Tag: News

• Russian forces are repurposing old infantry fighting vehicles by transforming them into makeshift artillery guns.
• The improvised guns are likely inaccurate, jumping a few inches off the ground as they fire.
• It comes as Russia continues to struggle to provide weapons to its forces.

Russian forces appear to be fashioning improvised artillery guns from the main armaments of old BMP-1 armored fighting vehicles.

One video circulating on social media shows a soldier firing what appears to be a BMP-1's 73 mm 2A28 Grom gun fixed to a makeshift wheelbase. Another video shows a group of soldiers towing the improvised gun into position.

The crude device may reflect the heavy equipment losses Russia has suffered in its invasion of Ukraine.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Sunday that Russia had lost 14,937 artillery systems and 15,645 armored fighting vehicles since it launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

While Russia is still more than capable of crafting new artillery systems and reviving Soviet-era weaponry, it will be difficult to keep up with the rate of losses and the firepower required on the front lines.

And while the improvised 2A28 artillery gun may act as a temporary fix for dwindling supplies, it is highly likely to be inaccurate.

One video shows the device, which is designed to be fired from a stable armored turret, jumping off of the ground as each shot is fired.

The unarmored gun will also be extremely exposed to Ukrainian drone attacks, which have proven to be successful in taking on heavy Russian tanks.

It is not the first time Russian forces have seemingly resorted to using makeshift devices.

In March, videos appeared to show Russian troops using vulnerable golf cart-style vehicles to transport infantry to the frontline.

In April, another video appeared to show a Ukrainian hit on a Russian tank that was using an "improvised EW system," Rob Lee, a senior policy fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, wrote on X at the time.

Lee said the system "reportedly was effectively countering a large number of FPVs operating with different frequencies before it was stopped."

Russia has also previously deployed "turtle tanks" fitted with rudimentary metal roofs to defend against inbound munitions such as drone attacks.

"I know people are laughing at this, but I don't think it is a crazy adaptation," Lee wrote in another post on X.

"The Russians are adapting to the particular conditions of the battlefield in which Ukraine has a lot of FPVs, but not enough ATGMs, anti-tank mines, and artillery," he said. "So sacrificing observation and the ability to rotate the turret on one tank per platoon that can jam many FPVs frequencies at once makes sense."

• Boomers are gifting wealth earlier to their millennial kids, two financial planners told BI.
• The proactive inheritances come as millennials have more debt and struggle to buy homes.
• Financial planners say transferring wealth earlier can make it more useful to the recipients.

Sophia Bera Daigle, the founder and principal financial planner at Gen Y Planning, said one of her clients, a doctor, has been gifted $10,000 a year from his parents for the past few years.

Recently, the client's parents told him they were going to up that amount — to $60,000 a year for the next 10 years — but that would be it.

"'We would rather give it to you and your two siblings while you have kids at home and need to pay for college and all of these things, but then don't expect any inheritance,'" Daigle said the parents basically told her client.

Daigle said she's seeing more and more of her millennial clients getting chunks of money from their parents as a kind of proactive inheritance, with boomers passing on their wealth well before they expect to die.

The earlier wealth transfer can take different forms: monthly or yearly cash gifts, paying for grandkids to go to private school, or, perhaps most commonly, a large sum for a down payment on a home.

It's a growing trend in what's been called the largest transfer of wealth in history, as aging boomers pass on trillions of dollars worth of assets to their children. Boomers waiting to pass down their wealth until their kids are much older has partially contributed to the rise in geriatric millionaires, BI previously reported.

But by passing on their wealth earlier, some boomer parents are providing an economic boost exactly when their kids actually need it — in their 30s and 40s when they're trying to buy a home and raise their kids.

Daigle said before she focused on working with millennials, she had clients who got money from their parents at an older age.

"When you have these baby boomers that were given inheritances when their 93-year-old mom was passing away, and they were 65, it wasn't that helpful," she said. "It was great, but they had already done things that they needed to get their own retirement place."

Millennials, in particular, could use the help. As Business Insider has previously reported, they have "more debt and a lower net worth than their parents had at the same life stage."

