Author: openjargon

• Armenia announced this week that it will leave the Russia-led CSTO, seen as Putin's rival to NATO.
• Experts say Putin wants the alliance to project Russian power, meaning Armenia's decision is a blow.
• Armenia may see this as a power play, but one expert warned it doesn't have much leverage.

Armenia's announcement that it's going to leave a Russia-led alliance that was set up to rival NATO is a blow to the image Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to project, experts told Business Insider.

Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia, one of six member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, said on Wednesday that his country is leaving the alliance, after growing increasingly frustrated.

The decision, particularly from a country so much smaller and weaker than Russia, is unlikely to go down well in the Kremlin.

In fact, experts say it's the opposite of what Putin hoped to achieve with the alliance.

The CSTO is important to Russia

The CSTO, established in 2002, is made up of countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. It is widely viewed as Putin's attempt to establish a NATO rival, one that it leads.

"Putin sees himself almost like this 19th-century style great statesman," Davis Ellison, an analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, told BI.

But, he said, it's difficult to reconcile the idea that you're a great power — with a sphere of influence — when a country the size of Armenia "breaks away from you very publicly over your foreign policy behavior."

"That's a circle that cannot be squared," he said.

Armenia's announcement is "ultimately pretty significant from a political sense for Russia," he added.

Alexander Cooley, a former Soviet states expert at Columbia University, told BI last year that Russia sees leading organizations like the CSTO as part of its "self-identification as a great power."

The alliance is not very important globally, he said: "I don't think it ever struck anybody as a very effective organization." But leading it is still important to Putin as, in Putin's mind, "great powers lead alliances and organizations."

Thomas Graham, cofounder of Yale University's Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies program, said that the CSTO was created "in part so that Russia could claim that it was leading a multilateral effort."

"But it was also meant to solidify Russia's position as the ultimate guarantor of security in the former Soviet space," he told BI.

Armenia snubbing Russia

Pashinyan's announcement came after months of snubs against Putin, and criticism of the CSTO in general.

Pashinyan was visibly frustrated when Russia did not send troops to help his country last year during clashes with Azerbaijan, despite the CSTO having a NATO-like agreement where members should come to the aid of each other if attacked.

He called the response "depressing" and "hugely damaging to the CSTO's image both in our country and abroad."

Since then, Armenia has said it's "not Russia's ally" in the war in Ukraine, has bought Western weapons, and has held military exercises with the US.

But Armenia will have a tough future

Graham suggested that Armenia's latest move was a power play "to see if it can get a more favorable set of relations with Moscow," and more support in its clashes with neighboring Azerbaijan.

But he said that Armenia doesn't have enough external support to get what it wants.

"Moscow may pay a bit more attention, but I think at the end of the day, Moscow's calculation is that Armenia doesn't really have many other places to go," he told BI.

"It can flirt with the West, but it will never get the type of support out of the West that can replace what Moscow can provide," he said, adding: "Armenia is not going to get a lot of high-level attention in Washington."

Armenia, like CSTO members Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, is also still economically dependent on Russia, Graham said.

And he said it can't expect support from the other member states, particularly as Armenia is not as close to some of them as they are with each other and Russia.

Russia may also retaliate by interfering with its domestic politics, he said.

While the situation may be embarrassing for Putin, when it comes to responding to Armenia he does have a lot of room to maneuver, Graham added, "in part because there aren't any other countries that want to intervene in a significant way."

• We want to have a wedding in our home state, Florida, without ostracizing our queer friends.
• Our LGBTQ+ friends said they don't feel safe traveling to Florida, and we won't make them do so.
• So, we're having one wedding in Florida and one in New York. 

In 2022, I was directing at a theater in Ithaca, New York, when my partner surprised me with a marriage proposal.

At the end of a breezy hike to the foot of Businessman's Lunch Falls, sitting on a sun-warmed rock in the middle of the creek, they popped the question. I said yes.

But as we began thinking about our future wedding, we had a conundrum: Our family lives in Florida, and we'd love to get married there … but most of our queer friends have recently moved out of the state for their own safety and well-being.

Having a wedding in Florida is important to us — but it's become a difficult place to exist as a queer person

Despite moving to New York City in 2022, we both grew up in Florida and couldn't imagine having our wedding anywhere else.

The state's sunshine, flora, and fauna make us feel fully at home, and we have many family members in Florida who can no longer travel.

But before we moved, Gov. Ron DeSantis passed what's been nicknamed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which limits teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida schools.

My partner and I — who both use they/them pronouns — were teaching at the New College of Florida at the time and were worried how this would impact our jobs and our lives.

