• Aley Clark is a writer who relocated from South Carolina to Chicago in March 2023.
• Her TikTok following helped her make friends in the Windy City.
• But when winter rolls round, it's hard to socialize, she said. People just want to stay indoors.

This as-told-to article is based on a conversation with Aley Clark, a lifestyle and wellness writer and content creator who relocated from South Carolina to Chicago in March 2023. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved from Moncks Corner in South Carolina to Chicago in March 2023.

I really just needed a new start. The south is pretty slow and I felt very stagnant there. I wasn't really growing. It felt like it was time to go, and I just always had an itch for bigger cities.

I'm a lifestyle and wellness writer. I can write from anywhere.

I didn't have any close friends in Chicago before I moved. It was a fresh start.

Meeting new people is like a muscle you tap into. I did it when I moved to New York and LA. I've also lived in Indiana and North Carolina.

A lot of the connections that I've been able to make in Chicago happened because of social media. It did a lot of the legwork. People are starting to engage in my content on TikTok, and so it's helping to translate into real life.

When I first moved to Chicago, I was going a lot of places by myself and putting myself out there and speaking to people and then hopefully making a connection.

But there's a season for connecting here, and you have to get on top of it because people are outside for the summer. Once people are inside, you're barely going out, and you're barely going to connect with people. All those coffee meetups and "let's go get drinks" — it's done for the dark of the winter.

[Chicago is famed for its cold winters. From 1991 to 2020, Chicago had an average daily maximum temperature in January of 31.6 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum of 18.8, according to the National Weather Service.]

When I first moved to Chicago in March 2023, it was still winter, and it was cold, so there really wasn't a lot of socializing.

I think I got a little bit spoiled this winter because a lot of Chicagoans were saying this winter really was light. So that extended the social season a little bit for me, and I was able to take advantage of that because I would still go out.

But when the new year hit, I was indoors, I was not doing anything. I live by myself. It was too cold to even think to leave the house, even think to hang out with friends. I was just at home nesting, enjoying my own space.

On the days that we had that were a little bit warmer and above freezing, I was making an effort to continue to meet people.

It was actually a lot easier making friends in LA. Once you find out somebody is a transplant in LA, it's just really easy to connect with them. When I was in LA, I was a part of some different communities, including a community church group. Plus, work allowed me to connect with different people. That really helped to bring my social circle together.

I am still trying to figure out what it means to build community in Chicago. I'm doing that through my wellness collective, Black Girl Playground. It serves as a digital and physical third place, with play, joy, and creativity at the forefront. I feel like I'm in my own social experiment, trying to build community.

• The Midwest is a major area of focus for Democrats and Republicans in the 2024 presidential race.
• GOP leaders believe Trump's selection of Ohioan JD Vance as his running mate will boost him in the region.
• But Vance ran far behind other Republicans in his 2022 Senate race, especially in the suburbs.

After former President Donald Trump tapped Sen. JD Vance as his running mate on Monday, all eyes turned to the 39-year-old Ohio Republican who was elected to office less than two years ago.

In 2022, Vance was mostly known for his best-selling memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy." But after Trump backed him in the GOP primary that year, the first-time candidate surged in the contest and went on to face then-Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in the general election.

Many Republicans saw Vance as a candidate who would be able to easily connect with the blue-collar workers who generally decide election results in Ohio, the onetime quintessential Midwestern battleground that in recent years has taken on a redder tint.

However, the race between Vance and Ryan remained extremely competitive until the end, even as other statewide Republicans had cakewalk victories that year.

That race may be a distant memory to some Republicans, but it shows that Vance's candidacy presents some notable risks for the party as it looks to retake the White House this fall.

The mantle of populism

In 2022, Ryan, who hails from the blue-collar Mahoning Valley, ran an aggressive campaign where he hammered Republicans over the economy and sought to claim dominance over Vance on the issue.

Ryan's focus was centered squarely on Ohio. He eschewed national Democrats, preferring to campaign alongside fellow Ohioan and Sen. Sherrod Brown instead of traveling the state with President Joe Biden. And he courted Republicans and conservative-leaning Independents, arguing that he wouldn't be beholden to his party.

It was the sort of populist mantle that Vance in many ways was also looking to capture.

But Vance's populism was largely tied to Trump's "America First" policies, especially as it related to the economy and foreign policy. Trump handily won Ohio in both 2016 and 2020, but Vance in his Senate race struggled to break away from Ryan, despite Biden's unpopularity in the Buckeye State and the state's GOP lean.

While Vance won the race that November, the extent of his struggles were on full display on Election night.

Vance defeated Ryan by 6 points.

But Republican Gov. Mike DeWine defeated his Democratic opponent, former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley, by 25 points. And both Attorney General Dave Yost and Secretary of State Frank LaRose were reelected by roughly 20 points.

Ryan was undoubtedly a strong candidate, but Vance's underperformance relative to other Ohio Republicans was quite stark. One might even argue that DeWine's coattails helped carry Vance over the finish line as Ryan clearly won over many voters who also backed statewide Republican officeholders.

What does the result say about Vance's broader appeal?

The suburban-rural divide

This fall, Republicans are hoping to make inroads with suburban voters, despite their past aversion to Trump and the more socially-conservative candidates who have embraced his views.

Trump is hoping that economic concerns will bring some Independents and Democratic-leaning swing voters to his side.

And Republicans believe Vance's presence on the GOP ticket will make a difference Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — especially in exurban and rural areas — and boost the ex-president.

But in urban and suburban communities across Ohio, Vance was swamped by Ryan in the Senate race.

In the Cincinnati-area, where Vance lives, Ryan won populous Hamilton County by nearly 16 points.

In Franklin County, anchored by Columbus, Ryan won by 32 points.

And in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland and its inner-ring suburbs, Ryan emerged victorious by nearly 36 points.

On several issues — from abortion rights to aid for Ukraine — Vance has taken positions that are well to the right of those held by many suburbanites.

