• Some people are hiring two surrogates at the same time to carry their babies.
• Concurrent surrogacy can be complicated and costly, with prices reaching up to $500,000 or more.
• Many people who do it are in their 40s and trying to build out their family quickly.

Bill Houghton still vividly remembers the moment he met his son.

He was sitting in the hospital waiting room, right outside the birthing room, when a nurse appeared carrying a little green bundle.

"I just held him in my arms and just started crying. It was so overwhelming. My husband was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe that this is it. We're a family,'" Houghton told Business Insider. "This is my son."

Just one week later, Houghton and his husband would have the same experience all over again when their second child, another son, was delivered.

"And it has been like that ever since," he said. "To this day, I still look at them and I think, 'Oh my God, these are my sons.' My father had sons. I never thought that I would have a son."

Houghton and his husband opted to become parents via concurrent surrogacy — a process in which two surrogates are hired to carry two babies at the same, or overlapping, time.

The resulting children can be born anywhere from one week apart, like Houghton's, to nine months apart, and have been referred to by some people in the industry as "tandem siblings" or "twiblings."

Surrogacy agencies told BI that concurrent surrogacy journeys are not uncommon, with some saying it's a rising trend in a growing industry that was valued at $14 billion in 2022 by Global Market Insights and has attracted the investments of private equity firms.

All kinds of people — couples or singles, straight or gay, young or old — have opted to build out their family two at a time via concurrent surrogacy. But there is one thing that most parents of twiblings have in common: the ability to afford them.

While Houghton hired surrogates abroad, couples who choose to go through US-based agencies can easily spend $300,000 to half a million dollars or more on concurrent surrogates, according to five surrogacy agencies that spoke to BI.

"It is a luxury, absolutely," Brooke Kimbrough, cofounder and CEO of Roots Surrogacy, told BI. "Most American families don't have $200,000 in cash to go through surrogacy generally, and then $400,000-plus in cash to be able to go through that twice at the same time."

Still, the use of concurrent surrogates could grow as surrogacy generally grows in the US, in part because celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen have started opening up about using surrogates, as well as depictions in film and TV that have made the practice more mainstream. Teigen was even pregnant at the same time as her surrogate.

Surrogacy is also becoming increasingly relevant as more and more people are opting to have kids and start building their families later in life.

Concurrent surrogacy can help build a family quickly

Concurrent journeys typically look like regular surrogacy journeys, just times two. Gestational surrogacy, when IVF is used to place a fertilized embryo into a surrogate, is the most common form of surrogacy in the US today. Parents can use their own egg and sperm or that of donors.

Like many gay couples, Houghton and his husband each used their sperm for one of the babies, as well as the same egg donor, so their sons are technically half brothers.

While there has been increased awareness around what some call "social surrogacy" — using a surrogate when it's not medically or biologically necessary — the majority of people who conceive via surrogacy do so because they have to.

"Typically, when people come to us, they've been through a lot. This is not their plan A, it's often not plan B, maybe it's plan C," Kim Bergman, a psychologist and senior partner at Growing Generations, told BI. "They've had a lot of disappointment, and they've had a lot of trials and tribulations."

Many hopeful parents are in their 40s and are simply eager to build their families, the agencies said. A surrogacy journey can easily take one and a half to two years, so for intended parents who know they want multiple kids, concurrent surrogates can be appealing.

Certainly, some people who opt for concurrent surrogates do not fit the definition of medically necessary, at least according to the standards laid out by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Some people have mental health reasons or a fear of giving birth. Others are actors or brain surgeons who spend 12 hours a day on their feet and who can't get pregnant and continue to do their jobs. All the surrogacy agencies BI spoke with said it's essentially never the case that someone opts for surrogacy simply for vanity reasons.

David Sher, founder and CEO of Elite IVF, told BI they've helped coordinate surrogates for celebrities, politicians, and people in demanding careers like finance or tech. He said he currently has a client who serves on the cabinet of a Western country and is trying to have a baby via surrogate in part due to her demanding schedule.

Sher said he thinks concurrent surrogacy has long been an option for intended parents but that there does seem to be an uptick in people who are opting to do it.

