Tag: News

• J.D. Vance began bashing Donald Trump even before the former president took office.
• Over the years, he gradually went from MAGA-hater to MAGA darling.
• Vance has expressed regret for his past comments while celebrating his ability to change his mind.

Donald Trump has not only selected J.D. Vance as his running mate, but also appointed him the unofficial heir of the MAGA movement. But Vance hasn't always been all-in on Trump — in fact, he hurled some pretty nasty insults at the former president fewer than 10 years ago.

Here's a timeline of how Vance went from a "Never Trumper" to MAGA loyalist and second-in-command.

February 2016

Just a few months after Trump announced he was running for president, Vance texted a former roommate from Yale Law School that he feared the political hopeful might be "America's Hitler."

February 18, 2016

In a column for USA Today, Vance reflected on a GOP primary debate and said that "Trump's actual policy proposals, such as they are, range from immoral to absurd."

June 28, 2016

Vance published "Hillbilly Elegy," which focuses on his experience growing up poor in Ohio and Kentucky. The novel became a New York Times bestseller and, with its emphasis on the white working class, was largely seen as an explanation for Trump's rise. At the time, Vance self-identified as a "Never Trumper."

July 4, 2016

Writing for a magazine he now conflates with elitism, Vance said in The Atlantic that Trump is "cultural heroin."

August 17, 2016

In an interview with NPR, Vance said that he "can't stomach Trump" and that the former president "is leading the white working class to a very dark place."

October 9, 2016

After the "Access Hollywood" tape, in which Trump brags about groping women, surfaced, Vance sent off a fiery Tweet: "Trump makes people I care about afraid. Immigrants, Muslims, etc. Because of this I find him reprehensible. God wants better of us." Vance has since deleted the message.

October 18, 2016

Sitting for an interview with Charlie Rose, Vance said plainly, "I'm a 'Never Trump' guy. I never liked him."

November 8, 2016

At the ballot box, Vance did not cast his vote for Trump. He voted for Evan McMullin, an independent.

June 22, 2017

While discussing a bill working its way through Congress over Twitter DMs, Vance took another dig at the former president's character, referring to the former president as a "moral disaster."

February 2, 2018

Vance began to soften his tone in 2018 and lauded Trump's broad appeal. He told the Financial Times that Trump "recognizes the frustration that exists in large parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky and so forth," and called the former president the "least worrisome" part of the GOP's problems.

March 9, 2019

While speaking at an event for The American Conservative, a magazine, Vance said that Trump's policies on China were a "wild success."

2020

Vance supported Trump's bid for reelection and cast a vote in his name.

March 2021

In a radio interview, Vance said that he came to support Trump because he was pleasantly surprised by the former president's policies.

"I didn't think the policy was going to be that good, and the policy was much better than I thought it was going to be," he said. "I was really happy with the policy. And so, that's what caused me to become a Trump supporter."

July 2021

Vance launches his Senate campaign, becoming one of many GOP hopefuls in Ohio vying for Trump's endorsement.

Around the time that he started his campaign, Vance became a frequent guest on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," then at the height of its cable glory.

August 24, 2021

Vance went on Fox News and lamented his former stance on Trump, saying, "I regret being wrong about the guy.

October 23, 2021

Cementing his loyalty to Trump, Vance told an Ohio newspaper that he doubted the legitimacy of the 2020 election. He said that "there were certainly people voting illegally on a large-scale basis.

April 2022

By this point, Vance's attempts to endear himself to Trump appeared to pay off — the former president endorsed Vance's Senate bid.

January 31, 2023

The next year, Vance offered an endorsement of his own. In an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, Vance celebrated Trump's isolationist foreign policy tactics and officially supported his reelection campaign.

June 13, 2024

Now firmly established as Trump loyalist — and staunch conservative in the Senate — Vance kept it simple in an interview with the New York Times.

"I like him," he said of the former president.

July 15, 2024

Clearly, the affection is mutual. On the first day of the Republican National Convention, Trump ended his dramatic veepstakes and selected Vance as his running mate.

In his first interview as the GOP nominee for Vice President, Vance proved why Trump chose him above all others — he spoke confidently and cogently on all things MAGA, from specific policy initiatives to Trump's fitness for office. He will seemingly be a loyal running mate and eventual vice president should Trump win. He said his could-be job would be to "support the president in enacting the agenda."

Vance did not shy away from questions about his former opinions and celebrated his ability to change his mind.

"I was certainly skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016, but President Trump was a great president and he changed my mind," he said. "I bought into the media's lies and distortions."

• Sam Altman discussed the possibility of society granting some confidentiality around what people tell AI.
• As AI systems grow more popular, safeguarding the sensitive info that consumers share is key.
• Altman brought up the idea of "AI privilege" while talking about his new AI health venture with Arianna Huffington.

