• Some Americans "oversave" for retirement and end up sacrificing during their working years.
• Financial planners advised balancing savings with enjoying life to avoid regrets in retirement.
• This is part of an ongoing series on older Americans' regrets.

Joshua Winston, 70, did a pretty good job preparing for retirement: He ran two successful veterinary clinics, made smart investments, and lived frugally.

But a week after he retired in May, he was diagnosed with cancer. Now, Winston said, he regrets working such long hours during his career, often missing out on trips and date nights.

Winston is one of a few dozen respondents to an informal Business Insider survey who said they worked too hard during their careers or focused too much on saving for retirement, sacrificing family time, travel, or other leisure activities when they were younger. They're among the more than 3,600 older Americans who shared their life regrets through surveys or direct emails to reporters. This story is part of an ongoing series.

We want to hear from you. Do you have any regrets in life that you would be comfortable sharing with a reporter? Please fill out this quick form.

Some survey respondents thought they were behind on retirement goals and chose to bypass larger purchases, only to realize they were well-prepared and too cautious about getting there. A few said traumatic experiences, such as the death of a loved one or a catastrophic medical diagnosis, made them anxious about saving money in case of another emergency. Interviews with five Americans who thought they were too frugal point to the difficulties of knowing how to best prepare for retirement.

Dylan Tyson, the president of retirement strategies at Prudential Financial, described the mindset of an oversaver: "You're cutting back on living — not taking that extra trip or going to that concert or ball game with family and friends — because you're worried that you don't have enough saved."

Saving for an anticlimactic retirement

Winston, who lives in Arizona, spent much of his career in veterinary work. Throughout his life, he drove modest vehicles, lived in an upper-middle-class house, and was cautious about making larger purchases.

He retired with about $3 million but wished he'd spent some of that money on an assistant for his practice so he wouldn't need to work nights running an emergency vet helpline.

"That sucked up a lot of oxygen in my life. I never could watch a movie when I went out with my wife because I would get a dozen phone calls," Winston said, though he acknowledged the helpline helped make his practice successful.

He planned to spend some of his savings in retirement, but he was diagnosed with lung cancer in May and said life has "been hell" since then.

"I have enough money to live until 95 and go on vacations. I have a whole life ahead of me, and this is what happens," Winston said. "I have cancer, and I may not even enjoy the money I worked hard to save."

Tyson said that while a lot of retirement is "guesswork," people should try to determine how much lifetime income they'll need to achieve their retirement goals while balancing their spending needs, wants, and wishes.

"With millions of Americans facing uncertainty, we see the smartest of them taking action to create financial plans that focus squarely on the things that matter most," Tyson said. "Then they are protecting those goals by ensuring that they have secure, predictable income to fund their retirement needs and wants — freeing them to worry less and pursue their greatest wishes."

Working too hard and missing out on friends and family

Ruth Mills, 63, said she began saving later in life but amassed seven figures through frugal living and careful investing. The Minnesota resident had children in her early 20s and finances were tight. As a single mom, she held multiple jobs, working odd jobs as a part-time in-home personal care assistant in addition to full-time work. She worked her way up to a senior accounting officer for the state.

She said because she worked so much and cared for her children alone, she missed opportunities to go out with friends or travel more with family. She said a part of her wished she'd forgone some savings so she could have worked one less job or had hobbies.

"I did well saving for retirement, but so much so I was too frugal along the way and did not enjoy as much while younger as I worked too much," Mills said.

Mills said she pushed back a trip to Ireland that she's no longer physically equipped to take. She recently downsized her house and hopes to retire soon and use her retirement years to spoil her grandchildren and have an active lifestyle.

"Having all the money in the world is great, and I don't have that, but if you don't have the friends and people to spend it with at the end, it's a trade-off," Mills said. She added, "Having made the necessary sacrifices to save and invest earlier, I am looking forward to having the financial security to be able to afford the basic necessities and share adventures and experiences with the grandkids."

Ryan Viktorin, a financial consultant and CFP at Fidelity, said she sees three categories of "oversavers": people who experience an unfortunate event that keeps them from spending the money they've saved, people who worry they'll never have enough because of healthcare costs or market volatility, and people who continue working because they haven't mentally prepared for retirement, fearing it's monotonous or isolating.

She also said that baby boomers retiring now grew up hearing stories about their parents or grandparents going through the Great Depression.

"Sometimes I hear from my clients who have saved really well who say it's in their bones to continue to be frugal, and they feel like they can't really enjoy themselves or live their lives because they have to keep saving," she said.

Missing out on key family moments

Kirk, 75, said he didn't realize he was doing such a good job of preparing for retirement. The retired California attorney, who asked to use only his first name for privacy concerns, worked for various financial institutions and maxed out his 401(k). He amassed over $1.1 million in tax-deferred retirement savings. However, he feared an emergency or market crash would derail his plans for a comfortable retirement.

After retiring from his full-time job at 67, he realized there were opportunities he missed out on because he held back on spending. He regrets not going on a weekslong trip to France with his brother in his 60s; now, his brother has cognitive challenges that make travel difficult. On a trip to Hawaii, he signed his two children up for a helicopter tour but didn't go himself to save money.

"It would have been a great experience to have shared with them and talked about for years to come," Kirk said. "I could now pay for a dozen helicopter rides and not miss the money."

Viktorin said it's important to look at the gap between expenses and income and figure out where there's some wiggle room in your budget beyond saving for retirement, which may help alleviate some of these anxieties older Americans have.

"When you build out a financial plan, you can build out the 'what ifs' and see what it looks like," Viktorin said. "What if we took an extra trip and spent more money? What if we flew business class rather than coach or economy? What if we started to help our children more?"

Are you an older American with any life regrets that you would be comfortable sharing with a reporter? Please fill out this quick form.

