• I tried making Ina Garten's tuna-melt recipe, which was quick and easy to prepare.
• It ended up being one of the best tuna melts I've ever had and was quick and easy to put together.
• I'll also use the recipe in the future to make regular tuna-salad sandwiches.

Ina Garten has become a household name for cooking comfort-food staples like her perfect roast chicken and beef bourguignon.

As much as I'd love one of her gourmet meals in the middle of each day, using my entire lunch hour to whip up something from the TV personality's arsenal of recipes isn't always realistic. Fortunately, Garten has a few quick recipes up her sleeves, including a 10-minute take on a tuna-melt sandwich.

The recipe uses pantry-staple ingredients I usually have on hand, as well as fresh elements like green onions, microgreens, celery, and dill.

As someone who loves a good tuna sandwich, I was curious to see if this dish could replace my expensive lunchtime takeout orders. Here's how it went.

To start, I gathered my ingredients.

Garten specifies using imported tuna packed in olive oil, so I chose two cans of Genova yellowfin tuna instead of the water-based ones I normally use.

It was shockingly hard to find Swiss cheese that wasn't in the form of sandwich slices at my Jewel-Osco — let alone the Emmentaler that she suggested. I decided to use a Swiss Gruyere AOP instead, which had a similar flavor.

I also picked up celery, scallions, fresh dill, a lemon, anchovy paste, and bread. I already had avocado-oil mayo at home, so I used that for the recipe.

The "Barefoot Contessa's" tuna-melt recipe also called for microgreens, but I left them out as I'm not a fan of their grassy flavor.

My receipt ended up coming out to about $35, or roughly $8.75 per serving — which I found to be a little pricey for a tuna-melt sandwich.

I began by draining the oil from the tuna and flaking it with a fork in a bowl.

Even though I drained most of the oil, the tuna seemed to have a creamy texture and flaked easily. I chopped the celery into quarter-inch pieces, diced the green onions and dill, and added them to the tuna mixture.

Next, I cut a fresh lemon and squeezed out 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. I then added 1½ teaspoons of salt and three-quarters of a teaspoon of pepper, mixing to combine the ingredients.

I then added the mayo and anchovy paste to make the mixture creamy.

I added the mayo, which made the mixture creamy, and the anchovy paste, which looked a little unappetizing at first. However, it quickly assimilated into the tuna mixture when I put it in.

I turned on the broiler to preheat, then toasted two slices of bread.

After the bread was done toasting, I put the slices in a baking dish and spread a thick layer of the tuna mixture on each piece.

While Garten suggests using about a quarter of the mixture for each slice of bread, I added a little more tuna since it otherwise seemed to be a small serving.

After grating cheese over the tuna mixture, I popped the sandwiches in the oven.

I grated the cheese on top of the tuna mixture, then placed the open-faced sandwiches in the oven to broil for about 3 minutes each.

I waited until the cheese just started to melt and brown before taking the tuna melts out of the oven to serve.

My first bite of Garten’s tuna melt was heavenly.

The combination of olive oil, melted cheese, and creamy mayonnaise made the tuna taste much richer than I'm used to. The fresh-lemon juice cut through some of that richness, while the green onions, fresh dill, and diced celery added some fresh flavor and texture.

I also liked that the bread didn't get soggy, even after I finished up some emails before eating my second tuna-melt slice. I think this was probably because the bread was toasted.

The sandwich was delicious, but I'd make a few changes next time.

The anchovy paste added a little extra savory umami flavor to the sandwich, but it also made it saltier. In the future, I'll reduce the amount of salt I use.

I also think that adding a briney element like capers could make this tuna melt even better, even though it was already delicious as is.

I really didn't miss the microgreens, thanks to all the fresh ingredients and crunch in the sandwich, and I think it would have just been an expensive throwaway topping that added to the cost of the meal.

My main complaint was that Garten’s tuna-sandwich recipe didn’t yield as much filling as I’d expected.

I was disappointed there wasn't more of the tuna melt left after my boyfriend and I scarfed it down — especially given its relatively high price tag and the fact that it's supposed to be enough for four portions.

However, considering how quick it was to make and how delicious the results were, this tuna-melt sandwich will definitely become a regular in my lunch rotation. Next time, I'll just make some adjustments to make it a little more budget-friendly.

• Trump has not been quiet in the post-debate fallout.
• The former president has been posting consistently on Truth Social and scheduling campaign rallies.
• Not a man known for holding his tongue, Trump is beginning to turn his commentary to Kamala Harris.

On the morning of July 5, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social 23 times in a span of 10 minutes. Though some are suggesting that the former president is remaining strategically quiet in the wake of last week's debate, he's not staying silent on social media or in person.