Should the sensitive information we share with AI be regulated under some form of confidentiality agreement similar to attorney-client privilege?

Sam Altman mulled the idea in a recent interview with The Atlantic, saying that society may decide "there's some version of AI privilege."

"When you talk to a doctor or a lawyer, there's medical privileges, legal privileges," Altman said in the interview. "There's no current concept of that when you talk to an AI, but maybe there should be."

The topic came up during a conversation with the OpenAI CEO and media mogul Arianna Huffington about their new AI health venture, Thrive AI Health. The company promises an AI health coach that tracks users' health data and provides personalized recommendations on things like sleep, movement, and nutrition.

As AI systems and products are implemented at increasing numbers of companies, regulating how that data is stored and shared has become a hot topic.

Laws like HIPAA make it illegal for doctors to disclose sensitive patient health data without the patient's permission. The agreement is important because it allows patients to feel comfortable being honest with their doctors, which can lead to better and more accurate solutions.

But some patients still have trouble opening up to doctors or seeking medical attention, and that's part of what motivated Altman to become involved with Thrive AI, he told The Atlantic. Other factors include the cost of healthcare and accessibility, according to an Op-Ed that Altman and Huffington wrote about the new venture in Time.

Altman said that he's been surprised by how many people are willing to share information with a large language model, or the AI systems that power chatbots like ChatGPT or Google's Gemini. He told The Atlantic that he's read Reddit threads about people who found success telling LLMs things they weren't comfortable sharing with others.

While Thrive AI is still figuring out what its product will look like, Huffington said in the interview she envisioned it being "available through every possible mode," including workplace platforms.

That, of course, raises concerns about data storage and regulation. Big tech companies have already faced lawsuits over claims they trained their AI models on content they didn't have a licensing agreement with. Health information is some of the most valuable and private data that individuals have, and it could also be used by companies to train LLMs.

Altman told The Atlantic it would be "super important to make it clear to people how data privacy works."

"But in our experience, people understand this pretty well," Altman added.

OpenAI's Startup Fund and Thrive Global announced the launch of Thrive AI Health last week. The company said it seeks to use AI "to democratize access to expert-level health coaching" and tackle "growing health inequities."

• Business Insider asked bartenders which drinks they would never order in the summer. 
• Refrain from ordering an Irish coffee when temperatures are on the rise. 
• The bartenders also said to steer clear of drinks with dairy and lots of sugar.

Summer is one of the best times to kick back and relax, which, for some people, means hitting the bar with friends.

Whether you're going to a crowded spot on the Las Vegas Strip or a small neighborhood establishment, there's no getting past the soaring alcohol prices. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, getting a beer, cocktail, or glass of wine at a restaurant or bar is two to three times as expensive this summer as it was last year.

The last thing you want to do is waste your money, so to help narrow down your options, Business Insider asked bartenders which drinks they never order in the summer.

Don’t order a hot drink.

If it's hot outside, steer clear of hot drinks at the bar.

"It is way too hot during the summer to be ordering any warm coffee-based drink such as an Irish coffee," Charles Mcintyre, lead bartender at Bar WooWoo in the Sky Rock Sedona hotel in Arizona, told BI.

Other drinks that fall in this category include hot toddies and mulled wine.

Nick Jackson, head bartender at The Rum House in New York City, also said that in the summer, bars may not even have the equipment or ingredients needed for traditional hot cocktails.

Skip the creamy cocktails.

If you're looking for a refreshing drink on a nice, warm night, milk isn't a great choice.

"I wouldn't order heavy, creamy cocktails like a White Russian or a brandy Alexander," said Eric Lopez, a bartender at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach.

Avoid sugary drinks.

According to Lopez, sugary cocktails like a Dirty Shirley (a Shirley Temple with a shot of vodka) can be dehydrating. Plus, after the sugar spike, you may crash and be too tired to continue your night out.

"Instead, I would opt for a Singapore sling or a classic mai tai or a cucumber cooler to refresh and keep you hydrated," he told BI.

Keep the bloody marys to a minimum.

Will Hancock, bartender at Linger Longer Lounge in Phoenix, said to avoid spicy, tomato-based cocktails, like a bloody mary or a bloody maria (tequila instead of vodka).

"I can't think of a more counterintuitive summer beverage than a spicy, salty, and thick tomato soup with cheese or smoked meat as a garnish," he told BI. "You'll be dehydrated before you can finish it."

Refrain from whiskey if you can help it.

Although an old-fashioned or a Manhattan might sound good, think twice before ordering whiskey-based cocktails in the summer.