We moved north with a grim understanding of where things were headed politically in Sarasota, and many of our Floridian LGBTQ+ colleagues would follow suit in the months to follow.

Shortly after we left Florida, DeSantis overhauled New College, turning the liberal-arts school into a bastion of conservative politics.

As we started to plan our wedding, we checked in with queer and trans friends, most of whom have sought refuge from Florida's fraught sociopolitical climate.

They helped us realize how much fear and anger there is in our community surrounding traveling southward. Most told us they outright refused to set foot in Florida — not even for a wedding.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with a destination wedding, so long as that destination isn't the same place your friends all just worked so hard to escape from to ensure their rights to life, love, and healthcare.

Our solution is to have 2 weddings: one in Florida and one in New York

As queer people — queer citizens — we have the burden to navigate our competing desires: to celebrate amid family in an ecosystem we cherish and to keep our queer community and ourselves feeling joyous, and more importantly, safe.

We would never ask a loved one to travel where they don't feel welcome. But we also refuse to let conservative politics stop us from celebrating our love amid some of the most beautiful nature on the planet in Florida.

With all of this to consider, we began to plan two weddings: one in Florida with local family and friends and one in New York City for our northern communities — especially those who can't imagine going back to a state that no longer feels safe for folks who once called it home.

We'll have one wedding in Orlando this fall and the other in New York next spring.

We want our community to feel like they can actually celebrate at our wedding — but this only happens when everyone gathered feels safe, not targeted by local politics because of who they are.

I hope our two weddings make everyone feel comfortable, loved, and seen. Isn't that what making a marriage is all about?

• I was one of the first to ride the all-new Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction at Magic Kingdom. 
• I loved the highly advanced animatronics of characters like Tiana and Mama Odie.
• The queue is a great spot to spot hidden details of the attraction.

In 2020, Disney announced it would close the popular but controversial Splash Mountain at both Disney World and Disneyland.

There was plenty of upset and backlash from fans of the classic ride. But its story was based on the 1946 movie "Songs of the South," which has been criticized for featuring a racist representation of the American Old South.

In its place, Disney created a new "Princess and the Frog"-themed water ride called Tiana's Bayou Adventure, with the company's first Black princess front and center.

I got a chance to ride the new Magic Kingdom attraction early as part of a media preview event ahead of its official opening on June 28. Here's what it's like.

There is a large outdoor queue that leads into the main section of the line.

Before loading into the log-style ride vehicles, a large outdoor queue area snakes around a concrete plaza.

This largely unshaded outdoor area can get very hot, so I'd bring a handheld fan or an umbrella during the summer months to help keep cool.

Just before heading inside, I spotted Tiana's delivery truck decorated in Mardi Gras colors.

The indoor queue was cute and full of Easter eggs.

After walking through the outdoor line, I reached the covered indoor section of the queue, which was almost cuter than the actual attraction.

I loved all of the hidden details. But one of the first things I saw was a newspaper folded up on a wooden table. The headline read, "Princess Tiana throws a Mardi Gras Party for all of New Orleans."

This was my first big clue for what to expect from the ride itself.

The queue area featured a nod to Splash Mountain.

Just past the table, on the shelf above the desk, there's a little Easter egg paying tribute to Splash Mountain: fox, bear, and bunny tchotchkes placed together as a nod to Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit.

My favorite part of the queue was seeing the gumbo recipe on the wall.

If you've ever watched "The Princess and the Frog," you'll know that gumbo, a stew-like dish that's famous in New Orleans, is a big part of the story.

I loved seeing a framed copy of Tiana's dad's famous recipe on the wall of the queue. I snapped a picture just to try out the recipe myself.

Waiting in line was a full sensory experience.

Just past the gumbo recipe, I peeked into Tiana's kitchen, where a plate of beignets was covered in powdered sugar on the table.

It even smelled like powdered sugar inside the kitchen.

After a few more minutes of waiting, it was finally time to ride.

The log-style ride vehicles for Tiana's Bayou Adventure looked very similar to the ones from Splash Mountain — I wouldn't be surprised if they just recycled the old ones.

They each have four rows that can comfortably fit two adults each. I got a seat in the back row of the log.

The ride was full of new animatronic characters and animals.

After the first lift hill, I got my first look at the impressive new animatronics that Disney created for the attraction, which is set a year after "The Princess and the Frog" ends.

Princess Tiana welcomed us to the bayou and let us know what to bring to the party.

Other characters from the movie made an appearance as well.

The ride continued down into the bayou past Louis and Mama Odie from the movie.

