• Memes that mock Americans over Trump's tariffs have taken over Chinese social media.
• AI generated videos feature Trump and tech workers on the iPhone assembly line or sewing clothes.
• Scott Bessent said that "excess labor" in the federal government could be labor for manufacturing.

A finance bro in a Patagonia vest sobbing as he sews a sock. Batman and Spiderman assembling tech products. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance stitching red hats in a factory.

These are some of the memes — many of which are AI-generated —that have been spreading on Chinese social media sites like Rednote and Weibo to mock Americans over Trump's tariffs.

Trump has cited national security and a large trade deficit with China as reasons to raise duties on the long time rival and manufacturing hub. He also accused China of currency manipulation to offset the impact of tariffs. During Trump's "Liberation Day" announcement, he said China has been charging the US 67% in duties.

One of the most viral memes, which has crossed over to American audiences on sites like TikTok and X, shows Americans in t-shirts looking sad as they sew clothes in a factory or screw cell phones together on an assembly line.

Traditional Chinese music plays over the scenes, and Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again" flashes across the screen at the end of the apparently AI-generated video. One X user's post of the viral meme has been viewed more than 7 million times, and a TikTok post of the video has been shared over 34,000 times.

The memes play on the concerns that Trump's significant tariffs on China, and his repeated calls to reduce US reliance on foreign goods and shore up American manufacturing, will hurt everyday Americans and be potentially regressive. While Trump has paused tariffs on other trading partners for 90 days on Wednesday, tariffs on China now stand at 125%.

"When you wanted to bring back manufacturing jobs to the US but you lost your overpaid, cushy powerpoint / excel job and now gotta hit the assembly line," wrote one user on X above a screenshot of "The White Lotus" character Piper looking emotional over not being able to endure living conditions in Thailand.

The fear that white collar workers might soon need to work in factories builds on comments made by politicians like US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said on Tucker Carlson's show last Friday that fired office workers could find manufacturing jobs "to re-lever the private sector."

"So what we are doing: on one side, the President is reordering trade. On the other side, we are shedding excess labor in the federal government and bringing down federal borrowings," said Bessent. "And then on the other side of that, we will have the labor we need for new manufacturing."

Other memes call out the countries Trump initially targeted in his sweeping tariffs, such as his 10% tariffs on the Heard and McDonald Islands. The group of Antarctic islands is an Australian external territory inhabited only by penguins, seals, and seabirds.

One Rednote post includes a clip of "The Penguins of Madagascar" over a news article about the tariffs on the islands. "Captain, walking into hostile environment," the penguins in the clip say. "We're gonna need special tactical equipments. We're gonna face extreme peril."

Also on Rednote, a slideshow of photos, some AI generated, depicts penguins wearing a red "Make America Go Away" hat, wielding weapons, and participating in a mass protest against Trump.

The tariff war has also generated a renewed wave of nationalism on Chinese social media site Weibo. Users are rallying behind their government's decision to retaliate, temporarily leaving behind dissatisfactions toward the ruling party over the country's economic downturn since the pandemic.

"Fully support," wrote one commenter under a state media post about China raising retaliatory tariffs to 84% on the US that garnered nearly a million likes. "May 1 holiday would be spent supporting domestic products."

Another commenter cited an ancient Chinese tale from the Qin Dynasty, that when a nation ceded five cities to a large and powerful enemy, the invader soon asked for ten cities and more. In this context, the cautionary story is being used to justify why China should not make any concessions towards the US.

A Bluesky comment perhaps best sums up how many tariff stricken Americans feel toward the long-time authoritarian rival right now: "If you told my 2024 self I'd be rooting for China to not back down, I'd have said you were crazy."

• The world's 10 richest people had a combined $135.33 billion rally in the stock market on Wednesday.
• Stocks surged after Trump said he'd rolled back tariff plans that had caused the market to plunge.
• Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg gained $80 billion alone — but they're still down over the past year.

The world's richest people saw their net worth once again skyrocket as the stock market surged on Wednesday following the news that President Donald Trump had rolled back his aggressive tariff plan that had, in recent weeks, sent the market into a tailspin.

Together, the top 10 wealthiest people saw a combined $135.33 billion rally in their personal fortunes on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire index.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk saw the largest single-day gains, raking in $35.9 billion alone, and French billionaire Bernard Arnault was the only one of the top 10 to keep registering losses, slipping down the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index list with a $5.7 billion loss. He's also the only non-American on the list.

Still, while Wednesday's market rally reshuffled the rankings, the world's wealthiest people have lost a combined $244.36 billion so far this year.

Here's where their fortunes stood after Wednesday's market close, according to the index.

1. Elon Musk

Net worth: $326 billion

1-day change: up $35.9 billion

Year-to-date change: down $107 billion

Of the top 10 list's names, Elon Musk gained the most on Wednesday, seeing personal gains of $35.9 billion during the market rally. Year to date, he's still registering $107 billion in losses.

While his net worth has fluctuated wildly in recent months, Musk has maintained his status as the world's richest person despite facing increasing anger for his proximity to the White House's DOGE agency, which has spearheaded cost-cutting across the federal government, and public backlash against Tesla. The backlash coincided with a downturn in the electric vehicle company's stock.

Musk's wealth stems primarily from his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX. His other businesses include Neuralink, X, The Boring Company, and xAI.

2. Jeff Bezos

Net worth: $210 billion

1-day change: up $18.5 billion

Year-to-date change: down $28.7 billion

Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, who stepped down as CEO in 2021, saw his personal wealth increase by $18.5 billion on Wednesday — though he's still down to $28.7 billion this year.

In addition to his role at Amazon, Bezos also owns The Washington Post, which he purchased in 2013. The news outlet has seen an exodus of subscribers in recent months as Bezos has ordered the paper's editors not to make a presidential endorsement, and announced that the paper's op-ed pages would only publish viewpoints that support "personal liberties and free markets."

3. Mark Zuckerberg

Net worth: $207 billion

1-day change: up $25.8 billion

Year-to-date change: down $723 million

Mark Zuckerberg, whose net worth jumped $25.8 billion on Wednesday, has registered the least amount of losses so far of any billionaire on the top 10 list — only having lost $723 million.

Zuckerberg is the cofounder and CEO of Meta Platforms, the social media giant that owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Threads.

4. Warren Buffett

Net worth: $162 billion

1-day change: up $8.12 billion

Year-to-date change: up $20 billion

Warren Buffett, 94, is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and the only member of the top 10 list to have consistently made gains this year. He's up $8.12 billion as of Wednesday, and $20 billion so far in 2025.

Buffet's conglomerate holds multibillion-dollar stakes in public companies such as Apple and American Express. His ability to withstand market crashes has earned him a reputation as a legendary investor.

5. Larry Ellison

Net worth: $159 billion

1-day change: up $15.5 billion

Year-to-date change: down $32.7 billion

Larry Ellison, a major investor in Tesla, is also the cofounder and chief technology officer of Oracle, among the world's biggest software and cloud computing companies. His year-to-date losses of $32.7 billion were buoyed by his $15.5 billion gains on Wednesday.

Business Insider previously reported that Ellison, along with OpenAI's Sam Altman and SoftBank's Masayoshi Son, is spearheading Project Stargate, a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative supported by Trump.

6. Bill Gates

Net worth: $152 billion

1-day change: up $4.81 billion

Year-to-date change: down $6.64 billion

Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, stepped down from the tech company's board in 2020 and now owns only a small percentage of its shares.

He saw relatively modest gains compared to others on the top 10 list with a $4.81 billion net worth increase on Wednesday, bringing his year-to-date losses to $6.64 billion.

Gates now spends the majority of his public life promoting the Gates Foundation, a philanthropic endeavor supporting global health, education, and climate initiatives.

7. Bernard Arnault

Net worth: $148 billion

1-day change: down $5.7 billion

Year-to-date change: down $28.4 billion

Bernard Arnault is the chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods conglomerate that owns more than 75 brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Moët & Chandon.

Arnault was the only one of the world's richest people to register further losses after Trump rolled back his tariff plan, losing $5.7 billion on Wednesday, and bringing his total year-to-date losses to $28.4 billion.

