerful because it felt right for the moment," he said. "It was elegant and sophisticated, but still young and cool."
Michelle Obama at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Siriano also designed another first lady's Democratic National Convention look: a lilac ruched wrap dress for Biden in 2020.
Joe Biden and Jill Biden at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images
"Michelle was more daring, Jill's more, I think, chic and sophisticated and sometimes looks Old Hollywood, and I love that," he said.
Siriano also crafted a custom maroon suit for Harris to wear at the 2023 State of the Union address.
Kamala Harris arrives for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in 2023.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
"I got to make a suit for the vice president and it was amazing," he said. "We really tailored it and I felt like she looked really powerful and confident."
Siriano said that designing for high-profile women in politics has been a career highlight not just because of their visibility, but also because of their stature.
"You feel so great because a person who everyone's looking up to chose to wear something," he said. "It's kind of like the ultimate compliment."
The author walks across Messeplatz, the main square for the Art Basel fair.
Clara Tuma for BI
I traveled to my first Art Basel, an international art fair hosted each summer in Basel, Switzerland.
I learned it's a destination where experts and novices can thrive, discover, and learn.
This article is part of BI's 2024 Art Basel series, taking you inside the art fair's global scene.
I spent my first afternoon at Art Basel getting lost.
I wandered through a maze of 122 gallerists showcasing artwork from around the world. I eyed impressive ceramics created by Paloma Varga Weisz, captivating photos shot by Gordon Parks, and striking paintings by Pat Steir. I turned corners that I thought were familiar and discovered new art instead.
Above me were another 100-plus galleries presenting works. In the building next door, an exhibit the size of three football fields had enough installations for an entire afternoon of viewing. There were film showings throughout the day, a packed schedule of Q&As, and public artworks scattered across the town of Basel, Switzerland.
Collectively, this made up Art Basel, the world's premiere art show, where more than 250 gallerists feature 4,000 artists.
A view of Chiharu Shiota's "The Extended Line" featured in Art Basel's Unlimited exhibit.
Clara Tuma for BI
Beyond the show's official programming, the Swiss town comes alive each summer for the event. Other art fairs vie for visitors' time. Photo Basel and the Liste Art Fair Basel are hosted on the same weekend. Plus, the town is home to dozens of art museums worth visiting.
To put it simply, Art Basel is overwhelming.
It's a hectic week of art, but even as someone outside the art profession, I understood its appeal. Art Basel is my favorite kind of overwhelming — one with endless opportunities to explore.
Visitors crowd the rooms in the main sector of Art Basel 2024.
Clara Tuma for BI
Before arriving in Basel, the art fair felt vaguely familiar
I can't pinpoint the first time I heard about Art Basel.
It could've been five years ago when a duct-taped banana was listed for $120,000, or it might have been years earlier. Growing up in Florida, I'm sure I heard murmurs about Art Basel Miami, one of the four locations where Art Basel fairs are held each year.
For a long time, I didn't think the event was for me. I'm not a museum curator or a gallerist, and I don't have millions to spend on artwork. (Art Basel reported that its largest sale this year was made by the gallery David Zwirner. It sold Joan Mitchell's "Sunflowers" for $20 million.)
I wasn't sure where or if I fit into that lineup, but I arrived in Basel on June 13 to find out.
Nine canvases create Janaina Tschäpe's "To cover the earth with a new mist."
Clara Tuma for BI
As a first-time visitor, understanding how Art Basel works was confusing. After arriving, getting lost, and navigating a disorganized app, I finally began understanding how the massive event works.
Art Basel is a show with multiple sectors in multiple locations. Some sectors are self-described, like the film or magazine sector. Then, there's the main sector, which fills two floors of a large hall. Here, 250 galleries from around the world showcase art.
Essentially, art is everywhere. Unless there's someone or something specific you want to see, wandering was the best approach to take it all in.
You don't have to be an artist or art buyer to enjoy the event
"Zepelín de Acero" by Julio Le Parc and "School of Languages" by Ryan Gander.
Clara Tuma for BI
I assumed I wouldn't know a single artist featured, but I was proven wrong after just a few moments in the Unlimited sector.
At the front of the hall was a 150-foot-long Keith Haring work titled "Untitled (FDR NY) #5-22." I didn't need a plaque to know the artist; Haring's figures are easily recognizable.
Another recognizable piece sat catty-corner to Haring's project. I knew an organic shape dotted with black spots must have been created by Yayoi Kusama. I explored her exhibit, Kusama, three years ago at the New York Botanical Garden.
Throughout the week, I spotted more familiar artists and was introduced to many new ones. Francisco Sierra's full-size conceptual aquarium and Alfredo Jaar's powerful neon messages captivated me.
Plus, it was clear I wasn't the only visitor wandering the fair as a spectator. During the weekend, the Unlimited hall was filled with crowds watching artist performances on water rights by Seba Calfuqueo and peering into the hundreds of mirrors that made up "Zepelín de Acero" by Julio Le Parc.
Meanwhile, gallerists were eager to dive into the artwork they displayed, and artists proudly described their inspiration for pieces.
The author crosse the Mittlere Brücke over the Rhine River.
Clara Tuma for BI
You can't explore Art Basel without exploring the town
When you travel across the world for an art show, it's hard not to squeeze in some sightseeing.
So, in the windows when I wasn't viewing art, I was roaming through the Swiss town. The town is located on the banks of the Rhine River, so I spent a lunch break on the river's edge, eyeing the historical buildings lining the waterfront.
If it had been warmer, you would've seen me floating down the Rhine with a Wickelfisch, a colorful waterproof bag locals tote during the summer months.
For those itching for even more art, theaters and popular museums like the Museum Tinguely and Fondation Beyeler present even more work.
The author walks in Agnes Denes' wheat field, an installation for this year's art show.