Throughout the ride, there were familiar songs from the movie. But there was also an all-new song called "Special Spice," sung by Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Tiana.

The big drop was as thrilling as ever.

The most famous part of Splash Mountain was probably the big drop into the briar patch, and that track remained the same for the reimagined water ride.

Luckily, in the back of the log, I didn't get very wet throughout the ride, including the big drop.

There were so many cute details throughout the ride.

My favorite part of the ride was the final scene, where all the characters gather for a big celebration.

Each of the critters we passed during the ride is now playing music for the party. One of my favorite details was seeing Gritty, the rabbit, playing the washboard, which is actually the license plate from Tiana's truck outside.

I'd definitely wait to ride this again.

I only ended up riding Tiana's Bayou Adventure once during the preview event. Although it's not my favorite ride at Disney World (that spot belongs to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind), it's great to have something new.

I also loved everything the Disney creatives did to make the attraction feel like it was plucked right out of New Orleans.

When Tiana's Bayou Adventure officially opens at the end of the month, Magic Kingdom will only offer a virtual queue, as has been the case for other recent rides. But you can also purchase Genie+ or an Individual Lighting Lane to ride.

The minimum height requirement is 40 inches. The ride doesn't have scary story elements, but some parts are dark, and the big drop could be too much for younger kids.

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.

• Gen X is feeling the sting of inflation more than other generations.
• A new TransUnion study shows Gen X is planing the greatest cutbacks in discretionary spending.
• More than half of Gen Xers said their income wasn't matching the pace of rising prices.

With the Federal Reserve Bank holding interest rates steady, inflation worries continue to rise. And no group is feeling the pinch more than Generation X.

Sixty-four percent of Gen Xers have cut back on discretionary spending like dining out and travel in the last three months, the highest percentage of any generation, according to TransUnion's consumer pulse study published on June 12. TransUnion surveyed 3,000 adults between April 29 and May 8 in partnership with third-party research firm Dynata.

Overall, 84% of respondents cited inflation for everyday goods like groceries and gas as a top concern, a 5% increase from the same period in the previous year. Interest rate worries also climbed to 46%, up from 41% a year ago.

This inflation concern has many Americans believing that their paychecks are not keeping up with their costs of living. Gen X — who were born between 1965 and 1980 — is struggling the most, with 56% indicating their income isn't matching the pace of rising prices, the highest for any generation.

This comes at a time when many Gen Xers are already feeling financial pressure. According to a Business Insider and YouGov survey of over 1,800 US adults in July, 50% of Gen Xers do not feel financially secure even though they are at the height of their earning potential. It was also the generation least likely to feel somewhat or very financially secure.

In addition to inflation pressure, Gen X is responsible for 38% of the debt in the US despite representing about 20% of the US population, according to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances.

Gen X feels less optimistic about money than other generations

Gen X also has a more dire view of the economy in general.

While all generations listed inflation as their biggest concern regarding household finances — ranging from 77% for Gen Z respondents to 90% for baby boomers — many Gen Xers are also worried that the country is heading toward a recession. Half of this cohort named this as their second-biggest concern.

What's more, 47% of Gen Xers feel optimistic about household finances in the next 12 months. That was well behind Gen Z and millennials, at 65% and 64%, respectively. Boomers were more evenly split at 49%.

Additionally, more than one-third of Gen X respondents anticipate canceling subscriptions and memberships, and one in four plan to cancel or reduce digital services.

As inflation concerns rise, Gen X is being hit the hardest, as they deal with high debt levels and insufficient income growth to match cost-of-living increases. 

"Consumers are facing distinct challenges when taking into account today's high inflation and interest rate environment," said Charlie Wise, senior vice president and head of global research and consulting at TransUnion, in the company's press release. "As the cost of living continues to increase, we are seeing clear behavioral changes, with those being 'inflation concerned' more likely to cut back on discretionary spending and cancel subscriptions or memberships."

Are you a Gen Xer who has needed to adjust your budget and spending habits and is willing to talk about how? Reach out to this reporter at cgaines@businessinsider.com.

• Business Insider spoke with chefs and grilling experts about common hot-dog mistakes people make.
• Avoid boiling hot dogs, and make sure not to grill them over direct heat.
• Don't split or poke the hot dogs before grilling them, and make an effort to prep the buns.

Whenever possible, spend a little extra on all-beef hot dogs.

Grillers on a budget might be tempted to add bargain-priced hot dogs to their cart, but a truly sublime hot dog starts with quality meat.

Tim Hollingsworth, the chef and owner of Otium in downtown Los Angeles, told Business Insider that you'll end up with a tastier dog if you skip the cheaper brands.

