Brianna DeWitt didn't want to be a stay-at-home mom.

The 35-year-old loves her job: She spends mornings on the early shift as a physical therapist in Oahu, Hawaii. The rush she gets working in a hospital every day makes her years of intense medical training worth it.

So when her first baby was born in 2023, DeWitt did her best to make space for her career alongside her new role as a parent. Working part time seemed like the best of both worlds; she could still get the satisfaction that came from her job, and the scaled-back hours would allow her to spend time with her son and cut down on childcare bills. But then DeWitt realized that reducing her schedule below full time would disqualify her family from healthcare coverage and make her ineligible for an employer-matched 401(k).

"My husband was self-employed," she told me. "So I was trying to hold down the fort as far as our health insurance benefits went." He recently switched to a corporate job so the family could have stable coverage, and DeWitt could continue splitting her schedule between the hospital and their baby, "That was really important to us," she said.

DeWitt's dilemma is shared by parents and caregivers across America. Unlike other developed countries, the US offers few legal protections for part-time employees, meaning that people who typically work fewer than 30 to 34 hours a week are left at the mercy of their company's policies. At a time when many millennials are starting families, a shift to working part time could be a perfect solution for new parents to stay connected to their careers while attending to the needs of their children. While some companies like Starbucks and UPS offer benefits to part-time workers, for most people, stepping back from full-time work can mean losing out on healthcare coverage, paid leave, and fair wages.

"It could be the same position, the same qualifications, but you have one worker working full time and one worker working part time, and they are given different access to benefits, eligibility for promotions, or even paid differently based on hourly wages," Laura Narefsky, a senior attorney at the National Women's Law Center, told me.

At a time when the job market is cooling and businesses are keen to keep valuable employees around, conversations with economists, policy analysts, company leaders, parents, and caregivers made it clear that expanding workers' ability to adjust their hours is a winning idea. Companies that allow parents to work part time could retain experienced talent and save money on hiring. And letting more parents, especially mothers, stay connected to the workforce could be a path to economic growth as a whole: Nearly 3 million part-time workers are parents with children under 6 years old. America has a long way to go in terms of making the labor force flexible — but improving part-time opportunities is not only possible, it has overwhelmingly positive implications for the US job market.

Over 29 million people in the US work part time — roughly 18% of the total American labor force. Employees might choose a part-time schedule for a variety of reasons: They could be parents or caregivers who need to be home to look after a loved one; some are students trying to make ends meet while they finish a degree; others are retirees, people with disabilities, or people working multiple jobs. What all of these part-time workers have in common is a lack of federal protections.

Full-time employees in the US are guaranteed some basic rights, such as paid leave and access to company benefits. But once you dip below that roughly 30-hour-a-week threshold, employees don't have the same safeguards. Workers told me that can lead to unpredictable schedules and tight budgets. Part-time workers are about three times as likely as full-time workers to hold a low-paying job, and many live near the federal poverty line. In a 2020 report, the Economic Policy Institute found that part-time workers are paid nearly 20% less per hour than their full-time counterparts in the same industry and occupation. And that doesn't include the money part-time workers lose if they don't have access to benefits.

Julie Gagne, 63, cobbles together part-time and gig work to make ends meet while caring for her ex-husband, who is quadriplegic. She is a delivery driver near her home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and often earns less than $20 an hour. It's enough to cover basic essentials, but she hasn't been able to build any savings and the job can be "physically exhausting," she said.

"Candidly, I have not had health insurance in a very, very long time," she said, adding, "I'm very healthy, but obviously if something catastrophic happened, I'd be screwed."

This level of economic uncertainty is particularly acute for parents. As the cost of childcare has skyrocketed in recent years, outpacing salaries in some cities, many have been left in a bind. The lack of options hits moms especially hard. Deborah Singer, the chief marketing officer at the advocacy and research organization Moms First, said that mothers and female caregivers are most likely to drop to part-time hours or leave the workforce altogether. About six in 10 part-time employees are women, and working fewer hours can have long-term consequences.

"That's not just a penalty that women are going to pay when their child is young," Singer said. "That's going to impact their entire career, their retirement savings, and our economy more broadly."

Having access to a flexible schedule — without having to make major financial sacrifices — would be a game changer for millennial parents, allowing more of them to stay on the career ladder when their kids are toddlers or in preschool. Right now, though, many have to choose between a steady paycheck and time with their family.

Jessica Cuevas, 35, lives in Chicago with her husband, their preschool-aged son, and toddler. After her first child was born, Cuevas knew she wanted to hang on to the successful career she'd built in academia. To save on childcare bills, she switched from a full-time role in college admissions and education policy to a part-time job as a college counselor for a nonprofit. The move helped her stay in the field she's passionate about, but she said she lost her access to employer healthcare and retirement plans. Her pay is unpredictable month-to-month, and she hopes to return to full-time work as soon as her youngest son goes to school.

"I became a mom, and as much as I wanted to be there for my family, I also didn't want to lose myself," she told me, adding, "I'm very frustrated with companies and employers for putting the load directly on mom: What if she also wants to grow? What if she also wants to scale up? What if she also wants to get paid more than her partner?"

The lack of protections for part-time workers makes the US an anomaly compared to many of its peer countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, and Spain. In the Netherlands, for example, part-time workers are required by law to have the same access to benefits, time off, and pensions as full-time employees. Not extending these rights to part-time workers in the US isn't just a burden on the individuals, but it's also holding back the nation's economy as a whole. Kathryn Anne Edwards, an economist who studies the labor market and economic inequality, said providing more rights for part-time employees could boost the American labor force.

