• I booked a shared sleeper cabin on an overnight train from Austria to Italy in October 2022.
• I thought a sleeper train would be the best way to maximize my days while exploring Europe.
• A few surprises along the way, such as a lack of privacy and a restless night, changed my mind.

When I decided to squeeze four countries into a two-week backpacking trip to Europe, I traveled by train. It was my first time visiting Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, so I wanted to maximize my time exploring each country.

When I realized that my train ride from Vienna to Venice, Italy, would be 11 hours long, I thought traveling through the night seemed like the best way to free up my days. Sharing a sleeper cabin with strangers also helped me do it on a budget.

My ticket, which cost $84, included a bunk in a shared cabin and a light breakfast. I was excited to move through the night and spend my days adventuring.

But a few surprises along the way made me think that, ultimately, this ride wasn't worth the time saved.

I traveled from Austria to Italy on the OBB Nightjet, a train that operates overnight routes between Austria, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.

OBB Nightjet trains travel overnight to more than 25 European cities, from Rome to Amsterdam, and can go as fast as 143 mph.

Nightjet trains have seating carriages, as well as sleeper cars with private cabins and bunks of three, four, or six. I booked the latter.

When I arrived at the Vienna train station, I paid $10 to access the OBB Lounge. I was surprised that it was empty aside from me — a stark contrast to the crowded station where I couldn't find a seat.

My journey began in Austria's Wien Meidling train station. I arrived 90 minutes before my 9:35 p.m. train was due to depart, and the waiting areas were so crowded that I couldn't find one empty seat. Then, I noticed a lounge for OBB guests.

The lounge is free for first-class OBB passengers traveling during the day and costs about $10 for all other OBB passengers who pay to access it, which is what I did. 

Since I thought the fee was inexpensive and the station was so packed, I was surprised to find no other travelers inside.

The lounge had plenty of tables and chairs, as well as complimentary refreshments such as coffee, nuts, and seeds. The selection was smaller than I'd seen at Amtrak's Metropolitan Lounge, which I've visited in New York, but I wasn't hungry, so I just got a water bottle and settled into a chair to wait until it was time to board my train.

When I went to the platform, I didn't expect boarding the correct train to be so confusing.

I went to the platform about 20 minutes before my train's scheduled departure and was shocked to see a screen that said my train was going to Zurich. This made me worry that I booked the wrong sleeper train.

But at the information desk, I learned that the train's cars detach at various stations to go to different locations. I had to board my assigned train car to reach my ticketed final destination; each car had a number.

When my train arrived, I didn't have time to check the train-car number before boarding. So I went to the closest car and asked an attendant to guide me to my car and room.

I knew my cabin would be small, but once on board, I was still shocked when I saw it for the first time.

According to OBB Nightjet, my cabin was built to fit six people inside a 74-square-foot space.

I expected it to be a tight space, but seeing it in person made me realize that 74 square feet is smaller than I thought.

One traveler was already there when I boarded, and two others arrived within an hour. Those two got off around 5 a.m., and the other stayed past my stop. We said hello to each other upon arrival, but other than that, the room was quiet. Some of us were on devices, while others slept. 

I was surprised by how little personal space I had, even when it was still just one other passenger and me. I couldn't imagine six people squeezing in there, and I was grateful we weren't booked to the max.

But I still felt cramped when there were four of us, especially with everyone's luggage around.

I expected each bunk to have a curtain for privacy, but the beds were completely exposed. This made me feel less comfortable.

Since the space was shared, I hoped to find curtains at the front of each bunk to ensure privacy, but there was nothing to block the space between myself and other passengers.

This made me feel more uncomfortable than I expected. While another traveler changed their clothes in front of me inside the room, I preferred to change in private and chose to instead go to the shared bathroom at the end of the sleeper car.

I didn't think I'd have to wake up other passengers to use the bathroom. But the room's lock was only accessible from a top bunk where someone was sleeping.

When I first entered the cabin, I learned the bunks were first-come, first-served. I opted for a bottom bunk since I'd previously found top bunks on other trains bumpier through the night.

But I didn't realize that the person on the top bunk would be the unofficial controller of the door lock since it was only accessible from their bed.

When I went to the bathroom to wash up and change around 10:30 p.m., the top-bunk passenger had just arrived and was still awake. But at around 2 a.m., I found myself lying awake with a full bladder because I didn't want to disturb her. Eventually, I couldn't hold it anymore and reluctantly woke her up. 

It was a little awkward, and I felt bad for disrupting her sleep. The whole experience made me think I may have preferred the top bunk anyway. I'd rather have someone wake me than wake someone else up.

I thought I'd get a decent amount of rest in the sleeper cabin with a lie-flat bed, but the ride was so bumpy and uncomfortable that I struggled to fall asleep.

Since I had a lie-flat bed in the cabin, as well as bed sheets and a pillow provided by the train, I thought I'd be able to sleep soundly.

But when bedtime came around, I was surprised to find the bed and bedding didn't matter much.

I found the bed uncomfortable. I only got a couple of hours of sleep and woke up several times during the night due to other travelers entering and exiting the room or the bumpiness of the train. For most of the night, I watched TV on my iPad since I had such a hard time sleeping.

"Offering our passengers a high level of travel comfort is an important concern for us," a representative for OBB Nightjet told Business Insider.

The statement continued, "We are constantly working on improvements to our product and also take into account the requirements of our customers."

In 2023, Nightjet upgraded its overnight trains with more spacious shared sleeper cabins and new bunks.

When I got to Venice, I realized I was wrong about my expectations of a shared sleeper cabin. I didn't feel rested, which was the entire reason I booked it.

When I got off the train in Venice, I was exhausted from the lack of sleep. I thought it made my first day in the city less enjoyable, which was perhaps the most surprising element of my ride since the entire reason I booked this train was to feel rested.

These surprises taught me that a shared cabin on an overnight train isn't the right choice for me.

While sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination, in this case, I'd rather arrive feeling refreshed so I can enjoy where I'm going.

A year after my trip, I booked another overnight ride in a Nightjet private cabin. It was worth the upgrade.

I learned my lesson during that shared cabin ride. So, when I went back to Europe in November 2023, I booked the train line's top-tier accommodation for an overnight trip from Venice to Vienna — a private cabin. 

It was worth the $200 price tag for a private, 30-square-foot space with a vanity, wash basin, and storage space. I slept like a baby. 

From now on, I'll only book private cabins for overnight train rides. 

• South Korea completed major maintenance on a US Navy supply vessel for the first time.
• Doing maintenance in the region reduces downtime and costs, US Naval Forces Korea said.
• Officials and experts have said that South Korea may have some answers to US shipbuilding woes.

In a strategically significant first as the US military looks for options to repair and maintain ships in the priority Indo-Pacific theater, a South Korean shipyard has completed large-scale maintenance work on a US Navy supply ship.

Earlier this week, South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean finished up repairs on USNS Wally Schirra, a Military Sealift Command Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship. The regular overhaul (ROH) took seven months.

Per Military Sealift Command, this is the first time a South Korean shipyard has bid on and won an ROH contract of this scale for this type of vessel. Smaller voyage repairs take place regularly at allied yards.

It's "a landmark achievement," Rear. Admiral. Neil Koprowski, Commander, US Naval Forces Korea, said, noting that "maintenance in theater reduces downtime and costs, while enhancing operational readiness."

The maintenance included addressing "extensive deterioration and damage to the hull, propeller, rudder, and rudder post/steering gear," Cmdr. Patrick J. Moore, commanding office, MSC Office-Korea, said.

The Wally Schirra is part of the US Navy's Combat Logistic Force, vessels that keep US Navy vessels supplied with fuel, food, spare parts, and other critical needs.

"Notably, Hanwha engineers reverse-engineered the damaged rudder, completely replacing the unit when blueprint were not available," Moore said. "This saved significant time and resources in getting Wally Schirra back to sea, a testament to their resilient supply chains, advanced automations, and skilled workforce."

The repairs come as leaders in Washington are addressing American shipbuilding problems, and some officials and experts have indicated South Korea and other Pacific allies may have some solutions.

South Korea boasts the second largest shipbuilding industry in the world behind China and has been identified by US officials and naval affairs experts as an example for how to fix some problems in American shipbuilding.

Earlier this week, a House Armed Services Committee's Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee hearing included discussions on what lessons the US could take from South Korea and Japan's shipbuilders.

Some bigger takeaways included adopting their approaches to in-house worker training, certain ways of addressing capability, operations, and material management issues, and the design and construction processes.

Ronald O'Rourke, a naval affairs specialist and longtime Congressional Research Service analyst, pointed specifically to South Korea's ship designs. The country tends to construct larger sections that improve worker access and straighter, less convoluted pipes "with a strong focus on reducing the labor hours needed to produce them."

O'Rourke noted that South Korea and Japan's shipbuilding models feature many practices for world-class shipbuilding standards and efficient shipyard operations.

Past US Navy leadership has praised these two US allies for their shipbuilding prowess. The last Navy secretary was particularly impressed by the digitization and real-time monitoring for timely deliveries at South Korean shipyards.

More broadly, the recent hearing focused on what Congress and the Navy needed to do to address dire US shipbuilding problems and the Navy's top programs running overtime and over budget.

Fixing those issues has become as a top priority for the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump's pick for secretary of the navy. But experts, analysts, and officials have noted that many of the US' shipbuilding woes are decades-old challenges that won't be fixed overnight.

• President Donald Trump swapped his private jet for VIP government aircraft, including Air Force One.
• Government and military officials have access to private jets, helicopters, and a "flying war room."
• Trump hopes to receive a new fleet of Air Force One 747s before the end of his term in 2029.

President Donald Trump has once again ditched his prized personal private jet for an arsenal of VIP government aircraft.

The most famous is Air Force One, a pair of highly modified Boeing 747 double-deckers that have flown every president since George H. W. Bush beginning in 1990.

