• Fans think there's a divide in the Cyrus family following Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus' separation.
• Noah and Braison Cyrus didn't attend Tish's wedding to Dominic Purcell in August 2023.
• At the 2024 Grammys, Miley only thanked her mom and sister in her acceptance speech.

Amid rumors of an ongoing family rift, Miley Cyrus has addressed the state of her relationship with her parents, Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus.

In the new season of "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman," the Grammy award-winning singer was asked if she ever considered her father her "hero."

She responded: "I mean, honestly, my mom is my hero."

"My father — I'm grateful for, first, his genes," she continued diplomatically. "My dad has great hair, and I got that. But also he has a relationship and a foot on the ground to the real and to nature and he always did, even when he was super famous."

When asked whether her father deserves as much "credit" for her career as her mom, who has been her manager for years, she said: "They're different. They can't be weighed on the same scale, actually."

Letterman then questioned: "There's no estrangement here with your father. It's just kinda the way things are played?" which elicited another tactful answer from the singer.

She said: "Yeah. I think what is so beautiful is that my parents, they served their children, and I know this. My parents served us and sacrificed so much for us. Anything we dreamed of, they made possible."

Fans on social media are seeing Cyrus's answers as further evidence that the family has divided into two camps since Tish and her ex-husband Billy Ray finalized their divorce in 2022.

The former couple were married for 30 years. They walked down the aisle together in 1993, a year after Miley was born. They later welcomed two more children together, son Braison (born in 1994) and daughter Noah (born in 1999).

The blended Cyrus family also includes Tish's two older children, Brandi (born in 1987) and Trace (born in 1989), whom she welcomed with ex Baxter Neal Helson, but whom Billy Ray adopted upon their marriage. Billy Ray also has a son, Christopher Cody (born in 1992, the same year as Miley), whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey.

So, what's going on in the Cyrus family? Let's break down all the evidence.

When Billy Ray and Tish officially divorced in 2022, it was after more than a decade of marital difficulties

The couple first filed divorce papers in 2010, but a year later, the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer said on "The View" that they had reconciled. 

Two years later, in 2013, Tish again filed for divorce, but the following month, E! News reported that they had rekindled their relationship again after attending couples therapy.

Things seemed to be going well between the pair up until the last few years, when Tish filed for divorce again in April 2022, citing "irreconcilable differences," People reported. Per the divorce filing seen by the outlet, the former spouses had been separated for more than two years and were living separately. 

In the wake of her parents' third and final separation, fans noticed that Noah had unfollowed her mom on Instagram

Fans were quick to speculate that Noah could be siding with her dad in the split, given the fact that she appeared to either unfollow or block Tish — who is also her co-manager — on Instagram, as first spotted by a social media user in August 2022.

Sometime between then and now, the pair appear to have refollowed each other, and they are currently on each other's follow lists.

After the divorce, Billy Ray began dating Australian singer Firerose, whom he proposed to in August 2022

Cyrus told People that he originally met Firerose, whose real name is Johanna Rosie Hodges, sometime in 2010 while he was on the set of "Hannah Montana," the Disney Channel series that propelled Miley to superstardom.

The pair — who have a 27-year age gap — said they first became friends, and then musical collaborators, releasing their first song together in 2021. 

By summer 2022, the pair had become more than friends, with Firerose moving into Cyrus's Franklin, Tennessee, farm. They announced their engagement on Instagram on November 20, 2022.

At the time, Billy Ray said that everything was good between him, his children — and his ex-wife

Speaking to People about his engagement, the country star addressed the rumors of a rift in the family following his divorce from Tish.

"Everyone knew that that relationship was over a long time ago," he told the magazine. "Everybody's turning the page. It's been a lot, but everyone knew that it was time for a change."

Tish Cyrus moved on with actor Dominic Purcell, and they announced their engagement in April 2023

Tish and the "Prison Break" star first revealed that they were together on November 27, 2022, exactly a week after Billy Ray shared his engagement announcement.

On April 29, 2023, Tish announced on Instagram that the two were engaged.

Not all of Tish's children attended her and Purcell's wedding, raising eyebrows among fans

In August 2023, Tish walked down the aisle for a second time in an intimate ceremony held poolside at a private residence in Malibu, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Her eldest children, Brandi and Trace Cyrus, who were legally adopted by Billy Ray during their marriage, were part of the wedding party, as was Miley, per photos published by Just Jared and the Daily Mail.

However, Noah and Braison were notably absent from the event. 

While the wedding was taking place, Noah and Braison made it very clear that they were elsewhere

The two siblings posed in several Instagram Stories posted on Noah's account on the day of Tish's wedding.

In one, Braison — who, according to his Instagram, resides in Nashville, Tennessee — can be seen holding up a restaurant menu. Noah wrote over the photo that her brother "flew" to Los Angeles to see her, which some fans interpreted as a slight toward Tish, whose wedding took place in nearby Malibu.