• Chris Williams, ex-VP of HR at Microsoft, shares advice on how to bounce back from mistakes at work.
• He suggests employees take three steps: own it, fix it, and prevent it.
• Williams used these steps to fix a big mistake he made at Microsoft and was eventually promoted.

As the VP of HR at Microsoft, I saw a lot of people make mistakes. From simple math on their expense accounts to serious errors in judgment that required the local police to resolve. Also, much of what I learned about handling mistakes at work came from an enormous mistake I made years ago.

Everyone makes mistakes, but at work, it seems like they hit harder.

On the job, consequences often warrant more than simply, "Oops, my bad." Mistakes at work often cost a lot of money and might put jobs at risk — even your own. Here are the three steps you should take to help save your job or even career when you make an error at work: own it, fix it, and prevent it.

Own it

The first step to resolving an error at work is to take responsibility for the mistake. If you made the error, don't deflect, don't blame the computer, don't pretend it didn't happen. Own it.

Tell your boss as soon as possible before things spiral out of control.

For example, many years ago, I wrote the copy protection code for Foxpro, the database software that was eventually sold to Microsoft. I tested it on dozens of machines in every case I could find.

The very day we released a beta version, it froze the receptionist's computer — not just crashed it, but locked it up so the machine couldn't even boot. I quickly discovered it was my code that had caused it, and we had just sent that code to thousands of testers.

My code could've locked up dozens or hundreds of customer computers.

I realized my error wasn't that complex, so I immediately enlisted the help of all of my peers to discover the extent of the problem and potential fixes. My friend in shipping stopped the copies that had not been sent, and my colleague sent a message to every beta tester not to install the software. For some users, it was too late, so I quickly developed a tool to recover the frozen machines.

By the end of the day, I had a fix for the receptionist's machine that we could apply worldwide. We posted those steps as quickly as we could.

I survived the error with the help of my friends.

On the other hand, in very rare cases, the mistake is very serious, even potentially illegal. If you think what you've done exposes you or the company to legal liability, get some protection. It might be a good idea to consult a personal attorney right away.

Fix it

Often the best thing to do when you've made a mistake is to repair the damage. Correct the report and let everyone know it's been fixed. Clean up the mess on the shop floor. Make an adjustment entry to the inventory.

As a manager later in my career, I very much appreciated people who could say, "Hey, I broke this thing, but don't worry, I've already fixed it.

Whatever the mistake, a key part of owning the problem is fixing it. If the damage is out of your hands or beyond your abilities, at least understand and explain it as best you can. You are uniquely positioned to know how it got broken, that knowledge can go a long way to fixing the problem. So tell that part of the story too.

Also, it's never a good idea to fix things and hide them, pretending they didn't happen. Not only is that not true, but it has many negative effects. If your mistake is later discovered, the trust relationship you have with your boss is gone — maybe irreparably. Mistakes can be forgiven, but untrustworthiness is harder to repair.

There may have even been side consequences to your mistake that you didn't see, which could ripple far and wide. That glitch in the inventory could result in distrust of the inventory system overall and lead to far broader issues.

Prevent It

That leads us to the next step: stopping it from happening again.

As the person who made the error, you have a unique view of how similar mistakes can happen. You can provide insight into ways to prevent them.

In my case, I worked to ensure we had a broader selection of test machines and developed a new set of test cases for all our security code. I was probably the only one who understood the impact of my mistake and was the best one to implement changes.

Work with your manager to identify ways to prevent the error. Maybe it's as simple as a checklist. Perhaps more than one person needs to review it. Maybe there needs to be software or physical locks to prevent the possibility of the mistake again.

The one thing we all learn early on is to learn from our mistakes.

A mistake at work doesn't have to end your career

In my case, the error that I owned and fixed certainly didn't slow my career. Not long after, I was promoted to development manager for the company. I'm sure my transparency and ownership were part of the reasons I was trusted for that role.

When you make a mistake, the best way for the entire company to learn from it is for you to own the mistake, fix it, and work to prevent it from ever happening again.

Chris Williams is a former VP of HR at Microsoft. He's an executive-level advisor and consultant with more than 40 years of experience leading and building teams.

• Airline rewards programs have faced scrutiny over dynamic pricing and devaluation practices.
• Frequent flyers feel burned as airlines adjust rewards, and the DOT is investigating.
• Dynamic pricing can affect point values, leading some customers to prefer cashback over miles cards.

Sean Brown, 46, has logged close to 2 million miles on Delta, his preferred airline. But his loyalty is waning as dynamic pricing and devaluation practices have made their way to airline rewards programs and left some customers feeling burned.

"Unfortunately, there's been a pretty seismic shift in the industry," the healthcare IT executive said, adding, "That has really not sat well with me."

For years, some customers have forgone cheaper or more convenient flights from other airlines so they could earn points and perks with their preferred brand. Frequent flyers would get rewarded for their loyalty with predictable exchange rates to turn points into more flights, seat upgrades, and lounge access, among other perks.

But as air travel ramped up and more and more customers got in on the points grind airlines have gotten much more flexible about how they value rewards, offering some for cheaper and some for much more.

It's caused some previously loyal customers to jump ship — and even Washington is stepping in. In September, the Department of Transportation announced it was investigating major airlines' reward devaluation and dynamic pricing practices.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told BI he wants to understand the effect that these programs have on competition, and whether they're dissuading customers from getting the best price.

"One of the biggest concerns is devaluation. So the points are worth something one day and something else," Buttigieg said. "Another is some of the hidden pricing where the value of rewards is unpredictable or is concealed."

For Brown, the calculus has already shifted from spending on his preferred airline to whatever gives him the best value.

"I'll just tell you, the sentiment in the plane — doesn't matter where you sit if you're in the front, the middle, or the back," Brown said, "everyone is pretty pissed off at the fact that they're getting gouged left and right."

How points changed

Concern with how airlines calculate, redeem, and communicate about rewards points has reached Capitol Hill.