Vance hailed the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade — a problematic position for many moderates — and he has praised Trump's decision to leave the issue of abortion to the states.

The Ohio senator has also been a staunch opponent of providing aid to Ukraine, a position that has endeared him to Trumpworld but is a far departure from the position of GOP leaders like Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Thune of South Dakota.

While Vance is poised be a big asset to Trump in rural Rust Belt locales, the senator has so far not shown much strength in suburban areas, where Democrats are aiming to run up their margins.

Republicans aren't going to give up on the suburbs this year. But Vance's Senate underperformance in Ohio gives Democrats hope that they can stave off the GOP ticket as they look to November.

• Elizabeth is a Gen Z welder who chose a career in the trades over going to college.
• She says being a welder not only pays well but is great for getting physically fit. 
• She and her partner live in a roof tent in Alberta, allowing them to fulfill their dream of working and living outdoors.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Elizabeth, 23, who opted for a career in welding instead of going to college. She lives and works in Alberta, Canada. She wishes to keep her last name anonymous, but Business Insider has verified her identity and employment.

I always knew I didn't want a desk job. I love getting outside and getting my hands dirty so going to college never interested me.

By chance, when I was 18, right out of high school, I was introduced to a beginners course for young women to encourage them to get into trade jobs.

The three-and-a-half-month course taught us the basics of a whole range of trades: automotive, plumbing, carpentry, joinery, welding, and ironworking. In-class sessions also taught us how to use blueprints and how to make resumes.

From the moment I started, I knew welding was my trade.

There are loads of different types of welding, but at its basic level, it's about fusing two metals together with a hot torch.

I was drawn to that hot, tough aspect of it, of constantly having your head down in the heat. It's hard work and requires you to be precise — that kind of intensity was something I was looking for in a job.

You get to take scrap metal and turn it into something really cool by yourself.

It also helps that the job pays really well. I now earn around $3,000 CAD ($2,000 USD) a week from welding alone.

Welding is great on the body

After I finished school and the introductory course, I sent out a bunch of resumes. I already had some industry contacts — from part-time trade work I'd done during high school, so finding a job was a little easier for me than for some of my peers.

While some people were chasing the highest-paid jobs, I just wanted to get my foot in the door.

My mentality was: get experience first, the money will come later.

I managed to do that, and I've jumped around various welding jobs since graduating.

There are other less physical trades like electrical, but I like how tough welding is.

I'm killing my body every day, but it's worth it because welders make insane money, and I'm getting jacked doing it.

I'm constantly moving and climbing, so my abs are getting more ripped, and my butt is getting bigger.

I can see the hard work paying off physically; it's great for the body.

I'm covered in bruises and scratches from the job — I'm definitely pretty beat up. But it makes me super strong, and getting to work outside is a real perk. Earning money while spending time out in the beautiful Alberta scenery makes me feel incredibly grateful for this job.

I love this job, but it's definitely not easy being a woman in this industry

There's a lot to love about this job, but I'd be lying if I said it was easy to be a woman in this industry.

I'm often the only woman on most of my sites; there are few women in the trades in general and even fewer in welding.

You need a lot of patience and self-respect to get by.

I've had male coworkers scream at me and belittle me at work, and few procedures are in place to prevent this. You just need to ensure you have a good supervisor who knows you work hard and respects you.

That's why I'm super lucky in my current job. My supervisor approached me in my first week to say, "If anybody is bugging you, let me know because I will get rid of them immediately."

Sure, it's the bare minimum, but it's refreshing in this industry.

I work 10 hours a day, 7 days a week

Having a supportive employer like my current one makes such a difference. You work unrelenting days, so the last thing you want is to have to put up with harassment on site.

I've been in this job for two years, and I work with my partner, who's also in the trades. We've been camping in his roof tent and living out of our trucks across small towns in Alberta, which lets us save as much money as possible and not be too tied to one place.

The day starts at 6 a.m. when we pack up our tent and get our pet animals ready to go. Then, we make ourselves a smoothie and head to the site.

We pull up to work around 7 a.m., parking in a grassy area so we can leave our animals to roam around.

Each working day starts with a safety meeting; then, you're assigned tasks and gear up. We work 10 hours a day, 7 days a week.

By 5:30 p.m., we clock off, head to town for a shower, and head back to set up the campsite, have dinner, go to bed, and do it all again the next day.

Camping means we can bank all our money

Living out of our trucks isn't the most comfortable setup, but it means we get to pocket our Living Out Allowance — a daily tax-free sum, which can be as much as $205, from our employer that goes toward accommodation and food as we work away at different sites across the province.

For most people, that money gets swallowed up on accommodation, but camping means we can bank it.

With that money plus the money we earn from my job, I'm clearing thousands of dollars every two weeks, and my partner makes even more as a journeyman.

None of our peers are making as much money as we are because nobody else has the balls to camp.

For me, the ability to move around is a huge perk of the job. I can't stay in one place; I want to see more places, even if those places are just tiny towns around Alberta.

Career progression in welding

Next, I want to get my next three Red Seals in welding, ironworking, and crane operating. These basically allow you to be fully certified to work as a tradesperson on any job: more tickets, more money. To get those, I'll have to go back to do more training and do more exams.

The long, hard days mean I don't have much time for other hobbies. The one thing I do love doing is posting about my job on TikTok. I find making video edits so fun, and it's a nice way to share my experiences as a female welder with other people.

There are definitely people who give me hate for posting about my job online. They assume I'm not working hard and accuse me of being unsafe and distracted on-site.

But it's just fun to share what I do and show that there's not just one way to be a welder.

And hey, it would be great to get brand sponsorships from it.

Within welding, my dream would be to own a business focused on getting women into the trades. My experiences in the industry have shown me how necessary it is to help reshape this industry to include more women.

Why should we be pushed out when there's all this money to be made?

• WNBA fans are shelling out hundreds of dollars to watch Caitlin Clark play. 
• But tickets for her remaining home games in Indianapolis cost less than $30 on average. 
• A sports economist says the disparity is due to Clark's novelty, stadium capacity, and market size.