In other photos and videos posted by the "July" singer, she and Braison filmed themselves hanging out in Walmart, and Noah can be seen cuddling up to her brother on a sofa after enjoying a "sleepover" with him and another friend.

In one of the snaps, Noah can be seen wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Billy Ray's face

The picture shows Noah leaning her head against her brother's shoulder while sitting at a table. Visible in the photo is Noah's black T-shirt, featuring a photo of her father in his younger, mullet-sporting days.

Trace shared an Instagram story the day after the wedding that fans think hinted at a divide between the Cyrus siblings

The day after Tish's nuptials, Trace posted an old photograph on his Instagram story of him, Brandi, and Miley as kids sitting on Tish's lap, tagging his two sisters and mom.

Tish reposted the throwback snap on her own Instagram story, adding five red heart emojis.

None of the Cyruses have publicly addressed the rumors of a rift, but fans also think Miley snubbed her dad with her latest single

Miley and Billy Ray do not currently follow each other on Instagram; it's unclear how long that has been the case.

Miley also released her latest single, "Used to Be Young," on August 25, 2023 — which happened to be Billy Ray's birthday.

Some of her fans interpreted this as intentional, given that the singer released her breakup ballad, "Flowers," on the eve of ex-husband Liam Hemsworth's birthday in January 2023.

Tish and Billy Ray also do not follow each other on Instagram.

Representatives for Miley, Tish, Billy Ray, Noah, Braison, Trace, and Brandi Cyrus did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The 'Flowers' singer didn't thank her dad in her 2024 Grammys acceptance speech

While accepting the award for best pop solo performance for her song "Flowers at the  2024 Grammys, the singer didn't thank her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, in her acceptance speech.

Miley thanked her mother Tish, her sister Brandi, her boyfriend Maxx Morando, and her "main gays" for styling her look after her song "Flowers" won record of the year. "I don't think I forgot anyone — but I might have forgotten underwear. Bye!" the singer quipped before leaving the stage.

Fans on social media are seeing the omission as further evidence that the family has divided into two camps.

• Marc Benioff is big on rest and relaxation.
• The Salesforce CEO spoke about his daily routine in a 2023 interview with GQ.
• Benioff says he makes time to sleep eight hours a night and meditate for up to an hour a day.

Some CEOs proudly profess to only sleep a few hours a night. Then there's Marc Benioff.

Benioff, the billionaire CEO of Salesforce, recently shared some details about his routine in an interview with GQ. He spoke about his sleep schedule and how he uses meditation to get into a more zen headspace.

Benioff said that he averages about eight hours of sleep a night.

Though some business leaders swear they can survive on half the amount of sleep, Benioff isn't one of them. Asked about the entrepreneurs who say they get only four hours of sleep a night, Benioff quickly batted the idea down.

"No, I don't think that's generally a good idea. Based on the medical research," he told GQ.

Some other executives, like former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, and former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt have previously said they average about 4-6 hours of sleep a night.

Four to six hours is about half the amount of recommended sleep for an average adult — seven to nine hours. Research has indicated that sleep deprivation can lead to issues like impaired cognitive function and a weakened immune system.

Benioff also has a strict meditation routine that he's been dedicated to since 1992, he told GQ.

Benioff said that he starts his day off by meditating for 30-60 minutes, using it as a way to help manage his stress.

He is such a big fan of meditation that he encourages his employees to partake by having meditation rooms on every floor at a Salesforce building in San Francisco.

Benioff has worked closely with monks and nuns from Plum Village in France, even going so far as to invite them to stay at his San Francisco home in 2015. He relies on the monks for guidance and credits them with the idea of incorporating meditation spaces into Salesforce.

Benioff also spoke about his meditation habit in 2005 with SFGate, saying at the time that Salesforce offered twice-weekly yoga classes to its employees.

"I am very interested in keeping a clear head," he said. "So I enjoy meditation, which I've been doing for over a decade — probably to help relieve the stress I was going through when I was working at Oracle."

Though Benioff may seem to have his wellness routine down perfectly, he's still open to changing it up. Benioff said that he still sleeps with his phone on his bedside table. When told in the interview that using your phone right before bed could have negative health effects, he said: "I'll move it."

• I'm not really a Jimmy Buffett fan, but Margaritaville Cancún is my favorite all-inclusive resort.
• All of the food at the resort, from breakfast to taco boats, was amazing. 
• I surprisingly loved the kitschy decor, and the atmosphere was relaxed and fun.

I've never really been a fan of Jimmy Buffett's music, and the late musician's Margaritaville hotels and restaurants have always struck me as a little cheesy.

But my recent stay at Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya in Carretera Tulum, Cancún, which opened in January 2023, changed my attitude.

All-inclusive travel is as luxurious and widespread as ever — even major hotel chains like Hyatt and Marriott offer such properties.

