• Malahki Thorn moved to Puerto Vallarta to escape California wildfire risks and start a new business.
• Puerto Vallarta's real estate market is booming, attracting Americans looking to retire affordably.
• Thorn bought a house away from the tourist areas and is part of a community of local professionals.

Malahki Thorn vividly remembers flames encroaching on his house in the wilderness of northern California.

It was 2015, and the Saddle Fire burned about 1,500 acres in Hyapom, a small town about six hours north of San Francisco. Over nearly three decades, Thorn had watched as blazes became more frequent and destructive, polluting the air with smoke for months at a time.

Thorn, 52, said sheriffs managing the emergency response told him to evacuate. Otherwise, he should write his Social Security number on his arm just in case they needed to identify his remains.

"I just remember thinking, 'I'm not ready to start over,'" Thorn told Business Insider. It felt like too much change, he said, having recently separated from his partner of 17 years. "I didn't know where to go, with three dogs and three cats and my Toyota Tacoma."

Thorn said surviving that experience and then struggling to find affordable home insurance made it clear that living in Hyapom was too risky.

"I couldn't figure out how I was going to have an enjoyable retirement," Thorn said.

In 2023, Thorn sold his house in Hyapom and permanently moved to Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's Pacific Coast, where he'd vacationed for many years. Thorn considers himself a "climate mover" who escaped the wildfire risks of California. He also joins many Americans who are relocating in search of a lower cost of living. Thorn said paying less for housing, food, and utilities allowed him to pursue entrepreneurship.

He told Business Insider what it was like to choose where to live, start a business as an expat, and make friends in Puerto Vallarta.

Starting a business in Puerto Vallarta

Before making the move, Thorn spent a couple of years going between California and Puerto Vallarta to network in the real estate industry.

He connected with a real estate agent in Puerto Vallarta who helped him secure several online interior design projects in the area, including oceanfront condos. Since then, he co-founded RavenThorn Group, which includes his design business, a carpentry studio for custom furniture, construction, and property management.

Puerto Vallarta's real estate market is booming, with the inventory of 1 and 2-bedroom condos soaring by 105% from 2023 to 2024 and gated luxury communities rising in value, according to local realtors and finance professionals at TheLatinvestor. The short-term rental market saw a 5% increase in tourists during that period.

"A lot of buyers also undertake renovations because the price of property in Puerto Vallarta is less expensive than in America," Thorn said. "You can't find oceanfront anything in America for $600,000. So people have some money to spend. It's like a gold rush here with the construction and all the people moving here."

'I didn't want all my friends to be retired Americans'

Thorn hired a local immigration attorney to advise him on how to legally live and work in Mexico. He applied for temporary residency and work visas, as well as a unique tax identification number and a local bank account.

Thorn said he decided to buy a house away from Puerto Vallarta's main tourist areas to make friends with locals and network with working professionals. He's happy with that decision, even though he said it requires being more vigilant about safety.

"I think it's possible to come here and live a very insulated lifestyle inside a gated community or condominium," Thorn said. "I chose to live differently. I didn't want all my friends to be retired Americans."

Thorn said he never expected he'd leave California. Now he's grateful he moved before wildfires get worse and that he was able to start a new business venture.

While little data indicates that climate risks like hurricanes and wildfires are directly causing massive migration, Thorn's story suggests that they may become more of a factor.

"It hasn't been completely easy," Thorn said. "But I feel grateful I had the courage to come. If I had waited until my house burned, I might not have had these options."

Do you have a story to share about moving? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

• "Sinners" has a mid-credit and a post-credit scene.
• The new film, starring Michael B. Jordan, is Ryan Coogler's first original film in over a decade.
• The "Sinners" mid-credit scene has a twist that hints at a sequel, but one hasn't been confirmed.

Warning: spoilers ahead for "Sinners."

Fans who have waited a decade for a new original movie directed by Ryan Coogler after his blockbuster hits "Black Panther" and "Creed" will be excited to know that the movie's two credit scenes may open the door for a sequel (although one hasn't been confirmed).

The highly anticipated movie stars Michael B. Jordan, who has appeared in all of Coogler's movies, as Smoke and Stack: a pair of shady twins who want to open a juke joint in 1930s Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Miles Caton, an R&B singer who makes his acting debut in "Sinners," plays the third protagonist, Sammie Moore, the son of a preacher who aspires to be a musician and leave his small town.

Ignoring his father's request to give up music, Sammie joins his older cousins, Smoke and Stack, to perform at the opening night of the juke joint, using the guitar they gave him.

But Sammie accidentally summons a vampire, Remmick (Jack O'Connell), who wants his ability to spiritually connect with people from the past and future with his music.

Remmick picks off the patrons and workers of the juke joint one by one, including Stack and his former flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), converting them into zombie-like vampires who are telepathically connected to him.

Things take a turn for the worse when one of the workers allows the vampires to enter the juke joint to slaughter the remaining survivors.

The "Sinners" mid-credit scene reveals that Sammie isn't the only survivor.

Sammie and Smoke are seemingly the only survivors that night, and vanquish Remmick and his cult of vampires with the sunrise.

But the fight isn't over, because Remmick warned Smoke that a group of KKK clansmen were coming in the morning to kill everyone in the juke joint.

Smoke sends Sammie home, telling him to bury the guitar, which is now broken, to avoid summoning more monsters.

Smoke ambushes the Klansmen, killing them, but he dies from his injuries, allowing him to join his lover and daughter in the afterlife.

Meanwhile, Sammie goes to his church, where his father begs him to drop the guitar and quit music. Sammie jumps in a car with the broken guitar and flees his hometown.