"These whiskey-forward cocktails tend to fall into the 'nightcap region,' designed to highlight the aged spirit and wind you down," Demi Park, bar manager at Paradisaea in California, told BI.

Deep-flavored, heavy drinks aren't refreshing and likely won't keep you going on a long summer night.

Ditch the piña coladas.

Kat Gallardo, mixologist at Four Flamingos in Florida, shared the controversial opinion that piña coladas are a no-go in the summer.

"The most ordered cocktail at a beach bar is, in reality, an unbalanced sugar bomb," she told BI. "That shot of rum disappears after being in the blender."

Gallardo recommended a Papa Doble made with light rum, grapefruit juice, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup if you want less sugar and more rum.

Save the egg nog for winter.

According to Jason Bradley, senior food and beverage operations manager at the Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, eggnog is a delicious beverage choice … for winter.

"Unless I'm celebrating Christmas in July, you won't see me looking in the direction of a cocktail with whole eggs as an ingredient in over-100-degree weather — they'd probably scramble," he told BI.

For your bartender's sake, don’t order a Ramos gin fizz.

A Ramos gin fizz is a perfectly suitable drink at a quiet cocktail bar or restaurant, but it can take a toll on busy bartenders during hot, crowded summer nights.

"The work that goes into the cocktail with the egg and heavy cream is master-level dedication," said Tyler Chauvin, assistant general manager of food and beverage at Swingers NoMad.

The complex cocktail, made from gin, citrus, simple syrup, egg white, heavy cream, orange flower water, and club soda, typically requires shaking for up to 15 minutes to get the signature foamy top.

• Joe Biden's recent interviews highlighted the very weaknesses Democrats are worried about.
• Biden stumbled over words and seemed defensive and unwilling to accept he was losing in the polls.
• Some of the most crucial voters to Biden's reelection increasingly want him replaced.

President Joe Biden's performance in two new interviews this week likely won't do much to quell Democrats' fears about his fitness for the job.

And in comparison to Donald Trump's projections of strength after Saturday's assassination attempt against him, Biden may now be looking even weaker to Democrats who fear their candidate will lose in November.

In an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt on Monday, Biden appeared feeble, soft-spoken, and, at times, couldn't seem to finish his train of thought.

At one point, Holt asked Biden about a recent statement he had made saying it was time to put Trump in the "bull's-eye."

But in his response to Holt, Biden said he "didn't say crosshairs," appearing to confuse the word Holt had asked about.

Biden also repeatedly snapped at Holt, expressing his frustration with the media's coverage of his debate performance, saying things like, "What's with you guys? Come on, man."

In another interview with Complex, which was recorded the day before Trump's attempted assassination but aired on Monday, Biden also spoke slowly and softly, and gave rambling and long-winded answers.

When asked what Biden would say to voters who had decided to pick Trump, the president responded, "Lots of luck in your senior year," an idiom Biden has used repeatedly that has puzzled viewers.

While Biden's appearance in these interviews was nowhere near as disastrous as his June 27 debate against Trump, he didn't exactly hit it out of the ballpark.

Biden's allies immediately praised his combative stance with the media and polling as proof of his vigor. But his unsteady interviews can't rest easy with the growing contingent of Democrats who, for weeks, have been calling on Biden to drop out of the race.

Though the push for Biden to step aside has largely paused in the aftermath of Saturday's violence, they haven't been put to rest altogether.

Democratic insiders and strategists are not only still concerned about Biden's campaign, but also increasingly worried that the attempt on Trump's life will only make him look stronger to voters in comparison to Biden, Newsweek reported.

Voters, too, are growing increasingly skeptical of Biden's ability to beat Trump and serve out another term.

A new survey conducted on Monday by Morning Consult found that the number of Democratic voters who say Biden should be replaced as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has ticked up in recent weeks. According to the July 15 survey, 48% believe Biden should be replaced on the ticket and 43% believe he should not — and that's up from 47% and 41%, respectively, of Democratic voters polled immediately after the debate.

Those numbers are even more dramatic among Black and Hispanic voters — two of the most important groups to Biden's reelection coalition — the survey found. When polled on Monday, 55% of Black voters and 64% of Hispanic voters said Biden should be replaced — compared to 48% and 58% who thought so on June 28.

But Biden is swearing to press on. Close ally and civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton posted a statement backing the president on Monday evening, just before Biden's NBC interview.

"Just got a call from President Joe Biden, he says that he is not going anywhere," Sharpton wrote. "He would like people to know that he called and he's determined to fight to protect our rights."

• John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and her sister died in a 1999 plane crash near Martha's Vineyard.
• The politician was just 38 years old when he died.
• Rumors of a "Kennedy curse" were fueled by multiple family tragedies over the decades.