"Our labor market is much meaner and exclusive than people realize," Edwards told me. "Our labor market is very much like, 'If you can't hack it, you're out' at the expense of people's participation."

Take the Netherlands: As of 2023, the country's labor-force participation rate was 73%, with a slightly higher rate for men (76%) than women (68%), largely thanks to the prevalence of part-time work. At the end of 2023, the US labor-force participation rate was 62.5% with a sharper gap between men (68.2%) and women (57.3%). Historically, when more people are working, there are positive downstream effects like higher consumer spending and more movement in the labor market.

"What the US labor market needs is a 'glow-up,'" Edwards said. But it's unlikely that laws protecting part-time employees will be passed at the federal level anytime soon. A Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights — which would ensure that all part-time employees have access to paid leave and other benefits — was introduced in the House in 2023, but the bill has gone nowhere.

Still, companies can take steps to protect part-time workers, even without government involvement. UPS offers pensions and some healthcare coverage for part-time employees, and Trader Joe's offers medical, dental, and vision benefits, along with access to a 401(k) for most part-time employees. The moves aren't just a moral imperative for these companies, they also have material benefits for their business.

In a March report for BI using data from 400,000-plus small and midsize businesses, the business research firm Gusto found that the average job tenure for part-time workers with healthcare benefits is 39 months, compared to 36 months for full-time workers and 23 months for part-time workers without healthcare benefits. Employees who had access to paid vacation time and retirement plans were also more likely to stay at their companies than those who didn't. When experienced talent stays at a company, employers don't have to spend money to fill open roles.

In recent years, Starbucks has implemented similar part-time work benefits. It offers full tuition for full- and part-time employees pursuing a degree, parental leave for part-time employees working at least 20 hours a week, 401(k) matches, and healthcare coverage. A spokesperson for Starbucks told me that most of the company's barista employees are part time. The spokesperson said employee retention at the chain is at its highest level since the pandemic, and the company believes its benefit policies play a big role in that. The spokesperson said the company has seen a boost in traffic to its Careers webpage since its enhanced parental leave policy for full- and part-time workers began on March 1.

Jamie-Lee Kapana, 33, is a barista in Oahu and has a 13-year-old son. She's been working part time at Starbucks since he was a toddler. Kapana said that with past service-industry jobs, she struggled to find the flexibility she needed as a new mom while still paying the bills. Starbucks' health, 401(k), and other benefits have been a game changer for her family, she said.

"I decided to leave the restaurant job and commit to Starbucks because of the health benefits, job flexibility, and consistent hours," Kapana told me. "One of the biggest advantages was being able to work just 20 hours a week to receive these benefits, not just for myself, but also for my son."

More white-collar industries are leaning into part-time work as well. A June report from the hiring platform Indeed found that part-time job postings in sectors like beauty and wellness, marketing, and communications rose by up to 27% between 2022 and 2024. Still, higher-paying sectors like insurance, law, and finance remain heavily tilted toward full-time roles.

A more accessible workforce is a win-win for employees and employers. Companies can retain talent, and parents can achieve a healthy work-life balance. Plus, as Edwards told me, "more workers equals a bigger economy, full stop."

Allie Kelly is a reporter on Business Insider's Economy team. She writes about social safety nets and how policy impacts people.

• Prosecutors see Mark Zuckerberg's old emails as a key piece in their blockbuster antitrust trial.
• If the FTC wins, it may ask that Meta be forced to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp.
• In his once-private emails, Zuckerberg can be seen as ever watchful of his expanding empire.

Mark Zuckerberg's own emails, some of them more than 10 years old, revealed he had antitrust concerns long before the FTC brought its case against Meta.

During 10 hours of testimony, a lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission grilled the Meta CEO over his old emails.

Zuckerberg's messages reveal near-nonstop concern about nascent rivals, blunt descriptions of some of Facebook's most pivotal deals.

"While we believe our current trajectory will yield strong business growth over the next 5 years, I worry it will also undermine our global network, erode our corporate brand, impose an increasingly large strategy tax on all of our work, and then over time we may face antitrust regulation requiring us to spin out other apps anyway," Zuckerberg wrote in a 2018 email to top Facebook executives.

Daniel Matheson, the FTC's lead lawyer, highlighted another portion of Zuckerberg's prescient warning about his company's future.

"While most companies resist breakups, the corporate history is that most companies actually perform better after they've been split up," Zuckerberg wrote. "The synergies are usually less than people think and the strategy tax is usually greater than people think."

When Matheson asked the billionaire to explain his thinking, Zuckerberg appeared flummoxed.

"I'm not sure exactly what I had in mind then," Zuckerberg said in response to Matheson's question about what corporate history he had in mind in 2018.

The trial, which began Monday and is expected to last up to eight weeks, had a high-profile start, with Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg as the prosecution's first witnesses.

Matheson and his lawyers repeatedly turned to a 2012 message Zuckerberg sent Sandberg in which he bluntly summed up the need to acquire Instagram. In the same thread, he offered to teach Sandberg how to play Settlers of Catan.

"Messenger isn't beating WhatsApp," Zuckberg wrote. "Instagram was growing so much faster than us that we had to buy them for $1 billion and Groups and Places, although smaller efforts, have made only a little progress. That's not exactly killing it."

Facebook acquired WhatsApp roughly two years later for $19 billion.

If the FTC wins the case, the government could ask Meta to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. Legal experts say the government faces a high bar in proving that Meta "cemented" its monopoly with its acquisitions of the two companies since the FTC already OKed those mergers years ago.

(In October 2012, Facebook officially rebranded as Meta.)