Part of the reason for that could be because fewer and fewer agencies are willing to do double embryo transfers, which were previously more common and could result in a twin pregnancy. The ASRM recommends against them, as twin pregnancies come with heightened risks for both the surrogate and the babies. So concurrent surrogacy is a safer option for intended parents who want to have two kids at the same time or in close succession.

Costly and complicated

Though it's viewed as a safer option, concurrent surrogacy is controversial. The ASRM guidelines actually recommend against concurrent surrogacy, as well as against social, or not medically necessary, surrogacy. But all five surrogacy agencies that BI spoke to will facilitate concurrent surrogacies.

The agencies said they've seen many concurrent surrogacy journeys be successful and that a lot of care and prior planning goes into making them happen.

"It's not taken lightly," Bergman said, adding that concurrent journeys are rarely chosen by 30-year-olds who have plenty of time to build their families, though that does occasionally happen.

Surrogacy, in general, is expensive — commonly ranging from $150,000 to $250,000 for one child. The costs go toward surrogate compensation, agency fees, legal fees for contracts, and clinical bills.

The agencies BI spoke with said a concurrent surrogacy journey would essentially cost twice that. Meaning there's no two-for-one special.

But cost isn't the only factor to consider. Perhaps the primary drawback to pursuing concurrent surrogacy (that is, besides the high price tag) is the logistics of it.

All the agencies emphasized that concurrent surrogacy should only be pursued with full transparency and the fully informed consent of every person involved. That means matching intended parents to surrogates who are fully aware and OK with the fact that they will not be the only surrogate.

There's also tons of planning and talking through hypotheticals. Are the surrogates based in the same area? Can the parents attend both births? Are we staggering expected delivery times enough? What's the plan if one surrogate gets pregnant on the first try but the other doesn't?

There's also a psychological aspect. Will both surrogates feel fully supported? How will one feel if she doesn't get pregnant right away and the other does?

"All of these conversations are front-loaded. Anytime in the conversation, the surrogate can say, 'I'm not comfortable doing this,'" Bergman said, adding that sometimes, after thinking through the logistics, some parents will change their minds and plan to space the deliveries out further than they initially wanted, like to six or nine months.

Most agencies recommended staggering the planned deliveries by at least three months. But at the end of the day, parents need to be ready for the timeline to not go exactly as planned.

Houghton and his husband had actually planned to have their babies six weeks apart, but when one of the babies was born five weeks premature, they ended up with birthdays one week apart.

Concurrent surrogacy may not be for everyone — even if you can afford it

Although the cost of concurrent surrogacy makes it prohibitive for most people, that could change in the future as more and more companies expand their fertility benefits.

There are also more nonprofits popping up that will provide grants or partial funds to people who want to build their families via surrogacy but may not have the means to.

Jarret Zafran, founder and executive director at Brownstone Surrogacy, told BI that it's not necessarily only the ultrawealthy who pursue concurrent surrogacy. He said he currently has clients who are lifelong educators on the older side who are getting ready to start the surrogacy process. They recently asked about what it would look like for them to do a concurrent journey.

"I guess it is still a luxury in the sense that most Americans would not even be in a financial position to afford it the first time," Zafran, who also had a child with his husband through surrogacy, said. "But for them, this is not a frivolous decision, and they're scraping together every single little penny that they have, all of their savings, their retirement funds, and I get it."

By using surrogates abroad over a decade ago, Houghton and his husband, who are based in Spain, spent much less on their concurrent surrogates than they would have in the US. But he's still not totally sure why they chose to do concurrent journeys rather than space the children out a bit more.

"We just liked the idea of having two kids that were about the same age that would sort of grow up together," he said, adding, "I didn't realize at the time the challenges that would come with having two kids."

In reality, he said having the two boys grow up so close together in age, not twins but in the same class in school, ended up leading to a lot of conflict and constant competition as they were growing up. He said it has gotten better now that the boys are facing their teen years and developing their own identities.

Still, if he could do it over again, he thinks he would stagger them more.

"They're unbelievable young men, and I'm so proud of everything about them," he said. "But having the two together has been a challenge."

Have a news tip or a story to share about concurrent surrogacy? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@businessinsider.com.

• Tesla's Berlin factory has a missing coffee mugs problem, a German newspaper reported.
• A factory manager said he would remove all breakroom cutlery until the thefts end, Handelsblatt reported.
• The manager reportedly said they had ordered 65,000 mugs since the factory opened two years ago.