But there are many lesser-known government VIP aircraft, including a flying command center, smaller Boeing narrowbodies, private jets, and helicopters responsible for shuttling the president and vice president, military and congressional leaders, cabinet members, and more. Members of the press are also regularly invited on board.

Branches of the US military maintain and operate the fleet of aircraft, and military pilots are employed for the highly specialized missions. The aviators need thousands of hours of flying and combat experience.

The fleet is poised to change as the Trump Administration hopes to acquire new 747 planes to replace the aging Air Force One collection, though that may not happen until after his second term.

Air Force One Boeing 747s generally carry the president.

Air Force One has flown US presidents for decades — though the codename generally refers to any aircraft carrying the president. According to the White House, it is equipped with armored plating, missile defenses, midair refueling systems, and 4,000 square feet of floor space across three different levels.

This includes bedrooms, conference rooms, a flying Oval Office, a medical center complete with a doctor, and kitchens.

There are rooms onboard for administration members, such as advisors and the Secret Service, as well as the press and other invited guests.

Trump is not happy his new 747s are late

During his first administration, Trump struck a $3.9 billion deal with Boeing to receive two new 747s to replace the now 35-year-old fleet. The agreement saw Boeing take on any additional costs, which now total over $2 billion.

Boeing did not meet the initially expected delivery date of 2024 amid its recent quality and manufacturing problems. The Wall Street Journal reported in December the 747 deliveries may not happen until 2029 or later — and Trump isn't happy about it.

Trump has tasked senior advisor Elon Musk with fast-tracking the Boeing deliveries in hopes he can enjoy them before leaving office.

Air Force Two Boeing 757s carry the vice president.

A fleet of C-32 aircraft, which are modified Boeing 757 passenger jetliners, carry people like the vice president, the first lady, and members of the Cabinet and Congress.

These are dubbed "Air Force Two" when the vice president is onboard.

According to the US Air Force, the plane is divided into four sections. Three contain business or first-class seats, conference rooms, galleys, lavatories, and a communication center.

A separate section is a stateroom for the main guest and includes a private lavatory, a bed, and a changing room, among other personal necessities.

Some top officials fly around in VIP Boeing 737s.

Combatant commanders, cabinet members, and Congresspeople can fly in the US fleet of customized Boeing 737-700 business planes. The USAF's models — the C-40B and C-40C — have advanced performance capabilities, traffic avoidance systems, and weather radar.

According to the USAF, the C-40B is built as an "office in the sky" for top military and government officials and has special communications systems that support WiFi, video, audio, and other transmission equipment.

The C-40C lacks the specialized comms but can be configured with a larger passenger cabin with seats for 42 to 111 people. The Navy has a C-40A "Clipper" 737, but it rarely carries high-ranking government officials.

The presidential helicopter fleet is dubbed Marine One.

The US Marine Corps HMX-1"Nighthawks" manages a fleet of helicopters that are dubbed "Marine One" when the president is on board.

The helicopters adorn a recognizable green-and-white livery and have anti-missile systems and soundproof interiors.

Two models perform presidential missions: the 14-passenger Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King and the 11-passenger VH-60N Blackhawk. The Blackhawks can be folded into military cargo aircraft and transported with the president to support them at their destination.

Several branches of the military carry VIPs in Gulfstream private jets.

Branches of the military operate customized US-made Gulfstream C-37 twin-engine aircraft to transport high-ranking government and Department of Defense officials.

The USAF's C-37B variant can carry the vice president and cabinet members. When carrying the vice president, the Gulfstream would become Air Force Two.

These Gulfstreams have luxe furnishings and advanced safety and security technologies, such as enhanced autopilot and modern vision systems for poor-visibility weather conditions.

The E-4B 'Nightwatch' Boeing 747 is on standby for nuclear war.

The E-4B "Nightwatch" is primarily an airborne operations center that can carry the president, the secretary of defense, the joint chiefs of staff, and other needed personnel in case of a national emergency, such as a nuclear war.

Dubbed the "flying war room" or the "doomsday plane," the fleet is stationed in Omaha, Nebraska and one is available 27/4. The E-4B has a conference, communications, and briefing room, other work areas, and accommodations.

Like Air Force One, the E-4B can refuel midair to allow it to fly nonstop for days. The distinctive hump on the top holds specialized communications and satellite equipment.

In addition to wartime, the E-4B is used by SecDef for international travel and to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency during natural disasters.

The government has other aircraft for troops, top military officials, and cargo.

The military has a fleet of other large transport aircraft available for troops, VIP military officials, and cargo to support the president and other government staff, disaster relief, and humanitarian aid.

These include the C-130 Hercules, the nose-loading C-5 Galaxy, and the C-17 Globemaster. Multiple branches also operate smaller private jets, like the C-20G Gulfstream and the C-21 Learjet.

The customized Gulfstream and Learjet largely carry military officials and other dignitaries, though the latter also ferries medical patients for the USAF. Meanwhile, the C-17 can transport Marine One.

• I attended the opening of the first Applebee's and IHOP dual-branded restaurant in Seguin, Texas.
• I tried five exclusive dishes you won't find at stand-alone Applebee's or IHOP restaurants.
• The Buffalo chicken omelet and sirloin steak and eggs both impressed me in terms of taste and value.

I recently attended the grand opening of the Applebee's-IHOP dual-branded restaurant in Seguin, Texas, the first of its kind in the US.

Featuring favorites from both chain restaurant menus, Applebee's-IHOP also serves five exclusive menu items you'll only find at the hybrid restaurants.

"For our guests, it enables a lot more choice," Dine Brands CEO John Peyton told Business Insider of the dual-branded restaurant concept. "We already see overseas, they're ordering from both sides of the menu. The other thing it does for our guests is we've created items on this menu that are only available at the dual-branded restaurants."

From a stacked breakfast burger to a loaded Buffalo chicken omelet, every exclusive item blended the two menus together, and I hope that when the chain expands across the country, more people will be able to try them.

The company said it plans to open 14 more dual-branded locations in the US in the next year, both by updating existing single-branded IHOP and Applebee's locations and building new locations that reflect the new Applebee's-IHOP brand.

Here's every exclusive menu item at the first Applebee's and IHOP hybrid restaurant, ranked from worst to best.

My least favorite was the berry balsamic grilled chicken salad.

When I visit a chain restaurant, I almost never order a salad. I tend to gravitate toward heartier options like chicken tenders or classic burgers. However, I decided to give this exclusive menu item a shot, regardless.

The berry balsamic grilled chicken salad cost $14.49, excluding tax.

The salad was bright and fresh, but I wanted more flavor.

I thought the sliced red onion in the salad overpowered a lot of the other flavors, and the dressing was just a little too sour and tangy for my tastes.

The strawberries did taste fresh and added a hint of sweetness that cut through the tart notes of the dressing and red onion, but the red onion was just too much for me.

Next up was the strawberry waffle sundae.

The strawberry waffle sundae includes two Belgian waffle pieces, glazed strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. It costs $2.99, excluding tax.

The sundae was perfectly sweet and tart.

The waffles' crispy texture was balanced by the sweet and flavorful vanilla ice cream, while the strawberries added a tart bite to the dish.

I also thought the ice cream tasted high-quality.

The vanilla ice cream was thick and creamy, with a lot of flavor packed into a small bite.

Overall, I was impressed, especially given the low price point of this dessert.

My third favorite menu item was the Ultimate Breakfast Burger.

Since Applebee's is primarily known for its burgers and IHOP for its breakfast, it made sense for the chains to combine for an elevated breakfast burger.

The burger cost $13.99, excluding tax.

The burger reminded me of a classic New York deli breakfast sandwich.

The burger, which comes topped with hash browns, two slices of American cheese, two bacon strips, an over-easy egg, and poblano hollandaise sauce, reminded me of a classic bacon-egg-and-cheese breakfast sandwich.

The egg and bright, tangy poblano hollandaise sauce added moisture to this sandwich. The crispy bacon added a deep smoky flavor, balanced by a soft, fluffy bun. I would definitely order this again.

It was a standard breakfast sandwich kicked up a notch — paired with seasoned fries, this burger set me up for the day.

My second favorite exclusive menu item was the sirloin steak and eggs.

Inspired by the array of steaks available on the Applebee's menu, this twist on classic steak and eggs includes an 8-ounce sirloin steak, three eggs served any style, and two buttermilk pancakes.

It cost $19.99, excluding tax, making it the most expensive dish I tried.

I requested that my steak be cooked medium. It was cooked perfectly.

The steak had a peppery crust on the outside but was juicy and cooked to a perfect medium. It was moist and flavorful — my only critique was that the sirloin steak wasn't the most tender.

Sirloin steak tends to be a tougher cut of meat compared to filet mignon or ribeye. I had to chew it quite a bit before swallowing. However, for less than $20 for the entire plate, perhaps that's to be expected.

I thought the eggs were buttery and moist, and practically melted in my mouth.

The sirloin steak and eggs also came with a side of pancakes.

The pancakes, topped with a ball of butter, were fluffy and light. I also used the syrup available on my table.

I thought this entire plate was a massive portion. Between the 8-ounce steak, eggs, and side of pancakes, it could have easily fed two people.

Peyton said the company carefully considers portion size when determining the kind of value Applebee's and IHOP offer customers.

"Value's got a very specific definition for us, which is great food, a really generous portion, great service at an accessible price," he said. "We have to focus on those four things to yield to our guests more than ever in 2025."

My favorite exclusive menu item, by far, was the loaded Buffalo chicken omelet.

Peyton and the hybrid restaurant's franchisee partner, Danny Hakim, both mentioned the new menu item when they sat down with BI at the grand opening.

As a huge fan of Buffalo chicken — and after trying chicken tenders at multiple chain restaurants — I was interested to see how Applebee's combined its tenders with a breakfast classic.

The loaded Buffalo chicken omelet costs $14.79, excluding tax. It's made with cut-up crispy chicken tenders, a four-cheese blend, ranch, and Buffalo sauce, and it's topped with even more chicken tender pieces.

The omelet was decadently cheesy and the eggs were perfectly soft.

