Author: openjargon

• Before her death in a plane crash, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was a well-known fashion icon.
• As the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., she was frequently photographed at glamorous events.
• She was known for her classic style that has come to embody the quiet-luxury aesthetic.

Arguably no one can nail classic, "cool-girl" style quite like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy did.

Bessette-Kennedy shot to prominence in the mid to late '90s as the girlfriend and then wife of prominent Kennedy family member John F. Kennedy Jr., the only son of former President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister, Lauren Bessette, were killed in a plane crash 25 years ago on July 16, 1999. There were no survivors from the accident, which happened off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.

Before her passing, Bessette-Kennedy was known as a fashion icon, thanks to her minimalist outfits, which embodied what we now call the quiet-luxury aesthetic and featured a color palette of mostly black, white, beige, and navy.

Thomaï Serdari, the director of the fashion and luxury MBA program at NYU's Stern School of Business, previously told Business Insider that quiet luxury is defined as "clothing of the highest quality, but also clothing that [is timeless], is sophisticated and understated" — that is, no gaudy prints or designer logos in sight.

Here are nine of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's best, most timeless looks.

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy defied the fashion "rule" that you can't mix black, brown, and beige.

Pictured here with John F. Kennedy Jr. in front of their Tribeca apartment in New York City, Bessette-Kennedy embodied classic autumnal fashion by pairing patent-leather brown boots with a simple black sweater and a camel-colored, calf-length skirt.

She accessorized with an understated black-leather bag and swept her blonde hair back into a low ponytail.

Before she married John F. Kennedy Jr., she was a publicist at Calvin Klein, which appeared to influence her personal style.

Bessette-Kennedy knew how to ace perfectly tailored, classic pieces similar to the ones Klein is known for, like this structured white button-up and black mermaid-tail skirt.

Vogue called this minimalist look "the epitome of uptown glamour without compromising her pared-back aesthetic."

She tended to stick to a basic color palette of black for formal events.

Pictured here with her husband at the Municipal Art Society Gala in 1998, Bessette-Kennedy wore a strapless black column gown, velvet gloves, and pointed strappy stiletto heels.

However, for an off-duty look, she didn't shun color altogether.

In 1996, while walking around New York City, she was photographed wearing a flowy summer dress with a bright floral print, black strappy heels, and a black, patent-leather handbag.

She looked effortlessly cool in a pair of perfectly tailored jeans and strappy sandals.

This classic look, from the black sleeveless tank to the brown-and-cream heeled sandals, would still be stylish now.

She often accessorized with a pair of sunglasses.

These rounded, black sunglasses paired with a black button-up and green cargo pants epitomized '90s fashion.

She was also the master of a classic coat.

While heading to the airport to catch a flight for Bill Clinton's inauguration in January 1997, Bessette-Kennedy was photographed wearing a camel-colored skirt, black leather boots, and a belted black suede coat.

Nothing screams classic New York style like a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket.

She finished the look with a tortoise-shell headband and a pair of oval sunglasses.

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy will always be remembered as a fashion icon.

Bessette-Kennedy effortlessly blended elegance and simplicity into her fashion looks and became one of the decade's most recognizable style icons.

There's no arguing that Bessette-Kennedy, through her iconic minimalist style, made a lasting impact on the fashion world. She showed that while fast-fashion trends come and go, simple elegance lasts forever.

• Former President Donald Trump has stamped out the old Republican Party.
• His power is on full display during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
• In selecting Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, Trump has also shown he has his eye on the future.

Former President Donald Trump staged a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. His latest coronation in Milwaukee shows he wants to cement this populist rebrand.

The most obvious signal is Trump's selection of Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential nominee. Instead of putting forth a historically diverse ticket or nodding to the GOP's monied class, Trump elevated one of his staunchest allies who, like the former president, speaks with little subtlety.

No fan of Trump's hold on the party, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney said the GOP of her father's day is gone.

"The Trump GOP is no longer the party of Lincoln, Reagan or the Constitution," Cheney wrote on X, bashing Trump's selection of Vance.

Trump welcomes the ire. He enjoyed ending the Bush political dynasty by humiliating former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 primary. As president, Trump singled out those who questioned him, pushing then-Speaker Paul Ryan and then-Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona out of power. The former president has continued his crusade against the 10 House Republicans who impeached him for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump can preach unity now because he won the contest over the party's future.