He recommended keeping an eye out for natural, all-beef hot dogs, which usually aren't that much more expensive and are available in just about every supermarket.

Avoid boiling your hot dogs.

Though they may look pink, most hot dogs are actually already cooked and technically ready to eat right out of the package. This means that boiling them for ages before throwing them on the grill is probably unnecessary, and it can suck the flavor right out of your dogs.

But you may want to make sure your chilled hot dogs are heated through before tossing them on the grill.

To accomplish this, chef and cooking-school instructor Candace Conley told BI that lightly poaching your dogs for a minute or two in a covered saucepan of hot water — that's been taken off the heat — will allow them to come to a more ideal grilling temperature without compromising on flavor.

Don’t cook your hot dogs over direct heat.

Since hot dogs are small portions of meat, they can easily burn when cooked on an open flame. 

"To avoid burning or overcooking your dogs on the grill — which can cause the casing to burst — cook them over indirect heat on the grill grate and move them around frequently so every side gets touched by the heat source," Claudia Sidoti, principal chef and head of recipe development at HelloFresh, told BI.

Plopping your hot dogs right over the flames can also lead to their casings charring and burning before the inside even has a chance to warm up.

Avoid poking or splitting your dogs.

You may be tempted to poke your hot dogs with a knife or fork while they're grilling to test for "doneness," but you should try to break the habit.

"Since hot dogs are usually precooked, there is no need to split them open or pierce them during the cooking process. By poking and prodding your dogs, you release the delicious juices that make them juicy," Sidoti said.

Instead, gently turn your hot dogs using tongs to ensure their casings stay intact and full of flavor.

It's smart to adjust your grilling temperature to the fat content of the hot dogs.

Compare a few packages of hot dogs, and you'll probably notice that different styles and brands contain different amounts of fat.

Adapting your cooking process to this variation is a crucial part of serving up delicious hot dogs.

"Consider the fat content in the hot dogs to determine what heat you should be grilling at. Higher-fat dogs should be cooked at a medium heat whereas leaner dogs should be grilling on a medium-low setting," said Julie Busha, grilling expert and creator of Slawsa hot-dog condiment.

Make sure the grill is hot enough before adding your hot dogs to it.

A grill that is too hot can burn your hot dogs or split their casings, but a grill that's too cool can also cause hot-dog havoc.

"If your grill is too cold, your hot dog will get dried out or tough," Hollingsworth said. "Be sure to preheat your grill for a few minutes. I usually aim for a grill temp of 425 degrees with a cook time of about 10 minutes."

Don’t forget to prep the buns.

Perfectly prepared meat is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the hot-dog experience, but the bun is also an important factor. No one likes cold buns.

"A hot dog bun should be gently toasted, which can be achieved by throwing the buns on the grill for about one minute per side," Sidoti told BI.

For added flavor, brush the inside of the toasted bun with a little butter or oil.

Consider "bathing" your hot dogs before grilling.

Boiling hot dogs for a long time before grilling is a bad move, but "bathing" them in flavorful liquid might actually make your hot dogs tastier.

"Keep an aluminum pan filled with a mixture of hot beer, onions, and seasonings on indirect heat and place your hot dogs in before grilling," Busha told BI. "This not only warms the hot dogs but also helps firm up that natural casing without breaking it."

Right before serving, simply pluck the hot dogs from their bath and give them a perfect char on the grill.

Adding sugar-based sauces while the hot dogs are on the grill can take them up a notch.

Hot dogs can be great out of the package, but there are a bunch of easy ways to add extra flavor to take your grilling to the next level.

"Once your hot dogs have cooked for a few minutes, brush on some barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, or, if you're feeling creative, any sauce with a sugar base," said Hollingsworth. "The sauce will caramelize as it finishes cooking."

If you want a better flavor, avoid skinless hot dogs.

You know that satisfying snap you get when biting into a perfectly cooked hot dog? That's from the meat's casing.

Busha told BI that opting for a skinless hot dog not only sacrifices that snap but can also cause the hot dog to lose moisture more easily on the grill.

Texture is an important factor in the hot-dog experience, so choose dogs with natural casings for the best results.

Don’t stick to just one type of condiment.

Only using one condiment can make even the tastiest hot dogs seem boring.

Though mustard or ketchup work just fine, don't be afraid to experiment with different flavors and combinations for a more gourmet experience.

Sidoti told BI that for an ideal flavor balance, you should opt for an acidic topping, which complements the smokiness and high fat content of the hot dog.

For example, you can try creating Caribbean jerk-inspired hot dogs with grilled pineapple, cilantro, lime zest, a splash of rum, and a dusting of jerk seasoning spices.

