This article is part of "Made to Order," a series highlighting the business strategies driving today's food industry.

When Sam Mink, the owner of Oyster House, made his way through the Philadelphia airport more than a decade ago, he wondered what it would be like to have a restaurant stationed in one of the international airport's terminals.

That may have been a premonition: This spring, Oyster House will open its second location between terminals B and C in the airport. The restaurant will seat 140 people and feature a shell-shucking station, Mink said.

He told Business Insider he understands that some people might feel skeptical when they hear the words "oysters" and "airport" in the same breath. But it's a chance Mink — and plenty of other food-and-beverage entrepreneurs across the country — are willing to take for the potential payoffs.

Across the US, airports are upping their selection of local eateries, often favoring them over nationally recognized chain restaurants and brands. Over the past two decades, this food-and-beverage trend has unfurled as part of a larger move to make airports feel more welcoming and authentic to their locales. Rather than fill US airports' fluorescent halls with more national chain restaurants, airport operators want to feature food and beverage options that speak to the cities where they're located.

"Airports, just like other concessions and concepts out there, are becoming more experiential. The airport that you're visiting can be just as much of a destination as where you're going, so it's a reflection of the local city," Liz Einhorn, a hospitality consultant and the founder of Experience Threee, told Business Insider.

Einhorn said that post-pandemic, more people are traveling just for fun, further incentivizing airport leaders to create unique and welcoming experiences.

A June report from the consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that leisure travel has become more popular than business travel in recent years. Within the US, travelers seek vacation opportunities year-round, compared to their European and Asian counterparts who tend to travel in the summer, the McKinsey report said.

In addition to the forthcoming Oyster House location, the Philadelphia airport is home to the Philly-born coffee roastery Elixr, the brunch favorite Sabrina's Cafe, a Geno's Steaks outpost, and, soon, a Federal Donuts and Chicken.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport has Tortas Frontera, from the award-winning chef Rick Bayless, and Berghoff Cafe, a spinoff of the city's historic German eatery. Travelers to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport can visit Lil Woody's Burgers & Shakes, which has five other non-airport locations. The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport features local favorites Salt Lick BBQ and Salvation Pizza.

For restaurant entrepreneurs, these partnerships can enhance their marketing strategies by widening brand recognition. They also require less of a hands-on approach than opening an on-the-street store location from scratch, since hospitality-group collaborators take on the bulk of the planning, which can include training staff, designing and building the space itself, and creating the menu.

Airport leaders want to make their spaces feel unique

As conduits for mass travel, airports are inherently uniform in their designs. Walking through any given airport can feel like you're moving outside time or space.

As Steve Taylor, a professor of psychology who studies consciousness, wrote in an article for The Conversation: "They are liminal zones where boundaries fade. On a literal level, national borders dissolve. Once we pass through security, we enter a no man's land, between countries. The concept of place becomes hazy."

Airport business leaders know this, so they aim to turn their airports into more tantalizing and pleasurable experiences, said Melissa K. Montes, the vice president and publisher of Airport Experience News.

"At the heart of the industry's efforts is the guest experience," Montes told BI. "For some operators, this means leveraging new technologies or offering innovative products to cater to the evolving needs of a new generation of travelers. For others, the emphasis remains on delivering personalized service that creates meaningful connections with passengers."

She added that "experiences" has become a buzzword in the industry, as retailers and restaurateurs focus on strategies for keeping travelers with limited time — and an interest in spending on authentic goods and services — engaged with their offerings.

Increasingly, airports achieve that through localized food and beverage concepts in their terminals, said Simon Lorady, a vice president at Jackmont Hospitality, the food-service group responsible for bringing Oyster House, Federal Donuts, and Elixr to the Philadelphia airport.

It's a trend Lorady, who began his career working in Philadelphia-area restaurants, said he started to notice about 15 years ago.

"Travelers were getting more educated about food. People are traveling more, they're seeing more local and new concepts coming about, especially in these popular cities," Lorady said.

These shifting consumer expectations are reflected in the requests for proposals, or RFPs, that Jackmont Hospitality and other concessionaires — the companies responsible for bringing food, beverages, and other products to various markets, like on the street or at stadiums — receive.

Instead of asking for Burger King and Auntie Anne's outposts, airports are asking for barbecue joints, seafood restaurants, local roasteries, beer gardens, and other concepts that reflect each location's unique culinary culture, Einhorn said.

Turning an airport prospect into a local partnership

Once concessionaires view an airport's RFP for localized concepts, they seek out potential partners to collaborate with — often the owners of city-specific eateries.

Lorady said that the process of winning an airport hospitality contract is both an art and a science.

"They don't tell you the brands they are looking for, but they tell you a category," Lorady told BI. He gave the example of "elevated local coffee" as a category: "Our job is to decipher that category and think, 'What do they really want there?'" In this particular case, it resulted in Jackmont Hospitality bringing Elixr coffee to the Philadelphia airport in August.

The process is often driven by concessionaries' personal relationships with restaurant owners and involves ongoing conversations about how the partnership could work since each one can vary based on an airport's requirements for leasing, staffing, and safety, Lorady said. He added that a restaurant's resources and an owner's expectations can also play a role in shaping these partnerships. Some restaurants — say, one that slow roasts its meat for several hours — simply aren't suited for an airport outpost, Einhorn said.

Mink said that a hospitality company approached him about expanding Oyster House — his family's storied seafood restaurant — to the airport nearly 10 years ago, but he turned down the offer, unsure if he was ready to expand at the time. Fast forward to 2023, when Lorady contacted Mink with a similar offer.

"I was ready to take Oyster House out of Sansom Street and work on this dream of mine," Mink told BI about expanding the business. "I love the fact that it's a licensing deal, that they do a lot of the heavy lifting, and they work with us. I feel like we're partners in creating this restaurant that will be as close to the original one as possible — but obviously, it's not going to be exactly the same."

Restaurateurs see marketing opportunities with airport collaborations

Mink and Jeff Benjamin of Federal Donuts and Chicken — another Jackmont Hospitality partner restaurant — told BI that their collaborations provide an opportunity to market their brands to an audience of hungry travelers.

"It's a secondary or tertiary model to have these, what we call, nontraditional sites. It's less for the financial upside and more for the marketing and the visibility as we grow," Benjamin, the CEO of Federal Donuts and Chicken, said.

It's also a last chance for travelers to get a taste of local restaurants that they may have missed during the visit — or that they tried and loved — as they're heading back home, Lorady said.

Travelers appear to enjoy having more local options — commenters in travel subreddits often rave about their niche airport meals. And locals on business trips — including my father, a Philadelphia native — can enjoy a taste of home, in the form of a Geno's cheesesteak, even after they've moved away.

• Matthew Hassett is the founder and CEO of Loftie, which makes digital clocks and lamps in China.
• The company is facing tariffs above 100% on the goods it imports to the US.
• Hassett is trying to boost Loftie's software business so it has time to adjust its supply chain.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matthew Hassett, the CEO of Loftie, a company whose products include a digital clock and lamp designed to promote sound sleep. The company, which he founded in New York City in 2018, makes its products in China. Because tariffs are pushing the company's costs higher, Hassett hopes to boost Loftie's subscription software business to give the company time to rework its supply chain before inventory runs out — perhaps as soon as May. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

We're a family-owned business and haven't raised much in venture capital. We've had a lot of growth, but we're still pretty small even though we've sold over 150,000 Loftie clocks. Now, the tariffs have completely blown out our whole business model.

Because of existing tariffs, the levy on our clock is 149%, and on the lamp, it's 175%. We're paying more in tariffs than we are for the actual product and don't have the ability to absorb that, so we have to pass it on to customers.

The tariff on our lamp, which sells for $274.99, would be over $100. So, unless we increased the price, we would lose money on every product we sold.

Our focus is, for the time being, to become more of a software company. We were slowly building that business, which uses artificial intelligence to create unique bedtime stories and meditations. We're now racing to add features, like app blocking and routine-setting, to make it even more of a stand-alone product.

We have over 12,000 subscribers. We want to grow that 10 times this year. Subscription revenue is how I can definitively keep this company afloat and, ideally, avoid layoffs. That's my top priority.

I need revenue to pay our employees, and I can count on that revenue through software because, at least for now, there's no tariff on it.

The challenge is having the resources to make this hard pivot under such a constrained timeline — essentially shifting our entire business in 60 days.

I'd still like to be a manufacturer

I still plan to make our hardware products. But until there is clarity about where we can make them at prices people would be willing to pay, I cannot count on that being a business model that will sustain our company.

We still have inventory in China. I recently saw that a container had left the factory on its way to the port. I asked the freight forwarder to turn the truck around when I saw that we'd be paying way more in duties than the value of those goods, which included more than 500 of our lamps. We would be losing money on everything we sold in that container.

I would love to manufacture in the United States, but there are no factories that could do what ours in China does and many of the components are only made there.

