• The full list of major US companies slashing staff this year, from Tesla and Lucid Motors to Google and Apple

    Elon Musk
    Tesla has had ongoing layoffs throughout 2024.

    • Last year's job cuts weren't the end of layoffs. Further reductions have begun in 2024.
    • Companies like Tesla, Google, Microsoft, Nike, and Amazon have announced plans for cuts this year.
    • See the full list of corporations reducing their worker numbers in 2024.

    A slew of companies across the tech, media, finance, and retail industries made significant cuts to staff in 2023. Tech titans like IBM, Google, Microsoft, finance giants like Goldman Sachs, and manufacturers like Dow all announced layoffs.

    This year is looking grim too. And it's only May.

    Nearly 40% of business leaders surveyed by ResumeBuilder think layoffs are likely at their companies this year, and about half say their companies will implement a hiring freeze. ResumeBuilder talked to about 900 leaders at organizations with more than 10 employees. Half of those surveyed cited concerns about a recession as a reason.

    Another major factor is artificial intelligence. Around four in 10 respondents said they'll conduct layoffs as they replace workers with AI. Dropbox, Google, and IBM have already announced job cuts related to AI.

    Here are the dozens of companies with job cuts planned or already underway in 2024.

    Nike's up-to-$2 billion cost-cutting plan will involve severances.
    Nike Customers walk past a Nike store in Shanghai, China
    Athletic retailer Nike will be making reductions to staffing as part of a cost-cutting initiative.

    Nike announced its cost-cutting plans in a December 2023 earnings call, discussing a slow growth in sales. The call subsequently resulted in Nike's stock plunging.

    "We are seeing indications of more cautious consumer behavior around the world," Nike Chief Financial Officer Matt Friend said in December.

    Google laid off hundreds more workers in 2024.
    Google CEO Sundar Pichai
    Google confirmed the layoffs to Business Insider in an email.

    On January 10, Google laid off hundreds of workers in its central engineering division and members of its hardware teams — including those working on its voice-activated assistant.

    In an email to some affected employees, the company encouraged them to consider applying for open positions at Google if they want to remain employed. According to the email, April 9 will be the last day for those unable to secure a new position.

    The tech giant laid off thousands throughout 2023, beginning with a 6% reduction of its global workforce (about 12,000 people) last January.

    Discord is laying off 170 employees.
    Discord logo displayed on a phone screen and Discord website displayed on a screen in the background are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on November 5, 2022.
    Jason Citron said rapid growth was to blame for the cuts.

    Discord employees learned about the layoffs in an all-hands meeting and a memo sent by CEO Jason Citron in early January.

    "We grew quickly and expanded our workforce even faster, increasing by 5x since 2020," Citron said in the memo. "As a result, we took on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated."

    In August 2023, Discord reduced its headcount by 4%. According to CNBC, the company was valued at $15 billion in 2021.

    Citi will cut 20,000 from its staff as part of its corporate overhaul.
    jane fraser milken institute panel
    CEO Jane Fraser has been vocal about the necessity for restructuring at Citigroup.

    The layoffs announced in January are part of a larger Citigroup initiative to restructure the business and could leave the company with a remaining head count of 180,000 — excluding its Mexico operations.

    In an earnings call that month, the bank said that layoffs could save the company up to $2.5 billion after it suffered a "very disappointing" final quarter last year.

    Amazon-owned Twitch also announced job cuts.
    Twitch is walking back its policy allowing for "artistic nudity" after just two days.
    Twitch is cutting more than 500 positions.

    Twitch announced on January 10 that it would cut 500 jobs, affecting over a third of the employees at the live-streaming company.

    CEO Dan Clancy announced the layoffs in a memo, telling staff that while the company has tried to cut costs, the operation is "meaningfully" bigger than necessary.

    "As you all know, we have worked hard over the last year to run our business as sustainably as possible," Clancy wrote. "Unfortunately, we still have work to do to rightsize our company and I regret having to share that we are taking the painful step to reduce our headcount by just over 500 people across Twitch."

    BlackRock is planning to cut 3% of its staff.
    BlackRock logo
    BlackRock expects to lay off 3% of its workforce.

    Larry Fink, BlackRock's chief executive, and Rob Kapito, the firm's president, announced in January that the layoffs would affect around 600 people from its workforce of about 20,000.

    However, the company has plans to expand in other areas to support growth in its overseas markets.

    "As we prepare for 2024 and this very exciting but distinctly different landscape, businesses across the firm have developed plans to reallocate resources," the company leaders said in a memo.

    Rent the Runway is slashing 10% of its corporate jobs as part of a restructuring.
    Woman walks out the door of Rent the Runway store
    Rent the Runway is laying off a few dozen people in its corporate workforce.

    In the fashion company's January announcement, COO and president Anushka Salinas said she will also be leaving the firm, Fast Company reported.

    Unity Software is eliminating 25% of its workforce.
    Sutro combines the best of Unity, Figma, Retool, and GPT-3
    Unity Software plans to cut roughly 1,800 jobs.

    Around 1,800 jobs at the video game software company will be affected by the layoffs announced, Reuters reported in January.

    eBay is cutting 1,000 jobs.
    eBay logo sign outside its office
    eBay wants to become "more nimble."

    In a January 23 memo, CEO Jamie Iannone told employees that the eBay layoffs will affect about 9% of the company's workforce.

    Iannone told employees that layoffs were necessary as the company's "overall headcount and expenses have outpaced the growth of our business."

    The company also plans to scale back on contractors.

    Microsoft is reducing its headcount by 1,900 at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMax.
    Microsoft logo and Activision Blizzard logo
    Microsoft is being challenged by the FTC on its planned purchase of Activision Blizzard

    In late January, nearly three months after Microsoft acquired video game firm Activision Blizzard, the company announced layoffs in its gaming divisions. The layoffs mostly affect employees at Activision Blizzard.

    "As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business," Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a memo obtained by The Verge.

    The cuts come a year after the tech giant announced it was reducing its workforce by 10,000 employees. It then slashed a further 1,000 roles across sales and customer service teams in July 2023.

    Salesforce is cutting 700 employees across the company, The Wall Street Journal reported.
    Salesforce Tower in New York.
    Salesforce laid off about a tenth of its headcount last year.

    Salesforce announced a round of layoffs that the company says will affect 1% of its global workforce, The Journal reported in late January.

    The cuts followed a wave of cuts at the cloud giant last year. In 2023, Marc Benioff's company laid off about 10% of its total workforce — or roughly 7,000 jobs. The CEO said the company over-hired during the pandemic.

    Flexport lays off 15% of its workers.
    Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen began rescinding job offers on Friday.
    Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen returned to the company in September.

    In late January, the US logistics startup laid off 15% of its staff which is around 400 workers.

    The move came after Flexport founder and CEO Ryan Petersen initiated a 20% reduction of its workforce of an estimated 2,600 employees in October.

    Flexport kicked off 2024 with the announcement that it raised $260 million from Shopify and made "massive progress toward returning Flexport to profitability."

    iRobot is laying off around 350 employees and founder Colin Angle will step down as chairman and CEO.
    iRobot co-founder Colin Angle
    iRobot's executive vice president and chief legal officer Glen Weinstein has been appointed interim CEO upon Angle's exit from the company.

    The company behind the Roomba Vacuum announced layoffs in late January around the same time Amazon decided not to go through with its proposed acquisition of the company, the Associated Press reported.

    UPS will cut 12,000 jobs in 2024.
    UPS Driver in truck
    UPS CEO Carol Tomé told investors that the company will reduce its headcount by 12,000 by the end of 2024.

    The UPS layoffs will affect 14% of the company's 85,000 managers and could save the company $1 billion in 2024, UPS CEO Carol Tomé said during a January earnings call.

    Paypal CEO Alex Chriss announced the company would lay off 9% of its workforce.
    PayPal
    PayPal announced layoffs at the end of January.

    Announced in late January, this round of layoffs will affect about 2,500 employees at the payment processing company.

    "We are doing this to right-size our business, allowing us to move with the speed needed to deliver for our customers and drive profitable growth," CEO Alex Chriss wrote in a January memo. "At the same time, we will continue to invest in areas of the business we believe will create and accelerate growth."

    Okta is cutting roughly 7% of its workforce.
    Okta logo displayed on a phone with bright lights in the background
    Okta announced a restructuring plan at the start of February.

    The digital-access-management company announced its plans for a "restructuring plan intended to improve operating efficiencies and strengthen the Company's commitment to profitable growth" in an SEC filing in February.

    The cuts will impact roughly 400 employees.

    Okta CEO Todd McKinnon told staff in a memo that "costs are still too high," CNBC reported.

    Snap has announced more layoffs.
    Snapchat logo and dollar signs in front of a purple background
    Snap has announced another round of job cuts.

    The company behind Snapchat announced in February that it's reducing its global workforce by 10%, according to an SEC filing.

    Estée Lauder said it will eliminate up to 3,100 positions.
    Estee Lauder display
    Between 1,600 and 3,100 jobs will be eliminated from the company.

    The cosmetics company announced in February that it would be cutting 3% to 5% of its roles as part of a restructuring plan.

    Estee Lauder reportedly employed about 62,000 employees around the world as of June 30, 2023.

    DocuSign is eliminating roughly 6% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan.
    docusign
    The electronic signature company is cutting 6% of its workforce.

    The electronic signature company said in an SEC filing in February that most of the cuts will be in its sales and marketing divisions.