The many worries of Mark Zuckerberg

Meta has sought to downplay Zuckerberg's messages. Mark Hansen, the company's lead lawyer, said that Facebook's cofounder had to be worried — it came with the job.

"Was it a constant joke at Meta that you were worrying and the sky was falling?" Hansen asked Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg replied that if it is a joke, "It's probably behind my back," but stressed that worry is a cornerstone of Silicon Valley.

Hansen also said that while the government had numerous examples of Zuckerberg expressing fear about Instagram and WhatsApp's rise, there were also worries about defunct social networks like Path. In one email, Zuckerberg expressed worry that Dropbox could eventually become a competitor — that, too, never came to fruition.

"I'm getting a bit more worried about Path," Zuckerberg wrote in 2012 to top executives in a thread named "Aquarium," the tongue-in-cheek name for one of the social network's real-life conference rooms at its Menlo Park HQ.

"Out of all the new social startups, they're the only one that goes right to the core of what we're trying to do around identity and friend sharing."

Zuckerberg's old worries are more relevant when they concern Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC contends that Facebook gobbled up the companies because it worried that, with a large user base, either one could eventually pivot to become more like Facebook.

"If Instagram continues to kick ass on mobile or if Google buys them, then over the next few years they could easily add pieces of their service that copy what we're doing now, and if they have a growing number of people's photos then that's a real issue for us," Zuckerberg wrote in a 2011 email.

Sometimes it's not about being Liked.

As for WhatsApp, the government showed multiple messages where Zuckerberg expressed concern about the messaging app that rose to popularity outside the US — and one where he seemed unmoved by its leadership.

"I found him fairly impressive although disappointingly (or maybe positive for us) unambitious," Zuckerberg wrote in 2012 to colleagues after he met Jan Koum, the cofounder of WhatsApp.

The Meta CEO seemed taken aback when Hansen asked Zuckerberg about the email. Zuckerberg said the point of his message was that he had learned Koum did not want to pivot or monetize WhatsApp in a way that would truly unnerve Facebook.

In contrast, the FTC showed multiple messages in which Zuckerberg expressed frustration with Facebook's efforts to develop a competing camera app as Instagram skyrocketed in popularity.

"What is going in with our photos team?" Zuckerberg wrote in a 2011 message that was partially redacted when it was presented in court. "Between [redacted] leaving and [redacted] being checked out/a bad manager as well as [redacted] also being checked out and [redacted] not wanting to work with this team because he thinks this team sucks. It seems like we have a really critical situation to fix here."

• Domestic migration to the Sunbelt has slowed, and the Midwest is a beneficiary.
• Three baby boomers explain why they traded the Sunbelt for the Midwest.
• Rising home prices and climate change impacts have made the Midwest more attractive.

After 40 years in Arkansas, Teri Center missed Midwestern summers. Benton got so hot and humid that the Minnesota native felt trapped in her air-conditioned home for months at a time. She worried things would only get worse as climate change takes its toll.

"The fall quit happening because it went from drought summers to dead-looking leaves," the 66-year-old said.

She and her husband, both retired, were also eager to live in a small, walkable city in a blue state with affordable home prices, good healthcare, and legal marijuana, which Center uses to help treat her chronic pain.

So in 2023, the couple sold their Benton home for $195,000, uprooted their lives, and moved to Lansing, Michigan, where they bought an old home for $65,000 that they're fixing up themselves. They live within walking distance of the state capitol, biking and walking trails, a hospital, and a ballpark. Lansing hits the "sweet spot" for affordability and climate, Center said, though they left their community behind in Arkansas. They didn't know anyone in Lansing when they moved.

Center's move is part of a bigger trend. The data shows that over the last few decades, domestic migration to the Sunbelt has slowed — and flyover country is becoming the new place to be.

Home prices and rents have risen dramatically in many Southern and Sunbelt communities, particularly as the regions have welcomed a spike of new residents in the years since the pandemic. At the same time, much of the Snowbelt, particularly more rural areas, has stayed relatively affordable. The North is also experiencing less frigid winters, while the Sunbelt grows ever steamier, making the Snowbelt increasingly attractive.

People who've traded their lives in the Sunbelt or West for the Midwest told Business Insider their new home offers an affordable cost of living, a high quality of life, and something of a safe haven from the worst impacts of climate change.

A good quality of life

When Patrick Walters and his wife moved to Carmel, Indiana, two decades ago, they were looking for a safe place with good public schools to raise their four young kids. The family, who'd moved several times, including to Central California and Chicago, found just what they were looking for in the northern Indianapolis suburb.

Carmel has nearly doubled in population to over 100,000 residents over the last quarter century, but it's still a safe, affordable, and increasingly attractive place to raise a family, Walters said. Videos of the impressive athletic and academic facilities at the city's high-achieving public high school recently went viral on TikTok. And urbanists celebrate the suburb's walkability and density — and its many roundabouts.

Walters, who grew up in Colorado, misses the natural beauty of the West, but he's come to love the Midwest's quality of life. "If somebody had told me years ago that I'd be living in Indiana, I would have thought they were crazy," he said. "But this is by far the nicest place we've ever lived."

Younger people agree. All four of Walters' kids, who are between 23 and 32 years old, still live in Indiana and don't want to leave. His two oldest recently bought their own homes in the Indianapolis suburbs.

"You can have a really high quality of life out here for a lot less money than other parts of the country," he said.

Have you moved to the Midwest — or left? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].

Escaping heat and drought

Worsening extreme heat, hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires are making large parts of the South and Sunbelt more challenging places to live. And it looks like Americans are starting to respond by moving away.

The warmest places in the country have seen their population growth slow while the coldest places are growing, economists at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank reported last year. As temperatures rise and extreme weather events grow more severe with climate change, the trend looks like it's here to stay.