This story was originally published in June 2019 and most recently updated on June 14, 2024. 

Read More:

• I tried hot dogs from 4 fast-food chains and the winner was affordable and tasty
• Chefs share 5 of the best and 4 of the worst things to do when grilling
• 11 mistakes you're making when grilling steaks
• 10 simple summer desserts you can make on a grill

• I'm a mom of two and divorced. I had to restart my life at almost 40. 
• My kids have different lifestyles between my house and their dad's. 
• I make a budget for them to spend on Father's Day buying things for their dad. 

Ever since my divorce, Father's Day has made me uncomfortable. I don't enjoy thinking about, celebrating, or spending my money on the person who broke our family apart.

Although it's been a few years since my ex initiated our divorce, it's been stressful co-parenting with someone who communicates differently and has different means to mine.

My tween son and daughter may experience lavish trips and vacations, tickets to pro soccer games, and barbecues with the other parent's family, but I can't forget how I felt before and after our divorce.

My kids want to celebrate Father's Day

I remember carrying groceries alone, planning and hosting birthday parties alone, changing every diaper, filing every lunch box, doing homework sessions, and tying every shoe tie. Back then, I gave the kids construction paper, crayons, and markers to make a Father's Day card, which we presented with glee.

Now, while I drive to the store so my kids can pick out a card and a gift for their father, I keep these bad memories to myself while I buy the card and the bow and wrap the gift.

During the divorce process, I forgot about how this holiday would feel. My kids will want to celebrate Father's Day regardless of how their parent's marriage ended, so I will fork out the money for their cheerfulness.

I do encourage the kids to get a card, like I used to for my own father. I stand there in the aisle, waiting patiently, until they choose a card they are delighted with, usually it is something humorous. I try to put my resentment aside when my kids brainstorm ideas about the special gift they want to get their dad.

I have a small budget to help them buy their dad a gift

I try to spend $50 or less for a Father's Day gift but every year is different. Post-divorce I've spent anywhere between $25 to $100 on a gift from my kids.

One time my kids wanted to fill a cooler with snacks their father liked. I sighed and rambled off a few snacks while my kids' piled chips and candy, hot sauce and jerky into the cooler. Their excitement is contagious though and I roll with it because it's really all about them and their kindheartedness is something I can help to nurture.

Another time it was a gift card to a favorite restaurant for chicken wings. This year, they wanted to customize a bobblehead doll that looked like their father.

Holidays look different now that I'm divorced

According to the decree my kids will spend Friday to Sunday with their father to celebrate Father's Day. It's important to have Father's Day and Mother's Day details in a divorce decree to limit stress and so everyone is on the same page for these special days.

All holidays look different now as a divorced parent, and what helps is finding ways to enjoy my own company when I'm without my kids on certain holidays.

This year while my kids spend time with their father, I will honor my own who passed away before my kids were born. As much as it hurts to miss him, I try to make it a day of joy and remembrance.

I'll go on a long walk and embrace the beauty on the trail and in new beginnings. I'll reflect on my childhood memories of my father, running together, bike rides, how much he cared about our dog and my dad's voice singing oldies songs on the porch.

Then I'll re-read the Father's Day card I sent my dad a year before he died. I was surprised to find the card and envelope in his car under papers on the backseat after he died.

• President Joe Biden is making a play for Nikki Haley's former supporters.
• Haley endorsed Trump, but urged the former president to appeal to her millions of voters. 
• A self-described centrist Republican Haley voter said he just can't support Donald Trump again.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Roger, who is affiliated with the Haley Voters Working Group. The group is comprised of former primary supporters of UN Ambassador Nikki Haley who are supporting President Joe Biden in the general election or considering supporting the president. He is only identified by his name due to the sensitivities of his continuing work on defense policy. We've also included a statement from Trump at the bottom of the story.

We are speaking to voters, officials, and others directly connected to politics this election cycle to get a first-person look at the stakes of this election. We fact-check their statements, vet our sources, and edit their responses for length and clarity.

I voted for former President Donald Trump twice. It's clear now that his behavior is one of the greatest threats to the Constitution we've ever seen. But for a few words in the 14th Amendment, he wouldn't even be eligible to be a candidate.

We're seeing it in real time. I don't want to be a part of that. We are not an autocracy. I don't know if I can vote for Joe Biden. And yes, his age is a legitimate concern. Father Time is undefeated. But if I've got a choice between an autocrat and someone of his age, I'm not choosing the autocrat. No, sir, no, thank you.