The film ends 60 years in the future, with an older Sammie (played by Buddy Guy, a Grammy-winning blues guitarist) performing as a blues musician in Chicago, the city Sammie said he wanted to visit earlier in the movie to follow in his cousin's footsteps.

Visuals of this performance continue through the first set of credits before the first bonus scene.

This scene shows Sammie at the bar after his performance, when a bouncer tells him he has a visitor.

Without thinking, Sammie says they can enter, and in walk Mary and Stack, who have not aged.

An earlier scene showed Smoke about to kill Stack. But Stack explains that Smoke let him live as long as he stayed away from Sammie.

Stack and Mary somehow survived the sunrise that killed the other vampires and have stayed in the shadows ever since, listening to Sammie's music. Stack offers to turn Sammie into a vampire, but he declines, saying he has seen enough of the world.

When Stack says he prefers Sammie's older music, he performs using his old guitar from earlier in the film, which has been mended.

They reminisce over the time before the vampire attack, then Stack and Mary leave and the scene ends.

This emotional bonus scene opens the door for a sequel. Another film could explore the missing 60 years of Stack and Mary's story, or explore their journey after 1992.

It's also plausible that more vampires could have survived the sunrise like Stack and Mary.

Alternatively, a sequel could explore another mystical monster as the world of "Sinners" is established as one filled with the supernatural.

Coogler told Ebony magazine on Tuesday that he didn't think about the film becoming a franchise while making the movie.

"I never think about that," he said.

It would be Coogler's decision to continue the story because he owns the rights to "Sinners," rather than Warner Bros., which produced and distributed the movie. Coogler told Business Insider earlier this month that he asked for the rights because he wanted to own his film about Black ownership.

Fans may be disappointed by the second credit scene

There's a brief flashback in the film of Sammie playing his guitar at his church.

The post-credit scene shows that flashback in totality, with Sammie playing and singing "This Little Light of Mine."

This scene doesn't add much to the story and may have been included as another opportunity to display Caton's singing talents.

Though Caton has been performing since he was a teenager, the singer has only officially released one single and has under 300 listeners on Spotify, which means "Sinners" could become his breakout moment.

• Sarah Khan, 33, and her husband both had flexible jobs and dreamed of living as digital nomads.
• Their rent getting doubled was the push they needed to pack up and go.
• It's been 10 months, and she's found that following this daily schedule helps her stay grounded.

Our landlord doubled our rent last year — it was the final push we needed to go remote.

My now-husband and I had been talking about it for years. We pictured ourselves spending long stretches living and working near beaches and nature. The desire only grew stronger during the quiet of the COVID lockdowns. But like many Singaporeans, we were tethered by the demands of our jobs and an apartment lease that kept our feet firmly homebound.

Not being able to afford our apartment was the perfect push.

After all, we had everything lined up: I'd been freelancing, as a content and editorial strategist, for a year, and my husband had a remote job. Being location-independent was feasible, and since we hadn't yet decided on starting a family, this window of freedom felt worth seizing.

We ended our lease, packed up, and took the plunge into nomadic living. Ten months in, we've made homes out of Bali, Rome, Tuscany, Bangkok, Phuket — and soon, Alicante, Spain — spending two to three months in each place.

Nature and novelty

There's no question: our life feels fuller now. In just a short time, we've packed in some amazing experiences: a digital detox retreat in Cambodia, train-hopping across Italy, staying on a farm near Rome, and hiking through national parks in Thailand. Even the mundane tasks — like grocery runs or riding a scooter to the gym — feel fresh and new.

More meaningfully, this year has given me a fresh lens on life and work.

I often felt pressure to follow a conventional script — buy a home, climb the corporate ladder, and have kids. But this journey opened my eyes to different possibilities of a life well-lived. We've met people building companies, writing books, and designing lives that prioritize meaning over milestones.

Working remotely has helped me dream bigger and embrace the idea that success doesn't have to be confined to one path.

Harder than expected

That said, this lifestyle isn't without its challenges. A few months in, the cracks began to show.

One big misconception about being a digital nomad is that it feels like a permanent vacation — that work plays second fiddle to leisure. Think: those laptop-on-the-beach shots. The reality is less glamorous: most days, you're indoors, working.

In the beginning, I constantly felt torn and caught in between: not quite in "vacation mode," but not working in a traditional sense either. I remember sitting in a hotel lobby in Ischia, watching vacationers frolic in the sea, while I stayed glued to my screen, powering through a 9-to-5 writing shift.

These days, I try to establish clearer boundaries. I accept that some days are for work and some are for play, and theme my days accordingly.

On paper, city-hopping sounded exhilarating; in reality, it often left me feeling scattered. Each new city brought wonder, yes, but came with a new round of logistics: finding a decent gym, adjusting to a new timezone, and resetting my workspace.

Just as I'd hit my stride, it was time to pack up again. The frequent travel can be disorienting, especially when you're balancing full-time work obligations and life admin.

Thankfully, we've since shifted to what's often called the "slomad" lifestyle, spending two to three months in each place. This slower pace has helped us find a rhythm that feels more sustainable, one where we can settle in and build routines.

A routine that travels with me

Working and traveling sounds like a dream — and in many ways, it is. But I've also learned how essential it is to stay grounded in daily rituals.

Noticing how my productivity and well-being often took a hit, especially when adjusting to a new city or timezone, I realized I needed a "transferrable routine" — something simple but effective that I could recreate anywhere.