Nearly 20 years ago, Robert Taylor left his hometown of Flint, Michigan, for a change of pace in Arizona, where he lived on a golf course and got around by bicycle. But after 10 years in Tempe, he wanted a break from the desert heat and droughts and moved to New Orleans.

"I decided that maybe I didn't enjoy the heat as much, and I was still worried about the water, and I was getting older, and I wanted to have some fun, so I decided to move to New Orleans, walk around, and drink all day," he said.

But after several years in the Big Easy, Taylor, 63, felt he could no longer afford the rising cost of housing or handle the intense heat and humidity for half the year.

So he moved back to Flint, where he rents a room for $400 a month and hopes to use the money he's saving on housing to travel more. He's still adjusting to living in a much smaller city with fewer attractions. But at least the winters aren't as frigid as he remembers.

"People in Michigan have gotten soft," he said. "Now you get an inch of snow on the ground and things shut down here. It's just laughable."

• Some older Americans are working past 80 to supplement Social Security and cover their expenses.
• Rising inflation and health issues are driving some older workers to seek part-time jobs.
• The number of workers 80 and older increased by 25% since 2022, per Gusto, sometimes in risky jobs.

Jim Uhrinyak, 82, doesn't know if he'll ever have enough money to retire.

Uhrinyak is gearing up to work part time as a driver inspector at the traffic control company his son manages. He could have to work in areas where the traffic poses safety hazards. The Navy veteran said the extra money he makes will help him afford groceries, medications, and the bills he shares with his son, with whom he lives.

"I never saved for retirement," said Uhrinyak, who lives in Arizona. "It is miserable at an older age not to have funds to enjoy the last years of your life."

Uhrinyak is one of dozens of Americans in their 80s who spoke to Business Insider about needing to work well past retirement age. Many said they need income to supplement their Social Security checks, while others said a health scare, job loss, or rising inflation have eaten into the savings they hoped would carry them through retirement. This story is part of an ongoing series on older workers.

An analysis by Gusto, a small-business payment and HR platform, found that since 2022, the number of workers 80 and older has increased by about 25%, compared to 4% growth in the overall workforce. To be sure, that number represents a fraction of the workforce — about one in 1,000 US workers. The analysis was based on payroll records from over 400,000 small business customers.

"The economy and current prices are in a place where they're really forcing folks to reconsider or even rejoin the labor force," Nich Tremper, a senior economist at Gusto, said. "These are folks who are just likely looking to earn a little bit extra to have their money last as long as the month does."

Navigating work amid health challenges

Some workers in their 80s and older, including Uhrinyak, said they've taken on new jobs amid health issues, as they had few other options to stay afloat financially.

In February, Uhrinyak resigned from his role as a construction coordinator because of side effects he experienced from taking Ozempic. He said working with his son will make his transition back to the workforce easier.

Uhrinyak said the $800 a week he'll earn from the driver inspector job will supplement his $2,800 a month Social Security payment. He spends roughly $350 a month on medications — including $120 for a blood thinner — which, along with various medical expenses, has hurt his financial planning.

"The worry of having funds just to survive is sometimes overwhelming," Uhrinyak said. He has about $6,000 in total savings, he said.

Some older Americans have told BI that the only jobs they could find have put them at potential risk of injury, including jobs where they have to stand for hours at a time or lift heavy items. Some said their jobs have taken a toll on their bodies or mental health.

Monique Morrissey, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute who researches Social Security, found that older workers' jobs fall into, on average, 2.6 of six dangerous work categories, including physical demands and high pressure. She told BI that many older workers approaching or past retirement age have had to take blue-collar jobs that are lower-paying and riskier.

"You have slightly less dangerous jobs for older workers than for prime-age workers, but the dangers that they face are much worse," Morrissey said.

Diane Knaus, 82, broke her ankle in September, and she temporarily stopped working as a freelance writer to focus on her recovery. After a couple of months with limited income, Knaus said she began thinking about how to generate some additional cash. She's about to start a desk job for a trucking company.

"I'm on my Social Security, but that's not much," said Knaus, who lives near Annapolis, Maryland. "I'm just taking life year by year."

A tough job market for older Americans

Dozens of workers in their 60s and older told BI this year that finding a well-paying job feels nearly impossible amid a tight job market and reduced white-collar hiring. It's leading many to seek blue-collar roles and other part-time positions that pay a bit more than minimum wage.

Pamela Levier, 81, recently resigned from her full-time service department job at the car dealership where she'd worked since 2013. While she has four pensions tied to her and her late husband, she said they're "not large amounts" and that she's not in a position to retire.

The dealership was sold, and the new owner was expected to make changes that Levier felt would negatively affect her work experience and could put her job at risk. She said she's been looking for positions at other car dealerships but hasn't had much luck. She's hoping to find a job to supplement her $2,100 monthly Social Security check.

"I live paycheck to paycheck," said Levier, who lives in the Tampa area. "No savings, no stocks, or bonds."

While she's in need of additional income, Levier said working would also help her stay busy.

"I don't want to be sitting around just not doing anything," she said. "I enjoy being out and about and learning things. It helps me stay young."

Working partly for the fun of it

To be sure, some older Americans who need work to supplement Social Security said financial stability and fulfillment are their main motivators.

Lawrence Dugan, 80, said he isn't desperate for the wages he earns and could live minimally on his savings and retirement income. While he and his wife value working, Dugan said they have some concerns, including knowing they could be "screwed" if an economic disaster comes.

