Tag: News

• President Biden is facing criticism after appearing unsure whether he watched his debate performance.
• His comments came during an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Friday.
• The interview did little to ease concerns about his chances in the November election.

President Joe Biden is coming under fire on social media after appearing unsure whether he watched his disastrous debate performance with Donald Trump back.

During a highly anticipated ABC News interview on Friday, George Stephanopoulos asked Biden: "Did you ever watch the debate afterwards?"

Pausing very briefly, Biden said, "I don't think I did, no."

Biden's response faced immediate backlash on social media.

Referencing the president's answer, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung wrote on X: "How the hell do you not know if you re-watched the debate?

Brand strategist and HuffPost contributor Diane Mantouvalos noted that it "should have been an anticipated question, to which he could have answered: I've seen clips. Or: Not in its entirety, but enough to understand people's concern."

"If he didn't watch, that in itself is reckless," she added."A conscientious exec would take an hour or two to assess performance. What does he do all day?"

The interview came just a week after Biden's poor debate performance against Trump, in which he fumbled his words, seemed to lose his train of thought, and struggled with a raspy voice.

Democratic donors and supporters of the president viewed the interview as crucial to addressing the mounting concerns about the president's age and mental agility, as well as the increasing calls for him to drop out of the election race.

Biden avoided a repeat of his debate mishaps in this latest interview, using it to restate his commitment to remaining in the race, saying that only the "Lord Almighty" could get him to drop out.

Chalking his debate performance up to "a bad night," Biden also ruled out taking a cognitive test or undergoing an independent medical examination to check if he had any neurological conditions.

When confronted with polling figures that showed Trump with an increasing lead, Biden resorted to flat-out denial, questioning the accuracy of the data and leaning on internal polling that he claimed showed the election was still a "toss-up."

When Stephanopoulos also pointed out his low approval rating, noting that he had "never seen a president of 36% approval get re-elected," Biden again shut it down.

"Well, I don't believe that's my approval rating — that's not what our polls show," the president said.

• Israel and Hezbollah regularly trade fire, but the two are steadily exchanging escalatory remarks.
• Hezbollah has greatly increased its fighting capacity over the last two decades.
• The Iran-backed militants now maintain a huge arsenal of munitions that could threaten Israel. 

The threat of a wider war is looming for Israel, as is the potential that its cities and strategic military targets could face a massive bombardment in ways the country hasn't yet seen.

Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group operating out of Lebanon, have regularly exchanged fire since Hamas — which also enjoys significant support from Tehran — staged its cross-border massacre on Oct. 7.

These tit-for-tat engagements have so far been relatively contained to the border regions, but tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated in recent weeks, raising fears that the two bitter foes may be headed for an unavoidable collision course.

United Nations officials have warned that such a fight would be catastrophic and lead to widespread death and destruction.

For Israel, a larger war with Hezbollah would look very different from the full-scale conflict it's fighting against Hamas in Gaza. The Lebanon-based militants are a much more dangerous force with a lot more weapons and combatants available to them.

In a fight with Hezbollah, Israel would need a lot of munitions readily available to it because "that's a much more difficult conflict" than the one in Gaza, which has been a tough enough fight as is, Daniel Byman, a former Middle East analyst for the US intelligence community, told Business Insider in May.

Hezbollah has grown stronger

Hezbollah has spent decades building up its arsenal and military capabilities. Before the 2006 Lebanon War, a monthlong conflict fought against Israel, Hezbollah maintained some 15,000 projectiles. That figure has swelled to over 130,000 today, with some estimates putting the missile and rocket inventory as high as 150,000.

Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank wrote in a 2018 report that "Hezbollah is the world's most heavily armed non-state actor, with a large and diverse stockpile of unguided artillery rockets, as well as ballistic, anti-air, anti-tank, and anti-ship missiles."

Much of Hezbollah's inventory consists of various shorter-range, unguided projectiles. The analysts said that while these weapons may not be particularly accurate, they exist in large enough quantities to cause concern. The militants also possess precision-guided weapons that could reach deeper into Israel.

"Hezbollah views its rocket and missile arsenal as its primary deterrent against Israeli military action," the CSIS analysts explained, noting they are "also useful for quick retaliatory strikes and longer military engagements."

Hamas started the ongoing Gaza war with as many as 30,000 rockets and missiles, according to the Institute for National Security Studies, an Israeli think tank. It's a much smaller figure, but it has still caused issues for Israel and highlighted the value of maintaining a large stockpile, especially as it continues to expend a lot in Gaza.

That war has seen "a pretty serious rate of fire. And this would be even more so with Hezbollah," said Byman, a senior fellow with the CSIS' Transnational Threats Project. "Hezbollah has a lot more firepower. Israel would be using a lot more firepower in return."