Tesla's Berlin factory has a coffee mug problem. They apparently keep going missing.

While Tesla's Berlin factory has generated plenty of headlines over the past two years, this is the first time we've read about any concerns over coffee cup thefts.

Tesla plant manager Andre Thierig addressed the issue during a staff meeting last week, the German newspaper Handelsblatt reported.

"I'm just going to give you a figure," Thierig said, according to German outlet DW's translation of the report. "We've bought 65,000 coffee mugs since we started production here. 65,000! Statistically speaking, each of you already has five Ikea coffee cups at home."

While the factory's 12,000 employees may be keen to take the cups home, Thierig assured that there would be no more cutlery in breakrooms until the mug thefts stopped, according to the newspaper's report.

"I'm really tired of approving orders to buy more coffee cups," he said, which got some laughter and clapping from employees, according to DW's translation.

The apparently somewhat lighthearted ribbing may have come as a light palette cleanser after any heavier discussions on the tensions between Tesla and IG Metall, a German union representing workers at Tesla's Gigafactory in Germany.

Workers have reportedly criticized the carmaker's working conditions, including long work hours and alleged there have been numerous work accidents.

• Amazon's Prime Day is a major contributor to warehouse worker injuries.
• That's according to a new report from a US Senate committee.
• Amazon warehouse workers have faced potential injuries related to moving packages and merchandise.

Amazon warehouse workers who move the retailer's merchandise during Prime Day get hurt — a lot.

That's one of the key findings from a preliminary report from the US Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released on Tuesday.

The report is the result of a yearlong investigation into what it's like to work at Amazon's warehouses.

Among HELP's findings was that, during Amazon's Prime Day shopping event in 2019, the tech and retail giant reported 10 injuries per 100 warehouse workers to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Prime Day, which results in a high volume of orders, is taking place July 16 and 17 this year.

That rate represents the injuries that Amazon is legally required to report to the government. It's also already "more than double the industry average," the committee wrote.

"But this number does not tell the full story," the preliminary results read. The committee estimates that the real rate at Amazon's warehouses is 45 injuries per 100 workers.

"That is nearly half of the company's warehouse workers," the report reads.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the report "draws sweeping and inaccurate conclusions based on unverified anecdotes, and it misrepresents documents that are several years old and contained factual errors and faulty analysis."

Amazon pushed back on a claim in the report that said it was "not adequately staffed for busy shopping periods," for instance.

The report is further evidence that working in Amazon's warehouses can come with risks for employees.

A 2022 investigation by BI, for instance, found that Amazon warehouse workers were more likely to develop musculoskeletal injuries than their counterparts at similar facilities not owned by Amazon, based on data from Washington state.

Last month, regulators in California fined Amazon for undisclosed quotas that the regulators said "workers to increased pressure to work faster and can lead to higher injury rates."

Do you work for Amazon and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com

• Cutting-edge projects, iconic branding, and more make Apple a coveted employer.
• Recruiters and career coaches agree that it's a résumé booster for any applicant.
• Here's why people are so keen to work at Apple.

Landing a corporate job at Apple is such a big deal for tech workers that some seek out career coaches to help get interviews. Others apply to multiple open positions at the company at once to try to secure an offer.

Sure, it's one of the world's most valuable companies, alongside Silicon Valley neighbors like Meta and Alphabet. But what's the specific Apple lure?

Career expert Marc Cenedella told Business Insider he had the chance to hear Apple's late founder, Steve Jobs, answer a similar question.

"'Taste,' he replied," Cenedella said. "'Taste' is the essence of what attracts people to want to work, sleep, play, and live with the Apple brand today."

Apple has been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to smartphones, tablets, and wearable gadgets. Devices like the iPod, Mac computer, and iPhone have become iconic, helping the company gain and keep a massive dedicated global user base (Wedbush Securities analysts estimated earlier this year that there are 2.2 billion iOS devices out there). They've also helped the company itself swell. At the end of last year, Apple employed around 161,000 people.

Career experts told BI that Apple's creative culture, innovation, and legacy are big pulls for applicants.

