• Joe Biden and Donald Trump will debate Thursday evening.
• Their face-off is the earliest major debate on record.
• There are other notable changes, including commercial breaks and no studio audience. 

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to face off later this week in the earliest major presidential debate on record.

Both men enter their first faceoff of 2024 locked into a race that remains too close to call nationally. According to Real Clear Politics' polling averages, Trump holds narrow leads in key swing states that could decide the race.

In an era where Americans watch few live events besides football, the evening offers both campaigns a chance to get their message in front of millions.

Here are the vital facts you need to know before Thursday night's debate.

When is it and how can I watch it?

The first presidential debate of the 2024 election will be Thursday, June 27 at 9 p.m. ET. CNN will host the debate, but all major broadcast and cable networks will offer simulcasts. You can also stream the debate through Max. If you can't access the debate any of those ways, CNN is also streaming it through its website here. You don't even need a cable login.

The debate will last 90 minutes.

How is this debate different?

Beyond taking place in the summer, this debate will differ from any other recent memory. Instead of a live audience, Trump and Biden will square off at CNN's studios in Atlanta. There will be moderators, but both campaigns effectively killed off the bipartisan organization that has hosted debates for years. So, CNN chose anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

At Biden team's urging, CNN has also pledged to mute the mic of the candidate who is not speaking. You might recall that in 2020, Biden asked then-President Trump, "Will you shut up man?" during their raucous first debate. The first debate was considered by just about everyone involved to be an abject disaster.

Trump is set to get the last word this time since Biden elected to choose his podium position after winning a coin toss. As a result, Trump will be the last to deliver a closing statement. There will be no opening statements.

Wait, there are going to be commercials?

Yes, there will also be two commercial breaks. This, too, is a major departure from traditional debates.

What about fact-checking?

CNN correspondent Daniel Dale rose to fame fact-checking Trump, but don't expect him, Tapper, or Bash to chime during the debate. David Chalian, CNN's political director, told The New York Times that the debate "is not the ideal arena for live fact-checking." The fact-checking will have to wait until after the debate finishes.

What's Robert F. Kennedy Jr. going to be doing?

It's not entirely clear yet. We know he won't be joining the two presidents on the stage. CNN confirmed that Kennedy failed to reach their twin thresholds of 15% in four selected national polls and qualifying for the requisite number of ballots in each state. Billionaire attorney and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy's running mate, has promised "a few surprises" with their own live broadcast.

Kennedy's campaign is in a critical moment. He previously announced that he raised less money in May than in any month this year, mainly due to Shanahan's decision to tap into less of her fortune. The noted vaccine skeptic is also in the thick of trying to qualify for the ballot in all 50 states.

A third-party presidential hopeful hasn't made a debate stage since 1992, so Kennedy's failure is far from unprecedented.

How is Trump approaching the debate?

After years of suggesting Biden is too feeble to do the job, Trump has been slightly complementary of the man who beat him in the 2020 election.

Republicans seem to recognize that setting the bar for Biden's performance at practically not dying on the stage is, uh, a low bar. So, instead, Trump is engaged in the very traditional game of trying to shape the media narrative before the showdown begins.

What about Biden?

Biden has spent days prepping for the debate at Camp David, the presidential retreat. History shows that incumbent presidents typically struggle in the first debate, a fact both President Obama and Trump can attest to. Biden's lawyer, Bob Bauer, is expected to reprise his role of playing the former president in mock debates. Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who has prepped Democrats for general election debates for decades, is taking time off from his new perch at AirBnb to help as well.

What topics can we expect?

Only Tapper, Bash, and a few select people at CNN know the exact questions. That being said, a few issues seem almost guaranteed to come up. Polls show that Americans have deep concerns about Biden's age. Some national polls have also showed support for Trump dropping slightly in the wake of him becoming the first former president to be convicted of a felony. Tapper has also grilled Republicans, who, like Trump, continue to try to raise doubts about the 2020 election. The former president never directly conceded the race.

Trump's comeback campaign is also surging due to views about the US economy. Traditional metrics show Biden has much to be proud of, but while inflation has cooled, voters are still angry about high prices. Voters are also deeply skeptical of Biden's immigration policies, one of the biggest areas of disagreement between the two hopefuls.

Wasn't it possible there would be no debates?

Yes, that was a very real possibility. In 2022, The Republican National Committee formally withdrew from the Commission on Presidential Debates after years of tensions with the organization that has organized general election debates since 1988. It became an open question of how debates would move forward this time.