8. Larry Page

Net worth: $142 billion

1-day change: up $11 billion

Year-to-date change: down $25.8 billion

Google cofounder Larry Page remains a board member and major shareholder of its parent company, Alphabet, after stepping down as Alphabet's CEO in 2019.

Page's life and finances have been overseen by wealth manager Wayne Osborne since 2012. Though he's registered $25.8 billion in losses so far this year, Wednesday's rally saw Page's net worth increase by $11 billion.

9. Steve Ballmer

Net worth: $136 billion

1-day change: up $11.2 billion

Year-to-date change: down $10.1 billion

Microsoft's former CEO, Steve Ballmer, remains one of the company's largest individual shareholders with an estimated 4% stake in the tech giant. His net worth on Wednesday increased by $11.2 billion, offsetting the $10.1 billion in losses he has seen so far this year.

Ballmer also owns the Los Angeles Clippers, an NBA team Forbes values at $5.5 billion, which he purchased in 2014 for $2 billion.

10. Sergey Brin

Net worth: $134 billion

1-day change: up $10.2 billion

Year-to-date change: down $24.3 billion

Like Page, most of Sergey Brin's net worth is tied to Alphabet stock. The Google cofounder played a key role in developing its early search algorithms, and, though he stepped down as the company's president in 2019, he retains a significant amount of Class B shares.

The billionaire, whose net worth jumped by $10.2 billion on Wednesday alone, recently made headlines suggesting current Google employees work 60 hours a week to boost production.

• President Donald Trump has added another law firm to his list of targets.
• On Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order targeting Susman Godfrey.
• Susman previously represented Dominion Voting Systems in its suit against Fox News after the 2020 election.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday added Susman Godfrey to the list of law firms he's targeting with the weight of the White House's bully pulpit.

According to a White House fact sheet, Susman is being targeted over what the White House has called its work to "weaponize the American legal system and degrade the quality of American elections."

White House staff secretary Will Scharf described the Susman action as similar to Trump's previous orders targeting firms that either participated in suits against him or hired former government attorneys who worked on Trump-related litigation when the president was out of power. Some of Trump's targets have been among the biggest firms in the country, including Perkins Coie.

Susman represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation suit against Fox News, resulting in a $787.5 settlement in 2023. Fox News, Trump allies, and other conservatives repeatedly spread unfounded rumors about Dominion's election machines in the aftermath of Trump's 2020 loss.

The firm also represents Dominion in a lawsuit against Newsmax, another conservative media organization that promoted false conspiracy theories about the election technology company's role in the 2020 election. In a ruling Wednesday, moments before Trump signed the executive order, a Delaware judge ruled that Newsmax defamed Dominion and that the case could proceed to trial.

The firm also represents The New York Times in the publication's copyright suit against OpenAI and Microsoft.

Trump hinted that further law firm-related actions may be coming. He told reporters that "we have another five to go."

So far, Paul Weiss, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, and Milbank have all reached deals with the White House that call for hundreds of millions in pro bono legal work to advance Trump administration-supported causes.

On Tuesday, a group of former Republican and Democratic government officials, represented by Susman Godfrey lawyers, filed an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie.

Perkins Coie sued the Trump administration, arguing its targeting of law firms violated the US Constitution.

"The Constitution did not make the President a king empowered to punish subjects arbitrarily based on animus or whim," wrote the Susman Godfrey attorneys in their brief.

• President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on tariffs for 75 trading partners.
• The move, which came with little warning, sent stocks soaring on Wednesday afternoon.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on X that "no one creates leverage for himself like @POTUS."

Stocks took another dizzying turn on Wednesday afternoon after President Donald Trump announced an abrupt 90-day pause on his tariffs for 75 countries.

According to Trump, his team, and some of his supporters: It's all part of his grand master plan.

"As I've said in the past, no one creates leverage for himself like @POTUS," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on X, following the tariff pause announcement.

Bessent said in a press conference that the pause is the result of Trump's "successful negotiating strategy," which brought more than 75 countries to the table, repeating Trump's messaging on the reversal.

"Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Many CEOs and experts have said Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs are inflationary and would carry heavy economic consequences.

Less than 24 hours ago, US stocks dropped for the fourth straight day.

With Trump's 90-day tariff pause — leaving China with a whopping 125% tariff rate — the S&P 500 soared as much as 9%.

Experts like Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers, would generally say market uncertainty is bad for the economy as it can result in negative consumer sentiment and reduced spending.

"If people both think the economy is deteriorating and they expect their own incomes to weaken as well, it's hard to imagine how robust consumer spending can really be under those circumstances," Hsu previously told Business Insider.

For the President's team and supporters, that's just classic Trump.

"Many of you in the media clearly missed 'The Art of the Deal,'" press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, referencing Trump's 1987 book. "You clearly failed to see what President Trump is doing here."

Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman, who just days ago criticized Trump's tariff moves, said on X: "This was brilliantly executed by @realDonaldTrump. Textbook, Art of the Deal."

Dan Scavino, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, simply posted on X: "THE ART OF THE DEAL."

Trump's memoir, which was ghostwritten by Tony Schwartz and has sold over a million copies, goes into his career as a real estate developer and provides some insight into the president's business philosophy.

"Trump did his disastrous tariffs for one primary reason: he has a lifelong belief that he is being ripped off by everyone and a corresponding desire for retribution," Schwartz, who shadowed Trump for 18 months when writing "The Art of the Deal" in the '80s, said in an April 3 post on X.

Schwartz did not respond to a request for comment.

One of the lessons in dealmaking the book preaches is a simple approach: "Aim very high."

"My style of dealmaking is quite simple and straightforward," he wrote. "I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing to get what I'm after. Sometimes, I settle for less than I sought, but in most cases, I still end up with what I want."

• Marines are building new drone warfare skills, integrating new technologies in combat training.
• Marines must adapt to new warfare challenges, including signature management and tech reliance.
• With emerging technology, a general said this week, Marines could be lethal at far greater ranges.

"Every Marine a rifleman" has been a cornerstone for the Corps for decades, but war is changing.

Marines in future wars might find themselves needing to be just as well-versed in drone warfare as they are with their rifles, said a Marine general on Tuesday at the Sea Air and Space symposium, an annual military and industry gathering.

A deeply ingrained institutional belief for all Marines is "every Marine a rifleman," said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Watson, who serves as the commanding general of Training and Education Command, the entity that oversees Marine preparation for future warfare.

This well-known mantra refers to the idea that every Marine should possess a baseline level of combat skill and a warfighter mentality regardless of whether they serve as an infantryman or as an administrative specialist. The idea is that any Marine, no matter their role, can pick up a rifle and be effective in war.

But a growing number of Marines in the future could see their reliance on the rifle as supplementary to tech like drones.

"Now, if you use technology, you know that same Marine can be just as lethal at ranges out to 15, 20, kilometers and beyond," he said.

New tech and changing warfare

The general's comments at the symposium this week come on the heels of a new effort from the Corps to build up its offensive small-UAS capabilities with a nascent "Attack Drone Team," which will focus on absorbing lessons learned from drone warfare in Ukraine and implementing training efforts for the rest of the force.

Being able to shoot a target from 500 meters away will still be important for Marines, Watson added, alluding to the approximate maximum effective range against small targets for the M16 and M4 rifles Marines are issued.

But new types of warfare will challenge concepts from the Corps' past combat experience. Troops will have to envision a future without more recent guarantees, like the "golden hour" for lifesaving medical care and air superiority.

New technologies and new threats are changing the battlespace in big ways. "It's not all that much of a stretch to say we will never again fight without what we have traditionally known as air superiority, at least not persistently," Watson said, referring to the airpower assurance that was nearly ubiquitous for American troops throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Watson also highlighted another idea that other top Marine leaders have been espousing amid concerns of constant surveillance — focusing on individual and unit signature management.

"There's been a lot of grassroots efforts at the Marine Division-level going on into signature management," he said.

These include efforts to train Marines on physical signature management, like new types of camouflage netting and heat control. But Marines will also have to grapple with how they might appear to an enemy on the electromagnetic spectrum and how they can survive while fighting within it.

Last month, for instance, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith appeared in a cautionary video on X warning Marines about the dangers of relying on their cellphones near combat zones.