Clara Tuma for BI
But my favorite way to experience the town was through Art Basel's Parcours exhibit. Across Basel, a hotel, brewery, church, restaurant, and stores exhibited art.
I stepped inside a partly abandoned shopping center. Between a closed nail salon and textile store, artist Mandy El-Sayegh covered the floors and walls and transformed two empty store spaces to feature her large-scale paintings.
Nearby, Eric Hattan used materials he scavenged to build towers and structures that were constantly being changed and transformed during the art show.
Eric Hattan's "Stilles Leben a quiet life," an installation part of Art Basel's Parcours sector.
Clara Tuma for BI
The installations prompted me to walk down random Basel streets and stumble upon what the city offers beyond its top tourist attractions.
By the end of my weekend at Art Basel, I discovered an art fair that — no matter your background — stimulated discussion, encouraged me to reconsider my beliefs, and left me in awe.
Glynis Johns was best known for starring in 1964's "Mary Poppins."
Mirrorpix/Getty
Here are the famous people who died in 2024.
O.J. Simpson, Glynis Johns, Carl Weathers, Chita Rivera, Dabney Coleman, Donald Sutherland, and Louis Gossett Jr. passed away.
So did broadcaster Charles Osgood, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, producer Roger Corman, NBA legend Jerry West, and MLB Hall of Famer Willie Mays.
Below, we look back at those we lost in 2024.
Eric Carmen, 74
Eric Carmen.
Tom Hill/WireImage/Getty
Carmen was a rock ballad king whose songs still get constant play to this day.
"All by Myself" was a hit in the mid-1970s. It became an even bigger hit when Celine Dion did her own rendition in 1996.
The Grammy-nominated "Almost Paradise" from the soundtrack to the hit 1984 movie "Footloose" became a staple at school dances and weddings.
Carmen repeated the feat when his song "Hungry Eyes" showed up on the soundtrack for the 1987 classic "Dirty Dancing."
Carmen's death was announced on his website on March 12, stating he "passed away in his sleep, over the weekend." No cause was given.
Roberto Cavalli, 83
Roberto Cavalli.
Daniele Venturelli/WireImage/Getty
The Italian fashion designer was known for his flamboyant designs and game-changing innovations.
Cavalli's use of leopard prints beginning in the 1970s became one of his trademarks. His revolutionary method of printing leather and patchwork denim was beloved by everyone from Madonna to Gwyneth Paltrow.
Cavalli died on April 12. No cause of death was given.
Dabney Coleman, 92
Dabney Coleman.
Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty
Dabney Coleman became a captivating scene stealer in the 1980s thanks to his gruff demeanor and booming voice. Whether he was playing the mean boss opposite Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin in 1980's "9 to 5," or the nasty TV producer in "Tootsie," or chasing Matthew Broderick in "WarGames," Coleman had a talent for playing the heel.
The Emmy winner most recently starred in the HBO hit series Boardwalk Empire from 2011 to 2014 and a 2019 episode of Yellowstone.
Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola at the 76th Academy Awards in 2004.
Vince Bucci/Getty
As the wife of Francis Ford Coppola, Eleanor had to navigate the stress and complexities of living with one of the greatest directors of all time.
She channeled that by filming her husband while he made his landmark 1979 Vietnam movie "Apocalypse Now."
Her documentary, "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," has gone down as one of the most honest accounts of the making of a movie.
Eleanor died on April 12. No cause of death was given.
Roger Corman, 98
Roger Corman.
Ken Hively/Getty
To say Roger Corman was the king of B-movies is too simple of a characterization.
For decades, Corman made ultra-low-budget genre movies that featured everything from cheesy monsters to crazed bikers. Corman-produced titles almost always made a profit, and many of them became proving grounds for the directors and actors who would go on to change Hollywood.
After directing the 1967 acid-trip fantasia "The Trip" starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda and written by Jack Nicholson, the trio went on to make "Easy Rider," which would usher in the New Hollywood era of the 1970s.
Corman also produced titles directed by then-unknowns like Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese before they went on to mainstream studio success.
Corman died on May 9 at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., surrounded by family members.
Joe Flaherty, 82
(L-R) Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy on the set of "SCTV."
Peter Power/Toronto Star/Getty
As one of the original cast members of the Canadian sketch comedy show "SCTV" in the late 1970s, Joe Flaherty — alongside the likes of John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Rick Moranis — created a brand of comedy that was edgier and more outlandish than their competition "Saturday Night Live."
In later decades, Flaherty made scene-stealing appearances as the Western Union worker who gives Marty McFly the 70-year-old letter from Doc Brown in "Back to the Future Part II" and the heckler Donald in "Happy Gilmore."
He was also a regular on TV through the decades, with roles in "Married… with Children," "Freaks and Geeks," and "The King of Queens."
Louis Gossett Jr. holding his best supporting actor Oscar.
Ron Galella/Getty
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Louis Gossett Jr. made his stage debut at 17. After building his craft onstage through the 1960s, Gossett Jr. made the jump to screen and in 1977 was cast in the acclaimed miniseries "Roots" opposite the likes of Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton, and John Amos. He went on to win an Emmy for his performance as Fiddler.
He was nominated for seven more Emmys after that, most recently in 2020 for playing William Reeves in the HBO limited series "Watchmen."
He made history in 1983 when he won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the strict drill instructor Emil Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman." It would mark the first time a Black actor won the prize in that category.
Gossett Jr. went on to star in hit movies and TV shows like "The Principal," "Toy Soldiers," "Iron Eagle," and "Boardwalk Empire."
Gossett Jr. died on March 29. No cause was given.
Norman Jewison, 97
Norman Jewison.
Doug Griffin/Toronto Star/Getty
The legendary director was best known for his eclectic filmography that included the drama "In the Heat of the Night," the musical "Fiddler of the Roof," and the beloved comedy "Moonstruck," all of which garnered him best director nominations at the Oscars.
