• I've always loved my mother, but our relationship has always been complicated.
• When she started texting me in her 80s, our communication started to feel lighter.
• I'm so glad that I have our texts to look back on now.

Mother-daughter relationships can be challenging, and my relationship with my mother was no exception. But one thing my mother and I could always do was talk — whether in person or on the phone — though our chats often ended in some sort of argument. If we could figure out how to have shorter conversations, we would have been just fine.

An intellectual and a therapist, my mother had a penchant for delving deep, and sometimes I just wanted the short catch-ups my friends had with their mothers, but this wasn't how we did things. I needed to find my own way, so I moved away from home to explore.

Then, after years of living in different cities, I was ready to come home. And with this return to my old ZIP code, I inherited endless family obligations and outings. This also meant more phone calls with my mom to make plans.

When we started texting, our relationship changed

When the pandemic hit, it was the first time I had not seen her regularly since I moved back. I began to miss her and her constant questions. There were no more Sunday dinners, sushi, or long talks in her living room. Instead, we started to do something we've rarely done. We began to text. And then, something magical began to happen.

It started off simple.

Our texts were the short check-ins I'd always wanted, as one or the other of us would send a simple, "Doing OK?"

In lieu of children, I sent her pictures of my foster kittens. To my surprise, on the days when I didn't, she requested more.

"Where are the grandkits?" she wrote.

And I would blow up her phone with photos of adorable felines.

Over time, our text conversations got longer, but the tone was still light and easy. When I sent her pictures of sweet donut peaches from a farm upstate, she thanked me and sent a peach icon. She took to technology right away.

These are the cutesy conversations I would never have imagined from my mother. Yet they were as sweet as the fruit I bring to her. I finally got my own version of "normal."

As we started texting each other more, we had fewer intense conversations and, as a result, less tension. Instead, I began to send short messages almost daily, and started to feel closer to her. Before texting, it had felt stressful to get a call from my analytical mother; texting brought levity, and I started to look forward to hearing from her. It brought a balance to our relationship and allowed me to appreciate our longer in-person conversations, too. In some ways, I think it saved our relationship.

I'm grateful I have our texts to look back on

After a while, I wanted to spend more time in person with her, talking and belly laughing. Somehow, about a year after introducing texting into our relationship, the friction had dissipated. But soon, my mother fell ill. She didn't have a diagnosis yet, but her energy started to wane, and it was clear something was wrong. Now I was the one calling her to check in, and she was the one who needed to get off the phone.

I visited my parents in Upstate New York for Father's Day weekend in 2022, and even brought the kittens with me. We made a Sunday night dinner together, the first in a long time. We talked about film, life, and politics, and then my mother rested. This was unusual; she typically loved to sit and talk for hours. To comfort her, I went to Home Goods and picked up cough drops, scented soaps, and the brightest coral towels I could find to brighten her mood.

The day after I left, I texted my mother, worried she was more tired than usual.

I sent a lovely picture of the two kittens perched on my ottoman and wrote, "Same as it ever was…"

She wrote back a few minutes later. The text read, "Delicious as always."

That was our last text. She died a week later.

The first thing I did was look back at our correspondence. I am gifted with these modern-day notes — digital proof of just how much my mother truly loved me. How fortuitous, I thought, to spend her last weekend together. What a gift to have made our peace before it was too late. How wonderful to have all these texts of our relationship 2.0.

• Chili's is hitting it off with young people.
• Its social media strategy and value deals have aided its growth in recent quarters, an analyst says.
• Offers like the 3 For Me deal and Triple Dipper have gone viral online.

Chili's is capturing the attention, tastebuds, and money of young customers.

The casual dining chain has become a hit with Gen Z, and Chili's says it's due, in part, to a push to attract a younger generation on social media.

"Given how heavily younger audiences consume social media, standing out on their feeds means being one of the first to jump on current trends," Jack Hailey, the 25-year-old social media manager for Chili's, said.

Chili's CMO George Felix credits Hailey as the mind behind the restaurant's popular X account. Hailey said marketing execs had given the social media team the freedom to take risks online and maintain a "cheeky, quick, and confident" presence.

The other attraction: deals. While snappy posts might attract Gen Zers to Chili's, Hailey said its food deals resonate with his generation, who "grew up ordering from value menus."

Restaurants and customers have been struggling recently as inflation soars. Many food joints have taken a hit to sales, leading them to lean into special offers to lure people back. Chili's, for example, has started offering an appetizer sampler called the Triple Dipper for under $20.

Restaurants like McDonald's and Wendy's unveiled new offers aimed at drawing customers in last year. But many people are expecting more than just a low price, said R.J. Hottovy, the head of analytical research at the location-data provider Placer.ai, who follows the restaurant industry.

"Value was certainly important, but it had to be value with either menu innovation or something else" such as a sit-down dining experience, he said.

TikTok and other social media have helped Chili's, Hottovy said.

"You have your marketing department, but then you also have thousands of potential marketers in terms of influencers and TikTokers that can really help to change the image of a brand overnight," he said.

Many Gen Zers have reciprocated Chili's social media manager Hailey's energy with their own Chili's-themed videos on TikTok. Creators have garnered millions of views for taste-testing the Triple Dipper, which includes three portions of menu items, like fried mozzarella, chicken tenders, egg rolls, and more for under $20. They can pair it with a margarita for less than $10.

Chili's 3 For Me deal, which includes a main dish, an appetizer, and a drink for $10.99, has also offered an affordable eat-in option, Hottovy said. "I could pay a [fast-food] price, or I could pay or get effectively an even cheaper deal at Chili's and get a nice sit-down meal," he said.

Chili's parent company, Brinker International, reported a 7.4% increase in same-store sales at Chili's in 2024; sales jumped 14% on the same basis in the first quarter of fiscal 2025.

In April, Chili's added a burger to the entrée options for 3 For Me. In May, visits to the restaurant chain jumped nearly 20% year-over-year and grew by similar percentages through the end of 2024, according to data from Placer.ai.

The deal was successful enough that some of Chili's rivals followed suit, Hottovy said. In November, Applebee's started offering a $9.99 deal with a choice between a chicken sandwich and a bacon cheeseburger plus fries and a beverage. Red Robin offered a burger plus a bottomless side for $9.99 for a few days in September for National Cheeseburger Day.

But "sometimes, you need to have a margarita and Triple Dipper in sweatpants with your friends," Hailey said.

Do you work at Chili's or another restaurant and have a story idea to share? Reach out to these reporters at [email protected] and [email protected].

• The author is a California native who grew up witnessing reoccurring wildfires.
• She moved to Indiana due to rampant West Coast wildfires and climate change concerns.
• She's urged her friends and family to leave California as well and doesn't plan on returning.

When I graduated from high school in 2004, there were over 8,000 wildfires across California.