The flurry of activity — between 10:28 am and 10:38 am — included everything from polling graphics to pictures on the golf course. Trump's other posts over the past week have been similarly wide-reaching. Some days, he shares lengthy paragraphs about Biden's policy failures; other days, campaign videos; others still, an un-captioned, zoomed-in, pixelated image of Joe Biden's face looking oddly tan.

Some of his posts have begun to focus on Vice President Kamala Harris, whom many Democrats speculate will replace Biden on the ticket should he drop out. On July 4, Trump referred to her as "our potentially new Democratic Challenger, Laffin' Kamala Harris."

Trump is present beyond social media as well, with campaign rallies scheduled for July 9 and July 13, in Florida and Pennsylvania respectively, according to his campaign website.

"We continue to have a robust campaign schedule that outpaces Crooked Joe Biden," Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told Business Insider. "We just announced a slate of events and rallies next week. Biden could never."

The White House and Biden campaign did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Biden is scheduled to hold a rally in Wisconsin on July 6.

Though Trump has sat for a few radio interviews since the debate, two advisors told the New York Times that he is content to let the media focus on the Democrat party's internal chaos. He would rather Biden remain the nominee, the advisor said, as recent polling indicates that other Democrats, namely Harris, are more formidable opponents.

Yet a leaked video, first reported by the Daily Beast, illustrates the former president's penchant for speaking freely and loudly. In it, Trump rides on a golf cart and calls Biden a "broken-down pile of crap" and Harris "pathetic."

With a known love for the spotlight, Trump is not a man known for holding his tongue. A judge told him as much earlier this year, saying, "You just can't control yourself."

As the fallout continues to swirl around Biden, it remains to be seen how long Trump will be content to let someone else sit in the eye of the media storm.

• Steve Jobs left the bulk of his fortune to his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, when he died in 2011.
• The pair have three children, and Jobs has a daughter from a previous relationship, as well. 
• His only son, Reed Jobs, founded a VC firm dedicated to investing in cancer treatments in August.

Steve Jobs is arguably the most influential tech leader in the history of modern computing. 

In 1976, after he dropped out of college, Jobs cofounded Apple with his high-school friend, Steve Wozniak, while they were still in their 20s, according to "Steve Jobs," a biography by Walter Isaacson.

Jobs helped turn Apple from a makeshift computer manufacturer housed inside his parents' garage to a global tech giant now worth more than $3 trillion.

Jobs was also the father of four children. He had his oldest, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, with his high-school girlfriend, Chrisann Brennan. Later, he had Reed Jobs, Erin Jobs, and Eve Jobs with his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. 

Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, and died eight years later at 56, ABC News reported, leaving the majority of his fortune to Powell Jobs.

She does not plan to share her inheritance with her children. "I'm not interested in legacy wealth buildings," she said in an interview with The New York Times.

"Steve wasn't interested in that," she told the Times. "If I live long enough, it ends with me." 

Each of Jobs' children received millions of dollars from their father, the Times reported, and might be considered "nepo babies" — a label popularized by a New York Magazine story about Hollywood actors who rose to fame thanks, in part, to their family connections. 

While Jobs' children have largely pursued careers outside of tech, from modeling to writing, it's likely their family name contributed to their success. 

Apple, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Reed Jobs did not reply to requests for comment, nor did representatives for Lisa Brennan-Jobs and Eve Jobs. Erin Jobs could not be reached.

Meet Jobs' widow Laurene Powell Jobs and four children, and see how his legacy helped his loved ones succeed.

Laurene Powell Jobs

Laurene Powell Jobs inherited the majority of Jobs' fortune when he died in 2011 — including his lucrative stakes in Apple and Disney.

Today, her net worth is estimated at $11.2 billion, per Bloomberg's Billionaire Index. 

Powell Jobs first met Jobs when she was an MBA student at Stanford in 1989, according to Isaacson's biography. Jobs was giving a guest lecture at the university when his future wife and her friend snuck into the lecture late and ended up sitting next to the Apple cofounder.

Powell Jobs later told Isaacson that the Apple cofounder "was not that big of a deal to me" and that she initially had him mixed up with Bill Gates. At the time, Jobs was working at Next, a computer-workstation company that was later bought by Apple.

Jobs recalled seeing this "beautiful girl" sitting next to him and later followed her to the parking lot. She agreed to a dinner date that night that turned into the two spending the night together, Isaacson wrote. Less than two years later, they got married.

During their marriage, the couple had three children: Reed, Erin, and Eve.

Since Jobs' death, Powell Jobs has been active in philanthropy and founded Emerson Collective in 2004 as a "social change organization." She has served on the boards of several nonprofits, including Teach for America and Conservation International, and has made donations to members of the Democratic Party.

Her hobbies reportedly include sailing on The Venus — a yacht her late husband commissioned before his death — art collecting, and beekeeping.

