• Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi just unveiled its second EV, the YU7.
• Morgan Stanley analysts predicted that the electric SUV would be another threat to Tesla in China.
• Tesla's sales have struggled in China amid fierce local competition.

One of Tesla's biggest Chinese rivals just unveiled a new EV — and it could be a major headache for Elon Musk.

Smartphone maker Xiaomi showed off the YU7 at an event in Beijing on Thursday, with the electric SUV set to compete directly with Tesla's best-selling Model Y.

Xiaomi said the YU7 was a "luxury high-performance SUV," with high-tech features including intelligent door handles and a panoramic "hypervision" display below the windshield.

The company said the YU7 has a maximum speed of 253 kilometers (157 miles) an hour and can hit 100 km/h in 3.23 seconds.

It will have a maximum range of 835km (518 miles) and can add 620km (400 miles) of range in 15 minutes of charging, Xiaomi said.

Xiaomi did not say how much the YU7, its second EV, will cost. In a social media post before the unveiling, CEO Lei Jun said the SUV would go on sale in July.

The YU7 threatens to pile the pain on Tesla, which is already battling underwhelming sales in China amid brutal competition from local rivals.

Morgan Stanley analysts led by Adam Jonas and Andy Meng wrote in a note previewing the YU7's launch that the new SUV would be another challenge to Tesla.

"We find market expectations around Tesla's near-term automotive business remain too high and do not fully reflect the quantum of incremental capacity and competition coming out of China, ultimately having an impact in international markets. Understanding this will help make more sense out of Tesla's 'all-in' push into autonomy," they wrote.

The bank's analysts predicted the YU7 would replicate the sales success of Xiaomi's SU7, which notched up 120,000 pre-orders in 36 hours when it went on sale last year, saying the Model Y rival had "stunning design" combining the looks of a Ferrari or Aston Martin with the price tag of a Volkswagen.

"The YU7 is just the latest sign that Chinese tech firms are taking EV performance and cost to the next level. China may have already won the EV battle," the Morgan Stanley analysts wrote. Both the SU7 and YU7 were years ahead of comparable models offered by Ford, they added.

While both Xiaomi cars are only available in China, that may not be the case for long. Xiaomi confirmed in March that it aimed to sell EVs in overseas markets by 2027.

Morgan Stanley's analysts estimated that competition from Chinese rivals would affect Tesla's international sales.

They wrote that market expectations around Tesla's near-term automotive business remain "too high," adding that the quality of China's EV offerings justified Musk's push to pivot the company toward autonomous vehicles.

Xiaomi's EV push hasn't all been plain sailing. Its sales have reportedly dipped over the past month amid claims of misleading marketing on the high-end SU7 Ultra and concerns over a fatal crash involving an SU7 in March.

The crash, in which three people died after their SU7 hit a cement barrier shortly after disengaging from driver assist mode, sparked a regulatory crackdown on autonomous driving features in China.

• Each year, my 75-year-old Texan mother-in-law and I go on trips together — usually in the US.
• She's outlasted partygoers in Nashville, walked miles in DC museums, and had beers in Melbourne.
• These trips have transformed our relationship from in-laws to enthusiastic travel companions.

I met my wife, Cecilia, on a business trip to Austin. After dating long distance, she eventually moved to Australia to be with me and my children.

As an only child, leaving her parents behind was tough, so we made it a priority to travel back to Texas each year, usually for Christmas.

During one of our early visits, we planned a four-day trip to Seattle and invited her mother, Liz, to join us.

I wasn't entirely sure how traveling with my mother-in-law would work out, but that trip became the first of many memorable adventures.

My 75-year-old travel buddy has more stamina than most

Despite being in her 70s, Liz keeps up with us on our travels.

In Seattle, she joined every walking tour without complaint and was game for full days of exploration. She never mentioned being tired, even when the rest of us were.

Our trip to Washington, DC, further proved her stamina. Many of the area's biggest attractions are spread out, which can require a lot of walking.

This didn't deter Liz. We explored museums and historical monuments and covered miles on foot each day.

On top of that, traveling with her improved our experience by encouraging us all to take in the views and exhibits at a more thoughtful pace.

We've made so many incredible memories together in the US and outside of it

Our recent trip to Nashville was an unexpected highlight, too.

Music City has a reputation as a party destination, and I was concerned the late-night bars along Broadway would prove too much for a septuagenarian. It was quite the opposite.

After a moonshine tasting session that had us all laughing, we hit the bars, danced the night away, and had a fantastic time.

Watching Liz enthusiastically show younger revelers how to boot scoot like a Texan proved that spirit matters more than birthdate.

She outlasted many visitors half her age, and I was the one who eventually suggested heading back to the apartment!

At one point, after years of traveling to the US, Liz finally made her first trip Down Under to watch Cecilia graduate from her master's program.

Although she was worried about the long flight, she powered through and stayed in Melbourne for three weeks.

We had a wonderful time. At our local brewery, she surprised me by enjoying the beer so much that she bought a T-shirt and a six-pack to take home.

A highlight of the trip was watching her face light up at her first sip of a proper flat white after years of hearing me talk up Australian coffee.

I loved introducing my home country to Liz the way she's shown Texas to me.

These travels have strengthened family bonds across continents

What started as an uncertain invitation has become one of our favorite traditions that benefits each of us in different ways.

Liz gets to travel (something her husband typically avoids), Cecilia spends more quality time with her mom, and I see more of America.

The most rewarding part of most of these adventures, though, is getting to watch mother and daughter connect outside the usual family visits.

Plus, my children have joined us on several trips — it's been priceless creating memories across three generations and finding activities that work across age groups has been surprisingly easy.

For now, we're planning our December trip to Charleston.

I'm looking forward to trying authentic Southern food and learning about a part of America that's entirely new for me, just as Australia once was to Liz.

Turns out, traveling with your mother-in-law can be fun!

• Business Insider asked chefs for their tips for making store-bought burger buns taste better. 
• You can improve premade buns' texture by steaming or air-frying them.
• Herbed butter or mayonnaise can add flavor and moisture to buns, even if they're stale.

Toppings can elevate a burger, but so can a really good base.

Fortunately, it's possible to have a delicious burger bun even if you're not looking to make them from scratch.

Here's how chefs would find the best store-bought buns and make them even better.

Buy the freshest buns possible.

Jessica Formicola, chef and owner of Savory Experiments, told Business Insider you should always try to purchase the freshest pack of buns at the grocery store.

"Fresh buns are always better than frozen or stale buns," Formicola said. "Frozen buns will be a little drier than fresh ones because freezing reduces their moisture content."

Although frozen buns may be cheaper, your burgers will likely taste best if you opt for a fresh package. 

Always heat your buns for a better texture and smell.

Heat can easily revive and upgrade packaged buns.

"Just a little heat, such as from grilling or toasting, reactivates the gluten in the bread," Formicola told BI. "This makes the buns softer and enhances their scent."  

If you do nothing else to your burger buns, tossing them in the oven or toaster for a minute or two will help recreate that just-baked aroma and texture. 

Use a panini press to revive stale or dry burger buns.

Salvage that package of stale, dry burger buns by popping them into a panini press. 

"Any type of bread, including a burger bun, can be smashed in a panini press," Formicola told BI. "It will help the bun taste delightfully toasted and chewy."

Though it may be easiest to press an assembled burger, you can also use a panini press to toast buns by themselves. 

Try basting your buns for added moisture and flavor.

Inject flavor right into burger buns by basting them with a seasoned butter mixture. 

"I like to create fun, flavored butters and baste all my breads," Formicola said. "Using melted butter with just a 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, chili powder, or cumin can totally transform a boring bun."

Use a small kitchen syringe or plastic pipette to insert the butter mixture into the buns. Be careful not to over-baste the bread, as this can make it soggy. 

Add mayonnaise to buns before grilling them.

Chef Andre Alto of Pechanga Resort Casino told BI that a touch of mayonnaise can breathe new life into store-bought burger buns. 

"Take any quality mayonnaise and spread it onto both sides of the bun. Then, on a flat-top grill, simply toast until golden brown on each side," Alto said. 

This trick is easy to customize if you mix mayo with ingredients like garlic powder, minced basil, or chili powder 

Try steaming your burger buns on the stove.

Steaming store-bought buns can make them more tender and plump up stale buns by adding moisture. 

"Hot-dog stands steam their buns because it makes them taste good. You can do the same at home in just a few minutes," Alto said. 

To make a homemade steamer, take a perforated bowl, such as a colander, and place it over a pot filled with a few inches of boiling water.

Add the buns to the bowl, cover the bowl with a lid, and steam the buns for a minute or two. 

For a crunchy bun, use an air fryer.

Chef Kevin Cabrera, executive chef of The Save Mart Companies, told BI that using an air fryer can take a burger bun from dull to decadent. 

"This method will produce that classic and crispy texture we love on a burger bun," Cabrera said. "Since air fryers usually come with additional racks, you can use them to toast buns, too." 

This works best if the bread is already quite soft and you prefer a slightly crunchier bun. Try brushing the bread with butter and leaving it in the fryer for a minute or two. 

Dress up the top of your buns with grated cheese and herbs.

Load up your buns with fragrant herbs and cheese for an extra-special burger. 

"Yes, even your bun can have toppings," Cabrera said. "Grate some Parmesan cheese and add some herbs right on top of the bun to add a rich taste."

