Tag: News

• Michael Cohen has been one of Donald Trump's closest associates for years.
• Trump's former "fixer" is now a key witness in the former president's historic criminal trial.
• "What I was doing, I was doing at the direction of and benefit of Mr. Trump," Cohen testified.

Michael Cohen was once so loyal to former President Donald Trump that he vowed "to take a bullet" for him. He's now one of the marquee witnesses in Trump's history-making Manhattan criminal trial.

"It means that if somebody does something Mr. Trump doesn't like, I do everything in my power to resolve it to Mr. Trump's benefit," Cohen told ABC News in a 2011 interview. "If you do something wrong, I'm going to come at you, grab you by the neck, and I'm not going to let you go until I'm finished."

Cohen endeared himself to Trump, first as the treasurer on the board of Trump World Tower in New York and now as his personal attorney. As a lawyer to the then-future president, Cohen described himself as a "thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer." Cohen brokered what prosecutors have described as a 2016 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Trump has repeatedly denied Daniels' claims.

But Cohen has turned dramatically against Trump. In 2019, he told Congress that the then-sitting president was a"con man" and a "cheat." Cohen later went to prison for lying to Congress about a failed Trump Tower Moscow project and other financial crimes. He emerged as a self-styled changed man who used a book and podcast to further his turn from a Trump ally into a wannabe resistance member.

"What I was doing, I was doing at the direction of and benefit of Mr. Trump," Cohen testified about the hush money payments he made before the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen's fascination with the Trump brand began in back 2001

Cohen would quickly become one of Trump's most ardent supporters — but has since become one of the biggest legal threats to the Trump presidency. 

 

Cohen tried to goad Trump into running for president in 2012.

Trump, then-just a New York businessman and reality TV star, had long flirted with running for president. Ahead of the 2012 election, Cohen launched a website called "Should Trump Run." Trump ultimately passed, but he began to lay the groundwork for his shocking 2016 upset.

Despite being Trump's "fixer," Cohen sometimes created problems for the 2016 GOP hopeful.

Like many in Trump's orbit, Cohen was thrust into the greater spotlight and onto the 2016 campaign trial. It didn't always go well. Cohen threatened a Daily Beast reporterfor unearthing Ivana Trump's comments that described an encounter with her then-husband as "rape."

"You're talking about the frontrunner for the GOP, presidential candidate, as well as a private individual who never raped anybody," Cohen told the outlet. "And, of course, understand that by the very definition, you can't rape your spouse."

Cohen's comments sparked a firestorm, leading Trump, then the GOP frontrunner, to declare, "He's speaking for himself."

But Cohen affirmed his loyalty to Trump with behind-the-scenes hush-money payments.

It was what Cohen did privately that remains his biggest 2016-related legacy.

In the wake of The Washington Post publishing the "Access Hollywood" tape, Cohen testified that the Trump campaign was on the edge about any other stories regarding Trump's history with women.

Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, had been shopping around her story that she had an affair with Trump at a 2006 celebrity golf tournament. Trump has repeatedly denied that he had an affair. In the wake of the tape's publication, prosecutors said Trump wanted to "lock down the Stormy Daniels story."

Just weeks before the election, Cohen and Daniels' lawyer brokered a $130,000 hush-money payment. 

 

Copies of checks Donald Trump signed to pay Michael Cohen

Cohen testified that he opened a new bank account to hide his payment to Daniels from his wife. After the election, prosecutors said the now-President Trump agreed to a series of installments to pay Cohen back, disguised as legal fees.

The episode remained private until a 2018 bombshell Wall Street Journal article uncovered the payment. Cohen, now the president's personal attorney, was about to have his life upended.

Michael Cohen listens to a call following the FBI's reported raids on his home, office, and hotel room

Then-special counsel Robert Mueller makes a referral to the FBI. In April 2018, federal agents raided Cohen's home, office, and hotel room. Trump blasts his own Justice Department over the decision. 

Cohen testified during Trump's 2024 criminal trial that the president called his longtime attorney to reassure him that he had his back.

"Don't worry, I'm the President of the United States, there's no — nothing here," Cohen testified that Trump told him. "Everything is going to be ok. Stay tough. You'll be okay."

According to Cohen, it was the last time the pair spoke directly. Trump, according to his former attorney, used intermediaries and public tweets to convey that Cohen should remain loyal to his longtime boss.

Michael Cohen is accompanied by his wife and children as he arrives to his 2018 sentencing hearing

Despite his bravado, Cohen testified that he was "scared." For some time, the Trump Organization paid his legal fees. He was part of a joint defense agreement. Ultimately, Cohen said his family questioned why he was willing to risk so much.

"We're in this unique situation that I've never experienced," Cohen said. "And my family, my wife, my daughter, my son, all said to me, why are holding onto this loyalty? What are you doing? We're supposed to be your first loyalty?"

In August 2018, Cohen reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors. He now said that Trump directed the hush-money payments, a claim that contradicted the then-president's direct denials. It was, as the Associated Press reported, "the first time that any Trump associate has gone into open court and implicated Trump himself in a crime."

 

A screenshot of a Donald Trump tweet calling Michael Cohen "a 'rat'"

Trump's reaction was swift. Within months, he called Cohen "a 'rat'," a term more commonly used in mafia-related business than in presidential communications.

After over a decade together, the pair's relationship was shattered.