Gideon Drucker, president and financial planner at Drucker Wealth, said he is also seeing more older people proactively passing down their wealth. He tends to work with clients in their 30s and 40s, while his dad, who leads their senior division, works with those clients' parents, figuratively and, in some cases, literally.

There's a litmus test: If an older person planned their finances well, is financially independent, has enough income to support their needs and is not in danger of running out, and wants to pass down money to their kids, then it can be a good idea to do it sooner rather than later.

"We consider inheritances and money from families a gift of love," he said. "If your intention is to give that money to family as an inheritance, you probably want that money put to best use for the maximum amount of time that creates the most peace of mind for everybody involved."

The max amount that can be gifted each year tax-free is $18,000 for an individual or $36,000 for a couple.

Drucker said he thinks he's seeing this wealth transfer happen more often in part because the current estate tax exemption put in place by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 is set to expire at the end of 2025.

The federal estate tax currently ranges from 18% to 40% and kicks in for assets passed on that are above $13.61 million. That threshold could be cut in half in 2026, meaning the estate tax would apply to more families.

Although the vast majority of people are not impacted by the estate tax, Drucker said hearing about the exemption expiring has inspired some people to start thinking more about the best way to pass on their wealth.

One thing Drucker cautions against is giving your kids money in a way that might up their standard of living to a level they can't actually sustain. For instance, if parents help with a down payment that allows the recipients to buy a house and live in a neighborhood that they may not actually be able to afford in the long run.

He said gift recipients should use the money to better plan their finances rather than radically upscaling their standard of living.

Drucker and Daigle both said that if parents determine they are financially secure and able to help their adult children financially, then it should start with a conversation about what that might look like and what would be best for everyone.

"It all starts with the parents or the older family members really knowing enough about their own financial situation, having clarity around their spending needs, their income, their assets, to then be able to decide 'what's the purpose of all this money? What do I want to do?'" Drucker said, adding, "It all starts with that conversation."

Are you a boomer who has an opinion about passing along wealth to offspring, or a millennial who is the recipient of earlier parental help? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@businessinsider.com.

• Credit card skimmers are increasingly targeting the financially vulnerable nationwide.
• The FBI estimates card skimming costs consumers and banks around $1 billion yearly.
• Authorities report a rise in card skimming and EBT fraud, urging vigilance and preventive measures.

Credit card skimmers are on the rise nationwide and they're targeting the country's most financially vulnerable people.

The FBI estimates that card skimming costs consumers and banks around $1 billion each year. Last year, Fair, Isaac and Company, a financial data analytics firm, found that debit card skimming grew by a whopping 96% compared to the previous year.

Last month, the federal agents from the Secret Service swept through 472 business in Florida after reports of increased EBT scam fraud, WJXT reported. Police found 13 devices statewide. The Secret Service estimated that police prevented around $1.3 million of losses through the operations, WJXT reported.

Authorities nationwide say reports of card skimming and EBT fraud have increased over the past year.

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services said this week it found an "alarming surge in fraud" related to EBT skimming. The agency estimates EBT recipients lost around $5.5 million over the past two years from the fraud, The Seattle Times reported.

Authorities in Virginia, New York, and other states have also issued similar warnings in recent weeks.

The New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance issued an EBT scam alert on July 2, warning of increases in card skimming and phishing. Phishing is a form of scamming where criminals try to obtain your personal information by pretending to be someone you know or trust; perpetrators will often send emails purporting to be from your bank or from a social media platform you use.

While card skimmers are efficient in stealing data, EBT cards usually require a PIN number that they can't easily lift from the machine, according to the FTC.

The scammers use phishing tactics like texting or set up hidden cameras next to cash registers to steal the PIN numbers, the agency says.

To avoid card skimming scams, the FTC recommends checking to see if the card reader is loose when paying, changing your EBT PIN number at least once a month, be vigilant for phishing, and regularly check the amount held in your EBT account.

The NY Office of Temporary Disability also recommends checking for discoloration between the body of the machine and the card reader.