As a small business, I cannot go out and create a factory in the US — even if there was a labor force willing to work in such a factory, which I don't believe there is. So, this talk of "just manufacture in America" is dead on arrival for me, because it's impossible.

Funding challenges

I've been very fortunate to have family and friends, mostly, who've supported the business and invested in it. We did our first institutional investment last year. For a while, I was paying myself about $6,000 a year. Now, it's up to $40,000 annually. At one point, I liquidated my retirement accounts to keep the company going.

We were poised to double our revenue this year. We finally got good long-term inventory financing, which has been a huge challenge. That financing switches from an interest-only period starting in May. I'm going to have to renegotiate with our lenders to push that back while we figure out how to generate the revenue to repay the loan. I'm also potentially going to need additional debt to pay for the lost revenue.

One of the craziest things that happened last week was that I learned that we're no longer eligible for a Small Business Administration loan we'd been working on for months. It was going to be secured by the company's assets and my sister's house, which she was gracious enough to offer as collateral to help us get the loan.

The reason we were denied is that 1.5% of the company is owned by my 83-year-old Irish godfather and two friends from South Africa. There was a recent rule change at the SBA that 100% of the ownership has to be US citizens or green card holders.

So, while the government is completely destroying my business model, they are also not lending to us because 1.5% of the company is owned by non-US people.

It's very easy to write off China when you're in a nationalist mindset and think that, somehow, those are jobs that we're not getting. Yet, there is already low unemployment in the US, so how do we imagine we could replace China's manufacturing capacity here?

When the president talks about some short-term pain for long-term gain, it doesn't necessarily track with small businesses because we often don't have the savings to get through that short-term pain.

It's just so intense right now. I'm grateful to my team, who are managing to stay somewhat heads-down and work on the course that I've charted out to become more of a software company in the next one to two months.

The White House didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the effects of tariffs on small businesses.

Do you have a story to share about the effect of tariffs on your business? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.

• California is leading the charge against President Trump's tariffs among US states.
• The state on Wednesday is set to file a suit in San Francisco federal court challenging the levies.
• It's the biggest move that Gov. Gavin Newsom has so far taken against Trump's second administration.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California is escalating his war against President Donald Trump's tariffs.

On Wednesday, the governor said his state would sue to immediately block the tariffs, with the high-profile Democrat describing the levies as "unlawful and unprecedented."

The legal action is a dramatic escalation in the relationship between the two leaders, this time centered on trade policy.

Newsom and California state Attorney General Rob Bonta are set to file the suit in San Francisco federal court, which would represent the first challenge from a state against the president's tariff plan.

"President Trump's unlawful tariffs are wreaking chaos on California families, businesses, and our economy — driving up prices and threatening jobs," the governor said in a statement. "We're standing up for American families who can't afford to let the chaos continue."

The two Democrats argue that Trump's tariffs will have an immense impact on the California economy, with over 60,000 small business exporters affected by the president's plan. The Californians point to important materials like steel and aluminum that are needed to help rebuild after a devastating series of fires in the Los Angeles area in January — along with the affects of "reciprocal" tariffs on farmers in the state's key agricultural regions.

Bonta in a statement argued that Trump's back-and-forth on tariff policy goes beyond his presidential power.

"The President's chaotic and haphazard implementation of tariffs is not only deeply troubling, it's illegal," he said.

On April 2, which Trump dubbed as "Liberation Day," he announced that he was implementing reciprocal tariffs on select countries, while imposing a 10% baseline tariff on most countries.

Some countries, like China, pushed back against the administration and were hit with higher tariffs.

Trump reversed himself days later and issued a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs for most countries, but the administration on Wednesday said that China now faces a tariff rate of "up to 245%."

For now, the administration issued a pause on "reciprocal" tariffs for computers and laptops, which could have significantly raised the price of electronics for US consumers. However, Trump is still mulling tariffs on semiconductors from China.

China has already imposed a 125% tariff on US goods.

Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, has also made other key economic moves since Trump returned to the White House.

The governor this week kicked off a tourism campaign to lure Canadians — many of whom have been spooked by Trump's trade tussles with their country — back to California for excursions.

And earlier in April, Newsom called on world leaders to make exceptions for California goods amid Trump's trade policy implementation.

"Donald Trump's tariffs do not represent all Americans, particularly those I represent here in the fifth largest economy in the world, the state of California," Newsom said at the time. "California is a stable trading partner and we hope you remember that as you consider California-made products."

• The FTC took Meta to trial, arguing it's a monopoly and should sell off Instagram and WhatsApp.
• Meta says the true "market" where it operates is bigger and more competitive than what the FTC says.
• Antitrust law experts say the FTC has a tough battle but a real shot at winning.

The Federal Trade Commission's blockbuster trial against Meta kicked off in court this week, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg taking the stand as the first witness.

Government lawyers are trying to persuade a federal judge to force Meta to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp. They argue that, along with Facebook, the acquisitions of those apps were part of an illegal scheme that allows Meta to illegally dominate the "personal social networking services" market and help the company act as an illegal monopoly.

In court, Meta argues that the true market where it operates is much bigger than what the FTC claims. Far from being an illegal monopoly, Meta fiercely competes with TikTok and YouTube, Zuckerberg says, and its apps have evolved along with user habits. Besides, it says, its products are free.

Here's what some of the smartest people in antitrust law are saying:

William Kovacic, former FTC chair

The judge in the case has built a steep hill for the FTC to climb if it wants to win, Kovacic, who served as an FTC commissioner in the George W. Bush administration, said.

In a previous ruling, US District Judge James Boasberg was skeptical about the FTC's argument that TikTok, YouTube, or X shouldn't be considered part of the same market as Meta's products, according to Kovacic. The trial decision would come down to the evidence from Meta's internal records, Kovacic said.

"He said that the FTC, in some ways, was pushing existing law to its limits, and that he'd be looking very closely at what Meta had to say about the dimensions of the market, its position in that market, and about its justifications for the acquisitions," said Kovacic, who now teaches antitrust law at George Washington University's law school and has advised over a dozen countries on consumer protection law. "So I read in that earlier opinion some skepticism about the FTC's case."

Rebecca Allensworth, antitrust law professor

The case is basically "a toss-up," said Rebecca Allensworth, a Vanderbilt University law school professor who teaches an antitrust law class focused on Big Tech. She believes the case "is going to be won or lost" on the definition of the market where Meta competes. But it's clear, she says, that Meta meets the definition of a "monopoly power."

"The monopoly power question really ought to be answered according to whether or not Meta's customers feel locked in, and whether they really feel like they can give up Facebook or if they will just put up with the equivalent of higher prices — addicting products on Facebook, lots of ads, all the sort of bad things," Allensworth said. "And I think we have plenty of evidence of that. We would call that direct evidence of monopoly power."

Allensworth believes that the judge may balk at the FTC's proposed remedy of forcing Meta to divest from WhatsApp and Instagram, and might give the company a pass.

"Because that's such an obvious remedy, it might implicate the merits case that comes before," Allensworth said. "Because if a judge is not prepared to do that, a judge might not want to find liability."

Peter Cohan, management practice professor

"Meta will end up settling the case," says Peter Cohan, a strategy and entrepreneurship professor at Georgetown University's McDonough's School of Business and Babson College. He believes the FTC's argument — that Meta's acquisitions stifled competition by eliminating potential rivals — is more convincing than Meta's defense.

While the company claims it faces stiff competition and doesn't charge users, Cohan says its dominant hold on digital advertising is the real issue.

Despite pointing to TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat as major challengers, Meta's market power in ad spending paints a different picture. By some estimates, Cohan says, Meta is projected to have a significant market share in social media, with Facebook and Instagram combined accounting for 36.3% and 27.5% of ad spend respectively. YouTube is also a major player, with 15.5% of ad spend. TikTok, while growing rapidly, has a smaller share, at 9.5%,

If the FTC wins, Meta will likely appeal, Cohan says, but he doesn't rule out a negotiated outcome. "It might settle by spinning off Instagram," he says. A loss could also have ripple effects across the tech industry: "Google could also be more likely to lose and reach a divestiture settlement."

Lina Khan, former FTC chair

The Biden-era FTC chair, who shepherded the lawsuit after the agency sued Meta in the waning days of the first Trump administration, told CNN that the FTC can prove the company is a monopoly because it makes its products worse.

"Facebook has been significantly increasing the number of ads that it pushes to users, even though that makes the service worse," Khan said. "And that has not led it to suffer consequences in the marketplace — which itself is a marker of its monopoly power."

Barry Barnett, commercial litigator

The Susman Godfrey partner, who's represented Yale University, Alaska Airlines, and Neiman Marcus, thinks the FTC could win if it persuades the judge that the "personal social networking" market still exists today, not just when Meta bought Instagram and WhatsApp more than a decade ago.

"Meta seems to concede it still has a monopoly position in personal social networking," Barnett wrote in an email. "Therefore, if Judge Boasberg accepts the FTC's definition of the relevant market — despite the rise of TikTok, YouTube, and iMessage — the FTC will win the crucial point. Only the question of remedy will remain."