Powell Jobs has also taken an interest in media. In 2017, she acquired a majority stake in The Atlantic magazine for over $100 million, per The Wall Street Journal. She also owns stakes in the sports teams the NBA Wizards and NHL Capitals.

In June, Powell Jobs bought her fourth property in 10 years in Malibu. The 3,399-square-foot oceanfront estate cost her $94 million, according to the LA Times.

Despite her billionaire status, Powell Jobs has said she doesn't plan to pass on her fortune to any of her children. 

"Steve wasn't interested in that. If I live long enough, it ends with me," she told The New York Times in 2020. "I inherited my wealth from my husband, who didn't care about the accumulation of wealth. I am doing this in honor of his work, and I've dedicated my life to doing the very best I can to distribute it effectively, in ways that lift up individuals and communities in a sustainable way."

Lisa Brennan-Jobs

Even though Lisa Brennan-Jobs received millions from her father, The New York Times reported, she did not always benefit from her wealthy father.

Lisa, now 46, is Steve Jobs' first daughter. Her mother, Chrisann Brennan, who is a painter and memoirist, was Jobs' high-school sweetheart.

For years, Jobs denied that he was Brennan-Jobs' father and provided little financial or emotional support to her and her mother when Apple took off, per The New York Times. As a result, Brennan went on welfare and cleaned houses to support her daughter, according to Vanity Fair. 

Despite the initial neglect, Brennan-Jobs moved in with Jobs as a teenager so they could work on their relationship, according to the Times. Still, she said they didn't spend much time together.

After high school, Brennan-Jobs attended Harvard (which she admitted she might have gotten into because she dropped her father's name during the admission interview, per the Times). She then moved to London and Italy to work in finance, pivoted to a design role, and then switched to freelance writing for magazines and literary journals, according to the Times.

Brennan-Jobs' major breakthrough as a writer came in 2018 when she published "Small Fry," a memoir that dives deep into her tumultuous relationship with her father. In it, she writes about the times he treated her poorly, from initially denying that his Apple Lisa computer was named after her to saying that she smelled "like a toilet."

Despite all the turmoil, Brennan-Jobs said that she is "grateful" for her upbringing, per the Times.

She is now married to Bill Morein, a Microsoft employee turned tech-startup founder. They have three kids – Morein's two daughters from a previous relationship and a son they had together, according to the Times.

Reed Jobs

Reed Jobs — named after the university his father attended before dropping out, according to Walter Isaacson's biography — is the son of Jobs and Laurene Powell Jobs, born just months after the two got married. 

Of his four children, Steve Jobs was closest to the 32-year-old, which came at the cost of his relationships with his daughters, according to Isaacson's biography.

Even though his father raised him without an emphasis on money, it was impossible for Reed and his siblings to avoid the privileges of being rich. 

Larry Ellison, the cofounder of Oracle who's worth $158 billion and was a close friend of Steve Jobs, would frequently take the Jobs family out on joy rides on his many luxury yachts, according to Isaacson's biography. Ironically, Reed would call Ellison "our rich friend." 

Reed was also exposed to his father's business early on. When he was a senior in high school, his father took him to Hawaii so he could "be in the room with the best people in the world making really tough decisions," like Apple executives and other high-level tech moguls, per Isaacson's biography.

"I want you to be in every single one because you'll learn more in those two days than you would in two years at business school," Steve Jobs said, according to Isaacson. 

In 2014, Reed got his bachelor's degree in history and international security from Stanford University — a favorite of wealthy tech offspring like Steve Ballmer's son Peter and Eric Schmidt's daughter, Sophie, and where his mother attended business school — then stayed for another year to get his master's in history.

After receiving his master's degree in 2015, Reed worked at the Emerson Collective — the philanthropic and impact investing organization his mother founded — as a managing director, leading a team that invests money into cancer research.

In August 2023, Reed announced he was leaving Emerson work at a venture capital fund named Yosemite, where he continued to lead investments in new cancer treatments. Yosemite raised more than $200 million to invest in cancer care, The Wall Street Journal. His investments include a startup that helps patients compare the cost of medical services called Turquoise Health.

Erin Siena Jobs

Erin Siena Jobs is the most private of Steve Jobs' children.

The 28-year-old does not appear to have any public profiles on social media, though her younger sister, Eve, posted a picture of Erin on Instagram for her birthday in 2021.

"To my lifelong best friend — happy birthday!!" Eve wrote next to an old picture of the two sisters on a boat that has since been deleted. "I love you I love you I love you."

In Isaacson's biography on Steve Jobs, the writer described Erin as "quiet, introspective."

Erin told Isaacson she sometimes wished she could have had more of her father's attention, but "he does his best to be both a father and the CEO of Apple, and he juggles those pretty well."

Eve Jobs

Twenty-five-year-old Eve Jobs, the youngest of Steve Jobs' children, is a model and an accomplished equestrian.