    Zoom is slashing 150 jobs.
    Zoom CEO Eric Yuan
    Videoconferencing company Zoom laid off 1,300 people last February.

    The latest reduction announced in February amounts to about 2% of its workforce.

    Paramount Global is laying off 800 employees days after record-breaking Super Bowl.
    Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish
    CEO Bob Bakish sent a note informing employees of layoffs on Tuesday.

    In February, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish sent a memo to employees announcing that 800 jobs — about 3% of its workforce — were being cut.

    Deadline obtained the memo less than a month after reporting plans for layoffs at Paramount. The announcement comes on the heels of Super Bowl LVIII reaching record-high viewership across CBS, Paramount+, and Nickelodeon, and Univision.

    Morgan Stanley is trimming its wealth management division by hundreds of staffers.
    morgan stanley phone logo chart
    The layoffs mark one of the first major moves by newly-installed CEO Ted Pick.

    Morgan Stanley is laying off several hundred employees in its wealth-management division, the Wall Street Journal reported in February, representing roughly 1% of the team.

    The wealth-management division has seen some slowdown in recent months, with net new assets down by about 8% from a year ago. The layoffs mark the first major move by newly-installed CEO Ted Pick, who took the reins from James Gorman on January 1.

    Cisco slashes more than 4,000 jobs amid corporate tech sales slowdown.
    cisco
    The cuts comprised 5% of the networking company's workforce.

    In February, networking company Cisco announced it was slashing 5% of its workforce, or upwards of 4,000 jobs, Bloomberg reported.

    The company said it was restructuring after an industry-wide pullback in corporate tech spending — which execs said they expect to continue through the first half of the year.

    Expedia Group is cutting more than 8% of its workforce.
    expedia group ceo peter kern stands in front of a large screen that says unprecedented reach with a man throwing a child in the air
    Peter Kern, CEO of Expedia Group

    Cutbacks part of an operational review at online travel giant Expedia Group are expected to impact 1,500 roles this year, a company spokesperson told BI.

    The company's product and technology division is set to be the worst hit, a report from GeekWire said, citing an internal memo CEO Peter Kern sent to employees in late February.

    "While this review will result in the elimination of some roles, it also allows the company to invest in core strategic areas for growth," the spokesperson said.

    "Consultation with local employee representatives, where applicable, will occur before making any final decisions," they added.

    Sony is laying off 900 workers
    A corner of a PlayStation 5
    The tech company is slashing 900 workers from its workforce.

    The cuts at Sony Interactive Entertainment swept through its game-making teams at PlayStation Studios.

    Insomniac Games, which developed the hit Spider-Man video game series, as well as Naughty Dog, the developers behind Sony's flagship 'The Last of Us' video games' were hit by the cuts, the company announced on February 27.

    All of PlayStation's London studio will be shuttered, according to the proposal.

    "Delivering and sustaining social, online experiences – allowing PlayStation gamers to explore our worlds in different ways – as well as launching games on additional devices such as PC and Mobile, requires a different approach and different resources," PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst wrote.

    Hulst added that some games in development will be shut down, though he didn't say which ones.

    In early February, Sony said it missed its target for selling PlayStation 5 consoles. The earnings report sent shares tumbling and the company's stock lost about $10 billion in value.

    Bumble is slashing 30% of its workforce
    new bumble CEO Lidiane Jones
    Lidiane Jones, CEO of Bumble.

    On February 27, the dating app company announced that it would be reducing its staff due to "future strategic priorities" for its business, per a statement.

    The cuts will impact about 30% of its about 1,200 person workforce or about 350 roles, a representative for Bumble told BI by email.

    "We are taking significant and decisive actions that ensure our customers remain at the center of everything we do as we relaunch Bumble App, transform our organization and accelerate our product roadmap," Bumble Inc CEO Lidiane Jones said in a statement.

    Electronic Arts is reducing its workforce by 5%
    Electronic Arts  logo displayed on a phone screen
    Electronic Arts is cutting hundreds of jobs.

    Electronic Arts is laying off about 670 workers, equating to 5% of its workforce, Bloomberg reported in late February.

    The gaming firm axed two mobile games earlier in February, which it described as a difficult decision in a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz.

    CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told employees in a memo that it would be "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry."

    Wilson also said in the memo that the cuts came as a result of shifting customer needs and a refocusing of the company, Bloomberg reported.

    IBM cutting staff in marketing and communications
    Arvind Krishna, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IBM addresses the gathering on the first day of the three-day B20 Summit in New Delhi on August 25, 2023
    IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said last year that he could easily see 30% of the company's staff getting replaced by AI and automation over the coming five years.

    IBM's chief communications officer Jonathan Adashek told employees on March 12 that it would be cutting staff, CNBC reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

    An IBM spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement that the cuts follow a broader workforce action the company announced during its earnings call in January.

    "In 4Q earnings earlier this year, IBM disclosed a workforce rebalancing charge that would represent a very low single-digit percentage of IBM's global workforce, and we expect to exit 2024 at roughly the same level of employment as we entered with," they said.

    IBM has also been clear about the impact of AI on its workforce. Last May, IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna said the company expected to pause hiring on roles that could be replaced by AI, especially in areas like human resources and other non-consumer-facing departments.

    "I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period," Krishna told Bloomberg at the time.

    Stellantis is slashing 400 white-collar jobs
    The logo of Stellantis is seen on the company's building in Velizy-Villacoublay near Paris, France, March 19, 2024.
    Stellantis is cutting 400 jobs.

    On March 22, the owner of Jeep and Dodge announced it's laying off employees on its engineering, technology, and software teams in an effort to cut costs, CNBC reported.

    Workers learned they were being let go through video calls after the car company ordered them to work remotely for the day. The cuts are set to occur on March 31.

    Amazon is laying off hundreds in its cloud division in yet another round of cuts this year
    amazon logo in a building lobby
    The cuts follow several rounds of layoffs at Amazon last year.

    Amazon is cutting hundreds of jobs from its cloud division known as Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg reported on April 3.

    The reduction will impact employees on the sales and marketing team and those working on tech for its retail stores, Bloomberg reported.

    "We've identified a few targeted areas of the organization we need to streamline in order to continue focusing our efforts on the key strategic areas that we believe will deliver maximum impact," an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg.

    On March 26, Amazon announced another round of job cuts after the company said it was slashing 'several hundred' jobs at its Prime Video and MGM Studios divisions earlier this year to refocus on more profitable products.

    "We've identified opportunities to reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas while increasing our investment and focus on content and product initiatives that deliver the most impact," Mike Hopkins, SVP of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, told employees in January.

    This year's cuts follow the largest staff layoff in the company's history. In 2023, the tech giant laid off 18,000 workers.

    Apple has cut over 600 employees in California
    Tim Cook
    The cuts follow Apple's decision to withdraw from two major projects.

    Apple has slashed its California workforce by more than 600 employees.

    The cuts follow Apple's decision to withdraw from its car and smartwatch display projects.

    The tech giant filed a series of notices to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification program. One of the addresses was linked to a new display development office, while the others were for the company's EV effort, Bloomberg reported.

    Apple officially shut down its decadelong EV project in February. At the time, Bloomberg reported that some employees would move to generative AI, but others would be laid off.

    Bloomberg noted that the layoffs were likely an undercount of the full scope of staff cuts, as Apple had staff working on these projects in other locations.

    Representatives for Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside normal business hours.

    Tesla is laying off over 10% of its workforce
    A red Tesla outside a Tesla showroom.
    Impacted employees were notified Sunday night that they were being terminated, effective immediately.

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent a memo to employees Sunday, April 14, at nearly midnight in California, informing them of the company's plan to cut over 10% of its global workforce.

    In his companywide memo, Musk cited "duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas" as the reason behind the reductions.

    An email sent to terminated employees obtained by BI read: "Effective now, you will not need to perform any further work and therefore will no longer have access to Tesla systems and physical locations."

    On April 29, Musk reportedly sent an email stating the need for more layoffs at Tesla. He also announced the departure of two executives and said that their reports would also be let go. Six known Tesla executives have left the company since layoffs began in April.

    Grand Theft Auto 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive is reducing its workforce by 5%
    Take-Two Interactive logo next to GTA6 banner
    Take-Two Interactive is slated to cut around 600 roles this year.

    Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, said on April 16 that it would be "eliminating several projects" and reducing its workforce by about 5%.

    The move — a part of its larger "cost reduction program" — will cost the video game publisher up to $200 million. It's expected to be completed by December 31.

    As of March 2023, the company said it employed approximately 11,580 full-time workers.

    Peloton is reducing its staff by 15% as the CEO steps down as well
    Barry McCarthy
    Barry McCarthy served as the CEO of Peloton for just over two years.

    Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy is stepping down, the company announced May 2. Along with his departure, the fitness company is also laying off about 400 workers.

    McCarthy is leaving his role just two years after replacing John Foley as CEO and president in 2022. Peloton said the changes are expected to reduce annual expenses by over $200 million by the end of fiscal 2025 as part of a larger restructuring plan.

    Microsoft-owned Xbox is cutting more jobs
    Attendees of an Xbox conference mill about.
    Xbox employees can opt to take voluntary severance packages.

    Xbox is offering some employees voluntary severance packages in May after shutting three units and absorbing a fourth earlier in the month. Microsoft had already made cuts to the division at the start of 2024.