The Canadian filmmaker's specialty was getting top-notch performances out of A-list actors like Steve McQueen ("The Thomas Crown Affair") and Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane").
It often led to Oscar glory for his movies and their stars. Twelve actors received nominations over his 40-year career, with five of his movies earning best picture noms.
The English actor starred in over 60 films and 30 plays, and is known best for playing Mrs. Banks in the beloved 1964 Disney movie "Mary Poppins."
Legend has it that Johns originally thought she landed the role of Poppins. To let her down easy, Walt Disney made sure that she got to sing a big musical number in the movie. It led to the famous "Sister Suffragette" sequence.
In 1973, Johns' breathy voice caught the attention of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who cast her in the original Broadway production of "A Little Night Music." Sondheim wrote "Send in the Clowns," the song she performs, with her in mind. Johns would earn a Tony Award for her performance.
She was also nominated for an Oscar for her work in "The Sundowners" (1960).
Johns died on January 4. No cause of death was given.
Toby Keith, 62
Toby Keith.
Pat Carroll/New York Daily News Archive/Getty
Keith became prominent in the 1990s thanks to his hit single "Should've Been a Cowboy."
It would make him one of the decade's top draws in country music.
Keith released 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and dozens of songs that topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in his career.
In an era in the 1970s where stand-up comedy could be a path to superstardom, Richard Lewis was one of the biggest acts.
Often dressed in black and holding his hand up to his temple, his self-deprecating and neurotic style made him a constant visitor to Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show."
By the 1980s, he hit it big on TV, starring opposite Jamie Lee Curtis on the series "Anything but Love," which ran for four seasons.
His movie credits include the Mel Brooks comedy "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "Leaving Las Vegas," and John Candy's final role before his death, 1994's "Wagons East." Lewis has said Candy's death was one of the things that finally got him sober.
Lewis introduced himself to a new generation when Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" premiered on HBO in 2000. For 11 seasons, Lewis played a fictional version of himself as one of David's friends. Though he didn't return as a series regular for the series' final season, season 12, he popped up in a cameo in an episode that aired on February 18.
Back in April, Lewis revealed via a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would be retiring from stand-up comedy after undergoing four surgeries.
Lewis died on February 27 of a heart attack in his Los Angeles home.
Willie Mays, 93
Willie Mays.
Getty
Regarded as one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived, Willie Mays was astounding to watch.
He could hit and catch, had speed, and pulled off amazing feats that are still remarkable to this day.
One of his most memorable plays happened in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, which is simply known as "The Catch."
Mays' New York Giants were facing the Cleveland Indians at the Polo Grounds in New York. With the score tied 2-2 in the eighth inning and runners on base, Indians player Vic Wertz hit a towering 420-foot blast to dead center that in today's baseball would be deep in the seats for a homerun. But due to the Polo Grounds' massive outfield, it was in play, and Mays used practically all of it to track down the ball on the run with an incredible over-the-shoulder catch and then threw it into the infield quickly so no runner could score. The Giants went on to win the game in extra innings 5-2, and would go on to win the World Series. Many still regard Mays' catch as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.
Mays would go on to play 21 seasons with the Giants before being traded to the New York Mets for the 1972-73 season, which would be his last. He finished his career with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs.
A 1980s icon, Morgan found instant stardom in her film debut playing the stunning Lacey opposite Chevy Chase in the classic 1980 comedy "Caddyshack."
Two years later, she found herself in another iconic work, Disney's "Tron." As Dr. Lora Baines in the real world and Yori, who helps Jeff Bridges after he's sucked into the game world, Morgan once again showed she can shine opposite Hollywood's biggest leading men.
Though Morgan worked steadily the rest of her career, including a multi-episode run on the soap opera "Falcon Crest," she'll be forever known for her performances in two of the biggest movies of the '80s.
Morgan's death was first reported on January 6, though she died on December 30, 2023. No cause of death was given.
Charles Osgood, 91
Charles Osgood.
John Paul Filo/CBS Photo Archive/Getty
The face of "CBS Sunday Morning" for over two decades, Osgood became a fixture in Americans' homes at the end of every weekend thanks to his wit, calming demeanor, and that bow tie.
Osgood had been at CBS since the early 1970s, first as a reporter, then the anchor of the "CBS Sunday Night News" from 1981 to 1987. From 1987 to 1992, he was often on "CBS This Morning."
In 1994, he became the face of "Sunday Morning," replacing Charles Kuralt. He would go on to earn two Daytime Emmys and a Peabody for his work on the show. He ended his run 2016, passing the reins to Jane Pauley.
Rivera was a Broadway legend who originated some of the stage's most memorable characters, including Anita in "West Side Story," Velma Kelly in "Chicago," and Rose in "Bye Bye Birdie." She would go on to be nominated for 10 Tony Awards and win twice.
With Broadway credits spanning seven decades, Rivera's singing and dancing shaped generations of performers.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, was often described as the matriarch of the White House during the Obama administration, but the Chicago-born daughter of seven never felt quite at home on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to her family.
"The trappings and glamour of the White House were never a great fit for Marian Robinson," a statement from former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and other family members said. "'Just show me how to work the washing machine and I'm good,' she'd say."
Robinson's death was announced on May 31.
A cause and place of death was not revealed.
O.J. Simpson, 76
O.J. Simpson.
Lane Stewart/Getty
O.J. Simpson had a life of high highs and low lows.
Finding fame initially on the football field, he became one of the greatest running backs ever to play in the NFL in the 1970s. He had an MVP season in 1973 when he set a single-season rushing record and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985 after his retirement.
He was set to live out his days as a hero and grow even more famous thanks to endorsements, movie roles, and broadcasting.
But all of that changed in June of 1994 after his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her condo. Days later, Simpson, who was a person of interest in the murders, led Los Angeles police on a slow-speed chase in his Ford Bronco, finally giving up when he got back to his home.
