Author: openjargon

• The US Navy has drawn many lessons from its monthslong counter-Houthi mission.
• A former strike group commander who oversaw combat credited training for the warships' successes in battle.
• But he said future deployments would benefit from more drone training.

American warships have been battling dangerous and unprecedented threats in volatile Middle Eastern waters for months, and the experience has been a valuable lesson for the US Navy.

The threat posed to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels persists, showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. Thus, the US Navy's fight goes on.

Among the lessons the sea service has learned from its engagements off Yemen is that the Navy needs more work on defeating drones, Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, a former carrier strike group commander who oversaw nearly the entirety of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group's twice-extended deployment, wrote this week.

The strike group — which consists of the aircraft carrier Ike and several other warships — spent more than seven months intercepting Houthi missiles and drones and conducting preemptive strikes against the rebels in Yemen in defense of major shipping lanes before its recent departure.

Reflecting on the counter-Houthi operations and offering some lessons for future Navy combat, Miguez said the Eisenhower carrier strike group's deployment to the Middle East "has been unprecedented in every sense of the word."

"Our operations in the Red Sea have included a long list of 'firsts,' and while we are still learning and iterating, with every missile and unmanned system we engage and destroy, we are gaining important combat experience that will help inform future conflicts," Miguez wrote in commentary for the US Naval Institute.

More drone training

Miguez said there were several important attributes that helped support the Navy in its fight against what he described as "an unpredictable adversary." One of these elements was the intense training that the strike group received ahead of time.

"Take it seriously," he wrote. "Different adversaries require different tactics. The IKE CSG trained to be agile, flexible, and lethal."

"I attribute our success in the Red Sea to the pre-deployment training we received, especially the innovative approach to combat readiness," Miguez continued. However, he acknowledged that "future deployers would benefit from incorporating more unmanned (air, surface, underwater) scenarios in the training continuum."

Along with missiles, the Houthis have consistently launched airborne drones throughout their campaign and have found recent success using surface drones, also known as drone boats, in their attacks. The rebels have tried, in a few instances, to deploy underwater drones, according to the US military.

Drones are an emerging threat in naval warfare, as Ukraine has demonstrated by using a fleet of drone boats to inflict severe damage on Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

These conflicts present new training and defensive considerations for the US Navy as it looks ahead toward future warfighting and the evolving drone threat. But the lessons for the US Navy extend beyond drones.

"The threats we are combating in the Red Sea are not unique to the Houthis," Miguez said. "Lessons from this historic deployment will be used to address anti-ship capabilities across the fleet, including against pacing threats identified by the Department of Defense."

That's why, he added, "for every engagement we prosecute, every missile we detect, and every UAV we see flying, we send that data to the experts ashore, so they can analyze and make improvements for the next deployers."

This has been the case with the Houthis' anti-ship ballistic missiles, weapons that hadn't been used in combat until this conflict. Miguez told Business Insider during a visit to the Ike in the Red Sea earlier this year that the Navy has learned a lot from engaging these deadly threats.

Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh took over for Miguez as the commander of the Eisenhower strike group just days before it finally left the Red Sea on June 22 to head home, putting a lid on a restless deployment. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group will soon take over the Eisenhower's responsibilities in the Middle East.

Until it arrives, the Navy will not have an aircraft carrier in the region for the first time in a while. The shuffling of America's naval assets comes on the heels of an active few weeks for the Houthis, who hit several commercial vessels in June and have stepped up their attacks with explosive-laden drone boats.

• McDonald's previously released a chicken sandwich amid the "Chicken Sandwich Wars."
• The sandwich immediately drew comparisons with Chick-fil-A's iconic chicken sandwich.
• I tried McDonald's McCrispy chicken sandwich and thought it was very similar to Chick-fil-A's.

The chicken sandwich wars are still in full swing, but which chain has the best chicken sandwich at the best value?

In 2021, McDonald's replaced its buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich with a new lineup of chicken sandwiches: the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, the Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and the Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich.