The Kennedy family has been subjected to many tragedies over the years, including two assassinations and a plane crash that took the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr. and two other passengers.

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

The deaths became a major news story and perpetuated rumors of a "Kennedy curse."

JFK Jr.'s father, former President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963. His uncle, Robert "Bobby" Kennedy, was assassinated five years later in 1968. And two years before JFK Jr.'s death, his cousin Michael Kennedy also died after hitting a tree while skiing in Aspen, Colorado.

Here's what we know about the plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr. and two others.

John F. Kennedy Jr. frequently made headlines throughout the 1990s.

As the son of a president and a member of one of America's most prominent political dynasties, John F. Kennedy Jr. was destined for the spotlight.

JFK Jr. was born on November 25, 1960, just two weeks after his father was elected president. His father was assassinated on November 22, 1963, just three days shy of JFK Jr.'s third birthday.

History reported that JFK Jr., affectionately nicknamed "John-John" by the public, attended the funeral on his birthday and was famously photographed saluting his father's casket.

Throughout much of his adolescence and adulthood, he mostly remained out of the public eye.

However, according to History, his public image began to change after he introduced his uncle, Ted Kennedy, at the Democratic National Convention in 1988.

In September 1988, People named Kennedy, who was then a 27-year-old third-year law student at NYU, the "Sexiest Man Alive."

JFK Jr. also dated a few celebrities throughout the 1990s, including "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker and Cindy Crawford, according to Town & Country.

John F. Kennedy Jr. began dating Carolyn Bessette, a publicist for Calvin Klein, in 1994.

Tall, sophisticated, and beautiful, JFK Jr.'s new girlfriend captivated the public.

After two years of dating, the pair married in an intimate ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia, People reported.

While their wedding ceremony was private, their relationship was anything but, thanks to the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

The media attention may have even inspired Kennedy to get his pilot's license in 1998.

"That was some of the happiest times he ever had. Floating around with the buzzards in his Buckeye [plane]. It was the freedom," his close friend Robbie Littell told "JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography" author RoseMarie Terenzio, according to People.

"He said, 'It's the only place I can go where no one is bothering me. I have complete silence, and no one can get to me except the air traffic controllers.' Maybe that gives you insight into what he was really dealing with on the ground," his college friend Gary Ginsberg said, People reported.

John F. Kennedy Jr. was traveling to Martha's Vineyard with his wife and her older sister when their plane was reported missing.

The Washington Post reported that Kennedy departed Essex County Airport near Fairfield, New Jersey, at around 8:38 p.m. on Friday, July 16, 1999. The sun was already beginning to set and "hazy conditions," which had been reported earlier in the evening, were getting worse, People reported.

Kennedy planned to drop his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette on Martha's Vineyard before traveling to his family's compound in Hyannis Port with Carolyn. The couple was due to attend his cousin Rory Kennedy's wedding the following day, according to People.

However, the plane never landed in Martha's Vineyard.

An unidentified driver reported the plane had failed to arrive at Martha's Vineyard Airport as expected, according to the Post, citing an NBC report. It kicked off a search for the missing aircraft in the early hours of July 17.

The Kennedy family notified the Cape Cod Coast Guard that the couple had not made it back to Hyannis.

The Washington Post reported that the Coast Guard then began investigating whether the plane had landed at another airport.

By 4 a.m., the Coast Guard began searching for the missing plane, and by 7:30 a.m., the Air Force and Coast Guard had launched 20 aircraft vehicles and two boats to search the area between Long Island and Martha's Vineyard, according to the Post's timeline.

On Sunday afternoon, what was presumed to be debris from the plane was found on Philbin Beach on Martha's Vineyard. Among the debris was a headrest that was later concluded to be from the missing aircraft and a black suitcase that contained Lauren Bessette's business card.

Rory Kennedy's wedding, scheduled for 6 p.m. that night, was put on hold as the family awaited more news.

The Washington Post reported that after more debris was found in the days to follow, the search-and-rescue mission became a search-and-recovery mission.

All three of the plane's passengers were now presumed dead. John F. Kennedy Jr. was 38 years old. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was 33, and her sister Lauren Bessette was 34.

Five days after the crash, the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette were recovered.

The debris field was identified off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, relatively near the estate once owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Kennedy's mother, The New York Times reported.

The bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette were discovered by Navy divers on July 22, 1999, after an extensive search approved by President Bill Clinton, per another New York Times report.

The bodies of the crash victims, which were ''near and under'' the main body of the aircraft, were still strapped in, according to the Times.

Details began to emerge about what led to the crash.

Kennedy had only flown about 72 hours without a flight instructor, and had only about 300 total hours of flying experience, The New York Times reported in July 2000. He had reportedly rejected an offer to have a flight instructor accompany the group on their journey.