Simpson's televised trial for the deaths of Nicole and Goldman a year later became one of the biggest spectacles in modern-day American history.
Simpson was acquitted of the murders, was found guilty in civil court in 1997.
The story of Simpson's incredible rise and fall still fascinates people to this day. The 2016 ESPN docuseries "O.J.: Made in America" won an Oscar and Emmy, and Ryan Murphy's 2016 scripted series "The People vs. O.J.: American Crime Story" won eight Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.
Soul found instant fame in the mid-1970s playing Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson, one half of the hip crime solvers in "Starsky & Hutch."
Before hitting it big on the show, Soul was a folk singer through the 1960s, opening for the likes of Frank Zappa and The Byrds. At one time he even sang while his face was covered with a mask, calling himself "The Covered Man."
After "Starsky & Hutch," Soul went back to music and scored the No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Don't Give Up on Us."
Soul also made appearances on shows like "Star Trek," "Gunsmoke," the Clint Eastwood movie "Magnum Force," and a miniseries adaptation of the Stephen King novel, "Salem's Lot."
In 2004, an unknown documentary filmmaker arrived in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival. Overnight, his life was changed — because he made a movie about eating McDonald's.
If there's one thing Morgan Spurlock knew how to do, it was get people's attention. With a big personality and an unusual idea, Spurlock changed the way we look at fast food when he made "Super Size Me," a documentary in which he ate nothing but McDonald's for a full month, to stomach-churning effect.
The documentary earned an Oscar nomination and became a box-office sensation. Weeks after its release in theaters, McDonald's discontinued its supersize portions.
Spurlock used that success to become one of the stars in the documentary medium, which was growing in popularity in the early 2000s. He would go on to direct and produce dozens of documentaries for the big screen and TV, focused on everything from Osama bin Laden to One Direction.
His legacy would be tarnished in late 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement, when Spurlock confessed to multiple acts of sexual misconduct in his past.
Donald Sutherland had the incredible talent to be the life of the party in one performance or a wallflower in the next. Need a dark and disturbing presence for a role? He's your guy. Or he could do a wise-cracking know-it-all character.
What we're trying to say is whatever the role, Sutherland could pull it off. And he did it so well that he delivered some of the most memorable roles ever put on screen over the last six decades.
Playing a Nazi-killing grunt in "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), creating one of the greatest screen duos ever opposite Elliott Gould in "M*A*S*H" (1970), acting as a laid-back professor in "Animal House" (1978), delivering one of the best surprise endings ever in a remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978) — he could do it all. He was both the man who knew the truth behind the Kennedy assassination in "JFK" (1991) and the villain in the "Hunger Games" franchise (2013-2015).
Wactor was best known for his role as Brando Corbin on the soap "General Hospital." He appeared in more than 160 episodes during his two seasons on the series before leaving in 2022.
His résumé included guest roles on "Westworld," "The OA," "Station 19," "Siberia," "Agent X," "Vantastic," "Animal Kingdom," "Hollywood Girl," "Training Day," "Criminal Minds," "Struggling Servers," "Age Appropriate," "NCIS," "The Passenger" and "Barbee Rehab."
He also starred in the 2016 Mario Van Peebles-directed movie "USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage" alongside Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, and Thomas Jane.
You may not know the name, but you definitely know this face.
Character actor M. Emmet Walsh showed up in more than 150 movies over his career, many of which have gone on to become classics: "Blade Runner," "Blood Simple," "Slap Shot," "Fletch," "The Jerk," "Back to School," "My Best Friend's Wedding," and "Knives Out."
He also has appeared in many popular TV shows over the decades, including "Home Improvement," "The X-Files," and "Frasier."
Walsh died on March 19. No cause was given.
Carl Weathers, 76
Carl Weathers.
Michael Putland/Getty
Thanks to his bravado and astounding physique, Weathers found fame when he was cast as heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in 1976's "Rocky."
The following years and decades brought more memorable roles, whether he was sizing up biceps with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987's "Predator," or trying to teach Adam Sandler how to play golf in 1996's "Happy Gilmore."
Most recently, he played Greef Karga in the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian." Along with appearing in front of the camera, he also showcased his talents behind it, directing multiple episodes.
Jerry West, 86
Jerry West.
Al Seib/Getty
You can give several examples to show just how great a basketball player Jerry West was. He won an NBA title, an Olympic gold medal, and is the only player on the losing team of an NBA Finals to be named MVP.
But there's one that overshadows all of these accomplishments: he was the logo.
That's right. The actual NBA logo is a silhouette of Jerry West dribbling a basketball.
Known for his tenacious play and ability to score in the clutch, West was one of the stars in the NBA before its enormous popularity in the 1970s, when players like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and later, Michael Jordan, became household names.
After his retirement, West became an executive of the Los Angeles Lakers and was instrumental in the "Showtime" Lakers' championship dynasty through the 1980s. He made the key signings to get Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to the Lakers, creating another dynasty in the early 2000s.
The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.
Erin Ramos was able to deal with a stressful layoff by using her emergency fund to cover expenses.
She made some purchases before losing her job that she would've waited on if she had to do it again.
This article is part of "My Financial Life," a series helping people live and spend better.
Erin Ramos, a single mother, had worked at her company for 15 months when she got a Slack message saying she'd been laid off.
"I got a message in Slack from my supervisor," Ramos said. "It was basically like, 'Unfortunately, we are going to have to make some cuts, and your position has been impacted. Please acknowledge this Slack message, and then we'll give you a call in a few minutes. I was like, 'Oh, OK.' So that was that."
Luckily, Ramos was able to start a new job by the end of March, about three months after losing her job. Her emergency fund helped her support herself and her daughter until then. But looking back, she would do a few things differently.
The layoffs hit at a bad time
Ramos wasn't totally surprised by the layoffs. Her company had let go a small number of workers twice during her tenure, and she knew that the company was facing some money troubles. But she didn't expect the layoffs to happen during the holidays.