Trump started losing me when he started the shenanigans after he lost the 2020 election. All that weird stuff leading up to January 6. And if it hadn't been for Vice President Mike Pence, who is a great man, we would have been at a constitutional crossroads.

The former president will say anything, and he'll do it with a straight face. He reminds me of PT Barnum; there's a sucker born every minute. You just have to do your research. He's done tremendous damage to himself. Not once has he accepted any accountability for the messes he's gotten himself into.

Trump's a convicted felon now, though I thought the New York case was definitely the weakest one against him. Honestly, having handled classified documents in my military career, I looked at the list of things they found in the pool house and by the toilet. I was like, my goodness, he's in a heap of trouble here. You can't explain that away. He had multiple opportunities to gracefully return those documents.

Trump's treatment of Nikki Haley made it even worse.

I don't like how Trump treated Nikki Haley. The name-calling, what he said about her husband when he was deployed. My goodness, he never finds the high ground. She's one of the smartest people you'll come around who understands all of these issues. But she doesn't play to the left; MAGA hates her.

It was a stung when she endorsed him. I had to give it a little bit of reflection. I've watched the video several times. She has to remain politically viable moving forward. She is fundamentally a Republican. In the big picture, she never pretended that she was anything else. And she said that it was her personal choice. She gave the caveat in there that she encouraged him to reach out to his voters. In retrospect, he's had all this time to reach out to the over 4 million Haley voters. He's never done it. The Biden campaign actually has.

I never liked Trump's tone and the way he behaved, but I did vote for him because I thought he was right about the border. His fiscal policies were mostly sound. The border is a real issue. There's many of us that believe that this issue began back in January 2021 after President Biden was sworn in, because he turned around and canceled all of Trump's executive orders and policies. You have to understand the bigger picture here. The effect of flooding in these undocumented immigrants brings the border to New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta. It brings the border everywhere because we are not vetting these people.

I'm an old-school Reagan fan, and Nikki Haley is a genuine Republican. She understands the importance of Ukraine. She understands the importance of how we project our foreign policy. An, if you think about it, there's a lot of crossover there that the current administration is trying to do. Trump being elected would be a disaster for Ukraine. Forty-six Republicans voted against funding NATO — that scares the devil out of me. It's like no one is paying attention to the things that are really important. We want democracy, we want liberty, and we want freedom to flourish, because that's what true American values are. We don't want to send American troops to fight over there.

Serving in the military had a profound effect on my life.

I met my wife during my first tour in Korea. We've been married 35 years now. The military is a microcosm of our society as a whole. Growing up in rural South Carolina, I learned a lot about people by working beside them. It gets you away from a myotic way of thinking. One of my assignments took me to the DMZ. You come face-to-face with North Korea. You see them living in the past. They come out in these old woolen Soviet uniforms. It's very stark there. You sort of understand the dangers in the world.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, it got me. You look on a map, you can tell what the stakes are. There's nothing good coming from Russian aggression. And so that's what drew me into being involved, adding my voice and perspective to the mix.

In response to Roger's comments, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung sent the following statement to Business Insider: "President Trump dominated the primary in record-breaking fashion and it wasn't even close. Voters know that President Trump is the only person who will beat Joe Biden and take back the White House. It was revealed that investigators in that case likely engaged in evidence tampering and mishandling of those documents, which is why a filing was made earlier this week to dismiss the case. Joe Biden being elected again would be a disaster for America. President Trump will put America First instead of getting into more wars and more conflict like Biden has done." (Editor's note: Special counsel Jack Smith's team has said the order of documents taken from Mar-a-Lago during the classified documents probe may have shifted from when FBI agents originally seized the material.)

• Patrick Synge fired one of his employees for secretly working a second remote job while on the clock.
• He shared how he caught the employee and why he decided to fire them. 
• He says overemployment is sometimes "unethical" and can hurt worker productivity. 

This as-told-to essay is based on an email conversation with Patrick Synge, the cofounder and chief commercial officer of the business-process-outsourcing and remote-recruitment company Metrickal. The business is headquartered in Barcelona and has 10 full time, fully remote employees, in addition to more than 200 contractors worldwide. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm the cofounder and CCO of a business where every employee works fully remotely. In January, I caught one of them secretly working a second full-time remote job.

Here's how it all played out — and why I decided to fire them.

My business is headquartered in Barcelona, but one of my employees was based in Peru. He was hired in 2022, and in the beginning, he did his job very well. But then, I started to receive complaints from clients about missed assignments and deadlines. He had also become quite unresponsive. These complaints from clients started to become somewhat regular.