The chicken pieces added just the right amount of crunch, while the tenders' breading was well-seasoned and packed even more flavor into each bite. The drizzle of ranch and Buffalo sauce added moisture to the dish.

Overall, this was a Buffalo sauce lover's dream.

The heat from the Buffalo sauce balanced out the buttery eggs.

This dish was decadent but also familiar. It combined the flavors I typically looked for at Applebee's — spicy and savory — with a buttery, breakfast favorite I might order from IHOP.

This menu item embodies what the hybrid restaurant is trying to achieve: a perfect symbiosis between the Applebee's and IHOP brands.

• Project Europe has launched to support young founders with €200,000 in investment and mentorship.
• The initiative aims to nurture European talent and build a more collaborative tech startup ecosystem.
• Its CEO, Kitty Mayo, outlined key tips and pitch deck dos and don'ts for prospective applicants.

Europe's tech ecosystem has long been chastised for trailing behind the US. A batch of investors and founders on the continent want to change the narrative — and they are betting on young people to do it.

Project Europe, which launched this week as a collaboration between 20VC, Adjacent, and Point9 Ventures, is looking to back enterprising founders under 25 who are building a tech-enabled startup.

The program — which is being billed as Europe's own Thiel Fellowship — offers a €200,000 initial investment in exchange for 6.66% equity in an applicant's startup. And, crucially, it can provide access to a sprawling network of European founders who can act as mentors.

"We've seen so many talented people build in Europe," Project Europe's CEO Kitty Mayo told Business Insider. "The shame is, there seems to be this dismissal that Europe is a good place for them to be building — and so it means that actually, we're missing out on a lot of that growing ecosystem around technology, as it's hyper-concentrated in certain areas in the world."

Still, competition for the initiative, which Mayo said aims to "nurture and accelerate" talent in Europe, is likely to be fierce. Mayo outlined what the organizers are looking for in top-tier applications.

Young, technical, and hyper-ambitious founders

Europe is teeming with technical talent across all ages, but Project Europe is looking for "hyper-ambitious" founders under 25.

Mayo told BI that this was a deliberate choice.

"Actually, because this is such a grassroots movement, we're trying to change the culture and the approach to entrepreneurship in Europe. It makes sense to focus on people who are just starting their career — and then the whole thing will filter up through those companies as those founders mature," she told BI.

"It also means that we can go directly to the source and find people at the very, very early stages when they're based, either universities or schools or different communities around where they're building," she added.

Many Gen Zs are digital natives, so Mayo expects applicants to tout these technical skills in their application.

Instead of backing founders with pure business backgrounds, Mayo said the project looks for those "who have engineering minds, who are fluent in all the local tools and anything they can get their hands on so they can hack together and resourcefully pull together things to get to an outcome."

Contrarian ideas and concise pitch decks

Applicants should make sure they're "sharing ideas about why they're exceptional," Mayo said. "Don't hyper-fixate on one specific thing in the application — and don't procrastinate for months."

A common pitfall is that applicants often share answers that they think the team would want to hear instead of relaying a natural and authentic response. "Be as natural and audacious as you can be," Mayo advised.

Prototypes, demos, and examples of founders' work would also strengthen the pitch, Mayo said.

"Tell us stories about the things you've done, rather than just talking about your notions and beliefs," she said.

When it comes to formatting the pitch deck, Mayo advised founders to keep it short and concise — in lieu of providing too much information in an overly formatted style.

"I want to know what the problem is, what unique insight you have around how to solve this problem differently, and then why you're the person to solve it," she said.

Cultivating Europe's next tech darlings

Over 140 European tech founders — including heavyweights such as ElevenLabs' Mati Staniszewski and Synthesia's Victor Riparbelli — have partnered with the Project to provide mentorship and masterclasses to this incoming cohort of founders.

"The dream scenario is that the founders who joined the first cohort will be the partners for mentoring cohorts coming through in the future," Mayo said.

With so many communities of builders across European hubs such as Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and Tallinn, Mayo said the initiative would aim to "be a clear conduit" that gives these founders the best access to support and communities locally and across the continent.

Just like the famed accelerator Y Combinator, which offers financial and advisory backing, Project Europe intends to build a collegial environment of founders working adjacent to each other across the continent.

"We hope that seeing other people going through the journey at the same time galvanizes the ecosystem and creates a proper network, instead of isolated success stories," Mayo added.

• Poland is one of Europe's fastest-growing economies.
• Its economy has continued to grow despite issues faced by its neighbors.
• Some experts put this down to what they call the Polish "entrepreneurial gene."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took a leaf out of President Donald Trump's book last month, turning to a controversial entrepreneur for support as he pushed for deregulation to help boost the economy.

Presenting his government's economic plan in February, Tusk hailed "the moment when we can overtake everyone."

"The light is visible from Poland," he said. "A breakthrough year means investment, investment, and yet more investment."

Tusk also took the opportunity to announce measures to deregulate the economy, calling on the eccentric Polish businessman Rafał Brzoska to help.

"Do you accept?" Tusk publicly asked the billionaire.

Brzoska — the founder of the parcel locker business InPost, and one of Poland's richest people — accepted Tusk's challenge, emphasizing that he had no political aspirations but that he intended to present 300 recommendations by June 1.

Poland is already one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe. Some experts say exports, consumer behavior, and a well-trained, flexible labor force are the key drivers behind its growth.

For others, however, it's the Polish "entrepreneurial gene."

Entrepreneurship in Poland

This so-called "entrepreneurial gene" was on full display in 2024, with more than 353,000 new businesses launched in Poland. The country is also one of Europe's hardest-working nations based on average hours worked per week.

Polish workers are "above all, hard-working, well-educated and highly qualified," Krzysztof Inglot, a labor market expert, said, adding that they often rise quickly through company ranks.

He said this had a lot to do with what he called the "entrepreneurial gene," which he said had been carved out under the years of communist rule.

"We jokingly say that Poles are entrepreneurial, that construction workers will always try to find an easier solution to a situation. This is what makes us different from other nations, who often work according to standardized and identical rules. In contrast, we still have this tendency to look for alternative solutions and simplifications," Inglot continued.

Marcin Wojewódka, an expert in labor law and the president of the Pension Institute, agreed, saying Poles could "move mountains" when motivated and able to see the "quick effects of our actions."

"This is not about the proverbial Polish plumber in Western Europe, but precisely about courage and the willingness to take risks if the reward is attractive enough. Poles, perhaps due to the historical experience of our ancestors, are able to grit their teeth, focus on the task at hand, and often even take shortcuts to achieve the desired result," he said.

One such entrepreneur is Kamil Hagemajer, who runs a chain of milk bars in Warsaw, the Polish capital, and Wroclaw, in western Poland.

Known as a "bar mleczny" in Polish, a milk bar is a low-cost café that dates back to the communist era.

"We currently have 20 bars and employ about 200 people," Hagemajer said, adding that he believed the entrepreneurial gene was the Poles' "dominant trait."

"You could see it in the communist years when the first businesses were born in markets or when people took small cars to transport sweaters or jeans from other countries and sell them in Poland as there were no such products in our country."

Looking ahead, Hagemajer said Polish business owners were ready to embrace modern technology to work more efficiently but that they still faced administrative and tax obstacles.

"This means that we have to rely on the knowledge of external companies, which often means that we lose authority over our businesses," he said.

Poland's economy is growing despite issues faced by its neighbors

According to some forecasts, Poland's GDP growth will hit 3.5% this year, up from 2.9% in 2024. By comparison, the German economy is expected to grow by 0.2% this year — according to a January forecast from the German Central Bank.

"Poland is developing faster than Western European countries, and we can count on one hand the years when this was not the case. For various reasons, it is easier for less developed countries to grow quickly and thus catch up in terms of their development," Piotr Bartkiewicz, an economist at Bank Pekao, said.

A large part of the German economy has been focused on the production of traditional combustion-engine vehicles. But strong competition from China and other countries has led to a slump in car sales. High taxes, bureaucracy, and rapidly rising labor costs have compounded the issue, with the German economy not seeing significant growth in five years.

Such issues have potential knock-on effects for Poland.

"Germany is our largest trading partner, accounting for 27% of Polish exports. Exports to the next countries on the list are over four times less. Therefore, German stagnation is a serious problem for exporters, even if they increase their market share in other countries and look for new sales markets," Grzegorz Ogonek, an economist at Santander Bank Polska, said.

Poland is also facing the potential impacts of an aging population — something the country's Minister for Senior Policy, Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz, said would be "a great challenge" moving forward.

"We need to be open to new technologies. The labor resources in Poland are steadily shrinking, despite an influx of immigrants, which does not help economic growth," Ogonek added.

3 reasons the Polish economy is growing

Despite such headwinds, the Polish economy has kept growing, with economists pointing to three key driving forces.

Firstly, Polish exporters are finding new niches in foreign markets and are competitive despite increasing labor costs and the strengthening of the Polish zloty (PLN).

"The EU is, of course, the largest market for Poland, but not the only one. In the macroeconomic data, we see an increase in exports to other markets, such as Asia, the Middle East, or North America. Polish exports are also diversified and cover a wide range of products, including food products," Bartkiewicz said.

Polish consumers were also less affected by the energy crisis and increased inflation. Despite relatively high inflation, the decline in real household income in Poland was one of the smallest in the EU due to fiscal stimulation and high wage growth.

As a result, there was a moderate decline in private consumer spending, as well as a faster return to growth and more regular consumer patterns — a process that is only just beginning in other parts of Europe.

Thirdly, relatively high public investments (financed, among other sources, by EU funds) have been an additional catalyst.

"This last factor will be crucial in 2025," Bartkiewicz said.

It is this balance between exports, domestic consumption, and investments financed by EU funds that seems to be allowing the Polish economy to grow.

"Regardless of what is happening in the global economy, one branch of our economy is always working," said Marcin Klucznik, senior advisor in the global economy team at the Polish Economic Institute.