Ticket prices to watch WNBA star Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are breaking records. But there's one place where you can see the basketball star play at a big discount — her home arena.

On June 23, when the Fever faced off against the Sky in Chicago, the average ticket price was around $250 — the most expensive average ticket price ever for a WNBA game — according to the ticket resale marketplace TickPick. In comparison, the Fever's home debut in Indianapolis on May 16 cost fans as little as $14 to attend on Ticketmaster.

This is indicative of a larger trend. The Fever have 15 regular season games remaining — nine home and six away. On average, the cheapest home ticket is listed at about $28, per the ticket resale marketplace VividSeats. For the road games, it's $173.

It's not uncommon for star athletes like Clark to drive soaring ticket prices when they play away from home. Some of it comes down to supply and demand. Chicago fans only get two chances to see the Fever play the entire season, while Indianapolis fans have 20 regular season home games to choose from. However, the size of the Fever's home-road price split is much more unusual.

In 2015, for example, the Cleveland Cavaliers had the most expensive road ticket price in the NBA midway through the season: $246 on average. Many attributed this to the "LeBron effect" — fans were willing to spend big to see Cavaliers star LeBron James. However, the team's average home ticket cost even more — $249.

At least three factors — Clark's WNBA growing pains, stadium capacity, and market size — have contributed to this phenomenon, according to Victor Matheson, a sports economist at the College of the Holy Cross.

Some Indianapolis fans might only want to see Clark play once

Matheson said there's one factor that might best explain the Fever's home-road ticket disparity: He said economists call it "diminishing marginal utility."

"Everyone wants to see Clark once, but she is a bit of a novelty in that her fame is quite a bit higher than her skill at this point, so not as many people want to see her a second time," Matheson told Business Insider via email. "That means she is a hot ticket on the road where people are seeing her for the first time, but not as big a draw at home where everyone has now had a chance to see her once."

During her senior season at the University of Iowa in 2023-24, Clark broke the NCAA's scoring record and led her team to the national championship game. She averaged over 31 points and eight assists per game and shot roughly 38% from three-point range. Her sensational play hooked fans — and has been credited for the record-breaking viewership women's college basketball saw last season.

While her popularity has translated over to the WNBA in terms of viewership and attendance, her play hasn't been at quite the same level it was in college. In her rookie season, Clark is averaging roughly 17 points and eight assists per game for the Fever and shooting 33% from three-point range.

However, Matheson said ticket demand for the team's home games could increase as Clark and her team progress this season and in the years to come. The Fever have the WNBA's seventh-best record so far this season among 12 teams.

"As her skill grows and her team improves, she has a real chance to turn from a novelty into a true superstar where fans both at home and away can't get enough of her," Matheson said. "But time will tell."

The Fever have a bigger stadium than most WNBA teams

The limited number of opportunities for road fans to see Clark play isn't the only supply-demand factor that could be impacting ticket prices.

WNBA arenas with more seats can sell more tickets. If two arenas have the same level of ticket demand, the one with more seats could, in theory, have lower ticket prices.

With a maximum seating capacity of nearly 18,000 fans, the Fever's Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis — also home to the NBA's Indiana Pacers — is the fifth biggest arena in the WNBA among its 12 teams, per the sports content platform Sportskeeda. The average capacity of a WNBA arena is about 12,000.

So it's possible the Fever's above-average arena size could be helping to keep home prices in check — and their opponents's smaller arenas could be propping up the prices of the team's road games.

But Matheson said this doesn't tell the whole story. In part, that's because some WNBA teams with smaller seating capacities have ditched their arenas when the Fever came to town so they could accommodate more fans.

"Fever opponents have been frequently moving home games against Clark into larger arenas," Matheson said. "For example, the Washington Mystics moved their June 7 game out of the Entertainment and Sports Arena into 20,000-plus seat Capital One Arena, and sold it out at sky-high prices."

Tickets cost less in smaller markets

Things tend to cost more in cities like New York than they do in Indianapolis, including ticket prices.

In the NBA, for example, Matheson said ticket prices for New York Knicks home games can be more than $100 more expensive on average than Indiana Pacers home games.

One of the reasons for this is that the Knicks and Pacers have the same number of home games, but New York City's population is nearly 10 times the size of Indianapolis's. Much more demand for similar ticket supply — the Knicks's arena is a bit larger — is among the reasons Knicks tickets tend to cost more than Pacers tickets.

It's possible that, to some degree, Fever home ticket prices have been kept in check by the Indianapolis market. But market size doesn't appear to fully explain the team's home-road ticket disparity.

For example, the New York Liberty have the best record in the WNBA and recently set a home attendance record in a game against the Sky. But the cheapest listed, average ticket price for the Liberty's remaining homes games is about $31 — only slightly higher than the Fever's $28.

If the home ticket prices for a popular WNBA team in a big market aren't much higher than the Fever's, perhaps market size isn't a huge price driver. On the other hand, it's possible that Clark — with her unique level of popularity — would drive the Liberty's home ticket prices well above $31 if she was on the team.

"I would say some, but certainly not all, of the disparity is market size," Matheson said.

Have you figured out a creative way to attend sporting events on a budget? Are you willing to share your story? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@businessinsider.com.

• The Federal Reserve will make its next interest rate decision at the end of July.
• Some economists said the economy is ready for the Fed to cut interest rates.
• Still, Powell has focused on moving cautiously and might wait until later in the year.

After years of high interest rates to combat soaring inflation, some economists think the time has finally come for the nation's central bank to give Americans financial relief by cutting those rates.

Lower rates would allow Americans to take out cheaper loans, helping out businesses and consumers.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said that when cuts do come, he expects them to "provide immediate relief" to small businesses, consumers, and lower- and middle-income households. Business owners may find it easier to take out bank loans and consumers who rely on credit cards could end up with cheaper borrowing costs.