Trump, who easily dispatched his primary opponents, began goading Biden to debate him anyplace and anytime. In late April, Biden told radio host Howard Stern he would debate Trump. Weeks later, Biden's campaign delivered the final blow to the commission, confirming that Biden would not participate in any of its scheduled debates. The president's team said the debates had become too unruly and were scheduled too late in the calendar.

Trump and Biden then quickly agreed on the CNN debate and another contest in September, operating without any help from the commission. For now, the pair hasn't agreed to a third debate. Traditionally, the commission held two formal debates and one town-hall-style debate.

What's next after the debate?

Both sides are set to campaign on Friday. Biden will be in North Carolina. Trump will be in Virginia, a state that hasn't gone for the GOP in a presidential election since 2004. Trump is optimistic he can expand the list of potential swing states.

At least one more debate is on the calendar; ABC News will host a September 10 debate. Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump's yet-to-be-named running mate are also expected to debate. As of now, they haven't settled on one network to host that debate.

• Laurene Powell Jobs is a powerful impact investor and philanthropist with a net worth of $11.3 billion.
• Powell Jobs hosts elaborate Halloween shows at her Silicon Valley home and owns a $110 million yacht.
• Here's a look at the life of the businesswoman, who is the widow of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs.

Laurene Powell Jobs, the 60-year-old billionaire, is a formidable presence in investing circles, with a net worth of $11.3 billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.

Powell Jobs has used the fortune she inherited after the death of her husband, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, to expand her own businesses and philanthropies.

Here's a look at the life of the businesswoman and philanthropist:

Laurene Powell Jobs was born in West Milford, New Jersey, in 1963.

Her father, a pilot, died in a plane crash when she was 3 years old. Her mother later remarried.

 

Powell Jobs double-majored in political science and economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, she worked on Wall Street for Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs.

She later headed west for her MBA, enrolling in Stanford's Graduate School of Business in 1989.

It was there that she met Steve Jobs, her future husband.

According to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, Powell Jobs got dragged along to a campus event by a friend.

It turned out to be a guest lecture by Jobs.

"This was 1989," Powell Jobs told Isaacson. "He was working at NeXT, and he was not that big of a deal to me. I wasn't that enthused, but my friend was, so we went."

Powell Jobs initially mistook Jobs for another prominent tech figure, according to the biography.

"I knew that Steve Jobs was the speaker, but the face I thought of was that of Bill Gates," Powell Jobs told Isaacson. "I had them mixed up."

The pair arrived late and were told they couldn't just sit in the aisle. Powell Jobs and her friend ended up sneaking into the reserved seats at the front of the hall.

Jobs ended up sitting next to his future wife: "I looked to my right, and there was a beautiful girl there, so we started chatting while I was waiting to be introduced," he said in the biography.

Powell Jobs joked that she was sitting up front because she'd won a raffle and the prize included a dinner with Jobs.

Jobs finished the lecture and chased after his future wife, who had already walked out of the hall. He found Powell Jobs in the parking lot and asked her about the raffle. She agreed to go to dinner with him on that Saturday, and they exchanged numbers.

Jobs prepared to leave for a work dinner but returned to Powell Jobs. He asked if she'd like to go to dinner that night. She agreed, and they headed to a nearby restaurant called St Michael's Alley.

While Jobs' NeXT colleagues waited for their boss to show up, the tech founder and Powell Jobs spent four hours at the restaurant.

The couple remained together after that night.

They married in March 1991 at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park.

Other famous guests at the hotel over the years have included the late Queen Elizabeth II and former presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama.

The couple had three children: Reed, Erin, and Eve.

Eve Jobs began modeling for the beauty brand Glossier in late 2020. She is 25 years old.

Jobs also previously had a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, with his high school girlfriend, Chrisann Brennan.

When Jobs died from cancer in 2011, his wife inherited his wealth, including stakes in Apple and The Walt Disney Company. The inheritance left Powell Jobs a billionaire.

Her stake in Disney initially made her the company's largest individual shareholder, but in 2017, she reduced her ownership to 4%.

Powell Jobs spends a lot of her fortune on philanthropy.

Forbes named her the 25th most powerful woman in the world in 2023.

"In the broadest sense, we want to use our knowledge and our network and our relationships to try to effect the greatest amount of good," she told The New York Times in 2013.