Basil, parsley, cumin, and thyme are perfect for adding tempting flavor and aroma to your buns. Stick the buns under your oven's broiler for a few moments to help the cheese melt.

Add toasted sesame seeds to the top of the buns.

Sesame seeds aren't just for decoration. When prepared correctly, they can add a lot of flavor to a burger bun.

"Toasted sesame seeds help bring out the flavor of yeast-based bread," Cabrera told BI. "Once you try adding them to store-bought buns, you will understand how something so small can make a big difference."

Toast the sesame seeds in the oven by spreading them on a lined baking sheet and baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or until they're golden brown.

You can use a light coating of oil to help them adhere to the top of the bun. 

Add roasted garlic and olive oil to infuse the whole bun with flavor.

Alto recommended roasting garlic by wrapping the cloves in foil with olive oil and placing them in the oven for an hour on low heat.

"After they've been roasted, I spread the garlic on the toasted bun along with some of the garlic oil. This adds a subtle, sweet garlic flavor to the bun and throughout the whole burger," Alto said. 

If you have enough garlic-infused oil left after treating your buns, drizzle some onto the burger patty for added moisture and flavor. 

This story was originally published on August 5, 2020, and most recently updated on May 21, 2025.

• It can be easy to miss the mark when trying to make your kitchen look luxurious.
• Interior designers said dull color schemes and the wrong lighting can make your kitchen look cheap.
• It's also important to pay attention to details like cabinet handles.

If you've ever watched a home improvement show, you know kitchens can make or break the luxury feel of a house.

It can be easy to miss the mark when trying to create a luxury kitchen, so Business Insider spoke to a couple of interior designers about common ways people make their kitchens look cheap.

Here's what they had to say.

Dull colors and lighting

The neutral colors many people gravitate toward for modern kitchens can look cheap, according to experts.

Charlotte Eustace, an interior designer based in the UK and the founder of Eustace Studio, told BI she especially dislikes millennial gray kitchens.

"It just looks so cheap," she said, as gray can look "cold" in a kitchen. Harsh lighting can create the same impact.

"If your lighting is very cold or if you're doing all neutral but everything feels very cold and has a cold undertone, I think that can really cheapen it," she said. "Generally, the spaces that feel the most luxurious and welcoming are warmer spaces."

Juliana Ghani, an interior designer from Minneapolis, tries to avoid too much gray, black, white, or "anything that looks sterile" in kitchens. She said LED light bulbs are a huge no-no for her in particular.

"It looks like an operating room when you have those blue LED lights on your island," she said, adding that warm lighting is "the easiest way to make your kitchen look richer and homey."

If you want to bring more color into your kitchen, Ghani said darker tones, like aubergine, olive green, and burgundy, are trending for 2025.

The design is in the details

As Ghani told BI, luxury kitchens are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, whereas a more basic kitchen makes the appliances the focal point of the room.

"I think a mistake people make when designing a kitchen, especially an open-concept kitchen, is that they let the appliances dominate the space," Ghani said. "In a luxury kitchen, we would have paneled appliances, integrated hardware, or even different finishes on the actual appliances that kind of hide them in a way."

"A row of stainless steel appliances, pretty much, is not giving luxury," she said.

Eustace agreed, saying that the details of a kitchen can make a big difference to how your eye perceives the overall space. For instance, the handles you choose for your cabinets, the stone you select for your countertops, or even the outlet panels you use can make the space feel less luxurious.

"A kitchen can be really nice, and then if I see cup handles or something, immediately I'm just like, 'Oh gosh, that really just cheapens the whole feel of it,'" Eustace said, referring to curved handles that don't look high-end.

Upgrading your hardware is an easy way to give your kitchen a luxurious feel, though. Ghani recommends brushed chrome, brushed nickel, or lacquered brass.

Too much on the counters

Ghani said that too many items on your counters can look "messy" or "cluttered."

On the flip side, cookbooks or appliances you use daily on your countertops can help a space look lived in. Eustace agreed, saying you don't want your kitchen to look uninviting.

"I think there's an obsession these days with having everything hidden, as if it's like a showroom the whole time and no one lives there," Eustace said. "I don't think people should be afraid to have things out or, you know, have a little bit of mess or clutter."

"Things that you're actually using every day, and just signs of life, don't make it look cheap," she added, though she said microwaves sitting on a counter aren't aesthetically pleasing in her opinion.

"It has to make sense for you," Ghani agreed about what sits on your countertops. "It would be obnoxious if you eat toast every day and you have to take out your toaster."

"If you're doing a custom kitchen or you're remodeling, a lot of times we try to fit in a butler's pantry or a walk-in pantry where you can put in a lot of those countertop appliances, your sugar, and your salt and pepper," Ghani added.

Most importantly, both designers advised people not to be afraid to bring their own personality to their spaces, as a homey kitchen is the best kitchen.

• I visited Epic Universe, Universal's newest Orlando theme park with five immersive worlds.
• The park only has 11 rides, but this felt like enough for me, and I enjoyed the ones I went on.
• Overall, the immersiveness and theming of the worlds blew me away and made my ticket a great value.

Universal has officially added another theme park to its Orlando repertoire — and it may be one of its best yet.

Epic Universe officially opened to the public on Thursday, and it's the first major theme park to debut in Orlando in over 20 years.

It was first officially announced in 2015 and is located a few miles away from Universal's other Florida parks: Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay.

I've been impressed by Universal's other parks for years and even used to be a season passholder, so I was thrilled to see Epic Universe for myself.

I visited the weekend before the park's official opening date and paid $164 for a preview ticket. It came with the caveat that some experiences would not be available since the park was still putting the final touches in place before its grand opening.

Here's what my experience was like.

Epic Universe consists of five themed worlds.

Epic Universe has five themed worlds: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, and Celestial Park.

Since they're all part of Epic Universe and only spread across about 110 acres, they're generally within walking distance from each other.

The themed areas feel more impressive than the rides at Epic Universe.

With the massive sculptures and design details, I really felt like I was being transported into each world I visited, which was the highlight of the trip for me.

The park also has 11 rides, and I rode at least one in each world. For comparison, Universal Orlando is a bit smaller and has more than double that number of rides.

When I visited during previews, only the Curse of the Werewolf (Dark Universe) and Mine-Cart Madness (Super Nintendo World) rides were closed.

In terms of worlds, I was most excited to explore the one from the Harry Potter universe.

When I first entered the Harry Potter world, I felt immersed in 1920s France. The world is inspired by Place Cachée, which is shown in the franchise's "Fantastic Beasts" movies.

There were magical statues, signs, and pretty pastel buildings everywhere I looked. While exploring the world, I even tried the series' famous Butterbeer — my first ever — for $10.

It lived up to the hype and was a refreshing drink on a 90-degree day.

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry was my most anticipated ride.

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan who grew up reading the books and watching the movies, so I was most excited about the Battle at the Ministry ride.

In order to get to the screen-based ride, guests go through a "Floo" (a magical transportation system in the wizarding world) station from 1920s France to contemporary London.

Once there, I got into one of the most visually stimulating queues I've ever seen. I felt like I'd been transported into the Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter movies.

Unfortunately, the single-rider line I was in bypassed several of the themed areas of the queue. The parts I did see were spectacular, though.

All in all, I waited in line for three hours. The ride itself was exciting and filled with recognizable characters.

It felt like a great nod to the Harry Potter world, but I wouldn't wait so long to ride it again unless I could be more fully immersed in the queue.

Super Nintendo World felt nostalgic.

There are several themed Super Nintendo World areas throughout the world, but this is the first one in Florida.

It felt incredibly immersive and nostalgic, with giant character statues and item replicas from popular games I used to play as a kid.

While here, I rode Yoshi's Adventure, a slow-moving train ride, and Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge.

The latter was my favorite because I got to walk through an impressively themed Bowser's Castle before being transported into my own real-life racing game.

Isle of Berk was a pleasant surprise.

The Isle of Berk world is based on the "How to Train Your Dragon" movies, which I haven't seen in years.

I remember almost nothing about the franchise, so I wasn't particularly excited to visit the world, but I'm so glad I went.

While here, I tried the mac-and-cheese cone from Hooligan's Grog and Gruel. I got pork, bacon, and jam mac and cheese inside a garlic-bread cone, which was really tasty. That and a bottle of water cost around $23.

Later in the day, I came back and rode Dragon Racer's Rally. It didn't look like much and was a pretty short ride, but it was fun to control my "dragon." I like that riders could use handles to make the experience as intense or relaxing as they want.

I didn't have time for the other rides in this land — Fyre Drill (an interactive boat ride) and Hiccup's Wing Gliders (a family-friendly coaster).

Celestial Park was beautiful, and I loved its coaster.

Themed after stars and constellations, Celestial Park has a lot of fun decorations and statues.

Its standout ride is definitely Stardust Racers. It's the biggest roller coaster in Epic, and it was a fun, fast-paced thrill ride I'd go on again.

The other ride in this world is Constellation Carousel, but I didn't have time for it. It seemed to be a typical carousel, and it looked beautiful with its vibrant colors and starry patterns.

I enjoyed Dark Universe more than I thought I would.

Dark Universe's theme is all about classic monsters and creatures, from vampires to Frankenstein. I don't usually gravitate toward spooky things, so I wasn't sure how much I'd like it.

However, I enjoyed Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, a dark ride into the world of Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man, and other iconic creatures.

Later in the afternoon, I headed to Das Stakehaus, one of this world's quick-service eateries, for lunch. I got a "blood" orange chicken sandwich complete with a black bun and a slice of red velvet cake shaped like a coffin. It cost around $27.