Apple is seen as a place where workers 'push boundaries'

Apple positions itself as more than just a job. The brand touts its creativity and imagination, attractive qualities for young professionals.

"We aren't merely creating products. We're creating something magical for the person who uses it," a quote from Apple engineering manager Ehsan Farkhondeh reads on Apple's careers page.

Like its products, Apple has worked hard to brand itself as a more playful and curious environment than its competitors.

"The company has a reputation for fostering creativity, championing collaboration, and creating an environment where employees are encouraged to push boundaries, making it a coveted position for many," Chaitra Vedullapalli, cofounder of Women in Cloud, said.

Even Apple Park, the company's headquarters in Cupertino, has earned the nicknames "the spaceship" and "the ring" for its memorable futuristic circular design.

And the lure of working for a company where everyone knows what it makes can't be dismissed.

"Apple's products are globally recognized for their quality and impact, contributing to its prestige," Arianny Mercedes, a former American Express talent manager and career coach, told BI.

Apple is attractive, and not just for its pay

According to one Reddit user, securing a job offer at Apple after college is such a priority that it influences what university they'll attend. Another Apple hopeful posted that he was "getting desperate" for a job at the company and applied for 60 jobs in one day.

Apple's pay and benefits are competitive. Employees are eligible for stock, stock options, or share discounts.

When former Apple creative recruiter Theresa Park was approached about a position, she wasn't planning to leave her role at Spotify.

But "Apple pay is much higher when we are looking at the overall package," Park told BI.

"They ended up offering me something I couldn't refuse," she added.

Still, for most, it's about more than the money.

"It's the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology and be part of groundbreaking projects that often set Apple apart," Mercedes said.

When it comes to innovation, 2024 is a big year for Apple. The company is on the verge of releasing its AI venture, Apple Intelligence, and debuting a new iPhone and new operating technology later this year.

To be sure, its latest innovation, the pricey Vision Pro headset, didn't create the splash the company may have wanted. But the opportunity for Apple to dominate the world of AI (and for said AI to spark a "golden upgrade cycle" with the newest iPhone) is huge, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said.

Apple's solid legacy is also a lure for workers

Apple's nearly 50-year history has been the source material for multiple movies, like "Jobs" and "Steve Jobs." It began in a garage in 1976 and now has a market cap of over $3 trillion. The company spent years building personal computers and introduced the iPod in 2001. It swiftly followed up with the iPhone, probably the most recognizable global smartphone, in 2007.

Since then, Apple has released nearly 20 more iPhone models, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Drew Evans, COO of professional services company High Trail, also said, "Working at Apple is a résumé builder." Having Apple on your résumé could be the difference between it getting discarded or being seriously considered by recruiters.

"People know that Apple hires strong talent, and having that branding on your future job applications will almost always guarantee a second look," Evans told BI.

And why wouldn't they want an employee who has worked at the same place as famous iPhone designer Jony Ive?

After all, "A better, more thoughtful, more beautiful, more crafted, (more expensive) experience elevates Apple above all others," Cenedella said.

• Before her death in a plane crash, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was a well-known fashion icon.
• As the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., she was frequently photographed at glamorous events.
• She was known for her classic style that has come to embody the quiet-luxury aesthetic.

Arguably no one can nail classic, "cool-girl" style quite like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy did.

Bessette-Kennedy shot to prominence in the mid to late '90s as the girlfriend and then wife of prominent Kennedy family member John F. Kennedy Jr., the only son of former President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister, Lauren Bessette, were killed in a plane crash 25 years ago on July 16, 1999. There were no survivors from the accident, which happened off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.

Before her passing, Bessette-Kennedy was known as a fashion icon, thanks to her minimalist outfits, which embodied what we now call the quiet-luxury aesthetic and featured a color palette of mostly black, white, beige, and navy.

Thomaï Serdari, the director of the fashion and luxury MBA program at NYU's Stern School of Business, previously told Business Insider that quiet luxury is defined as "clothing of the highest quality, but also clothing that [is timeless], is sophisticated and understated" — that is, no gaudy prints or designer logos in sight.

Here are nine of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's best, most timeless looks.

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy defied the fashion "rule" that you can't mix black, brown, and beige.