As a newly trained pilot, Kennedy was not licensed to fly and navigate the air using flying instruments. Instead, he had only trained to fly using sight alone, which would have been extremely difficult in dark or hazy conditions such as those on the night of July 16.

Warren Morningstar, a spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, told the Times that "flying at night over featureless terrain or water, and particularly in haze or in overcast, is a prime setup for spatial disorientation."

About an hour into the trip, the plane's flight path became irregular as it began its descent into Martha's Vineyard, indicating that the pilot may have become disoriented by the darkness of the sky and the water, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded.

"His flight path into the water is consistent with what is known as a graveyard spiral," Jeff Guzzetti, an NTSB investigator in the accident, told Terenzio, according to People. "The airplane makes a spiral nose down … kind of like going down a drain. The plane went into one final turn and it stayed in that turn pretty much all the way down to the ocean."

The aircraft went down in the water about 7 miles from its intended destination of Martha's Vineyard.

According to The Washington Post, the plane did not send out a distress call. Instead, it made its final descent and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in under 30 seconds.

Kennedy, Kennedy-Bessette, and Bessette's bodies were cremated and buried at sea off the coast of Martha's Vineyard on July 22, 1999.

"We are filled with unspeakable grief and sadness by the loss of John and Carolyn and Lauren Bessette," Ted Kennedy said in a statement on behalf of the Kennedy family, according to The Washington Post. "John was a shining light in all our lives and in the lives of the nation and the world that first came to know him as a little boy."

As the country mourned the loss, rumors of a "Kennedy curse" were reignited.

The extensive search captured the nation's attention, as did the tragedy of the three young passengers' deaths. Yet another tragic accident for the Kennedy family, the plane crash only added to rumors of a Kennedy family curse.

"I've looked high and low and cannot find another family since the ancient Greek House of Atreus that has suffered more calamities and misfortunes than the Kennedys," Edward Klein, the author of "The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years," said, according to The Washington Post.

While there are many logical reasons for the fateful plane crash, it's nevertheless poignant that the Kennedy family, one of the wealthiest and most influential political families in the world, has suffered so much tragedy throughout the last 100 years.

"The humanity of their story is what keeps us engaged," Kennedy family biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli told NBC News in 2019.

"We peer behind the scenes of their wealthy lifestyle, and we see, for all the advantages they have, tragedy can still happen."

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Hello! Amazon Prime Day is back today and tomorrow, and our Reviews team has a rundown of all the best deals. Check them out here.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has picked Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate. More than just a VP pick, Vance could be the heir apparent to Trump's MAGA empire.

In today's big story, we're looking at Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon predicting the long-awaited return of M&A.

What's on deck:

• Markets: Coatue's Philippe Laffont on how he's investing for an AI future.
• Tech: For Gen Z, working in tech has a negative aura.
• Business: The CEO of a PE firm explains why he swears by executive coaches.

But first, let's make a deal.

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The big story

Back to the negotiation table

The M&A drought that's kept investment bankers on the sidelines is on its last legs, according to Wall Street's top dealmaker.

Goldman Sachs' CEO David Solomon offered an optimistic view on the dealmaking landscape during the bank's second-quarter earnings calls on Monday, writes Business Insider's Reed Alexander.

Solomon said the bank is seeing a "backlog" of transactions, calling it the "early innings" of a turnaround for a sector that's been all but dead over the past few years.

If anyone would know about M&A's return, it's Goldman Sachs. The bank traditionally sits atop league tables ranking advisors of deals. Reed previously spoke to a dozen insiders about how Goldman bankers are raring to go after a tumultuous few years for the firm.

But even if Solomon's prediction is self-serving, that doesn't make it wrong. The bank's underwriting revenue rose 39% last quarter thanks to more leveraged finance. Translation: Private-equity firms, whose inactivity has been a big piece of the M&A slowdown, are borrowing cash in preparation to cut deals.

An M&A return isn't just good for bankers. The lack of deals has been a massive dam to the flow of the broader economy.

When dealmaking comes back, founders and early employees of startups can cash out and move on to fresh projects. Larger companies can make acquisitions that help them push into new areas.

The return of deals is one thing. Getting them done is something else entirely.

The last time M&A came back in a big way after a downturn was in the aftermath of the pandemic. By early 2021, junior bankers were burnt out from the onslaught of deals they were working on.

Goldman sat at the center of it. Some of the bank's young employees made presentations — How else do you expect a banker to communicate? — outlining their complaints to senior management, which eventually leaked and went viral.

A September rate cut and switch to a deal-friendly White House in November are near-term sparks that would set the industry off and running quickly again.

But the untimely death of a Bank of America investment banker in early May put Wall Street's working conditions back in the spotlight. So this time around, banks might look to AI for help.