I've been to dozens of luxury resorts in Mexico. But, surprisingly, Margaritaville was one of the nicest and least cheesy all-inclusive experiences I've had.

For $1,400, I spent five days and four nights eating, drinking, lounging by the pool, and enjoying some of the hotel's unique amenities. Now, I can't wait to return.

Here's why it was so amazing.

There are references to Buffett throughout the resort.

Margaritaville, named after Buffett's famous song, is inspired by the singer's laid-back tropical lifestyle.

From the decorative surfboards adorned with song lyrics to the Instagram-worthy parrot murals, there are subtle nods and homages to Buffett everywhere.

I'm not well versed in his music, but even I had fun spotting these Easter eggs while wandering around the resort.

It's an adults-only resort.

I prefer to enjoy my margaritas without children experiencing a sugar crash nearby, so I love that it's an adults-only resort.

But if you're traveling with kids, Margaritaville Island Reserve Cancún next door is just as luxe and welcomes families.

The rooms are modern, stylish, and luxurious.

The resort rooms strike the perfect balance between fun and luxury.

For maximum relaxation, you can even splurge on a swim-up suite.

Little touches make the rooms bright and fun.

Instead of the cookie-cutter suites you usually see at all-inclusive resorts, these included cheerful pops of turquoise, cute tropical artwork, and unique furniture.

I loved the chest of drawers designed to look like a vintage steamer trunk.

The tropical theme was everywhere — no detail was spared.

The crisp white sheets on my king-sized bed were adorned with tiny monochromatic parrots, and the bathroom was stocked with luxe banana-scented lotion.

These small details added a sense of whimsy to my stay.

I had a ball customizing my minibar.

Depending on the package you book, guests are given points they can use to customize the minibar in their rooms with items from Joe Merchant's Coffee & Provisions — a commissary that doubles as a coffee shop.

In addition to alcoholic beverages, it has a great selection of nonalcoholic drinks and treats, including some of my favorite Mexican snack foods, like chili-dipped mango candies.

I felt like a kid in a candy store and had so much fun picking out things for my room.

Margaritas were available everywhere.

Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya has four specialty bars where you can get margaritas of every variety.

I loved enjoying a mango margarita on the rocks while relaxing by the pool.

If you're craving more, you can use points to rent a margarita maker for your room alongside various mixes. All the rooms also have a cocktail shaker, cutting board, knife, and lime squeezer on the minibar if you want to mix up your own.

The food looked as good as it tasted.

Hardcore fans of the Margaritaville restaurant chain might initially be disappointed that they can't enjoy a plate of volcano nachos in a kitschy setting.

But the available food and drinks are so good that I can't imagine missing the chain.

The resort is gourmet-inclusive, which means it has aesthetic "food displays" instead of standard buffets.

I usually avoid resort buffets as much as possible. But the Mexican food display included regional specialties like tacos al pastor and chocolate tamales. That was one of my favorite dinners of the entire trip.

Breakfast was next-level great, too.

I've experienced a lot of resort breakfast buffets, but Margaritaville's is one of the best I've had.

In addition to the usual items, like omelets and bacon, there was a made-to-order chilaquiles station.

I also got to enjoy my meal in a boat-shaped booth, which is incredibly fun.

The stand-alone restaurants are beautiful.

Stand-alone restaurants at resorts often feel bland. This wasn't the case with Frank and Lola's, an upscale Italian restaurant named after a Buffett song.

It's so stylish that it feels like it could exist in the real world (outside the resort). I love how the space is adorned with adorable vintage-inspired clocks and radios.

Plus, my osso buco (veal entrée) was delicious.

The taco boat is not to be missed.

On this trip, I unlocked a bucket list item: Enjoying a floating picnic of tacos.

My friends and I ordered the "avocado boat" taco experience, which included over 60 tacos served in the pool.

Sure, it was a lot of food for three people. But the tacos were delicious.

There’s also poolside ceviche.

In addition to hot dogs, burgers, and an impressive selection of tacos, the poolside Licensed to Chill bar serves several varieties of ceviches.

I washed it all down with a margarita, of course.

The Salted Rim Margarita Bar & Lounge serves delicious craft cocktails.

The lobby bar, located under a chandelier made of margarita glasses, serves inventive cocktails made with freshly squeezed juices.

My favorite drink was a martini made with grilled cactus extract.

But if you need a break from tropical cocktails, there's also a microbrewery on the property — something I've never seen at another all-inclusive resort.

LandShark Bar & Grill brews its beers on-site and offers upscale pub food and live music.

There’s a pool for every kind of guest.

The liveliest area is the main pool facing the ocean. It's home to the 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar, and there's even a poolside DJ and weekly foam parties.

The rest of the resort feels laid back with mellow music and hammocks throughout the property. But everything is close together, so even if you're by one of the quieter pools, you don't feel cut off from the pulse of the resort.

You can play pickleball on the roof.

If you want to switch up your routine of swim-sunbathe-repeat, the resort offers rooftop pickleball courts.