In May, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra and Buttigieg held a joint hearing on airline and credit card rewards. They wanted to investigate how credit companies might be devaluing their rewards or using what the CFPB called a "bait-and-switch scam" to lure in customers.

"Our initial review of the fine print suggests that credit card companies and airlines have the power to quickly and dramatically devalue those points by making it more challenging to redeem them or by limiting the inventory that can be purchased with points," Chopra said in prepared remarks.

Buttigieg said he's not interested in telling airlines or credit cards how to run their programs — instead, he just wants to ensure that they're transparent, consistent, and fair. He's also trying to figure out how to put his points to use: He and his husband want to use points toward a family trip after his job with the Biden administration winds down.

But his points may not hold the same value as they used to. Brett House, a professor of economics at Columbia Business School, said that airlines "have progressively rejigged their frequent flyer programs to require higher and higher bars to get access to clubs and other amenities or privileges that those programs provide."

It's a confluence of several different factors. First, to attract more customers after the 2020 slump, credit card companies issued all kinds of new perks and ways to earn points, such as higher sign-up bonuses or more points on things like restaurants and food delivery. On average, sign-up bonuses were worth $326 in 2022 — a nearly 20% increase in value since 2019, the CFPB found.

In response, customers hoarded those points, using their balances as a savings account for future travel. The CFPB found that by 2022, cardholders had an average of $156 worth of untouched rewards.

But with appetites for flights high in the wake of the pandemic, Gilbert Ott, the director of partnerships at the travel platform point.me, said there was a "logjam" — due in part to airlines struggling to scale back up again.

"When flights were coming back, they were completely full," he said. That made it a tough sell to convince airlines to make more point seats available, Ott said. To sell a seat for points, rather than cash, it really needed to be worth their while.

Enter: Dynamic pricing.

Airlines have long used fluctuating pricing strategies, but applying them to points and rewards is more recent. The practice has spread to other industries to help companies continually adjust to the highest price customers are willing to pay based on various factors like timing and demand.

American Airlines told BI that dynamic pricing allows them to offer some flights at lower rates. It does seem to work that way sometimes: As The Wall Street Journal reported, the lowest award flight cost on the carrier dropped after it rolled out dynamic pricing.

Delta, Southwest, and American all noted that they offer no blackout dates for rewards. Southwest said that it will continue to offer "uncapped reward seat availability and points that don't expire." A Delta spokesperson said that members can redeem points for things beyond vacation and flights, including premium drinks in its Sky Clubs, cheaper seat upgrades, and checked bags.

All of this adds up to a lot of guesswork in the points game. As Buttigieg notes, airlines used to provide charts showing just how much a flight would cost in points.

"I do think it's an interesting question to consider: Should there be some publicly sponsored source of information that at least tells you what you can expect from the airlines?" Buttigieg said. "But honestly, right now, it's so complex and convoluted, I'm not even sure such a thing is possible."

American told BI that it's "the only major U.S. carrier to continue offering an award chart to help guide members in mileage redemptions," and a search of other airlines did not turn up results for any others.

United reportedly got rid of its chart in 2019, and Delta reportedly pulled their chart even earlier. A United spokesperson said that since it moved to dynamic pricing in 2017, roughly half of its customers have gotten flights "for fewer points than our fixed award chart offered."

A rollercoaster of rewards' values

Thanks to dynamic pricing, depending on demand or timing, a flight might cost 500,000 points on some days and 50,000 on others. By one measure, the average economy rewards prices across almost every airline have risen since 2019.

An analysis from IdeaWorks found that, on average, mileage and point prices have risen by 28% since 2019. But there are still deals to be found. Ott's point.me compares points' values across different airlines and rewards programs. Dynamic pricing, he said, has brought some redemption costs down.

"There are some airlines that charge far less now in economy and just a little bit more in business," Ott said. "But because of the dynamic pricing, you have dates that are 500,000 points and a million points — because there's a seat now available with points on every flight, and there's only some dates where the lowest prices are available. "

For Meir Statman, a professor of finance at Santa Clara University and author of a book on financial behavior, the points game is getting "entirely iffy" and he has moved away from miles cards entirely — instead, he wants cash back.

He's not alone. While airline credit card rewards remain popular, cashback rewards have become the leading motivator for consumers to open new credit cards, per a report from EMARKETER.

J.D. Power's 2024 US Credit Card Satisfaction Study found that most cardholders are using cashback cards — consumers said that they were opting for the cards due to their lack of fees and were using the cashback rewards more frequently as a credit on their monthly statement.

"People figure out that those points for miles are not worth it, Statman told BI, adding, "When I'm getting a thousand miles and I thought that it was worth a cent per mile and now I find that this is worth, God knows what, but surely less than a cent per mile, I may as well get 1% in the form of a dollar than in the form of a mile."

Are you giving up on points or loyalty rewards? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

• Prosecutors accused luxury real-estate agents Oren and Tal Alexander of sex trafficking this month.
• They are the latest in a series of top figures in real estate accused of sexual abuse or harassment.
• Some in the industry say its structure, partying, and cult of personality are all partly to blame.

The Alexander brothers, luxury brokers who New York prosecutors accused of sex trafficking this month, are the latest in a series of top figures in real estate accused of sexual abuse or harassment.

The brothers, Oren and Tal, have denied the allegations.

Still, the accusations have made some in the industry — which is dominated by women but mostly led by men — reflect on its permissive, decentralized culture that parties hard and, too often, multiple people told Business Insider, puts women into uncomfortable or dangerous situations.

While it's far from a mass reckoning like Hollywood's #MeToo movement, the series of accusations against major real estate players over the past year and a half has prompted some in the industry to look inward and consider whether its traditional practices and lack of uniform safety precautions may have contributed.

Sue Yannaccone, the president and CEO of Anywhere Real Estate Inc., which owns multiple real-estate-brokerage chains, including Century21, Coldwell Banker, and Corcoran, told Business Insider that real estate has more to do to address some of these issues.