"They surprised us all on December 14," Ramos said. "I think it was 14 of us in all, just before Christmas." She received a two-week severance package.
Layoffs are sweeping the US, a worrying trend that has continued from last year. This makes the job market even more difficult for those who are laid off. "I have LinkedIn connections who have been out of work for a year," Ramos said.
She had an emergency fund of about $3,000, but she was worried about whether it would cover her expenses until she got a new job. "I don't have a year's worth of money saved up," she said.
Ramos has ovarian cancer, which means she needs to get an expensive immunotherapy infusion every three weeks. As a single mother, she wouldn't have a spouse's healthcare to lean on while she was unemployed, meaning she would have to pay out of pocket for healthcare.
With the help of an employment lawyer, she was able to get her former workplace to cover three months of COBRA payments. When you lose your job, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act lets you continue whatever health insurance your former employer provided — but you have to pay the full premium, which is often too expensive when you're no longer employed. This helped ease the strain on her emergency fund, but it gave her a tight deadline to find a job.
She wishes she had been more cautious leading up to her layoff
In the end, she was able to make her emergency fund stretch to cover her three-month unemployment period by supplementing it with her unemployment benefits, tax refund, 401(k), and a $500 loan from her parents. While the fund helped her stay afloat, she knew she could've done some things differently leading up to the layoffs that would have left her better prepared.
The July before she was laid off, she bought a house and made several quality-of-life repairs that took a lot out of her emergency fund.
"I wish I that I had been a bit more cautious about some of the work that I had done on the house, knowing that layoffs were a possibility," Ramos said. "I chose to build a deck. Did I really need to choose the deck? Probably not. I kind of wish I'd been a little bit more cautious. I think I would've had a bigger savings to fall back on."
She has a plan to rebuild her emergency fund
Before the layoff, she kept her savings in an Acorns Invest account. She found its round-up features helpful. It made it easy to save with every purchase, which helped her build up an emergency fund easily, she said.
It helped that the account was separate from her bank account. "It made it hard for me to dip into," Ramos said. "It wasn't something that I could go into and pull the money from; there was no check card attached to it, and if I wanted to transfer money into my account, it took, I think, three to five days."
Now she has multiple bank accounts. She still has an Acorns account, but she also has a SoFi Checking and Savings account specifically to for savings. Her SoFi account comes with a Money Vault feature that lets her save money toward specific goals and put it in a slightly harder-to-access area. "It's just this kind of extra layer of steps that's required to access that money," Ramos said. "And it will track the savings for whatever that goal is."
Her SoFi account has a high interest rate, helping her reliably earn more money on her savings. She's also putting more money away with each paycheck than she was before the layoff.
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Elon Musk recently suggested the future of news may be AI-powered.
The billionaire said AI could aggregate social media posts into a real-time news feed.
Experts say the model could quickly spread misinformation.
Elon Musk has a new vision for AI-powered journalism.
Speaking at the Cannes Lions event on Wednesday, he suggested the world was heading to a new model of newsgathering that would be "better than conventional journalism."
In short, Musk thinks social media posts can be aggregated into a real-time news feed using AI.
"What we're doing on the X platform is we are aggregating — we're using AI to sum up the aggregate input from millions of users," he said during an interview with Mark Read, the CEO of advertising group WPP.
"I think this is really going to be the new model of news, which is to gather information from people who are at the scene, who are experts in the field, and summarize the experts," Musk said, adding that this content should be aggregated into a "real-time news feed."
The suggestion aligns with Musk's continued championing of "citizen journalism," which relies on members of the public collecting, disseminating, and analyzing information.
However, using AI to curate a real-time news feed could come with some serious risks.
'Old Twitter on steroids'
Nic Newman, of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, told Business Insider the model was reminiscent of pre-Musk Twitter.
"It's just old Twitter on steroids," he said. "Some of the citizen journalism can be relied on and gives you things, but aggregating stuff when you're not sure how true it is not going to necessarily help human understanding or take us any further than old Twitter did."
According to Musk, X "very quickly" corrects itself when misinformation is spread on the platform.
However, Newman said his recent research had found the opposite was true.
The 2024 Digital News report from the Reuters Institute found X and TikTok to be the least trustworthy sources in terms of users' ability to differentiate fact from falsehoods. The report notes that both platforms have hosted misinformation or conspiracy theories around the Isreal-Hamas conflict and the Princess of Wales's health.
"The real issue that people have is they feel overwhelmed and confused by what's happening, and they don't have enough understanding. I can't see how this really helps that in any way," Newman said.
The idea that Twitter gets things wrong, but is never wrong for long, is something experts were talking about "over a decade ago," according to Newman.
"What we've discovered in that time period is that it can actually be very, very damaging because the falsehood goes around the world before the truth has time to catch up," he said.
Amplifying incorrect information can be dangerous unless platforms have a better way of correcting themselves and letting people know when they've viewed misleading content, Newman added.
Misleading 'experts'
According to Musk, AI and the internet are already "aggregating the wisdom of the people."
When looking to the future of newsgathering, the billionaire emphasized the importance of "experts in the field" and "first observers" over traditional reporters.
Musk has been somewhat hostile to news media since taking over X. He removed a policy that allowed journalists to get blue checkmarks and temporarily suspended several from the platform.
However, Musk's renewed focus on listening to "experts" contradicts some of these decisions. By removing the blue checkmark verification system, the billionaire has arguably made it more difficult to identify the very people he wants aggregated.
"When you're using AI to sort of sift through millions and millions of tweets or posts on X, it can be hard to tell if someone is just saying they're an expert or claiming to be an expert," social-media consultant Matt Navarra told BI.
Compensation questions
"X is probably one of the worst platforms in terms of being able to trust what you're reading," he added. "So if you're using a tool like AI to go through all of these tweets and posts, it gives rise to concern around if it will actually reflect and summarise factual, verifiable information."