Unlike her older sister Erin, Eve is used to being in the spotlight. In 2020, she started her modeling career with a Glossier ad campaign alongside "Euphoria" star Sydney Sweeney and "RuPaul's Drag Race" finalist Naomi Smalls, Vanity Fair reported.

In 2022, she signed with DNA Model Management — the same agency that represents Kaia Gerber and Emily Ratajkowski — and attended Paris Fashion Week, per Elle Magazine and Vogue. Eve starred in an edgy fashion campaign for the luxury streetwear brand Enfants Riches Déprimés in February.

Prior to launching a modeling career, Eve attended Stanford University — the same school her brother attended and where her mom got her MBA. She graduated in 2021 after studying science technology and society, Harper's Bazaar reported.

During her college years, Eve was ranked No. 5 on the list of the top 1,000 riders under 25 around the world by Horse Sport in 2019. A year later, she said in an interview with World of Showjumping that "being able to compete in the Olympics and World Equestrian Games would be a dream." 

She is one of many nepo babies to take up horseback riding — from Bill Gates' daughter to Michael Dell's. In 2016, her mother bought a $15 million ranch in Wellington, Florida, where she frequently competes and trains with a top equestrian coach, Missy Clark, BI previously reported.

Steve Jobs told Isaacson he envisioned his youngest daughter running Apple someday or becoming president of the United States. 

"She's a pistol and has the strongest will of any kid I've ever met," he told Isaacson.

• The Hamptons are facing an influx of exclusive social clubs and locals aren't happy.
• Traditionally a quiet refuge for the wealthy, club nightlife is now encroaching on the area.
• The Hamptons' residents don't want their homes to become a party hotspot.

Just two hours east of Manhattan, the Hamptons is an ultra-wealthy beach hideaway where millionaires and celebrities from Martha Steward to Beyoncé hide away from the big city bustle.

At least it used to be.

Nowadays, exclusive social clubs with long lines, dress codes, and pounding music are popping up in the Long Island hub for the rich, and residents aren't happy.

Take the Blu Mar restaurant, for example. The Southampton restaurant was recently transformed into an Italian restaurant and nightclub by KyKy Conille, who is known for operating several hotspots in NYC, the Hollywood Reporter reported in July 2024.

Conille told the Hollywood reporter that the restaurant's club will be inclusive, catering to "customers from 25 to anyone who can still walk."

However, another club in the back is more selective about who to let in.

"We will pick the clientele for the lounge,'' Conille reportedly said at the time. "My doormen will choose by the way they dress. We don't want people coming in the lounge in the evening wearing shorts. I want to bring back elegance — for people to get excited to get dressed.''

And KyKy Conille isn't the only one transforming the scene.

Scott Sartiano, owner of the elite Manhattan social club Zero Bond where high-profile celebrities from Taylor Swift and Elon Musk to Tom Brady and Kim Kardashian go to party, planned to convert East Hampton's historic Hedges Inn into a new club location earlier this year, according to the same article.

Business Insider previously reported that the club's fees for new members range between $2,700 and $9,000 a year, depending on age.

But Sartiano's plans had to shift in May after locals filled town meetings and convinced local leaders to set up an 11 p.m. curfew for this season.

Since that spoiled the nightclub idea, Sartiano says he'll use the property as a new outpost for his NYC restaurant, Sartiano's, for the time being.

Still, some locals aren't buying it.

"Mr. Sartiano has greatly watered down his proposal so that it will simply be an Italian restaurant, and if that's the case, we will roll out the red carpet," Marcos Baladrón, East Hampton Village administrator, told the Hollywood Reporter. "But if his ultimate goal is to open another Zero Bond, I think the neighbors should be very wary."

The New York Times reported that town officials could not confirm if Sartiano had officially leased the property on July 4.

While the future of the Hamptons is up in the air, one thing is clear: the coastal wealth enclave is going through a cultural identity crisis, and locals will have to fight to stop it from transforming into a getaway for partiers.

"One of the lost things in this world is quietude," village trustee Carrie Doyle, told The New York Times. "People come out for peace and quiet, and the ironic thing is that to get it, you have to make a lot of noise. So that's what we've done."

• Movies like "Back to Black" and "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" are new to streaming.
• There's a new K-drama out called "Red Swan."
• Eddie Murphy's new "Beverly Hills Cop" sequel is now on Netflix.

Some of the buzziest theatrical releases of the year hit streaming this week.

Sam Taylor-Johnson's Amy Winehouse biopic "Back to Black" and the sequel "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" are both now available to watch at home. New movies, like "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F," are also out.

There are also some oldies but goodies to check out — watch "Pearl" before hitting theaters to see Mia Goth kill it again in the sequel "MaXXXine," and revisit "Independence Day" in time for the holiday weekend.