After lots of trial and error, I've used Notion, a productivity app, to set this daily rhythm:

• 6:30 a.m. meditation and yoga
• Breakfast with my husband at our favorite local café
• 1 outreach or visibility action (e.g. following up with client leads)
• 30 minutes of focused writing
• Movement (typically strength training or Pilates)
• Reading fiction and/or catching up on favorite Substacks
• Wrapping up work by 5:30 p.m. so we can squeeze in a sunset swim
• A FaceTime or text with someone back home

Most tasks only take 10 to 30 minutes, but together, they help me stay grounded, healthy, and aligned with my bigger goals without getting overwhelmed. They eliminate decision fatigue as I find my footing in a new environment, keep me consistent with what matters, and make each new place feel a little more like home.

As someone attempting to build a career while on the road, this routine gives me the structure and space to do meaningful work and move my projects along, without constantly feeling like I'm playing catch-up.

Moving forward

My husband and I originally committed to this lifestyle for a year. Ten months in, and despite the challenges of being nomadic, we're not quite ready to stop, so we've decided to extend it for at least half a year.

Though I miss the comfort and familiarity of a permanent base, we're excited to keep exploring.

Thankfully, this time, I feel better equipped to stay grounded, even in flux.

• Trump said he is reluctant to push China tariffs higher because it may hurt consumption.
• "I may not want to even go up to that level, I may want to go to less," Trump said of tariffs.
• He also made remarks on TikTok saying a deal is in place but is subject to China.

President Donald Trump said there may be a point where he doesn't want to put higher tariffs on China because the move could deter buying.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he may not raise tariffs if China goes beyond the 125% duty it has on American goods.

"At a certain point, I don't want them to go higher because at a certain point, you make it where people don't buy," Trump said when a reporter asked what happens if China raises tariffs on the US.

"I may not want to go higher, or I may not want to even go up to that level — I may want to go to less, because you want people to buy, and at a certain point, people aren't going to buy," he added.

Earlier on Thursday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it wouldn't pay attention to Trump's "tariff numbers game" after the White House said Chinese exports face a levy of up to 245%. Last week, Beijing called escalating US tariffs a "joke" and said they no longer hold "any economic significance."

China is the third-largest buyer of US goods, behind Canada and Mexico. According to US government figures, China bought $143.5 billion worth of American products last year.

In addition to tariffs, China and the US have imposed various punitive measures on each other in the escalating trade war. China has curbed the import of Hollywood films, and earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Beijing asked its airlines to stop taking deliveries from Boeing. The US said that companies selling H20 chips to China will need a license, a move analysts said is essentially a ban on exporting those chips.

On Thursday, Trump added that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have a "very good relationship" and said Xi has reached out to him "a number of times."

The president on Thursday also commented on TikTok, whose fate in the US remains unclear.

"We have a deal for TikTok, but it'll be subject to China, so we'll just delay the deal till this thing works out one way or the other," Trump said, responding to a question about whether he would consider reducing tariffs to complete a TikTok deal.

TikTok's parent company faces a summer deadline to divest its US operations or face removal from US app stores. Trump has twice pushed back the deadline.

Among the parties who have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok's US operations are Amazon, Oracle, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, and the YouTuber MrBeast.

"If we're making a deal, I guess we'll spend five minutes to talk about TikTok, it wouldn't take very long," Trump said.

• Gut health is a buzzy topic, but the oral microbiome might be the next big trend.
• The evidence that a clean mouth could lower the risk of chronic diseases is piling up.
• Big voices in the longevity space like Andrew Huberman are starting to spread the word.

You may know that caring for the bugs in your gut, or the gut microbiome, could help you live longer. But a different collection of micro-organisms is getting attention for its health credentials.

Researchers have known for decades that people with problems like gum disease, cavities, and missing teeth, are more likely to experience stroke and develop chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's.

"I've been in this business for over 50 years," Judith Jones, a professor who researches oral disease at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, told Business Insider, "centenarians have more teeth than the people who don't live that long."

The potential reasons for this are "messy," she said: "It's not simple science."

Losing teeth, for instance, can affect our self-esteem and quality of life. We are less likely to socialize if we feel self-conscious and will struggle to eat nutritious but difficult-to-chew foods such as nuts, vegetables, and lean protein.

But growing research suggests the microbes that live in the mouth (the oral microbiome) could play a larger role in our health than previously thought.

Bryan Johnson and Andrew Huberman are talking to their followers about oral health

Some of the loudest voices in the longevity space are mainstreaming the idea that a clean mouth could help us live longer.

Last month, tech CEO-turned-biohacker Bryan Johnson shared his nine-step oral health "protocol" in his newsletter, which involves tongue scraping and tea tree oil to prevent chronic disease.

Days later, Andrew Huberman dedicated an entire episode of his chart-topping "Huberman Lab" podcast to the potential link between the oral microbiome and physical and mental health.

And the industry newsletter Fitt Insider reported on microbiome-focused products entering the $55 billion oral care market, including a prebiotic toothpaste featuring ingredients personalized according to the bugs that live in a customer's mouth.

From 2023 to 2024, the sale of oral care products in the US increased by 6.3%, from $10.8 billion to $12.2 billion, according to market research firm Mintel. Those investing are likely hoping to repeat the success of the global digestive health market, which is projected to be worth $71.95 billion in 2027, up from $37.93 billion in 2019, according to market research by Fortune Business Reports.

Both the mouth and the gut have a microbiome

Just like the gut, the mouth microbiome houses a collection of "good" and "bad" microorganisms, but it functions differently.