But her kids may not inherit all of her wealth.

She told the New York Times in 2020 that she isn't interested in passing her fortune down to her kids. "If I live long enough, it ends with me," she said.

In 1992, she founded a health-food truck called Terravera with fellow Stanford MBA grad John Mullane.

The pair sold Basmati rice platters and burritos with black bean dressing to white-collar workers in office parks. "We just wanted to offer a convenient way for them to eat healthy food," Powell Jobs told the Chicago Tribune in 1992.

She later backed away from Terravera to focus on her volunteer work tutoring underprivileged students in East Palo Alto.

In 1997, Powell Jobs founded College Track, a nonprofit organization that helps prepare low-income students for college through tutoring and mentoring.

College Track now operates centers in three states and the District of Columbia.

Powell Jobs founded Emerson Collective in 2004, a "social change organization" named after one of her favorite authors, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Emerson Collective makes grants and investments that focus on immigration, environment, journalism, gun violence reduction, race and equity, and education, according to its website.

It's a private company rather than a traditional nonprofit and has funded several startups. The Washington Post has described it as a "kind of Justice League of practical progressives."

Emerson Collective projects include AltSchool, a venture-capital-backed school that aimed to transform education by personalizing student instruction with technology.

AltSchool, however, made disappointing revenues and handed over control of its four schools to another start-up in 2019, according to Forbes.

In September 2015, Powell Jobs pledged $50 million via Emerson to fund a campaign called "XQ: The Super School Project."

That venture aims to transform education by revamping how high schools approach curriculum. Powell Jobs is the chairwoman of XQ's board of directors.

Powell Jobs has also served on the board of several other organizations, including Teach for America, Conservation International, and the New America Foundation.

In addition to her work with various causes, she's also invested in sports.

In October 2017, she bought a 20% stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the company that owns the NBA's Washington Wizards, the NHL's Washington Capitals, and Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena.

Powell Jobs and Emerson Collective partnered with writer Leon Wieseltier to form a new magazine called Idea.

She scrapped the venture when Wieseltier's former colleagues at The New Republic came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against him in October 2017.

In July 2017, Emerson Collective acquired a majority stake in The Atlantic, which was forced to lay off 17% its staff during the pandemic.

Powell Jobs commended the magazine for its drive to "bring about equality for all people; to illuminate and defend the American idea; to celebrate American culture and literature; and to cover our marvelous, and sometimes messy, democratic experiment."

The Emerson Collective has waded into politics.

The Collective purchased television ads attacking former President Donald Trump's decision to rescind DACA in 2017.

Powell Jobs has also put millions of dollars into political campaigns.

She backed Kamala Harris's presidential campaign before the then-California senator, now Vice President, withdrew from the race in December 2019.

Powell Jobs also backed Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016.

She donated $2 million to Clinton's Super PAC through the Emerson Collective and hosted a $200,000-a-plate fundraiser that raised over $4 million, CNN reported.

She also supported Joe Biden's presidential campaign.

She donated more than $600,000 to efforts to elect Biden.

Powell Jobs is also active in her state's politics.

She was one of the Silicon Valley power players who showed support for California Gov. Gavin Newsom in March 2021 amid a Republican-led recall effort.

Powell Jobs is most passionate about education and immigration policy.

She met with then-President Donald Trump to discuss the topics in March 2017.

Powell Jobs also has considerable real estate.

In 2018, she bought a $16.5 million home in San Francisco that boasts six bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, and incredible views of the city.

Over the years, she's owned three other homes in the Bay Area, including a 5,768-square-foot house she shared with her late husband. She puts on elaborate Halloween shows in front of the houses each year that attract as many as 3,000 people. In 2019, the event was called "Fog Town" and featured a jack-o'-lantern tower and professional lighting, actors, and special effects.

 

She recently added to her real estate portfolio, snapping up a Malibu oceanfront estate for $94 million in June 2024.

It's the fourth property she's bought in Malibu in roughly 10 years, according to the Los Angeles Times.

When she and her family are looking to get away, they sail off on the yacht her late husband commissioned: the Venus.

The yacht cost at least $110 million to build and was commissioned by Jobs but completed after he died.

It's been spotted in places like Göcek, Turkey; Milos, Greece; and Brijuni, Croatia.

Besides sailing, some of Powell Jobs' other hobbies include art collecting and beekeeping.

Despite her luxurious lifestyle and widespread influence, Powell Jobs says her kids may not inherit much.

