Author: openjargon

• Ukraine says it destroyed 59 Russian air defense systems in June 2024.
• It's the second-highest monthly total since the war began, compared to 73 in July 2023.
• Ukraine has upped its attacks on Russian defenses, especially in Crimea, with longer-range strike packages.

Ukraine's defense ministry said Monday that the country's military inflicted substantial damage on Russian air defense systems last month.

Ukraine said that in June 2024, it destroyed 59 systems, one of the highest monthly totals since the war began, second only to 73 in July 2023.

Last month's number is notably a major jump from 35 in May. It comes as Ukraine has prioritized knocking out Russian S-300s and S-400s, especially in Crimea, with longer-range weapons.

Business Insider couldn't independently verify the claim, but experts have documented an increased focus on knocking out enemy air defenses.

Ukraine didn't say where all of these air defense systems were destroyed, but it has intensified its attacks in Crimea over the past month, with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reporting major strikes against S-300 and S-400 systems. Ukraine has long made striking occupied Crimea a top priority, and experts have previously assessed that Kyiv's goal is to ultimately make the peninsula "untenable" for Russia.

And as Ukraine has continued to target air defenses on the occupied peninsula, Russia has likely been forced to move more of its air defense systems there, increasing their vulnerability to Ukrainian strikes, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington DC-based think tank.

ISW's war analysts have also assessed that "Ukrainian forces may be conducting an organized effort to degrade Russian air defenses, which could enable Ukraine to more effectively leverage manned fixed-wing airpower (namely using F-16 fighter jets) in the long term.

Ukraine has been suspected of using, among some other assets, Western long-range weapons, such as American-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), for these strikes.

The West has long allowed strikes in Crimea, deeming it a valid target for Kyiv's forces, but there have been restrictions on striking into Russia. Some have been eased, but others, such as the US provision that its ATACMS not be used to strike targets within Russian territory, remain in effect.

Without these restrictions, Ukraine could "in principle" replicate its success at taking out Russian air defense systems in Russian territory, ISW has said.

For now, though, the US still won't let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory, which Russia uses as a staging area for its aircraft and other assets.

As ISW suggested in its assessment, Ukraine's targeting of Russian air defenses could also improve the effectiveness of its F-16 fighter jets, the first batch of which will arrive this summer. With fewer defensive systems threatening its aircraft, Ukraine could have more freedom of movement for conducting air operations.

Ukraine is only set to receive a smaller number of F-16s, though, which may require it to be more careful with how it uses them. Still, the aircraft will serve as a boost to its arsenal of aging Soviet aircraft and potentially create new opportunities.

The Supreme Court granted Donald Trump partial immunity from prosecution. It's a huge win for the GOP candidate ahead of November's election.

• A lot of Democratic voters want Joe Biden to drop out after his disastrous debate performance.
• It's a choice between gambling on a new nominee or risking defeat with Biden.
• Here are the biggest arguments for and against Biden dropping out.

Democrats are in a state of panic after President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance last Thursday, and now, a solid chunk of the party's voters do not believe he should be their nominee.

A CBS/YouGov poll found that 46% of registered Democrats think Biden should step aside. Morning Consult found that number to be 47%. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll put it at 41%.

Sticking with Biden after the debate carries clear risks. His rambling, at times incoherent performance seemed to confirm voters' worst fears about the 81-year-old president's age, and there's a real question as to whether he can ever recover in the polls against former President Donald Trump.

Yet Biden dropping out of the race at this stage is also a huge gamble, one that's fairly unprecedented in recent memory. It's not immediately clear who would replace Biden, and there's the potential for a chaotic nomination fight at the Democratic convention in August.

Here are the most common arguments that people are making for and against Biden dropping out of the race — some of which, inevitably, may contradict each other.

Why Biden should drop out of the race

The debate was his last good shot at turning things around, and he failed. Biden has been consistently polling behind Trump, and the debate represented the best possible shot to reset the narrative of the race, perhaps turning attention to Trump's unpopular stances on issues like abortion and January 6. Instead, it became all about Biden's weak performance, and there's no guarantee that the president won't bomb the September debate as well.