Readily available, user-friendly tech that can detect the presence of cellphones, thus exposing a unit to enemy fire, has grown increasingly common. And so too are other uncrewed systems and new forms of electronic warfare.

Previous generations of warfighters might have gone into battle with one or two grenades strapped onto their vests, Watson said. "Now we're getting to a point where they're going to be able to carry a guided hand grenade, throw it up in the air with loiter capability, and something behind them is going to be able to guide that," he said.

"Think about how you would have to defend against that as we change our tactics," the general said.

Technological solutions might be helpful, but Watson cautioned that the latest tech won't solve all problems. Classic battlefield fundamentals applied to contemporary warfare — known as "tactics, techniques, procedures" — will.

But even with such an approach, more troops will have to face an unprecedented shift in mindset. "The first thing is getting everybody's head in the right space," Watson said, "which is the idea that you're being watched all the time."

• My family moved from New York to Argentina for a slower life.
• In our years here, I've noticed that Argentines are far more patient with kids in public spaces.
• I don't want to raise kids who never question things and just follow rules.

I recently met with friends at the mall food court in Salta, Argentina, to catch up after a monthlong trip to the US. As we sat drinking coffee, a group of four boys, aged 10 and 11, roughhoused on the floor beside us. They wrestled, shouted, and shoved each other to the ground, where they writhed around in circles.

People at the mall navigated around the boys on their way to grab lunch or buy clothing. They didn't bat an eye.

They were our children playing right next to us. Toto pretended to punch Astor. Felipe got sweaty and red-faced, running around to avoid flying fists. My kid, Charlie, well, I'd be lying if I said he wasn't acting as much like a maniac and a monkey as the rest.

It's hard to explain the difference between the US and Argentina

"This would never fly in the US," I told my friends. They were surprised.

The kids weren't violent. They didn't break things. There was plenty of space in the food court for their antics. Why shouldn't they be able to play?

When I asked some US parents what they thought about letting kids roughhouse in public spaces, many responded with anger. One person told me, "Because it's not your living room," while another said only negligent parents would allow such behavior.

Kids are part of life in Argentina

Perhaps Argentines are more patient with kids because they're more accustomed to spending time with them. Children join their extended families for almost every occasion — Sunday dinners, weddings, parties, even graduations. Adults, babies, toddlers, older kids, and teens spend time together as part of regular life.

At 10 years old, Charlie is more comfortable with babies and toddlers than I was the first time I held my daughter Lila when she was born in New York because he's been around younger kids a lot.

In Argentina, I've eaten many leisurely meals in restaurants while my kids played war games around the tables with strangers' kids. By contrast, worry and annoyance lined the faces of people in restaurants when we took our toddler daughter out to eat in NYC. Luckily, my shy, sweet first child conducted herself well in public, so after their initial upset, people praised us by saying how quiet she was and how she didn't bother them at all.

In New York a stranger smacked my toddler

I want to raise children who know who they are and speak up for what they want.

A 3-year-old Lila, back in Brooklyn, reached out a tiny finger to touch a brightly colored crocheted bag slung on the shoulder of the woman in front of us. This woman felt the gentle pressure and turned around, smacked Lila's hand away, and screamed at both of us not to touch her bag.

Of course, touching other people's things is inappropriate, and I would have taken time to correct Lila's behavior had this woman not acted so impulsively.

I guide Charlie as best as I can, but ultimately, he has to decide for himself if he'll touch people's bags or play war games at the mall's food court. Like most children, he'll grow out of his impulsive behavior. With patience, he'll do it because he understands right from wrong, not because he fears the retribution of adults who want to put him in his place.

I believe that patience is the path to building a kinder society and raising decent, compassionate human beings. And to me, kids deserve all my patience.

• Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order reversing a federal rule pertaining to water pressure.
• Trump in the past has taken issue with what he said is low water pressure while washing his hair.
• "Hopefully, we'll have Congress approve it," he said during remarks in the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order reversing a federal regulation on water pressure, a longstanding source of concern for the commander-in-chief.

"I like to take a nice shower to take care of my beautiful hair," he said during remarks in the Oval Office. "You have to stand under a shower for fifteen minutes until it gets wet. It comes out drip drip drip. It's ridiculous."

Trump in the past has pointed to the regulation — a relic of the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden — for contributing to less-than-optimal water pressure.

In the president's executive order, he rolled back restrictions pertaining to the water flow from shower heads.

"Hopefully, we'll have Congress approve it," Trump said Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal obtained a draft of the order before the singing.

"No longer will shower heads be weak and worthless," the draft said, per the WSJ. The order also said it wanted to "Make America's Showers Great Again."

The previous rule went into effect under Obama and was rolled back by Trump — who had complained about not getting enough water from showers to wash his hair — during his first term.

"So shower heads — you take a shower, the water doesn't come out. You want to wash your hands, the water doesn't come out," he said in 2020. "So what do you do? You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer? Because my hair — I don't know about you, but it has to be perfect. Perfect."

Biden in 2021 reversed Trump's rule that sought to boost shower head water flow.

• Tennessee advanced a bill that would require schools to teach the "success sequence" in classrooms.
• The sequence: graduate high school, get a job or pursue postsecondary education, get married, and have kids.
• Some Democratic lawmakers said the bill is not representative of the economic barriers Americans face.

Tennessee schools may soon be required to include a four-step plan for success in family life education classes.

The plan? In this order: graduate high school, get a job or pursue postsecondary education, get married, and have kids.

Rep. Gino Bulso, the bill's sponsor, said on the House floor on Monday that data supports the bill's purpose. He cited a 2021 report from the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute that said 76% of parents support teaching the success sequence, based on a survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life at AEI.

The Department of Health and Human Services also released a 60-page report in 2020 on the success sequence. The report said that research suggests finishing high school, getting a job, and getting married before having children "can increase the odds of escaping poverty and reaching the middle class as an adult."

Some Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee say it's not that simple and pushed back against the bill's passage. Rep. Aftyn Behn said during remarks on the House floor that the bill "ignores and blames the real barriers that people face."

"I just wanted to add a few clauses that consider the economic barriers, such as student debt, rising costs of child care and adequate paid family leave and all their policies that prevent the continuum that you are expressing in this bill," Behn said.

Over 40 million Americans hold $1.7 trillion in student debt, which has been a barrier to college for some high school graduates. Business Insider also previously spoke to millennial moms who want kids but can't afford them due to student debt and rising childcare costs.

Another Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson said: "As an educator, I think it's really important that we teach the characteristics and the skills that kids are going to need to be successful. We can't teach them to be privileged. We can't teach them that they have to bend these circumstances to be successful."

Tennessee Sen. Janice Bowling, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill that passed last week, said on the Senate floor that she's aware that not everyone gets married.

"I know people that are very dear that went to college, got their degree, never married, and they live very successful, happy lives, but if it's in your purview to get married, then you need to get married and then have children," she said.

Tennessee's bill now heads to the governor's desk to be signed into law and will take effect for the 2026-27 school year. Other states have also introduced similar bills — Ohio, Utah, Kentucky, and Mississippi are among the states pushing to get the success sequence taught in classrooms.

What do you think about the success sequence? Share your thoughts with this reporter at [email protected].

• 41 Social Security offices are cutting 25-58% of workers under DOGE's budget reductions.
• The agency faces increased customer service demand as retirees worry cuts will affect benefits.
• This comes as Trump hopes to combat fraud and cut costs at the SSA.

A Social Security customer service office in Wisconsin is cutting more than 58% of its workers in the coming weeks. It's one of 41 field offices where staff is being reduced by more than a quarter due to Trump's budget cuts.

That's fewer people to answer phones, handle in-person appointments, and process paperwork at a time when retirees flood the agency's phones and visit offices in droves due to concerns that the White House's cost-saving efforts will imperil their benefits.

Business Insider obtained and viewed the list of offices, which was on the Social Security Administration's website as of Sunday but is no longer visible. SSA has over 1,000 locations, but the White House's DOGE commission plans to close over 25 of them. Already, around 6 million seniors are 45 miles or more away from one.

"The times when you do have to go to the Social Security office are when, oftentimes, something really bad has happened to you," Bill Sweeney, AARP's senior vice president for government affairs, told BI. The nonprofit has also reported record call volumes from older Americans worried about their monthly checks.