A healthy gut microbiome is one with a diverse range of inhabitants. These microbes have been linked to a variety of physical and mental health benefits — from a stronger immune system and better mood to a lower risk of diseases, including type two diabetes and colon cancer. In contrast, a healthy oral microbiome is relatively sparse.

Brushing and flossing hits the reset button and prevents harmful microbes from colonizing and maturing, Johnathon Baker, an assistant professor at Oregon Health and Science University who studies the oral microbiome, told BI.

He likened the ecosystem of the oral microbiome to a landscape following a volcanic eruption. It's barren (after a thorough clean), but plants eventually grow and change the environment, allowing secondary plants such as moss to grow. After a few years (or a few days of not brushing well enough), moss breaks down the rock, and more plant species emerge, until, eventually, you have a whole rainforest of microbes.

The more mature species of microbes are what can cause infections that break down the barrier between the gums and blood, enabling them to enter the bloodstream. That's why bleeding gums are a hallmark of periodontal disease, Baker said.

Once in the bloodstream, bacteria can travel to different parts of the body and cause damage and inflammation, he said. Gum disease-causing bacteria have been found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's, the tumors of colon cancer patients, and in heart tissue of people with cardiovascular disease.

Whether these microbes are causing chronic illness, contributing to its development, or just making the body more vulnerable to disease by causing inflammation is uncertain, Baker said, because research into the oral microbiome is in its infancy.

But evidence suggests there is a strong link between good oral hygiene and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, with one study suggesting flossing weekly appeared to lower the risk of an ischemic stroke by over a fifth. Similarly, a review of studies into oral health and chronic disease published in 2019 found the most frequently reported correlation was between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease.

Baker believes that as our understanding develops we may one day see "advances that will help our overall health significantly."

Brush and floss thoroughly daily

Jones, who started her career as a dental hygienist, said that good oral hygiene involves brushing your teeth thoroughly at least once a day. "Most dentists recommend twice a day. I think part of that is so people get it done really well at least once a day. And part of it is making people's breaths smell better," she said.

It's also important to floss daily because a toothbrush can't reach the spot in between the teeth and the gums, which is known as the periodontal pocket, where disease occurs, she said.

"Flossing helps you keep your teeth," Jones added.

When it comes to what kind of floss you should use, she thinks simple is best. "They say now even the water jets are effective, although I can't imagine that they are, quite honestly," she said.

Baker reiterated the importance of flossing. "Before I entered this field, I was definitely one of those people who didn't really floss very much," he said. But as a grad student, he saw "very graphic images" of advanced periodontal disease.

"I was like, I'm flossing every day from now on, and I have," he said.

• President Donald Trump hinted at a potential trade deal with China amid ongoing tariff tensions.
• The trade war has escalated tariffs on China up to 245%, affecting US-China economic relations.
• China and the US are seeking new global trade partners to strengthen their positions.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he expects an agreement "over the next three to four weeks" that would end the escalating trade war with China.

"I believe we're going to have a deal with China," said Trump during an executive order signing session in the Oval Office alongside Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. "I think we have plenty of time."

There was no immediate confirmation from Beijing on whether a deal is likely to happen. And Trump dodged questions on whether China's leader, Xi Jinping, made the overture to end the tariffs battle.

This is the first time since Trump increased tariffs on China — up to 245% — that the possibility of a deal has appeared on the horizon.

"It's a game between China and the US in terms of who's going to blink first," Nick Vyas, the founding director of USC Marshall's Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute, told Business Insider before Trump's Thursday remarks. "China feels that they have all the cards to continue to hold out, and President Trump feels that he has power, because we consume more from China than China consumes from us."

"Both of these cases are true, and one has to just wait and watch and see which reality will end up shaping up in the end," he added.

China's upper hand? Its system of government

Supply chain and geopolitics experts have told Business Insider that Xi may have more time and leverage than Trump.

"Xi can make life difficult for some American tech companies and for farmers in the Midwest, but the damage to China by the US could be much worse," said Andrew Collier, a senior fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. "On the flipside, the political pressure on Trump in a democracy is likely to be much higher once people realize how bad the economy and markets are."

"China's authoritarian system is an advantage here," he added.

Vyas said that while Trump's term ends within four years, Xi is the lifetime president of China with a "long horizon."

Xi doesn't have to worry about elections or consumer sentiment, which could make this a "long, drawn-out battle," Vyas added.

Vyas also noted that China has dominance in the EV market and controls 85% of the capacity to process rare earth minerals, which would impact the US's defense capacities and AI ambitions if China completely cuts off that supply.

A history of trade conflict

Trump has a history of raising tariffs on China in attempts to reduce the US trade deficit and bring back manufacturing jobs.

In 2017, his administration began investigating China's trade practices and, in 2018, imposed a 25% tariff on certain Chinese exports, such as electronics and auto parts.

In February this year, Trump targeted China with tariffs twice, resulting in 20% in duties on China by the end of the month. On April 2, Trump again hit China with 34% tariffs. After China responded with tariffs on US exports, he then hiked this figure to 125%, then 145%, and now up to 245% according to a White House document.

China has announced a 125% counter-tariff on US goods by April 11 and halted exports of rare earth elements critical to US defense industries.

Previous efforts to reduce trade deficits with China have yielded limited results. In 2024, the trade deficit was about $295 billion, lower than $375 billion in 2017 but still more than double the total amount of US exports to China in a year.

Both the US and China are courting other countries

With the US taking a harder stance on global trade, Ilaria Mazzocco, senior fellow in Chinese business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told BI that China is seeing "a diplomatic opportunity" to launch "a charm offensive."