He's losing because of his age, and there are younger alternatives available. Polling has consistently shown that a majority of voters, including Democrats, think Biden's too old to serve. Swapping him out with a younger candidate — perhaps the 59-year-old vice president or a senator or governor in their 40s or 50s — would eliminate that factor from the race entirely while drawing attention to the 78-year-old Trump's own fumbles.

His performance could hurt House and Senate candidates. Within days of the debate, Biden's performance was ricocheting in the Pennsylvania Senate race: GOP candidate Dave McCormick released an ad hammering Democratic Sen. Bob Casey over his past defenses of Biden's ability to do the job. One can easily imagine versions of this ad being used in competitive House and Senate races around the country, potentially costing Democrats control of both chambers.

A contested convention could actually be a boon for the party. While many fear the uncertainty that could come with handing the decision of choosing the nominee over to roughly 4,700 Democratic delegates, it could also work in their favor. As New York Times opinion columnist Ezra Klein argued in February, a contested convention could "make the Democrats into the most exciting political show on earth" and show off the "murderer's row of political talent" within the party while providing a contrast to a GOP that remains bound to Trump, who remains a deeply unpopular political figure.

Why Biden should stay in the race

This debate may not matter that much. It's early, but polling so far has not shown a dramatic shift in the race since the debate. If that remains the case, it will be because Americans have largely made up their mind about each candidate — they know that Trump's is chaotic, and they know that Biden is old. Plus, the salience of a debate can fade over time.

None of the other options poll much better than Biden: In an email to supporters, the Biden campaign cited a Data for Progress poll finding that other potential Democrats candidate performed similarly to Biden against Trump.

Democratic infighting could hurt the eventual replacement nominee. This is another Biden-world argument: In their email to supporters, they wrote that Biden dropping out would "lead to weeks of chaos, internal foodfighting, and a bunch of candidates who limp into a brutal floor fight at the convention, all while Donald Trump has time to speak to American voters uncontested." While it's not clear that would definitely happen, many may not want to take the risk.

Replacing Biden could be a logistical and financial mess. The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee have spent months building up a campaign apparatus, both at the national and state level, and they've raised hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. If Vice President Kamala Harris were to replace Biden, it would be somewhat seamless: She could essentially take over that apparatus and the war chest. If Democrats were to go with someone else, it gets much more complicated.

• I compared Sol de Janeiro's $48 Brazilian Bum Bum Cream with Nutrius' $22 dupe sold at Costco.
• Both options improved my skin's texture in record time.
• The Nutrius brand from Costco was budget-friendly and more comfortable for all-day wear.

Sol de Janeiro has built its identity around its famous Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, which claims to firm and tighten skin over time.

Although the brand was founded in 2015, it blew up online in 2023. Cofounder Heela Yang told Glossy in December that 90% of the brand's triple-digit growth came from organic social promotion.

Like many others, my interest was piqued. But one 8-ounce tub of the lotion costs $48, so I wasn't sure if it was a sustainable holy-grail product for my budget.

Luckily, Costco stocks a two-pack of 6-ounce Brazilian body butter creams from the brand Nutrius for $22. It's been dubbed a Bum Bum Cream dupe by some based on similar packaging and shared ingredients — namely cupuaçu butter, coconut oil, acai oil, and guarana extract.

I purchased both to test out just how similar the cheap and expensive products are.

Sol de Janeiro's product exudes luxury.

If I'm going to spend $48 on a lotion, I'm expecting it to deliver. Luckily, I was pleased by the Bum Bum Cream's luxe packaging.

When I opened the tub, the cream smelled nutty and almost vanilla-y — likely from the Brazil nut and coconut oil in its formula.

A little bit of the thick cream goes a long way.

Sol de Janeiro advertises its Brazilian Bum Bum Cream as "fast-absorbing." But after applying a thin layer, it took over 20 minutes for it to fully dry on my skin.

A little definitely goes a long way.