I was born and raised in Southern California, and I've experienced more than my fair share of wildfires. In fact, it's one of the major reasons I left and continue to call Indiana home. I've toyed with the idea of returning someday, but the constant fires — and larger climate change and land mismanagement problems — keep me from buying property there.

I've urged my family and friends from high school to leave, but California can be a bubble. When life is good, no one sees the problems: the increase in homelessness, traffic, etc.

California wildfires have always been a part of my adult life

In 2009, when I graduated from UCLA, over 9,000 wildfires burned across the region from February through November, well beyond the typical fire season. It was worsened by years of drought.

That summer, I watched billows of smoke rise above the skyscrapers in the deadliest fire of the season, the Station Fire, north of LA, before we were all urged to hop into gridlock to evacuate. It was hellish: choking smoke and nowhere to go on the 110 freeway.

In 2018, wildfires struck again. This time my family had moved to Irvine, California, and I was on a date at a Barnes and Noble in Aliso Viejo. My date and I were suddenly urged to drop everything. Fleeing the parking lot, I snapped a quick picture of smoke in the distance, burning dangerously close to Soka University, where I used to teach.

That evening, lying in bed, I felt like I couldn't breathe. My family members felt the same, and later, we installed the highest-quality HEPA filters we could find and portable ones we could move throughout the house.

I left California and moved to Indiana

I moved to Southern Indiana a year prior, in 2017, and still live here now. As a freelance writer of home tours, I encounter many ex-Californians living here and in the Midwest more generally. Concerns about climate change and the fires that result from it are at the top of our list for moving away.

Californians seem to be moving to Indiana and Michigan for access to clean water at the Great Lakes — but that's just my pet theory.

The cost of living is much lower here than in California, and I really feel like I'm a part of a community. People tend to know their neighbors, and there's much less sprawl, so there are plenty of green spaces and state forests to wander in.

Still, Indiana is a more rural state, so everyday conveniences can be difficult to find outside the major cities like Indianapolis and Fort Wayne — there's no Starbucks on every corner.

I love visiting California, but I'd never buy property there

This year, the Palisades fire was projected to be the costliest in California's history. I'm frustrated with the state's wildfire strategy, which has prioritized fire suppression over prevention for years.

Though millions of dollars are spent on California fire prevention, efforts like removing dead and felled trees aren't enough in the face of climate change, which has lengthened the state's dry season.

What's more, places like LA are experiencing budget cuts that impact emergency responses to natural disasters, and it's unclear if fire insurance requirements will hold in urban areas that have been densified to meet housing demands.

Based on my experiences, I believe California's fire season will only grow and worsen

I'm not surprised to hear about the fire hydrants running dry in Los Angeles. SoCal gets much of its water from the Colorado River — which has been drying up of late. Every year SoCal experiences more water cuts.

In the early 2000s, we were asked not to water our lawns, and starting in 2022, businesses were forbidden from watering decorative grasses. The lack of fresh water is a real problem making the fire season worse.

I miss seeing my family, but for all these reasons and more, I'm hesitant to move back to California.

If you moved away from your hometown and would like to share your story, please email Manseen Logan at [email protected].

• Karen Windsor, 37, struggled with burnout as a new mom.
• Counseling sessions and a couple's retreat helped her reassess her priorities.
• She recently quit her corporate job to focus on her relationship with her husband and daughter.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Karen Windsor, 37, from Perth, Australia. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I've always been high-achieving and a hard worker. I expected that I would approach motherhood like every other challenge.

As many new parents will tell you, it was anything but easy. That came as a shock.

In 2018, just after I had her, my baby daughter wouldn't let me put her down. My husband had to go away to work in the mines for weeks before she was a month old — he was a "fly in, fly out" miner. When he returned, she wouldn't even go to him.

It was heartbreaking and exhausting. She was a terrible sleeper, and I was desperate for a break. I asked him to stop working away from home, so he switched roles to a similar job closer to home.

Yet I still really struggled. I'd excelled at every other job, but I felt I was failing at this one.

I went back to work and quickly felt burnout

Returning to work when my daughter was 8 months old felt easier than the uncertainty of being a new mom. I loved having adult conversations and an actual lunch in peace — "me time."

I also knew if I was given a task in my corporate role as a personal assistant, I'd have clearly measured deliverables and positive feedback for doing a good job. But things were still extremely difficult. As we were approaching my daughter's second birthday, I broke down to my mom. I remember saying, "It's all just too hard."

I was scared that the next two years would be like the last two and that I would feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and inadequate. It was then that I realized something was very wrong; it wasn't OK to feel like this. I saw my doctor and booked free counseling via my workplace's employer assistance program.

Counseling sessions helped me put things in perspective

From my first session, everything fell into perspective. The counselor said, "You've set exhaustingly high expectations for yourself." I realized that while working long hours in my corporate job, my family got the worst of me and I wasn't taking care of myself, either. By the evenings and weekends, I had no energy left to truly connect. I'd feel resentful if my daughter didn't sleep and get grumpy with her because it meant I was too tired to bring my A-game to work.

Whenever I sat down to play with her, I had too little energy to be present or enjoy it. Life admin overwhelmed me. I wasn't emotionally available or patient enough to have deep conversations with my husband or even ask him how his week had been.

Counseling made me realize I was showing signs of burnout. I initially reduced my long hours in my corporate job, and my fantastic boss agreed to let me work five fewer hours each week.

During that time, I'd prioritize things like acupuncture or taking the dog for a walk with my husband. But we still needed to rekindle the spark we had previously had in our relationship; we still felt slightly out of sync.

A couple's retreat that helped me reconnect with my husband

I saw a relationship coach advertise a nearby couple's retreat, and it felt perfect. It was less of a long-term commitment than couple's counseling and still an opportunity to reconnect.

On the retreat, we did a breathwork session to release tension and wrote goals and a vision for our relationship. We had to look into each other's eyes for five minutes, then hug for five minutes. I couldn't remember the last time we'd done that; I felt oxytocin travel through my body. We also had an ice bath together, holding hands through it, to symbolize how we'd face upcoming challenges. By the end, we felt invincible.

As I started implementing some things from the retreat — turning off the TV and chatting instead, having more date nights with my husband, and setting my phone to "do not disturb" earlier in the evening — I realized how much I'd been missing out on, and I dropped down to three working days a week.

After a comment from my daughter, I decided to leave the corporate world

The crunch point came when my then-5-year-old daughter asked me if I could stay off my phone during her swimming lesson and watch her instead. That hit me hard. I'd been using the time to pay household bills, and I realized how much my focus on work and getting life admin jobs done had impacted my relationships. I felt like I should always be doing something to be productive; the curse of a working mom.