Israel operates a sophisticated air-defense network able to engage different threats, from short-range rockets to medium-range ballistic missiles in the atmosphere. The Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow systems have all been busy since Oct. 7 but, for the most part, have managed to protect the country from enemy munitions.

But a larger Hezbollah war could overwhelm some of these systems, a scenario that has caused concern in Washington.

During the 2006 war, Hezbollah fired somewhere between 100 and 200 rockets per day at Israel, according to estimates cited by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. In a future war between the two, the militants could fire in excess of 4,000 rockets per day in the early stages of a conflict, but they would eventually have to reduce that number to 1,500. Even then, it is still a significantly higher rate of fire than in 2006 and could put immense stress on Israel's defenses.

"Hezbollah's means of attack are highly impressive," the Israeli think tank INSS said in an October 2023 assessment. In a war with Hezbollah, the group's vast weapons inventory "will require Israel to divert countermeasure systems to targeted protection of civilian and military infrastructure."

The Britain Israel Communications and Research Center, an Israel advocacy organization, wrote in an October 2019 updated briefing that "even with Israel's early warning and missile interception system, missiles fired at major population centers in large numbers can be deadly, forcing civilian populations to remain in or near shelters, closing schools and businesses, and paralyzing normal life."

'No one' wants a war

Hezbollah put its firepower on display earlier this week, launching more than 200 rockets and attack drones into Israel in retaliation for the killing of a senior commander. It marked one of the militants' biggest barrages of the nine-month-long conflict.

Beyond the aerial threat, Hezbollah also has a personnel force of more than 50,000 combatants, according to a May 2024 report by the Congressional Research Service. Hamas, by contrast, was thought to have up to 30,000 fighters at the start of the Gaza war, and it has seen thousands of its members killed and wounded since October.

Adding to Hezbollah's potential combat force, thousands of additional fighters from Iran-backed groups across the region have offered to come fight against Israel in the event of a full-scale war.

For now, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is still relatively low intensity, but fears are growing that it may not stay that way. The militants have tied their action to a ceasefire in Gaza, saying only then will the attacks stop. And as some Western nations urge de-escalation, the two enemies continue to threaten each other, saying that they will resort to force if needed.

More than two dozen soldiers and civilians have already been killed in Israel, and in Lebanon, that figure has surpassed 450. A majority of those dead are militants, but civilians have also been killed. Additionally, tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes in both countries.

"One of our primary objectives from day one — since October — was to do everything we could to make sure that this conflict didn't spread," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Brookings Institution event earlier this month, adding, "No one actually wants a war."

• Warren Buffett has lived in the same family home in Omaha for almost 70 years.
• The billionaire paid just $31,500 for the house, which is now worth about $1.4 million.
• Here are Buffett's best quotes about buying a home, which he says can be both a great and terrible idea.

Warren Buffett, one of the world's wealthiest people worth almost $130 billion, has lived in the same unassuming house in Omaha for nearly 70 years.

The penny-pinching investor paid just $31,500 in 1958 for the family home, which Zillow values at about $1.4 million.

Buffett put off the purchase for years as he was certain he could earn a higher return by investing his money elsewhere. He even dubbed the house "Buffett's Folly" once he eventually bought it.

Even so, the Berkshire Hathaway CEO has joked about his deep fondness for his home, and ranked it among the best buys he's ever made. But he's also warned that owning an unaffordable home can be hellish.

Here are Buffett's 8 best quotes about homebuying, lightly edited for length and clarity:

1. "He was building a house at that time a few miles from here, and 62 years later, he's still living in the same house. Now that was interesting because I was buying a house just a few months before, 62 years ago, and I'm still living in the same house. So you've got a couple of fairly peculiar guys just to start with in terms of their love affair with their homes." (Buffett was speaking at Berkshire's shareholder meeting in 2021 about his since-deceased business partner, Charlie Munger.)

2. "When I got married, we did have about $10,000 starting off. I told Susie, "Now, you know, there's two choices, it's up to you. We can either buy a house, which will use up all my capital and clean me out, and it'll be like a carpenter who's had his tools taken away for him. Or you can let me work on this and someday, who knows, maybe I'll even buy a little bit larger house than would otherwise be the case.