    According to Bloomberg, the offers were extended to producers, quality assurance testers, and more staff at Xbox-owned ZeniMax. Others across the Xbox organization were told that more cuts are coming.

    Xbox president Matt Booty told staff in a May 8 town hall that the studio closures are part of an effort to free up more resources, Bloomberg reported.

    Indeed is cutting 1,000 workers after laying off 2,200 a year ago
    Indeed
    Indeed draws more than 250 million people from around the world each month, making it the largest job site.

    Careers site Indeed says it will lay off roughly 1,000 employees, or 8% of its workforce, as it looks to simplify its organization.

    CEO Chris Hyams took responsibility for "how we got here" in a memo in May but said the company is not yet set up for growth after last year's global hiring slowdown caused multiple quarters of declining sales.

    Hyams said the latest cuts will be more concentrated in the US and primarily affect R&D and Go-to-Market teams. That's in contrast to last year's across-the-board reduction of 2,200 workers.

    Walmart is axing hundreds of corporate jobs
    Walmart storefront
    A Walmart storefront in the US.

    Retail giant Walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and asking remote employees to come to work, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

    Workers in smaller offices, such as those in Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto, are also being asked to move to central locations like Walmart's corporate headquarters in Arkansas or those in New Jersey or California, the Journal reported.

    Under Armour is slashing an unspecified number of jobs, incurring $22 million in severance costs
    Under Armour
    An Under Armour retail store.

    Under Armour confirmed it was conducting layoffs in its quarterly earnings report, which was released May 16.

    The company said it will pay out employee severance and benefits expenses of roughly $15 million in cash-related and $7 million in non-cash charges this year related to a restructuring plan, with close to half of that occurring in the current fiscal quarter.

    "This is not where I envisaged Under Armour playing at this point in our journey," CEO Kevin Plank told investors on the company's full-year earnings call. "That said, we'll use this turbulence to reconstitute our brand and business, giving athletes, retail customers and shareholders bigger and better reasons to care about and believe in Under Armour's potential."

    Pixar cuts about 175 people in pivot back to feature films
    Inside Out 2. Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale) and Disgust (Liza Lapira) react to a new emotion in Riley's head called Anxiety (Maya Hawke).
    "Inside Out," a 2015 film, is one of Pixar's many hits.

    Disney's Pixar Animation Studios is cutting 175 people, about 14% of its staff, Reuters reported.

    The cuts started on May 21 as the studio returns to its focus on feature-length movies. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who was axed in 2022, had increased staff across studios to create more content for the company's streaming service, Disney+.

    Pixar cut 75 jobs last year, Reuters previously reported, part of a larger restructuring across Disney.

    Lucid Motors is slashing around 400 jobs.
    Lucid Air Sapphire
    Lucid Motors will cut about 6% of its workforce.

    In a regulatory filing, Lucid Motors said it would lay off about 400 employees as part of a restructuring plan that should be complete by the end of the third quarter.

    "I'm confident Lucid will deliver the world's best SUV and dramatically expand our total addressable market, but we aren't generating revenue from the program yet," CEO Peter Rawlinson said in an email to employees obtained by TechCrunch.

    The cuts come ahead of Lucid's launch of its first electric SUV later this year. It comes over a year after the California-based company laid off 1,300 employees, TechCrunch previously reported.

    Walgreens is planning store closures that could lead to job cuts
    Walgreens at night
    Walgreens didn't say how many job cuts its store closures could lead to.

    Drugstore chain Walgreens is planning to close unprofitable stores over the next three years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

    CEO Tim Wentworth told the Journal that Walgreens hoped to limit job cuts by reassigning staff at closing stores to other locations. Walgreens is reviewing about one-quarter of its 8,600 US stores as it decides which to shutter, he said.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Inside Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy spending: $113 on pizza, $4 polyester ties, and ‘deep bronze’ tanning lotion

    Rudy Giuliani
    Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani spent more money in May than in previous months, bankruptcy records show.

    • Randy Giuliani is dropping coin on polyester ties and pizza, bankruptcy records show.
    • Unfortunately for his creditors, he's spending more money than in previous months.
    • Some of the financial disclosures that Giuliani prepared himself don't add up.

    Now we know what it looks like when Rudy Giuliani tightens his belt.

    The former New York City mayor disclosed excruciating details of his financial life with a series of bankruptcy court filings this week, detailing a month of his income and spending.

    Unfortunately for Giuliani's creditors looking to satisfy his $153 million in debt, he spent more in May — the month covered in the disclosures — than in previous months.

    The most eye-popping expenses include pricy restaurant bills while he evaded being served a criminal indictment for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona. They also include quite a few Amazon purchases, including cheap ties and "deep bronze" tanning lotion.

    Giuliani earned $61,717 in income in May and spent about $33,000. The spending is thousands of dollars higher than in previous months, which creditors have already complained is irresponsibly excessive.

    For the first time, Giuliani disclosed the financial details of Giuliani Communications, the company he owns that produces his video livestreams on social media.

    It, too, is operating in the red — especially since his radio show was canceled last month.

    In response to questions about her work for Giuliani Communications, Maria Ryan, the company's president, discussed theories about coronavirus vaccines and said she was "very disappointed" in Business Insider.

    Giuliani has an Amazon habit

    Giuliani's largest expense is the $12,000 monthly maintenance fee for his New York City co-op, which Giuliani is trying to sell. The 80-year-old with no dependents also seems to spend hundreds of dollars each month on groceries.

    Several of the exhibits included in Tuesday's cache of filings detail Giuliani's spending on Amazon. To compile them, Giuliani appeared to take photos of his laptop showing each Amazon order and then added them to a black-and-white PDF before submitting them to court.

    bankruptcy court filing from rudy giuliani showing amazon purchase
    To provide the Amazon records, Rudy Giuliani appears to have taken photos of his laptop.

    They show expenses you would expect from a social media vlogger, including a tripod and USB cables.

    They also include personal items, socks, and a lot of neckties. As for coffee, Giuliani appears to be fond of illy, but at that point he hadn't yet launched his own brand, Rudy's Coffee.

    On May 7, Giuliani spent $22.98 on a 6-pack of "Men's Necktie Classic Silk Tie Woven Jacquard Neck Ties," which comprised a filibuster-proof majority of the nine ties he ordered from Amazon that month.

    "The ties aren't silk, but I expected that to be a lie, so it was kind of baked in to the price," one Amazon reviewer wrote.

    Photos on the Amazon listing do not show a fabric composition tag. A tag in a photo for another tie from the same brand on eBay says it's made from 100% polyester. Listings for other ties from the same brand on AliExpress and Shein show they are made from 100% polyester.

    That comes to a very good deal of less than $4 per tie. But it's not clear why Giuliani, who has worked at the highest levels of politics and law — he was a personal attorney to Donald Trump during his presidency and served as the US Attorney in Manhattan — needed new ties.

    amazon order in giuliani bankruptcy filing
    Giuliani ordered a lot of ties online.

    Giuliani also spent about $13 on a 6-ounce bottle of "Jergens Natural Glow Instant Sun Sunless Tanning Moisturizer + Bronzer, Self Tanner, Deep Bronze, for Natural-Looking Tan."

    Hopefully, he was satisfied. Giuliani has had problems with cosmetics in the past.

    amazon order in giuliani bankruptcy filing
    Giuliani ordered a "deep bronze" tanning lotion from Amazon.

    Giuliani's financial statements also show multiple Amazon purchases in the $3-10 range, appearing to show he purchased movies or TV episodes for streaming. The documents filed to court don't disclose what he watched.

    While Giuliani was evading service for a criminal indictment from Arizona on election interference charges — he was eventually served on May 17 and posted a $10,000 bond — he racked up pricey restaurant bills in West Palm Beach, where he owns a condominium apartment. For dinner on May 9, he dropped $167 at a restaurant called Bricktop's. The next day, $113 for a meal at City Pizza. And the day after that, another $119 at the Italian joint Bice.

    Mysteriously, Giuliani — who, again, has no dependents — appears to have two different bills each marked as a "Telephone expense." His AT&T bill is $228, and he pays Verizon $256 per month.

    Some numbers don't add up

    Much to the consternation of creditors, retirement funds such as Individual Retirement Accounts are generally protected from bankruptcy proceedings. But creditors accuse Giuliani of using money from it irresponsibly.

    For the first time, Giuliani disclosed that his IRA at Citi — which forms the bulk of his net worth — had a balance of about $2.5 million in 2022.

    But the numbers in a table he provided in a Tuesday filing showing its disbursements don't seem to add up.

    According to the filing, Giuliani withdrew $1.8 million from the account between 2022 and 2023.

    That should have left him with a balance of about $700,000 at the start of 2024, when he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But Citi bank documents filed to court show a balance of over $1 million.

    rudy giuliani defamation trial
    Rudy Giuliani outside a federal courthouse in Washington, DC, during the defamation trial brought by Wandrea Moss and Ruby Freeman.

    It's not clear what caused the discrepancy. Neither Giuliani's spokesperson nor his bankruptcy lawyers immediately responded to a request for comment.

    In previous filings, lawyers for Giuliani said he withdrew heavily from his retirement account over the past several years to build up Giuliani Communications, the company that produces his video blogs, where he discusses politics.

    Giuliani's vlogging company is operating in the red

    Balance of Nature, a vitamin supplements company, was Giuliani Communications' biggest sponsor in May, paying the company $11,500.