His victory is evident in more than just his vice presidential selection. The Republican Party granted one of its prized primetime convention speaking slots to Teamsters President Sean O'Brien. O'Brien railed against the US Chamber of Commerce, long the hallmark of the GOP business class.

"We need to call the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtables what they are. They are unions for big business," O'Brien said during his speech on Monday night.

Less than a decade ago, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker became the GOP front man for taking on unions, backed by the powerful Koch brothers and their allies. And yet, on Tuesday night, O'Brien was extolling the virtues of union membership with the national spotlight trained on the state.

The GOP's new platform, which Trump helped edit, according to The Washington Post, watered down the party's commitment to a national ban on abortion access in favor of the former president's state-driven policy. Some antiabortion activists are furious. Even former Vice President Mike Pence couldn't quite understand it. But he is no longer on the ticket; Vance is.

Trump and Vance also stand in contrast to the GOP's traditional interventionist wing. Vance helped lead the opposition to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's push for a massive package of defense aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. McConnell ultimately won, working with President Joe Biden to get the $95 billion legislation through Congress. But McConnell, the longest-serving GOP Senate leader in history, is set to step down from his top post after the election. He has pledged to use his remaining time in Congress to advocate for the Reagan-era foreign policy that once dominated the GOP.

McConnell was also booed when he spoke for the Kentucky delegation on Monday. The top Senate Republican is no stranger to lukewarm receptions among his party's base, but the contrast to Vance's welcome was unmistakable.

• Donald Trump has selected Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 election.
• Vance is vocal about family policies and birth rates, saying it's a "civilizational crisis."
• Vance supports a child tax credit expansion, but not universal childcare.

New vice presidential contender JD Vance has some strong opinions on how America can better support families.

Vance, the author of "Hillbilly Elegy" and a former VC, has been outspoken about his views on family and birth rates. Vance is very worried about falling birth rates — he's warned of a "civilizational crisis" facing the US, and has hit out against the "childless left."

"We should worry that in America, family formation, our birth rates, a ton of indicators of family health have collapsed," Vance said in 2021 remarks.

"The fact that we're not having enough babies, the fact that we're not having enough children, is a crisis in this country. It's a crisis because it makes our media more miserable. It's a crisis because it doesn't give our leaders enough of an investment in the future of their country. And it's a crisis because we know that babies are good," he added.

Legislatively, Vance has tweeted in support of making the healthcare associated with giving birth free, suggesting that the money the US has sent to Ukraine could "end the surprise billings that devastate families with newborns, and possibly save the lives of a lot of new moms." He's also introduced legislation that would shield parents who opt to quit their jobs and stay at home post-birth from penalties inflicted by their employer-sponsored insurance.

"We should celebrate and promote young families, not punish them. This legislation would relieve a serious financial burden for working families all over America and steer Washington in a more pro-family direction," Vance said in a press release.

He's not, however, a fan of universal childcare. He's said that it's "a massive subsidy to the lifestyle preferences of the affluent over the preferences of the middle and working class," implying that childcare benefits working parents more than stay-at-home parents. Instead, he's thrown his weight behind proposals to give tax credits to parents.

Vance has also said that he would've voted no on the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and is meant to protect interracial and same-sex marriage. He's additionally introduced legislation that would classify giving gender-affirming care to minors as a Class C felony.

When it comes to Trump's specific platform on family policies, voters don't know much. His campaign recently released 20 principles the former president plans to champion — which the Republican National Committee adopted — and while it includes measures to protect retirees' Social Security benefits and "end inflation" by ending illegal immigration, it did not address how the administration would tackle family and child policies.

However, Vance's actions as a senator could suggest some support for Democratic policies, like the child tax credit expansion. The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 — a framework supported by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Republican Rep. Jason Smith — called for an enhanced child tax credit after it lapsed in 2021. Vance expressed support for the credit, according to Punchbowl News, saying at the time that "we're the party of families."

"I think it's important to actually [have] a pro-family policy," he said. "If you're raising children in this country, we should make it easier, not harder. And unfortunately it's way too expensive and way too difficult."