Guests can play a few games and stick around for courtside drinks with an incredible view.

There's even glow-in-the-dark pickleball at night.

It feels more like a boutique hotel than a large resort.

The resort marries everything I like about boutique hotels — quirky decor, luxurious beds, and chef-driven cuisine — with the ease and convenience of an all-inclusive resort.

Even room service is included, which is a luxurious perk.

You don’t have to be a Parrothead to enjoy Margaritaville.

I understand why Buffett fans — known as Parrotheads —love this Cancún resort. But I was shocked by how much I enjoyed my stay.

From stunning views to endless tacos, every detail was fun, luxurious, and perfectly cheesy.

I've been to plenty of all-inclusive resorts, including several others in Mexico, but Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya tops them all.

• Tim Cook unveiled Apple's generative AI strategy, called Apple Intelligence, at WWDC 2024.
• The strategy includes new AI features in the upcoming iOS 18, Mac, and iPad updates. 
• Key features include a smarter Siri and priority notifications.

Tim Cook unveiled Apple's generative AI strategy, which it calls "Apple Intelligence," at its Worldwide Developer Conference earlier this week.

At its biggest conference, Apple revealed a bunch of cool AI features that will be launched through its upcoming software update, iOS 18, and on its latest Mac and iPad operating systems.

Apple also officially announced its partnership with OpenAI, which will see it integrate ChatGPT into its software and let users search for queries that they can't do through its revamped Siri.

Here's a recap of what was announced.

Siri's getting a lot smarter

Apple's digital assistant, Siri, will be much more helpful. You can type in instructions instead of just speaking to it. It will be able to carry out tasks within other apps for you, like sending a photo to a friend that you're looking at.

Summarize and proofread emails

You'll be able to get summaries of emails through Mail and peek at the first couple of lines of one without having to open an email.

Apple said Mail is also getting a "Smart Reply" boost, which will offer suggestions for automatic responses.

It could also help you switch up the tone of what you're writing through a prompt.

Say goodbye to those annoying notifications

You'll be able to get a summary of your notifications, which will be organized by priority of what's the most important.

It will also have a "Reduce Interruptions" feature that Apple says will "help users stay present" in whatever they are focused on. It will only ping you a notification for something that could be considered urgent, Apple said, citing a text about an early daycare pickup as one example.

Record and transcribe audio files in the Notes app

It will also summarize the audio files you record in its Notes and Phone apps, which could be pretty handy for work meetings.

Search through your photos and videos with keywords

Searching with keywords will make it even easier to pull up a specific photo or video you're looking for. And if there's someone you want to remove from a photo, you can use its "Clean Up" tool to remove them or unwanted objects.

Create AI images while you're chatting with your friends

Apple is bringing "Image Playground" to its Messages app, which allows users to create animations, sketches, and illustrations.

Users can also create a "Genmoji" — an animated version of yourself — to use in messages. It's a bit like a Bitmoji where you can personalize it to look like you or your friends and use it to express a whole range of emotions while texting.

• Ukraine targeted an airbase in Russia's Rostov region with at least 70 drones, an official said.
• Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, confirmed the attack to The War Zone.
• The operation targeted Su-34 bombers used by Russia to drop glide bombs on Ukraine.

Ukraine struck a military airbase in Russia with at least 70 drones on Thursday, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, told The War Zone.

The mass attack was launched at Morozovsk airbase in Russia's Rostov region, almost 200 miles from the Ukrainian border.

A satellite image of an airfield close to Morozovsk shows what appear to be multiple Su-34 fighter-bombers.

A security source told Sky News that the Ukrainian attack was designed to target the jets that Russia has used to drop powerful glide bombs on Ukraine.

They added that the strikes were part of a "sustained campaign to degrade the Russian Air Force."

The extent of the damage caused by the attack is not yet known. Budanov told The War Zone that they were "waiting for information" on whether any targets were destroyed or damaged.

But one Russian Telegram channel, The Kremlin Snuff Box, claimed that six Russian military personnel were killed in the strikes, citing sources in the Russian General Staff.

"Most of the drones were shot down, a few failed. We have six dead, including two military pilots. And more than ten wounded," one source said, per the channel.

It is not the first time that Ukraine has targeted the Morozovsk airbase.

In early April, Ukrainian forces carried out another large drone assault on the site, destroying "at least six fighter bombers," damaging another eight planes, and killing 20 Russian soldiers, a Ukrainian law enforcement official told Politico.

A video shared on social media at the time appeared to show the strikes.

Russia has increasingly used glide bombs — some weighing more than 3,000 pounds — to batter Ukrainian targets.

The cheap projectiles are made by attaching wings and satellite navigation systems to old Soviet-era bombs. Russian bombers are then able to release them from safer distances, making it hard for Ukraine to counter such attacks.

Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said in March that Russia's use of the bombs was its "main advantage on the battlefield," allowing its forces "to destroy the targets of the strikes and advance through the ruins."