 

Michael Cohen became emotional at times during his 2019 congressional testimony

Cohen underlined his break with Trump during his combative February 2019 testimony before Congress.

"I have done bad things, but I am not a bad man," Cohen said. "I have fixed things, but I am no longer your 'fixer," Mr. Trump."

Cohen further testified he not only made the illicit hush-money payments at the direction of Trump, but testified that Trump directed him to threaten news outlets and others with litigation "at least 500" times — even threatening the schools Trump attended not to release his grades or SAT scores.

At the end of the hearing, Cohen was moved to tears when then-Rep. Elijah Cummings, the chairman, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, expressed sympathy for Cohen's situation.

"I know it's painful being called a rat," Cummings said in his closing statement. "I live in the inner city of Baltimore. When you call someone a rat, that's one of the worst things you can call them … because that means snitch."

 

Republicans took every opportunity to tear into Cohen, which Trump's allies have repeated during the criminal trial.

Republicans repeatedly blasted Cohen throughout his testimony. They painted him as a jilted former aide who turned on Trump because he didn't get a job in the White House. (Cohen said he wanted to stay outside the administration.) 

Trump allies also emphasized Cohen's admission that the former Trump attorney had lied to Congress before.

"Mr. Cohen, here's what I see, I see a guy who worked for 10 years, who is trashing a guy he worked for 10 years, didn't get a job in the White House, and now you're behaving just like everyone else who got fired or didn't get the job they wanted," Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, then-the top Republican on the Oversight committee, said during the hearing.

A few months later, Michael Cohen had to report to federal prison.

Cohen reported to thefederal prison near Otisville, New York in May 2019. Before that, he was also formally disbarred. Cohen was sentenced to three years behind bars, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to serve out a lot of the time via home confinement.

Cohen continued his turn against Trump as a free man. By his admission, it's made him millions.

Cohen's turn against Trump has been lucrative for his former lawyer. Cohen testified that he has made roughly $3.4 million off of two Trump-related books. He also hosts a podcast on behalf of the anti-Trump group Meidas Touch. 

Since breaking with Trump, Cohen has repeatedly trolled his former boss. One of his favorite insults is calling Trump Donald "Von ShitzInPantz."

Trump had not seen Cohen for years before they were reunited in a New York courtroom.

Trump and Cohen had not seen each other for five years before Cohen testified in Trump's civil fraud trial.

Cohen said that the former president directed him to defraud banks and insurers.

"I was tasked by Mr. Trump to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected," Cohen testified.

New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron later ordered Trump to pay over $355 million. Engoron issued a scathing verdict.

"The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience," Engoron wrote in his decision.

Trump is limited in how much he can attack Cohen during the New York criminal trial.

Cohen repeatedly barbed Trump in the lead-up to his then-expected testimony in Trump's Manhattan criminal trial.

Justice Juan Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump, which bars the former president from commenting on likely witnesses in the case. Merchan has held Trump in contempt and ordered him to pay $10,000 in fines. If Trump violates the order again, Merchan has warned he could jail the former president.

One of Trump's violations was when he posted on Truth Social, "Has disgraced attorney and felon Michael Cohen been prosecuted for LYING?" 

 

Cohen is a key witness in Trump's criminal trial.

The Manhattan trial is the first time in history a former president has faced criminal charges. Prosecutors have relied on Cohen to testify to Trump's direct involvement in hush-money payments and in helping falsify business records to cover them up.

If Trump himself doesn't testify in the case, Cohen could be the last major witness to testify. 

Trump's lead attorney, Todd Blanche, has grilled Cohen over his past statements about Trump, including when Cohen called the former president a "cheeto-dusted cartoon villain."

• The Ukraine war exposed problems in US weapons systems. 
• Precision-guided weapons have been jammed by Russian electronic warfare units. 
• It's not been able to produce ammo and artillery quickly enough. 

The release of $61 billion in US aid in April was a boost to Ukraine's hard-pressed forces battling the Russian invasion.

But Ukraine isn't the only beneficiary of the deal. Analysts say the US is gaining invaluable insights into the flaws of some of its most important weapons and military production systems.

Since the start of the war in 2022, the US has been Ukraine's single most important ally, providing a total of $107 billion in aid to the Ukrainian government.

From the jamming of missiles to drones and artillery, the US is gaining valuable insights into its weaknesses in the brutal battlefields in east and south Ukraine.

Electronic warfare

One area in which the US has revealed its shortcomings is in electronic warfare. Russia's jamming systems have created major issues with Western precision weaponry, including GMLRS rockets and Excalibur artillery shells, as previously reported by Business Insider.

Russia's electronic warfare units have become increasingly adept at scrambling the GPS navigation systems used to guide the missiles and shells to their targets, sending them off course and rendering them useless.

"The war has revealed that some of the US precision-guided munitions fail in a highly contested electromagnetic environment," Stacie Pettyjohn, a military analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told BI.

In contrast, cheap, off-the-shelf drones have played an enormously important role in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military has used the drones to offset some of the disadvantages in manpower and equipment it faced against Russia. It has used them to surveil enemy positions, guide artillery strikes, and fitted them with grenades or explosives to attack enemy positions.

Ukrainian drones are also susceptible to electronic warfare, but Ukraine has produced technology to evade jamming signals and exploit gaps in Russia's electronic warfare defenses.