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

If you're looking for sci-fi, 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' is streaming now

It's not "Godzilla Minus One," but it's still a satisfying monster flick if you're looking for something action-packed to watch this weekend. Watching kaiju punching each other and destroying cities in the process never gets old.

Streaming on: Max

So is 'Back to Black'

Sam Taylor-Johnson's Amy Winehouse biopic got a mixed reception when it arrived in theaters earlier this year. But it's worth a watch for Marisa Abela's performance as Amy Winehouse.

Streaming on: Peacock

Looking for a new drama to dive into? Watch 'Red Swan'

This K-drama follows a married world-class golfer who falls for her bodyguard after narrowly surviving an assassination attempt.

Streaming on: Hulu

If you're in the mood for an action comedy, tune in to 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F'

Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in this sequel coming 30 years after the last film in the franchise.

Streaming on: Netflix

For a riveting true story, watch 'The Man with 1000 Kids'

This documentary tells the story of Jonathan Jacob Meijer, a prolific sperm donor who's fathered kids around the globe and has since been banned from donating sperm in his native Netherlands.

Streaming on: Netflix

If you're a sports fan, check out 'Sprint'

This gripping sports docuseries, from the creators of "Drive to Survive," follows Olympic-level track and field athletes.

Streaming on: Netflix

Horror fans should watch 'Pearl' before seeing 'MaXXXine' in theaters

Mia Goth gives a killer performance in "Pearl," the prequel to Ti West's breakout horror hit "X." It's a great time to revisit the second movie in the trilogy before the final installment, "MaXXXine," hits theaters this weekend.

Streaming on: Prime Video

BONUS: Yes, 'Independence Day' is streaming

In honor of the holiday weekend, revisit this sci-fi classic about aliens attacking Earth, starring Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. America!

Streaming on: Hulu

• Linda, a retired Ohio teacher, must continue working to stay afloat.
• She and her husband, both public servants, have lived modestly, but she still needs to work.
• Many retirees face similar struggles with low incomes, dwindling pensions, and withering Social Security.

Linda, 64, has worked for the past 31 years, but that doesn't mean she's done.

The retired high-school teacher in Ohio, whose last name is known to Business Insider but withheld over privacy and professional concerns, said her retirement isn't looking how she anticipated. Both she and her late husband were public servants, which means they didn't have high-paid careers, but she does have a pension — meaning she'll get a monthly payout in retirement. But it's not getting her as far as she'd hoped.

"We lived the modest life of two public employees just making ends meet," Linda said. "We bought a house, we struggled in debt. I'm still in debt after his death, and the bills keep coming, and I need to keep working."

Before her retirement, she was earning about $5,000 a month. Now, with her pension, she'll have about $3,700 a month coming in, according to documentation BI review.

She's looking into part-time work and other opportunities that could keep her afloat. She wants something that will give her a "modicum of autonomy" when it comes to scheduling, and she said that if necessary, she'd apply for Instacart and deliver groceries. She wants to ensure she's never burdensome to her children, even in her older age.

She doesn't ever see herself being able to stop working completely; she said she'd work until she could no longer physically do so.

Linda isn't alone. Many retirees or would-be-retirees aren't able to fully throw in the towel. The Census Bureau's Current Population Survey found just more than half of respondents over 65 were living on an income of less than $30,000 in 2022, and many older Americans are expecting to work until the day they're not physically able to anymore. It's a situation that's become more pronounced in the past few years, as retirement becomes increasingly reserved for higher earners — and it may only get worse as pensions continue to wither and Social Security remains imperiled.

"I fully see myself working for the next 20-some years — if I have that many left. Whatever years I have left, I will not be enjoying the retirement life in Florida," Linda said.

A looming retirement crisis for many

Linda's retirement goals are modest: She's hoping to concoct a winning recipe with her teacher's pension, a rolled-over government-worker retirement plan, the sale of her house, and some part-time work.

"I'm hoping that all of those ingredients piled together in a bowl will bake something that I am able to live with. I will never be wealthy. I will never be without care and without worry, but I would like to at some point get to the point where I am free to travel and supplement my income with part-time employment," she said.

Linda is one of the dwindling number of retirees who have a pension, but that comes after a career spent in low-paying public service. A Government Accountability Office report last year found that older lower-income Americans had become increasingly less likely to have any retirement account balances; simultaneously, fewer low-income households had a pension. That means that the onus of retirement saving and planning has shifted onto workers rather than employers who pay into a monthly pension benefit; for lower-income workers, who may not be able to spare savings, that can be an even more acute challenge.

Linda said she thought teachers especially had gotten a bad rap over the past few decades. The idea that they just want to siphon off of the system couldn't be further from the truth, she said.