• Matan Gans is a former software development engineer at AWS. 
• He's been a victim of Big Tech's sweeping layoffs since graduating college.
• Coinbase rescinded an offer days after his graduation. Months later, Gans was laid off from Amazon.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matan Gans, a former software development engineer at AWS and startup founder. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I graduated from Brown University in 2022, I was weighing up two exciting job offers — one from Google and one from Coinbase.

Google was kind of a dream job for me, but the job was in-person and meant uprooting my life in Boston and moving to California.

I also had a return offer from my previous summer internship with Amazon Web Services, which I choose not to accept because it was based in Seattle.

The Coinbase job was fully remote, so I was faced with this difficult decision of staying on the East Coast or moving to the West Coast.

I ended up deciding to stay in Boston and accept the Coinbase offer. I was a bit hesitant because although cryptocurrency was going through a big hype at the time, I was really excited about the idea of going into Big Tech and having a stable job.

It was difficult to say no to Google, but it just came down to the remote working opportunity.

But a week after graduation I got an email from Coinbase saying they were rescinding my offer amid a round of layoffs.

Flood of support

It was obviously disappointing and really shocking — I'd been excited about the Coinbase job.

It took a while to get over this initial shock. I decided to post on LinkedIn about it because I saw others were doing so.

The response was amazing — I had recruiters flooding my LinkedIn inbox and loads of support from people in the tech industry. I even got fast-tracked to the last round of interviews for one company looking to scoop up laid-off Coinbase employees.

My manager from a summer internship I did at Amazon also got in touch. He offered me a job on the same team I'd done my internship with. Although the team was based in Seattle, he said the company had a remote option that would allow me to work from Boston.

Although I had another offer on the table, I accepted the Amazon job.

It felt like a safer choice because it was a Big Tech company — and I already knew the team.

I started working as a software development engineer at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in August 2022. The job turned out to be fantastic and I learnt a lot.

Amazon layoffs

When Amazon started cutting jobs, it was a big shock.

The sweeping layoffs were obviously concerning given that I'd already been through a similar situation just months earlier.

There was a sense within the company that the layoffs wouldn't reach AWS because it was profitable. I survived the first two rounds of cuts in early 2023 and gradually started to feel secure in my job again.

But, in February 2023, Amazon announced a return-to-office policy.

This was alarming as the main reason I took the job was because of the remote option. I was living with my partner in Providence, Rhode Island, so the commute to the Boston office would have been long.

Not only that, but my team was still based in Seattle.

I could have made the commute to the Boston office work, but I started to get the sense from my manager they'd rather have me in Seattle. I told them if I had to relocate I would, but I'd rather stay where I was.

My managers tried to move me to another team located in Boston and never implied my job was in jeopardy.

But then, on a regular Tuesday morning, I logged onto my computer and found I had lost access to the company Slack. Sure enough, when I opened my email I discovered I'd been laid off.

The two people laid off from my team were remote workers. I don't know why I was cut — I tried to push for a reason but the company told me it was a mix of things and not just because I was remote.

The new normal

I posted on LinkedIn again after I was laid off from Amazon but it went much less viral this time.

It didn't get this stream of responses I had received after my Coinbase offer was rescinded.

It felt like all the tech companies were doing huge layoffs. I applied to a few jobs and got a few automated rejections, but each day I was seeing more people laid off.

At the beginning I regretted not taking the original job at Google. Although Google did some layoffs, they didn't axe as many roles proportionally as Coinbase did.

Over time, I've learned not to have regrets around that choice.

I think the work experience at Google would have been very similar to Amazon. It might even have been worse for me because I would've been so far away from from home and my personal relationships on the East Coast.

Post-layoff life

Since I was laid off from Amazon, the main thing I've been doing is setting up my own start-up.

On the side, I also teach with a program that offers extracurricular coding and AI research to students and volunteer as a coding instructor with another program.

I also took some contact software engineering work with very early stage startups. I was interested in entrepreneurship after having experienced big tech and trying out these jobs inspired me to start building my own venture.

My main takeaway about getting laid off is how hard it can be to mentally reconfigure your life.

My immediate reaction for several months was disillusion with the with Big Tech, but now I feel positive about my experiences. This feels like a really good time in my life to not take a straightforward path.

There is a silver lining to the layoffs as they allowed me to take to time out, find myself, and figure out what I enjoy.

• A Russian tank fell into a crater and was targeted by Ukrainian drones, new footage appeared to show.
• Ukraine's 68th Jaeger Brigade claims to have destroyed eight Russian tanks in the Donetsk region.
• The battle was in one of the "most tense" areas along the front line, Ukraine's General Staff said.

A new war video from the battlefield in Ukraine appears to show a Russian tank falling into a crater when fleeing Ukrainian fire.