   "So she was very understanding on that point. And we waited until 1956. We got married in 1952. And I decided to buy a house when the down payment was about 10% or so of my net worth, because I really felt I wanted to use the capital for other purposes." (Buffett believed he could invest $31,500 and turn it into $1 million in about a dozen years, so "he felt as though he were spending an outrageous million dollars on the house," author Alice Schroeder writes in her biography of Buffett.) (1998 meeting)

   

3. "Home ownership makes sense for most Americans. The third-best investment I ever made was the purchase of my home, though I would have made far more money had I instead rented and used the purchase money to buy stocks. (The two best investments were wedding rings.) For the $31,500 I paid for our house, my family and I gained 52 years of terrific memories with more to come." (2010 letter to shareholders)
4. "Anybody that knows where they're going to want to live, and has a reasonably assured income, I think they're making a terrible mistake if they don't buy a single-family home now and get a mortgage at these rates — and they should get a 30-year mortgage. It's really a golden opportunity. You're not going to see a chance like this five years from now, I'll guarantee you that." (CNBC interview in 2012)
5. "A home's a wonderful thing, but I wouldn't buy one if I was going to move in six months, and I wouldn't buy one if I was terribly nervous about my job." (2012 interview)
6. "A house can be a nightmare if the buyer's eyes are bigger than his wallet and if a lender — often protected by a government guarantee — facilitates his fantasy. Our country's social goal should not be to put families into the house of their dreams, but rather to put them into a house they can afford." (2010 letter)
7. Buffett described a 30-year mortgage as "the best instrument in the world. Because if you're wrong and rates go to 2%, which I don't think they will, you pay it off. It's a one-way renegotiation. It is an incredibly attractive instrument for the homeowner, and you've got a one-way bet." (CNBC interview, 2017)

• Netflix was ordered to remove a sex scene that depicted a Spanish drug trafficker, The Times of London reported.
• Laureano Oubiña said he was portrayed as violent and impotent in the crime drama "Cocaine Coast."
• Oubiña also claimed the series had caused him "moral damage."

A Spanish drug smuggler has sued Netflix and forced the streamer to remove a sex scene from a hit series.

Laureano Oubiña attempted to sue Netflix last year for 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million), saying that the unflattering depiction of him in the series "Cocaine Coast" ("Fariña") caused him "moral damage," The Times of London reported.

Netflix has now been ordered to pay the 78-year-old Oubiña 15,000 euros (roughly $16,200) for violating his privacy, while the company was also forced to cut an "explicit sex" scene that appeared at the start of the first episode of the show.

The court ruled that the scene was unnecessary and purely designed to "hook the viewer into the plot," per The Times of London.

Jorge Paladino, Oubiña's lawyer, said in 2023 that Oubiña's life had "worsened considerably" since the series came out due to his portrayal "as a person capable of taking the life of another" and as being "violent, sexist, a cocaine trafficker, impotent, vicious, unfaithful, a bad father, a bad husband, a brute, foolish, vengeful, an abuser of women, ignorant and a mafioso," per the report.

Oubiña had also taken offense to a scene that showed him as unable to have sex with his wife during a conjugal prison visit.

The court rejected the other complaints, however.

The ruling can be appealed against, the report said.

Representatives for Netflix did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

"Cocaine Coast" tells the story of a young fisherman turned cocaine smuggler in 1980s Galicia, a region in northwest Spain.

While it has been acquired by Netflix, it is not currently available to watch in the US.

Oubiña's is just one of a number of lawsuits Netflix has been hit with over the dramatization of real-life events.

Last month, Fiona Harvey, who claims that the character of Martha in the viral show "Baby Reindeer" was based on her, filed a lawsuit against Netflix, seeking more than $170 million in damages.

She claims the streamer did a poor job of disguising her identity and that the show has ruined her reputation.

A Netflix spokesperson told BI that the streamer intends "to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd's right to tell his story."

The estate of the Colombian drug queen Griselda Blanco also filed a lawsuit earlier this year against Netflix over the show "Griselda," in an attempt to halt the show's release.

It claimed that the streamer had used the family's images and likenesses without proper authorization.

The suit was settled in February.

• My friend and I booked a last-minute vacation to Hilton Head Island, a beach town in South Carolina.
• The area was abundant with natural beauty and reminded me of a nature preserve.
• Hilton Head Island's beaches were clean and beautiful, and I loved the food scene.

Last July, when my best friend and I suddenly found some free time and a yearning for sun and sand, we laid out our options for a trip.

As a resident of South Carolina, I considered plenty of places to visit, from Myrtle Beach to Charleston. But in the end, we ultimately settled on Hilton Head Island.

The beautiful South Carolina town has several white-sand beaches and world-class golf courses. The area, which Condé Nast Traveler named the best island in the US in 2023, is also known for nature and a small-town vibe.

I'd been to Hilton Head Island decades earlier but was eager to see how it had changed over the years. Here's what my experience on the island was like.

The entire area reminded me of a nature preserve.

We rented a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with pool access and a lagoon view through Whimstay — a vacation-rental website for last-minute trips.