Texture aside, after a couple of days of consistent use across my arms, legs, and torso, I noticed a difference in the smoothness and plumpness of my skin. I was especially pleased with how it helped correct the texture on my upper arms and shoulders.

Bum Bum Cream contains sodium hyaluronate.

To hold in moisture, Bum Bum Cream is made with sodium hyaluronate.

According to Tina Seitz, a licensed medical esthetician and holistic skin specialist, "This is the sodium salt form of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body. It acts as a sponge helping the skin to hold onto water, being plump and aiding in the elasticity of the skin."

This fact may be directly responsible for the lingering dampness after application. But in theory, the water retention should help even out cellulite and other skin bumps.

I got nearly double the product (and twice as many scents) at Costco.

Nutrius's tubs are only 6 ounces, but that still means I got 12 ounces of lotion for $21.98, including taxes.

The brand offers several different scent options for its body creams. My particular Costco two-pack included the original cream and the Berry Bliss Brazilian body butter.

Just getting two scent options for less than half the price of the luxury product was already a major pro.

The smell of the original (yellow lid) lotion was very light — it almost reminded me of sunscreen. It was definitely less rich and luxe than the Sol de Janeiro jar.

I loved how light the product was.

For the fairest results, I waited 72 hours after my Bum Bum Cream trial before using this lotion on my arms, legs, and torso for a couple of days.

Perhaps because of its less expensive formula, the Nutrius cream didn't feel as thick as its luxury counterpart. But because of this, it was way easier to rub in.

If you hate the texture of putting lotion on (like me), this is probably the jar for you. It also dried on my skin much faster than the Bum Bum Cream.

After a couple of days, I noticed improvements that were very similar to the hydrating and bump-reducing effects of the Bum Bum Cream.

Nutrius has a slightly different ingredient list.

Nutrius' original cream highlights the same main ingredients as Sol de Janeiro: cupuaçu butter, guarana extract, and acai fruit oil. But the Berry Bliss jar swaps the cupuaçu and acai with cocoa butter and vitamin C for a slightly different hydrating cocktail.

"Cocoa butter contains procyanidins, which increase blood flow, improving circulation," Seitz said. "This can ease fluid retention and break up fatty deposits under the skin."

This by no means guarantees cellulite reduction — no product can — but some ingredients have the potential to decrease the appearance of it.

I prefer the dupe to Sol de Janeiro’s original.

As someone who doesn't like to sit in what feels like layers of product all day, I was a big fan of the fast-absorbing Nutrius cream.

I know some people may prefer a rich, thick cream for hydration. But since I saw similar results from both lotions, I'd rather be comfortable (and save some money).

The real Bum Bum Cream is priced at $6 an ounce, but the dupe costs less than $2 an ounce, so it's kind of a no-brainer for me. And if you don't have a Costco membership, Nutrius sells a two-pack on its site for $28, which is still only $2.33 an ounce.

Once my official experiment was over, it was also great to have two different Nutrius formulas and scents to play with. Berry Bliss ended up being my favorite of all three options.

• Social media is having a meltdown over Biden's debate performance.
• Many felt disillusioned by the prospect of either candidate — and their ages.
• Biden was struggling with Gen Z voters, many of whom get news from TikTok, even before the debate.

There was one potential bright side to Biden's horrendous performance at CNN's debate: relatively few people watched it.

But for a critical demographic, they didn't need to watch live.

Polls have shown Biden has glaring issues with critical Gen Z and millennial voters, with their support for him slipping even before the debate.

And those younger voters are turning less and less to television; roughly one-third of Americans aged 18 to 29 consistently get their news from TikTok.

But if Biden had hoped hoping TikTok would react better than panicking Democrats to the debate, he's going to be disappointed.

A study by social intelligence firm CredoIQ analyzed the top 450 TikToks about the debate, which together amassed roughly 483 million views.

The report found that 39% of those videos expressed negative sentiments about Biden alone.