• Dealmaking on Wall Street has sputtered out in recent weeks, bankers and consultants said.
• It's a reversal of the industry's hopes that 2025 would deliver an M&A and IPO rebound.
• Industry insiders pointed to Trump administration actions that have clouded the economic outlook.

Wall Street's dreams of a dealmaking rebound have been put on hold over Trump's tariff turmoil.

Investment bankers welcomed 2025 with high hopes that Trump's business-friendly, antiregulation policies would lead to a surge in fee-generating deals. Instead, many corporate boards and buyout firms are standing on the sidelines as they wait to see the impact Trump's aggressive trade policies and gutting of federal agencies could have on the economy and stock market.

How bad things are depends on who you ask. Some bankers said corporate dealmaking has merely slowed, while others described Wall Street's bread-and-butter business of M&A and IPOs in more dire terms. What's clear is that no one knows when — or whether — the clouds might lift, raising questions about everything from bonuses to layoffs to hiring.

"A common refrain I hear amongst dozens of sponsors over the last six to eight weeks," said Seth Goldblum, whose firm provides deal advisory services to private equity firms, is that "the uncertainty in and of itself is actually the worst thing."

"A lot of our sponsors are just sitting on the sideline," he said, referring to private equity firms, which are often referred to as financial deal sponsors. The managing director for CBIZ Private Equity Services pointed to the negative impact Trump's tariffs could have on inflation and interest rates as among the issues holding firms back.

"It's a shame. It looked like we were finally getting unstuck," Goldblum said, adding that the deals industry now appears "back to being stuck."

What bankers are saying

Rob Stowe, an equity capital markets banker with Barclays, agreed that 2025 has proved more challenging than many in his field anticipated.

"We are still seeing companies coming to market, and we still expect we'll see companies coming to market, but it's definitely making decisions harder, and it's adding an extra element of caution for corporates and the sponsors that are thinking about raising capital," said Stowe, who heads the division that handles IPOs for the bank's Americas region.

Eric Li, who covers investing banking for research firm Crisil Coalition Greenwich, said his discussions with clients suggest a more dire picture.

Dealmaking, he said, has largely "frozen."

"There aren't any deals going on," Li said. "It's almost as bad as Covid," he added, referring to the dealmaking stoppage that followed widespread stay-at-home orders in 2020 as the deadly virus spread across the globe.

According to the consulting and advisory firm EY, Wall Street started the year strong. In January, there was a 29% year-over-year increase in mergers and acquisitions in the US, valued at more than $1 billion. The consulting firm's M&A data has yet to be released for February, however, and that is when the stock market started reacting negatively to Trump's trade policies, sending the S&P 500 down roughly 10% since a high set on February 19 and about 8% since Trump was sworn in on January 20.

Layoffs and hiring

On Wall Street, the big question is what it all means for the bottom line — and how it will impact pay and jobs.

At the end of 2024, investment banks were hiring aggressively as dealmaking heated up in anticipation of a Trump White House. Now, there are questions about whether the momentum will continue.

Brianne Sterling, head of the investment-banking recruiting practice at the financial services search firm Selby Jennings, said hiring hasn't reached the gangbuster levels some had hoped to see when the year started. She said some clients are still interviewing new hires even if they've indicated they'll push off the timeline for filling open roles till later in the year in hopes of improved market conditions.

Still, she feels optimistic.

"I think we will still see hiring," she said. "I just don't think it'll be as aggressive or as much volume as we initially anticipated, but we'll see how the year goes."

Even amid rosier expectations many banks were focused on cutting costs this year, including Goldman Sachs. As Business Insider previously reported, CEO David Solomon has tasked some staffers with finding ways to save money, including by reducing redundancies and moving workers to cheaper locations like Dallas, Texas.

The bank's vice president ranks have been targeted for cuts because their numbers have gotten bloated. The bank even moved its annual headcount-cutting exercise from fall to spring, when it is set to cut roughly 3% to 5% of its workforce, which stood at 46,500 as of the end of 2024.

Bank of America has also recently cut investment banking roles, including positions in New York, a person familiar with the cuts said. The more recent round of layoffs primarily impacted junior bankers, such as analysts and associates — though some may be reassigned to other roles within the firm, added the person. Earlier this year, the bank also cut more senior positions in a round that amounted to under 1% of the bank's workforce in global markets and global corporate and investment banking, this person added. The cuts were first reported by Reuters.

Sid Khosla, a financial services executive at EY who serves as the firm's banking and capital markets leader, told BI that such layoffs are part of what he calls "the efficiency conversation" among companies seeking to please shareholders — a trend that started before Trump took office. The topic has come up increasingly in talks with clients, particularly in the past three to four months, Khosla said. "It's always the top two or three conversations. Some institutions may think it's a No. 1 conversation."

Whether corporate dealmaking picks back up depends on how long the turmoil lasts, bankers said.

"I think any reasonable outlook is going to be a little clouded here for a while because there's no certainty that the conversations around tariffs and the concerns around the US economy or around interest rates are going to stop," said Stowe, adding: "I also don't think there's any certainty that the current level of volatility will dissipate in the near term."

Reed Alexander is a correspondent at Business Insider covering Wall Street and financial services. He can be reached via email at [email protected], or SMS/the encrypted app Signal at (561) 247-5758.

James Faris contributed reporting.

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• The Rocket Visa Signature® Card earns 5% cash back if you use rewards toward a Rocket Mortgage down payment and closing costs.
• Bilt Rewards members earn 1 point per $2 spent on a new home when they buy with an eXp Realty agent.
• But if you don't use these companies, you're better off with a more flexible cash-back credit card.

If you hope to buy a home in the next year or two, you're probably saving every spare penny toward your down payment and mortgage closing costs.

Two credit cards claim they can help you get there more quickly: the Rocket Visa Signature® Card and Bilt Mastercard®.

The Rocket Visa Signature® Card earns 5% cash back on all purchases — but only if you redeem those rewards toward the closing costs on your new home, and as long as your loan is through Rocket Mortgage. Furthermore, you can only redeem a maximum of 800,000 Rocket Points, or $8,000, per new mortgage loan.

Meanwhile, new homebuyers who participate in Bilt Rewards can earn 1 Bilt Point per $2 on the total cost of a new home — as long as their real estate agent works under Bilt's partner brokerage eXp Realty. Bilt Rewards is the company behind the popular Bilt Mastercard®, which lets renters pay rent on a credit card without incurring a transaction fee.

Bilt Members can also redeem Bilt Points toward a down payment on any home, so this double benefit can be worth a good chunk of change.

Both cards offer a tantalizing proposition for prospective homebuyers, many of whom find the American dream of home ownership more difficult than ever. But both cards also have some real limitations, since the savings only apply when you work with Rocket Mortgage or an eXp agent (or both).

The good news is you don't need a specialized card to save money as you prepare to buy a home. The best cash-back credit cards earn up to 5% on common household expenses.

Rocket Visa Signature® Card

The Rocket Visa Signature® Card is a great option for prospective homebuyers who plan to finance their purchase with a Rocket Mortgage loan.

This no-annual-fee credit card earns 5 points for every $1 spent on all qualifying purchases — a generous rate that outstrips most of the standard cash back credit cards, since none earn 5% back on everything.

Rocket Points vary in value based on how you redeem them. They're worth the most — 1 cent apiece — when redeemed toward closing costs, down payment, or buying down your interest rate on a new home purchase financed through a Rocket Mortgage loan.

You can redeem up to $8,000 (800,000 Rocket Points) per new Rocket Mortgage transaction. Using your rewards this way can save you tens of thousands of dollars in compound interest savings over the lifetime of your mortgage.

Rocket Points are less valuable when redeemed in other ways. They're worth just 0.4 cents apiece, or the equivalent of 2% cash back per dollar spent, when used to pay down your existing mortgage principle.

And if you redeem your rewards as a statement credit on your card balance, they're worth a measly 0.25 cents apiece, or the equivalent of 1.25% cash back.

Bilt Rewards

The Bilt Mastercard® is already becoming a household name for renters looking to maximize credit card rewards, and you can continue that relationship as you enter your homebuying era.

This $0-annual-fee credit card () won't cost you an additional fee to keep long-term, and earns great rewards on dining, travel, and other expenses especially on Bilt Rent Day, when most purchases, excluding rent, earn double points, up to 1,000 points each month. Note that you must make at least five transactions per statement period to earn points.

You don't even need to be a Bilt credit cardholder to earn Bilt Points — simply joining the Bilt Rewards program is sufficient. All Bilt Rewards program members can earn 1 point per $2 spent on a new home purchased through an eXp Realty real estate agent.

The best way to maximize the value of your Bilt Points is by using them for travel. But if you're buying a home, you can also redeem any points you've already earned up until this point as a credit toward your down payment, at a respectable value of 1.5 cents per point.

If you buy a $500,000 house, you'd earn 250,000 Bilt Points. However, you wouldn't be able to claim that windfall until your purchase is complete, since you can't redeem points you don't yet own. Once the Bilt Points from your home purchase reach your account, however, you can redeem them for travel, credit toward future credit card statements, and more.

Since there's no cap on how much you can earn on home purchase prices or redeem, Bilt members can come out way ahead with this program, especially because there aren't any annual fees to factor in. And if you happen to utilize Rocket Mortgage for your loan as well, you could double-dip on both sets of savings: $8,000 in Rocket Mortgage credit, plus however many points you earn from your home purchase.

What really matters when buying a house

A standard-issue cash-back credit card may sound uninteresting when compared to the Rocket card's 5% cash back in mortgage savings on everything, or 2 Bilt Points per dollar spent on a new house. But the most important aspect of buying a house is making sure that the home — and the homebuying process — is right for you.

In the grand scheme of things, $8,000 or even 200,000 credit card points is small potatoes compared to the life-changing investment you're about to make. Don't allow the excitement of earning rewards distract you from finding a real estate agent you jive with and shopping around for a trustworthy lender with the best mortgage interest rates available to you.

Getting the right mortgage is especially challenging in this day and age of high interest rates, and finding the right mortgage lender as a first-time buyer is a decision that will impact your life for decades to come.