Short-staffing at field offices comes alongside major changes for Social Security. In accordance with the Trump administration's cost-cutting goals for federal agencies, the SSA announced it would cut 7,000 employees out of a total of 57,000 — which would place the Social Security workforce at a historic low. New in-person identification requirements have offices bracing for a steep influx of visitors. As of April 9, nine field offices have also reverted to phone-service only, but those locations don't appear to have direct overlap with the offices facing a 25% or more staff reduction.

The SSA previously told BI that a recent return-to-office mandate will help ease customer service challenges. The Trump administration told BI changes at the SSA are because the president is a "responsible steward" of taxpayer dollars. Trump said new policies that the SSA will alleviate benefits fraud, which made up 0.84% of total improper payments between fiscal years 2015 and 2022, per the SSA's Office of the Inspector General. He has said that he will not cut benefits.

"The unnecessary loss of field office staff will place greater workload pressure on the remaining employees, which will further depress morale and likely induce more employees to leave, and so on," Rich Couture, the federal worker union's SSA General Committee spokesperson, told BI. "High attrition will lead to higher wait times and processing delays for beneficiaries, and will increase the risk of field office closures due to lack of staffing."

Staff reduction efforts also mean employees who remain at the agency are being asked to consider voluntary reassignments to "mission critical" positions at field offices and call centers. On April 3, employees received an email from the Human Resources department at the SSA. The email, which was viewed by BI, said staff had until April 7 to volunteer: "More than 1,000 of your colleagues have already stepped up to support our mission — but we need more of you to join them." It is not yet clear how many employees accepted the offer or what positions they will fill.

Low staffing is causing anxiety for beneficiaries

As field office staffing falls, demand for SSA services — or a desire to ensure benefits are secure — has taken hold among some recipients. The agency has seen its daily calls rise by 50,000 from February to March, and the agent busy rate, which tracks how many callers hear a prerecorded disconnect message when they want a representative, has skyrocketed. In a March 28th agency meeting shared publicly, a Social Security operations worker said 665,000 people visited field offices the week before — a "significant" influx of potentially concerned recipients. Recurring website outages are also making it difficult for beneficiaries to get help.

For seniors, this means a chicken and egg scenario: Concerns about Social Security are leading them to call in more and show up more, potentially leading to more work for a dwindling workforce. That could exacerbate anxiety all around.

When visiting a field office, people are "already stressed out," Sweeney said.

"Having to spend hours and hours fighting with the phones and having to drive long distances to an office just to prove things that you can prove over the phone — it just adds a lot of insult to injury here."

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Judy Greer isn't sitting next to me, but I can feel her friendliness and warmth radiating through the Zoom screen. It's an experience similar to watching one of her many movies and TV shows, in which she often plays the supportive best friend or the trusted confidant: when you see Greer on screen, you know you're in good hands.

Greet often uses the word "fun" when reminiscing about her turns in memorable rom-coms like "13 Going on 30," "The Wedding Planner," and "27 Dresses" during our conversation. But her latest film is a tonal departure, to say the least.

In "Eric LaRue," the actor strips away her signature wit to portray Janice LaRue, a withdrawn mother who has the unimaginable task of trying to move forward after her teenage son shoots and kills three of his classmates.

In the drama, which is based on a stage play by Brett Neveu and is actor Michael Shannon's feature directorial debut, Greer delivers the kind of dark, deeply emotional performance she doesn't often get to showcase. Greer credits Shannon, whom she's known for years and worked with previously, with motivating her to take on such a heavy role outside her comfort zone.

"I don't get sent roles like this," Greer said. "To do something that was challenging for me and stretched me as an artist and scared me as an artist, I thought was really important. And I think it makes me a better actor, too."

For the latest interview in Business Insider's Role Play series, Greer reflects on her first professional disappointment, the fans she loves the most, and how she ended up playing a re-engineered cyborg pig in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

On her breakout role in the cult classic 'Jawbreaker' and her friendship with her '13 Going on 30' costar Jennifer Garner

Business Insider: "Jawbreaker" is one of your earliest iconic films. The movie has a cult following now, but back then it had a different reception. How did that affect you at the time, so early in your career?

Judy Greer: It was the first job I got in Los Angeles. I'd been here for two weeks, maybe even one week, when I auditioned, so it was a transformative experience.

There were so many teen scream kind of movies coming out and all the same girls were auditioning for all of them. We were all in waiting rooms of casting offices together all the time, so it felt like I got to do mine.

It's interesting because when it came out, it wasn't a box office hit. But also, it taught me early in my career that you do the work, you focus on the work, you focus on what you're doing, and then you move on and you can't wait around and expect something. You just have no idea what's going to happen with anything that you do. The one thing that you think is going to be a massive success can sometimes just not really perform.

And then while you're shooting that movie, you make your best friend and you're like, "Oh, well, that's why I'm there. I'm there to learn to act. I'm there to make friends. I'm there to make relationships with people and to tell stories."

Speaking of friendships, you and Jennifer Garner are still great friends years after "13 Going on 30," which is impressive. What do you attribute that lasting friendship to?

I think it's hard, no matter what you do for a living, to stay friends for a really long time. Life can really get in the way of friendships, but I think with all friendships you have to work at them. I think with her and I — I know she has friends like this and I have other friends like this — if you don't take it personally that you can't return a phone call or text right away, then I think that you're off to a really good start [laughs].

People get busy, we're busy. I think it's hard to maintain friendships, especially as an adult. And when you're juggling work and you're juggling kids and all the things, aging parents, moving, all this stuff, it's just hard. You have to really focus on your friendships. And I think a lot of times it's easy to take them for granted, but I'm here to say don't.

On fake-slapping Katherine Heigl and her favorite raunchy fan interactions

Another one of your well-known roles is Casey in "27 Dresses." What was it like playing the foil to Katherine Heigl's type-A character, Jane?

It's funny because I'm so much more type-A, I'm so much more like Jane than Casey. It's always fun to be that character because your hair can be a little off and your clothes can be a little off. You don't have to be so perfect.

Is there a standout memory from working on that set that you still think about?

Slapping Katherine Heigl across the face. I hate when I have to slap people. I've had to do it before and it's really stressful, but it's also scary. And in that one, I don't think I actually hit her. It's just really scary because you're in the moment and you're like, "Hey, what are you doing?"And then you're like [imitates slapping sound].

There was one movie I did called "What Planet Are You From?" where I had to slap Garry Shandling across the face, and my director, Mike Nichols was like, "Just hit him. We have to shoot it. Just hit him." And I was like, "Oh my gosh!" And I just smacked him so hard and everyone was like, "Oh!" You could see in the movie, his actual reaction, he's like, "Huh!?" That was earlier in my career. So after that, slapping people has always made me really nervous.

But in that one, she sold it. I didn't actually hit her face.

"Arrested Development" is another role of yours that always comes up, I'm sure. What was the best part about playing such an over-the-top character like Kitty?

It's fun to just really be able to do and say whatever you want. I felt like Kitty was just a wild animal. Nothing she said ever made sense or was fair or probably even honest, but anything goes with Kitty Sanchez.

When we were doing those first three seasons, I felt like we were in a vacuum. When I would be out and about in the world or traveling and someone would come up to me and say that they loved me on "Arrested Development," I felt like they were a real fan because it was like, who's watching the show? And now it's such a cult classic hit that it's funny, I feel like everyone has seen it.

But at the time, I felt like if someone recognized me from "Arrested Development" or "Archer," I was like, "OK, you really looked for my name in that."

Do fans still flash you and say the classic line? Is that still happening to you?

Yes. And more, please. I love walking through an airport and having someone be like, "Say goodbye to these!" I'm here for it. It's the best.

On playing a cyborg pig and making the jump to blockbuster movies

There was this moment where you were in a bunch of different franchises: "Planet of the Apes," "Ant-Man, "Jurassic World," and "Halloween." Why did you want to do those big-budget movies, and what did you learn from doing them?

My takeaway is that just because it has a big budget doesn't always mean that the catering is better! Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not.

I was doing great. I was really happy with my career. And then I thought, just to take it back to "Eric LaRue" for a minute, these really important independent movies and these more interesting roles, I felt like I would have more access to them if I got my name out a little bit more in some of those bigger movies.