Solomon said on Monday's call he sees AI helping "the factory of the business" by prepping info for clients.

That's the type of work that often falls to junior bankers. Analysts are responsible for building out presentations ahead of client meetings, during which more senior bankers lead.

While junior bankers might appreciate some help, it could ultimately spell trouble for them. The more work banks can farm out to generative AI, the less need they'll eventually have for them altogether.

3 things in markets

1. The "Trump trade" is in full swing. The failed assassination attempt of the former president is impacting the market, as investors reposition their portfolios for Donald Trump's potential return to the White House. In the short-term, one asset is thriving: bitcoin.
2. Why investors should be going for the gold, literally. George Milling-Stanley, State Street's chief gold strategist, believes the precious metal's price could rise more than 10% before year-end, reaching $2,700 per ounce. He made his case for why future rate cuts and geopolitical tension will be beneficial for gold.
3. Coatue's founder on the art of "buying high and selling low." French billionaire Philippe Laffont said at a recent conference there is no shame in investing in stocks that are already up big. It's why he sees no problem with the astronomical rise of some big semiconductor companies' stock prices. "If there is a bubble, it's not a valuation bubble," Laffont said.

3 things in tech

1. For Gen Z jobseekers, tech's vibes have gone rancid. Tech is losing its luster among high-achieving high schoolers. Promising young Gen Zers are turned off by the industry's ethical problems and non-commitments — and they see one surprising sector as a viable alternative.
2. Laid-off DEI chief blasts Microsoft for reneging ethical commitment. After Microsoft gutted an entire diversity, equity, and inclusion team, the team's leader skewered the company in an internal email sent to thousands of employees. The leader accused the giant of failing to invest in DEI and backsliding on its 2020 commitments.
3. A big potential acquisition for Google could lead to a regulatory showdown. The tech giant is eyeing a $23 billion deal to acquire the cybersecurity startup Wiz. If approved, it would be the company's biggest acquisition ever. Here's why Google's willing to risk the wrath of the FTC to do it.

3 things in business

1. A key shift in strategy (thanks to some coaching) revolutionized a private-equity firm. Alpine Investors, the firm behind a prestigious CEO-in-training program, struggled until it started working with executive coaches. The result was a new focus on talent that launched the firm to new heights.
2. What's Vivek doing with BuzzFeed? Vivek Ramaswamy spent millions snapping up the media company's shares in what seemed like a takeover attempt. But one of the deadlines he set has come and gone with no change whatsoever, which leaves us wondering: Now what?
3. BlackRock CEO says the answer to the US' debt problem is deregulation. In a CNBC appearance, Larry Fink said growth led by the private sector is essential to escape the rising national deficit. But that can only be achieved if businesses aren't restrained by overregulation, said Fink, who also argued against tax cuts and tax raises

In other news

• For 18 unprecedented days, Trump has kept coming out on top.
• Read the email CEO Jamie Dimon sent to JPMorgan employees after the assassination attempt on Trump.
• Trump says he'll give a 'whole different speech' at the RNC after assassination attempt.
• The delivery reckoning is here.
• Wendy's CEO got ripped for pushing dynamic pricing. It could be coming to a store near you.
• Exclusive: AI coding startup Anysphere is raising a new funding round with at least a $400 million valuation from A16z.
• Disney's internal Slack message data leaked in latest hack targeting a major company.
• 4 ways OpenAI's newest AI model GPT-4o can make you more productive at work.
• Elon Musk says Tesla needs 'extra time' to redesign the front of its Robotaxi before the big reveal.
• Amazon Prime Day delivery workers say they're planning to grab early-morning shifts and take toilet paper with them.

What's happening today

• It's Amazon Prime Day.
• Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, UnitedHealth and other companies report earnings.

The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Annie Smith, associate producer, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

• A Colorado couple credits the FIRE movement with helping them grow their net worth to $800,000. 
• FIRE is an acronym for "financial independence, retire early."
• The duo shared their top strategies for increasing their savings. 

Chrissy and her husband, Ryan, didn't grow up wealthy. To get ahead financially, they've long known that a combination of "hard work and frugality" would be necessary, Chrissy told Business Insider via email.

So when the couple learned about the FIRE movement in their mid-20s, it was music to their ears.

FIRE is an acronym for "financial independence, retire early." Generally, people who've embraced the FIRE movement want to grow their savings so they can achieve financial freedom and retire before they turn 65 — though some people prefer to keep working. To accomplish their goals, some FIRE advocates save most of their income, take on side hustles, or delay costly life milestones like having kids. Many FIRE advocates trace the movement's philosophy to the 1992 best-selling book "Your Money or Your Life."