Immediately, fans and industry experts began to notice the new offerings seemed very similar to Chick-fil-A's and Popeyes' iconic chicken sandwiches. Business Insider's Kate Taylor reported on a leaked menu that revealed McDonald's plans to release a new chicken sandwich, saying the chain was planning to "take a page out of Chick-fil-A's playbook."

Former McDonald's chef Mike Haracz told Business Insider it was "very apparent" that McDonald's was following Chick-fil-A's lead with its sandwich. "It comes in a foil bag just like Chick-fil-A, from what I understand it has a very similar flavor profile," he said before the sandwich's release. 

In 2024, the chicken sandwich wars are still underway, and not just at fast-food chains. Bloomberg noted that chicken sandwiches now appear on 47% of restaurant menus, citing data from research firm Technomic. The publication reported that not only do chefs want to showcase their take on chicken, but it's cheaper and considered healthier than beef — and Gen Z loves it.

At McDonald's, the crispy chicken sandwich has since been renamed the McCrispy. It is described as a "southern-style fried chicken sandwich" with crinkle-cut pickles and a toasted, buttered potato roll. Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich also comes on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips.

I wasn't going to assume that the sandwiches were identical: I had to try them for myself.

Here's how the McDonald's McCrispy compares to Chick-fil-A's original chicken sandwich.

The sandwiches were similar in size, though Chick-fil-A's bun and chicken fillet looked ever-so-slightly bigger.

Both sandwiches came in foil bags. They also both stayed warm despite half an hour passing between the time I picked them up and when I finally got them home. 

I noticed that each sandwich had a very different bun. McDonald's bun, pictured on the right, was harder and slightly denser, while Chick-fil-A's was softer and slightly bigger than the fillet inside.

I've had the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich countless times, but I tried to go into this taste test with a fresh perspective.

The chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A cost me $8.65 at my local Chick-fil-A in New York City, making it slightly more expensive than the McDonald's sandwich. 

Chick-fil-A has consistently ranked as one of America's biggest fast-food chains, and customer loyalty is high. 

"Chick-fil-A has very strong brand loyalists," former McDonald's chef Mike Haracz told Business Insider. "I've sat in panels when I was doing chicken work. They will try the food, but when you tell them it's not from Chick-fil-A they'll say, 'Well, I think it's great but I'm not going to buy it because I am a Chick-fil-A consumer.'"

However, Haracz said that "there are some people who might go to Chick-fil-A strictly for the flavor" alone, and if McDonald's can match that, they may be swayed.

Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich, which comes served on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips, is a favorite among customers.

Chicken sandwiches have been mainstays on most fast-food menus since 2020, but Chick-fil-A is often considered the original.

The chain also consistently outperforms its competitors. A recent ranking by Technomic ranks Chick-fil-A as the biggest chicken-focused fast-food chain in the country and the third-biggest fast-food chain overall. McDonald's still ranks as the No. 1 biggest fast-food chain in the country.

However, at the franchisee level, Chick-fil-A might be coming out on top. CNBC recently reported that the average franchised Chick-fil-A restaurant (not including ones in malls) brings in about $8.7 million in sales each year, compared to the average franchised McDonald's restaurant, which makes about $3.7 million in annual sales.

This is especially impressive considering that unlike McDonald's, which is often open 24/7, Chick-fil-A is only open six days a week. 

The bun was light and fluffy and the chicken breast was the perfect thickness.

Chick-fil-A's chicken breast was flakier rather than juicy. Looking at both of the sandwiches, the fillet itself also looked slightly bigger. The breading was thinner and clung to the chicken breast well, which gave it a great texture. 

However, I was slightly disappointed by Chick-fil-A's pickles — they didn't have the strong briny flavor or crunchiness I usually look for.

Next up was the McDonald's McCrispy chicken sandwich.

The McDonald's crispy chicken sandwich cost $7.49 at my local chain in Brooklyn, New York.

The chicken fillet was thick — right off the bat, it looked really similar to sandwiches I've had from other chains.

I've been a fan of McDonald's chicken sandwiches for years, but I could already tell that I was going to like this new sandwich a lot more.