Our house had plenty of space for my friend and me to relax — but the real beauty of the home was the gorgeous lagoon in the backyard. I could have easily spent the rest of our getaway staring out at that water without visiting the beach.

It was so peaceful to be surrounded by beautiful greenery and trees.

I loved hearing the sound of frogs and other animals at night.

We soon learned the lagoon in our backyard was bristling with wildlife, including all kinds of birds, different-sized turtles, and a wide variety of frogs.

When nighttime came, the frogs surrounding our house piped up with quite the chorus. It almost seemed like we were camping — but without the hassle of sleeping outside.

When it got dark, I cracked open the sliding-glass doors connecting the main bedroom to the spacious back deck so I could do some stargazing — Hilton Head Island, known for its low light pollution, was the perfect place for this activity.

Sea Pines Beach was beautiful, clean, and easy to get to.

One Saturday during our trip, my friend and I left our car at a shopping center and boarded a trolley to Sea Pines Beach Club, where we reserved chairs from Shore Beach Services.

Our first day at the beach was fairly quiet — I assume this was because it was changeover day for most of the rental properties.

Still, it was a diverse crowd, with families, singles, couples, and people of all ages splayed across the sand. We had plenty of room to spread out but didn't really venture from our chairs.

The next day brought more folks out to the beach. But even with more people around, the beach didn't feel too crowded — there was a completely relaxed vibe.

The wide array of food was unmatched, too.

Everything we ate on the island was enjoyable, from the delicious first-night, too-tired-to-go-out pizza from Giuseppi's to the pre-beach pastries and fresh-squeezed juice we grabbed at the Harbour Town Bakery and Café.

However, my meal at Chez Georges Bistro and Bar blew my taste buds away. Known for its "French cuisine with a Lowcountry accent," this family-owned and -operated restaurant has a traditional French-bistro menu without any kind of intimidating vibe.

When we walked in, we were greeted as if we were regulars. The menu was packed with classically French cuisine, from escargot and bouillabaisse to cassoulet.

I was thrilled to see moules frites (mussels with fries) on the menu. I opted for the classic Provençal preparation, with white-wine-butter sauce, tomatoes, capers, olives, and herbs de Provence. The dish did not disappoint, and I used the fries to mop up every last drop of sauce.

We also ordered steak frites, and my friend tried the boeuf Bourguignon (short ribs), which were fall-off-the-bone tender.

Hilton Head was a great spot for a last-minute vacation, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

When I first experienced Hilton Head Island decades ago, I perceived it as kind of stuffy. Later, I dismissed it as just a place for golfers and bachelor parties.

But on my most recent, last-minute vacation, Hilton Head Island proved to be the perfect low-key vacation retreat for everyone — beachgoers, nature enthusiasts, and food lovers alike.

From the beaches to the delicious restaurant scene, I had a great time. I'd recommend this island to anyone in need of a beach getaway.

• Tami Shadduck, 44, is a teacher from Florida, who is a fan of sleep divorce. 
• Her husband suffered from undiagnosed sleep apnea, which meant she slept badly for years.  
• After suffering from strep throat in 2020, Shadduck slept in the spare room and never moved back.

This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Tami Shadduck. It has been edited for length and clarity.

From his snoring to the 5 a.m. wakeups, for the first 15 years of our marriage, I rarely had a great night's sleep. I love my husband, but I also love feeling rested.

Each night, I tried really hard to fall asleep. Sometimes, I'd pick up a book and read until my eyes got heavy. If it was really bad, I'd lie on the couch. I would get some sleep, but it was fitful, and I'd wake up each morning not feeling well rested.

When my husband and I first got together in 2005, he'd just finished working as a contractor in a warzone, so I expected him to have disrupted sleep based on that experience. I never thought about going to bed in a different room. Sharing the same bed is so ingrained in our culture it didn't occur to me we could sleep in separate beds.

We tried other remedies for his snoring first

When we first got together, he didn't really snore, but over the next 15 years, it got progressively worse. To say I was sharp with my husband in the morning is a kind way to put it. We would jokingly say I woke up a bear.

We tried a few different remedies to help solve the problem. We bought a king-sized bed because I thought the extra space would help with his tossing and turning. Then we bought a sound machine designed to mask other noise, but it was so loud I felt like I was sleeping on the launchpad of the Kennedy Space Center. He finally got into a sleep study and discovered he suffers from sleep apnea, where your breathing stops and starts while you sleep.

I first slept in the guest bedroom when I got strep throat

In March 2020, I got strep throat and slept in the guest bedroom. I slept like a grandfather after Thanksgiving dinner. When I recovered from strep throat, I continued to sleep in the spare room as I realized I was sleeping much better.