"Real estate is not unlike other industries that have had to, unfortunately, reckon with a pattern of discrimination and harassment of women," Yannaccone said. "Holding offenders accountable is an important and effective step in our progress, and there is still more work to be done across all sectors to ensure women can always thrive in safe, supportive, and equitable work environments."

The lax structure and low barrier to entry in real estate often mean careers are built largely on an individual agent's personality and charisma. It can also create opportunities for bad behavior to go unchecked, said Brian Boero, the cofounder of 1000watt, a real-estate branding and marketing company.

With over 1.5 million agents or brokers in the United States, it's similar to "the Wild West," he said. He added that many of them operate as independent contractors, acting as free agents.

"You have really good people, and you have really bad people. It's hard to paint this industry as a whole with a broad brush," Boero said. "The employee relationship does not exist, and people can, more or less, do whatever they want with very little supervision."

A series of accusations

Oren and Tal Alexander first rose to prominence as real-estate agents at Douglas Elliman before splitting off to found their own brokerage, Official Partners.

The Alexander Team, as they were commonly known, sold over $260 million in real estate in New York in 2023, the real-estate industry trade publication The Real Deal reported.

The Alexanders "used their prominent positions in the industry to induce other women to attend events and parties" where they later sexually assaulted them, prosecutors said in an indictment earlier this month.

Prosecutors accused Oren, Tal, and a third brother Alon, who works at the family's security firm, of operating a sex-trafficking scheme in which the brothers — and others — victimized dozens of women dating back to 2010. The brothers obtained drugs to "surreptitiously" give the women and planned the assaults in advance, prosecutors said in the indictment.

Attorneys for the three brothers, whom police arrested in Florida earlier this month, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. The twins denied the allegations when they were first reported.

James Cinque, a New York attorney representing the Alexander brothers, told BI in response to a story published before their arrest outlining four women's claims of assault and sexual misconduct that he and his colleagues had "asked them not to comment while these matters work their way through the legal system." Cinque added they're "comfortable that they will ultimately be vindicated."

Meanwhile, the success of eXp, an emerging real-estate brokerage that has a market cap of about $1.8 billion, has been overshadowed by complaints of sexual misconduct against some of its agents.

Five female eXp employees, in two separate lawsuits filed in 2023, accused agents Michael Bjorkman and David Golden of drugging them at work-related events. Four of the women said they were also sexually assaulted, according to the lawsuits. The New York Times first reported the cases against Bjorkman and Golden.

Richard Schonfeld, an attorney representing Bjorkman, told BI that the lawsuits are "one side of the story." Peter Levine, a lawyer for Golden, didn't return requests for comment from BI but told the Times the charges against Golden were "baseless and without merit." Trial dates for both cases are set for 2025.

Representatives for eXp, who didn't return requests for comment from BI, emailed a statement to the Times, highlighting the industry's decentralized nature.

"The claims in this case stem from alleged assaults by independent real estate agents who were never eXp employees — which we handled with speed, seriousness, and deep respect as soon as the accusers brought it to our attention, in line with our values and with the law," it read.

The National Association of Realtors, the largest trade association for real-estate agents in the United States with more than 1.5 million members, is also facing troubling allegations.

One of the most notable involves Kenny Parcell, a Utah real-estate agent and former NAR president who resigned in August 2023 after The New York Times published an exposé detailing multiple accusations against him and the organization.

The Times' report was based on interviews with 29 current and former employees from NAR and its affiliates who said Parcell and other NAR and affiliated company leaders repeatedly engaged in abusive and inappropriate behavior, often without facing consequences.

In June 2023, Janelle Brevard filed a lawsuit against NAR, accusing the organization of sexual harassment, retaliation, and racial discrimination. In the lawsuit, Brevard, a Black woman, said she was fired from her role in podcasts, video, and marketing after ending a consensual relationship with Parcell.

Brevard ultimately withdrew her lawsuit after entering into an agreement with the organization, the Times reported. Brevard did not respond to repeated requests for comment from BI, and her attorney declined to comment.

"The allegations are not true," Parcell said in a four-page statement in 2023. "Nothing has changed" since then, he wrote in an email to Bl on December 23. "My resignation from NAR was in no way an admission of guilt — it was a good faith effort to put NAR and its members first," he said.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for NAR said the organization's "new leadership has undertaken a comprehensive review of our policies and procedures and continues to work every day to help NAR employees feel respected and supported."

Parties, star-agent culture, and a long road ahead

The real-estate industry can feel unsafe at times, especially for women, as the job has inherent risks. Agents are commonly expected to meet with clients, who might be strangers, alone at homes that could be secluded or lack cell reception.

In a NAR survey of 1,423 licensed real-estate agents this year, women agents were twice as likely as men to report experiencing a situation at work that made them fear for their safety, and 54% of women carried a weapon or self-defense tool compared to 47% of men.

Still, Boero said the industry's internal culture — its hard-partying traditions and the "cult of the superstar" — also presented problems.

"The Alexander brothers were like that: high-profile, flashy, wealthy, did a ton of business. We tend to elevate, emulate, and worship those types of figures in this business. And they're not always men, but they frequently are," he said. "There is this cult of the top producer in the business that, I think, has maybe obscured bad behavior over the years."

Parties are also a central, sometimes problematic, component of real-estate culture. In an industry where success is often tied to how connected you are, brokers often frequent social events to meet and mingle with other brokers, current clients, and prospective clients.

"Parties and awards and all of that stuff is very big in this business, which means there's a lot of partying and drinking, sometimes at scale," Boero said, "which, again, sometimes creates the conditions within which bad people can do bad things."

Brooke Cohen, one of the attorneys representing all five plaintiffs in the eXp cases, told BI that socializing is often essential in real estate as an opportunity for making deals, networking, and advancing your career.