The sandwich came with a few whole pickle chips on top of the chicken fillet.

The bun held the contents of the sandwich together perfectly, and in terms of size, I thought McDonald's did a great job at nailing the bun-to-chicken ratio. 

Biting in, I was immediately impressed.

The sandwich's breading had a slight sweetness. However, the tart, crunchy pickles, which had a strong briny flavor, perfectly balanced it out. The chicken was thick, juicy, and flavorful.

The only aspect of the sandwich I wasn't in love with was the bun — though it was a good size, I thought it was slightly too thick. I'm of the opinion that a sandwich bun's sole purpose is to hold everything together, without overpowering the other ingredients. I think this thicker potato bun slightly missed the mark on that.

It was hard to say which one I liked more. However, McDonald's has a great chicken sandwich at a great value.

So, how similar were the two sandwiches? Pretty similar, in my opinion. If I was to do a blind taste test, I might not even know which was which, unless one was slathered in Chick-fil-A sauce. However, this is not to say that McDonald's is actively trying to copy or imitate Chick-fil-A's most iconic offering.

There is a trend in what consumers are looking for in a chicken sandwich, whether they're ordering from Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, Popeyes, or any other chain.

Judging by the success of the chicken-war competitors, consumers want a Southern-inspired flavor with juicy, flavorful chicken and tart and crunchy pickles. McDonald's definitely delivered on all counts.

As far as this food reporter is concerned, the McDonald's chicken sandwich stacks up well against fan favorites — and you save a little bit of money by ordering from the bigger chain.

• Russia is shutting down a mortgage subsidy program that fueled a property boom.
• It's a sign Russia is trying to cool off its real estate sector, as well as its overheating economy.
• Russia's economy has been heating up for a while, bucking dire predictions about the effect of sanctions. 

Russia is shuttering a major housing subsidy program as policymakers try to contain a property boom that has helped overheat the economy in recent years, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Russia's government has spent around half a trillion rubles since 2020 to fund a program offering mortgages at rates as low as 8%. That's much lower than the market rate for mortgages in Russia, with banks offering mortgages at rates ranging between 17% and 20%, according to government data cited by Bloomberg.

But that program has ushered a wave of Russians into the nation's real estate market, which has sent property prices soaring. That poses a threat to Russia's economy, which experts have warned is becoming overheated as the costs of its war take a toll.

Residential property prices in Russia rose to a fresh record in 2023, according to data from the Bank for International Settlements. Home prices nearly tripled from 2020 to 2023 alone, data from the Russian-based research firm Urban Economics shows, attesting to the inflationary pressures of the subsidy program.

Rising property prices are largely attributed to increased housing demand over the past few years. Home purchases ballooned to 18 trillion rubles last year, amounting to around 11% of Russia's GDP, Kremlin data shows. Meanwhile, around 75% of mortgages in the nation last year were subsidized by the program.

Most people eligible for a subsidized mortgage won't be able to get one starting this week, Bloomberg reported.

Since its beginning in 2020, the program has received criticism from top policymakers. According to estimates the Bank of Russia made at the start of the year, keeping the program running through 2026 would have cost Russia another 1 trillion rubles, or $11.3 billion.

The Bank of Russia also reported "signs of overheating" in the mortgage lending market late last year.

"The larger the volume of subsidized loans, the higher interest rates need to be for all borrowers to prevent high price growth," the central bank's governor, Elvira Nabiullina, added in June.

Bucking most predictions, Russia's economy has been running too hot for most of the war, according to Aleksei Kiselev, a Russian economist and a research associate at the Florence School of Banking and Finance.

Inflation is up, wages are rising, and GDP is steadily rising, even as the country deals with stiff sanctions from the West.

"Economic crises occur for various reasons, including financial bubbles that grow until they burst," Kiselev said in a recent commentary on the Carnegie Endowment website.

"At some point, the imbalances will rise to the surface and force the state to retreat from its commitments to its people. It does not really matter whether this takes the form of confiscations, the removal of massive subsidies, price increases, or an indefinite freeze on deposits and pensions," he later added.