Biden, meanwhile, has called for family-friendly policies in his budget request unveiled in March, including restoring the child tax credit, lowering childcare costs, and enacting a national program for paid family and medical leave.

"It's past time America caught up with the rest of the world on paid leave," Biden said during a speech in April. "All this helps families and it grows the economy. And we can afford to do it. We can't afford not to do it."

• Fast-food chains are competing for customers by offering value meals.
• Three of the biggest chains, McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, each have a version of a $5 meal.
• I compared them all and thought Wendy's $5 Biggie Bag was the best deal.

As inflation continues to affect consumers and restaurants are struggling to keep prices down and make a profit, fast-food chains are rolling out value meals and discounts across the board.

I tried the $5 meals from Burger King, Wendy's, and McDonald's to see which chain offered the best meal in terms of taste, quality, and size for the least amount of money.

While each meal had its strengths and weaknesses, the $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy's emerged as my pick for the best value.

Here's what I loved and hated about each chain's meals.

I tried the $5 Your Way meal from Burger King, the $5 Meal Deal from McDonald's, and the $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy's.

Both Burger King and McDonald's released their $5 meal deals in June. Wendy's, meanwhile, has been offering the Biggie Bag for five years, Today.com reported.

A street in my hometown on Long Island, New York, has all three chains within two blocks of each other, so I made my way over there.

Each meal is priced at $5, though they all ended up costing slightly different amounts at the locations I visited due to tax.

My Burger King meal was $5.81; my McDonald's meal was $5.54; and my Wendy's meal was $5.43.

The standard Burger King drink that comes with the $5 meal was visibly smaller than the drinks from the other chains.

This was a genuine surprise to me. If I hadn't been trying these all at once — and therefore, didn't have two other drinks to quench my thirst — I would've been slightly annoyed at the size of Burger King's soda.

Each chain's meal comes with your choice of soft drink, but their sizes vary: Burger King's is 16 ounces, McDonald's is 21 ounces, and Wendy's is 20 ounces.

The $5 Your Way meal from Burger King also came with fries, four chicken nuggets, and a choice of sandwich. I went for the Whopper Jr.

My sandwich options were a Whopper Jr., a bacon cheeseburger, or a Chicken Jr. As a burger-lover, I went for the Whopper Jr.

I've always been a fan of the chicken nuggets at Burger King.

For a chain known for its burgers, BK certainly knows its way around a chicken nugget. These were spiced perfectly, not too salty, and paired well with the honey mustard. They also had a nice crunch.

My one complaint is that they were a bit dense.

My Whopper Jr. was delicious.

I'm not sure if I've ever actually had a Whopper Jr. before, but I was very pleased with my experience.

My burger came on a sesame-seed bun and was topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and cheese. The sandwich was juicy and tasted about as good as any fast-food burger I've had.

The only difference between a Whopper and a Whopper Jr. is the size of the patty, which means that if I were to go back for just a burger, I'd order the normal Whopper.

Next up, I tried the $5 Meal Deal from McDonald's. It came with a McDouble, four chicken McNuggets, small fries, and a drink.

There are two $5 meal deals available at McDonald's and they're only available for a month: the McChicken or the McDouble. Since I went with the burger at Burger King, I stuck to burgers at Mickey D's, too.

I have to say, I wasn't impressed with the McNuggets.

I'm typically a lover of the McNugget — you can see I had already eaten one before I remembered to take a photo.

But I don't think these McNuggets were as good as the nuggets from Burger King and Wendy's. I thought these were bland with a somewhat rubbery texture, but perhaps I just got a mediocre batch. I'll be paying close attention the next time I get McDonald's.

My McDouble was, frankly, not enjoyable.

I usually liked a McDonald's burger, especially a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder. But I was disappointed with my McDouble, which was just two patties smushed together with ketchup, pickles, and onions.

I can't overstate how dry this was. I needed a huge gulp of my Diet Coke to help it go down.

Then I tried the Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag. I got a Jr. bacon cheeseburger, four chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink.

Wendy's has always prioritized discount meals on its menu. The Biggie Bag has been around for five years, and the equally cost-effective "4 for $4" has been around for years as well.

The difference between the 4 for $4 and the Biggie Bag is selection. For $4, you can only get a Jr. Cheeseburger. With an additional dollar, you can choose from a Jr. bacon cheeseburger, a crispy chicken sandwich, a crispy chicken BLT, or a Double Stack.