"I like the FTC's chances," he continued. "The bells and whistles of TikTok, etc., strike me as critical for a minority of social media mavens but at best optional for most."

Jennifer Huddleston, technology policy expert

"This case makes a lot of presumptions about how the businesses of Instagram and WhatsApp would have evolved," said Jennifer Huddleston, a senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute.

She said that predicting how social media would have developed without Meta's acquisitions is inherently difficult and that both deals were approved by regulators at the time.

Huddleston also questioned the government's narrow definition of the market. In her view, Meta faces real competition.

"Gen Z is choosing different platforms and video forward options," she said, adding that apps like Signal and traditional SMS also compete with WhatsApp in the messaging space.

If Meta loses, Huddleston said users could feel the impact. A breakup could limit the ability to cross-post content between apps, while smaller companies might struggle to maintain services or invest in safety tools. It could also "send a chilling effect on mergers and acquisitions in the tech industry more generally," with consequences for both companies and consumers, she said.

Kellie Lerner, antitrust lawyer

The founding partner of Shinder Cantor Lerner, who's litigated numerous antitrust cases, thinks the passage of time has made the FTC's case more difficult to win.

"The FTC is off to a strong start, with excellent evidence revealing Meta's concerns about maintaining its market position with nascent competition from Instagram and WhatsApp," she said. "An ultimate win, however, will be challenging given the decade that has passed since those acquisitions. In my view, with a trial expected to last into July, it is really too close to call in these early days of testimony."

Mark Zuckerberg, Harvard University dropout

"Building a new app is hard," the Meta founder and CEO said on the witness stand.

Zuckerberg, explaining why his company purchased Instagram, said that Meta had developed numerous homegrown apps over the years that had died on the vine. It was easier, he said, to simply purchase Instagram.

"I'm sure we could have built an app," he added. "Whether it succeeded or not is a matter of speculation."

• On a three-week trip to East Africa, I mainly experienced safaris by vehicle.
• One afternoon in Uganda, I swapped the safari truck for a boat.
• It was an unexpected highlight of the trip and offered new perspectives on animals.

Within an hour in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, I witnessed a giraffe's treacherous water crossing. Minutes later, I was a few feet away from a male lion with a shaggy mane.

These were the moments I had dreamed of.

For years, these dreams were limited to a traditional safari. I pictured myself bumping along on dirt roads in an open-air vehicle, searching for zebras, elephants, and rhinos.

One of the most unexpected highlights of a three-week safari trip wasn't in a safari vehicle. It was on a boat.

I spent an afternoon in Uganda on a safari cruise

After a week in Tanzania, I headed to Uganda for a safari with the outfitter Volcanoes Safaris. The focus of the weeklong trip was gorilla trekking at Bwindi Lodge and chimpanzee trekking near Kibale Lodge.

Tucked into my itinerary was a cruise through the Kazinga Channel, a 20-mile-long channel that links Uganda's Lake Edward and Lake George.

It was a nice break from the safari vehicle. I was on week three of enjoying "African massages," a joke you'll hear from nearly every guide about how the bumpy rides mimic a vibrating massage chair.

For one afternoon, I got to float on the King Fisher, a Sun Tracker pontoon. The experience was booked through Volcanoes Safaris with Mweya Safari Lodge, where a private cruise for two people costs $210 per person. (Business Insider received complimentary admission to the cruise.)

After settling into comfy leather chairs, we left the dock and adventured out.

We cruised while spotting new animals in a new environment

Floating on the water offered a new perspective compared to driving through open plains and bushy areas.

If you're on a safari around the Serengeti National Park, you might be limited to staying on designated roads, waiting in traffic for an opportunity to view animals, and watching animals quickly disappear behind foliage.

That wasn't the case in the water. There was no traffic or waiting. We had the whole channel to explore. During the three-hour experience, I spotted one other safari cruise, and sure, animals could disappear beneath the water's surface, but they eventually had to pop back up.

Plus, seeing animals in a new habitat was thrilling. I watched an elephant bathing in shallow waters a few hundred feet away from a small fishing village. I watched baby hippos swim and hide from our enormous boat. There were crocodiles — a creature I hadn't seen yet — and unfamiliar reptiles and birds I had yet to spot.

A safari is more than just a drive

While a traditional game drive is a quintessential element of a safari vacation, the cruise was a refreshing reminder that it can involve more than just a vehicle.

During my three weeks, I traveled in the bush on foot, by boat, and by car. Each experience provided new perspectives, new animal sightings, and a new appreciation for these valuable ecosystems.

• The New York Federal Reserve released a new report showing that a college degree still pays off in the long run.
• Researchers show how taking extra time or picking certain majors can decrease the return on investment.
• Gen Zers have been questioning the value of a college degree and the student debt that comes with it.

Going to college still pays off — mostly.

With high college costs and a rising number of alternatives to a four-year degree, questions about the financial return of a college degree have been rampant. The New York Federal Reserve released new data on Wednesday showing that college does still typically pay for itself, but it depends on the student's choices.

"The typical college graduate earns a return that easily surpasses the benchmark for a sound investment," the New York Fed's blog post said. However, some college students don't fall into that category.

The New York Fed found that the rate of return on a college degree remains high, and college graduates continue to earn more than those who do not earn a college degree. Using data from the Census Bureau adjusted for inflation, the Fed found that the median college graduate with just a college degree earned about $80,000, compared to $47,000 for a worker with just a high school diploma.

"With the annual college wage premium at more than $30,000, it is easy to see why the return to college remains so substantial," the blog post said. "Over an entire working life of more than forty years, such a premium adds up to a benefit well in excess of the costs."

There are some students, however, who might not see that premium. A companion blog post from the New York Fed highlighted three reasons a college degree might not pay off for some students:

1. Taking more than four years to complete the degree;
2. Picking a low-paying college major;
3. Choosing to live on campus.

The blog post said that while most students complete their degrees in four years, "taking an extra year or two to finish school adds considerably to the cost," primarily because of the opportunity costs of staying longer in school and missing out on wages that could've been earned through working full-time.

The total cost of college increases from $180,000 to $272,000 when students graduate in five years, the blog post said, based on data from the Census and Department of Education.

Additionally, graduates in certain majors tend to earn more post-graduation than others; those in engineering, math, and economics typically have a higher return on investment, but the New York Fed said that a degree generally pays off regardless of major.

The higher cost of living on college campuses can also decrease the return on investment for some students, depending on the amount of additional financial aid they receive.

Some with college degrees have found even more benefits beyond the financial; a report from the Lumina Foundation said that it allows for greater career stability, more community involvement and civic engagement, and enhanced retirement security.

The College Board found last year that, amid concerns about higher education costs, the cost of college had actually been going down. That's due to a few factors, including an increase in grant aid and a decrease in student-loan borrowing.

That's not to say students aren't feeling the financial bind of a degree; some Gen Zers previously told BI that they did not want to take out student loans when they felt they could further their careers by directly entering the workforce.

President Donald Trump's education secretary, Linda McMahon, also said that one of her aims while on the job is to strengthen and expand alternative routes to a college degree; part of her "final mission" during Trump's goal to eliminate the Department of Education.

Are you considering whether college is worth it for you? Share your story with this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.

• My husband and I became legal guardians of our grandson.
• I was 62, and we had been married for 34 years, but we were starting over with parenting.
• I'm thankful for other caregivers who give us encouragement and advice.

I started over at age 62 — not in the way you might think — my 34-year marriage is strong, and retirement is on the horizon. What I started over at is parenting.

When I learned my daughter was pregnant, I knew that her baby would become the determining factor of all future decisions my husband and I would make.

Living with the trauma of her own adoption, she would not choose the same path for her child, and she opposed termination. So, we supported her throughout her pregnancy and welcomed her and our grandson into our home. We were her support team, and for a while, it worked. But when her struggles as a mother became more pronounced, and intercepted her ability to parent, we knew we had to take the lead.

So, when our grandson was 18 months old, with a judge's signature, my husband and I became legal guardians of him. We had joined the ranks of kinship caregivers.

We are more patient

Kinship families are made up of non-parent family members who care for children and provide them with a sense of connection, security, and ties to their cultural heritage, family, and community. We are joined by aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings.

My husband, our grandson, and I function well as a unit despite our extreme age differences. He reaches each milestone with lightyear speed while we have trouble getting up off the floor. We have an amazing HeadStart program for day care, Google for answers, and Pinterest for ideas. We are wiser and more patient with him than we were on our first parenting go-round. When it's just the three of us, things go smoothly. Making room, making accommodations for his mother and birth father to be in his life (which is the goal), that's where the overwhelm and exhaustion come in.

Our family dynamic is different

I think this is the biggest struggle for us as kinship caregivers. Caring for a toddler, even with their challenges (and they can be legion), is one thing. Navigating the role their birth parents play in his life places us on a whole different level of family dynamics.