For the past year, I've taken advantage of my part-time schedule and have started building a flexible business as a freelance PR agent. Initially, it was actually more work while I kept the two jobs going. But I kept my eye on the long game: having the flexibility and independence to step back and work for myself.

This month, I permanently quit my corporate job and I now work for myself with flexible hours.

I'll finally be able to prioritize self-care, which has been a low priority for years. I hope my new schedule will make me a more relaxed and present mom and wife. In the afternoon, I'll bake cookies and play in the park. No more picking my daughter up late from after-school care and racing home at 5 p.m. just in time for the rush of dinner, bath, and bed.

I can't get the past six years back, but I'm committed to making the next six years and beyond better for my daughter, husband, and family.

I've learned that you can have it all, just not all at once.

• Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the wealthiest men in the world.
• Gates was a software genius who dropped out of Harvard to launch a wildly successful career in tech.
• He now spends much of his time on philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates is perhaps best known as one of the wealthiest people in the world, becoming the first-ever centibillionaire in 1999 at the height of his Microsoft career.

But wealth is hardly all that defines this complex, accomplished, and immensely influential man, whose other titles rightly include philanthropist, entrepreneur, software developer, father, and occasional lightning rod for controversy.

Understanding Bill Gates as a whole requires looking at the varied aspects of his life more closely, and then stitching together a portrait of the legendary Microsoft CEO, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and generally peerless man whose efforts have shaped much of the latter decades of the 20^th century and the early decades of the 21^st.

Gates' childhood and early years

Gates, 69, was born in the autumn of 1955 in Seattle, Washington. He was the only son in the family, with a sister named Kristianne who is one year older, and another sister, Libby, who is nine years younger.

Gates' childhood fostered his love of technology. He largely eschewed sports and more typical childhood activities, instead taking an early interest in technology. He wrote his first lines of code while still a young teen; it was a software program that allowed a human to face off against a computer playing tic-tac-toe.

By the time Bill Gates was in high school at Lakeside Prep School, he was writing code for the school itself and was soon working with the Computer Center Corporation, a local business in Seattle that offered users time on their computers, personal computers still being a thing of the future. (Gates was briefly banned from the CCC for sneaking in lines of code that granted him extended free time using the machines.)

Bill Gates would go on to matriculate at Harvard University in the fall of 1973, but he would not finish his college degree.

The foundation and growth of Microsoft

In January of 1975, Gates and fellow software genius and childhood friend Paul Allen moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to work for the company Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, Inc. (MITS), a company that was just beginning to create PCs (personal computers). Gates managed to convince the executives he and Allen could create software for their new hardware.

That role did not last long. Later that same year, Gates and Allen founded their own company, named for "microcomputer" and "software," known today as Microsoft.

Microsoft relocated to Bellevue, Washington, in 1979, and in 1980, the company made a deal with tech juggernaut IBM to develop an operating system for the company's first consumer-ready PC. The MS-DOS 1.0 OS was released in the summer of the following year.

Then, just four years later, in 1985, Microsoft released the first version of its now vaunted Windows OS. New versions of Windows would come out every few years from that point on, and it has grown so dominant that nearly three-quarters of the world's computers run Windows.

Allen departed from Microsoft for medical reasons in 1983 (though he would live another quarter of a century), while Gates would remain the CEO until the summer of 2008, when he voluntarily stepped down from the leading role of the company he had grown into a company that would enjoy revenues of more than $60 billion that same year.

Gates' post-Microsoft career and philanthropy

When Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft, he stepped up as the co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable organization he and his then wife Melinda Gates had founded in the year 2000. (The foundation was a revamp of the organization Gates had established in 1994 under the name the William H. Gates Foundation.)

The BMFG is a nonprofit with global reach that happens to make a tidy profit, thanks in no small part to its massive holdings of Microsoft stock. The foundation has offices around the world and is, in words from its own site: "Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives."

The BMGF funds research into the fight against malnutrition, malaria, gender inequality, to name a few, and in support of causes such as agricultural development, clean water programs, and much more.

The foundation has an endowment of more than $75 billion and planned to spend a staggering $8.6 billion on philanthropic work in the year 2024. Bill Gates has donated an estimated $36 billion-plus of his own fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates' relationships and friendships

Bill Gates married Melinda French Gates, whose maiden name was Melinda Ann French, on New Year's Day in 1994 on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The couple met at work, Melinda being a Microsoft employee, though she departed the company in 1996 to focus on family and, soon, on charitable work.

The Gates have three children together and would remain married until their divorce on August 2, 2021, after a span of 27 years. The reasons for the divorce were several, one reportedly being that Gates spent one weekend each year vacationing with (and possibly physically involved with, though this was always denied) an ex-girlfriend, Ann Winblad. This was an arrangement Melinda Gates tacitly approved, though with displeasure.

The largest issue, and indeed the thing that finally compelled Melinda French Gates to end the union, was Bill Gates' regular association with Jeffrey Epstein the financier, convicted sex offender, and accused trafficker who died by suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019.

Gates is currently in a relationship with Paula Hurd, who was born in 1962 and is seven years his junior. Hurd, formerly married to the late Co-CEO of Oracle Corporation Mark Hurd, has two adult daughters and works primarily coordinating and planning large-scale philanthropic events.

Gates and Hurd had been known to be in a relationship since early 2023, but were not to appear together at a major public event until April of the following year, when they accompanied one another to a major red carpet event.

Melinda French Gates, for her part, was reportedly briefly in a relationship with a Fox News correspondent named Jon Du Pre, but the pair are no longer together.

Another contentious relationship — one that likewise soured after many years — is Gates' friendship with billionaire Warren Buffett. The two men were on close terms for decades, with their relationship going beyond mere affinity. Gates joined the board of Buffett's investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway, in 2004 and would remain on it until 2020.

Buffett, for his party, was a trustee on the board of the BMGF from 2006 until 2021. He stepped away and also went cold on Gates for reasons rather in line with his divorce: Buffett was deeply troubled by the association of Gates with Epstein. He had also come to dislike the growing bureaucracy of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and was off-put by how rude Gates could often be to others.

There are also some wild conspiracy theories about Bill Gates, such as that he was behind a scheme to place microchips into COVID-19 vaccines, that Gates wanted to do away with the American cattle industry and instead compel people to eat insects, and that a fund backed by Gates that was developing a new way to produce baby formula has led to a nationwide baby formula shortage.

There is, of course, no evidence to support any of these plots and plenty of common sense to debunk them, but these wild theories and others abound nonetheless

Bill Gates' net worth and land

Bill Gates' net worth can change by the millions in any given day as markets rise and fall, but it is usually near $160 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That places him in the bottom half of the top 10 richest people in the world. As noted, he achieved the top title in 1995 and maintained it most years up until 2017.

Gates has less wealth today largely because he has given so much of it away in the name of philanthropy.