These were by far the best chicken nuggets.

These were not over-salted, nor were they bland. I found the subtle spice to be just right.

They also had the perfect texture — not too dense with the perfect amount of crunch.

I was slightly overwhelmed by the bacon cheeseburger.

In my opinion, a good fast-food burger is an art. You don't want it to be too busy since you're most likely eating it on the go.

While this was a solid burger, I thought it was a bit much. The lettuce was too big, and I didn't love the bacon on top — I actually ended up removing it. The burger also had tomato, cheese, ketchup, and mayonnaise on top, which made it messy.

I saved all the fries for last. To me, McDonald’s will never be beaten in this department.

I thought the Wendy's and Burger King fries suffered from the same problem: Both were a bit soggy and mushy, and neither had enough salt.

The McDonald's fries, on the other hand, were thin, crunchy, and salty. This might come down to personal preference, but I'm crowning McDonald's the winner.

To help me decide on my favorite meal, I ranked each chain by its meal components.

The rankings broke down like this:

• Burgers:

  1. Burger King
  2. Wendy's
  3. McDonald's

• Nuggets:

  1. Wendy's
  2. Burger King
  3. McDonald's

• Fries:

  1. McDonald's
  2. Wendy's
  3. Burger King

• Drinks:

  1. McDonald's and Wendy's
  2. Burger King

Ultimately, the deal I'd recommend to anyone is the $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy's.

Wendy's has the best overall selection. It had a large drink, the best nuggets, the second-best burger, and the second-best fries. It was also the cheapest, at $5.43. For me, it puts the "value" in value meal.

However, if you have $5 to spare and are near any of these places, you can't go wrong. You'll find nowhere else where you can get a sandwich, nuggets, fries, and a drink — which was more than enough food for me — for less than $6.

• Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte attended Wimbledon together on Sunday.
• Prince William and Prince George went to the Euro Championship finals together on the same day.
• The outings show the Prince and Princess of Wales are prioritizing family.

The kids of the royal family made a splash again over the weekend.

On Sunday, Kate Middleton attended the men's singles final at Wimbledon with Princess Charlotte, 9, accompanying her.

The event marked Kate's first solo royal engagement of 2024 and only her second of the year.

She attended Trooping the Colour on June 15, almost three months after she revealed she was undergoing "preventative chemotherapy."

The same day the women of the Wales family headed to Wimbledon, Prince William went to Berlin to watch the UEFA Euro final match between England and Spain.

He brought Prince George, 10, with him, and they were photographed watching the game together in the royal box in coordinating suits.

As Evan Nierman, the CEO and founder of the global PR firm Red Banyan, told Business Insider, Kate and Will's latest public appearances elevate the family-oriented image they've been putting forward in recent months.

"It's very consistent with the strategy they've been employing to emphasize the unity of their family and to benefit from how simply adorable their children are," Nierman said.

The appearances at Wimbledon and the Euro final come on the heels of the entire Wales family attending Trooping the Colour together, William taking Charlotte and George to Taylor Swift's Eras tour in London, and Kate and Will sharing more candid photos of their kids in recent weeks.

Now, they seem to be embracing the positive energy their children bring to public engagements and pairing it with a sense of patriotism.

Nothing says 'part of the people' like watching sports on TV

As Nierman told BI, both Wimbledon and the Euro Championship allowed Kate and William to highlight their support of the UK alongside their affection for their children.

"There are multiple levels to the benefit of having their kids appear with them at the sporting events," he said, going on to say that they are not only "leveraging the adorability and likability of their children" but they are also "supporting England and promoting their country."

"Not only are they showing up and putting their best foot forward, they're doing it in the support of and furtherance of their country," Nierman said.

Kate and William appeared to double down on that message with the photo they shared of Charlotte and Louis watching the Euro final on a TV in England jerseys. The jerseys said each child's name and used their age for the number.

From a public relations perspective, showing two royals watching a sporting event on TV like any other child might watch makes the royals more accessible.

"The monarchy always struggles with how to maintain their dignity and the regal nature of the institution while at the same time being approachable for the average citizen," Nierman said. "And I think nothing says a part of the people more than supporting their soccer team."