The meal was satisfying, and I enjoyed sitting inside the chilled vampire-themed restaurant to get a break from the heat.

In total, I spent about $60 on food and drinks.

Everything I ate and drank at Epic Universe was good and cost typical slightly-high-theme-park prices.

Although I didn't order very much throughout the day, I still spent $60 on food and a drink for one person. My favorite buy was the $10 Butterbeer, and I will definitely get it next time I visit one of the parks.

All in all, I recommend visiting Epic Universe.

I was at Epic Universe from the time it opened at 9 a.m. until around 6 p.m.

My ticket seemed like a solid value, plus it'd cost me about $20 less now that I'm able to use my Florida resident discount.

I think the park is especially great for adults looking for an ambient vacation with a little fun sprinkled in. It's probably not ideal for those seeking thrills, and I've seen some people online criticizing the park as not having enough rides.

That said, the number of rides didn't disappoint me. I didn't even go on all 11, and I still didn't leave feeling like I needed more. Plus, the rides I did go on were enjoyable.

After all, Epic Universe really shines with its world-building and storytelling. If you want to be immersed in stunning lands inspired by pop culture and famous franchises, this park is worth a visit.

• Princess Charlotte turned 10 in May.
• As Prince William and Kate Middleton's second child, she's third in line for the British throne.
• Although her life is mostly private, Charlotte shows peeks of her personality at royal engagements.

The roles of "heir" and "spare" have haunted royal siblings for centuries.

The very existence of secondborn children in the British royal family is tied to a crown they'll ideally never hold, as they serve as backups to the direct heirs to the throne.

Still, spares can play a critical role in the monarchy, as was the case for King George VI, who became monarch in 1936 after his brother abdicated. Even as it adapts to the modern world, the heir and spare dynamic continues to shape the monarchy, as evidenced by the title — and contents — of Prince Harry's 2023 memoir.

In the latest generation of royals, Princess Charlotte is the spare to Prince George's heir. However, at just 10, Charlotte is already breaking the mold she was born into, charting a new path for the royals.

Here's everything to know about Princess Charlotte.

Princess Charlotte joins the royal family

In a press release on September 8, 2014, Kensington Palace announced that Kate Middleton was expecting her and Prince William's second child. The statement also said that Kate had hyperemesis gravidarum, as she did with her first pregnancy, and would be missing an engagement in Oxford that day as a result.

Charlotte was born on May 2, 2015, at 8:34 a.m., at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London, just like Prince George, Prince William, and Prince Harry were.

William and Kate debuted their daughter to the world during a photocall on the hospital's steps the same day she was born. Kate posed for photos on the hospital's steps after each of her children's births, following in Princess Diana's footsteps.

Charlotte's full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, and at the time of her birth, her title was Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

Charlotte is the feminine version of Charles, her grandfather's name. Her middle names nod to her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her late grandmother, Princess Diana.

At her birth, Charlotte was fourth in the royal line of succession, behind her grandfather, father, and older brother.

Queen Elizabeth II ensured Charlotte's position in the line wouldn't be affected by her gender through the Succession to the Crown Act in 2013. The act changed a long-standing rule that male siblings superseded their female siblings' position in the line to the throne. If it hadn't been passed, Prince Louis' birth in 2018 would have moved Charlotte down the line of succession.

After Queen Elizabeth died in 2022, King Charles III made William the Prince of Wales, so his daughter's title became Princess Charlotte of Wales. Likewise, she moved up to third in line for the throne after her great-grandmother's death.

Princess Charlotte's royal life

According to the royal family's website, the princess was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in July 2015. Prince George was photographed peering into her stroller at the ceremony.

Charlotte has five godparents, including Kate's cousin, Adam Middleton.

Kate and William released a few photos of the princess as a baby, but she didn't join her parents on an overseas tour until she was 16 months old, in September 2016, when she went with her family to Canada.

Charlotte and Kate wore color-coordinating outfits throughout the trip, a tradition they've kept up throughout Charlotte's life.

Charlotte became a big sister in 2018 when Prince Louis was born, completing the Wales family. The princess attended Thomas's Battersea school in London from 2019 to 2021, and she began attending the Lambrook School after the Wales family relocated to Windsor full-time in 2022.

William and Kate have balanced their children's royal roles with their privacy as they've grown up, allowing them to attend only a handful of royal engagements each year and releasing photos of them for special occasions, like birthdays or holidays.

Charlotte appears annually at Trooping the Colour and the royal family's Christmas walk at Sandringham. She has also been present for milestone moments for the royals, like Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September 2022 and King Charles' coronation in May 2023.

Charlotte often appears to be the most comfortable of her siblings at royal engagements, speaking with members of the public and even correcting her brothers on royal protocol.

The young princess has also been spotted attending less formal events from time to time, showing off a more authentic side of the royal family in the process.

Kensington Palace shared photos of Charlotte at the Eras Tour in June 2024, smiling with William, George, and Taylor Swift. She also joined her mother at Wimbledon in July 2024, accompanying Kate to the first solo engagement she attended after announcing her cancer diagnosis.

Charlotte's comfort in the spotlight, even compared to her older brother, differentiates her from royal "spares" of the past, who are often relegated to the role of wild child in comparison to the heir's steadiness. She seems calm and competent at public events, and she may already be taking after her great-aunt Princess Anne, whose steadfastness is an asset to King Charles.

At only 10, it's clear Princess Charlotte's future in the royal family is bright.

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Good morning! President Donald Trump officially accepted a gifted Boeing 747-8 from Qatar. The plane has been controversial over the potential conflict of interest it poses. But what's it like inside? Look at what's set to be the new Air Force One.

In today's big story, talk is swirling that private equity's recruiting cycle is ramping up, and recent grads are on edge.

What's on deck

Markets: A US recession could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Tech: Internal memos from one of Microsoft's AI leaders show how he plans to transform the tech giant.

Business: Things are not going great for Target.

But first, may the odds be ever in your favor.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

The big story

Ready, set, PE

While most recent college graduates are getting ready for their new jobs, a select group is considering their next one.

Some private-equity firms are setting up informal, introductory meetings with soon-to-be junior investment bankers before their caps even hit the ground. These so-called "coffee chats" are the precursor to interviews for jobs that won't start for another two years. The process kicking off so early has hopeful financiers on edge, BI's Emmalyse Brownstein, Reed Alexander, and Alex Nicoll write.

Welcome to Wall Street's "Hunger Games."

If the above sounds confusing, I don't blame you. PE's recruiting cycle doesn't make much sense. Before you start working at your first job (investment banking analyst), you're already interviewing for your second job (private-equity associate).

Take a minute to read the last sentence again if you need to.

Still, that's how things often work on Wall Street: always thinking two steps ahead.

The summer internship that leads to the junior-banker job offer is often secured well over a year before it starts. And your best shot at getting one of those is your university's finance club, which you need to start thinking about the second you get on campus.

Speaking of college, you'd better plan on getting into a target school if … well, you get the idea.

PE firms might eventually find themselves flying too close to the sun.

The junior-banker-to-PE pipeline has been mutually beneficial.

Banks don't have to worry about competing with PE firms for young talent. PE firms don't have to worry about training associates on the basics of dealmaking.

But the ever-earlier timeline hasn't gone unnoticed, and at least one high-profile banker has called PE firms on it.

Speaking at Georgetown University last fall, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said junior bankers taking PE jobs before starting as analysts was "unethical."

"I don't like it, and I may eliminate it regardless of what the private-equity guys say," he added.

To be fair, some PE headhunters tried slowing things down with an industry pact. It didn't take long for one headhunter to break it.

Banks are in a similar conundrum. If they ban analysts from pursuing PE jobs too early, they risk losing out on talent.

After all, plenty of aspiring Wall Streeters just view banks as a stepping stone to getting a job in PE. If they start actively preventing that, what purpose do they serve them?

3 things in markets

1. Could America be inadvertently pushing itself into a recession? Doug Ramsey, CIO of The Leuthold Group, thinks it might. In a note to clients, Ramsey pointed to a deteriorating consumer sentiment, which poses a major risk to the recession outlook. He's keeping an eye on a handful of sentiment indicators.

2. The bond market is flipping out, but Morgan Stanley isn't fazed. Though US deficit fears triggered a sell-off in the bond market, strategists at the bank warned against hopping on the "Sell America" train. "TINA — 'there is no alternative' — remains a theme for now," they wrote.

3. The stock market is flashing signals that another dip is coming — and investors should buy it, analysts at BoA say. A technical indicator suggests a near-term drop in stock prices is coming, but BoA says the market is still in a broader uptrend.

3 things in tech

1. Meta's performance reviews are about to get harder. Managers are being told to put more employees in their "below expectations" rank — the lowest performer bucket — in the coming midyear performance reviews, per an internal memo seen by BI. The move could set the stage for more performance-based layoffs, despite 4,000 low performers being cut months ago.

2. OpenAI just bagged a $6.5 billion acquisition. Sam Altman's company is buying IO, a hardware startup from former Apple exec Jony Ive — the guy who designed the iPhone. It shows the generative AI competition is now about distribution, not technology, writes BI's Alistair Barr.

3. How Microsoft is bringing its "age of AI agents" to reality. In January, CEO Satya Nadella tapped Jay Parikh, the ex-head of engineering at Facebook, to lead a new unit called CoreAI, which is crucial to Microsoft's AI ambition. Internal memos from Parikh, and viewed by BI, reveal his plan to get Microsoft focused on the macro, CoreAI's early accomplishments, and more.