"Even though I had that position, I also had the low salary that went with it. And there are many things that you have to deal with in life financially," she said. "And teaching, unfortunately, is not a career choice that guarantees financial stability."

Even so, she said it was still the most uplifting and rewarding work she'd ever done.

She'd also like the country to rethink conversations around Social Security and retirement benefits more broadly. She said pensions had gotten into the hands of private equity, potentially imperiling those guaranteed benefits. At the same time, politicians have taken aim at Social Security, suggesting pushing up the retirement age and not moving to fund its coffers.

"We have to get out of this frame of mind that suggests that Social Security that people have paid into for decades is somehow an entitlement. It is a right," she said.

But, even so, Linda still feels fortunate: She has two adult sons who will always look out for her; she's even moving to be closer to one. They make good money, and she knows she has a safety net.

"There are so many in this country who are looking at retirement age and throwing up their hands and in total desperation, wondering how they're going to make it," she said. "And those are the people I really feel terrible for."

Are you struggling to retire or not experiencing the retirement you hoped for? Are you working during retirement? Contact this reporter at jkaplan@businessinsider.com.

• Trevon Gripper has applied for 493 jobs since he was laid off from a tech role a year ago.
• He said he has worked remotely his whole career and didn't expect to find so few remote jobs.
• He is now moving to Seattle, where he hopes to maximize his chances of landing a job.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Trevon Gripper, a 32-year-old job seeker in Texas. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I found out in February 2023 that I was getting laid off in June 2023, I started doing some applications, thinking, "Oh, by June, something will turn up."

Fast-forward to today, and I've applied for 493 jobs. It's been a wake-up call.

Since starting in 2014, I've worked remotely in some capacity. In 2017, I went fully remote.

I hadn't seen how much the market had changed. I was kind of naive about how long I thought the process would take. There's been a huge change from when I started applying a year ago, when I was like, "remote, remote, remote."

I never had to consider looking for an on-site or a hybrid job before.

Getting a remote job has become so hard

I started a spreadsheet to track my applications and stay organized. I wanted to know the number of applications I had submitted. I went through my emails and started counting rejection dates.

I never thought it would get up to 493.

I stopped tracking for a bit because it was demoralizing. I was constantly crossing out lines, and it started getting depressing.

Four years ago, when I got into corporate learning and development, even before the pandemic, remote jobs were popping up everywhere.

Working remotely was a new thing.

Now, it's not as easy because I'm limited geographically, and if there aren't any roles around where I am in Houston, that puts a big wrench in the plans.

I applied for a Seattle-based company that I knew someone at.

They were kind of walking me through the process, and they got back to me and said the hiring manager said that they can't hire you because you're not in Seattle.

I said in my application that I was relocating to Seattle, but they didn't look at it. All they saw was that my address was in Texas.

Remote is still a thing, but it has fewer options.

I have multiple job alerts set that I can try to hop on if something pops up. I literally got a LinkedIn notification at 9 p.m. one night, and I was like, "Okay, let me get on this real quick." And the position had already been closed.

The post had been up for eight hours, and they closed it because there were 300 applicants.

That's the other side of this. If it is a remote role, you're already fighting hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are trying to get the same role.

Upskilling, freelancing, and networking

I think what's kept me going is trying to upskill.

I got my project management certification and my disciplined agile scrum master certification. I am watching YouTube videos to learn how to use software, like Python, that I see as a requirement for these job postings.

I've also freelanced and designed tools for friends who work in education so that I could have a real story and a real piece of content for my portfolio.

I haven't charged them. I'm using that as more of a creative way to build out my brand.

But I think the biggest thing I learned about this whole process is that you need to network.

Since I posted about my job situation on social media, I've been overwhelmed by people in my inbox saying: "I know a recruiter here," "Send me your application," and "Let's connect on LinkedIn."

Networking is such a big part of it.

During this whole time, my husband has been carrying the load for the two of us. I am in a very fortunate position.

I am relocating for on-site jobs

My husband and I are getting ready to move to Seattle. We haven't rented a place yet, but we're going to do a short-term rental starting July 15.

There have been a lot more opportunities in my field there.

Hopefully, that will make the process a little bit easier.

At some point, you have to say, "All right. Odds are, I'm already struggling in the school of candidates. I probably need to look elsewhere."

And seeing roles in Seattle that are on-site or hybrid, you know, maybe 40 people apply to that role. I feel better about those odds.

Maybe an actual human will look at my application.

• A new Illinois law mandates parenting influencers set aside 15% of earnings for kids in videos.
• The law aims to combat child exploitation in family vlogging and social media content.
• Experts believe it's about time.

A new law passed in Illinois on July 1 requires parenting influencers to set aside 15% of their earnings for their kids who appear on camera.

Parents are now obligated to save this much of the gross earnings from their content posted on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms if their children feature in 30% or more of their footage.