We're grateful that our grandson's parents are in his life. So, we stop what we're doing for Facetime visits, navigate text chains that are often misconstrued, coordinate pick up and drop off, and help our grandson process his return after an overnight visit.

We're not in this alone. I am thankful for the benefits my grandson receives and for the organizations and ministries in our community offering everything from virtual support groups to free diapers to foster closets. We take advantage of it all. There is no place for pride in the kinship world. We'll take those free gallons of WIC milk, thank you very much. Swapping out shoes and pj's for the next size up at the foster closet connects me to the larger community of other families traveling this same road.

But mostly, I'm grateful to the other caregivers who are there online and at the coffee shop to offer encouragement, advice, and support — all without judgment or shaming. No situation is so extreme that someone hasn't dealt with it before, and no question is silly.

We grieve with those who are grieving and celebrate the little and big family moments.

• Commuting on the subway has been a staple of New York City life since the early 20th century.
• Its early days saw much integration and expansion, shaping what the system is like today.
• Vintage photos show how the subway evolved and how it's still the same in some ways.

The world today looks a lot different than it did when the New York City subway first opened in 1904, but in many ways, the train has remained the same.

The subway system, which saw over a billion subway rides in 2024, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), has been a staple of city life since the turn of the 20th century.

In the decades since, the subway system has helped define and enhance the development of America's busiest city.

From passenger conduct to advertisement posters on the train, photos show how commuting on the subway has evolved since it opened in 1904, and how much has stayed the same.

New York's first underground railroad line started running under Broadway in Manhattan in 1870.

The short-lived Beach Pneumatic Transit, a one-block underground train line running from Murray Street to Warren Street under Broadway, opened in 1870.

Unable to secure the required permits to expand the line, the passenger car closed in 1873.

The New York City Subway opened in 1904 and saw immediate demand.

An estimated 100,000 rode the underground train on its first day, The New York Times reported.

Before the subway opened, transit in the city was conducted by a network of trolleys, elevated trains, horse-drawn carriages, and omnibuses.

Some subway cars briefly operated as women-only.

From April to July 1909, the Hudson and Manhattan railroad line — which now operates as the Port Authority Trans-Hudson, or PATH, line — reserved the last car of every rush hour train for women passengers only, a result of women's rights activism of the era, according to a Federal Highway Administration study.

Newsboys would often flock to train stations looking for potential buyers.

The prevalence of child labor in the city meant that young boys often took up labor, many times as newspaper sellers on the streets.

The newsboys and girls would buy bundles of 100 newspapers directly from the publishers for 60 cents in 1899, according to the American Postal Workers Union. They would usually make about 50 cents in profit each day.

Newsboys and girls were commonly seen around subway stations up until the 1930s, when child labor regulations began to crack down on the employment of young children.

While rapidly gaining popularity, the subway system remained privately owned until 1940.

The expanding subway system was operated by a group of privately owned companies: the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, which the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation succeeded, and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which operated the first subway lines opened in 1904.

The system was unified when the city bought the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation in 1940, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

Nickel-operated turnstiles were introduced in 1921.

The subway implemented coin-operated turnstiles in 1921, according to the Electric Railway Journal. Before that, passengers purchased paper tickets that operators cut at the station's gate.

Advertisements lined the subway cars from early in its history.

Since its opening in 1904, advertisements have been surrounding the subway stations and cars.

At first, subway advertisements faced strong criticism until a 1907 Supreme Court case decided that the subway authority was ultimately allowed to run advertisements on the stations and cars, as reported by The New York Times.

During wartime, liberty bonds were advertised on subway stations.

Among the many ads of the time posted on subway stations and cars were posters encouraging passengers to buy liberty bonds to support the country's war efforts.

By 1933, city officials were making efforts to cool down subway cars.

Just the year after the subway's opening in 1904, efforts to cool down stations during the hot summer started with the installation of ceiling fans on the Brooklyn Bridge station, as reported by The New York Times.

It wasn't until 1933 that officials began overseeing the addition of ceiling fans on subway cars to combat the summer heat.

By the 1950s, air conditioning was introduced on some newer subway cars, although the majority remained without cooling.

Some subway stations even had diners and convenience stores.

In the 1960s, some subway stations featured quick-service restaurants for passengers looking for a bite before their commute.

Subway cars started featuring courtesy advertisements in 1918.

The Subway Sun, a series of subway ads, started running in 1918, the New Yorker reported.

Similar to the MTA's "Courtesy Matters" campaign, which features subway etiquette advertisements on subway cars and stations, The Subway Sun encouraged riders to be mindful of the space they occupy on the train and not cause disturbances to other riders, TimeOut reported.

Early redesigns of the subway layout hoped to balance standing room with comfortable seating.

According to the New York Transit Museum, the 1928 design of subway cars was made to fit tracks used by both the Interborough Rapid Transit and Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation, and also aimed to increase comfort and ease of movement for passengers during rush and off-peak hours.

The expansion of the subway helped shape New York City's development.

The expansion of subway lines allowed for quick and efficient commutes and thus helped distribute the city's population throughout the outer boroughs, easing up the high population density of the 19th century, according to the Transportation Research Board.

Subway ridership peaked in the 1940s.

A record for the most subway riders seen in a single day was set on the day before Christmas Eve in 1946, The New York Times reported.

The subway system saw over 7 million riders that day, a record that can be compared to the modern ridership of both the subway and bus systems combined.

Still, subway riders haven't changed much in the past 100-plus years.

Just like today, but without cellphones, subway passengers would often read the news, chat with friends aboard, or take quick naps on the train.

• Scott Harrison's weight crept up as a father with a busy work schedule.
• At 42, he decided to learn about nutrition and get in shape without counting calories.
• He's now a personal trainer and runs a fat loss coaching business.

Scott Harrison distinctly remembers looking at the other parents at school pick-up in December 2015 and thinking they all looked unhealthy. "What example was that setting for their children?" he thought.

"Then I looked at myself, and I realized I was one of them," the dad of three from the UK told Business Insider.

It was the turning point that saw Harrison lose weight by focusing on three things: eating nutritious, whole foods; learning about how calorific foods are without counting calories; and not eliminating treats from his diet.

Harrison, 51, shared how he got in shape and has maintained his physique for a decade without giving up treats or alcohol, and how he started a business to help others do the same.

Harrison's weight crept up over the decades

Harrison started his working life as a trader in London, and he worked hard and played hard for nine years.

"I would be taken out by brokers all the time and could choose any restaurant. One of my favorite meals was steak covered in Stilton cheese, and my alcohol consumption was horrifically bad," he said.

At the time, Harrison wasn't thinking about his health — he just wanted to have fun. Now, he said, he realizes he was "chipping away at my body in a negative way."

After leaving banking, Harrison worked various jobs during his 30s and 40s, including opening a small chain of sunbed and beauty salons, a jewelry shop, and a double-glazing company.

Work and parenting kept Harrison busy, and he'd typically skip breakfast and then eat food such as sausage rolls (pastry filled with sausage meat) and sandwiches on the go. In the evenings, he and his wife enjoyed at least one glass of wine and generally shared a bottle on the weekends.

"We've got kids; we weren't falling over or feeling drunk," Harrison said. "You don't realize alcohol has a gazillion calories."

He also ate big portions of food and would order every starter on the menu when eating out.

Harrison knew he'd be healthier and feel more energized if he lost some weight, but his attempts generally consisted of eating a packet of ham for dinner, which never worked. "I didn't know what I was doing," he said, adding that he thought the ham packet, being a relatively small amount of food, was the answer.

Registered nutritionists and dietitians have previously told BI that to lose weight sustainably, people should focus on eating a variety of whole foods with a balance of protein, carbs, and fats, plus plenty of fiber, to keep themselves feeling full and nourished. Focusing on high-volume foods, which take up a lot of space on your plate for relatively few calories, can also help.

Focusing on whole foods

At age 42, Harrison's school gate revelation prompted him to make his 2016 New Year's resolution to get in shape in 90 days. The goal? "Get a six-pack, the ultimate male visual," he said.

Harrison didn't have much of a workout regime but started running and whipping battle ropes in the garden. "I could barely run for one kilometer at the beginning," he said.

His aim diet-wise was simply to eat as many nutritious, whole foods as possible, including lots of chicken, fish, and vegetables.

Harrison learned about the anti-inflammatory Zone Diet and simplified its principles of counting specific amounts of protein, fats, and carbs. He didn't count calories, but he learned about them. For example, he's more sparing with olive oil when cooking than he used to be.

To help keep himself accountable, Harrison posted on Facebook about his goal, and 36 of his friends and followers decided to join him. "I got 19 to the finish line," Harrison said.

He didn't offer meal plans, recipes, or workout regimes at the time, but he enjoyed motivating others to hit their goals. So he did it again later that year. This ultimately led Harrison to launch his coaching business, The Six-Pack Revolution. (He acknowledges, however, that the name is a turnoff for those who aren't striving for a six-pack, so he's rebranding.)