The use of drones on the battlefield

Maneuvering, concealing, and supplying troops on battlefields under constant drone surveillance is another conundrum Pentagon experts are grappling with, said Pettyjohn.

According to reports, the Pentagon is rapidly seeking to improve its ability to deploy drones to support troops and take out enemy drones, which military analysts believe will be ubiquitous on the battlefields of the future. At the moment, said Pettyjohn, US army units have only a few, old drones per unit.

"One of the key lessons from this conflict is the democratization of precision strike weapons is making the battlefield incredibly lethal," said Pettyjohn.

A shortage in weapons

The Ukraine war has exposed problems not just with the quality of weapons, but with the US' capacity to produce them in the quantity Ukraine needs.

For decades, the US prepared for war against militant groups such as the Taliban in Afghanistan. But the Ukraine war more closely resembles conflicts such as World War I, with two militaries in well-defended positions firing tens of thousands of rounds of artillery a day at each other to wear the opponent down. And the US military is yet to adjust.

In contrast, Russia has placed its economy on a war footing, massively increasing the amount of military equipment it is able to produce and placing Ukraine at a serious disadvantage.

"The biggest problem that the Ukraine war has exposed with American weapons is that the Pentagon simply does not buy enough munitions for a large-scale protracted conflict," said Pettyjohn.

She added that the recent Ukraine aid bill, which also contains billions for US weapons production, doesn't fix the problem.

"This a Band-Aid that doesn't fix the fundamental problem. The Pentagon simply needs to buy more weapons on an annual basis," she said.

During the recent US aid block, Ukraine was being outfired at a rate of 10-1 on parts of the front line. Throughout the war, Ukraine's Western allies struggled to provide enough artillery and ammunition rounds.

But though the war has posed serious conundrums for Pentagon chiefs, it's also shown that many of its weapons systems remain much better than those of its opponents.

US Patriot air defense systems have shielded Ukrainian cities from mass Russian drone and rocket attacks. And though some have been intercepted, HIMARS long-range missiles continue to do devastating damage well behind the Russian front lines. Meanwhile, the Switchblade 600 exploding drone has been an important weapon for Ukraine in targeting Russian artillery batteries and troops, according to reports.

A high cost

A problem with US air defense systems, though, is that the missiles cost much more than the cheap drones they're often being used to shoot down, Pettyjohn said, presenting US military planners with another problem to grapple with.

"Firing expensive missiles at cheap drones and missiles is not a sustainable strategy or one that will enable the United States to prevail in these fights which require endurance," she added.

A core lesson, said Pettyjohn, is that quantity matters as much as quality.

"The US should have learned that mass matters in addition to precision. The US military needs more artillery shells, missiles, and drones than it currently has and an industrial base that can scale production of these critical systems," said Pettyjohn.

• Some universities have gone hybrid or canceled graduation ceremonies amid pro-Palestinian protests.
• During the Vietnam War, they did the same thing.
• One expert said colleges end the year earlier in the Spring now in part to avoid "protest weather."

April showers bring May flowers — and idyllic protest weather.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have erupted at universities across the country in recent weeks, prompting harsh responses from some college administrators.

The University of Southern California and Columbia University, most notably, called in the police to clear protest camps. Police this week also took back a lecture hall occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters at the Univerity of California, Irvine.

Some schools, including Columbia, canceled graduation and commencement ceremonies, citing security concerns.

Ralph Young, an expert on American dissent, told Business Insider that it's not the first time colleges have made major scheduling adjustments to avoid a protesting crowd.

While students nationwide protested the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s, colleges shut down their semesters prematurely — a decision that has impacted academic calendars to this day, Young said.

The change came after the National Guard fired on student protesters at Ohio's Kent State University on May 4, 1970, killing four students and wounding others.

"One of the interesting things about Kent State is that after that happened, almost all the universities in the country closed down for the rest of the semester," Young said. "It used to be that college semesters usually ended in maybe the third week of June, and now they all end in early May."

Before canceling its school-wide commencement ceremony, Columbia University also offered students a virtual learning option in late April. On Thursday, hundreds of faculty members passed a vote of no-confidence against university president Nemat Shafik, who previously authorized police to clear the student encampment on campus, The New York Times reported.

"One of the thinkings behind closing the schools early back then was that May and June are good protest weather," Young said. "They're nice days and it'll get more people out and protesting, and that was one way to try to put a break on all that."

• Billionaire entrepreneur Josh Kushner is married to supermodel and coding advocate Karlie Kloss.
• Kushner's brother is Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and a former White House advisor.
• Kushner and Kloss have each revealed they didn't vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

Model Karlie Kloss and venture capitalist Josh Kushner may seem like an odd pairing on the surface, but they've been together since 2012 and have become partners in both life and business.

The couple has kept their relationship under the radar since they first started dating. Kloss and Kushner got married in October 2018 and held a second Western-themed wedding eight months later.

Kushner also happens to be the younger brother of former White House advisor Jared Kushner, whose father-in-law is former President Donald Trump. Josh and Jared Kushner's father, real estate developer Charles Kushner, was also pardoned by Trump in 2020.

Charles Kushner pleaded guilty to tax evasion, retaliating against a federal witness, and one count of lying to the FEC in 2005 and served two years in prison. As chairman of Kushner Companies, Charles Kushner admitted to filing false tax returns and recruiting a prostitute to seduce the husband of his sister, who cooperated with authorities, and film the encounter.