"It shows them doing the same thing that others were doing all over the UK in recent days," he added of the photo of Charlotte and Louis. "It's a way of helping people identify with them in a context that's also cute and fun."

They're staying true to their commitment to putting their kids first

When Kate revealed she was undergoing chemotherapy in March, she noted that part of the reason she had not gone public with the news earlier was to protect her children. She said she and William had "been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family."

The quality time Kate and Will are publicly spending with their children now gives credence to the idea that they were focused on them throughout Kate's absence during the first five months of the year.

"They're being consistent, and they're putting their money where their mouth is, and that's what is really significant here," Nierman said of William and Kate.

"Actions speak louder than words, and by showcasing their connection to their children and their focus on the family, they're proving that it wasn't just talk," he added.

As William's importance in the royal family continues to grow over time as heir to the throne, Nierman thinks spending more public time with his family is a smart move for him.

"William just building upon this public image as a devoted husband and father is a winning strategy for him," he told BI, adding that being spotted with George publicly is particularly powerful.

"It's William with another man in his family that he's obviously close with in a positive context," Nierman said. "His father, King Charles, has always struggled in the likability category, and meanwhile, his relationship with his brother is clearly strained. So this is an obvious choice and a good one for sure."

• US warships battling the Houthis faced anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in combat.
• The commanding officer of USS Mason described his first experience with these missiles.
• He said the incident occurred after the Mason responded to an attempted hijacking by pirates. 

US Navy warships that spent months battling the Houthis have faced unprecedented threats during their restless deployments, chief among them being anti-ship ballistic missiles, a deadly weapon that had never been used in combat until recently.

One of these warships, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mason, found itself under fire from anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time shortly after it joined the Navy's counter-Houthi mission last fall. The missiles came in as it was responding to a hijacking attempt by pirates, marking the first operational use of such weapons.

The commanding officer of the Mason, which just returned home from a monthslong Middle East deployment, said that his first combat experience with these missiles was surprising.

Cmdr. Justin Smith recalled in a recent interview with Business Insider that his first reaction was disbelief. He was shocked that someone was actually firing missiles in their direction.

"My team responded incredibly well, from the detection to being able to make sure that the system was ready to engage," he said.

Pirates and ASBMs

Five Somali pirates boarded the M/V Central Park on November 26 and attempted to hijack the commercial tanker as it was sailing through the Gulf of Aden. But before the small band of pirates could take over the vessel, nearly two dozen crew members were able to lock themselves in the citadel, a protected room that can serve as a safe haven in the event of a pirate attack.

The Central Park sent out a distress signal, leading the Mason and a Japanese warship to respond. When they arrived on site, they demanded the release of the vessel. The Somali pirates attempted to flee on a skiff, but an MH-60 helicopter attached to the Mason hunted them down and fired warning shots, stopping the pirates in their tracks.

Mason sailors then executed a visit, board, search, and seizure of the skiff, where they detained the pirates. Smith said it was the first time in five years that a Navy VBSS actually resulted in the capture of suspected pirates.

With the pirates secured, the Mason moved to assist the crew on the Central Park. The pirates had damaged the citadel's door in their attempt to take over the ship to the point where it couldn't be opened from either side. The American sailors had to find some additional tools to break in and rescue the mariners, who would have been stuck in the room until someone else came to rescue them.

It was right after this that the Mason first detected inbound anti-ship ballistic missiles. It is unclear if the Houthis were specifically targeting the coalition ships, the Central Park, or if it was unrelated to the situation the Mason was trying to address. The projectiles ultimately landed in the water several miles away.

Ready for future threats

Smith said he left the incident feeling confident in the Mason's training and its ability to detect the threats. He said that the missiles are providing an opportunity for the Navy to ensure that it's ready for future engagements.

After the Central Park incident, anti-ship ballistic missiles became a familiar threat to Navy warships defending merchant shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis, since their campaign began last fall, have launched dozens of anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen. Many of these were intercepted by the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, although some slipped past defenses and went on to strike commercial vessels. One attack in March killed several civilians.

The Iran-backed rebels have also targeted ships with airborne drones and exploding uncrewed surface vessels, the latter becoming increasingly common.