By comparison, only 9.5% of those videos were negative solely about Trump, according to the study. Negative reaction to Biden also outpaced TikTok users who trashed both candidates. Those videos made up about 35% of views.

Overall, TikTok users seem to find the whole event pretty dismal. According to CredoIQ, only 5% of the top posts touted any positive sentiments at all.

Biden's 'memeable' face

While political pundits have largely focused on Biden's bumbling answers, some on TikTok have focused instead on his "memeable face."

One video has nearly 9 million views compiling short clips of Biden looking confused, his mouth open and eyebrows furrowed. In the background, the creator can't help himself from laughing — hard.

Others compared contemporary Biden to his former self. A side-by-side video contrasting Biden's 2012 performance in the vice presidential debate and his performance on Thursday attracted more than 8 million views, with many commenters saying he seemed like a different man.

"I need an Adderall prescription, and it's not for me, it's for fucking Joe Biden," James Charles, a popular influencer, said at the beginning of a video that gleaned 18.7 million views.

Charles trashed Trump in the two-minute rant as well, railing against his federal convictions and calling both candidates "corpses."

But Charles also faced a torrent of criticism over his video when he blamed Biden for the fall of abortion rights and Roe vs. Wade.

And to be fair, Biden did have some defenders, with one creator surmising his performance could have been the result of past health issues or his "speech impediment."

Nihilism all around

Many users mourned America's political trajectory beyond Biden himself, with critics calling out Trump's rampant lies and criminal charges.

One TikTok with nearly 18 million views compares the Obama-Romney 2012 match up to the Trump-Biden disaster.

Obama and Romney's cordial exchange is set against patriotic music, while Trump and Biden's voices are sped-up and higher pitched.

One commenter noted the candidates' ages, writing, "The fact that even today, Obama and Romney are both still younger than Biden or Trump is just sad."

"Give them both a pdf," one creator on X quipped in a post with 4.6 million views, "first one that can rotate it gets to be president."

Despite the dismal reception, there were several moments that stood out — and even inspired levity.

One Instagram post compiled the night's biggest quotables, including Biden jabbing that Trump had the "morals of an alleycat," Trump calling Biden a "very bad Palestinian," and an argument over which candidate could hit the golf ball further.

"My fellow Americans," one commenter concluded, "we are so cooked."

• Travel host Samantha Brown says people feel priced out of travel due to rising costs.
• Increasing airfare prices and luxury travel trends make dream trips seem unattainable.
• Brown recommends finding alternative destinations and adopting a new travel perspective.

People feel priced out of travel.

That's according to Samantha Brown, an Emmy-award-winning travel host who has spent the past 20 years bringing destinations to life on TV programs from PBS to the Travel Channel.

With increasing airfare prices and the rise of luxury travel, it's no wonder why more and more people feel like their dream trips are out of reach.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

According to Brown, you can have an amazing vacation without overspending. It all comes down to finding worthy alternatives to expensive destinations, hotels, and activities — and shifting your perspective.

Don't worry about where other people are going.

"I think the biggest mistake people make in travel is thinking that the only way to have amazing experiences is to go to all of these top destinations that they see on Instagram," Brown said. "But if you watch social media, everyone's going on these super glossy and expensive trips."

Instead of trying to make a faraway destination work on a budget just to keep up with influencers and travel trends, plan your trip based on what you can reasonably afford, even if the destination isn't far from home.

"You don't have to go to big theme parks or shell out hundreds of dollars on hotels," she said. "When I grew up, we piled up in a station wagon, went on long trips, and packed a cooler with bologna sandwiches. Our dog Gidget came with us, and we stayed in little motor lodges along the way. And I still love that."

Consider cheaper alternatives to the hot spots on your bucket list.

Maybe a trip to Europe isn't in your budget this year — especially if you were hoping to see Paris, the host city of the 2024 Summer Olympics. But you don't have to cross the Atlantic for a European experience. Instead, consider the French-Canadian city of Montreal, which looks and feels like Paris, according to Brown.

"Montreal is one of the best cities in the world," she said. "The 400-year-old city feels like Europe for half the cost."