Today, Bill Gates' primary property is a 66,000 square foot mansion in Medina, Washington, which is just east of Seattle, across Lake Washington. Construction took seven years and involved a team of 300 workers. There are six kitchens and 24 bathrooms.

Gates also owns vast swathes of farmland, totaling approximately 275,000 acres. For comparison, all five boroughs of New York City cover just 193,700 acres. During a Reddit Q&A session (called an "AMA" for "ask me anything"), Gates explained the massive holdings, saying: "I own less than 1/4000 of the farmland in the US. I have invested in these farms to make them more productive and create more jobs. There isn't some grand scheme involved - in fact all these decisions are made by a professional investment team."

Gates' lifestyle, hobbies, and beliefs

Gates, who has a 2,500-square-foot gym in his mansion, is a firm believer in the benefits of exercise. He reportedly works out for at least an hour every day, whether running, swimming, playing tennis, or doing strength training. He is also reportedly a fan of pickleball.

While he grew up attending a Protestant Reformed church, Gates seemed drawn to the Catholic church in the 2010s, largely because of Melinda. These days, he seems to skew agnostic, with religion not playing much of a role in his life.

Books, however, play a huge role. Gates has claimed he reads up to 50 books a year. And he also collects rare books, such as a manuscript created by Leonardo da Vinci for which he paid well over $30 million.

Like many other billionaires and tech moguls, Gates collects cars, and has a 23-car garage at his Washington home. His collection is filled with high-end sports cars and luxury vehicles alike. And, apparently, a blue Ford Focus.

• Gen Z and millennials keep buying plushies, or stuffed animals in a boost for the toy market.
• A Mintel analyst said plushies are "kind of hot right now."
• Adults spent more than $1.5 billion on toys for themselves in the fourth quarter of 2024, Circana found.

Gen Z and millennials' love of plushies is bringing some cheer to the toy industry.

Young adults adore their stuffed animals, whether they're hanging onto the battered old ones from their childhood, buying a viral 5ft goose on TikTok shop, or spending a premium to add to their collections of Squishmallows.

A recent Jellycat pop-up in the London department store Selfridges was filled with patrons buying fuzzy $25 or more versions of cod and fries, mimicking a British fish and chip shop, The Economist reported. In Asia, a furry, spikey-toothed rabbit creature called Labubu has a hold over people well into their 30s.

This comes amid struggles for the toy sector.

A report by the market research company Circana found that toy sales across the G12 nations declined by 1% in the first half of 2024. That was an improvement on the 8% decrease in 2023, which Circana credited to purchases being made by adults — for themselves.

The report found that people aged 18 and over accounted for sales worth more than $1.5 billion in the last three months of 2024, putting them ahead of purchases made for toddlers aged 3 to 5 as the industry's most important age group.

Juli Lennett, Circana's vice president and toy industry advisor, said in a statement that "while the toy industry is feeling the heat, it is ripe with opportunity."

Mintel's Traditional Toys and Games report, published in October 2024, found that plushies were particularly in demand. The report found that stuffed toy sales have been growing, and just over a third of all toys and games purchased in the US in the past year were building sets and plush toys.

Brian Benway, the senior tech and gaming analyst who worked on the report, told Business Insider plushies are "kind of hot right now."

He said plushies are "tracking right along with Lego and building-set type of toys and games. Lego, of course, is a huge brand in the toys and games industry, so to see plushies up there with Lego is very positive for them."

Spark nostaglia

Melissa Symonds, executive director of UK toys at Circana, told BBC News that adults buy toys for the "positive mental health benefits, as they spark nostalgia and bring escapism from global turmoil."

A more cynical outlook is that some millennials and Gen Zers are slow to grow up, partly because they faced delays in reaching pivotal life moments such as getting a job, moving out of their parents' homes, and buying a house. For them, plushie collecting is merely a coping mechanism.

Carter Kench, a content creator and avid Squishmallows collector, told The Washington Post in 2023 that he owned more than 400 of the round stuffed animals made by Jazwares. The company was bought by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in 2022.

Kench said the experience of searching for a specific plushie was "something special — I feel like Indiana Jones every time I'm on the hunt."

Data from Mintel showed that 52% of all people buying games last year were adults buying for themselves.

'Little bit of happiness'

"It's becoming more acceptable," Benway said, with communities on social media being more open about sharing their interests.

"A lot of people are taking the approach that, well, I don't care if other people think this is dumb, this brings me a little bit of happiness, a little bit of joy, so I'm going to keep doing it."

Benway added: "Lady Gaga posted a picture of her bed just absolutely covered in Squishmallows on Instagram. So if Lady Gaga can do that, anybody can."

A report by Grand View Research found the global market for stuffed animals and plush toys is expected to grow 8.2% annually until 2030. Sales of cartoon toys catering to fandoms are predicted to rise even more, with a 9.8% annual increase.

• Wildfires are ravaging the Los Angeles area, spreading rapidly due to dry and windy conditions.
• The fires have burned through more than 39,000 acres. Officials report that at least 16 people have died.
• Analysts estimate damages caused by the fires may top $50 billion — breaking previous state records.

Across Los Angeles, a series of wildfires fanned by the powerful Santa Ana winds have been leveling homes in the area for nearly a week, leaving a path of record-breaking destruction in their wake.

The largest of the fires, ripping through the wealthy enclave of the Pacific Palisades, is just 11% contained as of early Sunday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). It is moving toward the densely populated neighborhood of Encino in the San Fernando Valley. About 30 miles northeast, the Eaton Fire, which is 15% contained, is threatening the city of Altadena.

Nearly 40,000 acres have burned in four separate blazes, and the LA County Medical Examiner has reported 16 deaths related to the fires so far.

At least 153,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate the area and another 166,000 have been warned to be ready to evacuate, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said during a Saturday morning press conference.

"Critical fire weather conditions are predicted to continue through Wednesday," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during the Saturday morning conference. "Moderate to locally strong Santa Ana winds will affect Los Angeles County today, tomorrow, and then again on Monday through Wednesday."

The winds, combined with dry air and dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County high through at least the middle of next week, Marrone added.

A representative for the electric services company Southern California Edison said on Saturday afternoon that more than 50,000 residences were without power.

Local water districts have also issued numerous water advisories, warning residents not to drink or use the water, which may be contaminated with debris from the fire. Air pollution levels have also remained high in many parts of the city.

Amid the chaos, residents have also been contending with opportunistic looters burglarizing empty properties, inaccurate evacuation orders sent out in error through the county's emergency alert system, and rapidly spreading misinformation online regarding the causes of the fire and current evacuation zones.

Analysts from JPMorgan have estimated that the blazes tearing through the region may lead to about $50 billion in total economic losses — including over $20 billion in insured losses, Business Insider previously reported. If the estimates prove to be accurate, the damage caused by the current fires would be significantly more severe than the 2018 Camp Fires, which racked up $10 billion in insured losses.