    Giuliani Communications also made $1,200 from MyPillow, the bedding company owned by Mike Lindell, another election conspiracy theorist who has been the subject of numerous defamation lawsuits.

    Newsmax, which hosts one of Giuliani's shows, paid $8,300 that month. And he made another $2,200 from X, formerly known as Twitter, where he livestreams.

    Giuliani's biggest payment came from WABC, the New York radio station owned by Republican billionaire and grocery store mogul John Catsimatidis, which paid him $15,000 per month.

    That income is now gone. The station dropped Giuliani in that month after he continued to push false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

    On a monthly basis, Giuliani Communications appears to spend more money than it makes — even before the WABC cancellation.

    Giuliani pays himself $45,000 each month, exceeding the company's combined income (Giuliani Communications had about $200,000 left on its balance sheet in May).

    He also pays $10,000 per month to Maria Ryan, Giuliani's reported girlfriend. Ryan serves as the company's president and recently brokered a deal with a coffee company to sell "Rudy's Coffee."

    In an email to Business Insider responding to a question about her salary, Ryan, who previously worked in healthcare administration, said she took a reduced salary to work for Giuliani and said "there are people who still do not know the truth about the origins of Covid 19."

    "I took a large pay cut to join Giuliani Communications," she wrote. "I did it because as an American 🇺🇸 I saw the censorship during the pandemic."

    "I am very disappointed in you. There are no real journalists left," she added later in her email. "You are attacking me why? Because I am President of Giuliani communications."

    rudy giuliani car
    Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy to settle $153 million in debt.

    The filings come at a perilous time for Giuliani. The federal bankruptcy judge overseeing his case is considering whether to appoint a bankruptcy trustee, who would be able to control his financial life without encumbrance.

    Nearly all of Giuliani's debt comes from a $148 million jury judgment against him in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers, who he falsely claimed manipulated ballots.

    The bankruptcy process has halted them from enforcing the judgment and seizing his assets outright. Giuliani's lawyers have asked the bankruptcy judge to hit the pause button on the Chapter 11 process while he pursues appeals in the defamation litigation.

    "Unbelievably, Mr. Giuliani continues to spend state, party, and judicial resources in pursuit of an appeal that would be fully briefed by now had he himself not chosen to seek chapter 11 reorganization instead," lawyers for the Georgia workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss, wrote in a letter filed to court Wednesday. "This is one more demonstration among many that Mr. Giuliani cannot be trusted to manage his own bankruptcy."

    Giuliani's lawyers have said he's struggling to pay for an accountant to put together the monthly bankruptcy reports, which has led to hiccups in past filings.

    Earlier filings were compiled by Joseph Ricci, an accountant whose firm was paid $4,000 by Giuliani Communications in May. Ricci has since declined to work on the banruptcy, Giuliani's lawyers have said.

    The most recent reports name Giuliani himself as the party "responsible" for compiling them.

    One of Giuliani's monthly expenses includes Merry Maids, a home cleaning service. Giuliani paid $195, which is pretty good for a 2,200-square-foot 3-bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

    Confusingly, Giuliani was billed twice for the service on the same day, on May 3, which illustrates why it's always a good idea to double-check your bills.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • The $7 billion Purdue bankruptcy plan giving the Sacklers immunity from more lawsuits gets nixed by Supreme Court

    OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in 2013.
    OxyContin pills.

    • A narrow 5-4 ruling from Supreme Court justices resulted in Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy plan being nixed.
    • Its owners, the Sacklers, won't get broad protection from lawsuits they wanted in exchange for billions.
    • The decision may imperil other big settlements that involve creative uses of bankruptcy law.

    The US Supreme Court has struck down a $7 billion bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma that would have protected the Sackler family from further lawsuits — a ruling that could mean "chaos" for other big legal liability cases.

    Purdue's drugs, primarily OxyContin, were one the biggest contributors to the opioid crisis that sickened and killed thousands of Americans. Purdue was set to be converted into a nonprofit devoted to fighting the opioid crisis.

    The Sackler family, which ran Purdue, agreed to provide up to $6 billion in funding in exchange for immunity from further legal action. But the court ruled 5-4 that bankruptcy law does not permit that kind of protection.

    Anne Andrews, a leading bankruptcy lawyer for victims, predicted tumult if the Supreme Court struck down the Purdue plan in an interview with Business Insider ahead of the decision.

    "There's gonna be a lot of chaos," she said.

    Some other stakeholders expressed relief. William Tong, Connecticut's attorney general, who was one of the last holdouts until eventually making a deal, said the decision "is a definitive rebuke of the Sackler family's abuse of the bankruptcy code."

    "The U.S. Supreme Court got it right — billionaire wrongdoers should not be allowed to shield blood money in bankruptcy court," he said.

    The plan to immunize the Sacklers was supported by the vast majority of creditors who voted on the plan, a group that included people with opioid addiction-related legal claims. But the Justice Department was opposed, and as the court's majority opinion noted, "fewer than 20% of eligible creditors participated" in the vote.

    In a dissent, the minority of justices said it was "paternalistic" to suggest that the victims could try to get a better deal when they may end up with nothing.

    The rejection could spur months or years of new litigation. It could also lead to new rounds of fighting in other cases that have made creative use of federal bankruptcy law.

    Johnson & Johnson, which has faced hundreds of thousands of lawsuits over claims that its talc-based baby powder contained cancer-causing asbestos, has tried three times to use the flexibility of bankruptcy law to bring a quick end to the litigation. Some lawyers support the deal, but others believe J&J can afford to pay more than the $8 billion it's offering over 25 years.

    Other lawsuit-related bankruptcies that could now be up in the air include that of the Boy Scouts of America, which was confronted with thousands of sex abuse claims. Its plan, which would provide $2.5 billion, is currently on appeal in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • It’s gearing up to be a hot travel debt summer for Gen Z and millennials

    A town in Italy on the coast. The ocean in the background is deep blue and the clouds in the sky are pink from the sunset.
    Travel is trending this summer, but for many, going into debt is a part of funding the fun.

    • Three surveys show Gen Z and millennials are willing to risk their finances for summer plans.
    • Nearly 40% of Gen Z and millennials said they'll prioritize summer travel over their finances.
    • A quarter of Gen Z and millennials anticipate going into almost $2,000 in debt across the summer.

    With Taylor Swift touring Europe, cheap luxury travel options in Southeast Asia, and the rise of quiet vacationing, many Americans have booked summer travel plans — even if debt is a part of the package.

    Three new reports show that Americans are willing to go into debt to fund their summer adventures this year. Surveys by Credit Karma, Bankrate, and Bank of America show that Gen Zers and millennials are leading the charge in risking their finances to ensure their summer plans.

    Over a third of Americans are willing to go into debt to fund their summer vacations, according to Bankrate's report, which used polling company YouGov to survey 2,360 US adults online from March 18 to 20.

    Forty-seven percent of millennials were willing to take on debt to fund summer travel. Gen Z trailed close behind, with 42%, while Gen X and boomers were 31% and 22%, respectively.

    Meanwhile, Credit Karma's survey found that nearly 40% of Gen Z and millennials said they'll prioritize summer travel over their finances. Qualtrics, on behalf of Credit Karma, surveyed 2,006 US adults online from June 6 to 8 for the report.

    Whether squeezing savings or maxing out a credit card, 44% of Gen Z and millennials said they plan to spend more this year on travel than in years past, according to Credit Karma.

    Summer plans are being made when many younger people aren't feeling flush with cash. According to Credit Karma, a third of Gen Z and millennials say they don't feel financially stable right now. Still, more than a third said they're willing to "put their financial goals on hold in order to have a fun summer."

    Funding a summer of fun

    Nearly a quarter of Gen Z and millennials anticipate going into almost $2,000 in debt across the summer, according to Credit Karma's survey. For 11% of Gen Z and 8% of millennials, that summer debt forecast surpasses $4,000.

    That could mean taking on debt by carrying a balance on a credit card, borrowing money from a friend or parent, or purchasing flights on a buy now, pay later plan.

    Additionally, younger generations are more likely to travel internationally than their older counterparts, according to a Bank of America survey that analyzed credit and debit card data and surveyed over 2,010 US adults online from April 9 to 26.

    Bank of America found that Gen Z and millennials are more likely to take longer trips and spend more on vacation this summer than Gen X and boomers.

    Nonetheless, domestic travel is the most popular vacation across generations.

    According to the Bank of America survey, nearly 70% of respondents who say they plan to vacation this summer will do so in the US. In fact, tourism in Florida and California is up roughly 15% compared to 2019, Bank of America credit card data shows.

    Are you a millennial or Gen Zer planning to take a summer vacation this year and willing to go into debt for the adventure? If so, please contact this reporter at jtowfighi@businessinsider.com

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I made hot dogs on the grill and in my air fryer, and one appliance took less than half the time

    cooked hot dog on a seasoned bun
    The perfect hot dog has a crisp, juicy exterior.

    • Hot dogs are the perfect summer food, so I compared making them with an air fryer and a grill.
    • I couldn't believe how quickly my air fryer produced perfect results. 
    • The grilled hot dogs took significantly longer, and the texture still wasn't perfect.

    School's out for the summer, the sun is shining, and according to the USDA, grocery prices are starting to stabilize just in time for grilling season.

    Hot dogs are a quintessential part of the American summer experience for me. Their easy prep makes them perfect for on-the-go lunches, family dinners, picnics, and social gatherings.