Russian inflation clocked in at 8.61% in June, well above the Bank of Russia's 4% price target. According to a recent Reuters poll, analysts are expect inflation to remain well above target all year, which could prompt central bankers to raise rates to 18% in July.

• Clarence Thomas thinks OSHA may be unconstitutional.
• Thomas disagreed with his fellow justices who declined to take up a case challenging OSHA's authority.
• It's the latest target for the arch-conservative justice, who has questioned other decisions like gay marriage.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has set his sights on eliminating OSHA.

The Supreme Court announced Tuesday which cases it will consider next and which cases it won't. Among those the court rejected was a case that challenged the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces standards for health and safety in the workplace.

And Thomas, widely considered to be the most conservative justice on the already conservative-majority court, wasn't happy.

He wrote a dissent explaining why he believes the high court should've taken the case: because OSHA's power, he argues, is unconstitutional.

The case in question — Allstates Refractory Contractors v. Julie A. Su, Acting Secretary of Labor — was supported by conservative business groups and Republican attorneys general who want to limit OSHA's power over the American workplace, USA Today reported. In it, the plaintiffs, Ohio-based general contractors, argue that Congress violated the Constitution by delegating legislative power to an outside agency when it established OSHA in 1970.

"Congress purported to empower an administrative agency to impose whatever workplace-safety standards it deems 'appropriate,'" Thomas wrote in his dissent. "That power extends to virtually every business in the United States."

The federal US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld OSHA's constitutionality in 2023, arguing that the agency's authority is valid because it's limited to just workplace safety, Reuters reported.

But Thomas believes the agency's powers are still too great.

"The agency claims authority to regulate everything from a power lawnmower's design," he continues, "to the level of 'contact between trainers and whales at SeaWorld.'"

He argues that if OSHA does not unconstitutionally grant too much legislative power to an agency, "it is hard to imagine what would."

"It would be no less objectionable if Congress gave the Internal Revenue Service authority to impose any tax on a particular person that it deems 'appropriate,'" Thomas continues in his dissent.

This isn't the first time Thomas has disagreed with his fellow justices to a conservative extreme.

In 2022, when the high court overturned Roe v. Wade, Thomas went a step further to argue that the court should also reconsider its previous decisions that protected contraception access, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriages.

• Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Texas, just called on Joe Biden to drop out of the race.
• He is the first sitting Democratic member of Congress to do so.
• "Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory," he said.

Following Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance, Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first sitting member of Congress to call on the president to drop out of the presidential race.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Austin-era lawmaker praised Biden, but warned of the "authoritarian takeover" that would come if former President Donald Trump wins.

"Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory — too great a risk to assume that what could not be turned around in a year, what was not turned around in the debate, can be turned around now," said Doggett.

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

• Kari Lake has never won an election — but she's quickly become one of MAGA's biggest stars.
• In just the last five months, she made $20,000 from one paid speech and $27,000 from book sales.
• She's also invested between $1,000 and $15,000 in Trump's "Truth Social."

The GOP's hopes of retaking the Senate rest in part on Kari Lake, the former TV broadcaster and 2022 gubernatorial candidate who's poised to become the party's Senate nominee in Arizona.

But Lake keeps spending lots of time outside the state, much to the chagrin of Republicans — including former President Donald Trump.

As it turns out, she's making some extra money by doing it.

Lake was paid $20,000 by to appear at the the St. Joseph County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner in South Bend, Indiana, according to a financial disclosure filed at the end of June.

The Arizona Republican previously filed a disclosure in January, revealing that she had given several paid speeches, totaling $75,000, in the year before she announced her campaign in October 2023. The new April payment appears to contradict her campaign's previous statement that Lake "doesn't [charge] a speaking fee."

In the five months since filing her January disclosure, Lake also brought in an additional $27,738.77 from sales of her book, "Unafraid."

Her June disclosure also included further details of her agreement with the agreement she made with right-wing publisher Winning Team Publishing in 2023: a $100,000 advance, plus $25% of net profits beyond that.