"Working is probably 30% to 35% financial to get extras in life," said Dugan, who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Dugan said he works as a psychology consultant and earns roughly $3,000 monthly. He also sells paintings for extra income. Meanwhile, his wife works 15 to 20 hours a week as a home-care agency nurse. Dugan receives about $2,800 monthly in Social Security, while his wife gets about $2,100. Their combined net worth is less than $250,000.

"I knew when I was 25 I wouldn't retire and would die with my boots on," Dugan said. But he values work because it keeps him feeling younger. "Unless you keep using your brain, you use it or lose it."

• Americans are dealing with a palpable sense of uncertainty about the economy.
• Most react to money fears in three ways: fight, flight, or freeze.
• Which are you? Identifying your reaction can help regain a sense of control when anxiety strikes.

Job applications, panic buying, and tuning out the news: Which one's closest to your reaction to economic anxiety?

"We want the economy to keep rolling smoothly in the background while we live our lives," Joseph Coughlin, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab told Business Insider. "So when we see this great uncertainty, it only adds to the stress that we're already trying to manage."

Coughlin said that many people cope in three ways: fight, flight, or freeze. In other words, Americans' money anxiety mirrors their natural reactions to other fears.

In recent months, BI has heard from dozens of Americans who are dealing with uncertainty regardless of their age, financial situation, or political affiliation.

The US isn't in a recession yet, but most of the people we spoke to are worried about short-term price increases, their student loan payments, or their 401(k)s. Some fear a more dire scenario of job losses and a downturn in the months to come.

Amid flip-flopping trade policies, stock market fluctuations, and DOGE cuts, consumer sentiment fell again in April, reaching its second-lowest level since 1952. Consumer spending trends indicate households are feeling the heat of high prices and tariffs.

If you feel powerless in the current financial environment, focus on what you can control and be aware of your own natural fear reaction, said Bradley Klontz, psychologist and professor at Creighton University's business school. He added that the US economy has faced downturns before and always recovers.

"We have a fight, flight, freeze response," Klontz said. "You need to point it in the right direction."

Do you have a story to share about your finances? Fill out this survey.

People in 'fight' mode are busy making plans

Those with a fight mentality toward uncertainty are working hard to make plans. As Coughlin said, they are likely calling their financial advisors, reading news articles, saving extra money, and doing anything else they can to prepare for a potential downturn.

Robert Kistler, 71, retired a decade ago from his career as a product engineer. He and his wife built a seven-figure net worth and strong nest egg, but they're working to dial back their spending. With the long-term future of the Social Security trust fund in question and current staffing turmoil at the Social Security Administration, Kistler said they aren't confident benefits will support them as they age.

"It turns out our annual spending is roughly 20-25% more than in our plan — I am certain this is going to impact our retirement plan confidence level somewhat," Kistler said, adding that he met with his financial advisor this month to make a plan.

Similarly, 65-year-old professor Gail Lisenbard recently paid off her car and started grooming her mini golden doodle at home to save more money. She hopes to retire in the next few months and said she's carefully planned her nest egg, but is now concerned about rising prices.

Younger Americans are taking action to protect their finances, too. Millennial mom Jen Miller had planned to buy a new car before May because her family has a third baby on the way, and they need more room. But, concerned about new tariffs on auto imports, she moved up her timeline because she's worried US car inventory will decline: "We certainly felt spurred into action," she said.

Haylee Bachman, a 30-year-old mother of three near Seattle, said her family lives on a low income and receives some government aid, but their budget has been especially tight lately. Her fiancé's job in car manufacturing became less stable in recent months because the industry is in turmoil with the auto tariffs.

Bachman said she's teaching herself to bake bread, cinnamon rolls, and other kitchen staples from scratch because it's cheaper and has visited food banks to pick up groceries. She's trying to save enough to afford rent and pay for activities like soccer and tumbling that make her kids happy.

"I know that things could get very bad for us since we are low-income and a one-income household," she said. "I'm not sure what the future holds, so I'm just trying to make those tiny changes."

People with a 'flight' reaction make snap financial decisions

A "flight" reaction to economic turmoil can take a few different forms. To protect their finances, Coughlin and Klontz said people with this response are likely panic buying or pulling their investments out of the stock market — snap financial decisions that may not be the wisest, but make people feel better in the moment. Coughlin refers to it as the "I need to get out of here" feeling.

BI has heard from teachers cashing out their pensions, families with tariff nerves overstocking their pantries, and investors primed to sell at the first sign of trouble. Some Americans are considering literal 'flight' — they're moving to other states or countries to escape high costs or policies they disagree with. Others are anxiously stepping back from newspapers or social media to tune it all out.

Klontz said when people get scared, "our survival brain tends to take over."

"Our instincts are great if we're being chased by a rabid dog," Klontz said, "but our instincts are not good when it comes to investing and spending." He advised people to avoid major or impulsive purchases where possible.

Still, Olivia Iverson, 28, doesn't regret choosing to "panic buy" a new MacBook laptop in early April. She pulled the trigger because many laptops are imported from China, and tariffs are likely to raise prices. Trump has since announced a pause on tariffs on electronics for now.

"A laptop is a one-time purchase," Iverson said, adding, "there's some stuff people panic buy that you're going to have to keep buying week to week, even if prices of these items change."

A flight response can lead to moves and major purchases, but it can also be a much-needed emotional break. As a busy mom balancing a household budget, Bachman said she often turns off the news. She said it can be stressful to constantly be on alert for changes in politics or the economy that might affect her family.

"I try to take care of myself as much as possible, just because I can't be the best mom without doing that," she said. "I do self-care, skincare, like face masks, or I sit in silence. That's a big one. I just sit in silence, in the dark sometimes, and just relax."