    But I wanted to know, once and for all, the best method for making hot dogs, so I cooked some franks on the grill and in my air fryer.

    Here's how the appliances stacked up.

    My go-to ingredients are easy and cheap.
    a pack of hot dogs, buns, and bread on a wooden surface
    I bought hot dogs, buns, and extra bread at the store.

    Luckily for me, perfecting my hot-dog recipe is a relatively inexpensive one.

    It only cost me about $9 to buy an eight-pack of uncured franks, a pack of six brioche buns, and a loaf of honey-wheat bread at Aldi. I bought the bread because I use it at home anyway, and I could use a few slices to make up for the discrepancy between the meat and the buns.

    Toasted buns are an at-home perk.
    two toasted hot dog buns on a plate
    Sometimes, I like to season the outside of my hot-dog buns.

    Brioche buns are phenomenal on their own — soft and delicious for the perfect picnic. But when I'm in my own kitchen, I like to doctor them up a bit by adding herbs, spices, or cheese.

    My go-to is spraying the tops with olive oil before sprinkling them with everything-bagel seasoning.

    I toasted these (along with a couple of plain buns) in the air fryer at 300 degrees for two minutes.

    I gave the dogs the same slices before cooking.
    uncooked hot dogs with tiny slash marks in them
    Serrating the franks is an important prep step.

    Cutting slices into hot dogs with a serrated knife before cooking helps with ventilation, leading to a faster, more even cooking experience. Just make sure not to cut all the way through.

    While the buns were toasting, I made the same slashes across all eight uncooked hot dogs.

    Once everything was prepped for an even comparison, I fired up the air fryer.
    hot dogs cooking in an air fryer
    I didn't have to do much to make the dogs in the air fryer.

    After consulting the internet, I set my air fryer to 400 degrees.

    Most sources said to cook the dogs for three to six minutes, depending on how you like the outside cooked. I went with four, hoping for a crisp, juicy exterior.

    Getting the grill going took a little more patience.
    two hot dogs cooking on an indoor grill
    I had to do two rounds of grilled hot dogs because the first batch didn't turn out right.

    The weather in the Midwest has been inconsistent and dreary recently, so I used a countertop grill. The indoor option has the added benefit of avoiding any smoky flavor, which makes for a fairer comparison.

    I was impatient with my first batch of hot dogs on the grill, spending about seven minutes rotating and cooking them. But the soft texture of the skin was unappealing to me.

    On my second try, I let them cook for almost 11 minutes (a little under three minutes per side) to try to achieve my desired texture.

    When I need a hot dog stat, I'm reaching for my air fryer.
    two hot dogs on a plate
    The air-fried hot dog (back) had a better texture than the grilled one (front).

    I learned I could cook a hot dog in record time in my air fryer while still letting the beef frank expand enough to get that quintessential ballpark "pop" when you bite into it.

    Using a grill (indoor or outdoor) can give me a little more control over the taste and texture of a hot dog, and I love a satisfying grill mark. But that method takes much longer for equal (if not worse) results.

    For quicker cooking time with perfect results, the air fryer comes out on top.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • YouTuber Marques Brownlee breaks down how he makes money — and his response to critics of his negative reviews

    Marques Brownlee sitting on a white chair with his hands folded, wearing all black with an orange and red background.
    Marques Brownlee attends the Collision tech conference in 2023.

    • 15-year YouTube vet Marques Brownlee has 1,200 videos and 15 employees under his belt.
    • YouTube has the best rev-share of any platform, he told the Stratechery podcast.
    • Brownlee said he doesn't care how companies feel about his negative reviews.

    Marques Brownlee, one of YouTube's premier tech reviewers — and Team USA Ultimate Frisbee player — shared a fresh look into his enduring success.

    In an interview on Ben Thompson's Stratechery podcast, Brownlee recounted launching his YouTube channel roughly 15 years ago.

    More than 1,200 videos later, and with a team of 15 employees making the MKBHD brand hum, Brownlee has eclipsed 19 million subscribers on his flagship channel.

    In 2020, Brownlee spoke to Business Insider about how he became a YouTuber while researching laptops to buy with his allowance money.

    At the time, he told BI's Amanda Perelli that you don't need high-priced equipment to get started, and emphasized the importance of keeping regular working hours.

    Brownlee recently nabbed a one-on-one interview with Tim Cook.

    And unlike other YouTubers, whose careers have dipped over the years, Brownlee said he's stayed relevant because tech reviews — and not his personality — are the main draw of his content.

    "I'm pointing the camera at the thing that has the pressure on it, which is the tech industry," Brownlee told Stratechery.

    Multiple income streams on YouTube

    Brownlee broke down three different ways he makes money on YouTube, which he said has "the most well-established revenue-sharing program of any of the social media channels."

    In terms of direct payments from YouTube, most come from ads running against his videos, Brownlee said. Roughly 10% comes from YouTube Premium subscriptions, which YouTube also shares with creators.

    Deals negotiated directly with brands that appear inside his videos are the most lucrative, Brownlee said, "but they also take the most work."

    Initially struck by all the back-and-forth with brands and the lengthy approval processes, Brownlee said one employee on his team is now expressly dedicated to working the deals out.

    Brownlee doesn't care how companies feel about his reviews

    Finally, Brownlee touched on a recent controversy after his scathing review of the Humane AI pin sparked debate about whether it could seriously harm the fledgling startup.

    One critic felt the title of the Humane video — "The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed… For Now" — was irresponsible clickbait.

    But Brownlee argued it was both "accurate and entertaining.

    "And as long as it is both, I think we've accomplished our goal," he said.

    Ultimately, Brownlee told Stratechery he doesn't pay attention to how companies feel about his reviews or how they affect the bottom line.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Celebrities who died in 2024

    Glynis Johns in a dress
    Glynis Johns was best known for starring in 1964's "Mary Poppins."

    • Here are the famous people who died in 2024.
    • O.J. Simpson, Glynis Johns, Carl Weathers, Chita Rivera, Bill Cobbs, Donald Sutherland, and Louis Gossett Jr. passed away.
    • So did broadcaster Charles Osgood, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, producer Roger Corman, NBA legend Jerry West, and MLB Hall of Famer Willie Mays.

    Below, we look back at those we lost in 2024.

    Seth Binzer (aka Shifty Shellshock)
    Shifty Shellshock putting his hands to his chest
    Shifty Shellshock.

    With his tattoos, frosted tips, and high energy, Crazy Town lead singer Shifty Shellshock was the epitome of the late 1990s-early 2000s rap-rock front man.

    With that also came a hit song: 1999's "Butterfly," which hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was a staple on the radio and MTV's "Total Request Live."

    By 2003, the band had disbanded, and despite an attempt to reunite a few years later, Crazy Town was relegated to one-hit-wonder status.

    Shifty Shellshock, whose real name is Seth Binzer, appeared on the first season of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" in 2007 and the spin-off "Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House" a few years later.

    Binzer died in a Los Angeles residence on June 24, according to USA Today. No cause was given.

    Eric Carmen, 74
    Eric Carmen with a cigarette in his mouth
    Eric Carmen.

    Carmen was a rock ballad king whose songs still get constant play to this day.

    "All by Myself" was a hit in the mid-1970s. It became an even bigger hit when Celine Dion did her own rendition in 1996.

    The Grammy-nominated "Almost Paradise" from the soundtrack to the hit 1984 movie "Footloose" became a staple at school dances and weddings.

    Carmen repeated the feat when his song "Hungry Eyes" showed up on the soundtrack for the 1987 classic "Dirty Dancing."

    Carmen's death was announced on his website on March 12, stating he "passed away in his sleep, over the weekend." No cause was given.

    Roberto Cavalli, 83
    Roberto Cavalli sitting down wearing a jacket and scarf
    Roberto Cavalli.

    The Italian fashion designer was known for his flamboyant designs and game-changing innovations.

    Cavalli's use of leopard prints beginning in the 1970s became one of his trademarks. His revolutionary method of printing leather and patchwork denim was beloved by everyone from Madonna to Gwyneth Paltrow.

    Cavalli died on April 12. No cause of death was given.

    Bill Cobbs, 90
    Bill Cobbs smiling
    Bill Cobbs.

    From playing the concerned manager opposite Whitney Houston in "The Bodyguard" to the kind-hearted coach in "Air Bud," Bill Cobbs' ability to play the voice of reason in his roles made him a memorable character actor for decades.

    Cobbs' other titles include "The Color of Money," "New Jack City," "The Hudsucker Proxy," "Demolition Man," and "Night at the Museum."

    He died at his home in California on June 25 following a recent bout of pneumonia.

    Dabney Coleman, 92
    Dabney Coleman with arms crossed
    Dabney Coleman.

    Dabney Coleman became a captivating scene stealer in the 1980s thanks to his gruff demeanor and booming voice. Whether he was playing the mean boss opposite Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin in 1980's "9 to 5," or the nasty TV producer in "Tootsie," or chasing Matthew Broderick in "WarGames," Coleman had a talent for playing the heel.

    The Emmy winner most recently starred in the HBO hit series Boardwalk Empire from 2011 to 2014 and a 2019 episode of Yellowstone.

    Coleman died on May 16. No cause was given.

    Eleanor Coppola, 87
    Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola holding hands on the red carpet
    Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola at the 76th Academy Awards in 2004.