3 things in business

1. Target reports tumbling sales. In an earnings call, Target said the backlash from reframing its DEI program was one of the many headwinds that had an adverse impact on sales, but the exact amount wasn't quantifiable. Some DEI supporters have claimed partial victory, but many say they're not satisfied — and more protests are coming.

2. Is Musk what Tesla needs right now? BI asked four people who have worked with him, as the CEO steps back from DOGE to focus on Tesla amid falling sales and growing competition. One said Musk was Tesla's "product manager," but questioned whether he's the right person to lead the embattled EV maker.

3. Big Law firms say they're not being bribed by Trump. Nine white-shoe firms doubled down on their deals to provide a collective $940 million in pro- bono work for the Trump administration. In letters to Congress, they flatly rejected allegations that the deals were unethical.

In other news

• Remote workers flocked to jobs overseas. Now they're being ordered home.
• Walmart says it's cutting roles to 'remove layers and complexity.'
• What we know about Trump's secretive private dinner for top holders of his memecoin.
• Goldman Sachs shares 20 'rising star' stocks that a growing number of hedge funds are betting on.
• Tesla is now accepting Cybertruck trade-ins. Two owners showed BI how much their vehicles have depreciated.
• Fortnite is the No. 1 game after Apple let it back on the App Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tells BI it's a 'priceless' win.
• Founder of AI tool for cheating in interviews predicts everyone will do it — and technical job interviews are on their way out.
• Disney could get a surprise win from Universal's big bet on Epic Universe.

What's happening today

• Trump hosts a gala for the top 220 holders of his memecoin.
• Immigration court hearing on ICE detention of Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student who led pro-Palestine protests on campus.

• Universal Orlando Resort opens new theme park, Universal Epic Universe.

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The Business Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Ella Hopkins, associate editor, in London. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

• I tried beef hot dogs from Nathan's, Sabrett, Applegate, and Ball Park.
• Ball Park had the thickest frank, but I thought Applegate's organic hot dogs packed the most flavor.
• I didn't think Sabrett's less-than-flavorful hot dogs warranted their higher price tag.

Nothing says summer quite like a crispy, cooked hot dog with just the right amount of snap.

The sausage industry recognizes the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day as hot dog season, the time of year when the most hot dogs are consumed.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council reported that Americans consume roughly 7 billion hot dogs during this time and produce roughly $614 million in hot-dog sales.

Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, I decided to try four different kinds of hot dogs to see which one I would choose for my own cookout.

I opted for beef hot dogs from Applegate, Sabrett, Nathan's, and Ball Park. The Sabrett, Nathan's, and Ball Park packages each included eight beef franks, while the Applegate package included six.

I cooked each type of hot dog the same way. Then I tried each one on a Martin's long potato roll, topped with Heinz ketchup and French's classic yellow mustard.

Here's how all four hot-dog brands ranked, from worst to best.

My least favorite brand that I tried was the Sabrett skinless beef frankfurters.

This was the second-most expensive brand I tried. A pack of eight hot dogs cost $8.49, excluding taxes and fees. Since it's a New York brand — and I live in the city — I half-expected to pay a little less for a local product.

The hot dog was about the same thickness as the Nathan's hot dog, which I ultimately ranked higher.

The Sabrett hot dog fit perfectly inside the potato roll bun without hanging too much off either end.

I felt like the flavor in the Sabrett hot dog was lacking.

The only flavors that came through were from the ketchup and mustard, which is a distinct no-no in my book as far as hot dogs go.

While the texture wasn't overly chewy, I thought it didn't have the distinct snap I often look for in a hot dog. 

While it wasn't bad by any means, I didn't think this brand was worth the higher price tag.

I also tried a New York staple: Nathan's skinless beef franks.

Nathan's is a New York institution famous for its annual Coney Island hot-dog-eating contest on July 4.

I managed to snag an eight-pack of these hot dogs on sale at my local Key Food.

The original price was $9.79, but I managed to get them for just $4.49, excluding tax.

I thought the Nathan's hot dogs were a perfect size.

It looked like a really classic hot dog you would eat on the pier in summertime: crispy on the outside, while still retaining that classic red hot-dog color.

The hot dog from Nathan's tasted slightly saltier than the other varieties.

I needed water after just a few bites of this hot dog, and I definitely couldn't imagine consuming dozens of them to win a contest.

Overall, it was a flavorful hot dog with a slightly snappy texture, but the salty aftertaste made it nothing to call home about.

My second-favorite brand was Ball Park's beef hot dogs.

The Ball Park pack of eight hot dogs cost me $8.69, excluding taxes and fees. It was the most expensive brand I tried.

The Ball Park hot dogs were the thickest and shortest ones on my list.

I also noticed they cooked a lot faster than the other brands. While the other brands retained their red, crispy consistency in the pan, the Ball Park dogs quickly began to char and crisp up after only a minute or two of cooking.

I personally like really well-done, almost charred hot dogs, but it's something to keep in mind if you have different preferences. 

The Ball Park dog was well done on the outside, but the inside was still slightly chewy.

I thought the hot dog had a nice, smoky flavor that was complemented by the bun and condiments. The flavor came through, even though I wasn't crazy about what I thought was a slightly more rubbery texture.

My favorite hot-dog brand was Applegate's organic uncured-beef hot dogs.

The pack of six franks cost me $8.99 at my local Key Food grocery store, excluding taxes and fees.

The pack came with six hot dogs, two fewer than the other packs.

This smaller package count is definitely something to consider if you're planning for a large cookout.

When the Applegate hot dog was done cooking, I noticed it was skinnier than the other brands.

I wondered whether it would be less filling, or how the slightly thinner shape would affect the eating experience. 

Right away, I noticed that the hot dog had a lot of flavor and the frank had a satisfying snap.

The ketchup and mustard definitely came through but didn't overpower the hot dog's distinctly savory, beefy taste. 

Despite being the thinnest dog, it also didn't taste like an unbalanced hot-dog-to-bun ratio. Every ingredient was perfectly complementary. 

In the end, I had to give the win to Applegate.

I was surprised that this brand won. Even though I call New York City home, neither of the local brands, Nathan's or Sabrett, deserved the win in my book. 

I thought Applegate's hot dog, though thinner than the others, had the best flavor and texture. It was also a great value, despite the pack being two dogs short. If I had to choose which hot dog brand to eat at my cookout, it would be Applegate hot dogs all the way.

• I flew with JetBlue from NYC to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in an EvenMore seat.
• JetBlue's EvenMore rows are premium economy seats with extra legroom.
• I booked basic economy and was upgraded for free. I found that the perks went beyond extra space.

When I booked a six-hour JetBlue flight from NYC to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in basic economy, I didn't expect to feel pampered.

I've flown with this budget airline dozens of times to spend as little as possible on airfare, so I know the drill — get my seat assignment at the gate, and board last.

But this time was different. I was lucky enough to get into the EvenMore section, the airline's premium economy seating, for no additional cost.

The perks went beyond having a more spacious seat at the front of the cabin. By the time I landed, I was already planning to dish out more cash to experience the upgrade on another long-haul flight.

I booked a basic economy seat for my international JetBlue flight.

Living in Queens, New York, I usually book JetBlue flights since the airline has a hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

I booked my basic economy ticket 26 days before my trip for about $300. At this point, I had no idea I'd be getting more than I paid for.

A representative from JetBlue couldn't provide a ticket price for an EvenMore seat on my flight, so I used Best Fare Finder to look at prices for the same flight a month from now. Basic economy was about the same price, $310, and the EvenMore ticket cost about $490.

I got to the airport at 2:30 p.m. for my 5:48 p.m. flight to Vancouver on a Monday afternoon.

Since traveling internationally, I arrived three hours before my flight. Thanks to TSA PreCheck, I was through security and at my nearby gate 15 minutes later.

I got my seat assignment at the gate and was surprised to find it was toward the front of the aircraft.

Gate attendants spaced out their calls for passengers who needed seat assignments in the hour before boarding. My name was called in the final group, so I had already made peace with the idea of sitting at the back of the plane.

When I looked at the seat number on my boarding pass, my eyes widened — 9A, it read.

"Wow, that's on the front end," I thought. I'd seen JetBlue's premium economy seating many times on my way to my seat on past flights, and I wondered if nine was a low enough number to be my golden ticket to comfort.

I found out I had a premium economy seat when I boarded.

I flew on JetBlue's A321 Classic with Mint. Mint refers to the business class section — the highest class on this plane — located in rows one through five. The economy cabin had three rows of seats on each side. The first five rows — six through 10 — were EvenMore seats.

The EvenMore seats — part of a January 2025 rebrand of JetBlue's Even More Space section — are the same size as basic economy but with more cushioning and leg room. EvenMore tickets also come with early boarding and priority security privileges at select airports, but since I booked a basic economy seat, I was still in the final boarding group.

Although I was among the last to board, there was still overhead bin space for my carry-on right above my seat. I thought I'd just gotten lucky again, but I later learned that one of the perks of EvenMore seating is having storage space designated for you.

The seat was far more comfortable than a basic economy seat.

When I saw my spacious window seat, I had a feeling I'd never had before while boarding a flight — I was excited to sit down.

The seat cushioning felt thick and supportive, and the headrest felt like a firm pillow. Unlike most long-haul flights I've taken, I didn't experience any neck or back pain in the EvenMore row.