People who 'freeze' don't know what to do with uncertainty

The most common reaction to economic uncertainty is freezing, Coughlin said. Freezers are looking at the economy — the tariffs, stock ups-and-downs, the tough white-collar job market, and DOGE cuts — and they don't know what to do.

The slow job market has left Christopher Smith's financial plans on ice. The 41-year-old has been looking for a job for about two years, but hasn't found the right fit. He's trying to stay optimistic, but he's "admittedly terrified" of what will happen to his employment prospects if there's a recession. He's taken on a roommate to help with bills.

"I am begging the universe to send me a job ASAP," he said. "I really hoped to be working by now, and I am slowly drowning under my finances."

Michael Salvatore, similarly, isn't sure what to do next. He operates several bars and coffee shops in Chicago. His businesses are at risk of higher costs on everything from eggs to coffee beans. He said he's put all kinds of decisions on hold, including hiring and opening a new location.

"Especially as a small-business owner, the unknown makes it impossible to have a vision that you can execute on," he said, adding, "I'd rather the market crash and know that, 'hey, we're on a level playing field."

Rebecca Walriven-Lawson, 74, is also feeling stuck. She recently lost Medicaid because her Social Security cost-of-living increase put her over the qualification threshold. Without health insurance, she can't afford the surgery she needs to walk comfortably. She isn't sure what to do next.

"There's nothing for any of us to do but wait," she said.

• Military deception must adapt rapidly to the age of AI.
• Commanders in future wars will rely on AI to aid their staff in assessing the battlefield.
• This creates vulnerabilities to fool the AI, especially for rigid militaries, US Army officers said.

Deception operations are the ultimate mind games of war. Manipulating enemy commanders into expecting an attack at the wrong place, or tricking them into underestimating your strength can be far more powerful than tanks or bombs.

But what if the enemy is enhanced by a thinking computer?

Successful operations must now fool not only human commanders, but the AI that advises them, according to two US Army officers. And Russia and China — with their rigid, centralized command and control — may be particularly vulnerable if their AI is deceived.

"Commanders can no longer rely on traditional methods of deception like hiding troop movements or equipment," argue Mark Askew and Antonio Salinas in an essay for the Modern War Institute at West Point. "Instead, shaping perceptions in sensor-rich environments requires a shift in thinking — from concealing information to manipulating how the enemy, including AI systems and tools, interpret it."

Historically, commanders went to great lengths to fool enemy generals using misdirection, decoy armies and letting slip false war plans. Today, nations will have to focus on "feeding adversaries accurate if misleading data that can manipulate their interpretation of information and misdirect their activity," the essay said

The idea is to turn AI into an Achilles heel of an enemy commander and their staffs. This can be done by making "their AI systems ineffective and break their trust in those systems and tools," the essay suggests. "Commanders can overwhelm AI systems with false signals and present them with unexpected or novel data; AI tools excel at pattern recognition, but struggle with understanding how new variables (outside of their training data) inform or change the context of a situation."

For example, "slight changes in a drone's appearance might cause AI to misidentify it," Askew and Salinas told Business Insider. "People are not likely to be thrown off by small or subtle tweaks, but AI is."

To determine enemy intentions or target weapons, modern armies today rely on vast amounts of data from a variety of sources ranging from drones and satellites, to infantry patrols and intercepted radio signals. The information is so copious that human analysts are overwhelmed.

What makes AI so attractive is its speed at analyzing huge quantities of data. This has been a boon for companies such as Scale AI, which have won lucrative Pentagon contracts.

Yet the power of AI also magnifies the damage it can do. "AI can coordinate and implement flawed responses much faster than humans alone," Askew and Salinas said.

Fooling AI can lead to "misallocation of enemy resources, delayed responses, or even friendly fire incidents if the AI misidentifies targets," the authors told Business Insider. By feeding false data, one can manipulate the enemy's perception of the battlefield, creating opportunities for surprise."

Russia and China are already devoting great efforts to military AI. Russia is using artificial intelligence in drones and cyberwarfare, while the Chinese military is using the DeepSeek system for planning and logistics.

But the rigidity of Russian and Chinese command structures makes any reliance on AI an opening. "In such systems, decisions often rely heavily on top-down information flow, and if the AI at the top is fed deceptive data, it can lead to widespread misjudgments," the authors said. "Moreover, centralized structures might lack the flexibility to quickly adapt or cross-verify information, making them more vulnerable to deception if they cannot protect their systems."

In other words, false images are fed to an enemy's sensors, such as video cameras, to try to get the AI to rush to the wrong conclusion, further blinding the human commander.

Naturally, China and Russia — and other adversaries such as Iran and North Korea — will seek to exploit weaknesses in American AI. Thus, the US military must take precautions, such as protecting the data that feeds its AI.

Either way, the constant presence of drones in Ukraine shows that the sweeping maneuvers and surprise attacks of Napoleon or Rommel are becoming relics of the past. But as the MWI essay points out, surveillance can determine enemy strength, but not enemy intent.

"This means deception must focus on shaping what the adversary thinks is happening rather than avoiding detection altogether," the essay said. "By crafting a believable deception narrative — through signals, false headquarters, and logistical misdirection — commanders can lead enemy AI and human decision-makers to make ineffective decisions."

Like any scam, military deception is most effective when it reinforces what the enemy already believes. The essay points to the Battle of Cannae in 216 BCE, when a Roman army was nearly annihilated by Carthage. Intelligence wasn't the problem: the Romans could see the Carthaginian forces arrayed for battle. But Hannibal, the legendary commander, deceived Roman commanders into believing the center of the Carthaginian line was weak. When the Romans attacked the center, the Carthaginian cavalry struck from the flank in a pincer maneuver that encircled and decimated the legions.