When this employee started refusing certain shifts he usually worked, I became suspicious. I had a feeling that he was doing something on the side, but because there was no proof, I didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

So instead, I had one-on-one meetings with him to discuss his job performance. When the same issues continued, I told him that if things didn't change, I'd have to let him go.

While he showed some signs of improvement, his overall performance didn't change much. This put a significant burden on the rest of the team, who had to cover his shifts and deal with missed deadlines.

How I ultimately caught him

In December, unrelated to this particular employee, my company rolled out the time-tracking software called DeskTime.

My long-term goal is to introduce a four-day workweek at my company, and I decided the first step in this process would be understanding how my employees spend their time and what could be optimized to boost productivity.

So our entire team of full-time employees and freelance contractors started using DeskTime. They each had to install the app on their computers, so everyone was well aware that this was being implemented.

After a few weeks, I looked through the tracking data of the struggling employee and noticed there was another company's name — a US business — that regularly appeared in the data. It became clear to me that this employee had worked on some other company's tasks.

I fired them the next day.

The DeskTime data showed that the employee was using software during the workday that was unrelated to his job tasks. It also included a screenshot feature that captured his computer screen — and showed him working on a platform where the other company's name was visible.

Based on the DeskTime data, I estimate that he had spent close to half of his work time working for this other company. It seems that he forgot about the tracking software since once it's downloaded, it doesn't require any manual switching on and off.

To be honest, all the other signs — missed deadlines, lack of flexibility, and unresponsiveness at certain times — had already made me quite certain that he was doing something else during working hours. I would have probably fired him anyway, but the tracked data was the missing hard proof.

I believe he was working for the other company full time because soon after I fired him, he updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect that he was working full time at the other company.

Why I think overemployment is sometimes unethical

I know some people may judge me, but I generally don't support the trend of overemployment. I think it's sometimes unethical and just wrong.

First of all, I don't think it's fair to the rest of the team who have to cover up for someone else's low performance. This is why keeping this employee of mine in the company wasn't an option. He wasn't fair and respectful to the team, and that's something I can't tolerate — his actions were just selfish.

Secondly, I don't believe a person can productively do two jobs at the same time, even if you use AI or other tools. Their attention will be scattered, so the quality of their work will suffer. As an entrepreneur, I have to think about my business and clients first. I can't afford to lose clients because someone wants to make extra money.

I really don't mind people having side hustles to earn extra income. But this should be something they do on their own time and that doesn't affect the quality of their day job.

Are you working multiple remote jobs at the same time and willing to provide details about your pay and schedule? Has a coworker or employee of yours done so? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@businessinsider.com.

Correction: June 13, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated Patrick Synge's role at Metrickal. He's the chief commercial officer, not the CEO.

• Learning to ask AI the right questions is important for young consultants, McKinsey exec says.
• The McKinsey exec told one intern to learn to be a great 'prompt engineer.'
• McKinsey said last year that AI is making consultants more efficient, saving 30% of their time.

Standing out in a summer internship these days boils down to one thing — learning to talk to AI.

At least, that's the advice McKinsey's chief client officer, Liz Hilton Segel, gave one eager intern at the firm.

"My advice to her was to be an outstanding prompt engineer," Hilton Segel told The Wall Street Journal.

McKinsey is among a handful of top consulting firms capitalizing on the generative AI frenzy. Its record $16 billion in revenue last year came, in part, from new work relating to the technology.

The firm has also launched its own in-house generative AI tools, including Lilli, named after Lillian Dombrowski, the first woman employed by McKinsey in professional services.

Lilli's purpose is to aggregate the firm's knowledge and capabilities so that employees can spend more time engaging with clients, Erik Roth, a senior partner at McKinsey who oversaw Lili's development, said last year in a press release announcing the tool.

Tools like Lilli allow employees to cut down on busy work if they learn to prompt — the process of eliciting information from these tools — and focus their skills on higher-value tasks.

Roth said at the firm's media day last month that 72% of consultants now use Lilli.

"We've answered over 3 million prompts and add about 120,000 prompts per week," he said. "We are saving on average up to 30% of a consultants' time that they can reallocate to spend more time with their clients instead of spending more time analyzing things."

• This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Happy Friday and a happy start to the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament! It's best to wrap up any work you have with European colleagues before they disappear to the pub for the next few weeks.

In today's big story, we're looking at how Saudi Arabia is courting Chinese investors for help with its massive, futuristic city facing financial issues.

What's on deck:

• Markets: A 31-year-old investor just got backing from Millennium Management.
• Tech: Leaked audio reveals Oracle execs' plans to exit the ad business.
• Business: An NYC luxury developer went on a $3 billion real-estate buying spree. Now his empire is showing cracks.