The case for cash-back credit cards

Believe it or not, getting a credit card can actually help you buy a house; using one responsibly is a great way to build a strong credit history that can help you score a great mortgage rate on your dream home.

Cash-back credit cards have their pros and cons, but they generally share a common trait: They're easy to use. Whether you opt for a flat-rate 2% cash back credit card or choose one that earns 5% cash back on bonus categories, what you earn is what you keep.

Many cash-back credit cards also don't charge annual fees, so you can keep your card open for years without worrying how much it costs. This is especially valuable leading up to a new home purchase, when you need to maintain your credit score to buy a house and to get the best mortgage rate.

If you're wondering whether you can use your credit card to pay your mortgage, however, the answer is typically no. Lenders generally frown upon using debt to pay off other debt — your credit card represents a line of credit and your mortgage is a fixed monthly payment on the sum of what you owe for your house.

But some credit card issuers are warming up to the idea, so stay tuned for new developments in credit cards that can be used for paying mortgage payments in months to come. Bilt claims it will begin allowing program members to pay mortgages in 2025, while new fintech company Mesa has an invite-only waitlist for a credit card designed for paying mortgages.

In the meantime, you can use a service like Plastiq to pay your mortgage — or most check-based payments, for that matter — using your credit card, as long as you're willing to pay a processing fee around 2.9% per transaction.

When every penny counts, make sure your credit card rewards fit your lifestyle and your needs — not the other way around.

• A WalletHub study ranked the 182 largest US cities by how happy their residents were.
• Cities in Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota were among the 10 happiest in the country.
• Five of the top 10 cities are in California.

Money can only contribute to your happiness up to a point — where you live may also impact how content you are, according to a new WalletHub study.

"Research shows that having more money only increases your happiness until you're making at least $75,000 per year — anything more you earn likely won't have an impact," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report.

The study from the personal-finance company named the top 10 happiest cities in the US based on emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment.

The WalletHub team used factors like weather, safety, divorce and separation rate, job security and satisfaction, life expectancy, depression rate, and commute times to rank 182 of the most populous cities in the US.

"When deciding where to live to maximize your happiness, you'll want to pick a city that offers more than just a decent average income," Lupo said. "The ideal city provides conditions that foster good mental and physical health, like reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather, and caring neighbors."

WalletHub said the data used in the report was collected from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and previous WalletHub studies, among other sources, and was accurate as of January 2.

Here are the 10 happiest cities in the US.

10. Huntington Beach, California

Located an hour from Los Angeles, Huntington Beach is known for its beaches and surfing culture, which, according to the city's website, have earned it the title of "Surf City USA."

The city has 10 miles of beaches along the Pacific Coast Highway and a vibrant food scene.

9. San Francisco

Once a hippie capital, San Francisco is the largest city to make it in the top 10.

With 245 sunny days each year and summer high temperatures around 70 degrees, the Bay city ranked fourth in a US News & World Report ranking of best places to live based on weather.

The city was named sixth best in the WalletHub study's emotional and physical wellbeing ranking, which considered factors like depression, suicide, and adequate sleep rates, as well as sports participation and physical health index.

With a lively culture and thriving industry, the city is also walkable and has a robust public transit system, with nearly 35% of households being car-free, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority.

The city also ranked as the second best city for young professionals in a Niche ranking.

8. Scottsdale, Arizona

Known for its luxury spa resorts and golf courses, Scottsdale, Arizona, ranked as the eight happiest city in the US, and the best US city to find a job.

Located in the Sonoran Desert, the city has a landscape of rocky hills and cacti and enjoys sunshine year-round with 299 sunny days each year. The city has beautiful architecture with attractions such as the Taliesin West, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Scottsdale, which has become a millionaires' hub in recent years, also came 10th in the study's income and employment ranking, which looks at factors like poverty rate, job satisfaction, and commute time.

Niche also ranked it the best city to retire in the US in 2024.

7. Madison, Wisconsin

The Wisconsin capital and home to the University of Wisconsin, Madison has a lively food scene, high-performing education, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The Midwestern city was ninth in the study's community and environment ranking, which looks at factors like ideal weather, divorce rate, hate-crime incidents, and average leisure time spent per day.

The city also ranked sixth for quality of life in a US News & World Report list.

6. Lincoln, Nebraska

The Nebraska capital and home to the University of Nebraska came No. 1 in the study's community and environment ranking.

The city, where most residents own their homes, provides a suburban feel, while also offering a lively downtown with bars, coffee shops, and parks.

5. Overland Park, Kansas

Overland Park, Kansas' second largest city after Wichita, has a charming downtown with local arts and boutiques, as well as vibrant food and music scenes.

The city came fourth in the study's emotional and physical well-being ranking, and Niche named it the seventh best place to raise a family and second best place to buy a home.

4. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The South Dakota city provides both a small-town and suburban feel and abundant outdoor activities.

The city came fifth in the study's community and environment ranking and ninth in the emotional and physical well-being ranking.

The low cost of living and thriving job market also contributed to the city's ranking as the eighth best place to buy a home in a Niche ranking.

3. Irvine, California

An hour outside of Los Angeles, Irvine is home to beautiful parks, low crime rates, and well-respected schools like UC Irvine.

WalletHub reported that over 88% of adults in Irvine report "have good or better health," which is the third highest percentage in the country. Nearly 84% of residents participate in physical activities, and the city has the seventh highest life expectancy for residents.

In a Niche study, the city was also ranked the second healthiest city in the US and the fifth best city for outdoor activities.

This wellbeing also expands to mental health as well, with the city having the third lowest percentage of adults who say they have 14 or more mentally unhealthy days each month, and the eighth lowest depression rate, WalletHub reported.

The city also ranked as the third lowest for separation and divorce rate in the study, and ranked as the sixth best city in the country to raise families, Niche reported.

2. San Jose, California

Known as the "Capital of Silicon Valley," San Jose fosters a vibrant and diverse community with a thriving industry and warm climate.

The city, which gets 300 days of sunshine annually, has the longest life expectancy in the country, according to the study.

It also has the third-highest share of households with annual incomes over $75,000 and the most million-dollar homes in the country, LendingTree reported in January.

According to WalletHub, San Jose has one of the best scores on Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index, which measures how much residents enjoy where they live, feel safe, and have pride in their community.

The city also had the fourth lowest separation and divorce rate, and was found the eighth best city for families in the US in a LendingTree study.

1. Fremont, California

Fremont ranks as the happiest city in the US, according to the WalletHub study.

Also a Bay Area city, Fremont had the highest share of households with an income above $75,000 in the story, with nearly 80% of households making above that.

The city also had the lowest separation and divorce rate in the country, at 8.9%, and the lowest share of adults who report having 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month, WalletHub reported.

Fremont was ranked the No. 1 city in the US for emotional and physical wellbeing in WalletHub's report. It also came fourth on the community and environment ranking.

"With our vibrant community, exceptional quality of life and abundant opportunities, Fremont has earned its reputation as a beacon of happiness and wellbeing," Fremont's then-mayor Lily Mei told Metro Silicon Valley in 2024.

The high quality of schools, community safety, and plenty of outdoor spaces also contributed to the city's ranking as the happiest city in the US.

• In 2022, Illinois passed a law allowing kids to take five excused days from school.
• As a mom of four kids, two of which are teenagers, I'm grateful that this is an option for them.
• I want my kids to know it's OK not to be OK all the time.

In 2022, Illinois made a bold move. The state passed a law allowing kindergarten to high school students to take up to five excused mental health days.

As a mom of four children, including two teenagers, I am grateful for this option. In my family, we have multiple diagnoses, including anxiety disorders, that make mental health days not only appreciated but essential.

Being a teen can be hard

Adolescence can be tumultuous for teens, parents, teachers, and coaches. It's not surprising that some teens wind up diagnosed with some of the most common mental health disorders during their middle and high school years.

About 15% of tweens and teens have a mental health disorder, according to the World Health Organization. The most common mental health disorders among teens are, unsurprisingly, anxiety and depression.

Being a teenager is challenging. They face rapid (and often overwhelming) emotional, physical, social, and financial changes. These changes make them "vulnerable to mental health problems," according to WHO.

The absences are excused

When a student uses a mental health day in Illinois, the absence is considered excused. No doctor's note is needed — which is a win for parents like me. Going to the doctor takes time and money, which we do not always have. Furthermore, using a mental health day doesn't mean the student needs to attend a medical appointment. Rather, they may be spending the day resting, for example.

Everyone has bad days

Whether the student has a mental health diagnosis or not — every human has bad days when burrowing under the comforter and watching a favorite TV show is far more appealing than heading to work, whether that work be a paid job, daily tasks, or going to school.

I believe that when states allow mental health days for kids, they are working toward chipping away at mental health stigmas. Our family has used excused mental health days for medical appointments, counseling appointments, and a day off to mentally and physically rest and recalibrate.

I don't believe in perfect attendance

We need to send the message to all kids, especially our teens, that taking breaks is acceptable and healthy. The rise-and-grind pressure will eventually wear anyone down.

We want our kids to read their body cues and prioritize resting, reflecting, and recharging. The saying "you can't pour from an empty cup" remains an accurate mental picture for us all.

Mental health issues should be taken seriously

Push through and toughen up aren't messages I want to send our kids regardless of what they are going through. We need to believe our kids when they tell us, through their words or behaviors, that their mental health isn't stable.

Forcing our kids to be a warm body in a classroom doesn't mean they're learning.

Just because my kids are physically present in their classroom doesn't mean they are mentally (including academically) present. I believe that giving my kids the opportunity to rest at home, attend therapy, or seek the evaluation and help of a psychiatrist is much more beneficial than them sitting absently at a desk.

• Portugal is reconsidering the purchase of F-35s over changing US relations with Europe.
• Portugal is gearing up to spend $6 billion transitioning its air force to the jet.
• But its defense minister said Donald Trump's stance toward NATO "must be taken into account."