But those cuts may not be here just yet. At the end of July, the Federal Open Market Committee will announce its next decision on interest rates. CME FedWatch, which estimates interest rate probabilities based on market trades, forecasts a 93% chance the Fed will hold rates steady — and Fed Chair Jerome Powell has emphasized that the Committee needs to feel confident inflation is cooling enough before the Fed starts to cut.

It's a delicate balancing act between risking a recession and renewed price spikes. "If we loosen policy too late or too little, we could hurt economic activity," Powell said before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on July 9. "If we loosen policy too much or too soon, then we could undermine the progress on inflation."

But many long-time Fed watchers and macroeconomists think the war on inflation has been won, and it's time to cut.

Zandi thinks the Fed has "achieved their objective of full employment and inflation at target."

Claudia Sahm, founder of Sahm Consulting and former Fed economist, agrees. "Frankly, it's been time for a while," Sahm told Business Insider. "We have seen the US economy has been getting back on track, normalizing, rebalancing, all of the Fed's catchwords for some time now."

The consumer price index, which measures inflation, rose 3.0% year over year in June — a decrease from May's 3.3% reading — showing that inflation is inching toward the Fed's 2% target. Real US GDP has already been growing at a cooler rate. It increased 1.4% at an annualized rate in the first quarter of 2024 after a 3.4% increase in the fourth quarter of 2023. The labor market has seen the unemployment rate climb to above 4%, and job gains have cooled, though the US remains far from a recession.

As Powell has consistently said, cutting interest rates too early could end up hurting Americans if it requires the Fed to hike again at a later time. But keeping interest rates high for too long also has consequences — it's keeping housing costs high, businesses are struggling to invest, and Americans are finding it more expensive to take out loans and different forms of credit.

While economists who talked to BI described the current economy as good, they also noted that cutting interest rates could give Americans financial relief and help the economy thrive.

"Right now, the Federal Reserve with keeping interest rates high is putting pressure on the economy, is making it harder for consumers to buy," Sahm said. "They have to take out credit. It's making it harder for businesses to invest."

Why economists say it's time to cut interest rates

For months, some Democratic lawmakers have been urging Powell to cut interest rates sooner rather than later to give Americans financial relief. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined three of her Democratic colleagues in writing a letter in January to Powell saying that "interest rates are still too high for many American families, who already cannot afford to pay rent or buy their first homes."

Some economists have recently been pointing to similar concerns with the Fed keeping interest rates high. "We got inflation under control, but we could end up in a recession, or we could just end up in a much weaker economy than was necessary because it just waited too long," Sahm said.

As Sahm pointed out, it would take time for reduced interest rates to "flow through to the economy."

"You want to begin a process of taking the pressure off of the economy," Sahm said. "The best way to do this would be gradually."

Waiting longer to start this gradual process of cuts could mean being up against unwelcome scenarios, such as the labor market taking "a turn for the worst," Sahm said. In that case, that could mean the Fed may have to make cuts more quickly.

Brian Rose, senior US economist at UBS, told BI that if the Fed doesn't cut rates soon, there could be a "more serious slowdown in the labor market, undesirable rise in the unemployment rate, or more layoffs, and things like that."

"The economy seems like it's already growing below trend, and if you leave rates at this level, which is quite restrictive, you can only expect the economy to slow further," Rose said.

True to form, Powell has not given any indication as to when interest rate cuts might happen, but when they do, it could provide relief to businesses and consumers alike.

Zandi said interest rates on credit cards and Buy Now, Pay Later rates could come down, along with a decline in auto lending rates and mortgage rates.

"Right now, we're at a 7% fixed mortgage rate, and that's just unaffordable for almost everyone," he said. "But if it gets closer to six, then I think that would make a big difference for people. And we see more home sales and transactions."

Even Fed officials are pointing at recent economic data as proof relief will soon be warranted. Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee told The Wall Street Journal that the US economy has proven it's ready to ease up on tight monetary policy.

"You only want to stay this restrictive for as long as you have to, and this doesn't look like an overheating economy to me," Goolsbee said.

• Sen. JD Vance's hawkish immigration stance is also part of his answer to the housing affordability crisis.
• Vance recently tweeted that deporting 20 million immigrants would bring down housing costs. 
• In an interview with Business Insider last year, Vance blamed high housing costs largely on high interest rates.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, former President Donald Trump's VP pick, has made his hawkish views on immigration central to his transformed political persona.

He was once skeptical of Trump's stances on immigration and its impact on the economy. "I don't think if you build a great Mexican wall, all of a sudden, all of these steel mill jobs are going to come back to southern Ohio, but it at least gives people something to latch onto," Vance said in September 2016.

But shortly thereafter, Trump beat the odds and won the 2016 election. Since then, Vance has radically changed his tune. Now, he even cites Trump's campaign promise to deport between 15 and 20 million people as a way to address the nation's housing affordability crisis.

In a tweet responding to the allegation that conservatives have few plans to address rising housing costs, Vance argued that cracking down on immigration would go a long way.

"Not having 20 million illegal aliens who need to be housed (often at public expense) will absolutely make housing more affordable for American citizens," Vance wrote on X in June.

The Trump campaign agrees. A campaign press secretary recently told NPR the "unstainable invasion of illegal aliens " is "driving up housing costs."

In the past, Vance has also blamed the housing affordability crisis largely on high interest rates. "The thing about the affordable housing crisis is, it is fundamentally a function of higher rents, higher mortgage payments, which are dependent on interest rates," he told this reporter last year.

But many economists say inflation and interest rates would likely be higher under a future Trump administration than under Biden, as deporting millions of people and restricting new immigration would actually increase prices by reducing the labor force.

A major wave of deportations could even threaten efforts to increase the housing supply. The country is facing a damaging construction worker shortage, and immigrants make up a disproportionate portion of these workers.

On top of that, Trump's promised tariffs, particularly on Chinese imports, and major tax cuts that would deepen the federal deficit would likely force the Fed to keep interest rates high, economists say.