"The easiest way to check for a skimmer is to gently pull up on the terminal. They are flimsy and will come right off," the agency says. "If you notice any signs that a skimmer may be in use do not swipe your card and alert the store manager. Contact the police and notify your local department of social services as soon as possible."

• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recently rallied support for President Biden in a swing through Wisconsin.
• Moore told BI that while Biden's age was a concern for some voters, it didn't dominate discussions.
• "It's not so much about the age issue … it's the issues," Moore said in a recent interview.

During a recent swing through Wisconsin, Wes Moore pointed to President Joe Biden's efforts on health care and infrastructure as he spoke to voters about backing the Democratic ticket this fall.

For the first-term Maryland governor, Moore's praise of the Biden administration and his engagement with voters — especially Black voters — across the Badger State couldn't have come at a more critical time for the president.

Biden's widely panned June debate performance sent Democrats reeling, with some in the party pressing Biden to reconsider his reelection bid while others are still assessing the situation as the party inches closer to its August convention in Chicago.

Many Democrats are also worried about an enthusiasm gap as multiple polls have shown high GOP support for former President Donald Trump compared to lagging Democratic support for Biden.

But Moore recently told Business Insider that when he traveled across swing-state Wisconsin, he saw a party that's pumped up about November. And he stressed that polling is a "snapshot" of a small group of individuals.

"For literally every single event that we've gone to, there's been triple the attendance that we anticipated when we show up at events," the governor said.

"I was literally at the bottom of the pile when I first ran for governor in the primary. The reason I bring that up is because I just feel like we can't over-index on polling," he continued. "I wouldn't let a poll get me too excited. I wouldn't let a poll get me too down."

For over a year, voter concerns about Biden's reelection have often centered on the president's age. Biden, who's currently 81 years old, would be 82 in January 2025 and 86 at the end of a second term.

So the stakes for Biden's debate were much higher than for many presidential candidates in the past.

Biden's age — which was amplified by the debate and in interviews where the president has directly addressed the issue — is a concern that Moore said he's heard from voters. But the governor said that the voters he's spoken to are more focused on issues like the economy and reproductive rights as they look toward the general election.

"It's not so much about the age issue … it's the issues," Moore said. "For voters, they're asking: 'Which administration actually has a vision for what I hope for in my family?'"

"That's what I'm hearing more than anything else. It's the issues and it's the stakes," he added.

• Russia is planning to use barrage balloons to counter Ukrainian drone strikes.
• The balloons will rise up to 300 meters and drop a 250-meter net to stop drones from getting through.
• The tactic was inspired by barrage balloons used in the First and Second World Wars.

Russia is developing a network of barrage balloons to repel Ukrainian drone strikes, inspired by a tactic used in World War I and II.

Speaking at a conference in St. Petersburg this week, Polina Albek, the general director of the Russian aerospace firm First Airship, which is developing the network, said: "Our main activity is building cargo airships, but today, based on the experience of our ancestors, we have created the 'barrier' defense system," the Russian state-run outlet RIA Novosti reported.

The balloons are designed to rise in a row up to 300 meters (984 feet) before dropping a 250-meter (820 feet) net designed to stop incoming drones, per The Telegraph. They have a maximum load of 30kg (around 66 pounds).

Albek said that the the balloons can also be fitted with a "vacuum gun" to shoot nets at oncoming drones, adding that the system has already been tested and that preliminary orders had been placed.

She noted that the developers had been inspired by the use of barrage balloons in WWI.

Barrage balloons were first used in WWI, but they played a particularly key role in Britain's defenses during WWII. According to London's Imperial War Museum, Britain had 2,748 barrage balloons in use by September 1941.

They were also crucial during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, providing protection to Allied soldiers and ships.

The balloons forced German aircraft to fly at higher altitudes, making their targets more difficult to strike as well as making them more vulnerable to antiaircraft fire.

The cables that anchored the balloons to the ground could also pose a serious risk to any aircraft attempting to fly through them.

The balloons offered "a vital means of defence against the [German] Luftwaffe as their trailing metal cables would severely damage or destroy any aircraft which touched them," according to the Royal Air Force's website.