To learn more about the FIRE movement, in particular strategies for maximizing savings and reaching financial independence, the couple sought out FIRE-related YouTube videos, Facebook groups, newsletters, and podcasts. They then tried to apply some of that information to their financial strategies.

Their efforts have paid off.

Over the past several years, the couple has grown their combined net worth to more than $800,000, according to documents viewed by BI. Chrissy said their goal is to grow their investments to roughly $2.5 million over the next 10 to 15 years — which she hopes will allow them to retire before she turns 50. Both she and Ryan are in their early 30s.

"Retiring at 65-plus years old just doesn't sound appealing," said Chrissy, who works as a marketing director and is based in Colorado. "I'm sure we'll still be active and healthy at that age, but there's a lot more that we can enjoy when we're in our 40s and 50s." The couple's last names were withheld for privacy reasons.

As many Americans struggle to save for retirement — and many retirees feel they don't have enough to stop working — the FIRE movement has offered a potential blueprint for people who desire financial security. While some people have found success with FIRE, it hasn't been a good fit for everyone, in part because it can require significant savings goals that might not always be realistic. However, FIRE proponents live a wide range of lifestyles. And experts say some principles of FIRE — like the benefits of saving and investing at a young age to take advantage of compounded investment returns — are applicable to a wide audience.

Chrissy shared her and Ryan's top strategies for growing their savings — and the one change to their lifestyle that could make an early retirement a bit more difficult.

How to live a FIRE lifestyle

Chrissy summed up the couple's financial strategy as "spend less, make more, and invest more."

To spend less, she said they've reduced how much they dine out at restaurants, bought in bulk from Costco, planned their own vacations rather than using travel agents, avoided gym memberships by working out at home, and limited alcohol consumption.

They've also postponed certain expenses to save some extra cash.

"I went many years with a broken phone screen and really didn't mind," she said.

To make more money, Chrissy said they've "aggressively pushed for additional income." For her, this has taken on the form of "climbing the corporate ladder" — she said she landed a six-figure salary at age 26. She also started a side hustle working as a registered dietician, something she focuses on during evenings and weekends.

Ryan works full-time as a human resources professional. In his spare time, Chrissy said he focuses on managing the couple's three investment properties which provide them with passive income. The couple's combined taxable income was roughly $250,000 in 2023, according to a document viewed by BI.

When their strategies generate extra money, the couple invests as much as possible in their 401(k) plans and low-cost index funds.

In case of emergencies, the couple keeps about six months of funds in savings.

Chrissy said saving money was easier when she and Ryan lived in Indiana. The couple relocated to Colorado during the pandemic, a few years into their FIRE savings journey.

One of the biggest differences between the two states has been the housing costs, Chrissy said. The couple is based in Monument, Colorado, where the average home value is about $743,000, per Zillow. In Fishers, Indiana, where they used to live, the average home value is $426,000.

In the years ahead, one lifestyle change could put some additional pressure on the couple's finances: They're expecting their first child, which they know will come with many new monthly expenses.

However, Chrissy said she thinks her financial goals are still achievable, in part because she and Ryan have been planning for life with a newborn. They've even planned how to finance their child's potential college education.

"We've started to save up for his 529 plan so that they can attend college," she said, referring to the investment account that offers tax-free withdrawals when the money is used for certain education expenses.

Are you part of the FIRE movement or living by some of its principles? Reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@businessinsider.com.

• A popular YouTuber was 'shocked and confused' that Trump's shooter wore his merch.
• Matt Carriker has 11.6 million subscribers on the gun-focused hub "Demolition Ranch."
• Carriker said he never knew Crooks and condemned political violence.

Matt Carriker, a popular firearm-focused YouTuber, said he was "shocked and confused" to learn the shooter was wearing his channel merch during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot Trump in the ear at a Pennsylvania rally Saturday, was killed wearing a t-shirt that read "Demolition Ranch" — the name of Carriker's channel, which has 11.6 million subscribers.

"To see my name next to the shooter's name — it sucks, and I wish we could keep that from happening," Carriker said in a video posted Monday.

Texas-based Carriker added he never knew Crooks.

The FBI said Monday it was working '"tirelessly" to figure out the shooter's motive; Crooks' acquaintances have also said they didn't know why the 20-year-old opened fire, killing one bystander.

Carriker said he's been creating YouTube videos for 10 years, and avoids politics across his three channels, which also chronicle his work as a veterinarian.

But he was "thrust into the conversation."

Carriker condemned hate and violence "no matter what side you're on politically." As a husband and father, he added, he didn't want anyone to be "in any more danger because of my videos."

Carriker also expressed his condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore, who died in the shooting, and wished those injured a "pain-free recovery."