Those franchise films are incredible, and I learned so much and I had so much fun doing all of them. But I thought in the big picture of my career, getting an opportunity to work on movies of that scale could potentially — and seems like it's working, knock on wood — get me access to different types of roles in smaller movies. And that was something that I felt like I succeeded in.

You've played not one, but two Marvel characters, Maggie in "Ant-Man," and then also voicing War Pig in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," which is so random.

It's not random because I'm friends with James Gunn, so I was excited that he was like, "Hey, would you want to do this one weird thing?" And I was like, "Yeah!"

I was just about to ask, how did you come to play a re-engineered cyborg pig?

It was a bucket list item for me, definitely. When thinking about how many cyborg pigs are there to play and how many opportunities… I'm kidding.

I'm a fan of the movies and, obviously, the Marvel Universe, so I was excited to come in. I was not allowed to tell anyone, so it was also fun to keep a secret for a little while until the movie came out.

On wishing her acting school gave business advice and the role she'd love to revisit

You spoke about how certain jobs helped you later on in terms of understanding the industry, but what's the best business decision you've ever made for your career?

I think when I was young, it was to keep auditioning. I think I was super open to anything out there. I wasn't ever picky. And I think that did a lot for me at the time.

I think that we forget sometimes that auditioning is acting. And if you audition a lot, you get to act a lot. And if you act a lot, you get better at your craft. So, I try not to think of those auditions all the time as scary, but as an opportunity to act every day.

I also think from a business standpoint, saving my money was really smart [laughs]. It gave me the ability to be a little bit more selective now as I've gotten older and to do smaller movies that are really important to me, movies like "Eric LaRue."

At my acting school that I went to, which I love so much, I always was like, "You guys need to have a business class for actors. You need to teach us what to do when we graduate, like how to live, because that's not what we're good at as artists." Some artists are, but in general, I think saving my money, not buying stupid expensive cars and that kind of thing [laughs].

No splurging on your first big paycheck.

Like, to a fault. I did not do a lot of splurging in the early days.

If you could reprise any of your roles, who would you choose and why?

Oh my gosh. Amazing question. Probably Kitty Sanchez because, man, there was a lot of freedom in that. It was just so fun. She was so crazy.

I've heard there are these rooms where you can go and just break dishes, like anger rooms. Playing Kitty Sanchez felt like being in an anger room. It was very cathartic.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

"Eric LaRue" is now in theaters.

More from this series

• Joining the MCU was the best business decision Elizabeth Olsen ever made
• Dennis Quaid would never do a sequel to 'The Parent Trap'
• Lizzy Caplan didn't work for a year after playing Janis Ian in 'Mean Girls'

• GOP senators greeted Trump's tariff pause announcement Wednesday with a big sigh of relief.
• Sen. Rand Paul said he thought Trump and his advisors were "spooked" by the markets.
• "I think it's a win for America," another GOP senator said.

Shortly after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on most of his reciprocal tariffs, a key GOP senator suggested that chaos in the stock market had played a major role.

"I think that the marketplace has spooked them, and I'm glad that they backed off on the tariffs for 90 days," Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky told reporters at the Capitol. "Hopefully, there'll be some people talking some sense into the policy and being less extreme."

Paul, a libertarian-minded Republican who's a staunch advocate of free trade, had emerged as one of Trump's biggest GOP critics on tariffs. Last week, he helped lead an effort to block Trump from imposing tariffs on Canada.

Shortly after Trump's announcement, stocks began to rebound.

"There should be a learning curve here. When you add a bunch of tariffs, you'll lose 6 trillion in the marketplace. When you get rid of the tariffs, guess what? It comes bounding back," Paul said. "Tariffs are perceived by millions of people as being bad for the economy, so I hope there's a lesson learned."

"We've had chaos in the market for some time now," Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota told reporters. "But certainly the markets, the way that they responded, have indicated that they liked it and that they see a path forward."

Other Republican senators largely cheered Trump's announcement, which included lowering all reciprocal tariffs to 10%, while increasing tariffs on Chinese goods up to 125% amid a tit-for-tat trade war.

"I like what he did on China," Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama told reporters. "They don't want to negotiate, but we'll see how long they last without the American consumer."

Asked by a reporter whether he thought Trump was making policy in a coherent way, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said: "It's President Trump's way, and nobody should be surprised."

"I think it's a win for America," Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said. "And I think you have to conclude it's a win for him."

• As more employees return to the office, some are finding there's limited space to work.
• People used to sit in small cubicles — now, open floorplans are in style.
• There used to be a typing pool with dozens of typewriters. In 2025, we all have laptops.

Thanks to the popularity of shows like "Mad Men" and "Masters of Sex," people love to see what offices have looked like over the past century … often through dense clouds of cigarette smoke.

Before email and Slack, messengers wearing roller skates passed notes between office workers, while laptops were preceded by typewriters, calculators, and stacks of paper.

And while some office complexes for major firms today — think Nvidia's futuristic office in Santa Clara or Apple's Cupertino headquarters — feature vast atriums filled with trees or outdoor amenities like swimming pools and volleyball courts, some 20th-century office workers were lucky if they got a window.

These vintage photos of offices reveal how far companies have come in regard to technology, interior design, and even safety.

See what your office might have looked like decades ago.

One of the most glaring differences between offices now and in 1940 is all the smoking — cigarettes were everywhere.

Technically, there are still some states where it's legal to smoke inside an office — the only federal bans on smoking are on planes or in federal buildings.

However, you'd be hard-pressed to find an office building that allows people to light up at their desks.

Pipes were common sights as well. Today, offices have designated places outside for smoking.

The popularity of the traditional tobacco pipe has been steadily decreasing since the '90s, though they're making a comeback with hipsters, The Times of London reported in 2024.

Before every desk had a computer, there was more space to spread materials out.

This image of a design office in 1935 is a far cry from the tech-heavy workplaces of 2025.

An open-plan office used to look a little different.

Now, an open-floor office typically has giant tables with multiple stations at it, not individual desks.

Before electronic stock tickers made it possible to see the stock market in real time, employees printed out the news on ticker tape to distribute.

The last ticker tape machine was released in 1960 — they were first invented by Thomas Edison in the late 1800s.

Ticker tape has two legacies that live on in 2018. First, the stock prices running along the bottom of your TV screen are still called stock tickers. And second, ticker tape was given a second life when New Yorkers discovered that ticker tape made great confetti.

Ticker-tape parades still happen, but shredded paper is used instead.

It was a lot harder to transcribe calls back then.

This secretary appears to be writing down a conversation she's having with someone on the phone, which she is listening to using a proto-speakerphone device.

Today, there are apps that can record a phone conversation, and headphones mean you don't need to broadcast the conversation to everyone around you.

That telephone amplifier is also obsolete — most phones now have built-in speakerphones.

As technology advanced, every desk became equipped with its own typewriter.

The typewriter was invented in 1867 but didn't become popular until a couple of decades later, during the Industrial Revolution. It became people's job to record facts and figures, and the typewriter was the easiest way to do that.

They stayed popular for over 100 years.

Bookkeepers used a combination of computers, typewriters, and calculators.

If you take a closer look, you might notice that all these bookkeepers are women, a trend that's still prevalent.

In 2022, 86.7% of bookkeepers were women, according to Data USA, which cited US Census Bureau data, so maybe not everything has changed.

When typewriters became obsolete, offices implemented computers and cubicles, which gave people a little privacy.

Cubicles first entered our lives in 1968, when they were invented by Robert Propst, who wanted to improve upon the typical open bullpen office. He thought cubicles would increase productivity and give workers privacy.

At first, cubicles flopped. But when companies realized that using cubicles would increase the number of people that could be crammed into a space, they really took off. The '80s and '90s were a booming time for cubicles.

Now, many offices have abandoned them in favor of the original open office space — just take a look at the offices of Shopify, DropBox, or even Business Insider.

However, there is a push to bring cubicles back.

Before email and Slack, some offices communicated via messengers who were given roller skates to speed up the process.

Probably due to violating dozens of workplace safety protocols, and the advent of computers, roller skating in the office is a thing of the past.

This office had a designated "tea lady" who would walk around providing refreshments.