"Attackers attempting to shoot down a balloon could be caught in an explosion of the hydrogen used to get them airborne," the site adds.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has continued to target Russian energy infrastructure and airbases with long-range drone attacks.

Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, told The War Zone in June that Ukrainian forces had launched 70 drones in a strike on Morozovsk airbase in Russia's Rostov region, almost 200 miles from the Ukrainian border.

A security source told Sky News that the Ukrainian attack was part of a "sustained campaign to degrade the Russian Air Force."

Also in June, Kyiv said it had hit a prized Russian Su-57 stealth fighter jet stationed at the Akhtubinsk airfield in southern Russia — 360 miles from the front line.

In May, Ukraine claimed one of its longest drone attacks to date, with officials saying a drone traveled 930 miles to strike an oil refinery inside Russia.

• Hempstead House at Sands Point Preserve offers guided tours to learn about its history.
• Originally owned by Howard Gould, the estate was later sold to the Guggenheims in 1917.
• The mansion served various roles, including housing WWII refugees, before becoming a public park.

The North Shore of Long Island is known as the Gold Coast thanks to its collection of lavish mansions, which date back to the early 1900s. Many of these homes are thought to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's West Egg in "The Great Gatsby."

One such mansion is Hempstead House, which is located in Sands Point Preserve, a 216-acre park about 30 miles outside New York City.

The entire estate was once owned by Howard Gould, a financier. He sold the land to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim in 1917, according to the preserve's history.

The Guggenheims lived in Hempstead House together until 1930, when Daniel died. Florence then sold all of the furniture and moved to a smaller home on the property.

Hempstead House has had quite a journey since then, according to the Sands Point Preserve: British refugee children lived there during World War II, then the land was acquired by the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, which in turn donated it to the US Navy. The first in-flight simulator was even tested there.

By 1971, the land was in the ownership of Nassau County, which turned the former Guggenheim estate into a park, turned two of the mansions into museums, and opened the park up to anyone willing to buy a ticket.

In July 2024, I paid $15 to park at Sands Point Preserve and then another $10 to take a guided tour of Hempstead House.

Here's what it was like inside the 112-year-old mansion and what I learned about life there.

Hempstead House on Long Island's Gold Coast was built in 1912 by financier Howard Gould. He sold it five years later to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim.

Source: Sands Point Preserve

Daniel Guggenheim was the brother of Solomon Guggenheim, founder of the NYC museum, and Benjamin Guggenheim, who perished on the Titanic.

Hempstead House was part of 216 acres the Guggenheims purchased as a summer home. It's now known as Sands Point Preserve.

Today, you can tour Hempstead House. This entryway, with its original 60-foot chandelier, is one of the focal points of the home.

Immediately to the left is what was once known as the Palm Court. The ceiling used to be entirely glass, giving it a greenhouse feel. The metalwork is all original to the Guggenheims' time.

Here's what the Palm Court looked like 100 years ago. In the bottom-right photo, the Guggenheims are pictured with Charles Lindbergh and one of the Wright brothers.

Directly behind the Palm Court is the summer living room, which provides a great view of the garden.

It also features the largest fireplace in the home.

Another photo on display shows what the room looked like in the 1920s. The now-open archways used to have French doors.

Next to the living room is the library, which has a window seat that looks perfect for lounging on.

The ornate ceiling in this room is original, with busts of Shakespeare and other scholars engraved into the plaster.

This room might be familiar to viewers of HBO's "The Gilded Age." It doubles as George Russell’s office on the show.

HBO really got the aesthetic down — Russell’s office essentially looks like this.

These doors, which were originally carved in Spain in the 16th century, lead to the billiards room.

The billiards room also has a luxurious window seat.

Across from the summer living room is the dining room. The stenciling along the tops of the walls is relatively new and was put there for a design showcase.

Even though it's new, the art pays homage to the history of Hempstead House. This is a rendering of Kilkenny Castle in Ireland, which was the basis for another home on the property, Castle Gould.

Source: Business Insider

This is the separate servants' hallway. I learned that at its peak, Hempstead House had 16 servants living in the home, plus more in Castle Gould.

This is the door to the silver safe. When the US Navy vacated the home in 1967, they sealed it up and it was only rediscovered in 2014.