"Conversations between the EU and China seem to have taken a softer tone," said Mazzocco. "There's hope on Beijing's side that by showing they are a more status quo, stable, reliable trading and global partner, countries are going to feel reassured, and it's going to improve its foreign relations, like with the EU, where there's been a lot of tension."

After meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Beijing last week, Xi embarked on a tour across Southeast Asia to sign deals on infrastructure and trade. Xi's stop in Malaysia led to deals on AI, rail connectivity, and the export of coconuts.

EU leaders are also planning to travel to Beijing for a late July summit with Xi, which Mazzocco says could be a chance for China to acknowledge it has a structural issue of overproduction and make commitments to address it.

However, Mazzocco added, it is unlikely Southeast Asian countries will replace the US with China as a trading partner, because China doesn't have a strong enough internal demand from consumers to absorb imports from overseas.

The US is also in talks with leaders of the EU. At the White House on Thursday, Trump told Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that a deal between the EU and US would "100%" be reached "at a certain point."

Mazzocco points out that unpredictability of Trump's policies may be harmful for striking a deal, and runs the risk of having US allies quietly pull back the alliance in the long run.

"We seem to understand that part of the goal is to extract concessions from trading partners, and those concessions may be economic or defense related, but the unpredictability is unhelpful." said Mazzocco. "This is really dangerous because it could really undermine business sentiment globally, and could also in the long term incentivize US trading partners to be a little less reliant on the US, diplomatically and on trade."

• Ivan Leong won a $1 million lottery when he was 23.
• After years of working in insurance, he quit to open a Cantonese roast pork eatery.
• Now, he's rethinking his choice of laboring behind a hot oven and working 11-hour days.

Ivan Leong, 37, used to work as an insurance agent — a job with crisp button-ups, perfume, coffee chats, and flexible schedules. Ten years later, as he slices up juicy pork in his own Cantonese roast pork stall, he said his life is a far cry from what it once was.

Leong started out as an administrative assistant at a recruitment firm, a job he described as "stagnant." One day in 2013, his colleagues persuaded him to join them in buying lottery tickets.

The lottery ticket he bought with 10 Singapore dollars won him SG$1 million. The windfall gave him the confidence to quit his job, and he gave his one-month notice shortly after.

His first order of business was buying a government-subsidized apartment with his fiancé. Even with the lottery money, buying a condominium or private property was out of the question, he said, as was retiring early.

"Honestly, one million is never enough, especially in Singapore," Leong said. The tiny Southeast Asian island is one of the world's most expensive cities.

After trying his hand at selling insurance products for a couple of years, Leong felt he wanted to be his own boss.

"In Singapore, if you start an F&B business, you can be a boss straight away. It's the fastest way," he said with a laugh.

He said he loved cooking as a kid, particularly during Lunar New Year. To get back into it, he cut his teeth at his friend's roast pork shop in Singapore's Ang Mo Kio neighborhood.

In 2018, he and his wife opened their own roast pork, or char siu, shop in Bukit Merah, a residential area in the south of Singapore. Over the next few years, he would close his original outlet and open two others — one in Woodlands and another in Ang Mo Kio, both of which are residential districts.

Now, he spends 11 to 12 hours behind the counter every day. Feeding a hungry lunch crowd means reaching his stall at 7 a.m., and he rarely leaves before 6 p.m.

The roast pork in question

Some key things set Leong's roast pork apart.

He said he had always found char siu in other restaurants laden with food coloring. He also did not like that customers could not choose the type of meat they wanted.

For him, good char siu means roasting the meat for up to two hours in a charcoal oven instead of the regular 45 minutes. He also lets patrons choose between three different types of pork: fatty, lean, or half-fat.

For Leong, an average day involves earning around SG$1,500 from each outlet. That means selling five slabs of roast pork, 60-80 strips of char siu, and about seven whole chickens.

When I visited his stall, I ordered the SG$8 "trio" dish to sample all three types of meat. The dish consisted of chicken and two types of pork over fragrant rice, with fresh cucumbers and a bowl of hot soup.

The crackling pork skin was super crispy, balanced out by the tender meat under it.

The char siu was tender and coated with a sticky glaze, which paired well with the fragrant rice. The third meat, the roasted chicken, was light. The quantity was generous — I ended up taking most of it away in a doggy bag.

The most surprising part of the dish was the clear soup. It was salty, warm, and comforting, with boiled slices of vegetables at the bottom.

Some of Leong's regulars told me his char siu is unlike those they've had before.

Eddie Soh, 36, said he's been eating at Leong's stall weekly since 2019. He said Leong "raised the bar" for char siu.

Soh, an IT product manager, added that Leong's roast pork has become a staple in his Lunar New Year reunion dinners. He said he sometimes buys "as much as 2kg of char siu and 2kg of roast pork" for his family.

Andrew Ong, a 49-year-old officer with the Singapore Armed Forces, said he found Leong's stall last year and has been having it about three times a week since.

Ong said the sides — the rice and jammy eggs, which deviate from the usual hard-boiled eggs served with char siu — are just as good as the meat.

It's not just regulars who rave about it — Sethlui.com, a prominent local food publication, said in a July review of Char Siu Lang that the pork was "caramelized to perfection."

The endgame is to get out of the kitchen

In Singapore, small hawker stalls like Leong's are known to serve world-class fare, including some that have been included in the Michelin Guide.

But many hawkers say the work is difficult, and the chance of failure in Singapore's competitive F&B business is high.

For Leong, trading corporate life for days sweating in front of a charcoal oven was tough. He had to adapt everything from his time-management skills to his physical appearance.