Portugal says it's uneasy about replacing its older US-made F-16 fighter jets with F-35s over doubts about President Donald Trump's behavior toward the US's allies, as well as future access to maintenance and parts.

On Thursday, Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo told the newspaper Público that "we cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices."

He also said the most recent US posture toward NATO "must make us think about the best options."

Melo, who also leads Portugal's CDS-People's Party, did not entirely rule out buying the planes, but said: "The world has already changed."

If Portugal does reverse course, it would represent the loss of a lucrative contract for Lockheed Martin, the jet's manufacturer, that appeared to have been all but locked in.

Last April, Portugal's air force chief of staff, Gen. João Cartaxo Alves, said pilot training with Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force had already begun ahead of an anticipated $6 billion transition to the F-35.

The F-35 Lightning II is considered one of the world's most advanced fighter jets.

A chill in the air

Melo's statements came amid a distinct chilling of relations between the US and Europe, particularly over military matters.

Trump has sidelined European leaders from recent Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations and has repeatedly criticized Europe's financial contributions to Ukraine's defense.

Melo said Portugal had always seen the US as a reliable ally but recent US changes in stance toward NATO and the rest of the world must be taken into account.

He also raised concerns that the US could place limitations on the maintenance and supply of components for the F-35: "Everything that has to do with ensuring that aircraft will be operational and used in all types of scenarios."

Portugal is facing snap elections after its government lost a vote of confidence this week, throwing further uncertainty over the country's long-term stance toward the jet.

At least 10 European countries have F-35s in their fleets, and Lockheed Martin has industrial partnerships in six European nations. The company has described the F-35 as the "NATO standard fighter of choice."

Norway announced in February that it had taken delivery of three more F-35s, bringing its fleet of the aircraft to 49.

Earlier this week, the Netherlands' defense minister, Ruben Brekelmans, told reporters that F-35 partner countries remained fully committed to the program.

In a statement sent to BI, Lockheed Martin said it "values our strong partnership and history with the Portuguese Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future."

It also said questions about foreign military sales of the F-35 were best addressed by the US government.

The White House and the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

• Hundreds of Air India passengers went on an eight-hour flight to nowhere this week.
• The plane turned back to Mumbai after about four hours when the airline detected a security threat.
• It marks Air India's second flight to nowhere incident in less than a week.

Hundreds of Air India passengers went on an eight-hour flight to nowhere on Monday night after the airline detected a security threat.

Data from Flightradar24 shows that Monday's flight from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport made a U-turn over the Azerbaijan-Armenia border — a little over four hours into the journey.

The flight to nowhere lasted about eight hours and 20 minutes in total. A direct flight from Mumbai to New York usually takes just under 16 hours.

In a statement, Air India said the diversion was because a "potential security threat was detected" during the flight.

"After following the necessary protocols, the flight air-returned to Mumbai, in the interest of the safety and security of all on board," the statement said, adding that the Boeing 777-300 underwent mandatory security upon landing.

The plane landed back in Mumbai at 10:25 a.m. local time, per Flightradar24.

The airline told Live from a Lounge that 322 people, including 19 crew members, were on board. Air India said the flight was rescheduled to the following day and passengers were offered hotel accommodation, meals, and other assistance.

Air India did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

It was the second flight to nowhere for Air India in less than a week.

On March 7, an Air India flight returned to Chicago after a nine-hour journey when most of the plane's bathrooms stopped working. The airline's investigation found that bags, rags, and clothes had been flushed down the toilets, blocking the plumbing.

Flight diversions, particularly those that return to the departure airport, can be costly for airlines and annoying for passengers, but they are often necessary for safety reasons.

These decisions are usually made on a case-by-case basis, but some carriers, such as American Airlines, have their own automated tools to help dispatchers and other airline workers determine whether a U-turn is necessary.

• Many of my friends thought I'd like Milan, so I planned to spend a week there during my Italy trip.
• I was underwhelmed and felt I'd seen enough of it after two days, but my hotel was booked for seven.
• So, I began using Milan as my home base and taking trains to other towns in Northern Italy.

In 2022, I spent five weeks traveling solo through Italy.

Throughout the trip, I took recommendations from others I knew who'd been to Italy. Friends told me I'd love Milan and had to stop there, especially since I love fashion.

After all, it's one of the big fashion capitals in the world and one of the most popular tourist cities in Italy.

So, after spending three weeks in Rome, Venice, and Florence, I took a train to Milan, prepared to enjoy it as much as I had the other cities I'd spent time in.

Milan felt more cold and fast-paced than the other Italian cities I visited

Unfortunately, my trip to Milan was a low point in my five-week Italian journey.

It felt different from the other cities I visited, which were steeped in history and old-school charm. In Venice and Rome, historic monuments and architecture were everywhere I looked. In Milan, I saw a lot more modern buildings with colder, more severe designs.

On top of being a fashion hub, Milan is also the economic capital of Italy, which means it also houses many offices. At times, the city felt filled with the hustle and bustle of people rushing to get to and from work.

Milan famously has a lot of great shops, from department stores to high-end boutiques, but I wasn't fully won over. The stores felt busier than any I'd gone to in other cities.

Although the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping center was architecturally beautiful, the many tourists crowding through it took away from my experience.

Don't get me wrong: Milan isn't a bad place to visit. I had wonderful food here and especially loved seeing its beautiful Duomo, one of Italy's largest cathedrals.

However, I felt I had seen plenty and was ready to leave the city after just two days. There was just one problem — I'd booked my hotel for a whole week, and it was too late to cancel.

I needed to find a way to pivot and save my trip, ideally without losing money on my hotel reservation.

I spent the rest of my trip using Milan as my home base while taking trains to other towns

Fortunately, Milan is home to one of Italy's biggest train stations.

My new plan was to spend the rest of my trip sleeping in Milan at night while taking trains to smaller nearby towns during the day.

First, I took the train to Brescia, about an hour away from Milan. My visit to the small town immediately turned my entire trip around.

Brescia was great to explore on foot. The architecture was lovely, and the historic sites weren't super busy. The locals were friendly and gave me great recommendations for churches to visit and places to eat.

I also went to Modena, just over two hours from Milan by train.

I got to view local churches and visit Galeria Estensi, an art museum located in a building with historic funerary monuments. The museum was so quiet, even in June. Only four other people were in the gallery in the three hours I was there.

My favorite day trip was to Parma, about an hour from Milan by train. It's home to the Galeria Pilotta, an extensive art and culture museum housed in a palazzo with large arches and a massive public square.

The town felt charming, and the walk between the gallery and the train station features a long walking path by a waterway that I tackled in an afternoon.

Visiting small towns in Northern Italy saved my trip

For me, staying in Milan but spending most of the week traveling outside of it was the perfect way to pivot my trip.

Train travel in Italy is pretty cheap — most one-way tickets were under $20 — and it's a pretty great way to travel. I was also able to see a lot of places I might not have visited otherwise.

The small towns I visited felt far less crowded than Milan and were still walkable. I liked how I could easily stroll from one attraction to another and get through most of each city's highlights in a day.

If you like historic sites, museums and a quieter vacation with incredible views, skip Milan and visit the small towns nearby instead.

Or, at least, add some of them to your itinerary after you check out Milan. You won't be disappointed.

• New AI models are emerging that show they can run with just a handful of Nvidia chips.
• Google is one company following DeepSeek in making more powerful AI that requires less compute.
• It doesn't look like a DeepSeek-level problem for Nvidia — but there are caveats.

A new generation of AI models is squeezing more power out of fewer chips. Whether they spark another DeepSeek-scale panic for Nvidia is another matter.

Google led the charge this week with a collection of smaller models — Gemma 3 — that appear to pack a serious punch with a standout feat: they run smoothly with just a single Nvidia chip, known as a GPU.

Unveiling the models Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted their efficiency in an X post, writing that "you'd need at least 10x the compute to get similar performance from other models."

Cohere, a Toronto-headquartered startup led by former Googler Aidan Gomez, also released a new model on Thursday called Command A, which is described as a "state-of-the-art" model that runs on just two GPUs. (Business Insider, alongside other publishers, has sued Cohere over copyright infringement.)

One of the key lessons DeepSeek imparted to the world when it released an AI model in January was the ability to do more with less. The Chinese startup said its R1 model was competitive with OpenAI's o1 model while claiming it needed fewer chips.

The claim triggered the biggest single-day wipeout in US stock market history, in which Nvidia lost close to $600 billion in value. The market wondered if more efficient AI would reduce demand for Nvidia chips — demand that helped it achieve a record full-year revenue in 2024 of $130.5 billion.

At first glance, this new wave of AI models seems to pose an even greater threat, as they claim to be state-of-the-art while only needing a handful of GPUs to run.

A chart of Gemma's performance on the industry leaderboard Chatbot Arena, for instance — shared by Pichai — showed the model outperformed those from DeepSeek, OpenAI, and Meta while being run on fewer GPUs.

But just because more companies are learning to squeeze more performance from their AI with fewer chips, it's not a given that these more efficient models will go on to pose a DeepSeek-style risk to Nvidia.

For one, as the DeepSeek saga unfolded, tech CEOs were quick to note a phenomenon known as Jevons Paradox. The economic principle suggests that as technology becomes more efficient, consumption of that technology will increase — not decrease.

It might help explain why Google itself has said it plans to increase its AI-related capital expenditure this year to $75 billion, which typically includes the GPUs housed in the data centers critical for AI.

Google has been one of the main buyers of the latest generation of Nvidia GPUs — the Blackwell chips introduced last year — so it's plausible to expect them to be among those ready to spend on the new GPU Nvidia is expected to unveil at its GTC event next week.

So far, the market does not appear to be worried by the latest chip efficiency developments — Nvidia's share price is up about 6% since Tuesday.

There is a small caveat to this.

While Google's new Gemma models can use a single Nvidia GPU to run on, it appears the training of the new models took place with Google's own chips, known as tensor processing units, or TPUs.