This bathroom has been converted, but it used to be the servants' dining room.

We then headed upstairs, giving us another view of the impressive tower and chandelier.

We stopped at another ornate room. This was where guests were served breakfast.

Directly next to the breakfast room was another wood-paneled study.

Hempstead House has four floors, but we only saw two. This room used to be Mrs. Guggenheim's sitting room.

It has yet another perfect window seat.

This was her actual bedroom. It's now used as a bridal suite when weddings are held at Hempstead House.

Down the hall was Mr. Guggenheim's bedroom. Now, it's used by grooms during weddings held here.

It's also one of the only rooms with a private bathroom.

We stopped at one more guest room, which was more modest.

As the tour concluded, we were able to explore the gardens outside.

You might be wondering where the name Hempstead House comes from — it's because that's the Hempstead Harbor in the distance.

Hempstead House is just one of many Gold Coast mansions on Long Island that would be interesting to any history buff, and definitely worth the $10 ticket.

• Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland has been one of Biden's strongest gubernatorial allies.
• But Moore said he wouldn't "sugarcoat" the president's lackluster debate performance.
• Moore told BI he's leaning in to help Biden. "I don't do disloyalty," he said.

Last week, the nation's Democratic governors met with President Joe Biden as he sought to reassure them that his candidacy remained viable after a debate that has imperiled his reelection bid.

It was one of the most critical moments in Biden's decades-long political career, as he rallied support for a campaign that several Democratic lawmakers and a sizable bloc of voters believe he should forgo in favor of another candidate.

But for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who was at the White House meeting, his decision is clear. He told Business Insider that he's standing with Biden.

However, Moore was also blunt in assessing his view of Biden's debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

"It was a terrible performance and I don't think you can sugarcoat it," the first-term governor said. "The problem is it was hard to watch."

Moore, a former US Army paratrooper who often relies on his military training in tough situations, said the next step was to "move on" and figure out how to help Biden.

"I remember when in the military, there's only three answers for something. Yes, no, or no excuse," he continued. "Everything else is a waste of time. And I think the answer to this is no excuse."

The governor, who was first elected in 2022, said that Biden has been a strong partner for Maryland.

So he's returning the favor.

Moore said he doesn't do 'disloyalty'

At the governor's meeting, Moore said Biden laid out a strategy for the final months of his campaign.

"The thing that we left with was that there's not only the plan, but also that there's the focus and the commitment and the energy," Moore said of the sentiment among the governors.

"And I was clear, I don't do disloyalty," he continued. "This is an administration that has been with us when we were knocked down, which I saw when I received a call from them when we were mobilizing units to respond to the Key Bridge crisis.

Moore is referencing the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March, which occurred after the container vessel Dali struck the bridge and sent it into the Patapsco River. Tragically, six construction workers lost their lives as they worked to repair potholes on the bridge.

The governor has worked with the Biden administration extensively following the bridge's collapse. And it's a relationship that he deeply values as the administration works to secure full federal funding for the bridge's replacement.

However, regarding the presidential race, there is no consensus regarding Biden's candidacy among the Democratic base.

Among the Democratic voters who put Biden in office four years ago and overwhelmingly supported him during the most recent Democratic presidential primaries, a significant share of them harbor reservations about him running for a second term.

In Moore's eyes, Biden has to be visible and present to reassure them.

"I think he's got to be out there," the governor said. "I think he's got to keep doing what he's doing right now. He's got to show people in unscripted moments that the agility that this job requires and the stability that this job requires … that he's best prepared to do that."

"One thing I know about elections is nothing is given and everything is earned," he continued. "You've got to win by being the most aggressive, thoughtful, and visionary campaigner out there, and you need to have people who buy your vision. So I think the president cannot take anything for granted."

• Waymo's autonomous robotaxis were made available to the public in San Francisco last week.
• I made two trips across the city during peak hours.
• Aside from a few minor hesitations, Waymo's autonomous driver offered a smooth rider experience.

Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous taxi cab company, is now available to the public in San Francisco — a culmination of more than a decade of testing and wading through regulatory hoops.