"I'm very aware of the fact that we're all just passing through here," Powell Jobs told The Washington Post in 2018. "I feel like I'm hitting my stride now … It is my goal to effectively deploy resources. If there's nothing left when I die, that's just fine."

In an interview with The New York Times in 2020, she shared similar sentiments.

"I'm not interested in legacy wealth buildings, and my children know that," Powell Jobs told The Times. "Steve wasn't interested in that. If I live long enough, it ends with me." 

• BuzzFeed is trying to sell "Hot Ones," its hit video show.
• A deal would help BuzzFeed pay off some — but not all — of its $119 million debt obligation.
• This comes as Vivek Ramaswamy continues to scoop up BuzzFeed shares. He now owns 9% of the company.

BuzzFeed news item #1: BuzzFeed has been trying to sell Hot Ones, its hit viral video show, but has yet to make a deal.

BuzzFeed news item #2: Last week Vivek Ramaswamy, the failed presidential candidate who has been amassing a stake in the digital publisher, met with BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti to explain his plans for the company.

Those two stories, which ran Monday morning in different publications, are most definitely related. If BuzzFeed is successful at selling First We Feast, the company that owns Hot Ones, then it will be in a better position to deal with Ramaswamy. And if it doesn't make a deal, then it's going to have a lot of problems, period.

The main connective tissue is that BuzzFeed has $119 million in debt hanging over its head, and in early December, anyone who owns that debt could force BuzzFeed to pay it back. And BuzzFeed doesn't have anywhere near that amount of money on hand.

So BuzzFeed is hoping to use the money it makes selling First We Feast/Hot Ones to pay down some of that debt. It's hard to believe someone won't end up buying it — it's a video brand that makes money and has tons of buzz (see this New York Times profile of Conan O'Brien, which spends a bit of time explaining what O'Brien's recent appearance on that show has done for his career).

But even if that sale does happen, it's very unlikely to generate enough cash for BuzzFeed to pay off its debt entirely. So the company will also likely need to find a new investor (difficult in today's climate) or renegotiate the debt (ditto), or both to get itself out of this self-inflicted jam.

Hovering over all of this is Ramaswamy, who has been steadily acquiring BuzzFeed shares and now owns 9% of the company.

As we've discussed before, Ramaswamy's equity stake doesn't really mean much, since BuzzFeed has a two-tier stock structure that gives CEO Peretti control of the company. Ramaswamy insists otherwise, noting the looming debt — but has yet to explain how that debt will give him leverage. (Generally in a bankruptcy, if things come to that, the people who control the debt have the power, not the people who have the equity.)

In the meantime, Ramaswamy used his Zoom call with Peretti last week to unveil the three directors he wants installed on BuzzFeed's board. All of them come from the conservative/Joe Rogan media spectrum: Chris Balfe, a media operator best known for his work with Glenn Beck, podcaster Patrick Bet-David, and Clay Travis, the media personality who founded OutKick Sports and sold it to Fox in 2021.

Here's BuzzFeed's on-the-record response, which you can interpret as a "thanks but no thanks": "As a shareholder of 8% with a vote of less than 3% we appreciate Vivek Ramaswamy's recommendations, and they will be sent to governance as per the formal process that he is no doubt aware of."

Next up on the formal calendar: Ramaswamy has called on BuzzFeed to add his slate of directors to the board by July 15. But the moves BuzzFeed is making behind the scenes — trying to find tens of millions of dollars — are the crucial ones for the company's future.

• In 2021, I explored the ruins of a Miami zoo that was abandoned after hurricanes ravaged the area.
• Nature has taken over Crandon Park Zoo since then. Crocodiles and other wildlife thrive there now.
• Some eerie abandoned cage structures from the zoo remain, and I got a look inside. 

On a corner of a South Florida beach, animals were once confined at the Crandon Park Zoo, according to the Miami Herald. The zoo was established in 1947, according to CBS Miami, and remained open until 1980, when animals were moved to a larger area after hurricanes drowned some of them.

In 1991, the zoo ruins reopened as gardens with the goal "not to destroy everything," Kevin Asher, a planner for the county, told the Miami Herald.

I visited the park in October 2021 to see what remained of the abandoned zoo, and I found a natural wildlife sanctuary.

The first thing I noticed at the abandoned zoo was a sign on the entrance warning visitors that crocodiles live there.