When I realized I wanted to make it a more permanent move, I started by verbalizing how much happier and rested I felt in the morning. I think it took my husband a while to process how he really felt about it. But we're now at the point where he sleeps better alone, too, because he's not worrying about keeping me awake.

We shared our sleeping arrangements with others and were surprised by the reaction

We had a vague idea that some other couples also slept apart but didn't know anyone personally, so we decided to keep the fact that we slept in separate bedrooms to ourselves. When we finally told friends and family, it felt empowering. We were surprised by how many people said they wished they slept apart. Some friends had situational experiences of sleeping separately due to having young children or being sick, so it was easy for them to relate.

People may think their love lives will suffer if they decide to sleep in separate beds, but that isn't the case. Intimacy happens in a thousand little moments throughout the day. To me, sleep is a health behavior, and intimacy is part of a healthy relationship.

I'm really grateful my husband is interested in my health and happiness, not some preconceived notion of what a marriage is supposed to look like. I might've done it sooner if more people had talked about it. I think the more we normalize it, the happier couples can be.

• President Joe Biden has been steadfast that he is not dropping out.
• In the meantime, some donors and elected officials are pushing him to step aside.
• If Biden were to change his mind, the final push is likely to come from his own small orbit.

President Joe Biden is clear that he is not leaving the 2024 race.

On Friday, Biden rallied with supporters in Wisconsin as he continued his effort to hold onto power amid a growing number of megadonors and Democratic officials questioning whether he is still the best candidate to beat former President Donald Trump.

"You voted for me to be your nominee, no one else," Biden said at the rally. "You, the voters did that. And despite that some folks don't seem to care who you voted for, well guess what, they're trying to push me out of the race. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm staying in the race."

Biden's disastrous debate performance has sharply highlighted voters' biggest concern about reelecting the 81-year-old, who would be 86 if he left office in January 2029.

So far, influential voices like former President Barack Obama remain behind him. There's still time for Biden to change course. Still, it's unlikely that another current party leader would nudge him out of the race in a meeting like the famous 1974 meeting Sen. Barry Goldwater and top Republicans held with President Richard Nixon, letting him know that he would not survive the Watergate scandal.

Instead, Biden may only be swayed by someone within his insular orbit — many who have served at his side for decades. In the end, it may only be a fellow Biden who could change his mind.

Jill Biden

The president is "Jill Biden's husband" in every sense of the phrase. Like many modern first ladies, Jill Biden is described as one of the most powerful voices in the White House.

"There is little doubt among those who know her that Jill Biden's highest priority is shielding her husband and family from danger," journalist Katie Rogers wrote in her book about modern first ladies.

Since the debate debacle, the first lady has also been clear that she remains dedicated to Biden staying in the race.

Over the years, Biden has been described as the hard edge to the man who has spent decades glad-handing people around Washington. She has often been referred to as the keeper of family grudges, including when she needed to be convinced that Vice President Kamala Harris didn't cross a line when she called out Biden's past statements on race during a heated Democratic presidential primary debate.

After Dr. Biden helped fend off protestors in 2020, the then-former vice president joked that his wife "is my Secret Service."

"Whoa, you don't screw around with a Philly girl, I'll tell you what," Biden said at the time.

Valerie Biden Owens

President Biden has often cited his father's admonition, "Family is the beginning, the middle, and the end." His younger sister, Valerie Biden Owens, knows that better than most.

She has been involved in Biden's political career from the beginning. Owens managed Biden's upset 1972 US Senate campaign and his first presidential run less than two decades later.

"Val is kind of the connective tissue throughout the course of the campaigns from '72 to today," Kate Bedingfield, then-Biden's deputy campaign manager, told BuzzFeed News in 2019.

Biden Owens joked at the time about how hard it was not leading her brother's ultimately successful run, given that she had run his campaigns dating back to high school.

"This is the first time I haven't managed the campaign, and I want to tell you, it's damn frustrating!" she said, per BuzzFeed.

An unnamed Democratic official told Axios that if there were a quiet campaign to nudge Biden aside then one of the few people to make the case should be the president's sister.

Ted Kaufman

Former Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware might be one of Biden's few actual contemporaries.

Biden has been in office so long that few if any, current Democratic leaders can match his longevity, especially given his complicated relationships with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as The New York Times points out.

Kaufman has been at Biden's side for decades, starting during the 1972 campaign. Just a few years after Biden's election, Kaufman became his chief of staff. When Biden left the Senate after being elected vice president in 2009, Kaufman replaced him.

He's been described as Biden's best friend and his alter ego. Kaufman has also told Biden the harsh truth before. In 1987, it was Kaufman who urged the then-senator to drop out of the presidential race amid a plagiarism scandal.