Two millennia later, the Allies used elaborate deception operations to mislead the Germans about where the D-Day invasion would take place. Hitler and his generals believed the amphibious assault would occur in the Calais area, nearest to Allied ports and airbases, rather than the more distant Normandy region. Fake armies in Britain, complete with dummy tanks and planes, not only convinced the Germans that Calais was the real target. The German high command believed that the Normandy landings were a feint, and thus kept strong garrisons in Calais to repel an invasion that never came.

Drones and satellites have improved battlefield intelligence to a degree that Hannibal could never have imagined. AI can sift through vast amounts of sensor data. But there still remains the fog of war. "AI will not eliminate war's chaos, deception, and uncertainty — it will only reshape how those factors manifest," the essay concluded. "While intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems may provide episodic clarity, they will never offer a perfect, real-time understanding of intent."

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.

• Caring for your gut microbiome is one of the buzziest health topics right now.
• The evidence that a happy gut improves our overall health is piling up.
• The message is spreading online, and businesses are cashing in.

Is half of your social circle suddenly obsessed with their gut health? You're probably not alone.

From 2015's "The Good Gut" by Erica and Justin Sonnenburg to Netflix's 2024 documentary "Hack Your Health," numerous documentaries, books, and articles in the last decade — including by Business Insider — have explored the potential benefits of caring for the gut. Between December 2021 and April 2022, Google searches for "gut health" doubled, the search engine's data shows, and have kept rising since.

In turn, the global digestive health market — which encompasses functional foods and dietary supplements, from probiotic yogurts to juice "cleanses" — is projected to be worth $71.95 billion in 2027, up from $37.93 billion in 2019, according to market research by Fortune Business Reports.

But the increase in interest doesn't seem to be because significantly more people have gut problems than in previous decades, Dr. Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist and director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, told BI.

← removed sentence in brackets and added line break And our diets haven't changed enough in recent years to have worsened gut health on a population-wide scale, he said.

Instead, health experts told BI the buzz comes down to a combination of growing research suggesting gut health plays a larger role in our overall health than previously thought, the rise of wellness influencers, and a post-pandemic obsession with preventative health.

The link between the gut microbiome and our general health is clearer than ever

The trillions of microorganisms in our digestive system, known as the gut microbiome, are at the center of this health craze. Early research suggests that a healthy gut microbiome is one that contains a diverse range of microbes, nurtured by things such as high-fiber and fermented foods, and is linked to many physical and mental health benefits.

This research was advanced with the launch of the Human Microbiome Project at the National Institutes of Health in 2007, and influential gut-health labs have since been established at institutions including Stanford University and King's College London.

And there's been a 4,300% increase in the number of academic papers mentioning the terms "gut health" or the "gut microbiome" in the last decade — from three papers in 2014 to 132 papers in 2024 — according to data from Elsevier's Scopus research database.

This explosion of research coincided with the rise of social media and the erosion of certain taboos, including talking about gastrointestinal issues, Staller said, especially for women.

With greater social awareness, comes greater misunderstanding

People being candid about their digestive problems on social media has made us more aware of the gut's role in our health and wellbeing, Stephanie Alice Baker, a sociologist at City St George's, University of London, who researches online health misinformation and wellness culture, told BI.

And as fad diets fall out of fashion, gut health has become a socially acceptable replacement, she said.

The idea of wanting to lose weight is more taboo now than it was 15 years ago, Baker said. "Now, people still want to be slim, but they'll often frame that goal through the lens of health or self-optimization," she said, because it's more socially acceptable.

And when a health trend gains awareness online, an influx of companies, products, and services will always appear in response, she added.

But Staller said that the research is still new, and we understand much less than people might think. He cautions against jumping to conclusions based on one or two scientific studies or anecdotal evidence being shared online. Don't believe that products marketed as "natural" are automatically beneficial, he added.

"People seem to think that somehow we might be able to hack our guts and cultivate the ideal microbiome," Staller said, with probiotics or fermented foods. But we don't know how to create the "ideal microbiome" because we don't know what one looks like yet, he said.

While there's no "magic trick" or miracle product for good gut health, Staller recommended focusing on generally healthy habits: getting enough sleep, eating a nutritious diet including enough fiber, and being active.

• Vice President JD Vance called Chinese people "peasants" during an interview with Fox.
• Anger against Vance's comment is fueling further discontent over US tariffs on China.
• Many Chinese social media users pointed to Vance's upbringing in Appalachia.

Vice President JD Vance's comment about Chinese people has esclated online tension between the US and China over a back-and-forth trade war.

"What has the globalist economy gotten the United States of America? And the answer is, fundamentally, it's based on two principles — incurring a huge amount of debt to buy things that other countries make for us," Vance told Lawrence Jones on news show "Fox & Friends" on April 3.

"To make it a little more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture," Vance continued.

It took some time, but clips of Vance's interview went viral across the Chinese social media over the following weeks and drew intense backlash. By April 7, a hashtag on Vance's remarks became the top trending topic on Weibo, China's Twitter-adjacent social media platform, and racked up a total of more than 150 million views by April 18.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to the comments during a press conference on April 8: "It's both astonishing and lamentable to hear this vice president make such ignorant and disrespectful remarks.

The internet fire storm soon followed, and the anger against Vance spilled over into discussions related to US tariffs on China.

In a dramatic speech about the tariffs that has racked up millions of views, Xia Baolong, a Chinese politician and director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, ended his talk by hitting back at Vance.

"Let those American peasants wail in front of the 5,000 year-old civilization of the Chinese nation," Xia said.