Pictured here with John F. Kennedy Jr. in front of their Tribeca apartment in New York City, Bessette-Kennedy embodied classic autumnal fashion by pairing patent-leather brown boots with a simple black sweater and a camel-colored, calf-length skirt.

She accessorized with an understated black-leather bag and swept her blonde hair back into a low ponytail.

Before she married John F. Kennedy Jr., she was a publicist at Calvin Klein, which appeared to influence her personal style.

Bessette-Kennedy knew how to ace perfectly tailored, classic pieces similar to the ones Klein is known for, like this structured white button-up and black mermaid-tail skirt.

Vogue called this minimalist look "the epitome of uptown glamour without compromising her pared-back aesthetic."

She tended to stick to a basic color palette of black for formal events.

Pictured here with her husband at the Municipal Art Society Gala in 1998, Bessette-Kennedy wore a strapless black column gown, velvet gloves, and pointed strappy stiletto heels.

However, for an off-duty look, she didn't shun color altogether.

In 1996, while walking around New York City, she was photographed wearing a flowy summer dress with a bright floral print, black strappy heels, and a black, patent-leather handbag.

She looked effortlessly cool in a pair of perfectly tailored jeans and strappy sandals.

This classic look, from the black sleeveless tank to the brown-and-cream heeled sandals, would still be stylish now.

She often accessorized with a pair of sunglasses.

These rounded, black sunglasses paired with a black button-up and green cargo pants epitomized '90s fashion.

She was also the master of a classic coat.

While heading to the airport to catch a flight for Bill Clinton's inauguration in January 1997, Bessette-Kennedy was photographed wearing a camel-colored skirt, black leather boots, and a belted black suede coat.

Nothing screams classic New York style like a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket.

She finished the look with a tortoise-shell headband and a pair of oval sunglasses.

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy will always be remembered as a fashion icon.

Bessette-Kennedy effortlessly blended elegance and simplicity into her fashion looks and became one of the decade's most recognizable style icons.

There's no arguing that Bessette-Kennedy, through her iconic minimalist style, made a lasting impact on the fashion world. She showed that while fast-fashion trends come and go, simple elegance lasts forever.

• Former President Donald Trump has stamped out the old Republican Party.
• His power is on full display during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
• In selecting Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, Trump has also shown he has his eye on the future.

Former President Donald Trump staged a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. His latest coronation in Milwaukee shows he wants to cement this populist rebrand.

The most obvious signal is Trump's selection of Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential nominee. Instead of putting forth a historically diverse ticket or nodding to the GOP's monied class, Trump elevated one of his staunchest allies who, like the former president, speaks with little subtlety.

No fan of Trump's hold on the party, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney said the GOP of her father's day is gone.

"The Trump GOP is no longer the party of Lincoln, Reagan or the Constitution," Cheney wrote on X, bashing Trump's selection of Vance.

Trump welcomes the ire. He enjoyed ending the Bush political dynasty by humiliating former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 primary. As president, Trump singled out those who questioned him, pushing then-Speaker Paul Ryan and then-Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona out of power. The former president has continued his crusade against the 10 House Republicans who impeached him for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump can preach unity now because he won the contest over the party's future.

His victory is evident in more than just his vice presidential selection. The Republican Party granted one of its prized primetime convention speaking slots to Teamsters President Sean O'Brien. O'Brien railed against the US Chamber of Commerce, long the hallmark of the GOP business class.

"We need to call the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtables what they are. They are unions for big business," O'Brien said during his speech on Monday night.

Less than a decade ago, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker became the GOP front man for taking on unions, backed by the powerful Koch brothers and their allies. And yet, on Tuesday night, O'Brien was extolling the virtues of union membership with the national spotlight trained on the state.

The GOP's new platform, which Trump helped edit, according to The Washington Post, watered down the party's commitment to a national ban on abortion access in favor of the former president's state-driven policy. Some antiabortion activists are furious. Even former Vice President Mike Pence couldn't quite understand it. But he is no longer on the ticket; Vance is.

Trump and Vance also stand in contrast to the GOP's traditional interventionist wing. Vance helped lead the opposition to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's push for a massive package of defense aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. McConnell ultimately won, working with President Joe Biden to get the $95 billion legislation through Congress. But McConnell, the longest-serving GOP Senate leader in history, is set to step down from his top post after the election. He has pledged to use his remaining time in Congress to advocate for the Reagan-era foreign policy that once dominated the GOP.