"There's only one way to stop the sharks and that's pull out," Kaufman told Biden, according to The New York Times.

Biden often returns to Delaware on the weekends. According to The Times, when the president goes home he seeks out Kaufman.

Ron Klain

Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain is at the center of Biden's debate debacle.

Klain has prepped Democrats for presidential debates for decades. He took time away from his new job with AirBnb to help prepare his old boss.

The Indiana native has worked for Biden almost nonstop since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1987. Under Biden's leadership, he was chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. After serving as Vice President Al Gore's chief of staff, Klain returned to the role during the Obama administration.

Klain's decision to back former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 Democratic primary over Biden, who was still musing about his run, was considered a deep act of betrayal.

But Klain returned to the Biden orbit and realized his long-held ambition of being the top aide to a president. It's their closeness that might make it hard for Biden's former chief to pressure his long-time boss to step aside.

"He's like a father to Ron Klain. What do you say to your father? This is tough, very tough," Elaine Kamarck, a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee, told The Times.

According to The Times, Biden still talks to him once a week to figure out the best ways to attack Trump.

Mike Donilon

Like others in Biden's small orbit, Mike Donilon has been at the president's side for decades.

According to The Times, Biden calls Donilon almost daily to get his take on the news. Donilon, who was a senior White House advisor, left the administration to join Biden's reelection campaign.

He played a major role in shaping the message for Biden's successful 2020 run.

• Kat Holmes is a professional fencer headed to the Olympics in Paris this summer. 
• The 30-year-old is also in medical school in New York City to become a doctor.
• Her hectic schedule includes workouts, hours of practice, and lots of studying. 

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Olympic fencer Kat Holmes. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be a fencer and a doctor.

Now, I'm 30, and I've fenced on a world championship-winning team and been to the Olympics twice. I'm currently preparing for the Paris Olympics in July. Two weeks after I return, I plan to continue my studies at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

People often ask me how I have time for both. The answer is: I don't really know, but I live it every day.

I'm drawn to two dreams

I played many sports as a kid — soccer, basketball, swimming, tennis. You name it, I tried it.

I am also a nerd. I love reading books about medieval times and sword fighting. When I was 9, I read "Song of the Lioness Quartet" by Tamora Pierce, in which a girl becomes a knight. That sounded really cool to me, so I decided I wanted to try sword fighting.

It wasn't like I was particularly good at fencing initially, but I just loved it. I did it more and more — just for the sake of doing it.

In the 1981 movie "Chariots of Fire," Eric Liddel is a runner competing in the Olympic Games. At one point, he says, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure."

That's how I feel when I fence. I was doing what I was made to be doing, and my 9-year-old self sensed that. I just kept doing it, and now here I am.

My parents were really supportive and found me affordable classes, but after a few years, they said, "Well, you're never going to play sports in college because it will detract from your studies."

But based on my national ranking and my performances, it became clear that going to the Olympics was a real goal of mine. So, my parents eventually said, "Of course, you're going to take time off to try to go to the Olympics."

I've also known since I was 13 that I wanted to be a doctor. I had sprained my ankle, and I had a friend of mine whose dad was an orthopedic surgeon. We went to see him, and I asked all sorts of questions, so he let me shadow him for many summers — starting when I was 15.

The very first day I was in the operating room seeing a scoliosis correction surgery, I was like, "Oh my God, this is what I want to do." And so, I've always been on that path toward medicine since.

My hectic schedule takes some strategic planning

I started medical school three days after returning from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. I completed my first two years while training and competing, and then this year, I took what is called a "research year" to give myself some more time to train and compete for the Olympics.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I go to Princeton to train with my fencing coach. I get up pretty early because it takes me two and a half hours to get there. The lessons are normally between an hour and two hours. After that, I lift for an hour and then return to the city to spar with other fencers. When I'm on the train, I'm constantly focused on schoolwork.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get up and go to the gym in NYC and work closely with my Future coach. We do a bit more intense conditioning workouts for about an hour. I then do schoolwork and focus on that for a big chunk of the day. I then spar with other people at night for two to three hours.

On Saturdays, I always try doing fun cross-training like pickleball, rock climbing, or running. On Sundays, I take off; I need one day just to recover.

During competitions, like the Olympics, I'd study in between matches. I always had to get my own room because I'd be up super late studying. I had to take exams on the road.

I guess all of this isn't impossible because I'm doing it — even though it sometimes feels impossible.

• This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
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Welcome back to our Saturday edition and the start of the busiest season for traveling. One mom who visited Rome last July has a few tips on maneuvering during its peak tourist season: Sightsee at night and splurge on travel insurance.