Some offices still offer amazing perks.

Now, everything is digital and located in the cloud. But for years, all important records had to have physical copies.

This machine handled 80 individual record cards a minute — now, data can be uploaded to the cloud in seconds.

Phone booths seem so old-fashioned today.

These transparent ones still look cool, to be clear.

So do typewriters.

Maybe they'll come back, though. As Business Insider's Hannah Towey pointed out in 2021, physical media objects like records, typewriters, and film cameras were all in high demand.

Note the ashtray, rotary phone, and old-fashioned radio — it's a far cry from what your typical desk looks like now.

It's impossible to overstate just how different our workspaces used to be just 30 years ago.

It makes you wonder: How different will they be 10, 15, or 30 years from now?

• Blumhouse will feature new tech from Meta during screenings of 'M3GAN' for its Halfway to Halloween Film Festival.
• Moviegoers can interact with a M3GAN chatbot via their phones while the movie plays.
• The festival will take place over three consecutive weeks beginning April 30.

Blumhouse, the acclaimed production company dedicated to scaring the heck out of moviegoers, is showcasing new tech that will enhance the experience of seeing one of its hit titles.

The company announced on Wednesday that for its second annual Halfway to Halloween Film Festival, it will be screening its 2022 release "M3GAN" with new tech from Meta, which will allow moviegoers to use their phones as a "second screen" in theaters while the movie is playing.

More specifically, the technology, called Movie Mate, will allow those who attend the special screening to interact with a M3GAN chatbot during the movie on their phones. They will also be sent exclusive content like trivia and behind the scenes facts — all in real time while the movie is running.

"The 'M3GAN' in-theatre Movie Mate is a first-to-market moviegoer experience," Omar Zayat, group lead in entertainment, tech, travel & gaming, and auto at Meta said in a press release. "We are happy to introduce filmgoers to it by way of Instagram Direct and Click-to-Messenger Ads."

The festival will take place one night over three consecutive weeks at theaters nationwide, with "M3GAN" being shown on April 30. Other Blumhouse hits included are "Annabelle" (May 7) and "Ma" (May 14).

Only the "M3GAN" showings will feature the Movie Mate tech, with the goal of hyping up the release of "M3GAN 2.0," which hits theaters June 27.

PriscilI la Ellington joins Business Insider as Vice President of BI Live, the company's new live events business that brings its award-winning journalism to global audiences through interactive event formats. In the coming months, Business Insider will hire an Editorial Director to co-lead BI Live alongside Ellington.

BI Live will focus on in-person, interactive events that showcase the best of Business Insider's reporting across our core coverage in business, tech, and innovation. Readers, subscribers, and industry leaders will come together to have meaningful discussions.

"The launch of BI Live marks a milestone for Business Insider. Over a year ago, we returned to Business Insider, and now, we are positioned perfectly to create a unique live events business that sets us apart from the rest," says Business Insider Chief Revenue Officer, Maggie Milnamow. "BI Live will bring our award-winning journalism to partners on a global scale, and we are thrilled to debut BI Live at Cannes Lions Festival this year."

"There's never been a more opportune time to build a live events business that truly stands out. Business Insider is known for bold storytelling and innovation, making it the perfect place to build a thriving events business. BI Live is set to disrupt the saturated events market. I look forward to shaking things up and building a high quality, deeply engaging portfolio that delivers results for Business Insider partners," says Ellington.

Priscilla has a deep passion for bringing journalism to life through live experiences. Prior to Business Insider Priscilla led groundbreaking initiatives at Bloomberg Live Experiences and The Wall Street Journal Barron's Group conference business, consistently driving performance, and revenue growth.

BI Live's debut coincides with a major moment on the global marketing calendar: the 2025 Cannes Lions Festival in June, where Business Insider will host its flagship CMO Insider breakfast — a high-impact gathering that brings together marketing's most influential voices for intimate, editorial-led conversation.

• "The White Lotus" season three finale divided fans with its dramatic ending.
• The relationship between Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Rick (Walton Goggins) was at the heart of the episode.
• The actors have differing views about the takeaways from Chelsea and Rick's relationship.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "The White Lotus" season three.

Chelsea's warning that "bad things happen in threes" came true on Sunday in the season three finale of "The White Lotus," when, after escaping a robbery and being bitten by a snake at a reptile show, she finally met her end.

The hopeless romantic played by Aimee Lou Wood died in the crossfire of the show's much-teased shootout, which ended up being between her evasive, impulsive boyfriend Rick (Walton Goggins) and newly armed hotel guards, who came after Rick after he shot Jim (Scott Glenn), whom he believed killed his father (but, plot twist: Jim is Rick's father).

The couple's final scene shows Chelsea and Rick lying lifeless in the water, their bodies and fates intertwined. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out that the composition of their bodies in the shot even resembles a Yinyang symbol, a callback to Chelsea's earlier comment that she and Rick are in a "yin and yang battle, and I'm hope, and Rick is pain."

Eventually, as Chelsea says, one of them will win. And it turns out, it was Rick.

Both Goggins and Wood are in agreement that their characters' ending was tragic.

"She's the most hopeful character on the show and that's why she has to die, but obviously on a human level it is really fricking sad," Wood explained to GQ on April 7.

In an interview with Vulture published the same day, Goggins described Chelsea as the "very thing that he had been looking for his whole life," which had been "staring him in the face."

"That's the irony, and that's the fucking tragedy," he added.

The show has made it clear that Chelsea and Rick are very different people in the way that they see the world. And it appears that in real life, Wood and Goggins also differ in how they view the relationship between their characters.

Wood told GQ that she thinks Rick and Chelsea's relationship was one-sided.

"I think it's really confronting for some because there's a lot of people that have been Chelsea and it's painful when you love someone and they're not giving you anything back. It fucking hurts," she said. "It's only after you leave that relationship that you go, 'What the fuck was I doing for so long, how did I do that?'"

Goggins, however, has a more romantic view of the couple, describing them as "soul mates" when speaking to The New York Times.

"Do they deserve each other? Of course they do. They're soul mates. Anyone [who disagrees], you're in an arrested state of development, or you're incapable of seeing the nuance in this story," he said.

But despite the difference of opinion, Goggins heaped praise on Wood.

"Aimee Lou is a real sweetheart. I've been around a long time. I've had chemistry with a lot of different people in a lot of different genres. Right off the bat, the very first time that we met in Thailand, the chemistry was there," he said. "It was as if we had been friends and soul mates on some level for a very long time."

"The White Lotus" season 3 is streaming in full on Max.

• Companies took swift action in response to Trump's barrage of reciprocal tariffs.
• Some companies, like Nintendo, paused some US preorders, and others said they would raise prices.
• After Trump announced a pause on many of the reciprocal tariffs, some have begun to change course.

While plenty of companies signaled they would take action in response to Trump's flurry of "Liberation Day" tariffs, some acted swiftly to implement changes.

Some have gone so far as to enact price hikes while others have paused some sales in the US while they figure out a path forward. Other companies have slowed factory production.

But the situation continues to be highly dynamic. Amid volatile markets, Trump on Wednesday announced a 90-day pause on many of his retaliatory tariffs while leaving in place 10% baseline tariffs. (He also announced he's increasing China's tariffs to 125%.)

BI contacted the companies below to ask if they planned to change course in light of the tariffs, and some businesses said they already had.

Here's a rundown on what major businesses have done in response to the tariffs — and which are reversing course already.

Nintendo delayed Switch 2 preorders in the US

Nintendo fans in the US have been left in limbo as the company delayed a previously announced preorder date for its highly anticipated Switch 2 game console.

American customers will no longer be able to place preorders on April 9, the company told Business Insider, though Nintendo says it plans to "update timing" in the future.

"Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," the statement read. "Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged."

Canadians are in the same boat and will have to wait to hear when they can preorder the device.

Micron is reportedly imposing a surcharge

Micron, a chipmaker based in Boise, Idaho, plans to impose a surcharge on its products, which include SSDs and memory cards, Reuters reported.

The Reuters article quotes an anonymous executive at an "Asian NAND module manufacturer."

"If they don't want to bear the taxes, we cannot ship the products," the executive told the outlet. "We cannot be held accountable for the decisions made by your government."