That means women can find themselves in uncomfortable environments. "It's important that in this industry some parameters are put in place," Cohen said. "We really would like it to be better for people who have to attend these events to do business."

Yannaccone said women's prevalence in the industry motivated her to create What Moves Her, a program that supports women in real-estate leadership.

"Our work is just one piece of a larger effort toward progress that includes not just the many brave voices of female agents and leaders, but many of our male counterparts as well," she said. "It's our hope that through our collective effort, we can help create an industry that truly operates on shared values of integrity, accountability, and good governance."

• France sent dozens of tank-killing armored vehicles to Ukraine to counter Russia's invasion.
• The vehicles were designed for recon and fire support but were ineffective on Ukraine's front lines.
• Instead, Ukraine repurposed the so-called "light tanks" as self-propelled artillery.

France is among several Western nations aiding Ukraine with both training and weaponry in a bid to turn the tide in its nearly three-year-long war with Russia.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, France has delivered military equipment and weaponry valuing more than 2.6 billion euros, in addition to training nearly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the country's defense ministry.

Over the last few months, a French military task force trained a brigade of Ukrainian troops on effective fighting tactics and how to use French-supplied military weaponry, including the tank-destroying AMX-10 armored vehicle.

French and Ukrainian officials have referred to the AMX-10 as a "light tank," but it lacks the large-caliber armament and tracks typically equipped on tanks. Its light aluminum armor left it vulnerable to Russian artillery.

Better described as an armored reconnaissance vehicle, Ukraine initially struggled to effectively use the AMX-10 in its frontline defenses, instead adapting the vehicle's operations to the Ukrainian battlefield.

France's tank-killing armored vehicle

Hailed for its tank-killing capabilities and operational flexibility, France sent Ukraine more than three dozen AMX-10RC armored vehicles to bolster its frontline defenses.

Developed in the late 1970s, the so-called "wheeled tank" was designed for reconnaissance and close-fire support. It was used to scout and identify enemy positions while armed to rapidly fire on hostile threats.

The 30-foot, 18-ton armored vehicle has a range of about 500 miles and travels at speeds of about 37 mph on roads and about 9 mph off-road; it has less off-road maneuverability than tracked vehicles like tanks.

After about a decade of service, France stopped producing the AMX-10RC in favor of more advanced combat vehicles like the ERBC Jaguar, an armored scout vehicle armed with two anti-tank missiles and a 40mm gun.

Inside the AMX-10RC

The AMX-10 has a turret with two 7.62mm machine guns and a 105mm cannon, which is powerful enough to destroy a tank at close range.

Ukrainian forces operate both the AMX-10RC and AMX-10RCR, an improved variant of the armored vehicle featuring upgraded ceramic armor, more advanced optronics systems like thermal sights, and a self-defense system that automatically launches smoke grenades and decoys.

The AMX-10 can carry a crew of four people — a machine commander, a gunner, a loader, and a driver.

It can carry up to 38 shells for its main gun and 4,000 rounds for its machine guns. An AMX-10 crew featured on Ukraine's state-run Army TV said the vehicle's rate of fire can range from five to 12 rounds per minute, depending on the loader's efficiency.

Adapting to combat in Ukraine

Ukrainian troops initially struggled to integrate the AMX-10RC into their frontline strategy. The vintage armored vehicle's light aluminum armor left it vulnerable in high-intensity conflict zones, especially against Russia's more advanced artillery and defense systems.

Instead, Ukrainian forces took advantage of the wheeled platform's maneuverability and repurposed the armored fighting vehicles as self-propelled artillery that could engage hostile targets from afar.

The AMX-10 in action

Army TV, run by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, captured the AMX-10's capabilities in action in a video posted last week.

While filming a segment aboard the AMX-10, the Ukrainian soldiers and the television crew came under attack by a Russian drone. The personnel and TV crew weren't harmed, and the vehicle was not damaged.

Equipping and training Ukraine

In September, thousands of Ukrainian troops — most of whom had only a few weeks of basic training — were sent to eastern and southern France to hone their skills on the battlefield against Russia.

Named "Anne of Kyiv" after the former Ukrainian princess who became a queen of France, French authorities said the brigade will eventually consist of up to 4,500 troops specializing in infantry battalions, engineering units, artillery teams, and other roles.

The newly trained brigade is set to be armed with various French-supplied military assets and weaponry, including armored vehicles, artillery cannons, and anti-tank and antiaircraft missile systems.

A military task force of about 1,500 French soldiers trained Ukraine's troops on effective fighting strategies and skills and how to use and maintain the French-supplied equipment. Over 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers completed the training in France in late November.

"They have improved a lot," a French colonel told the Associated Press. "Now, they are able to fight. They are able to maneuver. They are able to use the different specialists and to use the different equipment they will have on the battlefield."

• I had the rare opportunity to fly in a historic jet trainer ahead of the Pacific Airshow in October.
• The T-33 Shooting Star was used to train US Air Force pilots on jet aircraft until the early 1960s.
• The flight was an unforgettable glimpse into aviation history as modern fighters rule the skies.

Strapped in the rear seat of the T-33's cockpit, I triple-checked the buckles and straps securing me. The clear bubble canopy sealed shut with a click, shutting out the aircraft's engine roar.

As someone who has solely flown on commercial airliners and once on a puddle jumper in Alaska, I didn't know what to expect until the jet's mounting speed on the runway pressed me back into my seat. The rush of adrenaline pulled my focus away from the sensation of the wheels leaving the ground as the world below transformed into a patchwork of shrinking buildings and roads.

As the sunset painted wispy clouds in a red-orange glow, I felt transported back to the Jet Age's earliest days, when competency at this aircraft's stick and analog controls was a make-or-break for US Air Force trainees.

Developed by Lockheed Corporation, the T-33 Shooting Star was a subsonic jet trainer designed to transition Air Force pilots from propeller-driven aircraft to the emerging era of jet propulsion in the late 1940s.