The state has, in recent years, been subject to a mass exodus of major insurers including State Farm. The company announced in 2023 that it would stop accepting new home insurance policies in California, citing risks from catastrophes.

Palisades Fire

The Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades area north of Santa Monica has burned through more than 23,000 acres and is 11% contained as of Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire.

The cause of the fire, which started on Tuesday morning, is still under investigation.

Over 5,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, with 426 homes in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades area confirmed destroyed.

The wealthy enclave houses many celebrities who have lost their homes, including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and Milo Ventimiglia, BI previously reported.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office has reported five deaths related to the Palisades fire so far.

Eaton Fire

The Eaton Fire, which has impacted the Pasadena-Altadena since it began on Tuesday, has now swept through more than 14,000 acres, per Cal Fire. The blaze is 15% contained.

The fire's cause is still under investigation, but the flames have damaged more than 160 structures and destroyed over 1,200 more, per Cal Fire.

Eleven deaths have so far been attributed to the Eaton Fire, per a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office report.

Other fires

While the Palisades and Eaton fires have grown to be the largest in size, additional smaller fires have been reported throughout the region.

The Hurst Fire, impacting the northern part of the San Fernando Valley, started late Tuesday night and has spread to around 800 acres. According to Cal Fire, it is 76% contained. The evacuation order for the area was lifted on Thursday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on Thursday.

The Kenneth Fire, now 90% contained, has covered just over 1,050 acres across Los Angeles and Ventura counties after starting on Thursday, per Cal Fire. The evacuation orders related to the blaze have been lifted.

Further North, the Lidia Fire broke out Wednesday in the Angeles National Forest and burned 395 acres in three days before being 100% contained, per Cal Fire.

• An RTO push by some employers is leading to logistical challenges and space shortages.
• Many companies cut office space during the pandemic, complicating the return-to-office.
• Still, many CEOs are "ripping that Band-Aid and getting people the heck back in."

You might not have a parking spot or a desk, but you might have a CEO who wants you back in the office anyway.

That's the situation facing some corporate workers who've had a bumpy return-to-office process thanks to logistical hiccups.

Late last year, Amazon delayed RTO requirements for some workers because of a dearth of office space and a need to reconfigure some setups. At AT&T, which has also called workers back, employees at some offices have had trouble snagging workspaces in the new year and have resorted to working in a dining area or at conference tables, BI recently reported.

The push to populate hot desks and cubicles comes as many leaders appear fed up with talking about working from home. Some chiefs might see RTO mandates from high-profile companies like Amazon as the cover they need to issue similar orders. Yet, in the effort to bring workers back, not every office was ready for the influx.

"Towards the end of last year, it became clear that CEOs were just done," Dan Kaplan, senior client partner at the recruiting firm Korn Ferry, told BI.

However, he said, some organizations didn't do sufficient prep work to call everyone back — especially after cutting office space during the depths of the pandemic when those who could do so logged on from home.

Now, Kaplan said, for some CEOs, the thinking goes, "We'll clean up the mess later, but for now, we are ripping that Band-Aid and getting people the heck back in the office, come hell or high water," he said.

AI could be adding uncertainty

Some employers are shifting back to the office even as they don't know how much space they'll ultimately need in the next few years because artificial intelligence could one day replace some workers, Dan Root, head of global strategic alliances at Barco ClickShare, which makes tech used in office meeting rooms, said.

"That starts to really make you question, 'OK, well, how much square footage am I going to be committing to?'" he told BI.

Last week, the World Economic Forum reported that in a survey of companies worldwide, 41% said they planned to cut their workforce during the next five years in instances where AI could take on the work.

Another challenge: Some employers adjusted for hybrid setups — and added places for couches and other amenities to draw workers back to the office — that worked well when offices weren't always fully staffed. Yet now that more workers are coming back, space can be tight.

Nick Romito, CEO of VTS, a commercial real estate technology firm, told BI that two to two-and-a-half years ago, many employers looking for office space might have been shopping for less square footage than they'd need to accommodate a full staff. Many employers optimized for hybrid, yet that only works if people don't show up at the same time.

"People trying to adjust for that a few years ago has now hurt them," he said. "They took 10,000 feet when they really needed 15,000."

Employers are catching up

An AT&T spokesman told BI that the company is "constantly enhancing" its facilities to make them desirable and ensure workers have what they need. Office seating for 70% to 80% of employees is an industry standard, given the variables that can affect attendance on any given day, they said.

AT&T is "quickly working through the challenges in select locations so the rest of our employees are best positioned to support their coworkers," the spokesperson said.

An Amazon spokesperson told BI that as of last week, the "overwhelming majority" of its workers had dedicated workspaces and have returned to the office full time. Among Amazon's hundreds of offices globally, "only a relatively small number" aren't yet ready for workers to return five days a week, the spokesperson said.

One reason some CEOs might feel comfortable calling workers back to the office is that while the overall US jobless rate remains low, it's often still a challenging job market for white-collar workers.

The difficulty many might face in finding other work could mean they're at the mercy of their employer's plans, Dan Schawbel, managing partner of the research firm Workplace Intelligence, told BI.

"They might have no choice but to return to the office," he said, though added that in some cases, workers won't be able to comply because of family circumstances or owning a home too far from the office.

Worksites could get crowded if more workers comply with RTO orders than employers might have expected.

"Strategic companies have made these calculations, but there is room for error," Schawbel said.

If workers do quit because they're unhappy with the RTO, Korn Ferry's Kaplan said, it's an easy way for employers to reduce costs without generating negative headlines around job cuts or incurring related expenses like severance or extended benefits.

"For some of them, it's a free layoff," he said.

Do you have something to share about your RTO experience? Business Insider would like to hear from you. Email our workplace team from a nonwork device at [email protected] with your story, or to ask for one of our reporter's Signal numbers.

• Park City ski patrollers reached a deal with Vail Resorts on January 8 after a labor strike.
• Ski patrollers told BI they must work multiple jobs to survive in mountain resort towns.
• Seasoned patrollers say they may change jobs due to unsustainable wages and steep living expenses.

Days after a historic labor strike in Park City ended, America's ski patrollers are caught between their love of the slopes and the steep price of mountain resort living.

Kali Flaherty, for example, doubts she will ever own a home.

The 26-year-old works full-time in ski patrol at Colorado's Arapahoe Basin. For the past three winters, she has kept trails clear, stabilized injured skiers and snowboarders, helped prevent avalanches, and trained rookie patrollers.

Flaherty said it's her "dream job." But her $23 hourly pay isn't enough to cover living expenses, and she works shifts at a nearby healthcare clinic to make ends meet. She rents an apartment with a few roommates in Breckenridge, about 20 miles from Arapahoe Basin.