McConnell was also booed when he spoke for the Kentucky delegation on Monday. The top Senate Republican is no stranger to lukewarm receptions among his party's base, but the contrast to Vance's welcome was unmistakable.

• Donald Trump has selected Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 election.
• Vance is vocal about family policies and birth rates, saying it's a "civilizational crisis."
• Vance supports a child tax credit expansion, but not universal childcare.

New vice presidential contender JD Vance has some strong opinions on how America can better support families.

Vance, the author of "Hillbilly Elegy" and a former VC, has been outspoken about his views on family and birth rates. Vance is very worried about falling birth rates — he's warned of a "civilizational crisis" facing the US, and has hit out against the "childless left."

"We should worry that in America, family formation, our birth rates, a ton of indicators of family health have collapsed," Vance said in 2021 remarks.

"The fact that we're not having enough babies, the fact that we're not having enough children, is a crisis in this country. It's a crisis because it makes our media more miserable. It's a crisis because it doesn't give our leaders enough of an investment in the future of their country. And it's a crisis because we know that babies are good," he added.

Legislatively, Vance has tweeted in support of making the healthcare associated with giving birth free, suggesting that the money the US has sent to Ukraine could "end the surprise billings that devastate families with newborns, and possibly save the lives of a lot of new moms." He's also introduced legislation that would shield parents who opt to quit their jobs and stay at home post-birth from penalties inflicted by their employer-sponsored insurance.

"We should celebrate and promote young families, not punish them. This legislation would relieve a serious financial burden for working families all over America and steer Washington in a more pro-family direction," Vance said in a press release.

He's not, however, a fan of universal childcare. He's said that it's "a massive subsidy to the lifestyle preferences of the affluent over the preferences of the middle and working class," implying that childcare benefits working parents more than stay-at-home parents. Instead, he's thrown his weight behind proposals to give tax credits to parents.

Vance has also said that he would've voted no on the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and is meant to protect interracial and same-sex marriage. He's additionally introduced legislation that would classify giving gender-affirming care to minors as a Class C felony.

When it comes to Trump's specific platform on family policies, voters don't know much. His campaign recently released 20 principles the former president plans to champion — which the Republican National Committee adopted — and while it includes measures to protect retirees' Social Security benefits and "end inflation" by ending illegal immigration, it did not address how the administration would tackle family and child policies.

However, Vance's actions as a senator could suggest some support for Democratic policies, like the child tax credit expansion. The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 — a framework supported by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Republican Rep. Jason Smith — called for an enhanced child tax credit after it lapsed in 2021. Vance expressed support for the credit, according to Punchbowl News, saying at the time that "we're the party of families."

"I think it's important to actually [have] a pro-family policy," he said. "If you're raising children in this country, we should make it easier, not harder. And unfortunately it's way too expensive and way too difficult."

Biden, meanwhile, has called for family-friendly policies in his budget request unveiled in March, including restoring the child tax credit, lowering childcare costs, and enacting a national program for paid family and medical leave.

"It's past time America caught up with the rest of the world on paid leave," Biden said during a speech in April. "All this helps families and it grows the economy. And we can afford to do it. We can't afford not to do it."

• Fast-food chains are competing for customers by offering value meals.
• Three of the biggest chains, McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, each have a version of a $5 meal.
• I compared them all and thought Wendy's $5 Biggie Bag was the best deal.

As inflation continues to affect consumers and restaurants are struggling to keep prices down and make a profit, fast-food chains are rolling out value meals and discounts across the board.

I tried the $5 meals from Burger King, Wendy's, and McDonald's to see which chain offered the best meal in terms of taste, quality, and size for the least amount of money.

While each meal had its strengths and weaknesses, the $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy's emerged as my pick for the best value.

Here's what I loved and hated about each chain's meals.

I tried the $5 Your Way meal from Burger King, the $5 Meal Deal from McDonald's, and the $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy's.

Both Burger King and McDonald's released their $5 meal deals in June. Wendy's, meanwhile, has been offering the Biggie Bag for five years, Today.com reported.

A street in my hometown on Long Island, New York, has all three chains within two blocks of each other, so I made my way over there.