But first, a city on the brink.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The big story

Saudi Arabia needs backup

Saudi Arabia's dreams of a futuristic city are turning into a financial nightmare, and one of its solutions could spell trouble for the US.

Since 2017, the Kingdom has touted big plans for the desert megacity Neom. The project is the centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030, which hopes to reduce the economy's reliance on fossil fuels.

Neom's planned features are eye-popping, to say the least. There's the world's longest infinity pool, a year-round ski resort, and a mixed-reality theme park. And The Line — a city built between two massive, mirrored skyscrapers — looks straight out of a sci-fi movie.

But all these fancy things don't come cheap. Some estimates for Neom have ballooned up to $1.5 trillion. And while the Kingdom was initially confident foreign investment would help foot the bill, that hasn't been the case.

Now Saudi Arabia is turning to another country with economic headaches: China. The Kingdom hopes China will invest billions in the project, which could deepen ties between the two countries. That's a troubling potential future for the US, Business Insider's Tom Porter writes.

China's interest in Neom could be from multiple angles.

The city plans to heavily use renewable energy, a key area of focus for China as it digs itself out of its economic hole.

But other opportunities for China in Neom are more troubling.

While Neom is being pitched as a "smart city" that collects data on residents, experts previously told BI it could really be part of a massive surveillance program powered by Chinese technology.

China has already been clear that its AI strategy is to shape reality and enforce its power. That type of authoritarian vision is something it shares with Saudi Arabia.

That poses a risk for the US, which needs all the allies it can get in the Middle East as it navigates the war in Gaza.

Still, the Kingdom is running out of options. Saudi Arabia has reportedly already started borrowing to cover costs. And the Crown Prince is also reportedly ready to start having "tough conversations" about the project.

3 things in markets

1. The US dollar is losing its status among the world's central banks. The dollar is still king among central banks' forex reserves. However, its market share has dropped from 70% in 2000 to 55% in the last quarter of 2023, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.
2. A Coatue rising star got a big endorsement from a massive hedge fund. Aaron Weiner's new fund is being seeded by the $68 billion multistrategy giant with a multibillion-dollar check, according to people familiar with the matter. Weiner is Coatue's head of tactical solutions and is set to leave the firm at the end of the year.
3. Another stock could join the trillion-dollar club soon. Broadcom's stock is surging after it posted estimate-beating earnings and announced a 10-to-1 stock split. And Bank of America predicts even greater potential: hitting trillion-dollar market capitalization.

3 things in tech

1. Apple has an AI secret weapon. Although it's not an AI frontrunner, Apple's vast user reach has made it extremely attractive to the leading AI companies who all want to tap into that base. The tech giant's recent deal with OpenAI illustrates just how much power Apple wields.
2. Oracle execs detail plans to exit the ad business. In a leaked recording, executives said the transition will happen in phases, but that there's no "catch-all date" for the move. Another said they'd try to find roles elsewhere in the company for affected employees.
3. Amazon's secret workaround for AI training data. Amazon told employees to sign up for Microsoft's GitHub platform and share their accounts so it could scrape AI training data faster, BI has learned. Account limitations mean collecting data with normal methods would take too long, per the leaked memo.

3 things in business

1. Three layoffs, 200 job apps, no dice. After being laid off from three consecutive corporate jobs, Giovanna Ventola applied to 180 similar roles and 18 minimum-wage "bridge jobs" — but didn't land a single one. She says the experience "completely changed" her outlook on the job market.
2. NYC luxury developer Michael Shvo is facing some challenges. Shvo made a name for himself first as a broker, then as a developer of glitzy projects. But a soft real estate market and a trail of angry business partners and customers are threatening to thwart his big plans.
3. It's official: Musk's pay package is approved. After it was voided by a judge in January, Tesla investors sealed the deal on Musk's $55 billion pay plan (here's how it compares to other CEOs'). But he isn't out of the woods just yet — Tesla must now take it back to court.

In other news

• AI is set to take over advertising's biggest event of the year — and perhaps the industry itself.
• Millennials think Gen Z is lazy — but secretly wish they could say 'no' too.
• Exclusive: 20VC podcast host and investor Harry Stebbings is raising a massive new fund targeting tech startups.
• Scientists share one easy swap you can start doing today that could help you live longer.
• Disney's feud with DeSantis is over — and it's donating to Republicans again.

What's happening today

• Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival begins, with Post Malone headlining.
• Sentencing for Jose Uribe, a businessman who pleaded guilty to bribing Sen. Bob Menendez.

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.