The Houthi attacks began as Israel launched a high-casualty war in Gaza following the October 7 massacre by Hamas operatives. The group has persisted in its attacks despite the costly efforts of the US and its allies to stop it.

Multiple Navy officers with the strike group have applauded their warships' ability to engage the anti-ship ballistic missiles. In separate interviews with BI, they praised the combat systems for working as intended and their sailors for leaning on their training.

US rivals, such as China, have developed vast arsenals of these weapons, which have the potential to threaten maritime operations and have long been cause for concern.

Smith said that seeing the Eisenhower carrier strike group find success when it comes to intercepting the anti-ship ballistic missiles just "validated that what the Navy has done is keeping us on the correct trajectory for future threats."

• Delta's CEO questioned the financial viability of airlines struggling despite healthy travel demand.
• Airlines desperate to generate revenue have flooded the market with cheap flights in recent months. 
• United's CEO had similar words for low-cost carriers in June. 

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian had stark words for competing airlines that depend on selling low-priced tickets to stay alive.

"You cannot, if you are on the lower end of the industry's food chain, continue to post losses, particularly given the health of the demand set we've seen over these last couple of years," Bastian said as Delta reported disappointing second-quarter financials and warned things could get even worse.

Airlines that can't break even "will not be given the opportunity to continue to run business models they have," he added.

Bastian's comments came in response to a question about the potential for structural changes within the industry as many airlines struggle to remain profitable.

Delta's second-quarter profits fell by 29% compared to the previous year, a bigger decline than analysts had expected. Coupled with a lowered summer outlook, the results sent shares tumbling.

A big contributor to the lower profits was lower airfares and extra capacity, especially in economy class,

"Domestic industry seat growth accelerated into the summer months beyond normal demand growth," Delta president Glen Hauenstein said on the call. "This has impacted main cabin unit revenue trends through the summer."

Passenger load factor, which measures how much an average flight is filled, and yield, a measure of how much money it receives to fly a single paying passenger a mile, both fell compared to a year ago.

Oversupply is great for consumers — but hurting airlines' bottom lines

In June, the average price of a plane ticket in the US was at its lowest in 15 years, according to Labor Department data.

The oversupply of seat capacity extends beyond a single airline's bottom line. As airlines struggle to generate enough revenue, they've flooded the market with flights and cut ticket prices.

While many are beginning to reel back the excess capacity, some airlines, especially low-cost carriers, depend on selling these cheap tickets at high volumes for survival.

Southwest Airlines lost $231 million in the first quarter of 2024, while fellow low-cost carriers Spirit and Frontier lost $143 million and $26 million, respectively, during that same period.

At the same time, all three low-cost carriers have reported increases in the cost of labor, aircraft, and airport operations this year.

America's full-service legacy carriers like United and Delta, which in recent years has accounted for as much as 50% of the profits generated by the entire US airline industry, have diversified revenue streams to help absorb the hit from lower economy cabin profits.

For example, Delta can lean on credit card partners like American Express to pump $1.9 billion into its coffers during the second quarter or high-margin offerings like DeltaOne to cover lower income from economy seats.

During the second quarter, 56% of Delta's revenue came from its more expensive cabins.

Low-cost carriers don't have that benefit. Their price-sensitive customers limit their ability to raise prices. If an LCC gets too close in price to a mainline carrier, it can lose its main competitive advantage.

To succeed, according to Bastian, airlines need to understand that the definition of providing value to customers, which has traditionally been having the lowest fares, no longer rings true.

"I'm convinced across the industry is rewarding those that are providing real value, meaning a better quality experience, better value for money in terms of the product we are offering and reliability," Bastian said.

It seems America's low-cost carriers agree with Bastian's sentiments.

Both Frontier and Spirit announced in May that they're cutting several of the ancillary fees they frequently charge passengers. At the same time, Southwest executives hinted in April of potential changes to its boarding policy to help generate additional income and offer customers the option of a more premium experience.

• Trump picked Senator JD Vance as his running mate, shedding more light on his policy platform.
• Both Trump and Vance have supported strong tariffs on China to promote domestic manufacturing.
• Biden, and some economists, said Trump's tariff policies would raise prices for consumers. 

Former President Donald Trump has finally announced his running mate — and his choice means you'll hear a lot about tariffs on China in the coming months.