Like many ski patrollers, Flaherty is in a bind. The cost of living in resort towns like Breckenridge, Vail, Aspen, and Park City continues to skyrocket, pushing out the employees who keep them operational. Being close to these areas is also key for employees because of high commuting costs and dangerous winter road conditions. Several patrollers told Business Insider that they struggle to afford housing, groceries, and gas, let alone build savings. Some expect they will have to switch industries for higher-paying work, and many current patrollers work multiple jobs to stay afloat.

These financial challenges have culminated in labor disputes. On January 8, Vail Resorts granted the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association a $2 raise for entry-level patrollers — from a $21 hourly pay floor to a $23 hourly pay floor — and agreed to improve benefits . The deal followed a weekslong patroller strike during the busy holiday season.

Meanwhile, ski patrollers at Arapahoe Basin, where Flaherty works, are voting to formalize their union this month. Several other patroller groups at Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company-owned mountains have unionized or taken collective action in the past few years.

Flaherty wants to be a ski patroller for her entire career — but she said it comes with sacrifices. She hopes Park City's contract helps make it possible for employees like her to build financially stable lives near resort towns.

"I don't see myself being able to buy property up here, which is always the dream," she said. "I would love to not be living with roommates my entire life, but the way that I make money as a patroller now, that's my reality."

Representatives for Vail and Alterra — the parent organizations of the ski resorts where the patrollers BI interviewed work — did not respond to comment requests.

Ski patrollers are facing steep expenses and low wages

The average ski patroller makes $21.56 an hour, per the job platform Indeed. Compensation varies based on years of experience, level of medical training, and safety certifications, said the ski patrollers Business Insider interviewed. For example, an EMT or paramedic license might add a few dollars to patrollers' wages. Patrollers' benefits vary by resort, though most receive free lift tickets — which can range from $120 to $300 a day — as part of their role.

For many patrollers, finding affordable housing in the markets where they work is challenging. The five patrollers BI spoke with rent with several roommates, or have to commute long distances to work. The median monthly rent in a town like Breckenridge is $5,000, per Zillow, a price that exceeds some ski patrollers' total monthly income.

Groceries and gas are also costly in many mountain areas because of limited stores and the high transportation costs for goods. A dozen eggs is just over $4 in Denver, but nearly $7 in Breckenridge.

Kyle Eveland, 24, makes $23.28 an hour as a second-year ski patroller at Breckenridge Resort in Colorado. Before he reports to the mountain every morning to set up avalanche mitigation equipment, Eveland said he shovels snow for a nearby property. He works a full-time construction job over the summer, when the ski resort is closed, and recently began a part-time role pumping concrete between his patrol shifts.

"I would love to do what I love every day and take the sacrifice of not making a lot of money doing that," he said, adding "I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck in the winter. It would be super, super tight if I just patrolled."

Right now, Eveland lives in Breckenridge with seven other roommates. He said he took a pay cut when he decided to join ski patrol, despite the job requiring significant training. He previously worked at Breckenridge as a chairlift operator. Eveland said he may need to leave his patrolling job if he wants to afford a down payment or support a family in the future.

"I got my EMT license and that got me a single dollar raise," he said.

Tate Finigan's experience is similar. The 26-year-old recently began his third season as a ski patroller in Park City. Finigan commutes from Salt Lake City, over a 30-mile drive, every day because he can't afford housing in Park City. When he's not on the mountain, Finigan babysits and walks dogs, and previously picked up shifts as a bartender.

"It's been really hard to try and live in this community that we all so badly want to be a part of," he said.

In a profession that relies on experience, seasoned patrollers aren't sure they can stay

Ski patrolling requires specialized skills: sharp ski competence, outdoor survival and avalanche certifications, and medical expertise. The ski patrollers BI interviewed said that this experience is honed over time, meaning that seasoned patrollers are often best at training rookies and handling on-mountain crises.

Mike Reilly, 33, has been a ski patroller at Park City for six years. He cares about his job, but he isn't sure how long he will remain on staff. Each year, Reilly said it becomes more challenging to pay his bills — even with his second job as a barista. Reilly said that cost of living challenges mean many experienced ski patrollers like him are considering leaving for second, more lucrative careers. He recently finished nursing school.

"I went to nursing school, but that was really out of desperation," he said. "I would much rather patrol and remain a career-patroller, if that meant I could afford to pay rent and not work 20 days in a row."

Max Magill is a 10-year ski patroller at Park City and president of United Mountain Workers, a union that represents ski patrollers, lift mechanics, and other resort employees across the Western US. He told BI that efforts to raise patroller wages are happening across America's ski industry because the job isn't financially sustainable long-term. After a decade in the job, Magill said he's still working side gigs and living paycheck to paycheck.

"The operation of big Western ski resorts with avalanche terrain really does hinge on the work of these experienced ski patrollers," he said. "The guest experience would be completely different if there were not experienced ski patrollers being retained at these resorts."

After the Park City deal was struck, Magill said in a press statement that "the victory will help raise employment standards for all ski industry employees."

To be sure, high living expenses impact other mountain employees besides ski patrollers. Reilly said food service, lift operator, lift mechanic, and ticket scanner jobs are also key to keeping resorts open and safe. Many of these employees make similar wages to ski patrollers.

Flaherty isn't sure she can stay on patrol forever, but she's hoping to keep clicking on her skis for as long as she can. It helps to know others in her profession are also working toward a better future.

"Our patrollers have come together more than ever before," she added. "It has created a positive environment to know that we all have each other's backs."

Do you live in or near a resort town? Are you open to sharing how you manage expenses? If so, reach out to this reporter at [email protected].

Two years ago, I got a new phone number. In the eyes of my social media and ride-hailing apps, Amazon, my bank, and the state of Pennsylvania, that effectively meant I lost my identity. Only recently have I emerged from this technology-induced quagmire.

Sitting at my desk with a new smartphone in hand, I slowly rotated my head up and down while staring into the front-facing camera. Then, without breaking eye contact with the lens, I carefully turned my head from one ear to the other. The short clip was supposed to prove to Instagram's security system what I had been insisting for weeks: that I was not an imposter — that I was, in fact, me.

"Thank you for your selfie video," the automated email from Instagram said. "We received this information and it's pending review."

I not only had forgotten my Instagram password but also no longer had access to my old phone number: Since I'd last logged in, I'd switched to a money-saving family plan with a new mobile provider. To get past Instagram's two-factor authentication security — where the app verifies your identity by texting you a secret code — and regain access to 12 years of cat photos and filtered city skylines, I had to upload a video of my face.

As I awaited Instagram's response, I imagined somebody from the company's security team watching my selfie video, eyeballing the pictures I'd posted to my account over the years, and confirming my identity once and for all. A few minutes later — far too quickly for a real person to be behind it — an email arrived. "Your Information Couldn't Be Confirmed," the subject line said. My information? You mean, my face?