The sharp uptick in home prices and rents in recent years is in large part a result of a severe shortage of housing years in the making. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and the housing market crash, the construction of new homes plummeted and hasn't kept pace with demand.

Further, restrictive land-use policies, including single-family zoning that dominates American communities, are a huge part of why more — and denser — housing isn't getting built.

The Trump-Vance housing policy record

Trump hasn't talked much about housing policy on the campaign trail, despite arguing that Biden hasn't done enough to control housing costs.

As president, Trump's proposed budgets included significant cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. His proposed 2021 budget asked Congress to cut housing assistance and community development aid — including shrinking the housing voucher program and slashing funds for public housing — by about 15%, not factoring in inflation, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Vance has also supported GOP efforts to drastically cut funding for HUD, which provides most federal housing assistance. "A large share of the HUD budget, I think, actually could be cut," he told BI last year.

In office, Trump rolled back certain fair housing protections, including imposing a higher bar for proving housing discrimination and eliminating an Obama-era rule designed to reduce racial segregation.

Trump doesn't support upzoning to legalize denser housing construction in low-density neighborhoods — a key part of the solution to the housing supply shortage, according to experts. He claimed Biden wanted to "abolish" the suburbs by encouraging more affordable housing construction.

• OpenAI whistleblowers urged the SEC to investigate the ChatGPT maker for potential rule violations.
• The whistleblowers claim OpenAI used nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence employees.
• The letter was sent to SEC chair Gary Gensler and Sen. Chuck Grassley's office.

OpenAI whistleblowers are calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether the ChatGPT maker violated SEC rules and prevented employees from speaking out.

Legally protected whistleblowers sent a letter to Gary Gensler, chair of the SEC, on July 1 calling on the regulator to investigate OpenAI. The letter, which was also sent to Sen. Chuck Grassley's office, was later shared with Business Insider.

The letter states that the whistleblowers provided documents to the SEC supporting their claims that OpenAI's NDAs "violated numerous precedents of the SEC."

Sen. Grassley said in a statement shared with Business Insider that assessing the threats posed by AI fell under Congress's constitutional responsibility to protect national security.

He added: "OpenAI's policies and practices appear to cast a chilling effect on whistleblowers' right to speak up and receive due compensation for their protected disclosures. In order for the federal government to stay one step ahead of artificial intelligence, OpenAI's nondisclosure agreements must change."

OpenAI didn't respond to a request for comment from BI. An SEC representative said: "The SEC does not comment on the existence or nonexistence of a possible whistleblower submission."

The whistleblowers' complaint comes after Vox reported in May that OpenAI could take back vested equity from departing employees if they did not sign non-disparagement agreements.

Sam Altman said on X shortly after the report was published that he "did not know this was happening."

Nine former and current OpenAI employees signed an open letter in June calling on major AI firms to ensure greater transparency and better protections for whistleblowers.

William Saunders, a former OpenAI employee who quit earlier this year after losing confidence that the company could responsibly mitigate AI risks, previously told BI about what led to him signing the letter and speaking out.

He said an incident in which another former OpenAI employee, Leopold Aschenbrenner, was fired and the requirement that OpenAI staff sign NDAs led to the four principles set out in the June open letter.

Read the full letter sent to the SEC:

The Honorable Gary Gensler
Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission
100 FStreet, NE Washington, DC 20549

July 1, 2024

Re: OpenAI Violations of Rule 21F-17(a) and Implementation of E.O. 14110

Dear Chair Gensler:

We represent the one or more anonymous and confidential whistleblowers) who filed a formal TCR complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") documenting systemic violations of the Dodd-Frank Act, 15 U.S.C. § 784-6 and SEC Rule 21F-17(a) committed by OpenAI. OpenAl is a San Francisco based tech company most well-known for its artificial intelligence ("AI") product ChatGPT? Under SEC precedent, and as a mater of law, OpenAI is required to comply with the SEC's regulation prohibiting illegally restrictive non-disclosure agreements ("NDAS")

As explained in the complaint, OpenAI's employment, severance, non-disparagement, and non- disclosure agreements violated SEC Rule 21F-17(a). The agreements prohibited and discouraged both employees and investors from communicating with the SEC concerning securities violations, forced employees to waive their rights ot whistleblower incentives and compensation, and required employees to notify the company of communication with government regulators. The SEC has made it abundantly clear that privately held companies that engage in these practices violate the law and are subject to fines and other enforcement actions.

Given the risks associated with the advancement of AI, there si an urgent need to ensure that employees working on this technology understand that they can raise complaints or address concerns to federal regulatory or law enforcement authorities. Likewise, it is critical for companies like OpenAI to understand the illegal nature of their NDAs, and to ensure that their workplace

The SEC must take swift and aggressive steps to enforce SEC Rule 21F-17(a) within the AI sector, and to ensure that there have been no violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1513(e). Executive Order 14110 requires nothing less, acknowledging that every agency of the federal government is responsible for "mitigating" the "substantial risks" posed by AI.

The Executive Order warns that "Artificial intelligence (AI) holds extraordinary potential for . . . peril," and the "irresponsible use" of this emerging technology "could exacerbate societal harms such as fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation; displace and disempower workers; stifle competition; and pose risks to national security." The Executive Order therefore concludes that ensuring the safe development of AI technology "demands a society-wide effort that includes government, the private sector, academia, and civil society."

To achieve this end, the Order mandates that agencies such as the SEC enforce existing laws designed to protect the public and investors from fraud.9 At the heart of any such enforcement effort is the recognition that insiders (i.e. whistleblowers) must be free to report concerns to federal authorities. Moreover, these employees need to be aware of their rights under the Dodd-Frank Act to file such reports confidentially and anonymously directly with the SEC. They also need to know that they cannot be retaliated against for making such reports, and that they are potentially eligible for compensation if their reports result in successful enforcement actions designed to protect the public and investors. Employees are in the best position to detect and warn against the types of dangers referenced in the Executive Order and are also in the best position to help ensure that AI benefits humanity, instead of having an opposite effect.