The footage, released by Ukraine's 68th Jaeger Brigade, begins by showing drone video of an oncoming column of Russian armor. The vehicle at the front of the company is taken out by an explosion. Debris can be seen flying up into the air.

Drones then attack the rest of the column of tanks and armored vehicles.

One of the tanks, when crossing a field, drives into a large crater. A drone then targets the tank as at least one Russian soldier attempts to flee.

A second video shows the tank engulfed in flames and exploding.

Business Insider could not independently verify the video or the claims made in the caption.

According to the video's caption, eight Russian tanks and eight infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) were destroyed. The video was taken in Pokrovsk in Ukraine's Donetsk region, one of the "most tense" areas along the front line, according to an update by Ukraine's General Staff.

"Ukrainian defense forces continue to make efforts to stabilize the situation and inflict major fire damage," the update said.

Later on June 14, in comments to Ukrinform, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesman for the Khortytsia grouping of forces, a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, confirmed the brigade's claims.

"In the Pokrovsk axis, our Defense Forces destroyed eight Russian tanks and disabled two more. That's 10 in total. This makes up a tank company," he said.

"In addition, in this section of the front, during the said period, our defenders destroyed eight more armored fighting vehicles, two artillery systems, and four other vehicles (one more damaged)."

Voloshyn didn't specify when the video had been filmed but said 242 Russian troops had been killed or wounded during fighting in Pokrovsk.

"Our Ukrainian defenders did a good job yesterday and disposed of plenty of Russian hardware, and even more so Russian invaders along with their equipment," Voloshyn said.

• Fermented foods are rich in probiotics and can increase gut microbiome diversity. 
• Mass-produced, processed, fermented foods may not be as beneficial. 
• A gut-health dietitian recommends eating a variety of fermented food and buying locally-made items.

Studies have shown that fermented foods, like sauerkraut and kimchi, are good for gut health.

Made when live bacteria or yeast are added to ingredients like tea, milk, or vegetables, fermented foods contain probiotics, which are the "good" bacteria in our guts.

Fermented food can increase the diversity of the gut microbiome, the trillions of microbes that live in the colon lining. This can impact digestion, the immune system, and the brain. Experts believe that the more diverse the microbial community, the healthier it is.

But with Big Food cashing in on this discovery, it's easy to be sold products that doesn't deliver.

"Lots of things are being mass produced at the moment in the fermented food space, and they're not necessarily as good quality," Tanzil Miah, a gut-health specialist dietitian at The Gut Health Clinic in London, UK told Business Insider.

A new lawsuit, for example, has claimed that someone would need to drink more than four cans a day of the "gut-friendly" soda Poppi, which claims to aid gut health, to receive any potential health benefits.

Miah shared her three top tips for getting the most benefit out of fermented foods.

Eat multiple servings per day

Miah eats two servings of fermented foods a day. This could mean around two to three tablespoons of yogurt or kefir, or 30 grams of aged cheese, she said.

There's compelling evidence to suggest that eating multiple servings of fermented foods daily can be beneficial for gut health.

A 2021 study from Stanford University found that people who ate around six servings of fermented foods a day for 10 weeks had increased microbiome diversity compared to those who ate a high-fiber diet. They also had reduced inflammation biomarkers.

Eat a variety of fermented foods

It's also important to eat a variety of different fermented foods, Miah said, because the gut microbiome thrives on diversity.

"We still haven't discovered all the secrets of the microbiome yet. But one of the things we know for sure is our gut microbiome loves diversity," Miah said.

Eating plant-based foods, probiotic foods, and prebiotic foods, which are found in plants like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, leads to a more diverse microbiome with more types of beneficial bacteria, she said.

Buy locally and check labels

Due to the explosion of the gut-health trend, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha are now available at most grocery stores. But oftentimes, they're mass-produced and contain far more ingredients than you might realize, Miah said.

"They lose some of that goodness in the processing and batch production," she added.

Some might even be considered ultra-processed foods (UPFs) because they contain five or more ingredients, including some you wouldn't find in a regular kitchen. UPFs are linked to many health problems and typically contain little fiber and few nutrients, meaning they're not particularly nourishing for the microbiome.

Miah recommended buying locally-made fermented foods when possible or checking the nutritional labels of products in the store before buying them.

"Go to a local market or a farmer's market or something like that," she said.

• China's newest aircraft carrier is a substantial capability jump as it builds a modern blue-water navy.
• Carriers are important to China's national identity and vision of being a great power.
• Carriers are also useful tools China can use to address a variety of strategy and security issues.

China is building a fleet of aircraft carriers, making technological and capability jumps at a breakneck pace.

Carriers bring new aviation capabilities to its navy, but the flattops also appear to be key elements of China's vision for the future, giving it the ability to project strength and influence as a great power.

China's latest carrier is the Fujian, a large, conventionally powered vessel that underwent sea trials earlier this spring. By all accounts, Fujian is a marked improvement over China's first two carriers — it's the only warship in its class and bigger than its Soviet-style predecessors, boasting a larger potential air wing.