"We weren't able to confirm your identity from the video you submitted," the message said. "You can submit a new video and we'll review it again."

As fun as this game sounded, I had other things to take care of.

I figured that suddenly switching phone numbers would result in some headaches, but I didn't foresee how complicated it would actually become. From Lyft and Cash App to Instagram and Amazon, I suddenly had to jump through logistical hoops that varied from one platform to the next to verify my flesh-and-blood identity and regain access to my digital life. Confirming my identity became a part-time job. And as I learned the hard way, fellow human beings who could help me sort things out were hard to come by.

While the origin of text-message-based two-factor authentication goes back as far as the 1990s, it wasn't until the early 2010s that it really started to proliferate. As more people bought smartphones, it seemed convenient to use a person's phone number as a way to confirm their identity. At the same time, the growing frequency and sophistication of data breaches and cyberattacks rendered traditional passwords nearly useless, prompting then-President Barack Obama to write an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in 2016 imploring citizens to "move beyond passwords" and embrace additional layers of security to protect their data. Even in 2024, hackable passwords like "1234" and "password" remained alarmingly common.

By requiring people to take an extra step (or two) to verify themselves, multifactor authentication offers a massive security improvement over the traditional password. Thanks to remote work, MFA adoption is on the rise: 64% of people using Okta use some form of multifactor authentication, a 2023 report by the company found. Before the pandemic, it was 35%.

Despite its benefits, the system developed a serious flaw somewhere along the way: SMS-based two-factor authentication, which relies on calling or texting someone's phone to verify their identity. Unlike MFA methods that rely on an authenticator app, text-based authentication is arguably the least secure way to verify someone's identity. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most common.

"We often see that less mature organizations have standardized on using that SMS-based code," said Cristian Rodriguez, the field chief technical officer for the Americas at the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Apple, Google, Zoom, Slack, Dropbox, PayPal, and most major US banks and universities are on the long list of sites that still use it.

"It's also easy to intercept," Rodriguez said of the method. "SIM swapping is a really easy way to circumvent that as an attacker."

In a SIM-swapping attack, a hacker can gain control of someone's phone number and wreak havoc on their lives. From their bank and social media accounts to credit cards stored in digital wallets like Apple Pay, the amount of access a cybercriminal can gain is staggering. It shows just how thoroughly our lives are tied to our phone numbers.

Recently, hackers aligned with the Chinese government managed to gain access to US phones via their telecommunication networks in a massive hack dubbed Salt Typhoon, which the federal government says is among the worst in the nation's history. While the exact origins and overall impact of Salt Typhoon are still being investigated, experts say that the two-year infiltration could have affected millions of Americans. In the wake of the attack, which was first reported in October, the feds are advising people to stop using SMS-based authentication.

Unlike our fingerprints or faces, our phone number is not a permanent feature of our identity. It's just a sequence of digits randomly assigned to us by a cell provider when we sign up. If we stop paying, switch mobile providers, or move to a new country, the number is no longer ours. Even an email address — in my case, a 20-year-old Gmail account that I'm certain will continue receiving marketing promotions long after I'm dead — would make a more reliable long-term indicator of who I am than my phone number. After all, my email address will never be reassigned. It's mine. My phone number — along with the roughly 35 million numbers that get reassigned each year, according to the Federal Communications Commission — is another story.

Few companies seem to recognize the problem: In early 2023, X decided to end support for SMS-based two-factor authentication for nonverified users, citing its weakness. Following major breaches, tech giants like Google and Microsoft have also begun to make moves away from SMS authentication. Still, X stands alone among major social media platforms in abandoning it altogether — a fact that I had to learn the hard way.

In most cases, regaining access to my accounts was simple. My bank, for instance, just required a quick phone call to a customer service agent to confirm my identity, bypass MFA, update my phone number, and reset my password.

Instagram, an operation notably larger and more resourced than the small credit union I bank with, did not offer a customer service hotline. Instead, after about half a dozen clicks from Instagram's login screen, I found my way into the depths of a customer service FAQ page that suggested I send a video selfie. I had to send several videos into the automated void before the app caved and let me back into my account.

My Amazon account, which includes services like Audible, Alexa, and Whole Foods shopping, proved a surprisingly impenetrable fortress. After clicking my way through a labyrinth of links, I eventually reached a prompt that asked me to upload a photo of my passport to verify my identity. After not hearing anything for a week, I tried again. A few months later, Amazon let me back in. (Instagram and Amazon did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

Thanks to the ongoing AI-ification of customer service and the growing use of chatbots, the privilege of speaking with a real person is increasingly rare. To this day, I'm unable to verify my LinkedIn profile. Even after asking for my current phone number, the identity-verification platform used by LinkedIn, Clear, continues to text a six-digit code to my old phone number, which it somehow summons from the cloud. Of course, there's no one to speak with to resolve the issue. Oh well.

Getting locked out of social networks and online shops is extremely annoying. But it's nothing compared to the nightmare I suffered through when I tried to sign up for unemployment benefits after getting laid off from my journalism job.

The state government of Pennsylvania uses the aptly named ID.me service to handle its website login and identity verification for services like unemployment. On its website, ID.me boasts integrations with 19 federal agencies, 35 healthcare-related organizations, and more than 600 online stores in its mission to empower consumers with "a single log-in that lets you easily prove you're you." There's just one problem: ID.me ties your digital identity to your phone number.

When I tried logging in to the Pennsylvania unemployment site to claim my benefits, I discovered I already had an ID.me account — presumably from some other government site I had previously accessed. That account, of course, was linked to my old phone number.

Without access to that number — and having no clue what my password might have been — my only option was to submit a request to bypass MFA and regain access to my ID.me account through the company's customer service help desk.

After I got an automated confirmation email from Roy, the self-described "virtual agent" at ID.me, my request went ignored for 48 hours. After multiple follow-ups and a great deal of patience, I was finally able to set up a phone screening with a real human. Ten days after my initial request, I was on the phone with a customer service agent who emailed me some instructions: Fill out a few forms and send them back along with digital scans of my passport and Social Security card. Normally, sending such sensitive information over email would give me pause, but in this case, the ID.me customer service agent was holding my identity and my financial security hostage, so I was inclined to do whatever he asked. I could only hope that ID.me's cybersecurity practices were more robust than its customer service operation.

After 30 days of submitting and resubmitting various identifying documents, I was finally able to log in to my account. By then, I had taken care of my unemployment needs the old-fashioned way: filing my application manually over the phone — a process that took nearly three hours over the course of two excruciatingly tedious phone calls. (ID.me did not respond to a request for comment.)