According to Atlas Obscura, the ruins are also home to wild alligators, iguanas, and peacocks.

The walkways through the park made me feel as if I were in a zoo — one where the animals were free.

Parts of the park were paved while other parts felt like the wild. Some of the lands were once a coconut plantation, according to the Miami Herald.

In one shaded area, I spotted what appeared to be an abandoned animal cage embedded in the rocks.

I thought it looked like it could have been a unique, immersive attraction and wondered what animals may have lived there decades ago. 

Some of the abandoned structures were fenced off and covered in graffiti.

I peered over high, chain-linked fences and spotted remnants of vandalized structures.

But one large structure remained accessible.

It appeared to once house multiple cages.

Around the back of it, I noticed caged doors that looked as if they were used to feed the animals inside.

I was able to see inside a few of the animals' quarters, which were now empty aside from some leaves, branches, and overgrown vines. The doors were still locked.

The view inside the structures was somewhat haunting and made me think about the animals that might have gotten stuck inside as hurricane waters filled their enclosures.

I tried to imagine what kind of animals could live in these spaces. Based on their size, maybe monkeys, I thought.

I left the park thinking that it was probably a better home for the wildlife that took it over.

After my visit, the zoo celebrated its 75-year anniversary of serving the community in November 2022, CBS Miami reported.

• Casual restaurants like Applebee's and Chili's are winning customers, some from fast-food joints.
• Diners are finding that a sit-down meal at the chains doesn't cost much more than a McDonald's.
• The latest round of discounts at both kinds of restaurants is making it easier to find a cheap meal.

McDonald's will start offering a $5 meal on Tuesday. Burger King is offering a similar deal for the same price, and other fast-food chains are peddling promotions, too, in an attempt to lure back inflation-weary diners.

But fast-casual restaurants, or those that offer sit-down service but still focus on value, have been offering similar deals over the last few months — some big enough to make taking a seat in a restaurant for dinner as cheap as swinging by the nearest drive-thru.

This spring, for instance, Chili's advertised its "3 for Me" offer, which included an appetizer, burger, fries, and a drink for $10.99 in some areas. That's less than the price of full meals on the regular menu at McDonald's and Burger King.

The deals show that fast food isn't cheap anymore. As a result, some customers are looking for alternatives when they eat out — and casual chains like Chili's and Applebee's are capitalizing on the situation.

Some of the more budget-friendly sit-down restaurant chains have adopted a strategy of "very deep discounting" lately, Ricardo Cardenas, the CEO of Darden Restaurants, the company that owns chains including Olive Garden and Yard House, said on an earnings call on Thursday.

While Darden's restaurants didn't benefit from the tactic, Cardenas said it's making some of the company's rivals more competitive against fast-food players.

Food prices, both at restaurants and the grocery store, have risen over the last few years, straining consumers' budgets. Fast-food price hikes have been driven by higher ingredient costs as well as restaurant owners protecting their profit margins as labor costs rise.

The deal wars are poised to last through at least this year, John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands, which owns chains including Applebee's and IHOP, said in late February during an earnings call.

Peyton confirmed that the company is offering more limited-time offers, or LTOs, this year to get customers ordering.

"We expect that the consumer will remain cautious in 2024, and we're planning for it with a compelling calendar of LTOs and value-driven promotions across our brands," Peyton said.

Do you work for Chili's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, or another major restaurant chain and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com

• Sam's Club has grown its Gen Z membership by 68% in the past two years, CEO Chris Nicholas said.
• While the main attraction is low prices, the real difference for the club is its tech, he said.
• That could spell trouble for Costco, which lags far behind when it comes to digital innovation.

Long a mainstay for boomers and Gen X shoppers, warehouse clubs increasingly have a new set of fans: Gen Z.

"That generation believes it's cool to save money and we agree with them," Sam's Club CEO Chris Nicholas told CNBC last week.

Nicholas said the Walmart-owned company has grown its Gen Z membership by 68% in the past two years as younger shoppers discover the value of buying in bulk (and earn enough money to do so).

But while several warehouse competitors like Costco and BJ's also offer low prices, the real difference for Sam's Club is its tech, the CEO said.

In particular, Nicholas highlighted that a third of shoppers use the club's scan-and-go app and the high customer satisfaction ratings from the newfangled AI-powered gateways, which let them just roll out of the store without a person checking their receipt.