Most notably, the Fujian lacks the ski-jump style ramp that is prominent on China's Shandong and Liaoning carriers. Instead, its flight deck is equipped with an electromagnetic catapult launch system like the US Navy's new Ford-class carriers.

For now, China and the US are the only countries with this technology, which allows them to launch heavier aircraft with more fuel, supplies, and weapons more efficiently and effectively, adding new assets and options to the air wing.

The big leap from the ski jump to the catapult system is already significant, but China also skipped steam-powered catapults, which would've been a natural next step from the ramps.

The move shows China is attempting to push technological boundaries while building and developing new carriers, reinforcing the view that with major shipbuilding capacity on its side, China can develop, test, and field capabilities faster than its competitors.

"Now it's getting into a pace of understanding what it needs to successfully put an aircraft carrier into the water, and you combine that with its shipbuilding prowess and you have a recipe for a lot of carriers getting built in a short amount of time," said Matthew Funaiole, a senior fellow with the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

China's shipbuilding strengths and political motivations to build carriers are propelling it towards its blue-water navy future. China is planning to build and deploy six carriers in total by 2035, which would give China a fleet just over half the size of the American carrier force, though numbers alone aren't everything.

China has a roadmap for its ambitions in the coming decades. By 2027, its People's Liberation Army is expected to be fully modernized, per a command from Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, giving it the ability to invade Taiwan should it decide to do so. And by 2049, China has goals for a national transformation into a modern power with a "world-class military."

The "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" is a core Chinese ambition with different interpretations. US Army Maj. Kyle Amonson and retired US Coast Guard Capt. Dane Egli wrote in a 2023 Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs article that this monumental Chinese effort "has been the ultimate goal for President Xi" and that the goal is the "emergence of China as the leading global power by 2049."

"In this era of strategic competition, no strategic goal is more ambitiously anticipated than the annexation of Taiwan," they wrote, as this would establish "Xi's standing in history" and help him consolidate greater power.

Connected to the 2049 goal, to be realized within one hundred years of the founding of the People's Republic of China under the Chinese Communist Party, is China's desire "to have a naval presence and project power globally," Funaiole explained, noting that while it may not be accomplished in the same way as the US, China wants the ability to flex its muscles, "and aircraft carriers are a big part of how it sees itself being able to accomplish those goals."

Such a future — one where China's carriers sail the globe like the US Navy — is not necessarily hard to imagine, given that while China faces plenty of domestic and economic woes at this time, it's chasing the US military might at a speed and ability that clearly concerns US officials and military leaders.

Aircraft carriers are symbols of military strength. With thousands of sailors on board, dozens of combat aircraft, and often surrounded by other warships with their own capabilities, these flattops can represent a nation's far-reaching influence, making them as much a status symbol as a naval warfare asset.

For China, having aircraft carriers allows it to enjoy many of those perks. It gives it the ability to project power across the East and South China Seas, out into the Western Pacific, further into the Indian Ocean, and potentially beyond. With that type of physical presence, Funaiole said, China can enhance its ability as a power broker in those regions.

And beyond their military purposes, carriers can lend to diplomacy, signaling, and humanitarian assistance. They can ensure proper sea lanes of communication and trade, as well as favorably position China in regions like the Gulf states and allow it to challenge the US Navy's status as a guarantor of international trade.

While some of these have been lesser priorities for China, the carriers provide Beijing with options.

Funaiole explained that China may have a different mindset from the US on how to use its carriers, instead wanting the ability to project power when it wants and where it wants, which is different than how the US spreads its influence.

For the US, carriers are just one tool which, when combined with US bases, logistics hubs, humanitarian projects, and military installations in other countries, it uses to create a large network of allies and partners. "The US has a very different mindset about what it is in the world versus how China sees its role in the world," Funaiole said.

Part of that may come from China's history. As retired Cmdr. Michael Dahm of the US Navy, and Peter W. Singer, a strategist at New America and author, wrote for Defense One earlier this month, defeat at the Battle of the Yalu River in 1894, as well as the larger "Century of Humiliation" that followed, weigh heavily on the minds of the Chinese and PLA Navy's leadership.

These factors, combined with how long China has wanted to build aircraft carriers and how the vessels reflect national pride, create a situation where the success of its carrier program is directly tied to its success in becoming a great power, if not a leading world power.

But just because China is building carriers quickly doesn't mean it can bypass the growing pains that come with carrier operations. China's biggest problem will be fielding the right talent and getting them the experience needed, something the US has mastered through over a century of carrier operations.

China's carrier force is a little over a decade old, meaning its most senior leaders are still getting their feet wet and may not have the expertise to train newer people. And with the technological jumps between carrier types, that learning gap only grows.

