Author: openjargon

• Business Insider is compiling our fifth annual list of talent managers and agents signing TikTokers.
• We encourage industry experts like influencer marketers and publicists to recommend their picks.
• Submit your ideas here or below by July 12.

TikTok is one of the most popular platforms out there, helping thousands of creators increase their online presence, make money, and start their own businesses. The app has helped many break into the music industry, launch their comedy careers, and even attend high-profile events like the Met Gala.

The ByteDance-owned platform has gone through some major changes in the past year, though.

Recently, it introduced and expanded its focus on shopping, where creators on the platform who qualify for this feature can earn a commission by posting reviews of products or services they use or if their audience buys through their affiliate link. TikTok has also tapped into long-form content in an effort to compete with YouTube and steer away from the shorter, 15-and 30-second videos it first became popular for.

As TikTokers grow their brands, many of them tap talent managers and agents to help them earn even more lucratively. Some managers find their talent through mutual connections, at events, or by browsing social media themselves.

"TikTok still does an incredible job of shining light on new faces, new talent, and exciting content," Brendan Nahmias, a senior talent manager at the creator firm Whalar, previously told Business Insider.

These managers and agents can help their talent negotiate better contracts, connect them with brands, and even branch out into areas they don't have expertise in.

BI is compiling its fifth annual list of the most influential talent managers and agents who help TikTok creators jumpstart their careers. We encourage creators, influencer marketers, advertisers, publicists, creator startup founders, and other industry professionals, to inform us of which agents and managers are having a positive impact on TikTokers' careers.

Please submit your ideas through this Google form by July 12.

• Some Gen Z shoppers are trying to save money by shopping at Costco and Sam's Club.
• They're sharing bulk groceries and membership cards with roommates and family.
• It's the lastest example of how food prices are still historically high.

One of Gen Z's biggest tools for fighting persistently high food prices: Sharing a big cart of groceries — and potentially a membership card — from Costco or Sam's Club with roommates or family.

The young shoppers, many of whom are buying groceries on their own for the first time as college students or entry-level professionals, are buying huge bags of flour, packs of meat, and other bulk groceries, then splitting them with others in their social circles to save money, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

It's one way to save money as Americans are still spending a historically large share of their income on food.

For warehouse retailers, Gen Z represents a fast-growing source of new memberships. The number of Sam's Club members age 27 and younger grew by 63% over the last two years, the Walmart-owned chain told the Journal.

One shopper who spoke to the Journal, recent University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate Devak Nanda, said that he and his roommate walked 20 minutes each way to Costco to stock up. They used a wheeled cart to get groceries back to their apartment.

Other Gen Z and Millennials quoted in the Journal's article say that they split large packs of food with friends and family — even those that they don't live with — to get the savings of shopping at the wholesale retailers without having to store all of the food themselves.

For some, though, the tactic backfires. Nanda told the Journal that he eventually realized shopping at Costco wasn't actually saving him and his roommates any money after he did the math.

Costco and Sam's Club might be happy for the new customers, but they're likely less eager about those who share membership cards to make the purchases.

For example, Costco employees have started asking shoppers to see the photo on their membership card when they approach self-checkout to cut down on people sharing memberships.

Wholesale retailers like Costco and Sam's Club have long appealed to consumers who shop for big families or parties. But some single people say a Costco membership makes sense for them thanks to benefits like savings on gas.

Are you a shopper or employee at Costco or Sam's Club with a story idea to share? Reach out to Business Insider at dreuter@businessinsider.com and abitter@businessinsider.com

• Michael Rubin threw his annual "white party" for A-list celebrities and athletes on July 4. 
• Rubin is the billionaire CEO of sports merchandise company Fanatics. 
• He's also involved in charity, working with Meek Mill on the criminal justice REFORM Alliance. 

On July 4, Michael Rubin's Hamptons home was the place to be — or at least, it was for celebrities and athletes.

The billionaire — who has an $11.5 billion fortune, according to Forbes — hosted his annual "white party" for tons of A-list guests. This year, they included New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft, Kim Kardashian, Drake,  and athletes like Tom Brady. Their all-white outfits have also been splashed across social media after the event.

Though Rubin's name may not be as well known to the average person as some of his guests', he's pretty noteworthy — both for his role in the sports industry as the CEO of sports merchandise company Fanatics and as a popular figure who has a vast and diverse social circle.

Rubin is the CEO of Fanatics, a sports merchandise retailer, and is reportedly worth billions.