Although Kushner and Kloss haven't publicly spoken out against Trump, they have said they didn't vote for him in the 2016 election.

Here's a look at the relationship between Josh Kushner and Karlie Kloss, including their ties to former president Donald Trump.

This story was originally published in March 2018. It was updated in 2020 and 2024.

Josh Kushner, 38, founded a venture capital firm called Thrive Capital in 2009 that helped make him a billionaire.

Thrive Capital has made some of its biggest investments in tech startups like grocery delivery service Instacart, stock-trading app Robinhood, and insurance company Lemonade, according to PitchBook.

Because of his investments, Kushner sits on the boards for shaving product maker Harry's and wedding planning platform Zola.

The firm has also invested in companies like Instagram, Stripe, and ClassPass.

Kushner's savvy investments have made him a billionaire with a net worth of $3.6 billion, Forbes reported. Thrive Capital is valued at $5.3 billion.

Kushner has also helped start two companies: He cofounded health-insurance startup Oscar in 2012 and real-estate investment company Cadre in 2014.

Oscar, which aims to use tech to provide a more consumer-friendly insurance option, secured $375 million from Alphabet, Google's parent company, in 2018. It is now the third-largest for-profit health insurance company in the US, Forbes reported.

Meanwhile, Cadre was valued at $800 million in 2019, according to Forbes. Kushner founded it with his brother, Jared Kushner.

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Karlie Kloss began working as a model in her teenage years and went on to become a coding advocate.

Kloss skyrocketed to prominence as a Victoria's Secret Angel and became one of the highest-paid supermodels in the industry, Forbes reported.

She also runs a free coding camp for girls. In 2015, Kloss started Kode With Klossy, a charity that encourages girls to get involved in coding and tech.

Kloss and Kushner met and began dating in 2012.

On June 8, 2016, Kloss shared a photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, of her and Kushner revealing that she had met Kushner exactly four years before, placing their first encounter on June 8, 2012, although it's not known exactly how they met.

Their relationship became public when Kushner was spotted on Kloss' arm at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after-party in November 2012, Us Weekly reported.

They have tried to keep their relationship relatively private since then.

In 2013, Kloss said she appreciates Kushner is "so not in fashion" in an interview with People.

"It's really refreshing to leave all the fashion shows and shoots and chaos totally behind," Kloss told People magazine.

Kloss deflected questions about her relationship in a 2016 interview with Elle.

Elle magazine's Lotte Jeffs asked Kloss if she and Kushner have a "no phones in the bedroom" rule. Kloss answered by shaking her head and saying, "I keep my phone pretty close to me." She added that she tries to digitally detox once a week.

When asked if technology ever causes arguments in their relationship, Kloss "deftly deflects the question," Jeffs wrote.

The couple has largely avoided talking about politics, which is notable given their ties to the Trump family.

Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law to former president Donald Trump and former senior White House advisor.

Josh Kushner told Forbes in April 2017 that he and Jared Kushner spoke every day, but refused to comment for an Esquire article about his brother in 2016 because he "did not want to say anything that might embarrass him."

However, the couple has publicly stated they didn't vote for Trump in 2016.

Kloss posted a photo of herself on Instagram in November 2016 filling out an absentee ballot. She included the hashtag #ImWithHer in support of Clinton.

Kushner's spokesperson told Esquire he's a lifelong Democrat and that he didn't vote for Trump.

"It is no secret that liberal values have guided my life and that I have supported political leaders that share similar values," Kushner told Forbes in 2017. 

Neither Kushner nor Kloss were present at Trump's inauguration in 2017. Instead, Kushner was spotted at the Women's March in Washington, DC, that weekend.

Kushner told other marchers he was there to observe, The Washingtonian reported.

Kloss also posted a photo on Instagram from the same Women's March, along with an Audre Lorde quote: "Women are powerful and dangerous."

In a 2018 interview with Vogue, Kloss made it clear she doesn't agree with the Trump family's conservative political views.

"At the end of the day, I've had to make decisions based on my own moral compass — forget what the public says, forget social media," Kloss told Vogue. "I've chosen to be with the man I love despite the complications."

Kloss also pointed out the sexism in the questions she's frequently asked about her relationship with Kushner. 

"It's frustrating, to be honest, that the spotlight is always shifted away from my career toward my relationship," she said. "I don't think the same happens in conversations with men."

Kloss and Kushner have also shown their support on social media for gun control.

The couple was spotted in March 2018 at the anti-gun-violence March for Our Lives protest in Washington, DC.

Kloss and Kushner didn't hide their presence at the march: They posted photos on Instagram from the March for Our Lives rally. A few weeks earlier, Kushner made a $50,000 donation to the anti-gun-violence group, Axios reported.

While Trump's presidency was unpopular in Silicon Valley, Kushner's proximity to the White House didn't appear to slow his career as an investor.

"There is a lot of discussion in the Valley about political tests on both who you'll take money from and who you'll work with," the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen told Forbes in 2017. "Having said that, I haven't yet seen an instance of anyone hesitating to take money from Josh because of the affiliation with his brother."

In July 2018, Kloss and Kushner got engaged after six years of dating.

Kushner proposed "during a romantic weekend together in upstate New York," People magazine reported at the time.

"I love you more than I have words to express," Kloss captioned a photo on X announcing their engagement. "Josh, you're my best friend and my soulmate. I can't wait for forever together. Yes a million times over."