    As the wife of Francis Ford Coppola, Eleanor had to navigate the stress and complexities of living with one of the greatest directors of all time.

    She channeled that by filming her husband while he made his landmark 1979 Vietnam movie "Apocalypse Now."

    Her documentary, "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," has gone down as one of the most honest accounts of the making of a movie.

    Eleanor died on April 12. No cause of death was given.

    Roger Corman, 98
    Roger Corman leaning on a red chair
    Roger Corman.

    To say Roger Corman was the king of B-movies is too simple of a characterization.

    For decades, Corman made ultra-low-budget genre movies that featured everything from cheesy monsters to crazed bikers. Corman-produced titles almost always made a profit, and many of them became proving grounds for the directors and actors who would go on to change Hollywood.

    After directing the 1967 acid-trip fantasia "The Trip" starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda and written by Jack Nicholson, the trio went on to make "Easy Rider," which would usher in the New Hollywood era of the 1970s.

    Corman also produced titles directed by then-unknowns like Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese before they went on to mainstream studio success.

    Corman died on May 9 at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., surrounded by family members.

    Joe Flaherty, 82
    Joe Flaherty leaning on the shoulder of Eugene Levy
    (L-R) Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy on the set of "SCTV."

    As one of the original cast members of the Canadian sketch comedy show "SCTV" in the late 1970s, Joe Flaherty — alongside the likes of John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Rick Moranis — created a brand of comedy that was edgier and more outlandish than their competition "Saturday Night Live."

    In later decades, Flaherty made scene-stealing appearances as the Western Union worker who gives Marty McFly the 70-year-old letter from Doc Brown in "Back to the Future Part II" and the heckler Donald in "Happy Gilmore."

    He was also a regular on TV through the decades, with roles in "Married… with Children," "Freaks and Geeks," and "The King of Queens."

    Flaherty died on April 1 following a brief illness.

    Louis Gossett Jr.
    Louis Gossett Jr. in a tuxedo holding his Oscar over his head
    Louis Gossett Jr. holding his best supporting actor Oscar.

    Born in Brooklyn, New York, Louis Gossett Jr. made his stage debut at 17. After building his craft onstage through the 1960s, Gossett Jr. made the jump to screen and in 1977 was cast in the acclaimed miniseries "Roots" opposite the likes of Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton, and John Amos. He went on to win an Emmy for his performance as Fiddler.

    He was nominated for seven more Emmys after that, most recently in 2020 for playing William Reeves in the HBO limited series "Watchmen."

    He made history in 1983 when he won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the strict drill instructor Emil Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman." It would mark the first time a Black actor won the prize in that category.

    Gossett Jr. went on to star in hit movies and TV shows like "The Principal," "Toy Soldiers," "Iron Eagle," and "Boardwalk Empire."

    Gossett Jr. died on March 29. No cause was given.

    Norman Jewison, 97
    Norman Jewison in a button-down shirt
    Norman Jewison.

    The legendary director was best known for his eclectic filmography that included the drama "In the Heat of the Night," the musical "Fiddler of the Roof," and the beloved comedy "Moonstruck," all of which garnered him best director nominations at the Oscars.

    The Canadian filmmaker's specialty was getting top-notch performances out of A-list actors like Steve McQueen ("The Thomas Crown Affair") and Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane").

    It often led to Oscar glory for his movies and their stars. Twelve actors received nominations over his 40-year career, with five of his movies earning best picture noms.

    Jewison died on January 20. No cause of death was given.

    Glynis Johns, 100
    Glynis Johns in a black dress with her arms crossed
    Glynis Johns.

    The English actor starred in over 60 films and 30 plays, and is known best for playing Mrs. Banks in the beloved 1964 Disney movie "Mary Poppins."

    Legend has it that Johns originally thought she landed the role of Poppins. To let her down easy, Walt Disney made sure that she got to sing a big musical number in the movie. It led to the famous "Sister Suffragette" sequence.

    In 1973, Johns' breathy voice caught the attention of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who cast her in the original Broadway production of "A Little Night Music." Sondheim wrote "Send in the Clowns," the song she performs, with her in mind. Johns would earn a Tony Award for her performance.

    She was also nominated for an Oscar for her work in "The Sundowners" (1960).

    Johns died on January 4. No cause of death was given.

    Toby Keith, 62
    Toby Keith tipping his hat
    Toby Keith.

    Keith became prominent in the 1990s thanks to his hit single "Should've Been a Cowboy."

    It would make him one of the decade's top draws in country music.

    Keith released 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and dozens of songs that topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in his career.

    Keith died on February 5 following a bout with stomach cancer.

    Richard Lewis, 76
    Richard Lewis in pajamas in bed holding a book
    Richard Lewis.

    In an era in the 1970s where stand-up comedy could be a path to superstardom, Richard Lewis was one of the biggest acts.

    Often dressed in black and holding his hand up to his temple, his self-deprecating and neurotic style made him a constant visitor to Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show."

    By the 1980s, he hit it big on TV, starring opposite Jamie Lee Curtis on the series "Anything but Love," which ran for four seasons.

    His movie credits include the Mel Brooks comedy "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "Leaving Las Vegas," and John Candy's final role before his death, 1994's "Wagons East." Lewis has said Candy's death was one of the things that finally got him sober.

    Lewis introduced himself to a new generation when Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" premiered on HBO in 2000. For 11 seasons, Lewis played a fictional version of himself as one of David's friends. Though he didn't return as a series regular for the series' final season, season 12, he popped up in a cameo in an episode that aired on February 18.

    Back in April, Lewis revealed via a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would be retiring from stand-up comedy after undergoing four surgeries.

    Lewis died on February 27 of a heart attack in his Los Angeles home.

    Willie Mays, 93
    Willie Mays in a Giants uniform making a leaping catch
    Willie Mays.

    Regarded as one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived, Willie Mays was astounding to watch.

    He could hit and catch, had speed, and pulled off amazing feats that are still remarkable to this day.

    One of his most memorable plays happened in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, which is simply known as "The Catch."

    Mays' New York Giants were facing the Cleveland Indians at the Polo Grounds in New York. With the score tied 2-2 in the eighth inning and runners on base, Indians player Vic Wertz hit a towering 420-foot blast to dead center that in today's baseball would be deep in the seats for a homerun. But due to the Polo Grounds' massive outfield, it was in play, and Mays used practically all of it to track down the ball on the run with an incredible over-the-shoulder catch and then threw it into the infield quickly so no runner could score. The Giants went on to win the game in extra innings 5-2, and would go on to win the World Series. Many still regard Mays' catch as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.

    Mays would go on to play 21 seasons with the Giants before being traded to the New York Mets for the 1972-73 season, which would be his last. He finished his career with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs.

    He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

    Mays died on June 18, no cause was given.

    Cindy Morgan, 69
    Cindy Morgan in a dark shirt
    Cindy Morgan.

    A 1980s icon, Morgan found instant stardom in her film debut playing the stunning Lacey opposite Chevy Chase in the classic 1980 comedy "Caddyshack."

    Two years later, she found herself in another iconic work, Disney's "Tron." As Dr. Lora Baines in the real world and Yori, who helps Jeff Bridges after he's sucked into the game world, Morgan once again showed she can shine opposite Hollywood's biggest leading men.

    Though Morgan worked steadily the rest of her career, including a multi-episode run on the soap opera "Falcon Crest," she'll be forever known for her performances in two of the biggest movies of the '80s.

    Morgan's death was first reported on January 6, though she died on December 30, 2023. No cause of death was given.

    Charles Osgood, 91
    Charles Osgood in a bowtie
    Charles Osgood.

    The face of "CBS Sunday Morning" for over two decades, Osgood became a fixture in Americans' homes at the end of every weekend thanks to his wit, calming demeanor, and that bow tie.

    Osgood had been at CBS since the early 1970s, first as a reporter, then the anchor of the "CBS Sunday Night News" from 1981 to 1987. From 1987 to 1992, he was often on "CBS This Morning."

    In 1994, he became the face of "Sunday Morning," replacing Charles Kuralt. He would go on to earn two Daytime Emmys and a Peabody for his work on the show. He ended his run 2016, passing the reins to Jane Pauley.

    Osgood died on January 23 after suffering from dementia.

    Chance Perdomo, 27
    Chance Perdomo in a cream jacket
    Chance Perdomo.

    Perdomo was a rising star in Hollywood, having starred in Netflix's reboot "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and "The Boys" spinoff "Gen V."

    The British-American actor died on March 30 as a result of a motorcycle accident, his publicist confirmed.

    Tamayo Perry, 49
    Tamayo Perry in a pirate costume holding a sword
    Tamayo Perry in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

    Perry, a professional surfer, appeared on screen in 2002's "Blue Crush" and 2011's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

    Perry died on June 23 after being attacked by a shark while surfing off the island of Oahu in Hawaii, according to the Associated Press. He was brought to shore by paramedics and pronounced dead at the scene.

    Chita Rivera, 91
    Chita Rivera demonstrates her dance routines for a show in New York City
    Chita Rivera.

    Rivera was a Broadway legend who originated some of the stage's most memorable characters, including Anita in "West Side Story," Velma Kelly in "Chicago," and Rose in "Bye Bye Birdie." She would go on to be nominated for 10 Tony Awards and win twice.

    With Broadway credits spanning seven decades, Rivera's singing and dancing shaped generations of performers.

    Rivera died on January 30 following a brief illness.