About 300 cars are operating in the city. The company has about 700 robotaxis in total — most in SF and Phoenix — but Waymo's spokesperson told Business Insider there are plans to expand access to the public in Los Angeles and Austin.

I took two rides on June 27 to and from the Financial District of SF during peak morning commute hours.

My verdict? Waymo's autonomous driver is pretty damn smart, and aside from a few hesitations, the robotaxi offers a smooth, comfortable experience with competitive pricing against other ride-hailing apps.

Here's how the rides went:

Hailing a ride

The user experience of Waymo's app is straightforward and similar to that of other ride-hailing apps: You pick a destination and adjust the pick-up location as needed.

For now, Waymo's robotaxi fleet is limited to the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs, which have a maximum of four seats. There are no other options.

A Waymo spokesperson told BI that the company plans to add the Geely Zeekr, an all-electric van, to its fleet when it rolls out the 6th-generation autonomous driver software. The van will have five seats.

A neat feature of Waymo's cars is that riders can set a unique vehicle ID or initial that appears on top of the car. This will make your ride more easily identifiable, especially since all of Waymo's cars look the same for now.

Pricing

Prices will always vary, but on that Thursday morning, Waymo's prices were competitive with Uber and Lyft, which took me a bit by surprise.

A nearly six-mile trip across SF was $24.19 with Waymo. An UberX for the same trip was $26.96, and a Lyft with standard pickup time was $23.94.

A few things to consider, however. With Waymo, riders know what vehicle experience they're going to get. For now, the Jaguars are clean and have comfortable leather seating. With Uber and Lyft, the vehicles can be a toss-up unless you pay extra for a higher-quality experience.

Uber offers an all-electric car option, while Lyft offers "extra comfort" vehicles that are supposed to be "roomier & quiet." Waymo's cars already cover both options.

Plus, Waymo riders don't have to tip a driver because there isn't one.

A Waymo spokesperson told me that the company continues to evaluate its pricing structure but anticipates staying competitive over time.

Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft noted to BI how autonomous vehicles will be integrated into the companies' existing network of ride-share drivers.

"A lot has happened in the autonomous landscape over the past two years, but one thing remains clear: Autonomous vehicles will be a part of the mobility fabric of the future," Andrew Macdonald, Uber's senior vice president of mobility, said at February's investor meeting. "Our strategy is to be the platform partner of choice for AV tech. Rather than building AVs ourselves, we are bringing developers' fleets onto our network."

Pick up

Waymo's car took about 21 minutes to arrive and pick me up that morning.

But pick-up times will vary, as my second ride showed. That time, the car arrived in less than two minutes. Riders should plan accordingly.

I stood near busy streets for both rides to see where Waymo would pull over.

Both times, Waymo found a safe place to stop and avoided double parking the car. However, this may mean walking a block or two away from the original pick-up location.

After I unlocked the car through the app, stepping inside was a jarring experience, as I quickly noticed that there was no driver.

But Waymo appeared to try its best to soothe the riders: The vehicle was automatically playing ambient neo-classical music, and the climate was set at a precise 69 degrees Fahrenheit. It's as if the car was telling me, "Relax, and welcome to the future."

All of this can be adjusted to a rider's preference, which is a plus. A little Sexyy Red during the morning commute, anyone?

Instructions are played once you press "Start Ride" on the touchscreen located at the center console, telling riders to buckle up and not to touch the steering wheel at any time.

The auto message also indicated that there was a camera inside the car. The message added that the vehicle has a microphone that only operates when passengers need to connect with rider support.

Driving in SF

Waymo's 5th generation autonomous driver could be best described as a safe but not an annoyingly cautious driver.

It maintained the city's speed limits, caught yellow lights from a reasonable distance without speeding, and could make a succession of lane changes smoothly on busy streets.

What impressed me more, however, was how it handled riskier drivers on the road and maneuvers necessary to execute in SF.

For example, double-parked cars are a common sight in the city. Sometimes, this means drivers will have to briefly move into the lane of opposing traffic to get around a vehicle.

The Waymo driver knew how to do that, recognizing that the car in the opposing traffic lane stopped to give us the right of way.