"When I was doing financial advisory, I dressed up, used perfume, and wore all the brands. But in the shop, I just wear whatever is comfortable, maybe a pair of shorts, my company T-shirt, and I need to wear safety boots," he said.

The insurance job also allowed for more flexibility, where he could just "push the appointment, change the timings" for client meetings. But reaching his stall at 7 a.m. daily is a schedule that requires discipline.

When I asked him about the future of the business, Leong immediately answered, "My endgame is to sell the business to big organizations."

He said he doesn't think he can sustain the long work hours in the long term.

But a return to a corporate job is off the table, he said. He wants to explore new business ventures and not have to answer to anyone.

"I would love to not only spend my time in the store," Leong said. "I really need to take a step back because I really feel like I spend too much time in this business."

• Carrie Kirby, now 51, is married but opted to celebrate turning 50 with a girls-only trip to Utah.
• They went canyoneering and horseback riding — two things her husband has no interest in.
• Having traveled with her husband for three decades, she now sees the benefits of taking separate trips.

As newlyweds in our 20s, my husband and I backpacked from Beijing to Paris, spending 14 weeks riding trains, buses, and boats. We were good travel partners. But as we've grown older, our travel desires have diverged: I itch for more adventure, while he prefers vacations spent reading and sketching.

For my 50th birthday, instead of coaxing my husband to join me on a hiking trip to a national park, I invited our 20-year-old daughter, who loves active adventures as much as I do. We also brought along a family friend — who, like me, left her husband behind.

The three of us headed to Utah to explore Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks. Along the way, I sent my artistic husband plenty of photos of the red cliffs against the blue sky.

He would have hated it all

When we won the permit lottery to hike up Zion's 1,488-foot rock formation, Angels Landing, I knew going with the girls had been the right choice — my husband has always been scared of heights. With narrow paths and sheer drop-offs, Angels Landing is considered one of the most terrifying hikes in America.

The four-hour trek to Angels Landing begins with Walter's Wiggles, a series of strenuous switchbacks. Once we entered the formation's upper section, we scrambled over rocks and tiptoed down paths only a few feet wide. The river snaking through the canyon below looked like the view from an airplane.

I have to admit I was a little shaky when I came to the short sections with no chains to clutch. My husband wouldn't have been scared at all — because he'd have turned back miles earlier.

We also signed up for another of my husband's most hated activities: horseback riding. We descended into the Bryce Canyon on mules and ponies, hoping they wouldn't lose their footing as we enjoyed intimate views of the park's famous hoodoos.

We went canyoneering as well, donning harnesses and helmets to rappel into otherwise inaccessible slot canyons. Stepping backward off a cliff edge to walk our way down, "Spider-Man" style was a lot of fun for us girls. For my husband? Canyoneering would have been another huge nope.

Breaking routines and learning new skills

During our adventures, the girls and I laughed and told stories nonstop. Although I love my husband, my spirit basked in the pause from everyday squabbles and responsibilities. Had he been there, I'd have put a full dinner on the table nightly. But with just us girls, we ate hummus straight from the container for dinner when we felt like it.

I married at 24 and have been a wife for more than half my life. One thing that happens when you couple young is specialization. When we travel together, my husband does most of the driving. On this trip and a few others, I've been able to improve my driving skills, although I still need to learn to change a tire on my own.

Now that our three kids are teens or young adults, my husband and I are discovering what great travel companions they are — each one shares different interests with us, including some we don't share with each other.

Last month, my husband took the two younger kids to visit our oldest in her college town for a hockey game — something that would've bored me to tears, but they all loved it.

Traveling separately has not only let us each pursue what we truly enjoy without guilt, but it's also practical: I'm self-employed with flexible time, while he has limited vacation, and with two kids still in high school, solo trips let one of us travel during the school year without leaving them alone.

It has strengthened our relationship

When friends and family find out one of us isn't coming on a trip, they often ask "Why?" I'm sure some worry that our separate wanderings mean we're headed for divorce.

In reality, our his-and-her trips have been a relationship boon. After 27 years of going through the same daily schedules together, we don't usually have a lot to say that the other hasn't heard before. Travel gives us new stories to share.

The night my daughter and I got home from our Utah adventure, my husband had a hot meal on the table and was excited to sit down and view photos.

"You have got to see this!" I found myself saying as we shared the view of Zion's towering walls. I told him how good the icy Virgin River water felt on our bare feet near The Narrows, and he said he'd love to experience that.

And maybe next time, we'll travel together. We could sign up for a bike tour — his favorite active pursuit — and skip the steep hikes.

Do you have a story to share about celebrating your 50th birthday? Contact the editor at [email protected].

• LinkedIn COO Dan Shapero said leaders need to use AI themselves.
• Shapero uses AI for meeting summaries, learning new topics, and meeting preparation.
• He said AI can't replace human judgment in recruiting and decision-making.

As LinkedIn rolls out artificial intelligence products, Dan Shapero, the chief operations officer, has also been trying out AI tools.

"My advice to business leaders is to get comfortable with the technology, to use it," he told Business Insider. "It is almost certain that you're going to be asked by your CEO or your board, what's your strategy for embracing AI in your area?"

He said the leaders who have good answers to those questions will be successful in the next decade.

Top tech leaders, including Nvidia's Jensen Huang and OpenAI's Sam Altman, have said they use AI at work daily. Some, including e-commerce platform Shopify's CEO Tobe Lütke, have even mandated the use of the technology at their companies.

Shapero shared three ways he has been using AI to become more efficient in his day-to-day — and the aspects of his job he still prefers to do manually:

1. You can't be everywhere

One way Shapero said he uses AI is to summarize notes for meetings he misses.