Kloss converted to Judaism shortly before getting engaged to Kushner, who is Jewish.

Kloss confirmed she had converted to Judaism in a March 2019 appearance on Andy Cohen's "Watch What Happened Live."

The couple got married in October 2018 in upstate New York.

The wedding was a small Jewish ceremony with fewer than 80 people in attendance, including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

"So much love for you both as you begin forever together," Ivanka Trump wrote in a post on X. 

Kloss wore a custom Dior wedding gown with lace sleeves and a flowing train.

"The wedding was intimate and moving," a friend at the ceremony told People magazine. "The couple was beaming with happiness."

 

In June 2019, the couple held a second wedding celebration at a ranch in Wyoming.

Kushner and Kloss' second wedding celebration was held at Brush Creek Ranch, an all-inclusive ranch resort near the Wyoming-Colorado border. The weekend included activities such as horseback riding, paintball, and off-road ATVing.

Photos shared from the wedding show that guests wore Western-themed outfits instead of traditional gowns and tuxedos. Attendees included Diane Von Furstenberg, Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding, Princess Beatrice, and Ashton Kutcher.

Kloss and Kushner's relationship was publicly flamed on a 2020 episode of "Project Runway," which Kloss hosted for two seasons.

Brandon Maxwell, a judge on the fashion design reality competition show, criticized contestant Tyler Neasloney's creation. The assignment had been to design a look for Kloss to wear to a fashion event in Paris, but Maxwell told Neasloney that he couldn't see Kloss wearing the outfit "anywhere."

"Not even to dinner with the Kushners?" Neasloney replied, eliciting gasps from other contestants.

"Keep it to the challenge," Kloss responded. "You really missed the mark here, on all accounts."

When asked about the viral moment on "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen, Kloss said "the real tragedy of this whole thing is that no one is talking about how terrible that dress was."

She added: "Andy, I'm sure I'm not the only person in this country who does not necessarily agree with their family on politics. I voted as a Democrat in 2016 and I plan to do the same in 2020."

The couple has two sons, Levi and Elijah.

Kloss and Kushner welcomed their first child, Levi, in March 2021.

Kloss revealed her second pregnancy on the red carpet of the 2023 Met Gala while wearing a black Loewe dress designed by Jonathan Anderson. Their son Elijah was born a few months later in July 2023.

Kloss occasionally shares photos of Kushner on Instagram, where she has more than 12.6 million followers, but she doesn't show her children's faces.

Kloss has posted photos of the couple traveling the world and celebrating Kushner's birthday, but she doesn't share much else about their relationship. She also keeps the faces of her young sons hidden in photos.

"I know in my life what really matters to me," Kloss said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar in 2018. "I'm not trying to hide that from the world. I just really like having a more private life."

In 2024, Kushner and Kloss bought Life magazine and announced their plans to revive the iconic photography publication.

Kushner and Kloss bought the publication rights to Life magazine through Bedford Media, their media startup that also acquired i-D Magazine. They plan to revive the brand as both a print and digital publication.

"We see Life as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape," Kloss, who serves as CEO of Bedford Media, said in a statement. "While Bedford is a new media company, we are deeply inspired by Life's iconic legacy and ability to connect diverse audiences with universal narratives of humanity."

• Elon Musk has a lot going on in China right now.
• Amid dwindling Tesla sales, he's building closer relations there and putting focus on robotaxis.
• It's a move that present a lot of uncertainty for his EV company.

Elon Musk has plenty on the line in China right now.

A global slowdown in demand for Teslas has been exacerbated in the country, where consumers have been presented with a parade of electric vehicles from domestic rivals like BYD and Xiaomi at a time when they're watching their spending.

China is Tesla's biggest market outside the US, which means dwindling interest has had a clear knock-on effect.

The company delivered about 387,000 vehicles in the first three months of the year, marking a 20% drop from its previous quarter. Tesla's earnings last month also raised concerns, as it reported a nearly 9% year-on-year drop in quarterly revenue to $21.3 billion.

So Musk's response in recent weeks — a seeming boost in focus on the Far East — is at least grounded in some logic.

A trip to Beijing last month to meet China's premier, Li Qiang, came along with news that the billionaire had managed to pull off a huge deal for Tesla to partner with Chinese internet giant Baidu on robotaxis.

The deal, which has been reported to give Tesla access to mapping and navigation software that supports full self-driving (FSD) cars, has clearly helped. Tesla's stock jumped 15% following news of a tie-up that supports Musk's fresh focus on autonomy.

It's a move that Musk now seems intent on doubling down on.

According to a Reuters report on Friday, Tesla is seeking to build a data center in China that could be used "to train the algorithm needed for more fully autonomous vehicles."

Musk's reasons for doing this are getting clearer. As the billionaire recently wrote on X, "Going balls to the wall for autonomy is a blindingly obvious move. Everything else is like variations on a horse carriage."

But in heading in this direction, Musk risks walking a fine line.

For one, self-driving technology has proven tricky to produce at a global scale. One of Tesla's main challenges is the brutal price war it's waging with Chinese competitors that are trying to win buyers with cheaper vehicles.

But by prioritizing a lofty goal of millions of self-driving Teslas cruising streets worldwide, Musk pursues a high-risk bet that might only pay off in the distant future.