Embrace public spaces and events.

If you want a full day of activities without overspending, Brown suggests visiting a city and exploring its public spaces and community happenings.

"Cities have phenomenal free events all summer long, like concerts or theater. Many have amazing splash pads for kids," she said. "I love places we are all allowed to inhabit without money. And we all get to be there together."

Brown has especially enjoyed walking around with her kids in cities like New York and Amsterdam.

"We just get our backpacks and pack and sandwiches, and we go on what I call urban hikes. We just go and see what we find," she said.

Skip the resorts and cool off in public pools.

To save on lodging and activities — especially when traveling with kids — Brown suggests staying away from resorts and cooling off in public pools. She said they're particularly nice in cities outside the US.

"And the ones in Europe are phenomenal," she added.

Some of the best public pools around the world are in Iceland, Sweden, Germany, and the US cities of Austin and Los Angeles, the BBC reported in 2022.

To find public pools in the area, Brown said she uses Google Maps.

"I look for little blue squares and rectangles. Those are public pools," she told BI. "It's usually free for kids and sometimes $5 for adults, and you get this incredible pool."

She especially appreciates that spending time at public pools allows her children to meet kids from other countries.

"I don't like to stay in high-end resorts that don't give them that exposure to everyone," she added.

Book the flights that nobody wants.

Brown says that if you want to save as much money as possible on airfare, you have to choose the least desirable flights.

Brown told BI that she typically books Monday and Tuesday flights and saves between 20% and 30% on tickets.

"That is especially true for international flights," she added.

For domestic travelers, Brown said the earliest flight of the day also tends to be cheaper and is less likely to be delayed.

"That's the one that no one wants to get up for, and, boy, is that the one to get on," she said. "That plane is the plane that leaves on time."

According to Expedia's 2023 Air Travel Hacks report, flights that depart after 3 p.m. have a 50% higher chance of delay.

"If you've spent so much money on this trip, and if that plane doesn't leave, that could mess you up for the next three or four days," Brown said. "So, get up at 4 a.m. It is so hard, but it's absolutely worth it.

For more ways to save money on summer travels, check out Brown's Summer Travel Trends report in partnership with Klarna.

• Jonathan Kaye was arrested on assault charges after a video of him punching a woman went viral.
• His lawyer said Kaye was defending himself from agitators who assaulted him, used antisemitic slurs.
• Banker Kaye resigned from Moelis last week after it said it was conducting an investigation. 

A senior banker who resigned from Moelis last week after a viral video showed him punching a woman was arrested on assault charges Monday morning.

Jonathan Kaye was charged with second- and third-degree assault, according to the New York Police Department.

Kaye turned himself in to the police on Monday morning and will likely be arraigned by the end of the day, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney's office told Business Insider. Perry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

In the video posted on X, Kaye was seen punching a woman at a Brooklyn Pride event last month. The woman fell to the ground in the video; Kaye can be seen walking away with a stain on the back of his blazer, saying, "She fucking threw shit all over me."

Kaye's lawyer, Danya Perry, said that he was "terrorized," according to a Bloomberg report. She said his team shared a separate video with the district attorney that shows people forming a ring around him, pouring two unknown liquids on him, shoving him to the ground, and yelling antisemitic slurs at him, the report said.

"We will aggressively fight injustice, and we look forward to a full vindication for our client," Perry said, according to Bloomberg.

A spokesperson for Kaye previously told BI that he had feared for his safety when he was surrounded by "agitators" who physically assaulted and threw liquids on him.

"Given the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, any Jewish person in this situation would naturally feel threatened and feel the need to defend themselves and return safely to their family," the spokesperson said.

Kaye had worked as a managing director leading Moelis' global business-services franchise prior to resigning after the video went viral. Moelis did not respond to a request for comment.

• Mary Meeker's new report predicted AI will transform education and teaching methods.
• Meeker's analysis suggested AI can accelerate learning and reduce teacher prep work.
• AI will personalize learning, provide real-time feedback, and support technical differentiation, she wrote.