On Monday, Trump announced that JD Vance — a Republican senator from Ohio — is his pick for vice president. Vance, who previously described himself as a "Never Trump Republican," quickly aligned himself with Trump and GOP values once he took office in January 2023, embracing conservative views on issues including higher education, immigration, and tariffs.

The latter is an issue on which Vance and Trump particularly agree. Tariffs, or taxes on goods imported from another country, are intended to raise government revenue and bolster domestic manufacturing. As president, Trump was staunchly protectionist and used tariffs to enforce his "America First" policies — he imposed a series of tariffs on China that ultimately led to a trade war between the two economies resulting from disagreements over the tariffs.

Should Trump secure a second term, Americans will likely see a lot more action on that front. Vance has previously advocated for tougher trade policies against China, telling CBS News in May that "if you apply tariffs, really what it is is you're saying that we're gonna penalize you for using slave labor in China and importing that stuff in the United States."

"What you end up doing is you end up making more stuff in America, in Pennsylvania, in Ohio and in Michigan," he said.

While Trump touted his tariffs as necessary to promote manufacturing in the US, a major consequence of those actions was raising prices for Americans due to less competition from foreign producers. According to the Tax Foundation, Trump's tariffs raised taxes by nearly $80 billion.

While President Joe Biden has kept most of Trump's tariff policies in place — in May, he announced an $18 billion tariff increase on Chinese goods, which increased taxes by $3.6 billion — Trump has even more planned in his new platform.

It means voters are likely to hear the two candidates sparring over trade policy in the months to come — and it could have significant implications for Americans already struggling with high inflation.

"I certainly agree that we need to apply some broad based tariffs, especially on goods coming in from China and not just solar panels and EV stuff," Vance told CBS. "We need to protect American industries from all of the competition."

Trump vs. Biden on tariffs

Should Trump win the election, he wants to impose a 10% tariff on goods coming into the US and a 60% tariff on all imports from China.

Biden criticized that policy during the first presidential debate at the end of June, saying that Trump is "calling for a 10% tariff on everything Americans buy, including food from overseas, vegetables and other necessities."

"Economists tell us that that would cost the average American working family another $2,500 a year," Biden said. While estimates have varied on the exact impact of the tariff increase on American families, 16 Nobel Prize-winning economists signed a letter at the end of June saying they are "deeply concerned" about the impact of Trump's policies on the economy.

"Those tariffs overwhelmingly get passed on to consumers and increasing their prices and get fed down the supply chain — again, increasing prices to consumers," Joseph Stiglitz, who led the letter, previously told BI.

Biden's tariff policies have been more targeted than Trump's. In May, he called for tariffs on electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum coming from China and an increase in the tariff rate on semiconductors from 25% to 50% in 2025.

Both candidates have advocated tariffs and promoting domestic manufacturing, but Trump and Vance are set to act much stronger on the issue should they win — meaning consumers might be on track for even higher prices as a result.

• Sen. JD Vance brings very little elected office experience to Trump's ticket.
• His short tenure has been marked by Trump loyalty, opposition to Ukraine aid, and populist gestures.
• At 39, he's also the second youngest member of the chamber.

In his first interview since becoming Donald Trump's vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio offered one notable aside.

"I think the experience that maybe most Americans will care about, it's not that I spent two years in the Senate. I think I've had a very successful two years in the Senate," Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity. "It's that I came from nothing, became a United States Marine, and succeeded in business. That's the experience that I think gives you a fresh perspective."

In making those comments, Vance was likely seeking to appeal to GOP voters' antipathy toward government and desire for a political outsider. But it also underscores an important reality about the Ohio senator: He hasn't been there that long.

It hasn't even been two years. It's been just 18 months. Vance took office in January 2023 after defeating Rep. Tim Ryan in a closely watched Senate race in Ohio.

At age 39, he also happens to be one of the youngest members of the chamber. Only Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, 37, is younger.

Here's what to know about his short tenure in the Senate.

He's introduced 33 bills, none of which have passed

Vance has introduced a variety of bills since making it to the Senate.

That includes the "Protect Children's Innocence Act," a bill to criminalize certain gender-affirming care for minors. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia first introduced the House version of the bill in 2022.