Harrison is now a qualified personal trainer and also has a registered nutritionist, a psychotherapist, and a primary care doctor on his team.

Harrison believes that what you eat makes 80% of the difference when losing weight, so he focuses on nutrition and mindset with clients, with less emphasis on workouts.

Harrison got his six-pack gradually, and his healthy diet became his lifestyle.

"I looked like Wolverine, and I felt like him as well," Harrison said. "I could stop cars with my bare hands. That's how I felt."

His diet is less strict now, but he has maintained his physique (he never weighs himself as he prefers not to focus on numbers) by eating mostly nutritious foods without depriving himself of what he enjoys.

A healthy lifestyle includes the occasional treat

Harrison is against cutting calories too low because it's unsustainable. Instead, he encourages people to focus on nutritious, filling, whole foods in reasonable quantities.

"I teach everyone how to keep their results and still party twice a week, which is for me the best of both worlds," Harrison said. "So if you want a bit of chocolate or a pint or a curry with the girls or whatever else, it's going to bounce off you because your body is now a machine that burns fuel efficiently."

Partying could mean going to an actual party, or it could be enjoying a tub of ice cream on the sofa with your kids. Either way, Harrison stressed that for sustainability, it's important to still be able to enjoy your life.

"Everything that you've ever been, everything that currently are, and everything that you are to become is reliant on your health," Harrison said. "Because if you don't have that, you don't have anything."

• After 12 years as a freelancer, Michael Stahl wanted more stability and began job hunting.
• More than a year later, he was offered a contract reservist communications role with FEMA.
• But the offer was rescinded amid the White House DOGE office's cost-cutting drive.

When I told people in late February that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had offered me a job, the typical response was, "I thought they were getting shut down."

President Donald Trump had been outspoken about dismantling FEMA, an agency that's come under scrutiny by Elon Musk and the White House DOGE office. Yet I was offered a role that month as an agency "reservist."

Reservists are hourly wage workers deployed to disaster areas with 24 hours' notice for unknown lengths of time. I may have won the job when I jokingly told my interviewers that as a single, childless freelance writer, "I have no life."

Excitement and relief washed over me when I received the offer. My new job would be writing press releases, blog posts, and other content communicating how FEMA was responding to a disaster.

Though I'd be paid only when deployed, this job granted me another much-needed revenue stream. While I would have embraced a consistent full-time position, this intermittent job at FEMA meant I could better maintain my freelance lifestyle — which still has its perks. I also looked forward to the travel when assignments manifested.

After more than a year of toiling in one of the toughest job markets in recent memory, the FEMA job offer alone provided me with greater peace of mind and boosted my confidence.

Once proud, I was left with shaken confidence

I began my freelance writing career in 2012, and after proudly growing as both a journalist and a content producer, I felt it coming apart a couple of years ago.

Though my skills had improved, opportunities dwindled. Publications folded, and newsroom budgets were slashed. Freelance jobs grew increasingly tougher to land, and when I scored assignments, the rates were lower. I worked harder and longer for less money.

While taking whatever freelance gigs I could get, I began searching for a full-time job in late 2023.

I looked in journalism, but the industry was experiencing massive layoffs, so I also applied in sectors where my skills were transferable: marketing, public relations, and communications.

I craved consistency for better mental health and to build a future where annual vacations and retirement seemed possible. I was sure I'd secure a spot somewhere before my savings ran out.

But as the months passed with barely any responses to my applications, my credit card debt and anxiety level ballooned. I had a strong, highly transferable skillset and 12 years of experience working with legacy publications and big-name brands but was seemly not hirable. I was crushed, scared, and in disbelief.

My financial situation became so dire that I took a job as a part-time substitute teacher, which was disheartening and felt like a step backward because I'd left education to become a writer.

A lucky break led to relief

Then in December, I wrote about my struggles for Business Insider. A friend of mine posted the essay on Facebook, and a couple of his followers wrote supportive comments. One of them, a FEMA worker, said the agency needed writers and connected me to a recruiter.

When I chatted with FEMA's interviewers on February 7, they responded warmly to my answers. I grew to really want the reservist role, especially after learning of growth opportunities in the agency. After enrolling in training, I could apply to higher-up positions in FEMA, but at the very least, I'd have a boosted résumé with bona fide communications experience.

On March 31, I filled out background check paperwork and had my fingerprints taken in the FEMA offices at One World Trade Center. As a New Yorker who worked in Manhattan on 9/11, I felt somber walking into that building. But upon leaving, I no longer felt demoralized by the endless job searching.

Then came yet another gut punch

Hours after my fingerprinting appointment, I got an email saying my offer from FEMA was rescinded. The email said it was due to "a change in operational needs." A week before, it was reported that FEMA had frozen all external hiring and onboarding of new employees.

My connection at the agency is hopeful that the freeze will be lifted and that I'll still be awarded a position.

Putting it mildly, to be in the job market right now is to grapple with encroaching self-doubt.

My résumé perfectly outlined my decade-plus of successful writing. But for 14 months, I'd applied to countless jobs, many of which I was overqualified for, and landed only four interviews. I thought every interview went well. When rejection emails arrived, prospective employers repeatedly mentioned an outsize response to job postings.

"How good of a writer am I if I can't get a job?" I often thought. The lack of humanity in employment searches — the virtual applications, the scams, the ghosting — means job hunters are navigating a vast landscape painfully alone, unaware of what they may be doing "wrong."

I've read discourse in the people management community about hiring workers with the right character traits and skills rather than experience, but that practice won't be normalized if recruiters are increasingly using artificial intelligence to scan résumés.

I firmly believe my lack of traditional full-time employment at companies, with position titles, has held me back because the nonhuman entities scanning my résumé don't process what I've done as "experience."

It seems the best way to get a job right now is through personal recommendations. But the finest workers available are probably not the ones Dan in accounting is friendly with. Why use these online tools if they're not producing high-quality results?

Now I'm back on the digital job boards, more uncertain than ever about my future employment. My fingers are tightly crossed as I continue clicking "apply" into the AI ether.

• Spotify wasn't working for many users on Wednesday morning.
• Outage reports spiked, with users encountering issues on iOS, Android, and the web player.
• Spotify said normal service had returned as of 11:45 am ET following an "outage."

If your go-to Spotify podcast wasn't loading on your morning commute today, you weren't alone.

On Wednesday morning, the music streaming service said it was aware of "some issues" and was investigating.

"We're aware of some issues right now and are checking them out!" the company posted on X.

There was a large spike in outage reports on the third-party website DownDetector around 8:45 a.m. ET.

The outage issues seemed to span across multiple platforms — Business Insider tried to access Spotify's web player, but the site returned only an error message. When attempting to load up the iOS app, BI encountered a pop-up that reads, "Something went wrong," followed by "Have another go?" with an option to refresh the page. We also ran into issues accessing Spotify on the Android app.

In a statement to BI, a Spotify spokesperson said that the service experienced "an outage today beginning around 6:20am EDT" but that normal service had resumed.

"As of 11:45am EDT, Spotify is back up and functioning normally," the spokesperson said. "You can check @SpotifyStatus X channel for any additional updates."

• Tesla registrations in California fell over 15% during the first quarter.
• It is the sixth consecutive quarter that Tesla registrations have fallen in the state.
• Protesters have targeted Tesla showrooms in recent months, rallying against Elon Musk's politics.

Tesla's dominance in California's electric vehicle market is receding.

Tesla's slide in California continued into a sixth straight quarter, with registrations down 15.1% in early 2025 — even as overall new car registrations rose 8.3% year over year. The drop marks Tesla's steepest quarterly loss in more than a year, and comes at a moment when the state's car market saw a boost ahead of anticipated tariffs, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.

Meanwhile, Tesla's share of California's electric vehicle market dropped from 55.5% to 43.9% between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025, according to data from CNCDA.

Tesla's registrations declined even as the carmaker released a refreshed version of its top-selling Model Y in January. The company's aging lineup — anchored by models that haven't seen major overhauls in years — has been increasingly outpaced by competitors.

A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

California has long been a key market for Tesla. It's the birthplace of Tesla and it represents the largest EV market in the US. But Tesla and its CEO's relationship with the state has soured in recent years.

Elon Musk relocated Tesla's headquarters to Texas in 2021 and has since ramped up his political visibility, aligning himself with right-wing figures and policies. Those moves haven't gone unnoticed in California, where Democratic leaders have clashed with Musk publicly and voters lean blue. Musk's recent role with the Department of Government Efficiency has sparked further backlash.

Tesla showrooms over the past few months have been inundated with demonstrators, protesting Musk's involvement with President Donald Trump and his role with DOGE.

In March, Tesla vehicles made up 1.4% of all trade-ins in California, up from just 0.4% a year earlier — a 250% increase, according to data from Edmunds, which looked at models from 2017 or newer.