The candidate's assets are largely the unchanged from January, aside from one notable addition to her stock portfolio: Between $1,000 and $15,000 in stock in Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that run's the former president's "Truth Social" platform.

Lake's campaign did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

The GOP candidate is all but certain to face Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego this fall in what will be a key race for determining control of the Senate.

Plenty of politicians in both parties have found ways to cash in on their celebrity brands, most often through book sales that can sometimes exceed their official salaries. But Lake has yet to win an election, and some Republicans have grumbled about the fact that she's spent a significant amount of time out of state.

• The Biden campaign enjoyed a substantial fundraising haul in June, taking in $127 million.
• Roughly $38 million came into the campaign's coffers after Biden's poor debate performance.
• Biden's campaign is aiming to use the sustained fundraising figures to calm the nerves of anxious donors.

President Joe Biden's campaign on Tuesday touted a fundraising windfall in June, announcing that it had taken in $127 million in combination with the Democratic National Committee.

Of the significant haul, $38 million came in the four days following the president's disastrous debate against Trump, according to the New York Times.

While Biden is pointing to the cash influx to calm anxieties about his candidacy following his widely panned debate performance against former President Donald Trump, deep-pocketed donors remain on edge.

In an attempt to quell nerves from top Democrats and the party's rank-and-file, the Biden campaign released the June fundraising numbers well ahead of the federal filing deadline later this month.

The June numbers marked Biden's best fundraising month this cycle, though much of that money came from a star-studded Hollywood event last month, which raked in $28 million and is so far the most lucrative single Democratic Party fundraiser to date. Even so, Biden had a higher haul in June 2020, when he raked in $141 million.

Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon on Monday held a call with over 500 major donors in an attempt to ensure them that the president can and should continue his campaign, Politico reported.

But many donors are still seeking more reassure from Biden ahead of next month's Democratic National Convention in Chicago. One high-dollar fundraiser told The Washington Post that the situation sentiment toward the Biden campaign among donors was akin to "Armageddon."

"Unless he shakes up the campaign and shows leadership, it's going to be a really, really tough time with money," the fundraiser told the newspaper.

Another veteran donor, Whitney Tilson, recently said in a post on X that he felt "deceived" and added that if Biden's performance last week was a true reflection of his abilities than it "would be a waste of my time and money" to continue backing him.

According to the Biden campaign, almost two-thirds of his June donations came from grassroots donors, and nearly half of those who gave money following the debate did so for the first time. These statistics, aides insist, are evidence of continued support for Biden.

Trump has not yet released June fundraising numbers, but he recently erased Biden's financial edge, largely due to a huge stream of donations following his criminal conviction in Manhattan. The ex-president's May fundraising numbers exceeded Biden's June haul, at $141 million compared to $127 million.

To date, the Biden campaign has $240 million in the bank. And much of that money is going toward advertisements and offices in key swing states across the country.

However, despite the strong numbers from the Biden campaign, many elected Democrats and donors are waiting on post-debate polling numbers to decide how to proceed.

• Festival season is in full swing.
• Glastonbury Festival, which typically pours millions of pounds into the UK's economy, ended June 30.
• But while there are more festivals than ever before, they're not a new phenomenon.

It seems like every other week, there's a new music festival promising to be the greatest weekend ever. In addition to all of these new events popping up around the world, there are the staples like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Hangout.

That's not even mentioning the British mainstays like Glastonbury, which earned around £168 million, or about $212 million, for businesses in the United Kingdom last summer, according to an economic impact summary shared by the festival. Other UK festivals include Leeds and Isle of Wight, which also draw tens of thousands of visitors each year.

But if you find yourself longing for the days of going to a concert without catching people culturally appropriating Native American headdresses, taking selfies every five seconds, or watching the show through their tiny phone screens as they record the whole thing, you might have just been born in the wrong time.

Keep scrolling to see the real glory days of music festivals.

Woodstock Music Festival took place over three days in August 1969.