Beneath my seat, there was a power outlet and a USB port. All JetBlue seats have this perk, as well as free WiFi.

I had more than enough leg room.

According to SeatGuru, the basic economy rows on this plane are 33 inches apart, while EvenMore rows are between 37 and 41 inches apart.

At 5-foot-3, I had plenty of space to stretch out with my backpack under the seat.

In front of me was a roughly 10-inch seatback entertainment screen.

The entertainment system seemed a bit outdated to me — the interface wasn't as user-friendly as the screens I've experienced on newer JetBlue planes, but I thought it made sense since the plane fleet came out in 2014.

The system had new movies like "Gladiator II" and "A Complete Unknown," classics like "A League of Their Own," and a few episodes of TV shows like "Blue's Clues" and "Modern Family." The system also had more than 100 DirecTV channels.

We were stuck on the tarmac for over an hour before taking off.

We sat on the tarmac until 7:09 p.m. as the pilot periodically updated us on the situation. They said takeoff was delayed due to airport traffic and low visibility, but assured us we'd arrive around the scheduled time.

We landed at 9:20 p.m. PT — just 15 minutes later than scheduled.

Once in the air, flight attendants came around with an exclusive treat for premium passengers.

After takeoff, a flight attendant announced that EvenMore passengers would be offered a "welcome treat." They handed me a small bag of Tate's chocolate chip cookies — an exclusive snack that isn't provided to basic economy passengers.

The EvenMore rows also got drinks and snacks before the service was announced for basic economy travelers. I wasn't expecting these perks and felt like a VIP guest.

Hungry for more, I took a look at the menu.

There were $10 snack boxes with kosher and gluten-free options, $13 meals from sandwiches to salads, and $10 craft beers and mini liquor bottles — though EvenMore passengers get three complimentary alcoholic beverages.

The menu also had amenities like blankets, earplugs, sleep masks, and wired earbuds for the entertainment system, ranging from $2 to $10. EvenMore passengers get complimentary earbuds.

Instead of splurging on a meal, I hit the complimentary pantry.

All JetBlue passengers can access the "pantry" — a self-service snack and beverage station with water bottles, canned sodas, plantain chips, Goldfish, granola bars, and Biscoff cookies.

There was a pantry between the business class and EvenMore rows, so it was easy to access. We were in the air for five hours, so I appreciated being able to curb my hunger whenever I needed to without spending a dime.

I was glad I didn't have to go to the back of the cabin to use the bathroom.

There was a clean bathroom across from the pantry in front of the EvenMore rows. It had an outlet and was stocked with seat covers, facial tissues, and paper towels.

Five hours after takeoff, we landed in Vancouver.

When we arrived in Canada, it was past midnight for me, so it was surreal to see the sun still setting as we prepared for landing. The sun had set completely by the time we were on the ground.

Since I'm usually seated toward the back of the plane on flights, I typically expect to stay seated for at least 10 minutes before it's my turn to deplane. But in seat 9A, I was out in less than five.

Experiencing premium economy for free was a treat. Having it on an international flight was even sweeter.

While $180 sounds like a lot for an upgrade still in economy seating, the comfort and perks made my international journey much more pleasant than I anticipated.

I wouldn't upgrade to EvenMore for a short, domestic flight, but I would for any journey five hours or longer for a more relaxing ride. Next time I'm traveling far from home, arriving at my destination feeling refreshed and free of back pain will be worth the added price.

• BMW and Mercedes were outsold at the top of China's car market last year by a domestic brand.
• Aito sold 151,000 vehicles, with its M9 SUV proving popular.
• The brand is owned by Seres, which has tripled sales in three years with its pivot to EVs.

A Chinese electric vehicle brand has overtaken longtime market leaders BMW and Mercedes-Benz at the top of the world's biggest auto market.

Aito, an EV brand launched by Seres Group and tech giant Huawei, topped China's high-end car sales last year with 151,000 units delivered — surpassing BMW's 145,000 and Mercedes-Benz's 127,000, according to data from Shanghai-based consultancy ThinkerCar.

Aito's rise is largely due to the success of its flagship M9, a luxury SUV that went on sale in late 2023.

The M9 quickly proved popular with Chinese drivers thanks to its tech-heavy features, including Huawei's HarmonyOS operating system, a triple-screen dashboard, and premium interior options.

Seres, previously known for low-cost minivans under its DFSK Motor brand, repositioned itself with the Aito brand after forming a strategic partnership with Huawei in 2021.

Since then, rapid growth has resulted. Vehicle sales tripled over three years to about 427,000 units last year, and its stock rose by 120% on the Shanghai exchange over the same period.

Aito's success reflects a major shift in China's premium auto segment, which was once dominated by foreign brands. In 2020, Mercedes-Benz was top with 259,000 sales, followed by BMW on 235,000 and Porsche on 79,000, per ThinkerCar data.

By 2024, Chinese EV makers such as Aito and NIO had broken into the rankings, disrupting what ThinkerCar described as a BMW, Benz, and Audi "monopoly."

Sales of Chinese EVs are also rising outside their home market.

BYD outsold Tesla in Europe for the first time in April, according to JATO Dynamics data released on Thursday.

BYD also outsold Tesla globally in the first three months of the year, selling about 416,000 EVs, compared with Tesla's 336,700 EVs.

• A German brigade has started operations in Lithuania, a NATO state that borders part of Russia.
• It's the first time Germany has put troops in another country on a long-term basis since World War II.
• Both countries describe it as a step to protect Europe and NATO.

Germany has stationed troops abroad on a long-term basis for the first time since World War II, with a new brigade starting operations in Lithuania on Thursday.

The inauguration ceremony for Germany's 45th Armoured Brigade "Lithuania" took place in Vilnius, Lithuania's capital. Lithuania's defense ministry said it marked "the official beginning of this military unit's operations in Lithuania."

The move has been framed by both Lithuania and Germany as one intended to protect Europe and NATO at large, particularly against Russia.

Some have warned that Russia might not stop at Ukraine, and could attack elsewhere in Europe.

Dovilė Šakalienė, Lithuania's defense minister, said in a statement on Thursday that Germany's troops "are here to defend freedom as well as the entire alliance."

She also called Germany's deployment of its troops "a historic example of leadership."

Brig. Gen. Christoph Huber, the commander of the 45th Armored Brigade, said in April that it was being created "for the alliance, for Lithuania, for Europe's security."

The move is a notable one for Germany, which has leaned away from heavy defense actions and spending since World War II.

But Germany's defense spending has grown since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this month that his government will provide resources to make its army the "strongest conventional army in Europe."

Lithuania, a NATO member state that borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, as well as Russian ally Belarus, has been one of Ukraine's most vocal allies since Russia launched its invasion.

It is also one of NATO's biggest defense spenders as a proportion of its GDP, and one of the countries warning the loudest about future Russian aggression.

Lithuania's defense ministry said on Thursday that there are already around 500 soldiers from Germany in the country, and that the German brigade will now be permanently relocated to Lithuania, including three manoeuvre battalions and all of its combat support and logistics.

The brigade aims to be at full capacity by the end of 2027, which would mean 5,000 German soldiers and civilians operating there.

Šakalienė said that Lithuania "will continue to do everything to create all the infrastructure on time, to provide the necessary host nation support, and to ensure that the German soldiers feel at home."

US troops are also serving in Lithuania, something Šakalienė told BI in February she hoped would continue, even as President Donald Trump distances himself from longtime allies in Europe.

Šakalienė said her country wanted US troops to stay and said she expected the US could see "eye to eye" with countries that pay enough on defense.

Šakalienė also told BI that Europe "needs to up our defense spending very fast and very significantly," and that Europe's defense production needs to increase to match Russia's.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a flurry of defense agreements between countries, and a boost in military spending and production across Europe.

• Christopher Cuozzo is a custom suit designer based in Boston whose clients include Karoline Leavitt.
• He shared his workwear and formalwear pet peeves, including improper buttoning of suits and tuxedos.
• Cuozzo also said that wearing sneakers with suits is "extremely overdone."

What counts as a fashion faux pas can be subjective, but there are some style choices that suit designer Christopher Cuozzo just can't stand.

Cuozzo, a bespoke menswear and womenswear designer whose clients include White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, told Business Insider that fashion is an art form like any other. Inevitably, people express different tastes and preferences when it comes to their personal style.

"Everybody's going to have their opinion on how something should fit or how something should look, and that's the beauty of it," he said. "Nobody's necessarily right, and nobody's necessarily wrong."

That being said, Cuozzo does have certain pet peeves as a craftsman who cares deeply about how a suit is worn.

Here are five style mistakes he wishes people would stop making.

Mistake #1: Buttoning the bottom of a 2-button jacket

If a jacket has two buttons, Cuozzo says only the top one should ever be buttoned. The bottom one should never be closed in order to maintain the proper fit and style etiquette.

"One of my pet peeves on a two-button jacket is seeing the bottom button buttoned," he told BI. "It's a massive faux pas. I can't stand that."

Mistake #2: Wearing an unbuttoned tuxedo

Tuxedos are about as formal as it gets. Wearing one unbuttoned sends mixed messages, especially at black-tie occasions such as weddings.

Cuozzo urges grooms and others wearing tuxedos at weddings to walk down the aisle with the jacket buttoned to avoid looking too casual.

"It's the most formal day of your life. Please, button your tuxedo jacket," he said.