    Marian Robinson, 86
    Marian Robinson
    Marian Robinson.

    Former First Lady Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, was often described as the matriarch of the White House during the Obama administration, but the Chicago-born daughter of seven never felt quite at home on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to her family.

    "The trappings and glamour of the White House were never a great fit for Marian Robinson," a statement from former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and other family members said. "'Just show me how to work the washing machine and I'm good,' she'd say."

    Robinson's death was announced on May 31.

    A cause and place of death was not revealed.

    O.J. Simpson, 76
    O.J. Simpson on a movie set
    O.J. Simpson.

    O.J. Simpson had a life of high highs and low lows.

    Finding fame initially on the football field, he became one of the greatest running backs ever to play in the NFL in the 1970s. He had an MVP season in 1973 when he set a single-season rushing record and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985 after his retirement.

    He was set to live out his days as a hero and grow even more famous thanks to endorsements, movie roles, and broadcasting.

    But all of that changed in June of 1994 after his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her condo. Days later, Simpson, who was a person of interest in the murders, led Los Angeles police on a slow-speed chase in his Ford Bronco, finally giving up when he got back to his home.

    Simpson's televised trial for the deaths of Nicole and Goldman a year later became one of the biggest spectacles in modern-day American history.

    Simpson was acquitted of the murders, was found guilty in civil court in 1997.

    The story of Simpson's incredible rise and fall still fascinates people to this day. The 2016 ESPN docuseries "O.J.: Made in America" won an Oscar and Emmy, and Ryan Murphy's 2016 scripted series "The People vs. O.J.: American Crime Story" won eight Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.

    Simpson died on April 10. He had been diagnosed with cancer, his family said.

    David Soul, 80
    David Soul with arm over shoulder
    David Soul.

    Soul found instant fame in the mid-1970s playing Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson, one half of the hip crime solvers in "Starsky & Hutch."

    Before hitting it big on the show, Soul was a folk singer through the 1960s, opening for the likes of Frank Zappa and The Byrds. At one time he even sang while his face was covered with a mask, calling himself "The Covered Man."

    After "Starsky & Hutch," Soul went back to music and scored the No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Don't Give Up on Us."

    Soul also made appearances on shows like "Star Trek," "Gunsmoke," the Clint Eastwood movie "Magnum Force," and a miniseries adaptation of the Stephen King novel, "Salem's Lot."

    Soul died on January 4. No cause of death was given.

    Morgan Spurlock, 53
    Morgan Spurlock smiling and holding McDonald's fries and drink
    Morgan Spurlock.

    In 2004, an unknown documentary filmmaker arrived in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival. Overnight, his life was changed — because he made a movie about eating McDonald's.

    If there's one thing Morgan Spurlock knew how to do, it was get people's attention. With a big personality and an unusual idea, Spurlock changed the way we look at fast food when he made "Super Size Me," a documentary in which he ate nothing but McDonald's for a full month, to stomach-churning effect.

    The documentary earned an Oscar nomination and became a box-office sensation. Weeks after its release in theaters, McDonald's discontinued its supersize portions.

    Spurlock used that success to become one of the stars in the documentary medium, which was growing in popularity in the early 2000s. He would go on to direct and produce dozens of documentaries for the big screen and TV, focused on everything from Osama bin Laden to One Direction.

    His legacy would be tarnished in late 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement, when Spurlock confessed to multiple acts of sexual misconduct in his past.

    Spurlock died on May 23 due to complications related to cancer.

    Donald Sutherland, 88
    Donald Sutherland in a leather jacket
    Donald Sutherland.

    Donald Sutherland had the incredible talent to be the life of the party in one performance or a wallflower in the next. Need a dark and disturbing presence for a role? He's your guy. Or he could do a wise-cracking know-it-all character.

    What we're trying to say is whatever the role, Sutherland could pull it off. And he did it so well that he delivered some of the most memorable roles ever put on screen over the last six decades.

    Playing a Nazi-killing grunt in "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), creating one of the greatest screen duos ever opposite Elliott Gould in "M*A*S*H" (1970), acting as a laid-back professor in "Animal House" (1978), delivering one of the best surprise endings ever in a remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978) — he could do it all. He was both the man who knew the truth behind the Kennedy assassination in "JFK" (1991) and the villain in the "Hunger Games" franchise (2013-2015).

    He was a fixture in our lives over generations.

    Sutherland died on June 20 in Miami following a "long illness."

    Johnny Wactor, 37
    Johnny Wactor in a black jacket staring at the camera
    Johnny Wactor.

    Wactor was best known for his role as Brando Corbin on the soap "General Hospital." He appeared in more than 160 episodes during his two seasons on the series before leaving in 2022.

    His résumé included guest roles on "Westworld," "The OA," "Station 19," "Siberia," "Agent X," "Vantastic," "Animal Kingdom," "Hollywood Girl," "Training Day," "Criminal Minds," "Struggling Servers," "Age Appropriate," "NCIS," "The Passenger" and "Barbee Rehab."

    He also starred in the 2016 Mario Van Peebles-directed movie "USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage" alongside Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, and Thomas Jane.

    His family confirmed that Wactor was shot and killed on May 25 in Los Angeles during a robbery.

    M. Emmet Walsh, 88
    M Emmet Walsh in a cowboy hat
    M. Emmet Walsh in "Blood Simple."

    You may not know the name, but you definitely know this face.

    Character actor M. Emmet Walsh showed up in more than 150 movies over his career, many of which have gone on to become classics: "Blade Runner," "Blood Simple," "Slap Shot," "Fletch," "The Jerk," "Back to School," "My Best Friend's Wedding," and "Knives Out."

    He also has appeared in many popular TV shows over the decades, including "Home Improvement," "The X-Files," and "Frasier."

    Walsh died on March 19. No cause was given.

    Carl Weathers, 76
    Carl Weathers throwing a punch
    Carl Weathers.

    Thanks to his bravado and astounding physique, Weathers found fame when he was cast as heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in 1976's "Rocky."

    The following years and decades brought more memorable roles, whether he was sizing up biceps with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987's "Predator," or trying to teach Adam Sandler how to play golf in 1996's "Happy Gilmore."

    Most recently, he played Greef Karga in the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian." Along with appearing in front of the camera, he also showcased his talents behind it, directing multiple episodes.

    Jerry West, 86
    Jerry West holding a basketball
    Jerry West.

    You can give several examples to show just how great a basketball player Jerry West was. He won an NBA title, an Olympic gold medal, and is the only player on the losing team of an NBA Finals to be named MVP.

    But there's one that overshadows all of these accomplishments: he was the logo.

    That's right. The actual NBA logo is a silhouette of Jerry West dribbling a basketball.

    Known for his tenacious play and ability to score in the clutch, West was one of the stars in the NBA before its enormous popularity in the 1970s, when players like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and later, Michael Jordan, became household names.

    After his retirement, West became an executive of the Los Angeles Lakers and was instrumental in the "Showtime" Lakers' championship dynasty through the 1980s. He made the key signings to get Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to the Lakers, creating another dynasty in the early 2000s.

    West died on June 12. No cause was given.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • The Supreme Court just made it much harder to go after financial fraud

    US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts
    US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion in the case stripping the SEC of some powers.

    • The Supreme Court stripped out some of the SEC's financial fraud enforcement powers.
    • It ruled that defendants in those cases have a right to a jury trial.
    • Critics say the court is seizing power from federal agencies and making it harder to enforce fraud laws.

    The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in a ruling Thursday, sharply limiting the way it pursued financial fraud cases.

    Until today, the SEC had two ways of pursuing fraud cases. It could sue in federal district court. Or it could bring an "administrative proceeding" in its own in-house court, where it appoints its own judges and the cases have no juries.

    In Thursday's SEC v. Jarkesy decision, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the latter method violated the Seventh Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects the right to a jury trial.

    "A defendant facing a fraud suit has the right to be tried by a jury of his peers before a neutral adjudicator," Roberts wrote.

    The ruling stripped out part of 2010's Dodd-Frank Act, which was passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and gave federal agencies more enforcement mechanisms.

    In this case, the SEC accused George Jarkesy, Jr. and his financial firm, Patriot28, of lying to investors about the firm's value and lying about the identity of its auditor and broker.

    Critics of the decision argue that the SEC's in-house courts worked much more efficiently than federal district courts. The SEC has hired its own judges, who were presumably knowledgeable about financial fraud laws and could handle cases relatively quickly. And they could be predictable and consistent, unlike trial juries.

    By contrast, there are fewer than 700 federal district court judges. They handle all sorts of cases, not just financial fraud. And each one must be appointed by the President of the United States and must be approved by the US Senate, a process that can take months and is often held up by partisan fighting.

    Critics have also argued that such a ruling is part of a larger project among conservative judges to dismantle the so-called "administrative state" of government regulation, despite the wishes of a democratically elected Congress and president.

    The ruling was decided 6-3, with appointees of Republican presidents all in the majority and Democratic appointees dissenting.

    Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote the dissenting opinion, wrote that the majority decision disrespected the separation of powers between the different branches of government. She said that, throughout the country's history, the federal government has frequently delegated enforcement mechanisms to individual agencies.

    "Make no mistake: Today's decision is a power grab," she wrote.

    She also warned that the decision could have ramifications for other agencies, such as how the Department of Labor could resolve workplace issues, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration could handle safety concerns.