"That's not something typical of the club model, but it's something that we offer and it's something that's really resonating with our members," Nicholas told Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlow last week.

It will be quite a while before millennial and Gen Z shoppers supplant older generations when it comes to spending power, but Sam's Club's success with younger members could spell trouble for Costco.

The current king of wholesale famously lags behind Sam's Club when it comes to tech, in part because its unmatched physical retail operation has made digital innovation somewhat superfluous.

But times and trends change, and shoppers seem to be looking for something more than rock-bottom pricing alone.

"We want great items at great value, and we want to give them convenience," he added. "That's kind of like heresy in the club model, but we can do it."

Indeed, part of Costco's success with growing sales is a function of making it mildly inconvenient to shop there — putting discounted flatscreen TVs by the front entrance and the toilet paper and bottled water in the farthest back corner of the building — so that you end up buying a lot more than you planned for.

Costco's e-commerce operation is a whole other story, but suffice it to say that it's not the seamlessly integrated experience that Sam's Club is offering.

Nicholas said half of Sam's Club members use the company's digital channels, and that number is growing as customer satisfaction scores continue to climb: "It drives engagement, it drives renewal rates, it drives people to tell their friends, 'You've gotta come to Sam's Club and you've gotta sign up for a membership.'"

• The US Army tested its Precision Strike Missile against a moving sea target in the Pacific recently.
• The next-generation missile will soon replace ATACMS, as well as fill other capability gaps.
• This month's test is a significant step in the PrSM program's progress, the Army said.

The US Army tested its new strike missile against a moving sea target in the Pacific earlier this month.

The recent strike marked a "significant milestone" in the development of the new Precision Strike Missile, the Army said. The PrSM, a next-generation long-range precision strike weapon, will eventually replace the older MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS.

The US Army announced the exercise last Friday, saying soldiers conducted it in Palau on June 16. The exercise involved the US Army's prototype Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher and two Precision Strike Missiles, which were "able to engage a moving maritime target in conjunction with other Joint assets."

The test occurred during a sinking exercise, or SINKEX, as part of Valiant Shield 2024. The joint force sunk the decommissioned hulk of the ex-USS Cleveland, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock. The Army, however, did not specify the target in its release.

The use of the PrSM in this exercise is the first known use of the missile against a moving sea target, as well as the first employment of the Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher and the new missiles outside of the US.

The PrSM, developed by Lockheed Martin, has been in the works for years and is intended to provide the Army extended long-range support and deep-strike capabilities. Lockheed says the missile can be used to strike targets between roughly 40 miles away and over 300 miles away, giving it a far greater reach than the older ATACMS.

The Army has said that the new PrSMs will "significantly" extend the "range and lethality" of the US military's long-range precision munitions.

The ballistic missile is capable of performing in all weather conditions, and it is expected to replace both the unitary and cluster variants of the ATACMS. Additionally, because the PrSM is smaller, a launch pod can carry two missiles instead of one.

Future variants of the PrSM "will concentrate on increasing the range and engagement of time-sensitive, moving, hardened, and fleeting targets," according to a Pentagon test and evaluation office document on the program.

Previous tests of the PrSM program have been promising. Back in November 2023, the Army successfully fired a baseline variant of the missile, called Increment 1, from a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in a successful demonstration of target engagement.

Following that demonstration test, the Army received its initial delivery of the missiles in December 2023.

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Doug Bush said in a statement at the time that "the rapid development and delivery of this capability is a prime example of the Army's aggressive use of new acquisition authorities from Congress that allow us to move at much greater speed to get improved equipment to soldiers."

Then, in January 2024, the Army said it flight tested the seeker that'll allow the PrSM to strike warships and moving targets.

In an early January reflection statement outlining its 2023 accomplishments, the Army said that it "successfully" flight tested Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM) multi-mode seeker technology that can be integrated into the PrSM." The Increment II PrSM is intended to provide anti-ship options.

Given recent events involving the Houthis and concerns about great power competition in the Indo-Pacific region, anti-ship capabilities have become especially important. China in particular has built up a variety of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles. And the US is increasingly realized it needs to develop its own arsenal of anti-ship capabilities.

• Here are the famous people who died in 2024.
• O.J. Simpson, Glynis Johns, Carl Weathers, Chita Rivera, Dabney Coleman, 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.

Eric Carmen, 74

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

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.

Dabney Coleman, 92

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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.