On the agenda:

• A doctor shared three things he avoids to keep his gut microbiome healthy.
• How Coach pulled off a comeback — and became Gen Z's "It-Brand."
• Kevin Costner learned that passion projects don't always make box-office hits.
• A Michelin-starred chef shared the red flags he looks for in Italian restaurants.

But first: Scammers are on the loose.

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This week's dispatch

It's scammer season

"I was in shock and my heart dropped," Daniel Pietschnig told Business Insider's real estate reporter, Alcynna Lloyd. He and his wife had been scammed out of a $32,000 down payment for their first home.

The FBI said last year thousands of people lost $350 million to real-estate scams in 2021, an increase of 64% from 2020. In fact, BI has been reporting on scams and how they can wreck one's financial life and sanity for years.

Another man and his wife were scammed out of more than $31,000, which they thought they'd given to a pool operator. Turns out they'd been conned into sending thousands of dollars to nameless email addresses in a Zelle scam.

Last year, lifestyle reporter Monica Humphries found dozens of travelers had fallen victim to an Airbnb scam in which hosts use a different address in a more ideal neighborhood to boost rentals.

Now that we're in the slower months of the year, it's a good time to shore up ways to prevent yourself and your bank account from costly scams — from thoroughly checking your mail (yes, snail mail) to being wary of paying anything upfront.

Tips for a healthy gut

Gut health is a hot topic these days. Research shows a healthy gut microbiome is linked to numerous benefits, from improved mood to smoother digestion.

Dr. Max Nieuwdorp, an endocrinologist and internist, says it can also affect our hormones. He shared the lifestyle changes he's made to support his gut health and, in turn, his endocrine system. (Hint: Ease up on the red meat.)

See his lifestyle changes.

The second coming of Coach

Sometimes you need to flop before you slay. Coach's designer handbags, an It-Girl staple in the aughts, fell out of fashion by the mid-2010s. Its reputation took a serious hit as consumers increasingly saw the monogrammed bags as cheap or outdated.

That's why the Coach renaissance of the 2020s is all the more stunning. A successful rebrand, led by a Gen Z-oriented marketing campaign, has launched Coach to It-Bag status once more.

Inside Coach's renaissance.

Kevin Costner's bad movie bet

Actor Kevin Costner mortgaged his home to put $38 million of his own money into his passion project, the epic western "Horizon." Then the film bombed.

Even Costner's sizable "Yellowstone" following couldn't save it from the box-office bin. Remarkably, it's also not the first time Costner bet and lost big on a movie passion project. (Remember "Waterworld"?) As it turns out, self-financed auteur projects rarely deliver.

How Costner lost millions.

Also read:

• Kevin Costner's self-financed movie was a box-office flop. Experts say he's 'going to lose a lot of money.'

Veri ristoranti italiani (Translation: Real Italian restaurants)

Does the restaurant serve bread with butter? How about out-of-season ingredients? Is the pasta drowning in sauce?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, you might be dining at an inauthentic Italian joint. These are among the five red flags a Michelin-starred chef told BI he always looks for when dining at high-end Italian restaurants.

How to spot the gimmicks.

What we're watching this weekend

• "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F": Thirty years after the last movie in the franchise, Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in a new sequel.
• "SPRINT": From the same team who made "Drive to Survive," Netflix has a new sports docuseries about seven elite Olympic-caliber sprinters.
• "Back to Black": Sam Taylor-Johnson's Amy Winehouse biopic is now streaming after its theatrical release earlier this year.

See the full list.

Deals we love

• Salon-styled hair from home: You don't need to spend $600 on a Dyson Airwrap — here are 11 dupes for the famous multistyling tool.
• If you're hot, they're hotter: Heatwaves are sweeping the country, so check out these cooling mats for dogs that can help keep your pup from overheating.
• Cheap TVs: Despite how affordable they are, these five TVs under $500 don't fall short in terms of performance, features, and color.

More of this week's top reads:

• Retirement-age boomers are flocking to Scottsdale.
• A Russian describes going to a North Korean summer camp as a teen.
• America is facing a lifeguard shortage.
• How rich art collectors protect their masterpieces from beyond the grave.
• Young people are joining running clubs to find love and friendship.
• Cut back on processed foods with these two heart-healthy snacks.
• My family stayed in a luxurious $827-a-night villa at Disney World.
• Staying at an all-inclusive resort while sober doesn't have to be boring.
• A couple who moved to Bali said making friends was one of the hardest parts.

The Insider Today team: Joi-Marie McKenzie, editor in chief of life, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

• Russian children will attend a summer camp in North Korea in late July.
• The camp visit follows a strategic partnership agreement between North Korea and Russia.
• Songdowon International Children's Camp has regularly hosted international schoolkids.