According to a profile of Rubin by Business Insider's John Lynch, the entrepreneur got his start as a teenager running a ski equipment business in Philadelphia. In his 20s, he dropped out of school to launch Global Sports Incorporated, an apparel and logistics company. 

Rubin later sold that company, later known as GSI Commerce, to eBay in 2011 for $2.4 billion. As part of that deal, he kept Fanatics — the company's production section. 

According to the company's website, Fanatics provides officially licensed sports merchandise and other services, such as digital asset collection and betting.

Forbes estimates that as of July 2024, Rubin's net worth is about $11.5 billion. 

Rubin is also the co-chair of the REFORM Alliance.

The REFORM Alliance is a criminal justice reform organization that, according to its website, "aims to transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems, and culture to create real pathways to work and wellbeing."

BI previously reported that the organization was launched after rapper Meek Mill was released from prison in 2018 following a controversial two-to-four-year prison sentence for a probation violation.

Mill and Rubin are co-chairs of the organization, whose board of directors includes CEO Robert Rooks, founding partners Clara Wu Tsai, Laura Arnold, Michael Novogratz, Robert Kraft, Robert F. Smith, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, and board member Priscilla Chan. 

In 2019, BI reported that Rubin, Mill, Kraft, and Tsai put together a trip for 50 children who had a parent who was in prison or who had been incarcerated or undergone a probation extension as a result of technical probation violations.

Rubin used to hold stake in both the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils.

According to People, Rubin purchased a minority share in the 76ers in 2011 and purchased a stake in the New Jersey Devils in 2013. 

However, in 2022, he sold his stake in the Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment company that owns both teams.

In a statement to ESPN, he said that he divested due to potential conflict-of-interest concerns given Fanatics' expansion into sports betting.

Rubin's social network includes a number of high-profile celebrities and athletes.

As BI previously reported, Rubin has a reputation for hosting "star-studded" parties, as Migos rapper Quavo put it. 

His 2020 Super Bowl party included guests like Jay-Z, Alex Rodriguez, Emily Ratajkowski, Post Malone, and Shaquille O'Neal. 

"I do like bringing people together," Rubin told The New York Times in 2021. "I have such a diverse set of friends, and I like to see them learn and grow from each other."

Rubin told BI that year that he's "like a sponge" and learns from his friends, saying his social circle was one of his greatest assets. 

"I think if you have a diverse group of friends, you can constantly learn from each other," Rubin told BI. "Robert Kraft and I learn from each other. Meek and I learn from each other. Quavo and I learn from each other. Gary Vee and I learn from each other. One of my best skill sets is the diversity of friends that I have."

His "white party" in 2023 brought together numerous A-list celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, and Tom Brady.

The "white party" took place in the Hamptons, and its dress code — as suggested by the name — was all-white. 

Per The New York Times, the first "white party" occurred in 2021 after Rubin purchased his $50 million Bridgehampton home in 2020. The celebration that year served as a housewarming event.

A source close to Rubin told Business Insider that celebrities in attendance at the 2023 party included Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian, Emily Ratajkowski, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lori Harvey, Travis Scott, and Justin and Hailey Bieber. Rubin also uploaded numerous photos from the event to his personal Instagram account. 

Rubin's daughter, Kylie Rubin, also posted photos of the event to her personal Instagram account. In the caption, she wrote that she would be "taking over the party list starting July 2027," tagging her father, and writing, "bye-bye."

"May cut u off the list next year for sport!!" Michael wrote in the comments. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kylie Rubin (@kylierubin)

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

 

This year, Rubin hosted another successful "white party" on July 4, 2024

This year's guest list included athletes like Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, musicians such as Drake, Megan Thee Stallion, Glo Rilla, and Quavo, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Emily Ratajkowski, and Megan Fox.

Of course, attendees donned all-white as seen in photos Rubin posted on Instagram, and the party was hosted at his Hamptons home.

In addition to his daughter Kylie, Rubin has two young daughters with Camille Fishel.

People reported that Rubin and his ex-wife, Meegan Rubin, split in 2011 but co-parent their daughter Kylie. 

He's since been linked to model Camille Fishel since 2016, per the magazine. The pair share two children: Romi, who was born in 2020, and Gema, who was born in 2022.

• The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is on its way to the Middle East after exercises in Asia.
• Its departure will leave the US Navy without a carrier in the Western Pacific region unless another can be tasked to the area.
• If not, soon the only carriers operating in the area may be China's.

Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are drawing the US military's focus and risk leaving the US Navy without any aircraft carriers operating in the Western Pacific, which is home to a major US rival and longtime foes.