The SEC's Whistleblower Office was provided with significant documentation demonstrating that OpenAI's prior NDAs violated the law by requiring its employees to sign illegally restrictive contracts to obtain employment, severance payments, and other financial consideration. Given the well-documented potential risks posed by the irresponsible deployment of AI, we urge the Commissioners to immediately approve an investigation into OpenAI's prior NDAs, and to review current efforts apparently being undertaken by the company to ensure full compliance with SEC Rule 21F-17(a).

This request for an investigation is fully supported by the documents provided to the SEC by the Whistleblower(s). The agreements attached as exhibits to the SEC complaint support a finding that OpenAI's use of the NDAs submitted with the complaint violated numerous precedents of the SEC.

SEC precedent requires that an effective enforcement action be undertaken based on the NDAs provided as evidence in the Dodd-Frank complaint. In the SEC's first case addressing the issue of improper NDAs, the Commission sanctioned KBR for an NDA drafted before the Dodd-Frank Act was even passed. The company was sanctioned despite agreeing to fix the language in the NDAs, and despite the agreeing to contact employees who had executed these agreements in the past and informing them directly of their right to report wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities.

Additionally, given the large number of improper NDAs used by OpenAI over a long period of time, it is imperative that the Commission ensure that all prior improper NDAs be cured, and that any corrective action taken by OpenAI is consistent with past Commission precedent.

The courage of our client(s) in coming forward creates an opportunity to help ensure that all participants in creating and marketing this new technology will firmly understand that employees and investors always have the right to report wrongdoing, safety issues, and violations of law to the appropriate authorities. The chilling effect of prior NDAs and the harmful message these illegal contracts create within the workplace culture needs to be addressed in an appropriate enforcement action, designed to fully address any harmful impact caused by these practices.

Accountably is at the heart of deterrence, and deterrence is at the heart of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Among the violations documented by the Whistleblower(s) are:

• Non-disparagement clauses that failed to exempt disclosures of securities violations to the SEC;

• Requiring prior consent from the company to disclose confidential information to federal authorities;

• Confidentiality requirements with respect to agreements, that themselves contain securities violations;

• Requiring employees to waive compensation that was intended by Congress to incentivize reporting and provide financial relief to whistleblowers

As we expressed above, even if OpenAI is making reforms in light of the public disclosures of their illegal contracts, the importance of taking appropriate enforcement action is critical – not as an attack on OpenAI or to hinder the advancement of AI technology, but to send the message to others in the AI space, and to the tech industry at large, that violations on the right of employees or investors to report wrongdoing will not be tolerated. The door must be open for potential whistleblowers both at OpenAI and at other companies to come forward concerning misconduct and safety issues possibly occurring throughout the field. The law requires that such complaints be welcomed and rewarded as a matter of law and policy, not discouraged by companies sending direct or indirect messages to employees that they must honor a "code of silence" that has resulted in so many disasters in the past.

As the Senate Judiciary Committee pointed out in its report on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the SEC- enforced whistleblower laws are intended to specifically target and eliminate the corporate culture that inhibits lawful disclosure to law enforcement or regulatory authorities:

[The] "corporate code of silence" not only hampers investigations, but also creates a climate where ongoing wrongdoing can occur with virtual impunity. The consequences of this corporate code of silence for investors in publicly traded companies, in particular, and for the stock market, in general, are serious and adverse, and they must be remedied.

SEC action here is perhaps the best way for development of this rapidly evolving and important industry to proceed in a safe, transparent manner.

Given the potential that advanced AI could "pose an existential risk to humanity," restrictive nondisclosure agreements are particularly egregious. We therefore request that the SEC take the following actions to quickly and effectively reinforce to OpenAI and all of their employees or investors – as well as employees of other companies in this space – that they have a right to file claims with the SEC and other federal or state law enforcement or regulatory authorities:

1. Require OpenAl to produce for inspection every employment agreement, severance agreement, investor agreement, or any other contract that contains a nondisclosure agreement. Upon review of these agreements, the SEC can ensure that none of the employees or other persons who signed these agreements suffered any harm that is explicitly prohibited under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's obstruction of justice provision, 18 U.S.C. § 1513(e).

2. Require OpenAl to notify al past and current employees as to the violations they

committed, notify every past and current employee that pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act employees have the right to confidentially and anonymously report any violations of law ot the SEC, and inform them of all the rights associated with such a report.

3. Fine OpenAl for each improper agreement under the Securities and Exchange Act to the extent the SEC deems appropriate.

4. Direct OpenAI to cure the "chilling effect" of its past practices consistent with the affirmative relief in prior Commission decisions.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We remain available to assist the government on this matter in any way going forward.

• The trend involves a group standing in a circle, bopping, and shouting their main characteristics.
• Corporate accounts have begun posting playful videos that follow the trend.
• An employment lawyer warned about the consequences staffers can face when virality goes wrong.

A seemingly harmless TikTok trend that companies are jumping on could cause issues for employees, a lawyer has warned.

The trend involves a group of people — typically women — standing in a circle, bopping, and shouting two of their main characteristics. For instance, one might chant: "Hoop earrings and a shirt."

The trend is believed to have started in June when three friends posted a clip of their characteristic way of describing themselves, which was coined "boots and a slick back bun."

It was meant to be a lighthearted way for women to hype each other up. Then, several business accounts began posting videos of their employees doing the meme as a way to introduce their staff on TikTok.

One of those accounts was run by Australian brand Tbh Skincare.

On July 8, a group of women from the company featured in a TikTok where they chanted their attributes, including "itty bitty titties and a bob" and "Gen Z boss and a mini."

But while many considered it simple, lighthearted fun, the skincare company ran into trouble when its video spread farther afield.

It amassed four million views and traversed off-platform. The trend started being referred to as "Gen Z Boss and a mini," and misogyny directed at those featured in the clip ran rampant.

An unwelcome audience

Andrew Tate reposted Tbh Skincare's video on X, claiming: "If you do not escape The Matrix, women like this will be your boss."