It was advertised as "Three Days of Peace and Music." Many famous musicians of the time played at the festival, including Santana, the Grateful Dead, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The people of Bethel, New York, were unprepared for the more than 400,000 people that showed up to the festival.

Bethel is a small town in upstate New York that didn't have the infrastructure to deal with that many people. Apparently, the novice organizers were expecting around 50,000 attendees.

You'd think that in the 21st century, with so many rules and regulations surrounding festivals, it'd be impossible to have another miscalculation like that. But 2017's failed Fyre Festival proved that there are still some kinks in the festival business.

Woodstock attendees were called hippies which, at the time, was considered a derogatory term.

Being a hippie now is trendy — today, flower crowns, tie-dye, and meditation are staples of many an Instagram celebrity. 

They had undeniable style, though.

These looks are timeless.

People drove from hundreds of miles away to check out Woodstock.

In the words of Max Yasgur, whose land was used for the festival, "You have proven something to the world… that half a million kids can get together for fun and music and have nothing but fun and music," Rolling Stone reported.

And climbed sound towers in order to get a better view.

Now, every festival is teeming with security guards — Woodstock patrons would say they ruin all the fun.

Jimi Hendrix's famous two-hour set was delayed for hours due to weather and technical issues. He was supposed to perform at midnight on Sunday but didn't play until 9 a.m. on Monday.

The legendary guitarist's most famous performance, a blistering rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner," took place at around 9 a.m. to a crowd of 200,000 people, the History Channel reported. More than half of the festival-goers had to leave before his performance.

Imagine if an artist played nine hours late now — it would never fly. We got a taste of that when Frank Ocean canceled his second Coachella performance after a disappointing first weekend, and it didn't go well.

The organizers of Woodstock provided free food, an unheard-of concept in 2024.

Although … the food originally wasn't supposed to be free. But when the food vendors were overwhelmed by the crowds, the people of Bethel and the rest of Sullivan County banded together to donate food, water, and supplies, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Compare that to a $17 chicken sandwich, and just try not to roll your eyes.

Woodstock was the beginning of a movement.

Never before (or after) has there been such a peaceful gathering of that many people.

As Rolling Stone put it: "Woodstock pulled off the ultimate magic act of the 1960s: turning utter rain-soaked chaos into the greatest rock festival ever and the decade's most famous and successful experiment in peace and community."

Simply, it was just a really good time.

There were zero reports of violence.

The popularity of the original Woodstock inspired Woodstock '94, in honor of the 25th anniversary.

It's hard to believe that Woodstock will be celebrating its 55th anniversary in 2024.

In 1994, in honor of 25 years, a new festival, Woodstock '94, took place in Saugerties, New York, around two hours from the original site.

The vibe was very similar to the original festival … down to the lack of preparedness.

The New York Times reported the crowds were again much higher than expected, but festival go-ers still had fun seeing classic '90s acts such as Sheryl Crow, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Cranberries.

Plus, there were some repeat guests from the original Woodstock: Santana, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Country Joe McDonald, Joe Cocker, and The Band.

The weather was also the same as the first Woodstock.

It rained at both, which probably contributed to the chaos. Many people and acts alike played in the mud.

It looked like a lot of fun.

If there was this type of rainstorm now, the festival might be canceled or postponed, like the third day of the 2016 Governor's Ball, the 2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or the 2023 Burning Man disaster.

This picture could have been taken in 2024 — both crowdsurfing and overalls are popular today.

The '90s are making a comeback.

Another long-running music festival is the Newport Folk Festival. It's where Bob Dylan made the switch from acoustic to electric, changing the game forever.

The Newport Folk Festival, located in Newport, Rhode Island, is decidedly less wild than many of its music festival counterparts — but that doesn't make it any less cool. It's one of the longest-running festivals in the US, having started in July 1959.

There was no shortage of hippies at the Newport Folk Festival either.

The 1965 lineup included Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, plus Bob Dylan's first electric performance, which resulted in boos and jeers, according to History.

Burning Man is another popular festival that has remained popular since its beginnings in 1986.