He also introduced the "Freedom to Breathe Act" last year. The bill would prevent any federal government from instituting mask mandates on public transportation, airplanes, or public schools until the end of 2024.

"You know, 'breathe free' or whatever it's called," Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania mockingly said at the time.

None of these bills, most of which appear designed for political messaging, have even made it close to passage. But that's not entirely Vance's fault: The Senate is currently controlled by Democrats.

He's pushed the party in a more populist direction at times

While Vance has led with culture war issues while in the Senate, he's also poured a fair amount of political capital into a bipartisan initiative: The Railway Safety Act.

The bill was introduced by Vance and a bipartisan group of senators from Rust Belt states in the wake of a disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

With just about all Democratic senators on board, opposition to the measure has come primarily from Vance's fellow Republicans, who have remained deferential to the interests of the rail industry. That's given the Ohio senator the opportunity to burnish his populist credentials on the issue.

Vance had another opportunity to stick his neck out when members of the United Auto Workers union went on strike last year. The Ohio senator backed the workers' demands, though he sought to blame the Biden administration's electric vehicle policies for some of their woes.

Separately, Vance has worked across the aisle on other issues, including cosponsoring a bill with Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to claw back some compensation received by executives at big banks that fail.

He's led the opposition to Ukraine aid in the Senate

Vance is not the only Republican senator who opposed sending more aid to Ukraine this year. But he was the loudest and most forceful in making the argument.

"I gotta be honest with you, I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another," Vance said during his Senate campaign.

It's part of a broader worldview that Vance describes as realist, one in which the United States takes a more restrained approach to international conflicts and is less eager to support foreign wars abroad.

At times, Vance took his anti-Ukraine advocacy to extremes, including arguing that a Ukraine and Israel aid package passed by the Senate this year was an "impeachment trap" for a future Trump administration.

He's been unfailingly loyal to Trump

Vance was arguably the first GOP senator to endorse Trump's 2024 campaign, providing a statement of support to the New York Times after the party had just underperformed in the 2022 midterms.

Since then, he's been an unflinching Trump ally during his Senate tenure, carefully avoiding any disagreement with the former president while going out of his way to defend him.

That's included a willingness to go toe-to-toe with reporters who've pressed Vance on Trump's controversial remarks, including when he said that illegal immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country."

• Some 20 million Americans are prepared for major disruptions of public services.
• When bracing for weeks of outages, there's one place many "preppers" love to go: Costco.
• From gold bars to toilet paper, the wholesale club is a top choice for disaster readiness.

As modern life gets increasingly comfortable, it can also get more anxious.

For a growing number of Americans, this means preparing for the possibility of major disruptions of public services as a result of natural disasters or other doomsday scenarios.

According to an analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data, some 20 million Americans can withstand a full month of self-reliance. Within that number, there are those who identify as part of "preppers" communities online, which include enthusiasts stocking up on years' worth of supplies or building bunkers.

When stocking up for weeks of outages, there's one place many of these preppers love to go: Costco.

A recent New York Times feature about the Fortitude Ranch prepping community included a photo of a well-provisioned pantry with multiple bottles of Kirkland Signature vitamins and antacid tablets.

"Heading to Costco this week and was planning on getting some prepping necessities," one user posted on the r/preppers sub-Reddit back in February. "My plan was to grab a couple bags of rice and some canned food for long term food storage. Anything else I should consider while there? Thanks!"

The list of supplies in the replies was extensive: butter, protein bars, coffee beans, medicine, and (of course) bins to store it all.

And it doesn't stop there. Need a generator? Costco has them. Apocalyptic quantities of toilet paper and bottled water? You bet.

The wholesale club is also a huge seller of gold and silver bars and coins, which are extremely popular among those who are concerned about a breakdown of the financial system. (A one-ounce silver coin is currently worth about $30.)

There are also ready-to-go food kits in a variety of sizes, one of which contains 130 meals that last 25 years and costs $63. Bigger budgets can spring for the palletized version containing 36 kits with more than 13,000 servings for $6,000.

Of course, prepping requires a fair amount of disposable income, since the activity is necessarily about buying stuff and not using it.

Still, John Ramey, the founder of a popular prepping website, told the Times he expects business in the space to grow.

"The market for preparedness will continue to grow as the world continues on the wrong trajectory," he said.