Tesla's California slump mirrors wider challenges for the automaker globally.

Overall, Tesla's first-quarter delivery numbers were 13% lower than in the same period the previous year, marking the worst quarter since the beginning of 2022.

Tesla's stock is down 35% year-to-date.

Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email and device at gkay@businessinsider.com or via the secure-messaging app Signal at 248-894-6012.

• I've lived near California's Joshua Tree National Park for almost 20 years.
• As a local who visits the park often, I've seen many travelers make the same common mistakes.
• Many visitors assume they'll have cell service and underestimate the temperatures in the park.

Joshua Tree has become one of the most popular US national parks, drawing in almost 3 million visitors last year alone.

As a travel writer who's lived in Palm Springs for almost 20 years, I've visited Joshua Tree National Park more times than I can count. I've also seen visitors make mistakes that range from mildly annoying to downright dangerous.

These are the five most common mistakes I see visitors make in the park.

Only arriving at the park through the west entrance.

Although there are three entrances to Joshua Tree National Park, the west one is typically the most popular.

However, traffic here can back up for miles on a busy weekend or during a special event like a meteor shower. Even worse, there's only one road from this entrance to the main attractions like Keys View and Skull Rock.

Instead, I like to enter the park through the south entrance by Cottonwood Spring and make my way through the park.

Assuming there will be cell service in the park.

People are often surprised when they find out the park has little to no cellphone service. Although I believe this offers visitors a great chance to disconnect, I understand why some may be concerned after learning this information.

Before taking a trip to the park, I recommend saving your maps and routes ahead of time, downloading music and audiobooks for the drive, and switching your phone to airplane mode to avoid draining the battery.

Underestimating the heat, especially in the summer months.

Joshua Tree National Park is a desert, which means the heat is dry. During the summer months, the daytime temperatures can often reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be brutal for visitors from more mild or humid climates.

It's important to stay hydrated when visiting the park, especially if you plan on hiking. Pack more water than you think you'll need — and throw an emergency gallon in the car for good measure.

There isn't much shade in the park to protect you from the desert sun, either, so I recommend avoiding hikes on hot days. Additionally, don't venture off trails or into the backcountry areas if you aren't an experienced desert hiker.

Forgetting that the park can get cold in the winter months.

It may seem surprising to some, but Joshua Tree can get cold, especially at night.

Nighttime temperatures can dip below freezing during the winter months. Although snow is a rarity, it can happen at higher elevations.

This is important to keep in mind if you're staying after sunset or camping in the park, especially during the colder months.

Not staying after dark to stargaze.

In my opinion, Joshua Tree National Park deserves to be experienced both during the day and after dark. By leaving at sunset, I think visitors are doing themselves a disservice.

Joshua Tree is a designated International Dark Sky Park, thanks to its incredibly clear starry skies and lack of light pollution.

The sheer number of stars you can see at Joshua Tree is an awe-inspiring sight, and in the summer months, you're likely to see the Milky Way.

• A weaker dollar means more expensive vacations to Europe and Japan this year.
• The buck has fallen by 7% to 10% against the euro, pound, and yen since January.
• Hotels, dining out, local transportation, and entertainment could all cost more in dollar terms.

Vacations in Europe or Japan this summer are poised to cost you more than you might have expected due to a weaker US dollar.

In mid-January, a buck was worth 0.98 euros, £0.82, or 158 yen. Now a dollar is worth 0.88 euros, £0.75, or 143 yen, representing declines of around 8% to 10% relative to the European, British, and Japanese currencies. The dollar is now trading at about a three-year low against the euro.

The greenback has most recently lost ground because of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have reignited fears of inflation and recession and soured investors on US assets.

The dollar's depreciation threatens to squeeze travelers' budgets this summer. They're poised to pay more in dollar terms for everything from accommodation and dining to local transport and entertainment.

Here's a breakdown of how much a vacation costs at the current exchange rate compared to January's peak, based on two travelers visiting at the start of June:

Hotel for five nights

• Park Plaza London Westminster: $1,869 vs. $1,714
• Hôtel 31 — Paris Tour Eiffel: $1,687 vs. $1,524
• The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Tokyo Shiodome: $1,680 vs. $1,500

Dinner at a restaurant

• The Ivy Market Grill, two Sunday roasts with a bottle of wine and service charge: $150 vs. $138
• Bistrot Paul Bert in Paris, two beef fillets with fries, a bottle of wine, and service charge: $149 vs. $135
• Maisen Iridori, two bento boxes and a bottle of chardonnay: $49 vs. $44

Local transportation

• One-day London Travelcard: $21 vs. $19
• Paris Metro Mobilis day pass: $23 vs $21
• Tokyo 1-Day Ticket: $11 vs. $10

Entertainment

• Good seats to see "Mamma Mia!" in London's West End: $340 vs. $312
• Tickets to see the "Moulin Rouge" in Paris: $303 vs. $274
• Tickets to Asakusa Kaguwa Cabaret Show: $77 vs. $69

These examples suggest a pair of travelers can expect to spend $150 more a week on hotels, an extra $10 on a nice meal, a couple bucks more on public transport passes — and as much as $30 or $40 more on a show than they would have paid at January's exchange rates.

David Rosenberg, the president of Rosenberg Research and the former chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch, told Business Insider that the dollar's weakening could deter some Americans from traveling to places such as the UK and Europe.

He said that households might scrap their travel plans as recessionary pressures mount.

"Something tells me that the typical family vacation this summer is going to involve a bat, ball, and baseball glove in the backyard," he said.

• President Donald Trump announced a 10% tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands.
• A remote Australian territory, the islands do not have any permanent human residents.
• They do, however, have millions of penguins, seals, and other Antarctic wildlife.

When President Donald Trump announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on countries across the globe, one place included among major trade partners like China and the European Union raised eyebrows.

The Heard and McDonald Islands, a remote Australian territory located between Madagascar and Antarctica, was hit with a 10% tariff despite not having any permanent human residents.

"It just shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on Earth is safe from this," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said of Trump's tariffs on the country's territories, the BBC reported.

The tariffs brought new attention to the small islands that, while uninhabited by people, do feature millions of penguins, seals, and other species of Antarctic wildlife.

Take a closer look at the Heard and McDonald Islands.

President Donald Trump's announcement of what he called "reciprocal tariffs" included a 10% tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands.

On April 2, in what he called "Liberation Day," Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on all countries. China was initially hit with a reciprocal tariff of 34%, and the European Union's tariff was set at 20%.

The announcement sent the stock market crashing on April 3 in the worst single-day loss since 2020 as investors panicked about the possible economic impact.

Located 2,500 miles off the coast of Australia between Madagascar and Antarctica, the islands have no permanent human residents.

The Heard and McDonald Islands aren't an independent country — they're Australian territories spanning about 37,000 hectares, or about the size of Detroit.

However, they are inhabited by penguins, seals, and other species of Antarctic wildlife.

The Heard and McDonald Islands feature one of the world's largest macaroni penguin colonies. Out of a global population of around 6.3 million breeding pairs of macaroni penguins, around 1 million are located on the Heard and McDonald Islands, according to a 2013 estimate by BirdLife International.

Other species of penguins on the islands include king, gentoo, chinstrap, and rockhopper penguins.

UNESCO's World Heritage List calls the islands "one of the most biologically pristine areas in the world."

According to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, only a few species of penguins and other marine birds and mammals live on the Heard and McDonald Islands, but they number in the millions.

With no introduced species present, the islands are particularly useful to researchers since their low species diversity allows scientists to study the ecosystem more precisely.

Heard Island is also home to an active volcano known as Big Ben.

The Heard and McDonald Islands are the only volcanically active sub-Antarctic islands on Earth. Their highest peak, Big Ben, stands at 9,006 feet.

Researchers and explorers have visited the Heard and McDonald Islands to study and photograph the remote setting.

The Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition established a scientific research station on Heard Island in 1947, which remained operational until 1955. A 1982 expedition visited the ruins of the former research station and used it as their base camp, according to a 1982 issue of Australian Women's Weekly.

Researchers continue to study glacial and geological activity on the undeveloped islands to monitor the effects of climate change and learn more about the planet's tectonic plates.

How the tariffs will impact the islands' future trade with the US remains to be seen.

The White House previously told Business Insider that the reciprocal tariffs do still apply to the unpopulated islands because they're Australian territories.

World Bank data shows that the US imported $1.4 million worth of machinery and electrical goods from the Heard and McDonald Islands in 2022.

In response to a previous request for comment, representatives for the Australian Antarctic Division, which manages the Heard and McDonald Islands, directed BI to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which did not respond.

• Cate Blanchett said she's "serious about giving up acting."
• The "Lord of the Rings" star said that her family doesn't believe her.
• Some stars like Daniel Day-Lewis and Jim Carrey retired and then returned to Hollywood.

Cate Blanchett has said she's planning to give up acting, but her family doesn't believe her.