• Apple is focused on finding the next big thing in the tech industry.
• Wearable tech seems to be a large part of its future plans.
• Smart glasses and a more affordable Vision Pro are reportedly on its radar.

Apple is still figuring out its road map to launching another life-changing device.

When the Vision Pro headset launched in February, the $3,500 price tag and lack of a really great app gave mainstream consumers pause. Since then, Apple has been considering ways to push the headset product line forward and attract new customers, Bloomberg reported.

Those efforts reportedly include a cheaper and lighter headset than the Vision Pro and augmented reality glasses.

But changing the landscape of the tech industry can't happen overnight, and Apple has been known to take its time developing products. It finally announced the highly-anticipated Apple Intelligence feature at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June — weeks after competitors hosted splashy artificial intelligence demonstrations and years after ChatGPT took the world by storm.

The seemingly lackluster response to the expensive Vision Pro launch has led execs working on the product to do a bit of soul-searching around the way forward for the headset, Bloomberg said. They want to make Vision Pro a more mainstream product, though with both higher- and lower-price options.

Making a cheaper product is trickier, however. Apple has spent years working on a headset that would cost between $1,500 and $2,000, which is slated to be released by the end of 2025, according to Bloomberg.

That headset might be missing key features like EyeSight — the slightly creepy virtual pair of eyes on the lens of the headset — and it would need to be connected to a Mac or iPhone to work.

There's also a second generation of the Vision Pro in the works that could be faster, lighter, and more comfortable than its predecessor, but it won't arrive until the end of 2026 at the earliest.

Apple is also trying to develop augmented reality glasses, Bloomberg said. Although smart glasses have been slow to catch on with buyers, tech companies haven't abandoned their efforts — like, for example, Meta's Ray-Ban product. Apple has proved successful with wearable devices, like the Apple Watch, but it's too soon to know much about its AR glasses other than a tentative launch date in 2027.

Meanwhile, Apple is ditching other projects that it was once excited about. The company killed its self-driving car plans in February and recently got rid of Apple Pay Later — a service that was supposed to rival businesses like Affirm and Klarna.

It's yet to be seen whether this re-do of its plans for future Vision Pro technology will be what it needs to revolutionize the market, like the iPhone, or whether Apple will just have to come up with something else to get future consumers excited.

• Democrats have made abortion and reproductive rights a central issue this year.
• Senate Democrats are launching ads in key swing states attacking the GOP's anti-abortion stance.
• Polling shows rising support for legal abortion, with Democrats hoping to sway centrist voters.

Democrats are putting abortion — a topic they've historically downplayed — front and center this election.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced Monday, on the second anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, that it's launching an ad blitz targeting women voters in key swing states. The online ads attack the Republican agenda to limit access to reproductive care, ban abortions nationwide, and eliminate a person's right to make decisions about their bodies.

The ads will appear on women-focused lifestyle websites such as Cosmopolitan.com, HarpersBazaar.com, ThePioneerWoman.com, and WellPlated.com, the committee said in a press release Monday. And they'll reach voters in 10 key swing states — Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

"Senate Republicans have spent years using every tool they have to take away women's right to make our own health care decisions," Annie Lentz, a spokesperson for the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, said in the press release.

"The anniversary of the Republican Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade underscores the stakes of this year's Senate elections and the importance of protecting Democrats' Senate majority with the power to confirm or deny Supreme Court justices," Lentz continued. "These ads will remind voters of the threat GOP Senate candidates pose to our rights, freedoms, and health and why they must be defeated in November."

The debate no longer just about abortion — it's become about pregnancy itself and access to life-saving medical care.

According to a recent poll from Pew Research Center, a record-high 63% of US adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most states — 2 points higher than the months before the Dobbs decision came down in June 2022. And a record percentage of Americans — 32% — now say they would vote for a candidate solely based on their abortion stance, according to a Gallup poll.

Even Republican and moderate women are increasingly evolving their views away from the traditional GOP stance of a total ban — in February, 39% said their party's views on abortion are "too extreme," The New York Times reported, citing a public opinion researcher.

Democrats know the issue could be a turning point for independent voters and even some Republicans, and they're using it to their advantage.

Senate Democrats have been bringing more bills focused on reproductive rights to a vote — like the "Right to IVF Act," which Republicans blocked earlier this month.

And President Joe Biden has made it a central point of his 2024 reelection campaign. He's hoping that the issue of abortion can turn Florida blue this fall, and he's repeatedly promised to restore Roe.