Newman said the suggestion to aggregate experts on the platform also raised questions about compensation.
"If you're aggregating experts, people who really know what they're talking about, what is the payment model behind that? Many of those experts may protect their own IP and write Substack newsletters or do podcasts or do things that they can monetize," he said.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.
At the heart of their prime concerns is the desire to improve the workplace for those who enter it and end a negative cycle of criticism at work.
Ending bad work cycles
Early in her career, leaders and managers spoke to Baker "terribly," she said.
"I never want to be the kind of leader who's the catalyst for someone's inner monologue shifting from 'I am capable, I have great ideas' to 'Am I capable? Am I good enough?'" she said. "I will always maintain an environment where hierarchy does not justify verbal disrespect."
Raven Baker.
Raven Baker
Oliver Hodgson, now 20, dropped out of school at 16 with no qualifications and went on to found his creative comms company, Platinum Live.
He was bullied at school and knows the impact a negative environment can have.
"So I will stick up for my colleagues no matter what," he said.
Mental health is paramount
Hodgson never had a job before starting his own company, so he's very "pro-office," he said. Though he can "totally see the benefits of remote work."
Early in his career, Hodgson learned everyone is different, and he's constantly learning from his employees — the majority of whom are older than him.
The biggest priority for Hodgson is his employees' mental health.
The company encourages staff to take mental health days when they need them and promotes an "open dialogue" culture so people feel they can talk about their struggles and well-being.
"I don't want people coming to work and getting excited for 4 p.m. when they leave," Hodgson said. "I want to foster an environment where everybody excels, and we don't just excel and deliver for clients, but we upskill and we look after ourselves."
Hodgson also doesn't want anyone in his company to feel like "steam engines" that are "just plowing out work" and "forgetting we're human."
Oliver Hodgson.
Darren Robinson
High standards with well-being
Sam Winsbury, 24, started building his personal branding agency Kurogo in 2020 and has rapidly grown his company to 19 staff.
Like Hodgson, Winsbury never worked for anyone else and has never even been to a job interview.
Instead, he told BI he learns from friends about their employers and also takes advice from his own team members.
"A lot of the perks and benefits and policies we have are built by the team anyway," he said. "It's just a case of listening to other people and hearing what they want because ultimately it's for them, it's not for me. So they're the best people to guide on what the policies and perks should look like."
Winsbury said he has "high standards" regarding his employees' well-being. He doesn't expect them to respond to clients outside business hours, and the company has a flexible policy, so staff can start earlier and finish earlier if they wish to.
"We're also constantly pushing our team to make sure that they are having a life outside of work," Winsbury said. "We actively encourage people to do things outside of work and to make sure they have clear boundaries."
Sam Winsbury.
Daniel Hambury
Jessie Urvater, who is 25, is the founder of the sober dating platform Club Pillar.
She told BI open communication, a healthy work-life balance, and the "psychological safety" of her employees are her main priorities.
"I believe it's essential for team members to feel heard and valued, so I encourage an environment where feedback is welcomed, and diverse perspectives are respected," she said.
Margot Adams, 26, co-owner and head of marketing and sales at the clothing brand Luxeire, told BI she grew up in a time of rapidly advancing technology, and the way she runs her company reflects that.
"As a start-up, we are constantly testing out new ideas, so I give people a lot of creative liberties," she said. "A comfortable and fulfilling workplace not only boosts confidence but also enhances productivity and innovation, which is essential in today's world, particularly for Gen Z."
Jessie Urvater.
Jessie Urvater
Michelle Enjoli, a career development speaker and coach, told BI that fostering a psychologically safe working environment is essential for creating a great culture, and Gen Z's priorities line up well with this.
Zoomers are shaping the world, Enjoli said, and emphasizing the benefits of transparency, good communication, and clear direction.
Many staff she speaks with in more traditional workplaces feel they spend unnecessary energy "having to monitor their opinions and hiding their concerns or mistakes," which leads to stress and anxiety.
"When a boss prioritizes mental health and the career growth of their employees, it allows them to repurpose their energy into more productive activities," Enjoli said.
No preconceived notions
For many Zoomer bosses, their age can be a superpower.
Winsbury said that although he's made mistakes and that people can be unpredictable, he can generally avoid most problems by being flexible.
"I've not been biased by my previous experience," he said. "I don't have any preconceived notions around how a company should operate."
Fellow Gen Zers, he said, can be frustrating to work with because they have been conditioned to be impatient. But he hopes by investing in his staff and giving them a clear path for progression, he can avoid them job-hopping too much.
"We're a generation that wants things instantly — food, dopamine, rewards, literally everything," he said. "Which is even more of a reason why we need to make sure we have a pathway for people moving forward so that we don't lose them to an opportunity that they think is going to get them somewhere faster."
Hodgson said Gen Zers "get a bad name" for being work-shy, but he doesn't think that's the whole story.
"I think there's a pocket of really powerful Gen Zers, and they really want to make the world a better place," he said
"I'm certainly one of them, and I want to control my own destiny."
Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system launching to intercept rockets being fired from Lebanon next to the city of Kiryat Shmonaon on May 10, 2024.
JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images
A US official told CNN that parts of Israel's Iron Dome would be overwhelmed in the event of a war.
Israel has engaged in tit-for-tat strikes with Hezbollah since October 7.
The system's efficacy was called into question after it failed to stop Hamas' attacks last year.
Hezbollah would overwhelm at least some of Israel's Iron Dome batteries in the event of a full-blown war, a US official told CNN.
The unnamed senior administration official said that, according to their assessments, at least some Iron Dome batteries would be "overwhelmed."
According to three unnamed US officials cited by CNN, the US has shared its fears with Israel that its air defenses in the northern part of the country, including the Iron Dome air defense system, could be vulnerable to Hezbollah's enormous arsenal of missiles and drones if a war broke out.