The Australian actor, best known for playing the elf Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, told Radio Times that she has "a lot of things I want to do with my life."

"My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting," she told the publication this week ahead of her role in a new audio drama for the BBC.

Blanchett won the Oscar in 2004 for best supporting actress in "The Aviator," before winning best actress nine years later for "Blue Jasmine." But despite her hugely successful acting career, she appears set on retiring from the screen.

During the interview, she touched on her dislike for being a celebrity and constantly doing interviews to promote whichever project she's working on at the time.

"When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you've said, pulled out and italicized, they sound really… loud. I'm not that person," said Blanchett, who is also known for roles in "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Elizabeth."

She's not the only Hollywood star to retire from acting in recent years, but some have also returned after their hiatus.

Jim Carrey

Prolific comedy star Jim Carrey announced that he was retiring in 2022, telling Variety: "I have enough. I've done enough. I am enough." He added that he would return "If the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink that says to me that it's going to be really important for people to see."

He returned to play Dr. Robotnik in 2024's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and the producers printed his script in 24-carat gold ink as a joke, SFX Magazine reported.

Carrey later said that he came out of retirement because "I need the money, frankly."

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz stepped away from the screen after 2014's "Annie" so that she could spend more time with her family. But she returned over 10 years later to work with Jamie Foxx on Netflix's "Back in Action."

When appearing on "The Graham Norton Show" in January to promote the film, Diaz explained her return.

"If I just let this go away, all of this goodwill that I got to build over so much time, the passion I have for entertaining people and making movies that people smile and laugh [at] and have a good time… if I don't engage that again, and give that a chance and participate in it and be grateful for it, then I would be a fool."

She continued: Maybe I'll tip a toe in, maybe just go gung-ho, I don't know."

Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis famously retired after starring in 2017's "Phantom Thread," telling W Magazine that he refuses to watch the film. "Not wanting to see the film is connected to the decision I've made to stop working as an actor," he said in 2017.

However, in October 2024, it was announced that he is returning to acting, and Deadline reported that he will star in "Anemone," directed by his son, Roman Day-Lewis.

Ke Huy Quan

Ke Huy Quan is best known for his roles in 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and 1985's "The Goonies." After landing a few minor roles in film and TV, Quan decided to leave Hollywood in the early 2000s. "It was tough. I was waiting for the phone to ring, and it rarely did," he told People in 2022.

The star came back to play Waymond Wang in 2021's "Everything Everywhere All At Once," and won the Oscar for best supporting actor. He also appeared in "Loki" season two and had a hidden cameo in "The White Lotus."

• I travel a lot, and I like to use credit cards to earn points and save money.
• Credit cards earn rewards on everyday purchases, helping me save money without sacrificing travel.
• Opening new cards usually comes with bonus deals, but it's not the only way to get the best perks.

Now that I've figured out how to use points and miles to pay for airline tickets and hotels, I travel more than I ever did before.

Over the past year alone, I saved about $20,000 in travel costs by strategically earning and using points and miles.

I've found that the best way to quickly earn them is by opening new credit cards with generous sign-up bonuses. However, having a bunch of credit cards can make it difficult to manage your spending and feel overwhelming.

Plus, I'm not always able to spend enough to qualify for a new sign-up bonus if I don't have a big expense coming up.

So, I've started using other techniques to keep quickly racking up points and miles that'll help me continue traveling.

I use points multipliers strategically

Many travel credit cards give users one mile per dollar spent.

A few are more generous and give cardholders one and a half or two points or miles per dollar. This can add up through regular spending, but using multipliers helps me accrue miles more quickly.

For example, when I use my Chase Sapphire Preferred card at restaurants or hotels, I earn three points per dollar. My Chase Freedom card earns five points per dollar on rotating quarterly categories, which sometimes include groceries or gas.

By staying on top of which card earns the most miles for different purchases, I can earn more points faster than if I just pull out the first card in my wallet.

I try to book my vacations through travel portals

Many frequent travelers recommend booking hotels and flights with the provider rather than going through a third party.

This is generally good advice since it's usually easier to handle problems, like delayed flights, when dealing directly with the company providing the service.

However, I often ignore this advice and book hotels and flights through travel portals. After all, I earn five points per dollar when I book trips through the Chase travel portal with my Chase travel card.

To me, getting the extra points is worth the risk that I may need to make an extra phone call or two if something goes wrong.

Additionally, my American Express card gets me 35% of my points back when I spend them through the travel portal at the preferred airline that I selected when I opened my account.

Shopping portals help me get more points on purchases

When I first started seriously earning points, I didn't understand the power of using credit-card shopping portals.

However, I recently had a revelation when I went to send my mother flowers for her birthday. While using the Capital One app to pay my credit-card bill, I stopped by its shopping portal to see if I could find a florist.

I was astonished to find that I could earn 35 points per dollar just by ordering flowers through the portal. I've since earned more miles on everything from coffee to make-up by buying them through the Capital One portal.

I've found the Capital One shopping portal to be particularly generous with points, although other credit-card issuers, including Chase, also have shopping portals.

Rakuten is also my secret weapon for racking up points

Before getting into points and miles, I was a sporadic user of Rakuten, a different type of shopping portal that also offers rewards.

However, once I discovered that I could earn American Express Membership Rewards points instead of cash back, I started using Rakuten more often.

To earn American Express points, I only needed to link my American Express credit card to my Rakuten account.

Just like the Capital One shopping portal, Rakuten frequently runs great promotions. I recently earned 12 American Express Membership Rewards points per dollar by booking a tour using Rakuten.

Even better, I don't need to use my American Express card to make a purchase to earn those points, which allows me to earn points on two cards at once.

For example, when I used Rakuten to book a tour, I earned 12 points per dollar for making the purchase through Rakuten and another 3 points per dollar by using my Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which offers elevated points on travel purchases.

• OpenAI says it could adjust safety standards if a rival launches a risky model without safeguards.
• The company launched GPT-4.1 this week without a safety report.
• Some former employees say OpenAI is scaling back safety promises to stay competitive.

OpenAI doesn't want its AI safeguards to hold it back if its rivals don't play by the same rules.

In a Tuesday blog post, OpenAI said it might change its safety requirements if "another frontier AI developer releases a high-risk system without comparable safeguards."

The company said it would only do so after confirming the risk landscape had changed, publicly acknowledging the decision, and ensuring it wouldn't meaningfully increase the chance of severe harm.

OpenAI shared the change in an update to its "Preparedness Framework," the company's process for preparing for AI that could introduce "new risks of severe harm." Its safety focus includes areas such as cybersecurity, chemical threats, and AI's ability to self-improve.

The shift comes as OpenAI has come under fire for taking different approaches to safety in recent months.

On Monday, it launched the new GPT-4.1 family of models without a model or system card — the safety document that typically accompanies new releases from the company. An OpenAI spokesperson told TechCrunch the model wasn't "frontier," so a report wasn't required.

In February, OpenAI launched its Deep Research tool weeks before publishing its system card detailing safety evaluations.

These instances have added to ongoing scrutiny of OpenAI's commitment to safety and transparency in its AI model releases.

"OpenAI is quietly reducing its safety commitments," Steven Adler, a former OpenAI safety researcher, posted on X Wednesday in response to the updated framework.

Adler said that OpenAI's previous framework, published in December 2023, included a clear requirement to safety test fine-tuned models. He said the latest update only requires testing if the model is being released with open weights, which is when a model's parameters are made public.

"I'd like OpenAI to be clearer about having backed off this previous commitment," he added.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Business Insider request for comment.

Ex-OpenAI staff back Musk's lawsuit

Adler isn't the only former employee speaking out about safety concerns at OpenAI.

Last week, 12 former OpenAI employees filed a motion asking a judge to let them weigh in on Elon Musk's lawsuit against the company.

In a proposed amicus brief filed on Friday, they said that OpenAI's planned conversion to a for-profit entity could incentivize the company to cut corners on safety and concentrate power among shareholders.

The group includes former OpenAI staff who worked on safety, research, and policy.

Altman defends OpenAI's approach

Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, defended the company's evolving safety approach in a Friday interview at TED2025. He said OpenAI's framework outlines how it evaluates "danger moments" before releasing a model.

Altman also addressed the idea that OpenAI is moving too fast. He said that AI companies regularly pause or delay model releases over safety concerns, but acknowledged that OpenAI recently relaxed some restrictions on model behavior. "We've given users much more freedom on what we would traditionally think about as speech harms," he said.

He explained that the change reflects a "more permissive stance" shaped by user feedback. "People really don't want models to censor them in ways that they don't think make sense," he said.

• A United Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Newark diverted to Dublin.
• The airline told Business Insider it was due to a "health concern."
• One aviation outlet reported that one of the pilots had chest pains.

A transatlantic United Airlines flight had to divert to Dublin due to a medical emergency.

The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday.

Just over an hour into the journey, it circled a few times over the Scottish Highlands before continuing, according to data from Flightradar24.