    "By giving respondents a jury trial, even one that the Constitution does not require, the majority may think that it is protecting liberty," Sotomayor wrote. "That belief, too, is deeply misguided. The American People should not mistake judicial hubris with the protection of individual rights."

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • A small shrub used to make IndyCar racing tires could help save rainforests and make deserts greener

    Guayule plants in silver planters on stage in front of an IndyCar with Firestone Firehawk race tires made with guayule rubber.
    Firestone IndyCar race tires made with guayule. The desert shrub could help supplement the rubber harvested from delicate rainforests.

    • Bridgestone is growing desert shrubs called guayule in Arizona as an alternative source of rubber.
    • Guayule could be a sustainable domestic source of rubber, helping reduce deforestation.
    • This article is part of "The Future of Supply-Chain Management," a series on companies' manufacturing and distribution strategies.
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    If you've watched IndyCar racing over the past couple of years, you may have seen some of the cars using green tires with a difficult-to-pronounce name.

    The name is guayule, pronounced why-OO-lee. It's a small desert shrub native to the southwestern US and Mexico that Bridgestone uses to make the rubber in the sidewalls of its green Firestone-branded racing tires.

    Nick Eulau, the executive director for guayule and end-of-life tire recycling at Bridgestone, said the company's ambitions for guayule go beyond the race track.

    Bridgestone is trying to develop a sustainable domestic source of natural rubber that could help stem reliance on supplies from tropical forests while bolstering biodiversity and agriculture in arid climates.

    Guayule has been a source of natural rubber for a century. Firestone, which was acquired by the Japanese tire giant in 1988, has been working with the shrub since World War II.

    IndyCar driver Scott Dixon takes the checkered flag to win the 49th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 21, 2024.
    Scott Dixon taking the checkered flag in Long Beach using Bridgestone's Firestone guayule tires.

    But Bridgestone's interest in the desert shrub ramped up in the early 2010s, when it launched its guayule research initiative and broke ground on a Biorubber Process Research Center in Mesa, Arizona. That facility was followed by a 281-acre guayule farm in nearby Eloy.

    Where does rubber come from?

    More than 330 million car and commercial truck tires were sold in the US in 2023, according to the US Tire Manufacturers Association.

    The trade group estimates natural rubber accounts for about one-fifth of the materials in a passenger tire and one-third of the materials in a commercial truck tire. The rest of the tire is composed of synthetic rubber, steel, and fillers such as silica and carbon black.

    Nearly all that natural rubber comes from the Hevea brasiliensis, or rubber tree, found in forests and plantations primarily in Southeast Asia, with some in West Africa as well.

    Tappers harvest rubber sap at a plantation in Indonesia.
    Tappers harvesting rubber sap at a plantation in Indonesia.

    At these plantations, about 220 rubber trees are planted per acre. They're ready for harvest in six or seven years.

    "The actual harvest method is a tree-by-tree manual process where workers use a special tool to cut grooves into the tree's bark, and the liquid latex flows out, like when you tap a maple tree for syrup," Eulau told Business Insider.

    Each tree can produce as much as 330 pounds of rubber during its 20- to 30-year lifetime, after which the trees are cut down for wood and a fresh crop is replanted.

    Why guayule?

    A reliance on the rubber tree as the primary source of natural rubber could threaten both tropical forest ecosystems and the long-term stability of the global rubber supply chain.

    The trees that are the backbone of the natural-rubber supply chain are susceptible to disease. While the trees are native to the Amazon, leaf blight helped kill off large-scale rubber production in the region nearly a century ago.

    A worker harvesting rubber from a hevea rubber tree at a plantation in Indonesia in 2020.
    A worker at a plantation in Indonesia harvesting rubber.

    In addition, environmentalists have accused the rubber industry of contributing to large-scale deforestation in Southeast Asia. A 2023 study published in the journal Nature by researchers from Europe, the UK, and China found that more than 4 million hectares, or nearly 10 million acres, of rainforest had been lost to rubber production in Southeast Asia since 1993.

    The mass cultivation of guayule may help support biodiversity and protect topsoil from the ravages of a harsh desert climate.

    While many plants can't survive the dry heat of the Sonoran Desert, where Bridgestone's Eloy farm is located, it's guayule's natural environment.

    Eulau said the plants on Bridgestone's farm require irrigation but use far less water than other crops prevalent in the region.

    A field of guayule in Eloy, Arizona.
    Long rows of 20-inch-tall guayule plants take about two years to reach maturity.

    A farmer in Arizona told Popular Science in 2022 that corn required nearly twice as much water during a four-month growing season as guayule did in a year.

    Eulau told BI that guayule cultivation "enables continued agriculture in regions where the amount of crop you produce is not really governed by the acreage of land available but instead by the water available."

    The shrubs also help protect the topsoil. "If you can use a little water to keep guayule growing on your land," Eulau said, "it reduces dust pollution and helps keep the biological material in the soil, which promotes soil health and its long-term prospects for agriculture."

    At harvest, the farm relies on industrial machinery to bear the brunt of the load.

    "When you harvest, you cut off the top, a few inches from the ground. We take everything except the rootstock, which the plant will regenerate from," Eulau said. "Everything is done with large tractors and industrial machinery, so it's far less labor intensive."

    A combine harvesting Guayule on Bridgestone's farm in Arizona.
    Guayule harvesting in Arizona.

    The harvested plants are sent to Bridgestone's processing center in Mesa, where rubber, resin, and other biomasses are extracted.

    In addition to Arizona, Bridgestone has growing trials in Texas, New Mexico, and Argentina to evaluate the potential for commercial guayule cultivation in those areas.

    What's the holdup?

    Though Bridgestone is working to make its guayule more drought-resistant and able to generate better yields, its rubber is ready for commercial use.

    "We have shown that we can do it," Eulau said. "We can produce a guayule rubber that's perfectly useful for the tires on your minivan."

    But commercial guayule farming is still in its nascency.

    Scaling guayule farming for a supply chain would require more refineries and production facilities. Bridgestone would also want to refine crop genetics and set best cultivation practices for farmers.

    Even when the guayule is ready for the big time, don't expect it to replace rubber trees. Bridgestone sees guayule as a supplemental source of rubber rather than the successor to the rubber tree.

    "Both supply chains will continue to exist in parallel, at least for a relatively long period of time," Eulau said.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I’m an American mom living in London. School ends in mid-July and my kids don’t go to sleep-away camp.

    Girl playing at splash pad in London summer
    The author says London offers a lot of free things to do during the summer break.

    • Summer camp culture doesn't exist in the UK like it does in the US.
    • Summer break is also shorter in the UK and school doesn't finish until July. 
    • For my kids summer break is a patchwork of day clubs and activities. 

    Though I'm a born-and-bred New Yorker, I've been a London transplant since 2008.

    I had my four kids here — ages 6, 8, 11 and 13 — and am often struck by how culturally different the UK and US can feel, from childbirth to education.

    Summer break also looks a lot different for my kids than my summers going to Camp Mohawk in upstate New York used to. Here are three key differences I've noticed between summer break for kids in the UK vs the US.

    School lasts through most of July in the UK – and summer holidays are shorter here

    As someone with a mid-July birthday, I never once had an "in-school" celebration as a kid. If I'd grown up in London, things would have been different: in England, the summer term runs through most of July for state school kids (the equivalent of public school in the US). Even those attending private schools, which break up a couple of weeks earlier, finish the first week of July.

    Kids typically have six weeks of rest before the new academic year starts up again the first few days of September.

    This is in stark contrast to the US, where the school year finishes between May and June, and summer break can be 10 or 11 weeks long.

    Summer camp culture looks very different in the UK

    The UK isn't immune to US influences, but summer camp culture hasn't quite made it over here yet. While some families send their kids to sleep-away camps, it's only for a couple of days or a week. Not like in the US when kids go for several weeks in a row.

    Instead, families in the UK tend to take a patchwork approach to the summer holidays, mixing and matching different day camps and activities which they sandwich around family getaways.

    There is a day camp to suit every interest in London: cooking, cricket, fashion, drama, film, skateboarding, and much more. Parents tend to book kids in for half days, a couple of full days or a week at a time.

    Last year, my three older kids did a range of activities across their summer, starting with a week of cricket camp at the beginning (and again at the end), with several cricket matches in between.

    We went to Portugal for a family holiday and they spent their mornings in golf camp, then visited their grandparents in the English countryside and Devon coast. For the final week of summer break, we visited my sister and her family in Munich.

    It was lovely and jam-packed — so much so that this year, we're keeping it more low-key by staying in England the whole summer.

    Unlike the US, where summer camp bookings are mega-competitive, getting an activity camp slot in London feels more accessible. You can be spontaneous, especially if you're looking to book into a club in mid-August, when many families are on holiday.

    This works well for me if my freelance workload gets hectic or one of my kids decides they want to try something out in a low-pressure way.

    London in summer is full of fun, free and discounted experiences

    We love seeing family over the summer and getting to the coast or countryside for a few days, but truthfully, I think August in London is my favorite time to explore the city with my kids.

    Unlike New York, it's not overly muggy and humid, and since it's quieter than usual, we tend to go further afield and explore new things.

    The kids splash around fountains and paddling pools, go to free exhibitions and pop-ups, eat out (lots of restaurants in the city offer kids free meals in the summer), and go to the theatre, thanks to an initiative called Kids Week, where kids can go free to a range of West End musicals and plays when accompanied by a paying adult.

    Read the original article on Business Insider