Tech giants like Google have spent years working on their own silicon as a means of reducing their dependence on Nvidia, so Gemma poses a curious situation in which Google has produced a competitive AI model without using any Nvidia GPUs for training.

Still, it's unlikely that a company like Google will reduce its dependence on Nvidia GPUs in a significant way anytime soon — and for a simple reason.

The company's push to produce more efficient models is happening alongside its development of more powerful, large-scale Gemini AI models that aim to push the boundaries of intelligence. These models' success, for now, depends on getting access to as much compute as possible.

This approach was recently validated by the release of Grok 3, the latest frontier AI model from Elon Musk's startup. Its release came with a note that said a future version of the model would be trained on a larger, 200,000 GPU cluster.

The future of AI development, then, looks like one in which two different paths emerge in tandem: one in which smaller, more efficient models emerge that run on fewer GPUs, and another in which large-scale models continue to have as many GPUs thrown at them as possible.

• When my wife gave birth to our third kid, I took on the grocery shopping responsibility.
• That meant I had to take my two other sons to Target, and they often threw temper tantrums for toys.
• I wonder where my parenting went so wrong, as their behavior is ruining my relationship with them.

I'm the sole breadwinner of the family, but my wife just had our youngest baby, so I've recently also taken on more parenting and household responsibilities.

I thought my paternity leave would offer a fun time to bond with the kids as my wife nursed our newborn. But I was in for a rude awakening.

Activities like eating their meals and taking showers became challenging. But one of the most frustrating things was going grocery shopping. As the new person in the house who now took care of household chores, I was the one who now had to grocery shop.

At first, shopping at Target was something I saw as a bonding experience with my two boys, but I quickly learned that kids will take a mile when you give them an inch.

Shopping at Target with my 2 kids became chaotic and hurtful

Whenever I headed out to Target, my kids cried, wanting to come along. They successfully cried me into submission, and I figured it would be nice to bring my two sidekicks along. It also gave my wife a little break from the noise.

To make these shopping trips bearable for everyone, I often promised to buy my 8 and 9-year-olds anything they wanted. It was a small price to maintain sanity and get things done. I was thinking about buying extra snacks, a game here and there, and not making extravagant purchases.

I didn't realize that kids wanted everything eye-catching on the shelves. Saying no to their outlandish requests meant they'd throw temper tantrums in the store and get into screaming matches.

The toy section was especially my undoing. Often, the kids would want to get different versions of the same toys they had at home. When I didn't have money to spare, I got the occasional "I hate you," which broke my heart.

I vividly remember a complete meltdown over a Spider-Man doll collection that I didn't see the need to purchase, as my son had a similar one at home. Other shoppers had to intervene to calm him down, and it took us a long time to leave the store and return home. It was an embarrassing, hurtful, and eye-opening experience. Needless to say, he didn't get the toy.

Sometimes, I questioned myself and wondered whether I did a poor job raising my kids. Was their value system so messed up that they measured their love according to what I could purchase?

As these meltdowns went on for quite a while, shopping at Target became a devastating experience, and the happy-go-lucky relationship I once had with my kids was strained.

Communicating with my sons has helped somewhat

The situation was getting out of control, and I talked to my wife, who helped me find a way forward. She seemed to understand the kids better than I did. She reminded me that open communication is always the best path forward.

We eventually decided to sit down with my sons, discuss their bad behavior, try to understand their point of view, and continuously teach them not to place too much value on material things.

While some of these conversations were a struggle, other things we said hit home and opened up deeper discussions about finances and the fact that we all don't get everything we want in life. We also grounded them for the yelling and meltdowns, took away their toys, and revoked privileges for a while.

I've come to associate Target with negative feelings of failed parenting. Despite the great deals, I haven't shopped at the store for a while. It will take significant time and some healing for us to go back to our usual shopping routine. As they say, time's a healer.

• Billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes said he has a "deep internal conflict" over buying a private jet.
• The Atlassian founder cited personal security and more time to see his family while running a company.
• And he said flying private gave him more options to offset his carbon output.

An Australian billionaire known for his efforts to combat the climate crisis has defended buying a private jet.

Mike Cannon-Brookes, the CEO of software firm Atlassian and a minority owner of Utah Jazz, explained his purchase in a Thursday LinkedIn post.

"I'm not denying I have a deep internal conflict on this," he wrote.

Cannon-Brookes said personal security was the primary reason, as well as time management. The 45-year-old said owning a private jet would let him "run a global business from Australia, and still be a constantly present dad."

Time constraints are often cited as a key motivator for flying private, as passengers aren't bound by scheduled flight times and don't need to spend much time waiting at airports.

As Jimmy Caroll of the luxury travel firm Pelorus said at a media event last year: "No matter how hard you work and how much money you have, you cannot buy more time."

Atlassian, Cannon-Brookes' firm, has a market cap of $54 billion — giving the CEO a net worth of $12.5 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

He has invested chunks of his wealth in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Cannon-Brookes is the biggest shareholder in AGL Energy, Australia's largest electricity generator, and convinced the company to close its coal-fired power plants a decade earlier than planned.

He has also pledged to donate and invest 1.5 billion Australian dollars ($945 million) on climate projects by 2030.

"Although private aviation is far from a big contributor to global emissions, it is a carbon-intensive way to travel," Cannon-Brookes wrote on LinkedIn.

Aviation as a whole accounts for 2% of the world's CO2 emissions.

The billionaire said he has "an extremely rigorous carbon regime for all my flying," referencing "direct air capture and sustainable fuels."

"These options aren't practical for commercial flights — but are viable privately," he added.

Sustainable aviation fuel is one of the ways the industry is trying to reduce its carbon impact. While airlines like Virgin Atlantic and Emirates have operated flights using it, it is expensive and challenging to acquire on a mass scale.

Australian media reported that Cannon-Brookes bought a Bombardier Global 7500 — which typically costs around $75 million.

It has a maximum range of 8,860 miles and a top cruise speed of Mach 0.925 — capable of connecting New York and Los Angeles in three and a half hours. It can seat up to 19 passengers.

The Global 7500's largest operator, charter firm VistaJet, offers amenities like a double bed. However, the layout and features of Cannon-Brookes' jet are unclear.

"My commitment to climate is as strong as ever," Cannon-Brookes said. "I'm still pretty damn focused on making an impact at a large scale, removing huge volumes of emissions through active investments and philanthropy."

• In 2008 I had my first child, exactly a week after graduating from college.
• My husband still had a year to go, so I would work nights while he stayed with our baby.
• We've had low expectations about adulthood since, and don't expect anything from older generations.

With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realized I was completely stuck in the snow, in pitch darkness.

It was around 5 a.m., I was six months pregnant and freshly married, on my way to the hospital to complete my nursing school shift rotation. The nursing program had a zero-tolerance policy for absences, and I had zero knowledge — or money — to fix the tire that had just blown out in front of a complete stranger's driveway.

Fortunately for me, that same stranger helped me get a spare on, and I waddled my way through my shift. But my husband and I, both still college students at the time, had precisely no money to pay for a new tire. I couldn't believe my luck when, the very next day, a check arrived in the mail for $500, proclaiming me the winner of a scholarship I didn't even remember applying for.

The year was 2008, and that surprise flat tire and ensuing check feel symbolic of what that time felt like — complete chaos, no money, and making it through in ways that sometimes felt totally random.

I graduated from college and a week later gave birth

In 2008, I graduated from college with my Bachelor's degree on May 10 and delivered my daughter exactly a week later. My husband still had a year of school left, so I became the sole supporter of our new little family. I'll be honest with you: neither of us had any idea that the US was in the midst of what would later be called "The Great Recession."

We had become adults — and parents — in the midst of a nationwide economic disaster, but for us, it was just normal life. Because we had gone straight from being broke college students to broke parents at the age of barely 22, the recession didn't even really impact us.

We rented our housing and spent no money on entertainment, eating out, or even clothing. We used rabbit ears on the TV and lived very simply. I worked the night shift while my husband was home with our daughter, and then we switched during the day while he went to school.

In 2010, we welcomed a second daughter and bought our first home. Back then, because of the recession, there were several incentives for first-time homeowners. For instance, we qualified for a loan that required 0% down, and we received an $8,000 tax credit the following year on our tax return. The cost of our mortgage was nearly the same as renting, and the house was near our jobs, so it made sense. And, of course, there's the fact that the purchase price of homes was ridiculously low, especially compared to now.

We learned not to expect anything

Things weren't all peachy keen, though — my husband had graduated with a teaching degree, and although it's hard to imagine, teaching was an incredibly in-demand job because of the recession. Every position he applied for had hundreds of applicants, and he was laid off constantly. We saw more pink slips in our first years of marriage than some people will see in a lifetime.

We also learned very quickly not to expect anything that older generations might have had. A secure job? Nah, pink slips keep you on your toes. Retirement? Nope — we opened our own account as soon as possible, even though I could only afford to put in $25 a month. Childcare? Opposite shifts for life, thanks. Maternity leave or any type of parental support whatsoever? Never heard of it.

Our privileges, such as being white, able-bodied, and having access to college in the first place, afforded us huge advantages to enter adulthood and parenthood during a recession. But the realities of entering adulthood at that time, in many ways, also set us up for a lifetime of low expectations. Truthfully, I've realized how low my expectations are, especially in the last year or so. We have expected nothing from childcare to healthcare to even basic work-life balance.

We are cutting our spending again

I'm almost 39 with a kid about to graduate from high school (yes, the one I was pregnant with in 2008), and just recently, I canceled some of our streaming services because we can't afford them. I canceled my gym membership, and I'm looking at what else we can cut back on because we simply aren't able to pay our bills right now. It's a lot harder in a way because I'm "stuck" in things like our house, with rising costs I can't control, like property taxes, insurance, and repairs.

But when I look back on that time, it does help me now because I realize how much of my life has always felt like waiting for the other foot to drop. So, a big part of me is just inclined to roll with it.

Maybe entering adulthood amid the recession scarred me — maybe I should be fighting for more or expecting better. But truthfully, if I can figure it out on my own, it feels like a win, especially compared to where we started.