Each meal is priced at $5, though they all ended up costing slightly different amounts at the locations I visited due to tax.

My Burger King meal was $5.81; my McDonald's meal was $5.54; and my Wendy's meal was $5.43.

The standard Burger King drink that comes with the $5 meal was visibly smaller than the drinks from the other chains.

This was a genuine surprise to me. If I hadn't been trying these all at once — and therefore, didn't have two other drinks to quench my thirst — I would've been slightly annoyed at the size of Burger King's soda.

Each chain's meal comes with your choice of soft drink, but their sizes vary: Burger King's is 16 ounces, McDonald's is 21 ounces, and Wendy's is 20 ounces.

The $5 Your Way meal from Burger King also came with fries, four chicken nuggets, and a choice of sandwich. I went for the Whopper Jr.

My sandwich options were a Whopper Jr., a bacon cheeseburger, or a Chicken Jr. As a burger-lover, I went for the Whopper Jr.

I've always been a fan of the chicken nuggets at Burger King.

For a chain known for its burgers, BK certainly knows its way around a chicken nugget. These were spiced perfectly, not too salty, and paired well with the honey mustard. They also had a nice crunch.

My one complaint is that they were a bit dense.

My Whopper Jr. was delicious.

I'm not sure if I've ever actually had a Whopper Jr. before, but I was very pleased with my experience.

My burger came on a sesame-seed bun and was topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and cheese. The sandwich was juicy and tasted about as good as any fast-food burger I've had.

The only difference between a Whopper and a Whopper Jr. is the size of the patty, which means that if I were to go back for just a burger, I'd order the normal Whopper.

Next up, I tried the $5 Meal Deal from McDonald's. It came with a McDouble, four chicken McNuggets, small fries, and a drink.

There are two $5 meal deals available at McDonald's and they're only available for a month: the McChicken or the McDouble. Since I went with the burger at Burger King, I stuck to burgers at Mickey D's, too.

I have to say, I wasn't impressed with the McNuggets.

I'm typically a lover of the McNugget — you can see I had already eaten one before I remembered to take a photo.

But I don't think these McNuggets were as good as the nuggets from Burger King and Wendy's. I thought these were bland with a somewhat rubbery texture, but perhaps I just got a mediocre batch. I'll be paying close attention the next time I get McDonald's.

My McDouble was, frankly, not enjoyable.

I usually liked a McDonald's burger, especially a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder. But I was disappointed with my McDouble, which was just two patties smushed together with ketchup, pickles, and onions.

I can't overstate how dry this was. I needed a huge gulp of my Diet Coke to help it go down.

Then I tried the Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag. I got a Jr. bacon cheeseburger, four chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink.

Wendy's has always prioritized discount meals on its menu. The Biggie Bag has been around for five years, and the equally cost-effective "4 for $4" has been around for years as well.

The difference between the 4 for $4 and the Biggie Bag is selection. For $4, you can only get a Jr. Cheeseburger. With an additional dollar, you can choose from a Jr. bacon cheeseburger, a crispy chicken sandwich, a crispy chicken BLT, or a Double Stack.

These were by far the best chicken nuggets.

These were not over-salted, nor were they bland. I found the subtle spice to be just right.

They also had the perfect texture — not too dense with the perfect amount of crunch.

I was slightly overwhelmed by the bacon cheeseburger.

In my opinion, a good fast-food burger is an art. You don't want it to be too busy since you're most likely eating it on the go.

While this was a solid burger, I thought it was a bit much. The lettuce was too big, and I didn't love the bacon on top — I actually ended up removing it. The burger also had tomato, cheese, ketchup, and mayonnaise on top, which made it messy.

I saved all the fries for last. To me, McDonald’s will never be beaten in this department.

I thought the Wendy's and Burger King fries suffered from the same problem: Both were a bit soggy and mushy, and neither had enough salt.

The McDonald's fries, on the other hand, were thin, crunchy, and salty. This might come down to personal preference, but I'm crowning McDonald's the winner.

To help me decide on my favorite meal, I ranked each chain by its meal components.