Burning Man isn't exactly a music festival. In its own words, it's "A city in the desert. A culture of possibility. A network of dreamers and doers."

 

The festival usually features a lot of characters, like these two attendees at the 2000 festival.

Burning Man is still going strong 38 years later. The 2024 festival is from August 25 to September 2.

Burning Man is named for its very own "Burning Man," a 52-foot-tall wooden man that is burned at the end of the festival.

It's hard to believe that a festival would still be allowed to burn a gigantic wooden sculpture.

The "Man" is burned at the end of the week, but in the days leading up to the "Burn," people take advantage of the structure in many different ways.

Keith Sullivan and Erica Muehsam got married underneath the Man in 1997, and they're not the only ones.

The Burning Man website has a guide on how to legally get married at the festival, since it happens so much. New York Magazine reported in 2015 that the wedding business at Burning Man was "booming."

The UK's biggest festival is Glastonbury Festival, which started in 1970.

As reported by The Telegraph, Glastonbury (affectionately called Glasto) is the largest greenfield festival in the world. Glasto reported 140,000 visitors in 2023. But it wasn't always that large.

The iconic Glastonbury pyramid stage made its first appearance in 1971.

The pyramid stage is still used at the festival to this day.

Why a pyramid? According to the Glastonbury website, "the apex projects energy upwards while energy from the stars and sun are drawn down" — a true hippie answer.

Before e-tickets and the internet, people camped out to get good spots.

Camping has changed a lot, too.

But the camping didn't end there …

This was taken at the Isle of Wight Festival, also in England.

Back then, festival-goers even went without tents. All they needed was the music.

Well, and a blanket.

• Rudy Giuliani has been disbarred in New York over efforts to boost Donald Trump's 2020 election fraud claims.
• The former NYC mayor and personal attorney to Trump was disbarred effective immediately. 
• "The seriousness of respondent's misconduct cannot be overstated," a NY appeals court said in a ruling.

Rudy Giuliani — once heralded as "America's Mayor" and a former federal prosecutor who made his career in going after the mob — has been disbarred in his home state of New York.

A New York appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Giuliani, who served as a personal lawyer to former President Donald Trump, be disbarred "effective immediately" over his efforts to boost Trump's baseless 2020 election fraud claims.

Giuliani, the appeals court wrote in its 31-page ruling, "is disbarred from the practice of law, effective immediately, and until the further order of this Court, and his name stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law in the State of New York."

The former New York City mayor can no longer practice law in New York over his "demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers, and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump and the Trump campaign in connection with Trump's failed effort at reelection in 2020," the appeals court wrote.

"These false statements were made to improperly bolster respondent's narrative that due to widespread voter fraud, victory in the 2020 United States presidential election was stolen from his client," the court said.

It added, "The seriousness of respondent's misconduct cannot be overstated."

Giuliani, the court wrote, "flagrantly misused his prominent position as the personal attorney for former President Trump and his campaign, through which respondent repeatedly and intentionally made false statements."

He also "baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country's electoral process," the court said.

"In so doing, respondent not only deliberately violated some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession, but he also actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 Presidential election, for which he is entirely unrepentant," the court wrote.

Attorneys for Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• The Biden administration proposed the first-ever national heat protection standards for workers.
• The rule targets about 35 million workers in industries like construction and agriculture.
• The proposal comes amid record heat waves exacerbated by the climate crisis.

The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed the first-ever national standards for protecting workers during excessive heat.

The rule, if finalized, would affect about 35 million workers across the country in industries like construction, agriculture, delivery, landscaping, and utility line repair. Workers in restaurants and factories where there isn't access to air conditioning could also be covered by new requirements for employers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has to accept public comments before drafting a final rule in the coming months. Republican-led states and business groups are likely to sue the administration to block the rule, and a string of recent Supreme Court rulings curtailing federal agencies' power could also make it harder for regulations to survive legal challenges. Former president Donald Trump would likely block the rule from becoming final if he wins a second term.