The Iron Dome is arguably the most advanced defense system in operation today.
Two US officials told the outlet that Israeli officials have raised similar concerns, telling the US they believe the Iron Dome could be vulnerable, especially in the north.
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging tit-for-tat strikes at the border with Lebanon since Hamas' October 7 terror attacks, with the militant group sometimes striking Israeli military targets.
On Thursday, Hezbollah said it launched dozens of rockets at an Israeli military base in Zar'it, per the Times of Israel.
The Iranian-backed militants fired more than 200 projectiles last week, the Israel Defense Forces said, with some triggering fires but causing no casualties, per the BBC.
Hezbollah also claimed to have struck Israel's Iron Dome air defense system in Ramot Naftali with a guided missile earlier this month, per The New Arab.
Missiles launched from the Iron Dome attempt to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.
MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images
According to Israel, the Iron Dome system has been about 90% effective at intercepting rockets over the last 12 years.
But the October 7 Hamas attacks raised questions about why it wasn't able to stop the militants' strikes that day.
Hamas said it fired 5,000 missiles at Israel in just 20 minutes. Israel said the militant group launched more than 3,000 rockets. It's not clear what proportion of the rockets were intercepted during the attack.
Looking ahead to a future conflict, an Israeli official said Hezbollah would more likely overwhelm Iron Dome batteries if the militant group launched a large-scale strike employing precision-guided weapons, which could be difficult for the system to defend against, CNN reported.
In preparation for a possible attack, Israeli officials told the US that Israel was planning to move resources from southern Gaza to northern Israel, CNN reported, citing the unnamed US officials.
Numerous Tesla owners say they have been trapped inside their EVs after they lost power.
Teslas come with manual door releases, but they can be hard to find without the owner's manual.
Business Insider has compiled a guide on how to find them in a range of different Tesla models.
Numerous Tesla owners have said they've been stuck inside their EVs after the cars suddenly lost power.
Firefighters recently had to rescue a toddler from a locked Tesla after the car's battery died.
Renee Sanchez told reporters at On Your Side, a segment in the local outlet Arizona's Family, that her EV's battery died after she put her 20-month-old granddaughter in the car and went to get in the front seat.
When the firefighters arrived on the scene, they used an ax to break the car's window to rescue the child, the report said.
YouTuber Tom Exton claimed back in 2022 that his Tesla Model Y ordered him to pull over before it suddenly lost power and left him unable to exit.
Exton said he followed the instructions for the manual release to open the door, but that this "somehow broke the driver's window."
Another Tesla driver, Rick Meggison, told Arizona-based TV station ABC 15 last summer that he got trapped inside his Model Y vehicle for around 20 minutes on a 100-degree day. He said he couldn't open the doors or windows as the battery had died.
Meggison, who was 73 years old at the time, said he called his sister who was able to open the passenger door using the Tesla app — but that also cracked the car's window, he said.
The manual door release can be tricky to find unless you've combed through your car's owner's manual.
To help Tesla owners avoid getting into the same situation, BI has put together a short guide on how to locate and activate the manual door releases in the Model S, 3, X, and Y.
Model S
The Tesla Model S.
Tesla
To manually open the front doors when a Model S loses power, you need to pull up the release tab that's found in front of the window switches on the door panel, the Tesla owner's manual says.
To open the rear doors, pull back the carpet below the back seats to expose the emergency door release cable, the manual says, adding that you then need to pull the cable "toward the center" of the car.
YouTuber @TeslaInventory, who posts videos about his experience with Teslas on his channel, said that the front doors of a Tesla Model S would still work even if the car lost power, but the rear doors would not.
He also says the manual release will override the car's child lock.
Model 3
Tesla Model 3.
Tesla
The Model 3 owner's manual states that "only the front doors are equipped with a manual door release."
To open the front doors in the event that the car loses power, you need to pull up the manual release that's located just in front of the window switch panel on the door.
Model X
The Tesla Model X.
Tesla
The front doors of the Model X can also be opened using a manual door release that you can find in front of the window buttons, the owner's manual says.
If the power drops out, you can open the rear doors using a mechanical release found behind the speaker grille, which you need to remove from the vehicle's door, the manual adds.
You then need to "pull the mechanical release cable down and towards the front of the vehicle" before lifting up the door to open it.
Model Y
The Tesla Model Y
Tesla
You can also find the manual door release for the Model Y's front seats in front of the window switch panel, the owner's manual says.
The manual makes it clear that not all Model Y cars come with a manual release for the rear seats. For those that do, it is located in the rear doors' pockets.
You need to remove the mat from the pocket and press a red tab to reveal the manual release cable, which you need to pull forward to open the door.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
Team USA's Olympics closing ceremony uniforms were designed by Polo Ralph Lauren.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is the official outfitter of Team USA at the Olympics for the ninth time in a row.
The brand unveiled its Olympic ceremony uniforms and Villagewear collection on June 18.
The collection includes jeans, moto-style jackets, and plenty of red, white, and blue.
When you think of the official Olympic ceremony uniforms, blue jeans and moto jackets are probably not the first outfits that come to mind.
And yet, that's exactly what Ralph Lauren unveiled on June 18 as part of Team USA's opening and closing ceremony uniforms for the Summer Olympics in Paris, which begin on July 26.
The brand also released a Villagewear collection, which includes graphic tees, sweatpants, accessories, and more for members of Team USA to wear during their downtime in and around the city.
The entire Team USA Collection is also available for fans to purchase.
In a press release, Ralph Lauren Corporation's chief branding and innovation officer, David Lauren, said, "Ralph Lauren is profoundly honored to define the look of the American delegation as they represent our country in one of the world's most celebrated and storied events."
He also told The Associated Press on Monday that the brand works "very closely with Team USA to make the athletes feel at once dressed up, feel like a team, but at the same time comfortable and very distinctively American" and that "nothing says America like blue jeans, especially when we're in Paris."