Jaguar Land Rover paused US shipments

Contending with a 25% tariff on imported automobiles, UK-based Jaguar Land Rover has paused shipments of its cars to the US.

A spokesperson for the company told BI that the US is an "important market for JLR's luxury brands."

"As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are enacting our short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Audi made a similar move

Audi, Volkswagen's luxury arm, is also putting a pause on sending its cars from Europe to the US.

A spokesperson told Reuters that the company had about 37,000 cars in local inventory and would hold cars that arrived in US ports after April 2.

Stellantis paused production at its plants in Canada and Mexico

Stellantis has paused production at assembly plants in Windsor, Canada, and Toluca, Mexico — after Trump issued an executive order to charge a 25% tariff on all goods that "aren't compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement."

As a result, 900 workers have been temporarily laid off from US plants, a spokesperson for the company told BI.

"As a result of pausing production at several of Stellantis' Canadian and Mexican plants, there will be temporary layoffs at the Warren Stamping and Sterling Stamping plants (Michigan) as well as the Indiana Transmission Plant, Kokomo Transmission Plant and Kokomo Casting Plant (Indiana)," the spokesperson said.

Operations at the Windsor plant are set to resume the week of April 21, the spokesperson said. No date was given for when the plant in Toluca would begin production again.

The laptop maker Framework halted some US sales and delayed preorders for others

Framework, a San Francisco-based PC maker, initially halted sales of some of its laptops in the US, citing the 32% reciprocal tariff levied against Taiwan.

"We priced our laptops when tariffs on imports from Taiwan were 0%," the company posted to X earlier this week. "At a 10% tariff, we would have to sell the lowest-end SKUs at a loss. Other consumer goods makers have performed the same calculations and taken the same actions, though most have not been open about it."

The pause, it added, would be temporary.

Framework also announced on Bluesky that it would delay preorders for its Laptop 12 from the US, which were set to begin on April 9. It said that customers from other countries would be able to preorder as usual.

"We're incrementally making adjustments for US customers as tariff impact comes into effect, starting from changes that are most reversible," the post read. "That is, temporarily delisting SKUs or delaying listing new SKUs is easy to undo if we see tariff reduction or mitigation."

In light of the new 90-day pause on tariffs, the company said on Wednesday afternoon that pricing would return to normal.

"With the latest update on tariffs as of a few minutes ago, we're returning our system pricing to where it was before this change," the company said on X. "We're working on this now and will have more updates soon."

Gaming giant Razer removed some laptop listings in the US

Razer has removed its Blade 16 laptop from its US site. The Internet Archive shows the laptop was still available for purchase as recently as April 1.

The product page for the "Razer Blade 16" now only allows the user to click "notify me."

The option to preorder a laptop was removed just one day before Trump announced his sweeping tariff plan.

Is your company making a change due to tariffs? Contact the reporter via email at [email protected]

• President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a 90-day pause in his tariff plan against some countries.
• Stocks, which had fallen following news of his aggressive strategy, surged in response to the pause.
• Business leaders across the spectrum, from Bill Ackman to Mark Cuban, reacted disparately.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced via a social media post a planned 90-day pause in his aggressive tariff plan against some countries, sending ripples through the business community.

The market, which had plummeted following news of the president's trade strategy, surged in response to the planned pause, while industry leaders from across the political spectrum gave their initial reactions.

Bill Ackman

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, in a post on X, wrote, "This was brilliantly executed by @realDonaldTrump. Textbook, Art of the Deal."

Ackman had previously advocated for a pause in the tariffs' implementation "to enable negotiations to be completed without a major global economic disruption that will harm the most vulnerable companies and citizens of our country."

"The benefit of @realDonaldTrump 's approach is that we now understand who are our preferred trading partners, and who the problems are," Ackman said in a separate post following the announcement of the pause. "China has shown themselves to be a bad actor. Our counterparties also have a taste of what life is like if they don't take down their trade barriers. This is the perfect setup for trade negotiations over the next 90 days."

Ackman continued: "Advice for China: Pick up the phone and call the President. He is a tough but fair negotiator. The longer China holds out and retaliates, the worse the outcome for China."

Elon Musk

Shibetoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym for Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus, posted a hypothetical statement on X which read, "The next 4 years are gonna be an insane roller coaster, aren't they?" Tesla CEO Elon Musk replied simply with a "100" emoji.

David Sacks

PayPal and Yammer cofounder David Sacks posted on X to declare Trump's reversal on tariffs a massive victory for the president.

"They did everything they could to create a panic," Sacks wrote. "They predicted a Black Monday that never came. They became jubilant over an intraday correction on Tuesday. They were rooting for Trump to fail even if it meant the market and economy crashed."

The tech founder and investor continued: "Fortunately their hopes have been dashed. Trump has been vindicated. China is isolated, and the rest of the world is lining up to negotiate new trade deals. Do you think this would have happened if Trump had asked nicely? Maybe if he had said pretty please? Never. This was the only way to rewrite the rules of global trade. Once again, Trump was right about everything!"

Diane Swonk

Diane Swonk, the chief economist of the professional services firm KPMG, wrote in a series of posts on X that, despite the news of the implementation pause, the country has "not escaped the tariff problems."

"The effective tariff rate is actually HIGHER with the pause than it was as announced on April 2, due to the tariffs on China," Swonk wrote. "There will be some diversion through connector countries. However, the effective tariff rate now peaks at 30.5% during the pause. That is worse than our worst case scenarios."

She added: "The tariff pause is a moving target and it given the high level of tariffs on China and 10% across the board plus potentially more in the pipeline, takes the effective tariff rate to a RECORD. The market must be hoping told all goes away."

Spencer Hakimian

The founder of the hedge fund Tolou Capital Management was not too pleased with the recent back-and-forth over Trump's tariffs, writing in a series of posts on X that we're now "back to square one" after Trump's latest reversal.

"Nothing accomplished. Nothing changed. But somehow we won. Nice," Hakimian wrote.

In a separate post, Hakimian lamented the lack of clarity in Trump's tariff strategy, regardless of the economic outcome.

"Even if you support all of the past week. From the escalation to the walk back, although that's inherently contradictory to support both. Everyone admits that the rollout & rollback of all of this has been needlessly sloppy and unclear, correct? Or is that also some voodoo 8D chess strategy too?"

Chris Fralic

Chris Fralic, a partner at the venture capital firm First Round Capital, posted on X a screenshot of the tickers of several surging stocks, writing it's, "Good to be liberated from Liberation Day."

"If your portfolio drops by X% and then rises by X%, you'll still be below your starting point," Fralic wrote in a separate post. "The bigger the drop, the more pronounced this effect becomes. A 20% drop followed by a 20% rise leaves you at 96% of your original value."

Mark Cuban

Over on Bluesky, the X alternative social media site, Cost Plus Drugs cofounder and "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban re-posted a statement from economist Paulo dos Santos, which described Trump's tariffs as "the Ivermectin of economic strategy," referencing the anti-parasitic drug used by some to treat COVID-19 infections, despite reservations from the medical community.

In a separate post made just before Trump announced the tariff pause, Cuban wrote: "What some people aren't factoring into their analysis is the reality that companies were buying tons of inventory to beat the tariffs. That's cash taken from being able to invest or hire. In fact the probably cut costs and jobs as a result."

• A Beckley Psytech investor is looking to invest up to an extra $20 million in the biotech startup.
• Noetic Fund wants to back Beckley Psytech at a $200 million valuation, per an email seen by BI.
• The startup is developing a psychedelic-based nasal spray to treat depression.

Beckley Psytech's investors are trying to drum up enthusiasm to put fresh funding into the biotech startup, Business Insider has learned, as Beckley advances through clinical trials for its new psychedelic-based depression drug.

Noetic Fund, a venture firm that backs healthcare and biotech companies and a previous investor in Beckley Psytech, is seeking participants for an investment vehicle to put up to $20 million into Beckley Psytech, according to an email Noetic sent to prospective investors seen by Business Insider.

The raise would value the company at $200 million before the additional funding, giving Beckley Psytech a post-money valuation of up to $220 million after the fundraise, per the email.

The efforts are ongoing and terms of the deal could be subject to change. Noetic Fund didn't respond to requests for comment.