Mistake #3: Wearing a suit with an untucked shirt

Similar to an unbuttoned tuxedo, an untucked shirt undermines the formality of a suit, Cuozzo says.

"Your dress shirt is untucked, but you're wearing a suit — that's a complete oxymoron," he said. "That would drive me insane."

Mistake #4: Leaving stitching in the vents of a suit

Off-the-rack jackets typically come with the vents, or slits, stitched closed on the back or sides. Those vents are supposed to be opened after purchasing, but not everyone realizes that.

When Cuozzo makes a custom suit, he removes the stitches for the client to help them avoid this style misstep.

"We actually don't give the suit to a client unless it's open," he said. "If you go and you buy a suit off the rack, you'll see people wearing it with the vent still closed, and it just drives me bananas."

Mistake #5: Wearing sneakers with suits

Cuozzo told BI that pairing sneakers — especially high-top shoes like Jordans — with suits is "extremely overdone."

"The pant doesn't even fit the sneaker. The tongue is in the way. That is one of my biggest pet peeves," Cuozzo said of the suits-with-sneakers look. "And then, you'll see guys on the red carpet wearing sneakers with a tuxedo, and I'm just like, 'This has gone way too far.'"

Cuozzo says that there are rare cases where he'd style a suit this way, such as a more casual suit with a drawstring closure worn with a white T-shirt and clean white sneakers. Otherwise, he says formalwear requires formal footwear to match.

"There's just these colliding philosophies where you're wearing a shirt and tie, which tells me you're all business, then I look down at your feet, and you're wearing Jordans. Like, what's going on here?" he said. "Are we going to a meeting, or are we going to a basketball game? You can't do both."

• Tom Cruise returns with death-defying stunts in "Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning."
• In 2023, Cruise told Business Insider that he's "always pushing" to make his films bigger and better.
• Cruise's commitment to his craft, including doing his own stunts, keeps audiences coming back for more.

From climbing the world's tallest building to clinging to the wing of a plane in flight and even jumping on Oprah's couch — there's a reason why Tom Cruise is the last great action star.

It's simple: stunts.

In the 15 years since the release of 2011's "Ghost Protocol," the fourth "Mission: Impossible" film, Cruise has done increasingly hair-raising stunts in each of his new movies.

Earlier in his career, Cruise acted in a greater mix of genres, including the 1994 horror "Interview with the Vampire," the 1996 comedy-drama "Jerry Maguire," and the 1999 erotic thriller "Eyes Wide Shut." In that era, he was considered widely a sex symbol.

Now, he trades in extraordinary feats.

"I'm always pushing," Tom Cruise told Business Insider in 2023 on the red carpet for "Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning."

"Every time they say, 'Can you top it? Can you not top it?' We're always pushing. Every film I do, whatever genre it's in, I want to make it as entertaining as possible for that audience. I know I can do things better," he said.

And it's a winning tactic. "Top Gun: Maverick," in which Cruise flew in real fighter jets, raked in $1.5 billion in 2022, while "Dead Reckoning," where he leapt off a mountain on a motorbike, made $567 million.

In "Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning," which is out on Friday, Cruise performs two nerve-shredding stunts: a scuba dive into the wreck of a submarine that rolls down into an ocean trench, and the climactic third act, where his character clings on to a biplane in flight.

It's expected to make $80 million in its opening weekend, The Hollywood Reporter reported, citing the National Research Group.

Cruise's enduring star power can even grab the attention of the most seasoned industry insiders. Rob Mitchell, the director of theatrical insights at film tech company Gower St. Analytics, recalled working as a sales analyst at Paramount in 2011, when employees did a set visit to see Cruise climb the Burj Khalifa.

"Everyone was taking pictures inside the Burj Khalifa, with Tom Cruise outside waving in," he told BI.

These sorts of stunts signal to audiences that Cruise is a bona fide star who is hardworking and takes his craft seriously—all ingredients of a movie more likely to be worth their hard-earned cash.

Referring to "Mission: Impossible," Mitchell said: "There comes a point where people aren't really going for the story as much as they are for the excitement and the thrills."

"In an era dominated by CGI superheroes, Cruise's staying power lies in the 'authenticity' of his performances," Stuart Joy, the course leader of film and TV at Solent University, UK, told BI. "Like Christopher Nolan, he champions analogue filmmaking in a digital age. But while Nolan does so behind the camera through practical effects and large-format film, Cruise embodies it on screen through real stunts and real danger."

Cruise's dedication to filmmaking has taken him around the world. During an interview at the BFI in London in May, he said he would "force" studios to send him to different countries to learn how movies were made there.

He also said encourages younger stars to "spend time in the editing room, produce a movie, study old movies, recognize what the composition is giving you, know what those lenses are, understand the lighting and how to use it for your benefit."

Last year, Cruise's "Top Gun: Maverick" costar Glen Powell told GQ that he was sent to a theater in Los Angeles to watch a six-hour "film-school" movie that Cruise made just for his friends.

"[Cruise] is like: 'Do we all agree that this is what a camera is? This is the difference between a film camera and a digital camera…' The funniest part is on flying. It was like he put together this entire flight school. So he would literally go 'OK, this is what a plane is. Here's how things fly. Here's how air pressure works,'" Powell said.

Centering his career around stunts is a smart PR move

As well as being undeniably impressive, stunts help to keep past controversies out of the conversation, Joy said.

"Cruise's transition from character-driven roles to stunt-centered performances seems intentional, not just as a creative decision but as a deliberate attempt to recalibrate public perceptions of his star persona," he said.

"After the mid-2000s controversies (most infamously the Oprah's sofa moment and scrutiny of his ties to Scientology) Cruise has successfully redirected the audience's attention," Joy added, referring to the moment in 2005 when he jumped on Winfrey's sofa while talking about his love for his then-girlfriend, and now ex-wife, Katie Holmes.

"Rather than inviting emotional connection through vulnerability, he now earns our praise and admiration through the spectacle of physical risk," Joy said.

Next, Cruise plans to shoot a movie in space with his "Edge of Tomorrow" and "American Made" collaborator, director Doug Liman.

In 2020, Deadline reported that Universal planned to spend $200 million on the film, and collaborate with Elon Musk's SpaceX to shoot it. Cruise and Liman were originally set to take flight in 2021, but the project is yet to materialize.

If it does get off the ground, audiences will likely flock to see "the ultimate Tom Cruise movie," as Mitchell puts it.

But wherever Cruise's career takes him next, Joy said that one thing is for certain: "He's made himself the guardian of a traditional cinematic spectacle."

• Axle Health just raised $10 million to bring Uber-style logistics to home healthcare.
• Demand for hospital-at-home care is exploding, and clinicians are scrambling to keep up.
• Axle's AI-powered platform matches a provider to the appropriate patient to save time and money.

More hospitals want to bring care into the home, but many are missing the technology to support that shift. Axle Health is building AI that can help.

Before launching Axle Health, CEO Adam Stansell helped launch Uber Eats in the northeastern US, coordinating food-delivery logistics in the new market. He later joined Motive, a logistics software company for trucking fleets.

In 2020, when hospitals were scrambling to enable hospital-at-home care during the pandemic, Stansell, his cofounder Connor Hailey, and some of Stansell's former Uber colleagues set out to create the same intelligence infrastructure for healthcare that the gig economy had built for itself.

Now, Axle Health has raised a $10 million Series A led by F-Prime Capital, Business Insider has learned exclusively. Y Combinator, Pear VC, and Lightbank also participated in the round.

Axle's software uses AI to handle some of the hardest problems in home healthcare: scheduling, routing, and patient engagement. Its logistics engine can coordinate care based on clinical eligibility, patient preferences, clinician license levels, and even cost, all in real time. Its customers now include large health systems, independent home health agencies, mobile phlebotomy providers, and high-acuity dispatch services.

Axle Health originally set out to be a home health provider, powered by its proprietary technology. The company joined Y Combinator's Winter 2021 cohort and quickly scaled to operate in all 50 states, growing to a couple of million dollars in revenue, Stansell said. But in 2023, the startup pivoted to focus on building and licensing its technology for other hospital-at-home providers.

"We realized it's better for us — and better for the industry — if instead of keeping the technology for ourselves, we built tools to empower every home health provider," Stansell said.

Axle Health announced it had raised $4.4 million in funding in February 2024, which Stansell said included seed funding from 2021 and additional funding Axle raised after the business pivoted. In the past year, Stansell said Axle Health has grown its revenue tenfold.

The home health market is growing fast, accelerated by an aging population, clinician shortages, and rising consumer demand for in-home care. Other startups are racing to meet that demand, including by forging ahead with the tech-enabled services model that Axle shelved, like Sprinter Health, which recently landed a $55 million Series B led by General Catalyst to provide at-home preventive care. Later-stage players, acute-care home health provider DispatchHealth and home care tech company Medically Home, merged in March.

Axle wants to differentiate itself both by plugging its tech into the existing home health ecosystem and by building technology that clinicians actually want to use, said Stansell. Axle's AI generates logistics plans that clinicians trust, which is an especially difficult bar to clear. And Axle's team, Stansell said, with its several ex-Uber leads, is a key ingredient in the startup's secret sauce.

Next up, Axle plans to improve its patient engagement capabilities, including rolling out AI-powered voice call features for patients. It's also expanding its integrations with electronic medical record systems and forming more direct connections with other companies contributing to home health operations, like medical equipment suppliers and pharmacies.