The video was then further shared on X and Reddit, finding a new, less appreciative audience who described it as "peak corporate cringe" and "humiliating."

Some told the women to "get back in the kitchen" and expressed wanting a return of "the gender pay gap."

The Tbh Skincare women didn't take the criticism lying down, posting two more videos. In one, they poked fun at the sexism they were encountering, chanting some of the comments they'd received, including "it's giving millennial core," "fire them all," and "make it stop, hate this."

Rachael Wilde, the company's cofounder and CMO, told Smart Company in a statement that they had found themselves "on the wrong side of the internet."

"We were surprised to see innocent fun upsetting so many people online," she said. "Not sure how us doing a dance in the office warranted so much feedback and hatred like this."

Craig Schweighoffer, the CEO of York St Brands, which encompasses Tbh Skincare and Boost Lab, told Business Insider in a statement that "our staff's safety and well-being is always at the forefront."

"We have a workplace that employs 90% females and are proud of what the team is doing during this time," he said.

Legal troubles

Still, the reaction shows that companies should be careful when engaging with social media trends, warned Roxanne Hart, an employment lawyer and the director of Hart & Co Lawyers.

Hart shared some of her concerns in her own TikTok, saying the women had become "the laughing stock of the internet" and the end result "could be limiting for their careers."

Hart told BI the video had swerved into the "Wild West" of the internet, where even the most frivolous content posted by women can lead to rape and death threats.

There's also an important power imbalance companies should consider before putting their employees out there for the world to see — especially if they are making comments about their bodies, Hart said.

"What happens when the 'freak in the sheets and a calculator' lady gets her next finance job, and the boys in the office start making jokes about her being a freak in the sheets?" she said. "She's supposed to just take that on the chin?"

In Australia, where Tbh Skincare is based, mental health is covered by a workplace's insurance. So, if employees are affected mentally by being bullied online due to a social media video, they could make a claim, Hart said. She added that it's also a company's legal responsibility to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace.

The company will likely see a boost in exposure and sales from the virality, but the benefit to the staff is less clear.

"What are these staff getting out of it?" Hart said. "I don't think that they're influencers, they're just normal workers. What do they get out of just being embarrassed?"

Staff should also be discerning about taking part in content that their workplace posts, Hart added.

"Be smarter about the things that you say, try to be funny in other ways," she said. "You don't need to reduce it to anything sexual, especially when you're dealing with young women. I think that's just going to lend itself to a lot of problems."

The internet is forever, and young workers should assume anything posted will be visible to future employees, Hart said.

Gen Zers and millennials have gotten "slightly too comfortable" with posting everything, she said.

"Probably like 10 to 15% too comfortable."

In response, Wilde, the company's CMO, told BI in a statement that responses that "direct people to go look at the inappropriate comments" are "disappointing."

"At the end of the day, we're choosing to focus on the positive comments," she said, which there have been many, and "not give too much attention to the negative."

"I am so proud of how the team has handled it all," Wilde added. "We have all banded together and are supporting each other through it."

• A diet high in ultra-processed foods is linked to poor health. 
• But you don't need to cut them out to be healthy, dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine said.
• She shared an average day of eating to show how to strike a healthy balance. 

Registered dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine is on a mission to help people understand how to limit ultra-processed foods (UPF) while enjoying their lives.

While the term UPF has become more prominent in recent years as research has grown about their potential harms, Ludlam-Raine says the public is confused about how to shop and eat to avoid them.

In her new book, "How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed," published in the UK and Germany on July 18, Ludlam-Raine aims to arm people with the knowledge they need to decipher food labels and make informed decisions.

It's not a case of never eating anything ultra-processed — generally considered to be a food containing ingredients you wouldn't have in your own kitchen — but minimizing your intake and choosing predominantly whole foods.

There are many reasons UPFs are considered harmful: they tend to be hyper-palatable thus easy to over-eat, and were linked to a higher risk of 32 health problems, including type 2 diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular disease, in a recent study.

As Ludlam-Raine explained to Business Insider, when choosing what to eat, it's not necessarily about what the foods are, but what versions you choose. One brand of cream cheese might be a UPF, but another won't, for example.

To help show how you can eat a predominantly non-UPF diet, Ludlam-Raine shared how she eats on an average day with BI.

Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast

Ludlam-Raine has oats for breakfast but chooses whole rolled oats rather than instant, which can be ultra-processed.

She cooks her oatmeal then tops it with frozen berries, nuts, and seeds, so she's eating a diverse range of plants, Ludlam-Raine said. The aim is to add goodness into your meals when trying to eat more healthily, rather than cutting out foods, she said.

When it comes to the milk she uses to cook her oats, the least processed choice is usually dairy. However, Ludlam-Raine's son is allergic to dairy, so she doesn't use it.

"These foods have got a real place in people's lives who literally cannot consume certain things," she said, referring to UPFs. "So if my son didn't have UPF oat milk, he wouldn't be meeting his calcium and his iodine goals."

This is an example of a small amount of UPF in an otherwise whole-food meal being nothing to worry about, Ludlam-Raine said.

She often has some Greek yogurt on the side for a protein boost too, which is a better choice than flavored yogurts which tend to be ultra-processed.

Fruit, nuts, and cheese are good morning snacks

Ludlam-Raine said she drinks tea and coffee in the morning and often snacks on dried fruit with nuts, or fresh fruit such as an apple with a piece of cheese.

Depending on the product, cheese tends to be processed not ultra-processed, she said.

Sourdough toast is a versatile lunch base

For lunch, Ludlam-Raine uses sourdough bread as a base, but makes sure to choose one that is genuine sourdough as opposed to "sourfaux." Sourdough bread should only feature flour, water, and salt on its ingredients list.

"All you have to do is look at the label on bread and if there's no emulsifiers or preservatives, if it's based on whole foods, then that's non-UPF," Ludlam-Raine said.

She toasts her sourdough and tops it with smashed avocado or a non-UPF hummus.