But the hourlong flight in the run-up to the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, California, taught me to appreciate the iconic aircraft that paved the way for the cutting-edge jets that dominate today's skies.

America's first jet trainer

The US was among several countries around the world ushering in a new era of fighter aircraft toward the end of World War II.

The T-33 Shooting Star was instrumental in transitioning early military aviators — then already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft — to fighter jets. The jet trainer was a direct offshoot of the single-seat P-80 Shooting Star, one of the first operational jet fighters flown by the US Air Force, adding another seat to the cockpit to accommodate both student and instructor.

Equipped with a turbojet engine, the T-33 could reach speeds of up to 600 mph and altitudes of up to 45,000 feet. Just shy of 40 feet long, the jet trainer had a large clear bubble canopy, providing ample visibility to the pilots in the two-seat cockpit decked out with various flight indicators and engine gauges.

Lockheed manufactured over 5,000 so-called "T-Birds" between 1948 and 1959, used by air forces around the world until the fleet was slowly phased out starting in the 1980s. The US Air Force retired its last T-33, a variant modified for aerodynamic research, in 1997, ending the storied aircraft's five-decade tenure with the service.

While the T-Bird no longer trains military pilots, the aircraft's legacy has been preserved in aerial museums and heritage flights.

Seasoned airshow pilot

I flew with Greg "Wired" Colyer, a longtime performer at the Pacific Airshow. Colyer founded Ace Maker Aviation, operating three T-33 aircraft for aerial demonstrations like airshows.

A US Army veteran and aviation enthusiast, Colyer completed his fixed-wing training while studying at the US Navy's Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

He told Business Insider he wanted to fly military helicopters until a knee injury prompted him to instead work as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration for nearly three decades.

In 2008, Colyer restored his first T-Bird, aptly naming the historic jet trainer the "Ace Maker," teaching himself aerobatic maneuvers for airshows across the US. Aside from airshows, the California native also works as a test pilot instructor for the US Navy and Air Force.

Over the next decade, he added two more T-33s, the Ace Maker II and Ace Maker III, the latter of which I flew in.

"It was just one of my favorite planes as a kid," Colyer said. "It was our very first jet trainer and just an iconic piece of US history."

During the Pacific Airshow, Colyer put the T-33's capabilities on full display, dazzling spectators below with his self-taught aerobatic maneuvers.

The airshow also featured performances from the F-22 Raptor, a fifth-generation stealth jet considered to be the top US air superiority fighter. The Thunderbirds, the Air Force's aerial demonstration squadron, also wowed crowds at the airshow, flying in tight formations at near-supersonic speeds in F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

Inside the cockpit

After haphazardly climbing atop the T-33's wing, I peered into the cockpit and was immediately intimidated by the crowded display of gauges and controls.

As a Cold War-era aircraft, the T-33 didn't feature the digital displays or avionics that are routine on more advanced fighter jets. The T-Bird had primarily analog controls, leaving the pilot responsible for manually controlling the plane's speed, altitude, and flight path.

Colyer walked me through a crash course of the T-33's rear instrument panels — the airspeed indicator, altimeter, turn coordinator, heading indicator, radio controls, and various fuel and engine gauges monitoring temperature, pressure, and fuel state.

As a tandem trainer, the backseat also had a yoke and rudder pedals, allowing student pilots to practice controls and maneuvers. I was explicitly instructed not to mess with either.

Though rudimentary to an experienced pilot, I could see how it would benefit early military aviators to develop essential skills for operating the advanced jet aircraft of the time.

As a journalist, however, the mechanics of the aircraft were lost on me, but I paid close attention to two controls in the cockpit:

1. The switch that muted my transceiver so I wouldn't distract the pilot.
2. The lever that operated the plane's rocket-powered emergency ejection seat — for obvious reasons.

Preparing for takeoff

As Colyer strapped into the pilot seat, I settled in the seat behind him, my head barely peeking over the edge of the cockpit.

I adjusted my flight helmet and oxygen mask, snapping a few shameless selfies to show off in group chats with my friends and family after the flight.

Colyer's voice crackled in my headset as he communicated with the control tower. In an instant, the plane's engine roared to life as the plane taxied the airfield in Orange County.

A thrilling takeoff

With one final check-in, I signaled my OK with a meager thumbs-up to the pilot before we sped down the runway and into the air.

The acceleration pinned me against the seat, and I peered at the blurring silhouettes of buildings and aircraft surrounding us, slowly shrinking as we gained altitude.

Panoramic views

I had to stifle my gasp — lest I distract Colyer while he operated the aircraft — as we were soon graced with an unobstructed view of the skies through the glass canopy.

Experiencing the T-33 in action

While Colyer spared me from the thrills — and terrors — of complex airshow maneuvers, I was still acutely aware of the G-forces pressing down on me with every sharp movement of the aircraft.

A slight nudge of the yoke sent us banking into a turn, the horizon tilting dramatically. I was repeatedly startled by urgent beeping from the control panel, only to be reassured by Colyer that it was because the plane was idling to maintain slower speeds.

He said the T-33 was only going around 250 mph — a fraction of what the jet trainer was capable of and nearly half the speed he normally goes during airshow performances.

Trainers flying in tandem

We were accompanied by a former US Navy Texan T-6 during the flight demonstration. A fellow trainer aircraft, the T-6 is a two-seat jet trainer produced by Raytheon Aircraft in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The T-6 was primarily used to train students in basic flying skills through the Air Force and Navy's entry-level training program known as the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System.

T-33 touchdown

Time seemed to pass more slowly as we flew for about an hour, constrained by the fuel capacity of the T-33, which burns about 300 gallons per hour.