"You're not going to have one provider that's going to solve the whole thing," Stansell said. "You need an ecosystem."

Here's the 18-slide pitch deck Axle Health used to raise its $10 million Series A.

• Sergey Brin gave away more than 4 million Alphabet shares worth nearly $700 million.
• The gift is split between Class A and Class C stock, which carry different voting rights.
• Brin has a history of large donations, including one worth $600 million in May 2023.

Sergey Brin just gave away stock worth almost $700 million — but we don't know who to.

The Google cofounder transferred just over 4 million Alphabet shares, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Wednesday.

Brin is 10th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of about $144 billion. He's behind the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, and ahead of Michael Dell and Jensen Huang.

The gift was split between Class A and Class C stock. Each A share carries one vote, while C stock have no voting rights.

A stock closed at $168.56 on Wednesday, and C closed at about $170, bringing the total value to just over $693 million.

Shares in the search giant jumped on Wednesday following Google's I/O developer conference the previous day, where about two dozen new models, features, and updates were unveiled.

It said it would launch AI Mode, which allows US users to chat with Google while browsing the web, resulting in a more conversational search experience.

The recipient of Brin's gift could be a charity, a financial vehicle, or a trust.

He has previously made large gifts, giving away stock about $600 million in May 2023 after the launch of Google's AI search, Bloomberg reported. In May and November 2024, he made gifts of shares worth more than $100 million.

Brin has a personal foundation, the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, which disbursed about $250 million in both 2020 and 2021.

He's also donated more than $1 billion to research into Parkinson's disease and funding a nonprofit focused on the climate crisis.

Brin's family office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to build Europe's strongest military for Germany.
• Germany's shift in defense policy followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and NATO goals.
• Experts highlighted challenges like underinvestment, recruitment, and political consensus.

Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, vowed last week that the country will build "the strongest conventional army in Europe."

It comes as Germany and others adapt to the drive for European countries to rapidly rearm in the face of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — but contrasts with recent decades when the country has preferred soft power over military strength.

So, how feasible is it for Germany to be the continent's biggest military power?

"For now, the money is there, and Germans have deep pockets," Ulrich Kühn, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Business Insider.

"What is missing is a general cross-party consensus on the issue, including the left wing of the governing Social Democrats, who are more skeptical of projecting military power," he said.

Last month, Germany announced that it was deploying troops to Lithuania on a long-term basis—the first long-term deployment of German soldiers to another country since World War II, another sign of its changing military approach.

Kühn added that the commitment to increase Germany's defense spending "can only be the beginning if the goal is really to position itself as Europe's defense champion."

"What the German arms industry needs are long-term contracts well into the 2030s and state subsidies to rapidly scale up production," he said.

As of May 2024, Germany's army, the Bundeswehr, had 180,215 active-duty personnel.

Jörn Fleck, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, told BI that a targeted increase of the German armed forces to 200,000 had been delayed until 2031 "due to lackluster recruitment and an ageing force."

But he said that Germany "has taken important initial steps to rebuild the German military into one of Europe's leading conventional forces."

Fleck cited a €100 billion special fund to modernize the military, announced in 2022, and constitutional changes to partially exempt defense spending from Germany's debt brake, which was imposed after the 2008 financial crisis and limits the deficit to just 0.35% of GDP. By contrast, the US deficit exceeded 6% last year.

But Fleck warned that Germany "will have to overcome two if not three decades of underinvestment in its armed forces."

"The resulting force reductions, readiness problems, capability gaps, and infrastructure challenges will take years to reverse," he added. "They will not be solved by money alone and will require sustained political will and leadership."

One positive for Germany is its thriving defense industry, which includes major players like Rheinmetall and KNDS, along with medium-sized companies and innovative startups.

In 2024, Rheinmetall saw sales related to its defense business increase by 50% year-on-year.

Germany's defense industry strategy, focused on key technologies, greater economies of scale, and the potential of the European market, is a "positive step in the right direction," Fleck said, but he added that the country will "have to fundamentally reform its procurement agency and processes" to boost its defense industry.

He also said that advancing Germany's military capabilities will move the needle across Europe, given the country's political and economic weight on the continent.

This has already been visible when it comes to the REARM initiative that opened the door for countries to spend more on defense, and the proposal for common EU borrowing to fund joint development and procurement.

"If Germany, Europe's reluctant hegemon with its fraught history, can get its act together on defense," Kühn said. "So can others."

• When our first child was born, we decided I would stay home, caring for our baby.
• I had a thriving career, but my pay was low, and childcare was expensive.
• I love being a mom, but staying at home made me miserable.

When I became pregnant with my first child, my husband and I made the difficult yet practical decision for me to stay home.

Even though I had a thriving career in higher ed, my income was low, childcare was expensive, and travel (a requirement of my job) wouldn't be feasible anymore — or at least for years to come.

With a few cuts to our household budget, it just made sense for me to stay home. Besides, motherhood would be the most rewarding experience of my life, right?

I was lonelier than ever

When our first baby was born, I was so in love with him and elated to finally have what I wanted most: to be a mom. In those first weeks, I felt strongly that I would love my new role as a stay-at-home mom and couldn't imagine going back to work. However, after my husband's paternity leave ended and he returned to work, I was home alone with the baby, and reality set in.

I was sleep deprived, exhausted from exclusively nursing, and lonelier than I had ever been. I was jealous of my friends who were still working and could get away to do something other than care for a baby. Desperate for connection, I joined several baby and me classes through my local parks and rec, hoping to make a few friends navigating the same challenges.

The moms I met were kind, but our conversations revolved around our children's sleeping and eating schedules and how we were dealing with our toddlers' tantrums. Somewhere along the way, my interests and identity faded away. I needed more intellectual stimulation, I wanted to do more to connect with the community, and I wanted to use my talents outside of the home.

Staying home wasn't for me

As months turned into years, I felt increasingly isolated. I hired a babysitter once a week in the afternoon so I could escape the monotony of child rearing. One of these afternoons, I remember going to the movies alone and sobbing through "La La Land," not because of the storyline but because it reminded me of what it felt like to be alive and have a sense of self outside motherhood.

When I finally summoned the courage to talk to my stay-at-home-mom friends about my feelings, it felt as if I was violating an unspoken rule. Shouldn't I be grateful for this opportunity to bond with my child without the stress of a career? Wasn't it a privilege to be there for all of my child's milestones?

In fact, I knew how blessed I was to be able to stay home with my children, but I still felt so depressed. Five years of staying home and two babies later, it wasn't until I returned to work with a purpose outside the home that I truly felt like myself again.

I truly love being a mom, but I recognize that staying at home is not my strength. Working outside of the home in the community makes me a better mom, more present, patient, and fulfilled.

Stay-at-home motherhood isn't for everyone, and that's OK. We need to allow mothers to speak honestly about the complexities of raising children, including the very real feelings of isolation, loss of identity, and emotional debility that often come with motherhood.

• BYD sold more electric cars than Tesla in Europe for the first time in April.
• Sales of the Chinese brand jumped as Tesla grapples with backlash over Elon Musk's politics.
• Tesla's European sales have collapsed this year, despite Musk insisting it doesn't have a demand problem.

BYD just scored a major win against Tesla in one of its biggest markets.

The Chinese electric vehicle giant outsold Tesla in Europe for the first time last month, as Elon Musk's automaker saw its sales collapse amid furious backlash over its CEO's politics.

BYD sold 7,230 battery-electric vehicles in April, compared to 7,165 for Tesla, according to JATO Dynamics data.

It's a major milestone for the Chinese brand, and suggests BYD has taken advantage of Tesla's alarming decline in Europe.

ƒNew Tesla registrations dropped nearly 50% in April compared to the same month last year, while BYD sales surged 169% over the same period, per JATO Dynamics data.

BYD outsold Tesla without even taking hybrid sales into account. The Chinese carmaker sold 12,525 vehicles last month, meaning its total sales comfortably outstripped Tesla, which only sells battery-powered EVs.

Tesla has taken a battering this year in Europe, its third-largest market after the US and China. The automaker's European sales were down 30% in the first three months of 2025, according to JATO Dynamics, despite EV sales rising overall.

The automaker has faced a wave of backlash over CEO Musk's role in the Trump administration and endorsement of German far-right party AfD.

In an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, Musk denied Tesla was facing a sales slump. That was despite Tesla reporting its weakest quarter for deliveries since 2022 last month as it retooled factories for the launch of its updated Model Y.

"Europe is our weakest market. We're strong everywhere else. Sales are doing well at this point, we don't anticipate any meaningful sales shortfall," said Musk.

By contrast, BYD is racing to launch new models as it seeks to capitalize on its explosive growth in Europe.

The Chinese brand unveiled the Dolphin Surf, the European version of its cheap Seagull EV, on Wednesday.

The compact hatchback will go on sale in 15 European markets in June, with prices starting at 23,000 euros ($26,000) — about $19,000 less than Tesla's cheapest model.

Having challenged Tesla in China, BYD is eyeing aggressive expansion overseas. The EV giant sold 79,000 vehicles outside China last month, nearly double the total in April 2024.

• The nation's disaster response agency has been hit by staffing cuts and leadership changes.
• The new acting chief, David Richardson, told staffers FEMA is ready for hurricane season.
• Several employees told BI that morale is low, as evidenced by some of the reactions to Richardson's town hall.

A week into his appointment, FEMA's new acting chief, David Richardson, held his first town hall for the agency's employees.