He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s son posted a video of a call between Trump and the independent candidate.
• The two discussed vaccines and the assassination attempt on Trump.
• Trump told RFK Jr. that the bullet sounded like the "world's largest mosquito."

In a leaked call between Donald Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former president offered further description of what it was like to survive an assassination attempt.

"Something wracked me," Trump said, according to the video. "It felt like a giant — like the world's largest mosquito."

The video of the call was first posted on X by Kennedy's son, Bobby Kennedy III, who later took the original post down. Kennedy apologized for the leak, saying he was "mortified" that the video was posted.

Trump also said that President Joe Biden was "very nice actually" when he called the former president after the assassination attempt, which took place at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. The motive of the shooter remains unknown.

The bulk of the clip includes Trump appearing to sympathize with Kennedy's crusade against vaccines.

"When you feed a baby, Bobby, a vaccination that is like 38 different vaccines, and it looks like it's meant for a horse, not a 10 pound or 20 pound baby, it looks like you're giving — you should be giving a horse this," Trump can be heard saying. "And then you see the baby all of a sudden starting to change radically. I've seen it too many times."

Kennedy was granted Secret Service protection on Monday amid heightened concerns about political violence.

• Donald Trump chose JD Vance as his running mate, a loyal ally who shares many of his views.
• Trump's choice indicates a shift from balancing the ticket to doubling down on populism.
• It's a move away from his selection of Mike Pence, who was seen as a traditional ticket-balancer.

Former President Donald Trump's veepstakes concluded with him choosing Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.

The 39-year-old junior senator, who initially heavily criticized Trump before becoming a loyal ally, is an intriguing choice.

Traditionally, presidential candidates choose a running mate to "balance the ticket."

This practice involves a candidate selecting a running mate who can broaden the ticket's appeal by adding ideological, geographic, or demographic balance in areas where the top of the ticket may be perceived as lacking.

Instead, Trump has chosen a mini-me and a populist protégé, flipping the script on a common political practice he seemed to subscribe to in 2016.

Balancing the ticket

President Joe Biden's selection of Vice President Kamala Harris is a notable example of balancing the ticket.

Biden, whose age was already a concern with some voters, balanced his ticket by choosing Harris, who is over 20 years younger. Harris is also a woman of color, whereas Biden is a white man.

Though both are arguably centrist Democrats, she was largely seen as having stronger progressive credentials.

Former President Barack Obama's selection of Biden was also an example of this practice in action — a relative political newcomer choosing a foreign policy veteran.

Even Trump, in selecting former Vice President Mike Pence, appeared to be trying to balance the 2016 ticket.

Pence's extensive government experience countered Trump's perceived inexperience, and his image as a traditional, conservative Christian alleviated concerns about Trump's conservatism and chequered past.

But this time, instead of seeking balance, Trump chose a candidate in his own image, doubling down on the MAGA brand with a loyalist.

Choosing MAGA loyalist JD Vance

In some superficial ways, Vance offers balance.

He's half Trump's age, which is significant in an election focused heavily on age. And whereas Trump avoided the draft five times, Vance served in the military, which might appeal to the veteran vote.

However, there are more similarities than differences.

To start, they're both white, male, Ivy-educated, and have business experience. And, crucially, they're both MAGA-aligned, offering little in the way of ideological diversity.

While Vance previously disparaged Trump, calling him "cultural heroin" and describing himself as a "never Trump guy," he has since been reliably conservative and staunchly loyal to the former president.

Vance has also questioned the legitimacy of Trump's 2020 election defeat, advancing false claims about voter fraud, and said he would have refused to certify the election on January 6, 2021, if he were vice president.

On many issues — there's a lot of overlap. "He's a clone of Trump on the issues, so I don't see any difference," Biden said after the Vance announcement.

Vance and Trump are aligned on issues like their opposition to immigration and the US funding of the Ukraine war, and their support for Israel, and both have called for a tougher stance on China.

Trump, who implemented protectionist "America First" tariffs on China during his administration, has opted for a protectionist counterpart who has expressed support for using tariffs to boost US manufacturing.

Trump may hope Vance appeals to working-class Midwestern voters, — he wrote a bestselling book, "Hillbilly Elegy," about the struggles of people in Appalachia.

But Vance is from Ohio, which, although traditionally a battleground state, is no longer considered one.

Trump won Ohio by eight points in 2020.

Following the assassination attempt on Trump, the former president called on Americans to unite. However, Vance quickly blamed Democratic campaign rhetoric for the shooting, highlighting yet another area of alignment between them — a shared inclination toward confrontational politics.

Trump's selection may not follow the usual ticket-balancing strategy, but it could elevate a potential torchbearer to continue Trumpism once the former president eventually exits the political stage, whenever that is.