"Vance once said that the Chinese are 'peasants.' This real 'peasant' who came from the American countryside seems to have some defects in perspective," wrote Hu Xijin, the influential former editor-in-chief of state-run paper Global Times, on a Weibo post discussing the possibility of a trade decoupling between China and the US.

"Look, this is their true face — arrogant and rude as always," wrote one Weibo commenter who racked up more than 3,000 likes.

"We are peasants, but we have the best high-speed rail system in the world, the most powerful logistics capabilities, and the world's leading AI technology, unmanned driving technology, drone technology, etc.," wrote another Weibo commenter. "Such peasants are still quite powerful."

Some more politically savvy commenters also pointed out the irony in Vance's remarks, considering his own working-class roots as described in his 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy."

In the memoir, Vance recounts a childhood marked by poverty, abuse, and his mother's struggle with addiction, much of it spent in Appalachia — a region he portrays as neglected by affluent elites. The book was widely seen as appealing among the white working class and as an explanation for the billionaire's rise.

"Vice-President Vance, don't forget," wrote a Chinese blogger on Zhi Hu, a Chinese micro-blogging platform, "a peasant gave birth to you!"

The White House did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender became the acting commissioner of the IRS on Friday.
• Faulkender is the 3rd person to lead the IRS since tax season began and the 5th since Trump took office.
• Trump has nominated Billy Long for the role, but his confirmation is awaiting Senate approval.

The Internal Revenue Service had another leadership shake-up on Friday, marking the third turnover the bureau has seen since tax week began — and the fifth since Donald Trump took office in January.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced in a Friday statement that he had appointed his deputy, Michael Faulkender, to become acting commissioner of the IRS. Faulkender will take over from Gary Shapley, a former IRS staffer who held the position for just days following Melanie Krause's departure on Tuesday.

"Trust must be brought back to the IRS, and I am fully confident that Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender is the right man for the moment," Bessent said in a statement on Friday. "Gary Shapley's passion and thoughtfulness for approaching ways by which to create durable and lasting reforms at the IRS is essential to our work, and he remains among my most important senior advisors at the US Treasury as we work together to rethink and reform the IRS."

Shapley, last month, was tapped as a senior advisor to Bessent. He became a hero among conservatives following his testimony before Congress in July 2023, in which he and fellow IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler attested that the Justice Department had delayed a criminal probe and tax investigation into Hunter Biden while President Joe Biden was in office.

In his statement, Bessent said Shapley and Ziegler would conduct a yearlong investigation into IRS reforms, after which Bessent said he "will ensure they are both in senior government roles that will enable the results of their investigation to translate into meaningful policy changes."

Shapley took over the role of acting IRS commissioner after Krause resigned on Tuesday. Her resignation came on the heels of the IRS coming to an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to share sensitive tax information related to undocumented immigrants to help the Trump administration locate and deport them, court documents show.

The agreement was revealed in early April in a partially redacted document filed in a case challenging the legality of the IRS sharing individuals' tax information with external agencies.

Krause took over the agency in an acting capacity after Doug O'Donnell resigned in February. O'Donnell had served in the role following Biden-appointed IRS commissioner Danny Werfel's resignation on Inauguration Day.

Trump has nominated Former Republican Rep. Billy Long for the role, but his confirmation is awaiting Senate approval.

The uncertainty regarding the bureau's leadership comes as the IRS is facing significant staff cuts. Business Insider previously reported that the staffing cuts are intended "to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS," and include a 75% reduction of the IRS's Office of Civil Rights and Compliance.

A former U.S. attorney under former President Biden is running for mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and seeking to oust a fellow Democrat in a city plagued by rising crime and a troubled police department, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Alexander Uballez follows former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as the second former Biden official running for office in New Mexico, and may show how Democrats will campaign after 2024 losses.

The big picture: Uballez will announce Saturday his run against Mayor Tim Keller and other challengers as incumbent mayors in many cities have recently been ousted over crime, homelessness, and allegations of corruption.

• In November, for example, a bid to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao won by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed lost her reelection to Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie.
• Mississippi state Sen. John Horhn crushed Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba in an April 1 Democratic primary, 48% to 17%. Lumumba was indicted in an alleged bribery scheme and has pleaded not guilty as the pair head to a run-off.

State of play: The 39-year-old Uballez, who grew up in California's Bay Area, was one of the youngest U.S. Attorneys under Biden.

• Uballez garnered national attention for sparking an investigation into a decades-old DWI corruption scheme inside Albuquerque police that involved officers taking bribes to miss court and getting DWI suspects off.
• He was among the last of Biden's U.S. Attorneys that President Trump forced out in February.

Zoom in: Uballez's entry will likely jolt the race in New Mexico's largest city into a closely watched contest nationally

• The election in November is expected to center on rising crime and a police department hit by the DWI scandal and still under a consent decree stemming from excessive force.

A Keller campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to Axios.

Zoom out: Preliminary numbers show that homicides in Albuquerque increased by 20% from 2020 to 2024, while the nation's largest cities saw a 16% drop during the same period.

• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque last week, saying that a significant increase in crime there warranted the help of the New Mexico National Guard.

The intrigue: Uballez is the son of a Chinese immigrant mother and East L.A. Chicano music legendary singer/songwriter Max Uballez.

• The younger Uballez was on an advisory committee of U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and was one of the most high-profile AAPI Latinos in the Biden Administration.
• If elected, he'd become the state's second Asian American/Mexican American mayor of a major city.
• Ken Miyagishima, the former mayor of Las Cruces and one of the longest-serving Asian American mayors in U.S. history, is expected to join the governor's race next month.