Using China as a test bed for self-driving technology may spark anxieties in Washington, too. Competent FSD capabilities for Teslas globally could depend on using quality data transferred between the US and China — a complex proposition during times of heightened tensions.

Tesla has not shared any details about the reported tie-up, let alone how it would manage the security fears that could be triggered if Beijing gets oversight of the data being fed into its vehicles in the name of FSD.

What many investors have pleaded for instead is the long-awaited, sub-$30,000 Tesla model Musk has previously talked about as a means of opening up Tesla to the mass market.

Indeed analysts at Wedbush last month said it's "crucial" that Tesla delivers a more affordable model in the next 18 months, calling a pivot to robotaxis a "risky gamble."

But with China seemingly at the top of Musk's mind, Tesla is driving into an uncertain future.

• Google is one of America's most highly sought after companies to work for.
• But Google is also notoriously competitive and selective about employees.
• Google hires people with relevant job skills, intelligence, leadership abilities, and "Googleyness."

For years, Google has cultivated a reputation for being one of the best US companies to work for. 

With consistently high rankings in areas like compensation, office perks (the Googleplex famously boasts amenities like swimming pools, gardens, massage rooms, and more), innovative and meaningful work, and low stress, it's no wonder tech industry workers have clamored for roles at Google.

Google's parent company, Alphabet, had more than 182,500 employees as of 2023, and not all of them were tech jobs. Google also offers roles in sales, marketing, business strategy, finance, maintenance, legal, and more.

It's not all roses, though. Like much of the tech industry, layoffs at Google have become more commonplace in recent years. Alphabet laid off 12,000 employees in 2023, and CEO Sundar Pichai warned of more layoffs in 2024.

Still, the Google Careers website lists hundreds of job openings worldwide, across all sorts of divisions — some roles are specific to Google's search engine, others are for YouTube, and others are for projects within Google's suite of productivity apps, like Google Classroom.

Here's what you need to know to land one of Google's open jobs.

How to get a job at Google

Getting hired at Google is notoriously competitive.

One former Google recruiter said the company primarily uses an internal database to find candidates, but the second-most popular way to scout potential employees is LinkedIn — build out your profile and use it to connect with people who already work there and can give you a referral.

The recruiter said one of the best ways to stand out among Google's candidate pool is to network with a "giving approach." For example, job candidates should email hiring managers directly to make a connection and then steer the conversation to express interest in a specific role.

The recruiter also encouraged job applicants to tailor their resumes to individual job descriptions and, during the interview process, describe details of how they solved a problem in a past role.

Is it difficult to get hired at Google?

Google is known throughout the tech industry for having a lengthy, difficult hiring process, and for being ultra-selective about its candidates. Of the 2 million job applications Google receives each year, it hires roughly 4,000.

Google bases its hiring decisions on four key metrics: job-related skills, general cognitive ability, leadership abilities (even for non-managerial roles!), and what the company calls "Googleyness" — meaning how well your personality will fit in at Google.

Former Google executives and recruiters have defined "Googleyness" as a mixture of proactiveness, positivity, humility, playfulness, conscientiousness, and openness to learning.

Google also has a multi-step hiring process. It encourages people to start by self-reflecting on what they truly want out of a career. Then, search and apply for a job on the company's website.

Google suggests applicants build a job-specific resume that ties their skills and experience to the job requirements. Including data to illustrate your successes in managing projects will help your resume stand out. 

One Google engineer who shared the resume that helped him land a $300,000 job at the company recommended de-emphasizing educational credentials, emphasizing items that are more relevant, and adding a section for interests or hobbies — you never know if it could spark conversation and help break the ice.

Google's hiring process has been revamped in recent years to reduce delays, particularly for tech roles like software engineers and UX designers. Candidates used to labor through months of interviews, then fail at the stage where Google matches the candidate with a team.

Now, candidates are assigned teams much earlier, and some can skip over certain stages. It's common for applicants to undergo at least three or four interview rounds before receiving an offer, however.

Can I work at Google from home?

Like most companies, Google allowed employees to work remotely throughout the pandemic. But Google cracked down on remote work in 2023, and implemented a new policy requiring workers to return to the office at least three days a week on a hybrid schedule.

Google now offers remote opportunities by exception only. The company has even said it would tie in-office attendance to an employee's performance review. 

Do you need experience to work at Google?

The experience Google requires for job candidates varies by role, as does education. 

There's no one particular college degree that will get you in the door at Google — and, in fact, company executives have said they'll hire "exceptional" candidates who have no college degree at all. But don't get too excited; experts say college degrees are still the most reliable pathways to high-paying tech jobs.

If your goal is to become a software engineer at Google, it makes sense that a computer science degree might be beneficial. But Google does not explicitly require one for most software engineering roles.

Google offers jobs with a range of experience requirements, from interns, to mid-career, to executive level. Here are some examples:

• A data center technician role requires two years of experience in "operating systems and networking protocols," with maintenance and monitoring of server systems and troubleshooting servers and network hardware.
• A supply chain program manager requires five years of experience in program or project management and systems and hardware product design or manufacturing. A supply chain, manufacturing, or similar degree is also required.
• A staff software engineer requires a bachelor's degree, eight years of software development experience, five years of testing and launching software products and machine learning algorithms and tools, and three years of software design.