"There are a lot of meetings that I think would've been valuable to attend, but sometimes I can't be everywhere," he said.

Shapero said he likes using Copilot for this because it is built into Teams, which the Microsoft-owned company uses. "I'll often use Copilot to summarize meeting outcomes to make sure that I can stay on top of the business."

2. Unfamiliar topics

Shapero also said he uses AI to learn about topics he is not well versed in.

"Oftentimes, I'll have to learn about new technologies, new legislation, and different industry trends," the COO said. "I find that having a conversation with ChatGPT can be very helpful in me learning deeply about a topic that I'm not familiar with."

3. Preparing for meetings

Shapero said he also likes using AI to cut down the time it takes for meeting prep. He said he uses LinkedIn's Account IQ product, which is geared toward sales roles.

"It takes all the news that's been going on around a company, all of the things they've shared on LinkedIn, their trends on who they're hiring, and it summarizes it into a one-page dossier that I can then read to be prepared for my discussion," he said.

Shapero said he also uses chatbots for advice on how to write and present ideas more succinctly. There's one big exception: He said he doesn't need LinkedIn's AI summary feature for writing his own profile, since he has lots of practice writing in first person.

Human parts of the job

Still, Shapero said there are parts of his job he cannot imagine AI doing, such as the later stages of recruiting.

He said that once AI helps him find and shortlist candidates, he thinks about questions like "How do I really assess whether they're a good fit for the job?" and "How do I have a conversation with them to convince them that we're a good match for them?"

He also said AI can't do leadership functions.

"While AI has shown that it can synthesize information, I'm not sure that it's shown that it can inspire a team or that it can connect with people at a deeper level," he said.

He said chatbots and AI tools also struggle with a lack of data, which makes human decisions more important.

"Ultimately it has to be you at the center, making the decision and seeing the path forward."

• Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said video podcasts could "find their way" to the streamer.
• Netflix has ramped up its pitch to creators as it competes with YouTube.
• Sarandos said Netflix is looking "everywhere" for the "next generation of great creators."

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says video podcasts could be the next format to appear on the streaming service as it pursues creators in many areas.

On the company's first quarter earnings call Thursday, Sarandos said the "lines are getting blurry" between podcasts and talk shows, in response to a question on whether video pods could work on Netflix.

"As the popularity of video podcasts grows, I suspect you'll see some of them find their way to Netflix," Sarandos said.

His comments confirmed earlier reporting by Business Insider that Netflix was exploring potential deals with video podcasters as it looked to its next phase of growth.

Netflix execs have become increasingly aggressive about putting YouTube creator-led shows on the platform and talking up its advantages to creators.

This comes as YouTube leads the media pack in terms of TV watch time. According to Nielsen, YouTube accounted for 12% of TV watching time in March, extending its lead over Netflix, which came in at 7.9%.

Netflix's top execs have lately argued that Netflix is better than YouTube in helping creators grow and make money. Alongside other media giants like Amazon and Disney, Netflix has also been leaning into popular YouTubers, picking up deals with the Sidemen, preschool educator Ms. Rachel, and the live dating show Pop the Balloon.

"We're looking for the next generation of great creators, and we're looking everywhere, not just in film schools and certainly not just in Hollywood," Sarandos said on the call. "Creators today have tools that were unimaginable a decade ago to tell stories, to reach audience."

Some creators are eager for the prestige, up-front money, and ability to reach new viewers that Netflix and other Hollywood players can afford.

But for others, especially well-established creators, the advantage is less clear when they've built multiplatform businesses independently and enjoy control over their productions as well as direct relationships with their audiences.

• ICE is contracting with Palantir to expand its case management system.
• The deal includes software called ImmigrationOS to track visa overstays and self-deportation.
• ICE says the deal is necessary for carrying out President Trump's mandate on immigration enforcement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has signed a $30 million deal with Palantir for software add-ons to track self-deportations and immigrants who have overstayed their visas, government records show.

A contract reviewed by Business Insider said the Immigration Lifecycle Operating System — or ImmigrationOS — will minimize "time and resource expenditure" for selecting and apprehending immigrants based on ICE enforcement priorities.

Along with "violent criminals" and "affiliates of known transnational criminal organizations," the contract also cited visa overstays as a deportation priority.

ImmigrationOS will expand ICE's case management system to include "near real-time visibility into instances of self-deportation." The contract said the new ImmigrationOS will streamline "end to end immigration lifecycle from identification to removal."

The agency is awarding Palantir $29.8 million for a prototype to be delivered by September 25.

According to the contract, the new software is necessary for ICE to carry out President Donald Trump's recent executive orders naming illegal immigration and transnational organized crime as significant national security threats.

An ICE spokesperson said the deal is a modification to an existing contract. Palantir did not respond to requests for comment.

The new agreement is an extension of a contract the Biden administration signed with the defense contractor in 2022 for "operations and maintenance" support services. The Department of Homeland Security first contracted Palantir to build its case management system in 2014.

The software collates information from a wide range of government databases and allows DHS agents to keep detailed records on potential immigration violators for future enforcement actions. It includes "data sharing with Customs and Border Protection for lookout and seizure tracking."

The documents underscore an increased emphasis on deporting immigrants who have entered the country legally but may have violated the conditions of their visas, which is typically a civil, not a criminal, offense.

"Palantir has developed deep institutional knowledge of ICE operations over more than a decade of support," ICE wrote in the documents. "Their systems have been tailored to meet strict DHS security and privacy standards."