The Waymo also appeared to detect a person on an e-scooter coming from behind and inched a little to the left of the lane to give room for the scooter rider. It did the same thing to give itself more room when it detected a large parked bucket truck slightly in Waymo's lane.

In one instance, when another driver cut off Waymo, the autonomous driving system handled it with poise since the other driver had plenty of room to go in front of the Waymo.

At yellow lights, the Waymo made good judgment calls about whether it had enough space to catch the light or stop without pressing the brakes hard.

The expectation I had that the Waymo driver would be stiff, as the term "robot taxi" might suggest, was dispelled throughout the rides.

As small as it was, one moment stood out to me the most — almost a "Blade Runner" moment that convinced me that Waymo is getting close to making their autonomous driving system "more human than human."

At the intersection of Grant Avenue and Bush Street — the busy cusp of the Financial District — the Waymo stopped at a red light.

As it dutifully waited, the Waymo car inched up twice ever so slightly, almost like a human driver would to adjust her distance from the crosswalk or anticipate a light that was about to turn green.

"Why did it do that?" I wondered.

Moments of hesitation

Still, the Waymo driver isn't perfect, as BI's Peter Kafka recently noted.

I counted three moments of — let's call them hesitation — during my second ride in a Waymo.

One was when the Waymo made a right turn on a quieter street, changed lanes, and then returned to the other lane for no apparent reason. This is not to say the car swerved. The Waymo still signaled lane changes, but I couldn't immediately see why it chose to do that.

When the vehicle was driving downhill on the road, Waymo braked a few times — not harshly, but still noticeably.

Lastly, once on Pine Street, the Waymo hesitated for about a second to fully complete a lane change to the left. The vehicle appeared to ride a bit too close to the original lane it was coming from.

A Waymo spokesperson told me it's hard to determine what happened in those moments without examining the driver logs. The company continues to work out kinks as it gathers more data and feedback.

The spokesperson said it's also possible I failed to notice something the Waymo car picked up.

Fair enough, I suppose. I only have two decent eyes compared to Waymo's lidar sensors, radar system, and 29 cameras.

Drop off

As Waymo approached the drop-off, the system notified me that I was close to my destination and reminded me to take all of my belongings.

One feature I appreciate is the ability to ask Waymo to pull over — like telling an Uber driver, "Right here is good."

By pressing "pull over" on the touchscreen console or your phone, Waymo will find the closest spot to pull over.

Verdict

Waymo makes a convincing case for the autonomous driver.

Even in the hectic streets of San Francisco, where people have to deal with risky drivers and a relatively complex street grid, the Waymo delivered a smooth riding experience.

Plus, the ability to adjust the climate, blast music, and talk in the car would probably be a boon for riders — perhaps more so for introverts. I say this as someone who rolls their eyes at dudes who complain about having to talk to their Uber drivers.

Riders can also bring their service animals without worrying about a driver's discretion. Other pets are not allowed.

Waymo's service could be even more valuable if the company offered more seating. A Waymo spokesperson told BI it is testing the five-seater Zeekr vehicles, but the company has no roll-out date to share.

As I was dropped off from my second ride, a passerby noticed I was taking pictures of the Waymo.

"Cool, right?" he said. "Everything about it, I love 'em."

• China's largest coastguard ship dropped anchor in Manila's exclusive economic zone earlier this week.
• The vessel anchored there as "an intimidation," the Philippine Coast Guard said.
• Maritime relations between China and the Philippines have become increasingly tense in recent months.

The world's largest coastguard ship dropped anchor in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea earlier this week, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the PCG, wrote on X that the authority had successfully tracked the movements of the China Coast Guard's (CCG) "165-meter monster ship" by "using Canada's Dark Vessel Detection technology."

"On July 1st, the ship departed from Hainan and entered the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on the following day," he wrote.

The 12,000-ton CCG 5901 was later "radio challenged" by the PCG, which asked it to confirm its intentions and to remind it that it was operating within the EEZ, he added.

An exclusive economic zone is an area of the ocean "beyond a nation's territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources."