Descending back toward the runway, the adrenaline began to ebb before Colyer informed me that he would partially pop open the canopy to create additional drag upon landing. Lowering the visor on my flight helmet, I braced myself against rushing winds as the T-33 touched down with a thud and rolled to a halt on the tarmac.

The sky is the limit

After sharing the cockpit selfies and views with friends and family, I fielded a number of questions about the flight and whether I got to deploy any onboard weapons (trainer aircraft are not armed). It was a chance to reflect on the unforgettable experience.

In short, we flew in circles over Orange County, cruising at speeds slower than commercial passenger planes. I then spent the rest of the time ahead of the Pacific Airshow talking with demo pilots who operated more advanced frontline fighters.

But the experience was more than just a golden-hour flight in a vintage military jet trainer. The intense rumble of the turbojet engine, the array of analog gauges and controls, and sweeping views through the canopy offered a glimpse into what it must have felt like for early military aviators mastering jet-powered flight for the first time.

While I'm still holding out on future familiarization flight rides on modern fighter jets, my flight on the T-Bird will serve as a constant reminder of just how far US military aviation has come.

Actor shot to fame after being cast in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play when she was just 15

Virginia's top legislative Democrat sounded an alarm over President-elect Trump's Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) plan to tell a portion of the federal workforce "you're fired" for efficiency's sake.

The state Senate's top Republican responded Thursday by saying the majority party is "asking the wrong question."

Earlier this week, House Speaker Don Scott Jr. wrote a letter to the commonwealth's unemployment agency warning of the fallout from such a plan and a potential uptick in unemployment claims.

"We should all be concerned about what these changes mean for the employees raising their families in Virginia, paying taxes in Virginia and calling Virginia home," Scott wrote to Virginia Employment Commissioner Demetrios Melis in a letter reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

TOP DOGE SENATOR DEMANDS LAME-DUCK BIDEN AGENCIES HALT COSTLY TELEWORK, CITING VOTER MANDATE

"Taking President-elect Trump at his word that he will immediately move to downsize the workforce and relocate agencies, we can safely assume that a large portion of our workforce that resides in the commonwealth will be negatively affected," added Scott, D-Portsmouth.

Scott reportedly said he believes Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area he represents would be hardest-hit.

"I have concerns that, in the coming months, not only will our nation experience a mass increase in unemployment due to the proposed changes to our government. But, more importantly, those changes will have a detrimental effect on Virginians, our commonwealth’s unemployment rate and our economy overall," he told the Times-Dispatch.

However, Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-New Kent, said the concept of DOGE addresses a greater concern for Virginians and U.S. taxpayers when it comes to fiscally responsible governance.

"That's the wrong question," McDougle said in an interview Thursday.

YOUNGKIN ‘PERSONALLY INVITES’ NEW TRUMP ADMIN TO SETTLE IN VA OVER MD, DC

"The question should be whether we are taking dollars that Virginians are earning and paying to the federal government and whether they are being spent wisely.

"If the federal government is paying people to do jobs they shouldn't be doing, then that's spending taxpayer dollars unwisely."

Trump's DOGE co-leader, Vivek Ramaswamy, previously told Fox Business, "We expect mass reductions … [and] certain agencies to be deleted outright." 

Ramaswamy's counterpart, Elon Musk, has expressed similar sentiments, including a tweet stating, "Delete CFPB," a reference to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Additionally, Sen. Joni Ernst, the Iowa Republican seen as the top DOGE lawmaker in the upper chamber, is spearheading a bill to relocate about one-third of federal workers outside the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia area. The legislation proposed by Ernst has a lengthy acronym, the DRAIN THE SWAMP Act.

Ernst also demanded answers from Biden agency heads about work-from-home policies their staffs enjoy.

In his remarks Thursday, McDougle added that if Democrats were so concerned about the subject, they should have balked at plans to funnel Virginia taxpayer funds to the Washington-area Metro system to "subsidize" the lack of ridership from telework policies criticized by Ernst.

"I didn't feel our Democratic friends were as concerned with the millions of dollars going to fund Metro amid [federal workers not being required to] go into the office and having to subsidize them," McDougle said.

Virginia's 2024 budget included about $144 million in Metro funding. Metro CEO Randy Clarke said in June the transit agency found an additional $50 million in efficiencies for its nearly $5 billion budget, according to multiple reports.

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Earlier this month, a top Democrat on the state House Labor Committee, said she was "very disappointed" with a response from representatives for Gov. Glenn Youngkin when she voiced concerns about potential federal workforce cuts.

State Delegate Candi Mundon King, D-Dumfries, noted in November that thousands of federal workers live in the state and in her district and called DOGE's plan "disastrous" after the Virginia Republican Party touted the "streamlin[ing of] government bureaucracy" as "good for all Americans, including Virginians."

Mundon King's district sits in the Washington exurb of Prince William County, which, for many years, was led by high-profile conservative Corey Stewart but has recently swung heavily Democratic.

"No wonder Northern Virginia has lost faith in Virginia Republicans," Mundon King said.

Youngkin, a successful business executive before entering politics, previously said anyone who leaves the private sector to work in government will immediately recognize it needs drastic adjustments.

"Whether it's me coming into state government in Virginia or President Trump coming back into the federal government, [we] know it is inefficient. It does not work with the same efficiency you would expect out of a business," he told The Daily Progress of Charlottesville.

Government efficiency plans "may result in some job losses for the federal government. … The great thing about the Commonwealth of Virginia is we have nearly 300,000 jobs that are unfilled," he added.

Melis similarly told Scott Virginia is "well prepared" to adapt to changes in employment figures and reassured Mundon King earlier this month that some of the concerns voiced were premature, according to The Roanoke Times.

Youngkin earlier this month invited workers in Trump's incoming administration to choose Virginia as their place of residence over Maryland or the District of Columbia, citing, in part, lower taxes and better-ranked schools.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez said Virginia's economy was "stagnant" and the unemployment system "in shambles" when the Republican took office after eight years of Democratic governorship.