The rankings broke down like this:

• Burgers:

  1. Burger King
  2. Wendy's
  3. McDonald's

• Nuggets:

  1. Wendy's
  2. Burger King
  3. McDonald's

• Fries:

  1. McDonald's
  2. Wendy's
  3. Burger King

• Drinks:

  1. McDonald's and Wendy's
  2. Burger King

Ultimately, the deal I'd recommend to anyone is the $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy's.

Wendy's has the best overall selection. It had a large drink, the best nuggets, the second-best burger, and the second-best fries. It was also the cheapest, at $5.43. For me, it puts the "value" in value meal.

However, if you have $5 to spare and are near any of these places, you can't go wrong. You'll find nowhere else where you can get a sandwich, nuggets, fries, and a drink — which was more than enough food for me — for less than $6.

• Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte attended Wimbledon together on Sunday.
• Prince William and Prince George went to the Euro Championship finals together on the same day.
• The outings show the Prince and Princess of Wales are prioritizing family.

The kids of the royal family made a splash again over the weekend.

On Sunday, Kate Middleton attended the men's singles final at Wimbledon with Princess Charlotte, 9, accompanying her.

The event marked Kate's first solo royal engagement of 2024 and only her second of the year.

She attended Trooping the Colour on June 15, almost three months after she revealed she was undergoing "preventative chemotherapy."

The same day the women of the Wales family headed to Wimbledon, Prince William went to Berlin to watch the UEFA Euro final match between England and Spain.

He brought Prince George, 10, with him, and they were photographed watching the game together in the royal box in coordinating suits.

As Evan Nierman, the CEO and founder of the global PR firm Red Banyan, told Business Insider, Kate and Will's latest public appearances elevate the family-oriented image they've been putting forward in recent months.

"It's very consistent with the strategy they've been employing to emphasize the unity of their family and to benefit from how simply adorable their children are," Nierman said.

The appearances at Wimbledon and the Euro final come on the heels of the entire Wales family attending Trooping the Colour together, William taking Charlotte and George to Taylor Swift's Eras tour in London, and Kate and Will sharing more candid photos of their kids in recent weeks.

Now, they seem to be embracing the positive energy their children bring to public engagements and pairing it with a sense of patriotism.

Nothing says 'part of the people' like watching sports on TV

As Nierman told BI, both Wimbledon and the Euro Championship allowed Kate and William to highlight their support of the UK alongside their affection for their children.

"There are multiple levels to the benefit of having their kids appear with them at the sporting events," he said, going on to say that they are not only "leveraging the adorability and likability of their children" but they are also "supporting England and promoting their country."

"Not only are they showing up and putting their best foot forward, they're doing it in the support of and furtherance of their country," Nierman said.

Kate and William appeared to double down on that message with the photo they shared of Charlotte and Louis watching the Euro final on a TV in England jerseys. The jerseys said each child's name and used their age for the number.

From a public relations perspective, showing two royals watching a sporting event on TV like any other child might watch makes the royals more accessible.

"The monarchy always struggles with how to maintain their dignity and the regal nature of the institution while at the same time being approachable for the average citizen," Nierman said. "And I think nothing says a part of the people more than supporting their soccer team."

"It shows them doing the same thing that others were doing all over the UK in recent days," he added of the photo of Charlotte and Louis. "It's a way of helping people identify with them in a context that's also cute and fun."

They're staying true to their commitment to putting their kids first

When Kate revealed she was undergoing chemotherapy in March, she noted that part of the reason she had not gone public with the news earlier was to protect her children. She said she and William had "been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family."

The quality time Kate and Will are publicly spending with their children now gives credence to the idea that they were focused on them throughout Kate's absence during the first five months of the year.

"They're being consistent, and they're putting their money where their mouth is, and that's what is really significant here," Nierman said of William and Kate.

"Actions speak louder than words, and by showcasing their connection to their children and their focus on the family, they're proving that it wasn't just talk," he added.

As William's importance in the royal family continues to grow over time as heir to the throne, Nierman thinks spending more public time with his family is a smart move for him.

"William just building upon this public image as a devoted husband and father is a winning strategy for him," he told BI, adding that being spotted with George publicly is particularly powerful.

"It's William with another man in his family that he's obviously close with in a positive context," Nierman said. "His father, King Charles, has always struggled in the likability category, and meanwhile, his relationship with his brother is clearly strained. So this is an obvious choice and a good one for sure."