The Chinese ship anchored close to a Philippine vessel — "the distance between the two vessels is less than 800 yards," Tarriela wrote.

Tarriela told a news forum that the Chinese vessel's moves were "an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard."

"We're not going to pull out and we're not going to be intimidated," he added.

Maritime run-ins between China and the Philippines are on the rise

China and the Philippines have had frequent confrontations around the Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll located within the exclusive economic zone.

China claims sovereignty over the reef and most of the South China Sea, but an international tribunal ruled in 2016 that China's claims to waters within its "nine-dash line" had no legal basis.

The Philippines grounded a ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, on the reef in 1999 to state its own claims over the area.

But the Shoal remains what the Brussels-based think tank the International Crisis Group (ICG) has called a "dangerous flashpoint," as Chinese boats continually try to prevent efforts to resupply the grounded ship.

Earlier this month, the China Coast Guard blocked a resupply mission using "dangerous and deliberate use of water cannons, ramming, and blocking maneuvers," according to a statement provided to US Naval Institute News by a spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Officials from China and the Philippines met on Tuesday and said they aimed to "rebuild confidence" to help manage maritime disputes.

But the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs stressed that it would be "relentless in protecting its interests and upholding its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction" in the South China Sea.

The ICG noted in May that "relations between the two countries in the maritime domain have never been as volatile as during the last seven months."

• US presidents are driven in a heavily armored limousine nicknamed "The Beast." 
• It features a secure communications system and fridge stocked with the president's blood type.
• Military cargo aircraft transport the presidential limousine for use abroad.

When US presidents aren't flying on Air Force One or taking helicopter trips in Marine One, they're driven around in a presidential limousine nicknamed "The Beast."

Weighing in at 20,000 pounds and outfitted with advanced security and communications systems, the newest model of "The Beast" debuted during the Trump administration in 2018. It reportedly cost around $1.5 million to build.

Take a look inside the famous vehicle.

US presidents travel in a secure limousine nicknamed "The Beast."

US presidents rode Lincoln limousines for most of the 20th century until the 1980s, when the Reagan administration switched to Cadillacs.

The latest model of the presidential limousine was commissioned by the US Secret Service in 2014 and used for the first time in 2018 by President Donald Trump.

Designed to look like a longer version of a Cadillac XT6, the chassis of the car is actually that of a Chevrolet Kodiak truck produced by General Motors, NBC News reported. The vehicle weighs around 20,000 pounds and cost around $1.5 million to build.

The heavily armored vehicle is bulletproof, blast-resistant, and sealed to withstand biochemical attacks.

While details about the limousine's security measures remain classified, NBC News reported that the vehicle features a night-vision system, tear gas firing capabilities, and door handles that can be electrified to prevent intruders.

The windows are believed to be 3 inches thick and the vehicle's armor around 8 inches thick.

"The Beast" is also equipped with medical supplies, including a refrigerator stocked with the president's blood type.

The limousine's secure communications system is able to dispatch the launch codes for nuclear weapons.

The presidential seal appears throughout the design of the car.

The seal, featuring an eagle holding an olive branch and 13 arrows in its talons below a banner reading "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of many, one"), appears on both the interior and exterior of the passenger door.

The limousine can seat up to seven people.

The interior features water bottle holders and plush leather seats. Previous presidential limousines have also included a fold-out desk, according to the US Secret Service.

"The Beast" travels with the president.

Presidential limousines are transported by military cargo aircraft, such as US Air Force C-17s, for use during the president's travels, according to the US Secret Service.

When abroad, the presidential limousine flies the American flag and the flag of the host country.

When Biden visited the UK in June 2021, the presidential limousine flew both the American flag and the Union Jack.

On Inauguration Day, Secret Service agents change the car's license plates as a new president takes power.

Some presidents have used the Washington, DC, "End Taxation Without Representation" license plates, while others have removed the slogan, Axios reported.

Accompanied by the presidential motorcade, "The Beast" remains an instantly recognizable symbol of the power of the presidency.

"It is safe to say that this car's security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world," the assistant director for the US Secret Service's Office of Protective Operations said of "The Beast, " according to the US Secret Service's official website.