• BMW is getting crushed in China as rivals like BYD squeeze out foreign carmakers.
• The German giant is fighting to turn things around, but now has a brewing trade war to contend with.
• The CEO said the trade conflict sparked by President Donald Trump could cost BMW up to $1 billion this year.

BMW is still getting crushed in China — and now has a brewing trade war to worry about too.

The German carmaker reported on Friday that net profits had collapsed by more than a third last year, and warned that 2025 is likely to be challenging thanks to the ongoing tariff face-off between the US, China, and Europe.

BMW stock fell as much as 4.5% on Friday. As with many of its European rivals, the main source of the automaker's woes is China.

Despite BMW Group's sales rising slightly in the US and Europe, they collapsed 13.4% in the world's largest car market last year.

BMW has found itself increasingly squeezed by China's insurgent local EV makers, who are taking market share from their foreign competitors with their high-tech, affordable electric vehicles.

Fellow German carmakers VW and Porsche have also reported double-digit sales drops in China, even as the likes of BYD and Xiaomi enjoy a sales surge.

BMW plans to roll out a new lineup of next-generation EVs, dubbed the "Neue Klasse," starting later this year in an attempt to boost sales.

It faces the additional headwinds of a brewing global trade war sparked by America's on-again-off-again tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

BMW CEO Oliver Zipse told Bloomberg the automaker expects trade conflicts between the US, China, and Europe to cost it about 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) this year.

However, he expects much of the disruption to be short-lived. "We don't think that all these tariffs will last very long, though some of them might last longer," Zipse said.

Other European automakers are also sounding the alarm about President Donald Trump's tariff barrage. The boss of VW brand Skoda warned on Friday that US tariffs would raise costs, and could push Chinese carmakers to accelerate their expansion into Europe.

BMW did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• Canadians taking road trips to the US dropped by 23% last month, per Statistics Canada.
• Outgoing PM Justin Trudeau urged Canadians to take domestic vacations instead of visiting the US.
• A business owner told BI he fears Trump's tariffs may cause him to lose Canadian clients.

Canadians are pulling back on travel to the US amid a scrap between the two nations over tariffs first imposed by President Donald Trump.

According to Statistics Canada data released Monday, the number of Canadians driving to the US fell 23% in February compared to the same month last year, marking the second consecutive monthly decline and the second decline observed since March 2021.

Leisure bookings are also taking a hit. Flight Centre Travel Group, a major travel agency in Canada, told Business Insider that they saw a 40% decrease in leisure bookings to the US in February year over year.

"While Canadians remain eager to travel, they are increasingly shifting their focus to destinations outside the US," Amra Durakovic, spokesperson for Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, told Business Insider.

The downturn follows a call from outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who is set to be replaced by Mark Carney on Friday — for Canadian citizens to reconsider visiting the US and instead support domestic tourism.

His comments came in response to Trump issuing executive orders on February 1 to levy 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.

One online survey suggested that Trudeau's message was resonating. A Leger survey of around 1,500 Canadians found that nearly half said they were less likely to visit the US this year compared to last year, while six in 10 planned to vacation in Canada instead.

"The drop in Canadian visits is closely linked to the US tariffs imposed on February 1," Rachel J.C. Fu, director of the University of Florida's Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute, told BI.

"The 25% tariffs likely increased economic tension between the two countries, influencing Canadian consumer sentiment and travel choices," she said, adding that Trudeau's comments further discouraged travel to the US.

Economic fallout for the US

A drop in Canadian visitors could come at a cost to the US economy.

Last month, the US Travel Association estimated that a 10% decrease in Canadian travel could result in $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses, with Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas — Canadian tourists' top US destinations — most affected.

While the US travel and tourism industry is projected to generate $223.64 billion in 2025, losses could exceed current estimates if tensions persist, Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, told BI.

"Canada is the US top visitor market, so the stakes are high," he added.

Tony Poletti, owner of the family-run Marketside Restaurant in Niagara Falls, NY — which sits on the border with Canada — told BI: "It's just a matter of time before we feel the impact of it."

"It's going to have a bigger impact on businesses in Niagara County than people could imagine," he added.

Poletti, whose family has run the restaurant since 1939, said his "very dedicated" Canadian customer base has already expressed reluctance to travel to the US.

One longtime Canadian client told him her husband refused to let her visit because he was "very upset" by Trump's tariffs.

"What Washington is doing is they're cutting off their nose to spite their face," he said, adding: "It's not going to be long before it's going to hurt Americans."

Market jitters and long-term risks

Economic uncertainty has already rattled financial markets this week.

Wall Street plunged on Monday after Trump refused to rule out a recession, saying the US is in "a period of transition" in a Sunday interview on Fox News.

Stocks slid again Tuesday after Trump wrote on Truth Social that he instructed his commerce secretary to place an additional 25% tariff on steel and aluminum coming from Canada into the US, bringing the tariff rate on those imports to 50%.

He later backtracked, with his trade advisor, Peter Navarro, telling CNBC on Tuesday afternoon that the 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum would no longer go into effect on Wednesday.

Markets continued to slide Thursday, with the S&P 500 entering a correction.

Fu said that if the tariffs remain in place and continue to strain economic relations, the Canadian travel slump "could last for months or even two more years. "

"Unless the trade dispute is resolved or new incentives encourage Canadian travelers to return, the US tourism industry may need to prepare for a prolonged downturn in Canadian visitors," she added.

• The Getty Villa survived the Palisades fire, the worst in Los Angeles history.
• The villa shows how homeowners can protect their homes through construction choices and yard work.
• Anti-fire tricks include trimming low-hanging branches, installing double-pane windows, and cleaning gutters.

The Getty Villa is one of the most luxurious properties in the Pacific Palisades.

It's a sprawling estate and museum featuring a replica of an ancient Roman villa that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Now it's one of the sole surviving properties in its neighborhood after the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history, the Palisades fire, tore through in January.

Since then, wildfires also have ripped through South Carolina and Long Island. It's as good a time as ever to brush up on protecting your home, and the Getty's survival offers a few lessons.

The villa is owned by the J. Paul Getty Trust, which has the largest museum endowment in the world at more than $8 billion in 2023. Needless to say, it has more resources than the typical homeowner.

Still, the anti-fire measures at the Getty follow basic principles that people can apply in their own homes: fire-resistant construction and defensible space.

First thing's first: The Getty Villa is made of concrete and travertine.

Those materials are virtually fire-proof. Essentially, the villa was "built like a vault," Les Borsay, the facility's emergency preparedness specialist, told Business Insider.

Of course, most homes aren't pure concrete, but consider it when you're building a driveway or fence.

In urban conflagrations like the ones that ripped through Los Angeles in January, a wood fence or mulch landscaping can be the fuel that brings the fire to your house.

A fire-resistant roof can make a huge difference too, since embers accumulate there.

At the Getty Villa, roofs are made of tile. Wood shake or shingles, of course, are the most flammable roofing material. An ideal fire-resistant roof is made of asphalt, clay tiles, or concrete tiles, according to the California state fire agency, Cal Fire.

Then there are the openings into a home: windows, doors, and vents.

If enough embers get in through openings, or if a window breaks from the heat, fire can easily start inside the home.

That's why double-pane windows are the choice of fire-resistant construction experts like Clark Stevens, an architect working with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Getty Villa has fire-rated doors, but homeowners can up their anti-fire game by installing a good seal around their doors.

Don't forget the garage door, too.

"It's bigger than any window in your house, usually, so these edges are really important," Stevens told BI as he showed off the garage-door seal at a model home he's built in the Santa Monica mountains.

Since people often use garages as storage spaces, they're also often full of flammable items. They can be a huge vulnerability if they're not properly sealed.

Vents into the Getty Villa's buildings are fitted with mesh to prevent embers from flying in.

Installing metal mesh screening with 1/8-inch spacing — or, better yet, 1/16-inch — can prevent embers from accumulating inside an attic or crawlspace and starting a fire inside your home.

The Getty Villa has a fancy water-supply system that's not a realistic option for most homeowners.

It involves a 50,000-gallon tank of water deep underground, a system of pipes and fire hydrants, and sprinklers throughout all the buildings on the property.

However, simple, cheap measures also helped save the villa, like trimming low-hanging tree branches.

According to Borsay, the groundskeeping team regularly cleared tree branches up to six feet above the ground.

On the hillside where fire traveled down toward the villa, in this photo, you can see where flames burned up the trunks of trees, but not into their leafy crowns. That helps prevent fire from jumping tree to tree, spreading more quickly.

"Nine out of 10 times, this boils down to two words: yard work," Pat Durland, an instructor for the National Fire Protection Association, told BI in 2023.

Flying embers can ignite plants or leaves in the yard or a roof gutter, which can then ignite your home. That's where defensible space comes in.

Experts recommend maintaining a five-foot zone around your house that's free of dry vegetation or other highly flammable materials.

The forest "may be showering us with embers, but what's burning our homes down and forcing us to run and evacuate is human fuels," Durland, who has 30 years of federal wildfire management experience, told BI after the Palisades fire.

"It's bark mulch, it's ornamental grasses. It's structures that are readily flammable" — all things humans can change.

That applies to other fuel sources, too, like cars.

A vehicle that goes up in flames can quickly ignite nearby structures, such as a car in a driveway helping fire spread to a house's outer wall.

Cal Fire recommends keeping vehicles at least five feet away from the house.

At the Getty, staff simply didn't want their cars to burn, so they moved them into the underground parking garage.

The Getty Villa has lots of vegetation, but staff keep the gardens well-watered and spaced apart, at a distance from the building itself.

After the five-foot no-fuel zone, Cal Fire recommends homeowners maintain a 30-foot "lean, clean, and green" zone.

"You are where the rubber meets the road. The things you do on your house and around your house are going to make the difference," Durland said.

That's certainly on display at the Getty Villa. It's still standing after the most destructive fire in the region's history because of its builders' construction choices and diligent groundskeeping.