A group of Russian schoolchildren will attend a summer camp in North Korea at the end of July.

Songdowon International Children's Camp has welcomed international kids in the past, but the latest initiative to host a group of Russian children comes amid deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, following the signing of a strategic partnership agreement last month between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jung Un.

Take a look inside the vast campground, which offers a rare glimpse into life in the hermit kingdom.

The summer camp in Wonsan has a maximum capacity of about 1,200 children.

According to Young Pioneer Tours, which leads tours to the campsite, a 2014 renovation led by North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un increased the Wonsan campsite's capacity to around 1,200 children.

Most kids are North Korean, though some come from Russia, China, and other parts of the world.

Rowan Beard, a tour manager for Young Pioneer Tours, told Business Insider that the camp has previously accepted schoolkids from Russia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Mexico, and other countries.

A former camper told BI that the North Korean kids are largely segregated from international visitors.

Yuri Frolov, a Russian who went to the camp in 2015 and 2016, told BI that the North Korean children were largely "segregated" from the international campers.

He said they only met briefly on their last day of summer camp.

Some kids went because it seemed like a cheap beach holiday, a former camper says.

Frolov, who went to Songdowon to see North Korea with his own eyes, told BI that many others in his cohort were there for a different reason — a chance to go on a beach vacation for very little money.

The summer camp is heavily subsidized by North Korea, and he said it only costs visiting campers about $300 to $400 for the trip.

It also has a private beach area.

The dorms are supervised, but kids still get up to trouble, one ex-camper says.

Frolov, the former camper, said it was easy for kids to buy alcohol and cigarettes in North Korea.

Though the dorms were supervised, he said that it didn't stop his cohort, most of whom were about 12, from getting blind drunk during their first couple of nights of the camp.

There are relics from North Korea's former leader.

The camp was opened in 1960. Relics, such as a tent visited by Kim Jong Il, are on display.

The camp was set up to foster relations with foreign countries through hosting their children.

Kids sing propaganda songs about the country's former Supreme Leaders, an ex-camper says.

International campers are still expected to partake in patriotic rituals.

Frolov, the former camper, said they had to sing songs in Korean about North Korea's former leaders using Russian-language lyric sheets.

This would take place in a large concert hall called the International Friendship Children's Hall, he said.

He added that they also needed to polish a statue of North Korea's founder.

Another unusual ritual, Frolov said, was being made to polish the statue of Kim Il Sung.

Although it was professionally cleaned weekly, he said, they were expected to polish it for dust to show respect for the country's founder.

There are lots of facilities on the vast campsite.

The vast campsite has many facilities, including amusement park rides, an arcade room, a rock-climbing wall, and an aquarium.

The Sindok Aquarium has turtles and sharks.

The Sindok Aquarium was the first aquarium to be built in North Korea, according to aquarium company Marinescape.

By international standards, it is small, Marinescape said.

According to Aquamarine, which also worked on the construction, it has sharks and turtles.

There's also an aviary.

Songdowon also has an aviary. One visitor blogged that the birds, including love birds, lived in "very small enclosures."

As pictured, it also features some birds of prey.

As well as a show room for stuffed animals.

According to the Korean Friendship Association USA, Songdowon has an educational showroom of stuffed animals.

Those on display include a stuffed northern goshawk, North Korea's national bird, the group said.

Campers have an athletic track, as well as other sporting facilities.

Songdowon has an athletics track and playing field. It also has a basketball court and archery range so campers can stay active.

One camper said there are often swimming races.

According to North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un visited the summer camp in 2013 and ordered the construction of a new indoor swimming pool.

Frolov, who previously attended the summer camp, said campers often competed in swimming races.

There's a full-size waterpark, also supposedly requested by Kim Jong Un.

According to North Korea Leadership Watch, which analyzes North Korean news, Kim Jong Un instructed camp officials on how to improve the complex in 2014.

One request was to include sailboats so campers could enjoy marine sports.

Songdowon features a full-size water park with waterslides and a boating lake.

There are also cooking lessons.

Campers can learn how to cook traditional Korean food.

But the food is not good, said a former camper.

Frolov, the former camper, told BI he struggled to find food he wanted to eat. He said he mainly survived on rice, bread, and potato wedges.

He said that about once a week, seafood was on offer, but otherwise the food was bland or outright untasty.

Russian kids will get to experience Songdowong again this summer.

A group of Russian children is scheduled to stay at Songdowong from the end of July until early August.

This will be the first trip in a while, given that trips to the summer camp were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grigory Gurov, the chair of the Movement of the First, told Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti that conditions there will be "excellent."