Fifteen Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky, were chosen to represent the brand as ambassadors.
However, reactions to the uniforms have been mixed.
Among responses on social media, there has been praise for the opening-ceremony jackets, disdain for the jeans, and comparisons to college students' outfits. People even drew comparisons between the closing ceremony looks and "Talladega Nights" character Ricky Bobby and NASA astronauts, per the Independent.
As the internet continues to debate if jeans and moto jackets are too casual — or too similar to a NASCAR pit crew — here's a look at everything Team USA will be wearing this Olympic Games so you can decide for yourself.
Team USA's opening ceremony uniform includes a single-breasted navy-blue blazer, a striped Oxford shirt, jeans, and cream suede buck shoes.
Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long wears the opening ceremony uniform.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Ties and belts are also included in the opening ceremony uniform.
Olympic swimmer Bobby Finke wears the opening ceremony uniform.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Team USA's closing ceremony uniform includes a moto-style jacket, polo shirt, white denim pants, and a cap.
Olympic skateboarder Jagger Eaton wears the closing ceremony uniform.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Each athlete's jacket features a customized patch indicating the sport they represent.
Olympic fencer Daryl Homer wears the closing ceremony uniform.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
The Villagewear collection includes accessories, sweaters, sweatpants, graphic tees, dresses, and more.
Team USA Olympics attire.
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Gymnast Shilese Jones wears Team USA's red-and-white lace-up rugby shirt.
Gymnast Shilese Jones.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Paralympian Roderick Townsend sports the collection's satin baseball jacket over a white polo.
Paralympian Roderick Townsend.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Breaker Jeffrey Louis wears the Team USA track jacket and pants with a mesh tank and white mesh pullover.
Breaker Jeffrey Louis.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky wears a navy-blue cropped rugby shirt.
Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.
Courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren
Paralympic swimmer Jamal Hill wears the Team USA reversible jacket and a knitted flag sweater.
Happy Friday! The best AI-generated picture… wasn't generated with AI. A photographer won the top prize in an AI contest with a real picture to show the ethical issues around the tech.
In today's big story, we're looking at Chipotle's newest pitch in the big business that is winning your lunch break.
Chipotle's latest marketing campaign shows how creative restaurants are getting to nab your lunch order. The fast-casual chain knows where its bread is buttered burrito is wrapped, advertising a limited-time meal targeted at young, male office workers.
The Chipotle Boy Bowl has double chicken, white rice, black beans, mild salsa, corn, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and lettuce, in a nod to the gym and finance bros who frequent the chain. (Truly knowing their audience would have been touting the "macros" — carb, protein, and fat stats — of the dish, but I digress.)
The newest addition to the menu could have been a mea culpa by Chipotle. In recent years, the chain has faced criticism over what some customers say is a drop in quality coupled with rising prices.
Still, Chipotle's stock, which is preparing for a historic 50-for-1 split next week, has persevered. Its share price is up more than 43% this year.
Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI
But the competition to be your go-to lunch spot is fierce.
A newcomer to the public markets has come on particularly strong. Fellow fast-casual chain Cava, often viewed as a Mediterranean Chipotle, has been on a tear since it went public last June. This year its share price is up more than 125%.
And that's not even tops in the sector. Sweetgreen, which went public in 2021, is up roughly 165% this year. It also has an eye toward the future with the launch of a robot-driven location in Illinois last year.
But other lunch options haven't enjoyed as much success. Yum! Brands — home to KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell — is up less than 4% this year. And Restaurant Brands, which includes Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes, is down more than 10%.
Citadel grows its South Florida fortress. Ken Griffin is reportedly adding two more floors to Citadel's planned offices, which will now feature eight floors within a 55-story tower in Miami's financial district. It shows the billionaire's continued investment in the Sunshine State.
The US government is wracking up quite the bill. The Congressional Budget Office projects national debt will reach $56.9 trillion by the start of 2034. That represents a 64% increase over the next decade.
Bitcoin's cooldown might be a warning for the stock market. A Stifel strategist predicted a late-summer stock market decline based on bitcoin's 10% sell-off in the past few weeks. He pointed to the strong correlation between bitcoin and the Nasdaq 100 since 2020.
3 things in tech
Apple
Apple's AI rollout faces a huge hurdle in China.ChatGPT, which powers Apple Intelligence, isn't allowed in China, a key market for Apple. Large-language-model chatbots operating in China need Beijing's permission, which has only been granted to domestic companies. That's reportedly led Apple to consider deals with Chinese makers similar to OpenAI.
Nvidia and Microsoft beefed over chips. Jensen Huang's attempt to closely control how Nvidia chips are used reportedly led to a weeks-long feud with Microsoft. The tense standoff made it all the way to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's desk before Nvidia backed down.
Amazon goes back to basics. The company got its start selling books in 1994. Decades later, its original business is thriving — and outpacing sales of e-books. Internal documents show Amazon sold $16.9 billion worth of books in the first 10 months of 2022.
3 things in business
Marc Piasecki/Getty Images
Elon rues the breakup with Twitter's advertisers. Two years after telling advertisers to get lost, Elon Musk is courting them again in the face of X's plummeting revenue. But advertisers seem to think they're better apart, with many turned off by his chaotic tweeting habits.
Sorry, it's for close friends only. After years of favoring influencers, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are all leaning into features for close friends. They're intended to foster connections between users and the small subset of followers who get access to exclusive content.
A16z-backed Knownwell is buying Alfie Health. Alfie Health, a Y Combinator startup, uses AI to treat obesity. With Ozempic sparking a boom in the weight-loss business, obesity-care startup Knownwell plans to integrate Alfie's AI tech into its obesity and primary-care services.
Donald Trump appears at a court hearing on charges of mishandling classified documents.
The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. George Glover, reporter, in London. Annie Smith, associate producer, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.