Mary Meeker is back with a new report about AI and education — and it predicts how life will change for both students and teachers.

The former Morgan Stanley analyst famously began publishing her annual "Internet Trends" analysis in 1996 — a slide deck often hundreds of pages long and so widely read that some dubbed it the "Silicon Valley bible." And after a four-year break since publishing a report, Meeker has returned to give her industry insights.

Unsurprisingly, Meeker zooms in on tech's latest upheaval: AI.

Specifically looking at how education will evolve in the age of AI, Meeker writes in a Bond Capital report titled "AI & Universities" that the "biggest change is that students will have more answers at their fingertips faster — some will be right and some will be wrong."

It may be "the best time ever to be a self-motivated student," she writes, but that presents both a challenge and opportunity for educators.

"The university of the future will not look like the university of today," she writes.

For teachers, she writes that using AI to accelerate learning, even for students who miss out on in-person lectures, will be "a new art form."

"As technology evolves and becomes more widely available, teachers should be able to save time and increase productivity," Meeker writes.

The report highlights time-intensive tasks for which teachers can leverage AI, like analyzing student performance to create personalized learning plans or using generative AI models to translate raw texts and videos into assignments and learning material.

"Tomorrow's teachers may serve as cheerleader / coach as well as tutor, making the classroom more welcoming," Meeker says.

She suggests that AI can generate real-time feedback for both teachers and students. These foundational models can cater to individual learning styles, like automatic text-to-speech for dyslexic students.

Meeker also writes that "reducing incremental/unpaid teacher prep work" will minimize teacher and student burnout. This extends to software that assists in grading, scheduling, attendance tracking, and homework review.

As tech companies who have amassed a stockpile of AI GPUs can better attract and retain top talent, Meeker writes that schools looking to stand out and lead in research will also need to invest in AI resources.

"On the research side, technical resource availability, such as GPU access, will likely be key to differentiation/leadership," Meeker writes.

While she acknowledges that AI may replace human involvement in certain areas, such as coding and computation, Meeker remains optimistic about its ability to propel human innovation.

"[By] making these technical skills more of an open utility and toolset, AI can liberate human intelligence to focus more on ingenuity — the root force behind building and producing new things and ideas," Meeker wries.

You can read Meeker's full 16-page report here.

• The American Automobile Association tracks average gas prices in every state.
• Mississippi has the lowest gas prices with an average cost of $2.937 per gallon.
• California's gas prices are the highest in the US with an average cost of $4.794 per gallon.

Gas prices have fluctuated dramatically over the last few years, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration, or EIA.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the price of gas to fall to a national average of $2.258 per gallon in 2020. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prices skyrocketed to an average of $4.059 per gallon.

The American Automobile Association, or AAA, reports that the national average sits at $3.491 as of July 1. Costs vary by state depending on factors such as distance from supply, retail competition, and local taxes, according to the EIA.

California, for example, has some of the highest gasoline taxes out of any state and uses a special fuel formulation due to environmental regulations, contributing to its higher-than-average prices.

Here are the states with the highest and lowest gas prices in the US, according to AAA data.

Alabama has the fifth-lowest gas prices in the US with an average cost of $3.087 per gallon of regular gas.

Oklahoma's average cost for a gallon of regular gas is $3.059, making it the state with the fourth-lowest gas prices.

Arkansas has the country's third-lowest gas prices at an average of $3.053 per gallon.

Louisiana is the second-cheapest state for regular gas, with an average cost of $3.005 per gallon.

Mississippi has the lowest gas prices in the US — an average of $2.937 per gallon of regular gas.

When it comes to states with the highest gas prices, Nevada is in fifth place with an average cost of $4.026 per gallon.

With an average cost of $4.053 per gallon, Oregon has the fourth-highest gas prices in the US.

Washington is the third-most expensive state to get gas at $4.316 per gallon on average.

The average cost of a gallon of gas in Hawaii is $4.696, making it the second-most expensive state.

California has the highest average gas prices in the US at $4.794 per gallon.