The proposal comes as millions of indoor and outdoor workers have been exposed to record-setting heat waves this summer. On Tuesday, more than 75 million Americans were under heat alerts, according to the National Weather Service. The climate crisis is causing more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting heat waves in major cities across the US, federal climate scientists have found.

"The purpose of this rule is simple," a senior administration official said during a call with reporters. "It is to significantly reduce the number of worker-related deaths, injuries, and illnesses suffered by workers who are exposed to excessive heat and exposed to these risks while simply doing their jobs."

More than 436 workers died on the job due to heat exposure between 2011 and 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 34,000 workers suffered heat-related injuries that required time away from work.

OSHA last year said these figures are "vast underestimates" because the definition of a heat-related illness varies by jurisdiction and there's a lack of recognition that heat is a "causal or contributing factor to illness." That leads to inconsistent reporting by medical professionals and employers also underreport these cases, OSHA said. The agency has been criticized by worker safety advocates for failing to conduct more heat inspections, as well.

What will employers have to do and when?

OSHA is proposing two heat index thresholds that kick in requirements for employers. The heat index is what the temperature feels like to the human body when humidity is combined with the air temperature.

Employers with workers exposed to 80 degrees Fahrenheit either indoors or outdoors would have to regularly monitor the temperature and create an injury and illness prevention plan that details how to respond when workers express symptoms of heat illness.

Access to drinking water, a shaded or cool break area, and rest breaks would be required. So would an "acclimatization" plan that ensures new employees can gradually adjust to the heat, such as slowly increasing their workload or giving them 15-minute rest breaks every two hours.

"Notably, acclimatization is the leading killer among the different factors related to heat illness," a senior administration official said. "So 3 out of 4 workers who die on the job due to heat-related heat illness die on that first week and on the job."

At 90 degrees additional requirements kick in, including checking in with workers on the job alone, mandatory paid rest breaks every two hours, and a hazard alert system that reminds employees how to stay safe.

The rule doesn't cover government employees or emergency responders.

Didn't Texas and Florida block heat safety mandates?

Yes, Texas and Florida have blocked local ordinances aimed at protecting workers during extreme heat.

A Florida law that took effect on July 1 bars cities and counties in the state from imposing their own rules on business, like requiring water breaks — something Miami-Dade County considered last year.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last year also signed a law that preempts local labor, agriculture, environmental, and other policies that don't align with state codes. Critics said the law overrode the few protections that construction workers in Austin and Houston were guaranteed, including 10-minute breaks every four hours to drink water and rest in the shade. Abbott said the goal was to prevent a patchwork of different rules that would be confusing for businesses.

A senior administration official said OSHA's proposal, if finalized, would apply to all states including Texas and Florida.

"If you look at the Florida statute, it's expressly notes that this is within OSHA's authority, regardless of your opinion on that law," the official said.

Do any states already have heat protection laws?

Yes. Five states have laws that aim to protect employees exposed to heat: Minnesota, California, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado.

A senior administration official said OSHA's proposal is similar to standards that have been successful in those states.

California has had its law on the books since 2006. Washington and Oregon created worker protections after several farm workers died during a heat wave in June 2021.

A senior administration official said OSHA will review state plans to ensure they are at least as effective as the federal rules.

Are businesses opposed to OSHA's rule?

The Guardian reported that some groups representing agriculture and construction companies have lobbied against state and federal efforts to enact heat protection standards. These groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Construction Industry Safety Coalition, argued that the requirements could be too complex and costly.

But groups that represent farmworkers who pick fruits and vegetables in extreme heat in states like California, Arizona, and Florida have pressured OSHA for years to enact a federal standard.

A senior administration official said OSHA also convened a national advisory committee of construction representatives comprised of management and labor interests.

"That group voted unanimously that we proceed expeditiously with rulemaking," the official said. "So while we may not agree on the contents of the proposal, there are fair number of of employer groups out there that that recognize the importance of a level playing field when it comes to a heat rule."

Are you a business owner or worker who would be affected by heat protection rules? Contact this reporter at cboudreau@businessinsider.com.