His May 15 remarks outlined a planned overhaul of the nation's disaster response operations dubbed "FEMA 2.0," tried to reassure staff that the agency is "to a great degree ready" for the 2025 "disaster season," and made clear he plans to carry out President Donald Trump's agenda.

His speech and answers to employee questions also included several folksy talking points: He used fruits as an example to describe how the agency's responsibilities are structured, made reference to his girlfriend's big red hair, and said he hadn't realized how big Texas is.

If his presentation, which was livestreamed and played on televisions at the embattled agency's headquarters, was meant to improve morale and boost confidence among the rank and file, it may have fallen short.

Two veteran staffers told Business Insider that they saw at least a dozen employees openly mocking Richardson — laughing while he was talking, jeering at the screen, and later circulating memes about him.

Like other federal employees, FEMA workers have been rattled by the Trump administration's staff cutbacks. Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have called for the agency's eventual elimination.

At the beginning of May, FEMA's acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, lost his job after telling Congress that he thought the agency should continue. His departure paved the way for Richardson to bounce over from Homeland Security's Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office to run the agency.

An emergency agency in flux

These big changes come during a critical period for FEMA. Tornadoes in Kentucky and Missouri left 28 people dead last week. Hurricane season on the Atlantic coast, a six-month sprint of emergencies for the agency, begins in June.

Several FEMA employees who are tasked with helping states prepare for and respond to emergencies ranging from earthquakes to wildfires and beyond told Business Insider they're worried about whether they'll have the resources and support to provide life-saving aid to states when crisis strikes.

The agency is pushing back on criticism.

"Under Secretary Noem and Acting Administrator Richardson, FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens," a spokesperson for FEMA told Business Insider. "The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades."

Oranges, plantains, and fruit bowl memes

Richardson, a Marine veteran who attained the rank of lieutenant colonel, introduced himself to some of his staff a day after his appointment with bold words, saying he would not tolerate those who resist reforms — a group he estimated would be about 20% of employees based on his past experience.

"Obfuscation, delay, undermining. If you're one of those 20% of people and you think those tactics and techniques are going to help you, they will not, because I will run right over you," Richardson said at the May 9 meeting, according to Reuters. "Don't get in my way... I know all the tricks."

The town hall for all employees came almost a week later. According to a transcript based on leaked audio published by the independent news outlet Drop Site News, Richardson focused largely on conducting a "mission analysis" of FEMA's operations and aligning with Trump. (Two current FEMA staffers confirmed to Business Insider that the Drop Site News transcription of the meeting was accurate.)

In his introduction, before taking questions from staff, Richardson said that FEMA has between 150 and 175 statutorily obligated tasks to conduct, and each one of those specified tasks "can be binned into categories," he said.

"And by bin them, I mean some of those, some of those tasks will be kind of orange-like tasks — and by orange, I mean the fruit orange, but they might be tangerines, they might be blood oranges, it just might be maybe a little bit of grapefruit," Richardson said. "All those will go in one bin."

A FEMA staff member told Business Insider that some staffers watching the livestream began laughing during the remarks about fruit.

Shortly after the meeting concluded, a meme of Richardson's face, looking surprised, and with a basket of fruit on his head, began circulating among FEMA employees. The meme, shared with Business Insider by a staffer, was styled to look like the "Shrek 2" movie poster, with the title "FEMA 2" in green letters with ogre ears. Another meme seen by Business Insider, which was styled as a bingo card for people listening to Richardson's remarks, included a bowl of fruit as one of its spaces.

'Texas is huge!'

During the Q-and-A part of the session, a staff member asked about the plan for this hurricane season, whether the agency is appropriately staffed for emergency response, and the timeline for training staff to respond. Richardson said the agency is in a "transition period."

The process, he said, is "not going to look entirely different of how we did in 2024, but it's not necessarily going to look like how we're going to do it in 2026."

He added that FEMA would begin creating a road map for states to do the bulk of their own emergency response going forward, sharing as much as 50% of costs with the federal government.

A FEMA spokesperson declined to comment on what costs individual states would be responsible for in an emergency and what support the federal government could be expected to provide.

Richardson said he hoped to model future responses after states with good emergency preparedness, using Texas and Florida as examples.

"Some states are pretty good at this," Richardson said, referring to emergency response. "The other day I was chatting with my girlfriend — she's from Texas, she's got like, huge red hair, like she's from Texas."

He continued: "I said, how come it takes so long to drive 10 hours from Galveston to Amarillo? And she said, 'Well, you know, Texas is bigger than Spain.' I didn't know that. So I looked at the map. Texas is huge! I mean, if you put it in the middle of Europe, it takes up most of Europe up. However, they do disaster recovery very, very well, and so does Florida."

One FEMA employee told Business Insider that by the time Richardson mentioned his girlfriend, more than a dozen members of the livestream audience watching from their office had begun jeering loudly at the screen. Some staff members began walking around the office waving pencils in the air, referencing the way Richardson had fidgeted with a writing utensil while speaking, the employee said.

"I've never seen people so mocking of an agency head," the employee said.

It's unclear exactly how much of FEMA's staff has been cut since Trump took office; the most recent estimates from CNN put the total reduction of force at about 20% of FEMA's permanent full-time staff, or about 1,000 workers.

The US Government Accountability Office reported in 2023 that FEMA had an overall staffing gap of approximately 35%, equating to 6,200 employees, which had "affected its ability to achieve its mission."

A FEMA spokesperson told Business Insider that, "under Secretary Noem's leadership, and the efforts of Acting Administrator Richardson, FEMA is fully activated in preparation for Hurricane Season."

The Trump administration has not made a public statement about a permanent nominee to lead FEMA.

The spokesperson added that "complaints about morale, training, and planning come from the same internal class that resisted accountability for decades. This is just another example of a long line of internal leaks from people who clearly couldn't care less about Americans facing disaster and prefer to manufacture petty drama for their own self-aggrandizement."

In the town hall meeting, Richardson said his plan for the agency is to follow "the president's intent," which he described as limiting FEMA's activities to its "mission essential tasks."

"Those of us still remaining were either too committed to go anywhere, not eligible to take the resignation options, or so committed to the mission we do not care what he does," one FEMA staff member said.

• Target said reactions to its DEI moves adversely impacted first-quarter sales.
• Protesters say they're not satisfied with the company's response so far.
• Additional protests are planned for May 25, the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.

Target is having little success in convincing shoppers of its stance on DEI.

CEO Brian Cornell said Wednesday that public response to changes to its DEI programs — now known as "Belonging" — adversely impacted first-quarter sales, although an exact amount was not quantifiable.

"We faced several additional headwinds this quarter, including five consecutive months of declining consumer confidence, uncertainty regarding the impact of potential tariffs, and the reaction to the updates we shared on Belonging in January," he said.

The financial results follow weeks of declining foot traffic and sales, punctuated by seasonal holiday bumps during the period. But shifting positions on DEI issues don't appear to doing Target any favors, Global Data retail analyst Neil Saunders said in a note.

"The extent of this should not be overstated as many other factors are driving down Target's sales numbers, but the move has certainly not been helpful," he said.

A Target spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider that the company is "absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone — our team members, our guests and our supply partners."

"To do that, we're focusing on what we do best: providing the best retail experience for the more than 2,000 communities we're proud to serve," the spokesperson said.

While some supporters of DEI have claimed partial victory in their pressure campaign, leaders including pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant say they're not yet satisfied with the company's response.

Bryant said his church would hold a protest in front of an Atlanta-area Target on Sunday, May 25, to mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Target's hometown of Minneapolis.

"We're gonna do it for nine minutes and 40 seconds as the same amount of time they applied pressure to George Floyd that led to his death," Bryant said in a video inviting other churches to join.

Target expanded several diversity initiatives in the immediate aftermath of Floyd's murder, and CEO Brian Cornell said the incident highlighted that more work was needed.

"It happened only blocks from our headquarters," Cornell told the Economic Club of Chicago a year after Floyd's death. "My first reaction watching on TV was that could have been one of my Target team members."

At the time, Target committed to spending more than $2 billion on Black-owned businesses by 2025 by purchasing goods from more than 500 Black-owned businesses and contracting with Black-owned services from marketing to construction.

"As CEOs we have to be the company's head of diversity and inclusion," Cornell told the Economic Club of Chicago. "We've got to make sure that we represent our company principles, our values, our company purpose on the issues that are important to our teams."

Four years later, Target's message on DEI is less clear.

In January, the company said it was rolling back several diversity initiatives, renaming others, and not renewing the spending and sourcing goals it set in 2021.

(Target's spokesperson told BI the announcement did not affect existing brand or supplier relationships, and that the company still recruits from a range of schools, including HBCUs.)

Target also for the first time donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inauguration fund, filings showed, even as Trump was gearing up executive orders to strip DEI programs from federal agencies and contractors. Tech giants Google, Meta, and Uber also each donated the same amount.

In addition, the company has drastically shrunk its annual LGBTQ Pride collection in recent years, and now offers a small fraction of what it showcased a two years ago.

In a note to employees earlier this month, Cornell acknowledged that "silence from us has created uncertainty," and the executive has reportedly met with Bryant and Reverend Al Sharpton to discuss a path forward.

Beyond the protests, Saunders said Target continues to face a myriad of other challenges, including still-high tariffs on imports, growing competitive pressures from rivals, and a host of other operational difficulties.

"This year will be another soft one and Target enters it in a relatively weak position," he said.