Technology that used to promise to simplify our lives now seems to make everything more complicated. Before automated self-checkouts entered the grocery store, the checkout process was never interrupted by a confused machine thinking you forgot to scan an item, forcing you to wait for a human to help. For all the innovative "smart" technology that has wormed its way into modern cars, it often feels like we're one software glitch away from getting locked out of them, too.

It's 2025 — we have artificial intelligence that's capable of forming romantic relationships. I should be able to unlock my laptop with my thumbprint or scan my face to quickly access my online shopping accounts. If our tech is this advanced, why is it still so hard to convince the machines it's actually us?

You don't have to take my word for it. You can ask Keith, the person who had my new phone number before me. I have no idea who Keith is, but I know he, too, is having trouble getting back into his websites and apps because I keep getting texts containing six-digit verification codes that I never asked for. While I eventually got back into most of my accounts, it seems that Keith is still struggling.

Keith, if you're out there: Your prescription is ready to pick up at Rite Aid.

John Paul Titlow is a freelance journalist who writes about technology, digital culture, travel, and mental health.

• NATO allies worry that the growing threat China poses may distract the US from Europe.
• A seapower expert argues the forces needed in Europe are different than in the Asia-Pacific.
• A confrontation over Taiwan would be primarily a naval fight; Europe would be a land battle.

China's threat to Taiwan also poses a profound dilemma for NATO — does it tie up its most powerful ally from European defense at a critical moment?

A new study suggests that while splitting US military resources and focus is a problem, it's a manageable one. That's because the American forces needed to stop a Chinese fleet in the Strait of Taiwan are not the same as those suitable for destroying Russian tanks on the European steppe.

"For example, it is unclear whether armor and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) have as much utility in a Sino-American conflict — a primarily maritime theatre — as they do in Europe (although both capabilities have a role in each theatre)," wrote analyst Sidharth Kaushal in a report for the Royal United Services Institute.

America has had to cope with the dichotomy between the Atlantic and the Pacific since World War II. In that war, the European theater was a ground conflict fought between huge mechanized armies and hordes of land-based aircraft, albeit with a smaller naval component in the sea battle to resupply Britain. The Pacific theater was a naval and air conflict fought among scattered islands, which put a premium on aircraft carriers, submarines and mobile amphibious units such as the US Marine Corps.

Compounding the problem is that modern armies and weapons are expensive. The US could afford to fight a two-front war in 1941. Building a military sufficient to simultaneously defend Taiwan and Europe today would be ruinous, one of the many reasons the US maintains strong alliances in both regions. To be sure, the US backs Taiwan's independent government, but it's unclear whether it would commit forces to Taiwan's defense.

However, Kaushal believes that the problem may be manageable by focusing on a couple of key variables. In particular, the success of an invasion of Taiwan depends upon China's ability to achieve sufficient air and naval superiority to protect the amphibious fleet ferrying assault troops and the logistics they depend upon.

"The crux of any defense of Taiwan will be denying it this superiority," Kaushal argued. "If this is achieved, it is likely that Taiwan's forces can mount a successful forward defense of likely landing sites on the island, making a protracted defense and the subsequent flow of US forces superfluous. If not, the battle will likely end before either of these things can be considered."

In turn, this means that only some American military capabilities would be relevant, especially anti-ship missiles, submarines and mines. Naval drones, like those wielded by Ukraine, may also prove powerful weapons to attack a Chinese armada. Conversely, heavy armor — and the capacity to transport it — would be paramount in supporting NATO against a Russian attack.

But sinking a Chinese fleet will require SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses) missions against defensive systems protecting the invasion convoys. And it's there that the difference between the Atlantic and Pacific becomes manifest.

In Europe, Russian ground forces would be protected by land-based surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries and radars, which are mounted or transported by truck. NATO would first have to locate them and then strike them with air-launched anti-radar missiles such as the US AGM-88 HARM, or ground fire from artillery, tactical missiles, and drones.

A Chinese invasion fleet in the narrow 110-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, by contrast, would be an easily detected target and would be out of range of land-based SAMs on the Chinese mainland. Air defense would have to come from weapons on the Chinese warships, which can put out an impressive amount of firepower against hostile aircraft and missiles. China's Type 055 Renhai-class cruisers, for example, are equipped with 112 vertical launch tubes that can fire anti-aircraft or anti-ship missiles. The ships are also likely to be defended by fighter jets, many launched from airbases in China.

"SEAD in the European context is primarily a function of the ability to suppress or destroy a layered network of elusive and mobile ground-based SAM systems," Kaushal wrote. In the Taiwan Strait, "the challenge is not that targets are elusive, but rather that they are exceedingly well defended."

SEAD weapons, such as the HARM missile, aren't really designed to hit ships. So rather than targeting Chinese air defenses specifically, the US and its allies should simply concentrate on sinking warships. Every Chinese warship destroyed is one less escort for the troop ships.

In a Taiwan war, "SEAD is largely synonymous with anti-surface warfare and OCA [offensive counter-air]," Kaushal wrote. "If the picket of destroyers and cruisers protecting an invasion force suffers substantial losses and if [People's Liberation Army] aircraft, including AWACS, cannot freely operate over the Strait, the amphibious vessels on which an invasion defends are much less defensible." Advanced warning and control aircraft are flying radars that detect hostile threats for a wider force.

A similar dichotomy between Europe and the Pacific applies to weapons needed for missile defense. "While all US IAMD [integrated air and missile defense] will be missed, some capabilities will leave more of a gap than others," Kaushal told Business Insider.

In Europe, the threat is largely from Russian cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. Against these weapons, the best defense is blast-fragmentation interceptors — which detonate an explosive charge near the target — or shorter-range hit-to-kill rockets (which kinetically slam into a missile) such as the US PAC-3 launched from the Patriot air defense system. In the Pacific, the threat is from Chinese intermediate- and medium-range ballistic missiles, such as the DF-21 "carrier killer" missile. Defense against them favors longer-range, high-altitude hit-to-kill interceptors such as the American SM-3 and THAAD.

Weapons won't be the only precious commodity split between East and West. Running two regional wars comes with a problem beyond firepower: brainpower. It demands the US has enough decision-makers and staff officers to focus on their own theater, but distractions are common and even likely — similar to the US loss of focus on Afghanistan after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In World War II, the European theater had priority. Today, it's more likely to be the Pacific.

Either way, Europe needs to build up its capabilities in case US resources are diverted to the Pacific. This includes air and missile defenses, hardened airbases, and improved anti-submarine warfare systems, Kaushal said.

Europe accepts that America's attention will inevitably switch to the Pacific. "The prospect of the US needing to reallocate resources is increasingly viewed as a structural reality rather than a question of any given administration's policy," Kaushal said. But public discussion "tends to stop at the point where it is assumed that US resources will be stretched and that Europe must fill the gaps, with little granularity as to which resources and what gaps are of greatest concern."

Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.