An hour and a half later, Flight 71 was over the Atlantic Ocean and around 200 miles south of Iceland when it U-turned.

It landed in Dublin about four hours after taking off from Amsterdam. A direct flight between the Irish and Dutch capitals usually takes around an hour and a half.

A United Airlines representative confirmed to Business Insider that the plane diverted to "address a health concern." Dublin Airport declined to comment.

The Aviation Herald reported that one of the pilots had a medical emergency as they experienced chest pains.

Data from Flightradar24 shows the same Boeing 777 took off from Dublin an hour and a half after landing there. It landed in Newark shortly before 4 p.m. local time — having previously been expected to arrive around 11 a.m.

A pilot suffering a mid-flight medical issue is rare but not unheard of.

Last December, an off-duty pilot stepped in to help fly a WestJet Boeing 737 when the flight's first officer was suddenly incapacitated mid-flight.

Last July, an easyJet flight was met by paramedics upon landing in Lisbon after one of the pilots fainted during the flight.

• I've spent 140 hours on overnight trains and 14 nights on cruises.
• Cruising is more relaxing, with more amenities and larger cabins with private bathrooms.
• Train trips offer a unique experience and more freedom to explore destinations.

Before taking a cruise or overnight train, I thought the travel experiences might be similar. Both blend accommodation and transportation into one, setting them apart from the standard stationary vacation.

But after four years of sampling both travel types, I've found that they are starkly different. Cruising is more relaxing, but I prefer overnight trains.

I've spent 140 hours traveling 4,000 miles on overnight trains.

In October 2021, I took my first overnight train ride from New York City to Miami. I spent the 30-hour ride in a private cabin with two chairs and two bunks.

Since then, I've spent six more nights on trains and have had a range of experiences, from sleeping in seats and bunking with strangers to enjoying private cabins. I've even slept on a luxury train, Europe's iconic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

I don't recommend booking seats and shared cabins on overnight trains, but private accommodations are a different story.

I've spent 14 nights on cruise ships.

In April 2022, I took my first cruise — a seven-night Caribbean journey to Honduras, Mexico, and the Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas.

A year later, I took a weeklong Mediterranean cruise to Spain, Italy, and France with Virgin Voyages, a luxury, adults-only cruise line.

It's hard to say which form of travel is pricier, but cruise tickets come with more perks.

Train and cruise prices vary too much for me to declare one to be more affordable than the other.

I've paid between $200 and $1,000 per night for private cabins on standard overnight trains in the US and Europe. My luxury ride aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express cost $9,000 for one night. The most expensive rides were about 30 hours, and the least costly were under 15. Price also varied based on cabin square footage.

These tickets included a private space, meals, and priority boarding in the US.

On the other hand, my Royal Caribbean cruise cost roughly $300 a night for an ocean-view cabin. The ticket price included many dining options on the ship.

My balcony cabin on the Virgin Voyages cruise had a starting rate of roughly $845 per night for the seven-night voyage, though Business Insider received a media rate. All food on the ship was included in the price of the ticket.

In addition to food, my cruise tickets included access to shows and activities on the ship (more on that later).

Train trips offer more freedom but require more planning.

In my experience, a train trip requires a lot of preparation. In 2022, I spent two weeks traveling by train through Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. Since the countries aren't too far apart, I took only two overnight trains, and the rest took only a few hours.

In addition to mapping out train times, I had to book accommodations and plan activities, meals, and transportation at each destination.

While this was challenging and a bit overwhelming at times, it felt liberating to create my trip from scratch and decide how long I would stay in each place. In this way, traveling by train is freeing.

Cruises are easier to plan but leave less freedom to roam destinations.

Cruise lines take care of most of the planning. You don't have to book each leg yourself like you typically do on a train.

The cruise line provides a schedule of activities and entertainment on board each day, so you can pick and choose at your leisure.

However, there is no flexibility when it comes to time spent at the port stop. Cruise ships stick to a tight schedule, and if you're late, you may be left behind unless you're on an excursion you booked through the cruise line. But if you plan your own train trip, you can give yourself as much time as you want to explore.

During my cruises, most port stops were about eight hours long. I booked excursions through the cruise line, including beach days, hikes, and tours. Some were compelling, but ultimately, I didn't feel I had enough time to get more than a taste of the destinations we stopped at.

Boarding a train is a breeze.

When it comes to mass transportation, it doesn't get easier than boarding a train. There are no security checkpoints, and I've rarely experienced lines. You should have no issues as long as you give yourself enough time to find the track your train departs from.

When I board overnight trains in the US, I typically arrive between 15 and 30 minutes before departure. In European cities, where stations are often larger and the language is different, I give myself a full hour to figure out where I need to be.

Boarding a cruise ship takes hours.

When embarking on both cruises, I spent hours in line, and for good reason — thousands of people and their luggage had to load into a massive vessel safely and securely.

I can't deny that I dread this part of a cruise as much as I dread going to the airport.

Train accommodations are tiny and typically lack a bathroom.

My train accommodations have ranged from 20 to 45 square feet with a similar setup — seating that transforms into bunks at night and a pullout table next to the window.

Only one overnight cabin I've booked has included a full bathroom — the Amtrak bedroom accommodation. Most of the others have had a sink and vanity in the room and access to shared bathrooms in the car. Some of my rides have had access to a shower, and some have not.

Cruise accommodations are larger and more comfortable, with full, private bathrooms.

Both of my cruise accommodations were roughly 200 square feet and had a king or queen-sized bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a full bathroom.

My Royal Caribbean cabin had a window, and my Virgin Voyages room had a balcony.

There's not much to do on a train, but for me, that's kind of the point.

Space is very limited on trains, and there's not much to do on board. Exploring the train cars can be fun, and some trains have observation cars with massive windows for sightseeing. You can also get some fresh air during train stops that are 10 minutes or longer. But you'll likely spend most of your time in your cabin.

It may sound boring, but for me, a long train ride is an opportunity to be still for a while. When I spend my days exploring destinations, nights on trains force me to pause and relax without worrying about the time. I often take this time to catch up on reading, watch a movie, or listen to a podcast.

You could easily entertain yourself all week on a cruise ship.

Since most of a cruise is spent on a ship, it's no wonder cruise lines fill them with pools, sports, fitness centers, and activities, from gaming to dancing and live entertainment. The amount of things to do will vary depending on what size ship you choose.

On board Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, one of the largest cruise ships in the world, there were seemingly endless activities and unique offerings like laser tag, ice skating, and an escape room.

My Virgin Voyages cruise was on a midsize ship, but there was still plenty to do. My favorite part was the adult playground with jumbo-sized swings and seesaws.

Trains generally have limited food options.

Overall, I've had decent meals on overnight trains. In my experience, train menus only have a few options per meal.

I've noticed that Amtrak train food has improved over the years. Most recently, in January 2025, I particularly enjoyed a grilled chicken Caesar salad for lunch and a steak dinner.

And on board the luxurious Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, I had amazing fine-dining experiences, from eggs topped with caviar to scallops and lobster.

Cruises typically offer a wide variety of food.

Like activities, the number of food options on cruises varies depending on ship size, but both ships I sailed on spoiled me by satisfying every craving. From buffets to restaurants, I could have Southern comfort food for breakfast, pasta for lunch, and Korean barbecue for dinner.

Train views are constantly changing.

The most memorable views I've had were on trains. From the Swiss Alps to the Italian countryside, there's something romantic about gazing out the window from a train bunk at an ever-changing view of the world around you.

It's also fascinating to watch the landscape transform throughout a trip. I'll never forget watching snowy mountains in Colorado melt into streams and canyons in Utah by sunset.

Cruise views are epic but often the same.

On day one of a cruise, I'm amazed by the view of the open ocean. Sunsets at sea are unforgettable.

However, by the end of the trip, I don't stop to appreciate the view as much. I think this is because, aside from port stops and occasional islands in the distance, the views from a cruise ship typically stay the same.

Traveling by train is more sustainable than cruising.

When I travel, I try to minimize my environmental impact as much as possible, and trains are one of the most sustainable forms of transportation. Amtrak trips have a lower carbon footprint than flying or driving, according to the company's website.

Meanwhile, the International Council on Clean Transportation says cruise ships produce more carbon emissions than flights.

According to a 2025 report by the European Federation for Transport and Environment, ships accounted for 12.7% of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe in 2024, while trains accounted for 0.4%.

Cruises may be more comfortable, but train trips leave me feeling more fulfilled.

Cruises have more of a vacation vibe than overnight trains do. And with less planning and more amenities, they're also more relaxing. To me, cruise ships are like floating, all-inclusive resorts.

Still, my overnight train trips have been more memorable because the experiences felt more unique.

Train cabins don't look like hotel rooms, and from car to car, the constantly changing view surrounds you. Being in that environment for a long journey feels like nothing else I've ever experienced. Off the train, spending more time at destinations and exploring them freely makes me feel more immersed in each place.