The money set aside is to be kept in a trust that the children can access once they reach 18 years old. At this time, they can also request that the videos they appeared in be deleted.

There will be no direct enforcement, but children can choose to sue their parents once they reach adulthood if they do not comply.

Illinois has been leading the charge in combating child exploitation on the internet through family vlogging channels, introducing the legislation last year.

The social justice activist Shreya Nallamothu first championed the law, telling the Associated Press in August 2023 that there was "absolutely zero legislation" to protect children in the world of "kidfluencing."

Jessica Maddox, a University of Alabama professor of journalism and creative media also told AP "the law has not caught up to practice" of "sharenting."

She told the outlet that influencers "are in desperate need of the same protections that have been afforded to other child workers and entertainers."

'It's a very difficult conversation'

The amount of money influencers earn varies, but at the top end of the scale, it can be millions, according to The New York Times.

The publication said that on Instagram, smaller influencers can still earn around $600 per post, and large accounts can get up to $20,000.

Many parenting influencers have good intentions. Some are stay-at-home moms, for instance, who post content about parenting online to earn an income without needing a job away from home.

But experts say the risks of "sharenting" outweigh the benefits.

Illinois' law is the first of its kind in the US, but the states of Washington, Maryland, and California are also considering following suit.

Naomi Cahn, co-director of the University of Virginia's Family Law Center and a professor in the School of Law, told UVA Today that the law "clearly sends a message that you should not be exploiting children in this way."

"And it brings a lot more attention to this issue," she said. "It's an amazing example of civics in action."

Katya Varbanova, a social media and marketing consultant who is the CEO of Viral Marketing Stars, told Business Insider it's about time children who appear on family vlogging channels are paid.

There are heated conversations online about where the line is with children being part of the entertainment world. Some children love performing, starting their acting careers young by appearing in commercials and taking on small roles in television shows. But there's a growing movement of people who believe child actors shouldn't exist at all.

"It's a very difficult conversation," Varbanova said, adding that there are a lot of gray areas about how much say a child really has in their future. "But this conversation about the income, I think that is very black and white."

Alarm bells ringing

For a few years now, viewers have been starting to question what happens behind the scenes with family vlogging channels.

Concerns were raised when influencer Jordan Cheyenne went viral in 2021 for a clip where she was shown encouraging her son to cry and look sad for a thumbnail on a video about their sick puppy.

She told BI in a statement at the time she was "disgusted and horrified" at her actions and there was "no excuse."

"It's terrible on so many levels," she said. "I love my child more than anything and will regret this moment forever."

A peak behind the momfluencer curtain was also offered when TikTok duo Lilly Davis and her husband Paul showed off their filming schedule last year and were accused of making their children work while on vacation at Disney World.

At the time, they called the allegations "egregious" and said their children are always given a choice about whether they want to appear in videos.

Some family vloggers have also been accused of serious crimes.

In August 2023, family vlogger Ruby Franke was arrested and accused of abusing her children.

She was later charged and sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after details of the horrific abuse emerged about how the young children were beaten, bound with rope and duct tape, forced to do manual labor in the sweltering heat, and had open wounds treated with cayenne pepper.

Another tipping point was when viewers started to speculate that videos of the mother-daughter duo Wren & Jacquelyn Paul on TikTok were purposefully attracting predators. (Paul has never responded to these allegations).

This was a sign "something sinister" may be going on, Varbanova said.

But, there is a market for family content because it gets good engagement, Varbanova added.

"The only reason they keep posting is because people keep watching," she said. "If people stopped watching family content, family vloggers wouldn't exist."

Because family content is so successful, it's also tough to give it up.

"When you create content for a long, long time, getting no likes, no comments, and suddenly you find something that consistently gives you attention, it is very, very, very addictive," Varbanova said.

"They can internalize that as a good thing. And it's very, very, very dangerous for some of those kids."

The long-term impacts of children being so publicly visible are still being studied, but experts previously told BI there are potential mental health and privacy issues that may have negative repercussions later in life.

It will take some time before society figures out where the line is when it comes to kids being internet stars, but Varbanova thinks giving children 15% of the content's earnings is a good start.

"If they appear in all of the videos, they should get at least 50% of the revenue," Varbanova said. "I think 15% is quite low, but I think it's a step in the right direction."

• To welcome summer, I made barbecue ribs with my oven, grill, and air fryer to see which tastes best.
• The air fryer seriously cut down the prep time, which is a win.
• But nothing compared to the flavor I got when making ribs on the grill.

When prepared correctly, ribs are an incredible treat, especially in the summer.

Although a lot of groceries are still expensive right now, pork prices are actually falling, according to the Weekly Pork Price Summary. There's never been a better time to perfect your ribs recipe for the next barbecue.

To test out the best cooking method, I made ribs with my grill, oven, and air fryer.