"Commonsense policies to lower the cost of living and bring real business-like efficiency to government have helped fix both," Martinez said.

"The governor appreciates Speaker Scott’s recent commitments to support further tax relief, which, along with a roaring economy and over 300,000 open jobs, means Virginia is in a great position as the president works to shrink the bloated federal government."

• There were some great TV shows in 2024, but only 15 earned a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
• The list includes a British spy series, a docuseries about Simone Biles, and a crime drama.
• Here are the shows that got 100% on Rotten Tomatoes in 2024.

2024 has been a solid year for television as shows like "House of the Dragon," "Fallout," and "Baby Reindeer" got audiences talking.

But while those three, in particular, were very successful, they didn't receive the hallowed 100% rating on the reviews aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. ("Baby Reindeer" got 99%)

Instead, the list of perfect scorers includes a British Apple TV+ show about hapless MI5 spies, an animated series based on "League of Legends," and a crime drama based on books by Michael Connelly.

Here are all the shows that received a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Note: All scores were current on the date of publication.

"Slow Horses"

Synopsis: "A dysfunctional team of MI5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb, navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces."

Critics' consensus: "The stakes get more personal than ever before in Slow Horses' superb fourth season, proving that this spy series is saddled up for the long haul with no signs of fatigue."

"Pachinko"

Synopsis: "The hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive.

Critics' consensus: "Pachinko's second season continues the travails and triumphs of the Baek family with ever-expanding breadth without missing a beat, further cementing this soulful series as one of television's best."

"Arcane: League of Legends" season two

Synopsis: "The origins of two League champions, set in the utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun."

Critics' consensus: "Expansive in scope while hurtling towards the endgame at a rollicking pace, Arcane's second and final season is a supremely satisfying capper to an epic saga."

"Heartstopper" season three

Synopsis: "Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love."

Critics' consensus: "Heartstopper maintains its ooey gooey goodness while still allowing its young protagonists to grow in this fun, loving new season."

"Matlock"

Synopsis: "Brilliant septuagenarian Madeline 'Matty' Matlock, who, after achieving success in her younger years, decides to rejoin the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within."

Critics' consensus: "Case closed -- this Matlock reboot is a winner thanks to the ever reliable Kathy Bates and the intriguing wrinkle it puts on the legendary series' original concept."

"Girls5eva"

Synopsis: "When a one-hit-wonder girl group from the 1990s gets sampled by a young rapper, its members reunite to give their pop star dreams one more shot -- this time while balancing spouses, kids, jobs, debt, aging parents, and shoulder pain."

Critics' consensus: "Sustaining a high note with enough finesse to go platinum, Girls5Eva's third season is just as daffy and jubilant as the first two."

"Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos"

Synopsis: "Acclaimed filmmaker Alex Gibney delves deep into the psyche of renowned Sopranos creator and writer, David Chase, to illuminate his life and career while offering a unique window into his unparalleled work on the iconic program.

Critics' consensus: "A thorough dissection of The Sopranos that gleans insight into both its production process and creator David Chase himself, 'Wise Guy' is essential viewing for fans of one of television's landmarks."

"Colin From Accounts"

Synopsis: "Ashley and Gordon are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog, and learn to navigate life together while showing their true selves, scars and all.

Critics' consensus: "Retaining its first season's laidback charms without resting on its hind legs, Colin from Accounts' second outing is as cranky, funny, and delightful as ever.

"Supacell"

Synopsis: "In South London, a group of normal people suddenly develop superpowers, and the only apparent connection between them is that they are all Black; as they deal with the impact of their powers on their daily lives, one man must bring them together."

Critics' consensus: "Finding a fresh approach to the superhero genre, Supacell works as both a savvy social commentary and satisfying entertainment."

"Such Brave Girls" season two

Synopsis: "Single mother Deb and her two daughters, Josie and Billie, attempt to piece their lives back together after their narcissistic father and husband finally leaves them."

Critics' consensus: "Painfully funny and sometimes just downright painful, Such Brave Girls is a spiky showcase for its trio of stars.

"Simone Biles: Rising"

Synopsis: "Simone Biles, the gymnastics superstar, withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns; after a hiatus, she embarked on a journey to rebuild her skills and mental fortitude, preparing for her triumphant return."

Critics' consensus: "Pairing the visual spectacle of Simon Biles' prowess with intimate insight into what makes her tick, Rising is an outstanding portrait of a champion."

"The Lincoln Lawyer" season three

Synopsis: "Idealistic lawyer Mickey Haller runs practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car, taking on cases big and small across Los Angeles."

What critics said: Rotten Tomatoes doesn't have a critics' consensus for the show, but the reviews it included said "The Lincoln Lawyer" packs enough twists into season three without trying to overdo things. It knows that it's a slick procedural series and it has fun exploring its core cast through the lens of a dramatic mystery.

"Geek Girl"

Synopsis: "Awkward teen Harriet strives to fit in, then she gets scouted by a top London model agent and learns that some people are meant to stand out."

What critics said: "Geek Girl" also doesn't have a critics' consensus, but the reviews praised the series for its wholesome Cinderella-like storyline. Some critics also applauded Emily Carey for her lovably awkward performance as Harriet Manners.

"Delicious in Dungeon"

Synopsis: "Adventurers make a foray into a cursed buried kingdom to save their friend, cooking up a storm along the way."

What critics said: Despite not having a critics' consensus, the reviews suggest that "Delicious in Dungeon" is a delightful watch and never takes itself too seriously, while also building out its world in an interesting way.

"House of Ninjas"

Synopsis: "Years after retiring from their formidable ninja lives, a dysfunctional family must return to shadowy missions to counteract a string of looming threats."

What critics said: The handful of reviews praised "House of Ninjas" for deconstructing a typical family dynamic through the lens of being warriors. Some said that it does struggle to balance its darker themes with moments of romance.