"We are regularly in discussions with both existing shareholders and potential new investors to ensure the company remains well-capitalized. However, there is currently no term sheet in place with any partner and no active transaction is underway," A Beckley Psytech spokesperson said in an email to BI.

Beckley Psytech is developing a drug in the form of a short-duration intranasal spray to target treatment-resistant depression and alcohol use disorder.

The Oxford, United Kingdom-based startup has raised $143 million to date, according to PitchBook. It last announced $50 million in funding in January 2024 from Atai Life Sciences, a German biotech that went public in 2021.

Beckley is one of many companies jumping on the promise of psychedelic compounds for treating depression, alongside multiple public rivals such as GH Research and Compass Pathways.

Those companies are following in the footsteps of Johnson & Johnson, which got approval for its own nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression, Spravato, in 2019. The spray, derived from the dissociative drug ketamine, was the first drug approved to treat depression in more than 35 years.

Still, the Food and Drug Administration has never approved a drug based on classic psychedelics like the hallucinogen psilocybin. (Ketamine and its derivatives are not traditionally considered psychedelics, though they have many psychedelic properties.)

Noetic told prospective investors in its email that Beckley Psytech hopes to go public within 12 months of publishing its phase 2b clinical trial data, or otherwise pursue a strategic M&A deal.

Beckley's beginnings

Beckley Psytech spun out of the Beckley Foundation, a nonprofit set up in the late 1990s to support studies into psychoactive compounds. Beckley Psytech's cofounders Amanda Feilding, founder and director of the Beckley Foundation, and her son CEO Cosmo Feilding Mellen, who spent 10 years at the nonprofit as an advisor and executive director, launched the startup in 2019 to independently develop psychedelic-based drugs for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Beckley Psytech's clinical protocol is led by chief science and medical officer Dr. Rob Conley, who was formerly the chief scientific officer of neuroscience at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.

The startup's first drug is based on the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT, a compound found in the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad, as well as several plant species.

The company is also developing a second program to treat major depression disorder using a synthetic formulation of psilocin, the psychedelic compound in psilocybin mushrooms.

Beckley appears to be a bit behind on producing the trial data for its first drug. The startup said in March that it had completed enrolling patients for phase 2b of its trial and expected to share topline results by mid-2025.

When Atai Life Sciences announced its investment in Beckley Psytech in January 2024, the company said it expected to see published phase 2b data by the second half of 2024.

Atai Life Sciences is Beckley Psytech's largest shareholder, according to the documents seen by BI.

• The US Navy's next aircraft carrier is almost finished but faces challenges with its elevators, among other technology.
• The advanced weapons elevators were previously an issue on the first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford.
• Navy officials suggested in written testimony to Congress that they could affect the new USS John F. Kennedy.

The US Navy next Ford-class aircraft carrier is just about done, but it could be held up by challenges with the elevators, Navy officers and officials said this week.

It's a bit of déjà vu. The same technology was at the center of headaches for USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of the new class of Navy supercarriers, and now the elevators are a challenge as shipbuilders work to finish the next ship in the class.

"The John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is nearly 95% construction complete and has a contract delivery date of July 2025," Navy officials said in a joint statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee seapower subcommittee's hearing on the state of nuclear shipbuilding on Tuesday. "However, we assess that significant pressure to that date."

The officials cited issues with some of the CVN 79's technologies, namely the advanced weapons elevators and aircraft launch and recovery systems.

They said the pressure to meet the contractual delivery date is driven by "critical path challenges, primarily in the Advanced Weapons Elevators and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment."

The officials added that while "initial class design challenges are resolved," some of the "early class production-focused challenges and associated learning continue on CVN 79."

The Advanced Weapons Elevators with electromagnetic motors, Advanced Arresting Gear, and Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System were issues during the development and construction of the first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford, which faced delays and cost overruns mostly attributed to integration issues surrounding new systems and capabilities.

The elevators on the Ford, for example, weren't installed when the carrier was delivered in May 2017, well beyond the original 2015 delivery goal. The first of 11 weapons elevators arrived in December 2018.

The Navy secretary at the time, Richard Spencer, staked his job on fixing the Ford elevators in early 2019, but the problem persisted beyond the deadline. In January 2020, then-acting secretary Thomas Modly said that the issue had been "sort of a disaster" but noted the service was "getting after the problem."

In their joint statement on Tuesday, Navy officials highlighted successful USS Gerald R. Ford deployments, indicating that the issue is in production, not design at this stage. They added that the lessons learned are being implemented on CVN 80 and 81.

The Navy didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's query about the specific problems with the weapons elevators and potential delays to CVN 79's delivery.

The Ford class' elevators are controlled by electromagnetic, linear synchronous motors, which effectively allow them to move faster and carry more ordnance.

Nimitz-class carriers have weapons elevators that use pulleys and cables and can carry 10,500 pounds at 100 feet a minute. The Ford's, on the other hand, can carry up to 24,000 pounds at 150 feet per minute.

Among the other new technologies on the Ford class, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, is also an upgrade, over the steam catapults on the Nimitz-class carriers. The system is designed for faster sorties of heavier aircraft but the technology saw questionable performance, as did the new advanced arresting gear for aircraft recovery.

The inclusion of the elevators and EMALS was paired with overall ship layout changes as well.

President Donald Trump has previously been critical of both the catapults and the weapons elevators on the Ford, expressing concern about the use of magnets in the advanced technology.

The Navy officials who testified before Congress Tuesday said the "Navy and shipbuilder HII-NNS are hyper-focused on a CVN 79 delivery plan that results in the fastest path to a combat ready CVN, crew, and air wing."

• President Trump says he's backing off on his initial reciprocal tariff plans.
• He announced on Wednesday that reciprocal tariffs would drop to 10% for 90 days.
• Trump also said that tariffs on Chinese goods would increase to 125%.

Trump took the off-ramp.

Nearly a week after sparking chaos in markets around the world, President Donald Trump backed down from most of his original plan for reciprocal tariffs on foreign countries.

"I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately," Trump wrote Wednesday afternoon in a Truth Social post.

At the same time, Trump said he would increase tariffs on Chinese goods up to 125%, further escalating the two countries' ongoing trade war.

"At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable," Trump wrote.

At an impromptu news conference outside the White House, Trump was asked about his decision to issue a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for most countries.

"I thought that people were jumping a little bit. They were getting a little bit yippy, a little afraid," he said. "No other president would have done what I did."

He also said he'd been monitoring the bond market Tuesday night.

"The bond market is very tricky, I was watching it. But if you look at it now, it's beautiful," he said. "The bond market right now is beautiful. I saw last night where people were getting a little queasy."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump's announcement demonstrates that the US will reward countries that did not retaliate against Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs.

"What we have ended up with here, as I told everyone a week ago in this very spot, do not retaliate and you will be rewarded," Bessent told reporters on Wednesday. "So every country that wants to come to negotiate, we are willing to hear you."

Bessent said "everything is on the table" now that countries have the time and space to cut deals with the White House. He said that discussions will include non-tariff barriers, which Trump cited in his initial decision.

Not all tariffs are paused, Bessent said, and plans for pharmaceutical-related tariffs will continue.

Trump said that his decision to back off of the original reciprocal tariffs for countries other than China — some of which were more than 40% — was in response to more than 75 countries seeking to enter negotiations.

"The world is ready to work with President Trump to fix global trade, and China has chosen the opposite direction," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote on X, saying that he and Bessent had been sitting with Trump when he wrote his Truth Social post announcing the pause.

A former hedge fund manager, Bessent rejected any suggestion that Wednesday's pause was a reaction to crashing global markets. He said that Wall Street would now have a clearer sense of what's to come.

"In my 35 years in the market, I always wanted certainty," he said. "So, I think we've got more certainty."

Major business leaders, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and the billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, had publicly pressured the White House over continuing the tariffs. Ackman, a Trump ally, was one of the first to suggest a 90-day pause.

"If, on the other hand, on April 9th we launch economic nuclear war on every country in the world, business investment will grind to a halt, consumers will close their wallets and pocketbooks, and we will severely damage our reputation with the rest of the world that will take years and potentially decades to rehabilitate," Ackman wrote Sunday on X.