• Tiny EVs like the Nissan Sakura and BYD's Seagull are challenging Tesla in Japan and China. 
• But these minuscule motors are unlikely to come to the US anytime soon.
• That's a shame, as data suggests drivers would quite like their EVs to be smaller and cheaper.

Tiny EVs are having a moment.

In markets like China, Japan, and Europe, ridiculously small EVs are selling in large numbers, with vehicles like BYD's Seagull and the Nissan Sakura challenging the likes of Tesla.

That's in contrast to the US EV market, where SUVs like the Tesla Model Y and pickups like the Ford F150 Lightning rule the roads.

This may be changing, with consumer data showing that US drivers are increasingly asking for smaller vehicles and automakers like Ford and Tesla vowing to build cheaper models.

Tens of thousands of cars manufactured in China are sold in the US every year, but it's unlikely anyone in the US will be able to get behind the wheel of a Seagull or Sakura anytime soon.

The government's tariff hikes on Chinese EVs and regulations restricting the ability to import smaller vehicles make it harder still.

Here are some of the tiny EVs making a splash in Asia and Europe.

BYD Seagull

BYD has rapidly eclipsed its rivals in China — and become Elon Musk's primary challenger in the country — thanks to its massive range of EVs, including several smaller, cheaper options.

Chief among those is the Seagull, a tiny EV that can go 305 km on a single charge and costs $11,000.

The Seagull, which launched last year, has proven predictably popular in BYD's home country — but it's unlikely to come to the US anytime soon after the US government hiked tariffs on Chinese EVs.

Hongguang Mini

The Hongguang Mini EV, which was developed by Chinese automakers SAIC Motor and Wuling Motor in partnership with General Motors, caused a sensation when it launched in 2020.

The diminutive people carrier was the bestselling EV in China in 2022, and continues to outsell the Tesla Model 3 four years after being unveiled.

It's not hard to see why. The Hongguang Mini has a range of around 170 km on a single charge and reportedly costs between 28,800-38,800 yuan, or $3,955- $5,375. Plus it's adorable.

Nissan Sakuru

Japan has long had a soft spot for tiny EVs, known as Kei cars — and the Nissan Sakura is one of the most popular.

The 11-foot-long electric car, which costs around $13,000, was Japan's best-selling EV in 2023.

Drivers previously told Business Insider the Sakura, which is only available in Japan, is perfect for navigating Tokyo's narrow streets and taking day trips to the countryside.

"It takes off like a rocket from a standing start and can climb hill and mountain roads like a full-sized car with all that torque," said one.

Citroen Ami

Technically speaking, the Citroen Ami isn't an electric car at all, but an "electric quadricycle."

The cute four-wheeler, which costs $12,285 in the UK, was first launched in France in 2020 and is widely available in Europe.

With a top speed of 28 miles per hour and a range of just 46 miles, the Ami (which means "friend" in French) is very much an urban vehicle — but it certainly turned heads when BI gave it a test drive in London.

Microlino

The best thing about this "bubble car" is how you get into it — the Microlino has a fridge-style door that allows you to enter and exit from the front.

The Microlino is designed by Swiss scooter company Micro. It offers a maximum range of 228 km and starts at $19,900.

The tiny microcar has been on sale in Europe since 2021, with a UK launch mooted for later this year.

You can't buy one in the US, but Micro has just unveiled a more stripped-back version dubbed the Microlino Lite, which CMO Merlin Ouboter told The Verge the company hopes to have on sale in the US by the end of 2024.

• I grew up in Miami and didn't think I'd end up staying in Florida for long.
• As an adult who's traveled around the US, I've grown to appreciate living in Florida.
• I love our culture and our cuisine — and I really like living so close to a beach. 

I grew up in sunny — and very hot — Miami. When I was younger, I dreamed of living anywhere else in the country that had four seasons instead of year-round heat.

Now that I'm an adult, and I've traveled all around the state and country, I've grown to appreciate where I'm from. I also get why people are moving to Florida in record numbers.

I spent the first 24 years of my life in Miami, and now live in a smaller Central Florida town off of the Space Coast. Although I wouldn't live in Miami again, I'll happily keep a quaint old Florida town near the beach as my forever home.

Here's why I wouldn't want to live anywhere else but Florida.

For half of the year, Florida is set to the perfect temperature

As a kid, I fantasized about living where it snowed and having to get bundled up in a coat, boots, hat, and gloves.

I thought those things were so stylish, but now that I've actually experienced having to pack on layers on cold vacations, I'll take a hard pass on having to do that for months every year.

Fortunately, I'd say it's really only brutally hot in Florida for three months out of the year, from July through September.

From November to April, the weather is perfect — the outside feels like I've set my AC to the ideal temperature. As an adult, I understand the appeal — and privilege — of being able to toss on a light sweater when it gets chilly instead of having to bust out puffer coats.

As much as I enjoy a trip to see fall foliage or a snowy getaway, I now know that I enjoy them on a temporary basis. Eventually, I always want to come home to Florida's warm weather.

Living near a beach is important to me

I'm embarrassed to admit that I used to take the beach for granted. Now, I think of visiting the beach as having a therapy session and I try to make it there at least every other week.

I like hiking up and down the shore, collecting shells, admiring the surfers, and birdwatching. I couldn't ever live far from the beach and I love living just 20 minutes from one.

Even at the center of the state, the closest beach is about two hours away at most. And if you live anywhere along the coast like I do, you'll often be no more than 45 minutes away from the nearest beach.