Here's how the appliances stacked up.

I kept the ingredients simple.

I went to Aldi to pick up the main ingredient. It's the most budget-friendly store for meat in my area — I bought two racks for about $20.

For the sauce, I went with Kansas City Joe's. I'm a big fan of the sauce's sweetness and thought it would translate well across appliances.

To keep things easy, I just used one of the spice mixes I already had in my cabinet. After sifting through my shelves, I landed on a staple favorite: Omaha Steaks' classic seasoning blend. It contains onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika.

The grill required sauce upfront.

After unwrapping the meat, I used a sharp knife to cut ⅓ off each rib rack, using ⅔ of a rack for each recipe. Then, I prepped them all similarly by adding the dry seasoning to the top of the meat.

The oven and air-fryer recipes called for adding sauce later, but my family has always slathered it on before grilling, so that's what I did.

I wrapped the sauced ribs in foil before throwing them on.

After adding the seasoning and sauce to the ribs, I wrapped them in foil and took them to the charcoal grill, which I had prepped and lit. After the heat was up and running, I set the foil pack on top of the grate.

I watched it for the next hour and 40 minutes, flipping the ribs every few minutes to ensure an even cook.

I finished everything off with a nice sear.

Once the ribs looked nice and cooked, I removed them from the foil and put them directly on the grill to give them a nice sear.

Depending on your preference, you can leave them on for anywhere from five to 10 minutes on each side. I seared them for seven minutes per side.

The grilled meat was falling off the bones.

The grilled ribs were incredibly flavorful — I think it has a lot to do with adding the sauce during the initial prep.

The meat flaked off the bone cleanly, which also made it easier to eat without making a mess.

To bake the ribs, I set the oven to 350 degrees.

After averaging out cooking directions from several online recipes, I set the oven to 350 degrees.

I wrapped the seasoned ribs in foil, placed them on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven for 65 minutes.

I added the barbecue sauce toward the end of the cooking time.

Once the timer went off, I pulled the ribs out of the oven and added barbecue sauce to the top of the meat. Then, I broiled the ribs without foil for another five minutes.

The oven-baked ribs were the juiciest of the three.

In my experience, oven-cooked pork is plump, juicy, and a tad chewy. This was no exception.

It was also the sauciest option, probably because it didn't have much time to cook into the meat. If I were to use the recipe again, I'd add the sauce much earlier in the process.

I had to use smaller pieces for the air-fryer method.

When it came time to test out my air fryer, I took the two smaller pieces of ribs that had been cut off the main racks. I wanted to ensure the meat could sit in a single layer.

I placed a layer of foil on the bottom of the basket and set the seasoned meat inside.

The instructions were incredibly simple.

I set the air fryer at 360 degrees for 20 minutes.

Once done, I brushed the sauce across the meat and put it back in the air fryer for another five minutes.

The air-fried ribs were done in record time.

Although the air-fried ribs were the toughest to chew, they were my second favorite for flavor.

The short cooking time alone makes this recipe worth keeping in my back pocket. Being able to make ribs in under 30 minutes is huge.

The grill produced the best ribs by far.

I think all three appliances produced quality ribs. But the grill is the clear winner if you want the most flavorful meat with the best texture.

My first runner-up is unquestionably the air fryer because of how quick it was. Although I enjoyed the oven ribs, I'd prefer to save that particular chewy texture for my pork chops.

Click to check out the other appliances we've put head-to-head so far.

• Eton College is swapping out first year student's smartphones for Nokias.
• The policy comes as the boarding school is trying to cope with an increasingly digital world for students.
• Students will also receive an iPad to use for academic studies to access the internet.

Eton College, one of the world's most prestigious boarding schools, is planning to ban smartphones for its incoming first-year students and replace these with old-school Nokia phones instead, a spokesperson for the school confirmed to Business Insider.

The new policy comes as the UK-based school grapples with managing student's educations alongside technological developments.

"Eton routinely reviews our mobile phone and devices policy to balance the benefits and challenges that technology brings to schools. a spokesperson told BI.

"From September those joining in Year 9 will receive a 'brick' phone for use outside the school day, as well as a School-issued iPad to support academic study. Age-appropriate controls remain in place for other year groups," they added.

Eton College is an exclusive boarding school located outside London, near Windsor. Prince William, Prince Harry, Tom Hiddleston, and Eddie Redmayne are among its best-known alumni.

The school is also known for educating several future prime ministers, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

The new policy goes a step further than Eton's previous rules on smartphones.

In 2018, it brought in a policy that required first-year students to hand over their smartphones overnight.

"Dumb phones," or "brick phones," allow people to make calls and send messages but not access the internet.

There has been a resurgence in the popularity of these devices in recent years, partly driven by young people involved in emerging movements to disconnect from social media.