The only US carrier in the area is on its way to the Middle East following a series of military drills in the Pacific. Meanwhile, China continues to demonstrate its ambitions with a growing fleet of carriers while American adversaries stir unease.

Late last month, the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group arrived in South Korea for a joint exercise with its host nation and Japan. While the exercise was pre-planned, it came at a tense time in the region, just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a historic defense pact that has had far-reaching geopolitical reverberations.

When the Roosevelt and the other elements of the strike group arrived, the South Korean navy said that the presence of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier and the other US warships "demonstrates the strong combined defense posture of the South Korea-US alliance and their firm resolve to respond to the escalating threats from North Korea."

After the exercise wrapped up, the Roosevelt strike group set sail for Middle Eastern waters, where it will take over the defense of commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. After USS Gerald R. Ford and the Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Roosevelt is the third aircraft carrier that has been sent to respond to the fighting in the Middle East ignited by the Israel-Hamas war.

The steady movement of the Roosevelt out of the Western Pacific and the departure of USS Ronald Reagan before that risks leaving an aircraft carrier-shaped hole in the US Navy's presence in the region at a time when Russia and North Korea are creating new headaches for US ally South Korea and China is increasingly conducting its own carrier operations and flexing its muscles against another US ally, the Philippines.

Business Insider was unable to reach the Pentagon for comment on carrier movements or US force posture in the Western Pacific.

The USNI News fleet tracker indicated on July 1 that USS Carl Vinson was in the Eastern Pacific around Hawaii for the big Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise while the Roosevelt appeared to be working its way toward the South China Sea. USS Carl Vinson is available for necessary tasking, but it lacks the presence provided by a forward-deployed carrier.

On July 2, the Roosevelt strike group was in the Philippine Sea, according to imagery and information from what is known as DVIDS, or the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

As the Roosevelt travels to keep up the seeminglty endless fight against the Houthis, China's navy has been active. The aircraft carrier Shandong and a Chinese amphibious assault ship conducted an exercise in the South China Sea earlier this week.

The Shandong is one of two Chinese Soviet-style carriers. The warship features a ski-jump-style ramp like its predecessor, Liaoning. China's newest carrier, Fujian, has a catapult launch system similar to the one on the US Navy's new Ford-class carriers.

China's carriers — the speed at which they're building and fielding them, as well as how and where they're operating them — demonstrate a focus in Beijing on building a carrier fleet capable of projecting military power in the region and potentially globally.

Lately, China has also ramped up altercations with the Philippines in contested waters in the South China Sea. Just late last month, Chinese personnel armed with machetes and spears attacked Filipino navy personnel in disputed waters. The Coast Guard, however, has taken charge in this spat, as opposed to the navy.

• A NATO ally captured images of a Russian submarine in the Baltic Sea last week.
• The submarine was spotted by a Portuguese P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.
• Russia conducted sub drills, including a torpedo duel, in the Baltic Sea recently.

A NATO ally's anti-submarine warfare aircraft captured photos of a Russian sub navigating the Baltic Sea last week, highlighting the alliance's continuous efforts to keep track of Russian activity in the undersea domain.

The surveillance photographs, which show the surfaced submarine, were taken around the same time the Russian military conducted submarine exercises in the Baltic Sea, which involved a pair of subs engaging in a torpedo duel.

NATO Maritime Command shared the photos on X and other social media platforms on Wednesday, noting that the Russian sub was photographed by a Portuguese P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, an ASW platform made by Lockheed Martin.

The P-3 Orion anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft was used by the US Navy for decades until it was succeeded by the sophisticated P-8A Poseidon, an advanced aircraft introduced in 2013 and highly regarded as one of the best maritime patrol aircraft in service. Other nations continue to use the P-3s, though.

A P-8 Poseidon recently operated over the Norwegian Sea late last month, joined by a US Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine and other vessels and aircraft, including an E6-B Mercury "Doomsday" plane, in what appeared to be an unusual flex amid persistent tensions with Russia.

While it's unclear what Russian sub was documented in these photos, Russia recently conducted a submarine exercise in the Baltic Sea. Two Russian Kilo-class, diesel-electric subs — the Novorossiysk and Dmitrov — held a training duel involving torpedo fire last week, around the same time the NATO photos were taken.

After wrapping up the duel, the Russian submarines — capable undersea assets known for being relatively quiet, especially the more advanced Novorossiysk — went on to conduct other combat exercises in the Baltic Sea, Russian state media said.