Florida cuisine is great — it combines seafood, Southern influences, and international flavor

I've lived in Central Florida for over 10 years, but I grew up in Miami. Fortunately, no matter where you go in Florida, you're going to find a wide variety of delicious food.

You'll find dishes with Southern influences from our neighboring states and cuisine with international flavors, as the Sunshine States attracts people from all over the world. We also have some pretty great seafood.

Although I've learned how to cook many of my favorite local comfort foods myself, dining out is one of my favorite things to do, and I've yet to find any other place where it's as pleasing to do as it is in Florida.

I've developed an affinity for our widely misunderstood culture

There are many misperceptions and preconceived ideas about Florida. Some say it's only home to snowbirds, who live here for just a few months a year to avoid their cold home states.

Others reference the "Florida Man" meme, which seems to suggest the people here are more likely to act strangely and do wild things. Some outsiders think going to Disney World is the only thing worth doing in Florida.

I used to hate the way other people thought of Florida, but I have actually come to like knowing that my state is far from what other people imagine it to be.

For starters, many don't even know about Florida's rich history — it's home to St. Augustine, which is considered the oldest city in America. Plus, the famous writer Ernest Hemingway wrote some of his best novels when he lived in Key West!

Florida is not for everyone, but between our swamp gators and intense hurricane season, you've got to be tough to tough it out here. And I'm proud of that.

• Boeing could be set to face more whistleblowers.
• A union for engineers at the firm is offering free training on federal whistleblower laws.
• It said union members continue to report being punished for speaking up about safety concerns.

Boeing could be set to face more whistleblowers because a labor union for engineers at the firm is offering guidance to its representatives on whistleblowing laws.

In a Wednesday post on its website, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) announced a Zoom webinar with free training on federal whistleblower laws.

The training is open for the union's shop stewards at Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactured the door plug that came off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max in January.

It will be led by attorneys from Katz Banks Kumin, the law firm representing Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour.

SPEEA said it organized the training because it has spent two years "unsuccessfully trying to negotiate strong anti-retaliation language with the Boeing Co. in particular."

"Strong anti-retaliation measures are necessary because SPEEA members continue to report being punished by their managers for speaking up about quality and safety concerns," it added.

The union hopes the seminar will help those who are considering speaking up about problems at the planemakers but don't trust internal systems.

"When we find issues, we go as far as standing down a team to make sure that everybody on the team or everybody in the area is aware of the issue," Mike Fleming, a senior vice president at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a statement given to Reuters.

Salehpour, who's been an aerospace engineer for 40 years, went public with his concerns about Boeing in April. He said he observed "shortcuts employed by Boeing to reduce bottlenecks during the 787 assembly process."

In a Senate hearing last month, Salehpour said Boeing threatened him and other engineers to keep quiet about safety concerns.

Boeing has denied that Salehpour's allegations present safety issues. "We continue to monitor these issues under established regulatory protocols and encourage all employees to speak up when issues arise. Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing," it said in a statement after Salehpour's comments.

The prospect of more Boeing employees coming forward with safety concerns could further harm the planemaker's reputation. Public awareness of the firm's problems has been heightened by the deaths of two whistleblowers in recent months.

The crisis at Boeing could also escalate further. The Justice Department said in a Tuesday court filing that Boeing is "subject to prosecution," alleging that it broke the terms of a 2021 agreement related to the deaths of 346 people in two 737 Max 8 crashes.

• Ray Dalio sees up to a 40% chance that political division in the US escalates into civil war.
• The hedge fund billionaire has repeatedly warned about US debt and internal and external conflicts.
• Dalio half-jokingly endorsed Taylor Swift for president, citing her ability to unite people.

Ray Dalio warned the probability of a US civil war is as high as 40% — and said he might back Taylor Swift if she ran for president.

"We are now on the brink," he told the Financial Times in a recent interview, raising the prospect of "much more turbulent times."

Dalio is the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, and the author of "Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail."

He pegged the chances of a civil war at 35% to 40%, adding that it may not necessarily be a shooting war.

Dalio, the official mentor to Bridgewater's three co-chief investors, has been sounding the alarm on political polarization and economic upheaval in the US for years.

The financial historian has repeatedly underscored that extreme levels of government debt, massive wealth inequality, rising internal divisions, and raging external conflicts can pave the way for war, revolution, and a new world order.

In late 2020, he cautioned the US was "seeing a form of civil war" as masses of people moved states for reasons ranging from politics to taxes.

He bemoaned that America was in a "terrible financial state and terribly divided" in early 2021.

After the Israel-Hamas conflict ignited in October, he declared the risk of a world war involving the US and China had surged from 35% to about 50%.

No more bad blood

Dalio told the FT that after attending a Swift concert, he believed the pop star might be the solution to American division.

"I saw how she brought people of all sorts — and many nationalities — together," he said. "I say this partly as a joke, but if she ran for president and would listen to great advisers, I'd consider supporting her."

Dalio revealed himself to be a Swiftie when he posted a selfie from one of the singer's "Eras Tour" concerts in March.

He clarified in a follow-up post that he was joking about endorsing her. But he was serious that "she can bring people together a lot better than either of the presidential candidates."

Even if Dalio was just having fun with his talk of a T-Swift presidency, he clearly recognizes the need for a unifying leader at a time when the world is on edge and people seem further apart than ever.