China, of course, can and does learn from the decades of US trial and error, but that doesn't mean it can build what Guy Snodgrass, a former defense official and US naval aviator, described as the "connective tissue" necessary to conduct carrier operations, generate big sorties, and seamlessly bring every element together, from aviation to maintenance and logistics, without actually experiencing it. Some things can really only be learned by doing them.

• Donald Trump shook Sen. Mitch McConnell's hand, signaling a peace between the top two Republicans.
• The former president has repeatedly torn into Senate minority leader since leaving office.
• Both men now recognize the benefits to playing nice with each other once more.

Former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have decided to play nice, again.

On Thursday, Trump returned to the Capitol for the first time since the 2020 election. It was also his first time back since his supporters stormed the building on January 6, 2021. At the time, the two top Republicans in Congress, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and McConnell, then the Senate Majority Leader, blamed the sitting president for the riot. McCarthy eventually made peace with Trump, but McConnell didn't talk to the former president for years. According to reports at the time and since then, the longest-serving GOP Senate leader came close to voting to convict Trump of inciting the violence.

"The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us," McConnell said of the House's 2021 impeachment proceedings, according to journalists Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin's book "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America's Future."

Those past tensions were nowhere to be seen on Thursday.

McConnell said that the meeting was "really positive." Even Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the only Republican to vote to impeach Trump twice, was in attendance at the large gathering of the Senate GOP.

"We had a really positive meeting, he and I got a chance to talk a little bit, we shook hands a few times, he got a lot of standing ovations, it was an entirely positive meeting," McConnell told reporters, per Politico. "Mitt Romney was there, as well, and I can't think of anything to tell you about it that was negative."

Trump wants to avoid the appearance of disunity that would distract from his coronation as he is crowned the Republican Party's presidential nominee for the third straight time in Milwaukee. There's also a block of traditional, Reagan-loving Republicans that remain skeptical of returning Trump to the White House. McConnell considers himself a card-carrying member of that wing, having staked perhaps the last major fight of his legacy on a massive foreign aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

McConnell wants the Senate majority back. He recognizes how Trump could help the GOP despite calling the former president's political standing "diminished" less than two years ago. The path back to power is favorable to the GOP on paper because the majority runs through states Trump won easily in 2020 like Montana and Ohio. Polls show the Democratic incumbents in those states are hanging tough for now.

McConnell is also thinking about his next act. Now, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, McConnell has said he will step down from the role after the election. According to Axios, he's already considering becoming chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. It would give him major sway on topics like defense spending, where he favors more interventionist foreign policy than Trump.

The pair are also behind Trump's biggest legacy: a more conservative judiciary. McConnell needed a GOP president to cement a conservative majority on the US Supreme Court. Trump's legacy will continue to be shaped in the years to come by his three nominees on the high court and the scores of lower court judges.

McConnell and Trump are still an odd pairing

Trump has far more in common with Republicans in the House, where allies like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia hold power, than the Senate GOP, which is still dominated by lawmakers skeptical of Trump's foreign and trade policy.

McConnell is the perfect encapsulation of this. The 82-year-old Kentuckian is known for saying very little in halls of the Capitol, to his colleagues' chagrin. Trump, according to an author of a forthcoming book about the Apprentice, has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of every celebrity that has crossed him. McConnell's memoir is entitled "The Long Game," while Trump redefined how Americans view the presidency through 140 and later 280-character messages on a platform created for its ephemerality.

Still, their Cold War has unnerved Republicans.

Trump did not respond to his post-January 6 isolation well. In September 2022, he asked if McConnell had a "DEATH WISH" because he supported legislation that Trump said McConnell knew he opposed.

"Mitch McConnell, the Broken Old Crow, has just conceded, for absolutely nothing and for no reason, the powerful Debt Ceiling negotiating block, which was the Republicans' first-class ticket for victory over the Democrats," Trump said in December 2021 over a deal McConnell struck to avoid the US defaulting on its debt.

Trump repeatedly lashed out at McConnell and former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. The former president went so far as to engage in patently xenophobic attacks against Chao, McConnell's wife, who resigned from the Trump administration in the wake of the January 6 attack. Trump was extremely unhappy that McConnell repeatedly worked with President Joe Biden, his former Senate colleague, on bipartisan legislation that never came to fruition when Republicans controlled the White House, particularly a sweeping infrastructure law.

Amid his pique, Trump pushed Sen. Rick Scott of Florida to challenge McConnell for the right to lead Senate Republicans. McConnell easily won, but their contest laid bare the frustration some Republicans had about the Cold War between two of their leaders.

But for all the insults, McConnell has always pledged to support the GOP nominee. In April 2022, journalist Jonathan Swan seemed perplexed that McConnell could potentially support the very man he called "practically and morally responsible for provoking" the Capitol riot.

"Well, as the Republican leader of the Senate, it should not be a front-page headline that I will support the Republican nominee for president," McConnell said. "I think I have the obligation to support the nominee of my party."

It remains to be seen what, if any, obligation Trump will have to McConnell in the coming months.