The Baltic Sea, where the drills took place, has seen a major geopolitical shift in recent years with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Finland and Sweden both joining NATO. Sweden became the newest member in March 2024.

With eight of the nine countries bordering the Baltic Sea now being NATO members — the only remaining one Russia — the body of water is sometimes called a "NATO lake," although this term has been criticized for glossing over how strategically important the region is for both NATO allies and Russia alike.

Russian submarines are active far beyond the Baltic Sea and remain an important element of the Russian navy. For instance, the submarine Kazan was spotted in Cuba recently during a Russian navy flotilla visit and prior to exercises in the Caribbean. The Kazan is one of a class of Russian submarines that have concerned NATO allies for years.

• Sen. Mark Warner is reportedly trying to organize his colleagues to push for Biden to drop out.
• Biden has continued to face questions about his political viability in the wake of his bad debate.
• One senator said there's a "sense among many that the current path may not be sustainable."

As President Joe Biden continues to face questions about his political viability in the wake of his poor debate performance last week, one Democratic senator is reportedly nearing a tipping point.

According to the Washington Post, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia is trying to gather a group of his Democratic colleague to ask Biden to withdraw from the race.

"Like many other people in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes these are critical days for the president's campaign, and he has made that clear to the White House," Warner's spokesperson, Rachel Cohen, told the Post.

Another Democratic senator told the outlet that "there is a sense among many that the current path may not be sustainable for him" and that Biden "obviously has to show strength right now."

As of Friday, no Democratic senator has called for Biden to step aside, though many have remained silent or dodged questions about whether they have confidence in him going forward.

Two House Democrats — Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Raúl Grijalva of Arizona —have publicly called for Biden to drop out, while two others have declared that former President Donald Trump will win the election.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

• Scientists got an unprecedented look into house cats' daily lives by studying over 1,200 cats.
• They discovered that cats tend to scratch more often and more intensely when they're stressed.
• Particularly, children in the home seem to cause high levels of stress that lead to scratching.

Scratching holes and snags in your furniture is a natural behavior for cats. Dr. Andrea Sanchez, a veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital, previously told Business Insider that cats scratch to communicate, stretch and condition their claws, and claim possessions.

But if you really want your cat to stop scratching up your couch and chairs, it's worth knowing the exact reason they're doing it in the first place. Now, a new study offers more clues into cats' destructive habits and how to curb them.

Scientists interviewed cat owners in France who all reported unwanted scratching behavior. In total, the study included 1,211 cats. The scientists emailed the owners asking about cats' daily routines, sociability, temperaments, behaviors, and the types of environments they lived in.

The research team discovered that naturally aggressive and disruptive cats were more likely to scratch, as well as cats who tended to play a lot and spent more time awake at night. But the research also showed there was more to the story than just kitty personality.

The cats' environments played a key role as well. "One noteworthy finding is the influence of the presence of a child at home on the high level of scratching behavior," the researchers reported in their paper, published on July 2 in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Turns out, cats don't seem to enjoy sharing a home with children all that much — at least the ones in this study. Children can stress cats out, which then leads the animals to scratch more often and more intensely, the researchers found.

It's not the first time researchers have found evidence to suggest that children play a role in destructive cat behavior. But questions remain. For example, it's unclear if age is a factor — if younger children heighten a feline's stress more than older kids. Another question the researchers say needs exploring is if it matters who lived in the home first.

How to stop cats from scratching up your furniture

If your cat won't stop scratching up your furniture, there are things you can do to curb the behavior, the researchers found.

Making sure that your cat is getting enough mental and physical exercise is important. Promoting regular, brief play sessions and providing stimulating toys can reduce stress and undesirable scratching behavior in your cat, the researchers reported.

Some examples may include interactive toys like rollerballs, scratchers, and play tunnels, which offer long-lasting mental and physical stimulation for cats.

The researchers also found that scratching posts can reduce scratching on household items, but where they're placed throughout the home matters. For the best results, put scratching posts in areas frequented by your cat, like near their bed or litter box.

Additionally, taking some time to observe your cat's scratching behavior can help you choose the right post for them, Danie "DQ" Quagliozzi, cat behavior consultant and owner of Go Cat Go! previously told Business Insider.

For example, if your cat is scratching vertically on the side of your couch, they may prefer a vertical scratching post, Quagliozzi said. But if they scratch carpets or rugs, a horizontal scratch pad is more likely to satisfy them, he added.

Most importantly, remember that every cat is different. This study highlights the importance of understanding the role that your cat's unique personality and environment, play in shaping their behavior, the researchers reported.