"The majority of hummus out there is non-UPF, but some is," Ludlam-Raine said. "However, the amount of additives, again that's on the spectrum. I was mortified when I looked at some of these ingredient lists."

She said some brands of hummus may only include a small amount of one preservative, whereas others have many additives.

Other days, Ludlam-Raine has eggs on toast with a side salad, she said.

Look for snack bars that are non-UPF

When it comes to an afternoon snack, Ludlam-Raine's choice depends on whether she is out or at home.

She looks for the least processed option: A chocolate bar would likely be UPF, while chocolate-covered almonds might also be UPF but would be more nutritious. So she would choose a snack bar that features whole foods mixed together.

Ludlam-Raine, who is based in the UK, likes brands including Nakd and Deliciously Ella.

Spaghetti bolognese can be a non-UPF meal

An average dinner for Ludlam-Raine would be homemade Bolognese sauce made from lean ground beef, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, and spices, served with spaghetti.

If you make your Bolognese using a pre-made pasta sauce, however, it may contain UPF.

"Although these meals could be 100% non-UPF, actually there's a decision to be made on the oat milk, the bread, the pasta sauce," Ludlam-Raine said.

Greek yogurt and dark chocolate for dessert

To satisfy her sweet tooth after dinner, Ludlam-Raine often eats Greek yogurt topped with a combination of dark chocolate, homemade granola, strawberries, or honey, she said.

"Sugar isn't UPF, but because it's non-UPF doesn't mean that you can have as much of it as you like," Ludlam-Raine said.

She encourages people to eat unprocessed foods freely while being mindful of the sugar and fat content.

Take potato chips, for example: You can get non-UPF potato chips, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch your portion size, Ludlam-Raine said.

This is why Ludlam-Raine thinks it's a mistake to consider only whether a food is a UPF when choosing what to eat, when there are many factors that determine how healthy something is.

• Luxury retailers say they've been hit by slumping sales in China. At Burberry, they fell by 21%.
• Chinese consumers have been avoiding some purchases because of "luxury shame," Bain analysts said.
• And some have been making their big luxury buys in Japan instead, benefitting from the weak yen.

Hugo Boss, Burberry, Richemont, and Swatch have all called out slumping sales in China this week as consumers cut back on luxury spending.

Hugo Boss said in its preliminary Q2 financial results on Monday that the Chinese market — a key one for the German fashion brand — was "particularly challenging."

British fashion house Burberry's sales in mainland China fell 21% year-over-year in the most recent quarter, which board chair Gerry Murphy attributed to "deteriorating consumer confidence" in an investor call on Monday. The Chinese market had been "weaker than we expected," he said.

Swiss watch group Swatch said it expects the Chinese market "to remain challenging for the entire luxury goods industry until the end of the year."

China, the world's second-most populous country, is a key market for luxury brands.

Bain & Company said in a report earlier this year that China's luxury market tripled in size between 2017 and 2021, but suffered a sharp decline in 2022 due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. There was a "significant" rebound in 2023 as lockdown restrictions were lifted.

But much of this spending has been overseas, and sales in China have fallen for some of the world's biggest luxury brands. Here's why they've been struggling.

Economic growth is slowing

China's economy grew just 4.7% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2024, missing forecasts and slowing from the 5.3% growth reported by officials in the first quarter.

Shoppers simply haven't been spending enough money: Sales of clothing, shoes, and hats were down 1.9% in June year-over-year, per Chinese government data, despite growing disposable income.

Bain said in a June report that China's economic environment was "undermining middle-class consumer confidence, leading to 'luxury shame' behavior similar to what occurred in the Americas during the 2008-09 financial crisis."

Luxury shaming refers to people being hesitant to buy and show off high-price status items during periods of economic downturn.

Swatch said in its financial release on Monday that there had been a "sharp drop in demand for luxury goods in China" and Southeast Asian markets, which it said are "heavily dependent" on Chinese tourists.

"Swatch Group is most exposed to Chinese middle-class consumers, who are clearly on the back foot," Bernstein luxury goods analyst Luca Solca wrote in a note to clients on Monday.

In Solca's commentary on results posted by Richemont this week — which reported a 27% drop in sales for China, Hong Kong, and Macau for Q1 of fiscal 2025 — he said that it "confirms lackluster demand" in this area. Richemont owns brands including Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, and Chloé.

Some luxury brands, including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, and Versace, have resorted to offering big discounts in China to reel in shoppers and get rid of excess inventory, The Financial Times reported this week.

Marc Jacobs, for example, was offering discounts of more than 50% on Alibaba's upscale e-commerce platform Tmall Luxury Pavilion this month, the FT wrote.

Chinese shoppers are spending overseas instead

Instead of buying luxury goods at home, some Chinese shoppers have been taking advantage of Japan's weak currency to make big-ticket purchases there instead.

The weakening yen has made visiting and spending in Japan more affordable for overseas visitors, leading to booming tourism.

More than half a million tourists from mainland China visited Japan in May, making up nearly 18% of visitors to the country that month — though this is well behind the post-pandemic rebound for other tourists in Japan.

Well-off Chinese shoppers typically make their expensive purchases while traveling overseas.

Before the pandemic, about two-thirds of Chinese luxury spending occurred outside mainland China, plummeting to less than 10% in 2021 and 2022 because of travel restrictions, according to data from Bain.

The consultancy said that this started to rebound in 2023 with the return of overseas tourism, with an estimated 30% of luxury spending taking place outside mainland China.

Richemont said in its financial release on Tuesday that Japan had posted the strongest regional sales growth during its most recent quarter, at 59%, partly fuelled by "thriving tourist spending" from Chinese, South Korean, East Asian, and American clients.

Prada, too, credited its 46% year-over-year growth in Japanese sales in the first quarter partly to a boom in tourist spending.

Its CEO said at The Financial Times' Business of Luxury Summit in May that Japan was "on fire," per Reuters.

But this, in turn, means Chinese travelers are spending less in their home country.