Palantir employees have been working over the past several weeks to increase ICE capacity to track immigrants already given a final order of removal, and will continue to fast-track an ImmigrationOS prototype, per 404 Media.

• Hermès said on an analyst call on Thursday that it will raise prices in the US.
• The price hikes are because of Trump's tariffs, which the brand said haven't yet affected them.
• The Birkin bag, a staple for Hermès, already retails for more than $10,000.

Luxury retailer Hermès announced on Thursday that it's raising prices in the US to offset the effect of President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Eric du Halgouët, executive vice president of finance at the company, told analysts on call that Hermès hadn't yet been impacted by the tariffs, but it was going to raise US prices in May to brace for how the taxes could impact growth.

"The price increase that we're going to implement will be just for the US. Since it's aimed at offsetting the increase in tariffs, that only applies to the American market," du Halgouët said on the call.

du Halgouët said the company has plans to hire an additional 1,000 to 1,500 people, but it will remain cautious about the impact of "geopolitical changes" on financial markets. He also said Hermès raised prices across the US and Europe by 6% at the beginning of 2025.

Hermès caters to the uber-wealthy — even the cheapest versions of its trademark Birkin bags currently cost more than $10,000. It has maintained strong growth amid a challenging environment for the luxury sector, and recently surpassed rival LVMH as the most valuable luxury company.

The French company reported a slow down in first-quarter sales — it grew by 7.2% compared to 18% in the prior quarter. It reported first quarter revenue of €4.1 billion and growth in all geographical areas, according to a press release.

Hermès got caught up in a TikTok fueled controversy earlier this month, when a user posted a now-deleted video claiming that 80% of luxury bags are made in China.

The company doesn't manufacture bags in China and most of its production takes place in France, according to its website. Since Trump issued a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, France is facing a blanket 10% tax.

Representatives for Hermès did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• Facebook's cultural relevance has been on the rocks for years.
• Emails between Mark Zuckerberg and a Facebook exec reveal Meta's concerns about the social network.
• The emails were used as evidence in the FTC's antitrust lawsuit against Meta.

Mark Zuckerberg has been worried about Facebook's cultural relevance for years.

Emails from April 2022 between Zuckerberg and Tom Alison — Meta's head of Facebook — were presented in court this week during the FTC's antitrust trial against Meta.

The main topic of the email exchange: How to keep Facebook relevant.

"Even though the FB app's engagement is steady in many places, it feels like its cultural relevance is decreasing quickly and I worry that this may be a leading indicator of future health issues," Zuckerberg wrote.

He added that even if Instagram and WhatsApp did well, he didn't see a path to success for Meta if Facebook faltered.

Just months before these emails, Facebook had widely rolled out reels, its short-form video product resembling TikTok. While Zuckerberg said in the emails that he agreed with Facebook's recent shift of resources to reels, he wanted to "make sure we have a unique vision" for the Facebook app.

So, what was going wrong on Facebook, then?

According to the emails, here's what was affecting Facebook's cultural relevance at the time:

1. Facebook's classic act of "friending" someone seemed to have lost its luster. "First, a lot of people's friend graphs are stale and not filled with the people they want to hear from or connect with," Zuckerberg wrote, adding that the act of friending someone also felt too "heavyweight" for users. "Do you want to be seen as someone adding friends on FB, or would you rather be seen adding the person on IG?" In the same exchange, Zuckerberg presented three options to Alison that could help Facebook's relevancy, including one "crazy idea" of wiping people's friend graphs and having them start from scratch.
2. People were turning to other platforms, like Instagram, to follow friends and public figures. Zuckerberg himself even admitted that he was more likely to follow surfers or MMA fighters on Instagram or Twitter. "Every other modern social network is built on following rather than friending, so it seems possible that the FB app is just outdated because it never adopted this fundamental innovation," Zuckerberg said.
3. Facebook's attempt to focus on communities with groups still needed work. "I'm optimistic about community messaging, but after running at groups in FB for several years, I'm not sure how much further we'll be able to push this," Zuckerberg wrote. "It's possible groups will just never be as big as friending/following, and that a lot of group behavior is moving to messaging anyway."
4. Its push into short-form video needed to feel more social, and also unique to Facebook. Zuckerberg said that while Facebook's push of reels was good for surfacing interesting content in the feed, "it reduces the social sense of feeling connected to the person creating the content," especially if it wasn't made on Facebook. Alison responded to Zuckerberg in one email that the "problem with Facebook is that we don't have a culturally relevant public content ecosystem as a baseline since it's mainly comprised of commoditized news and video publisher content."
5. Facebook has a litany of competitors — even its own sibling, Instagram. TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit all came up in the exchange. Smaller social apps were also referenced, like friend-sharing apps BeReal and Poparazzi. But one of the most interesting competitors was Instagram, especially since its acquisition by Facebook is core to the FTC's case against Meta. (It appears that Instagram's top exec, Adam Mosseri, was cc'd on these emails.) "Differentiating between IG and FB is important, but I think we need to find a strategy that doesn't leave one service picking up the scraps the other service leaves behind or having either service artificially or unreasonably constrain itself," Zuckerberg wrote. "Right now IG is doing well on cultural relevance and FB isn't, so I'm more focused on figuring out a reasonable path for FB longer term." Nothing like a little sibling rivalry.

• Netflix reported strong first-quarter results on Thursday.
• The company reported $10.54 billion in revenue, beating analysts' expectations. EPS was nearly a dollar higher than estimates.
• It's the first quarter that Netflix hasn't broken out subscriber numbers.

Netflix delivered a big earnings beat for the first quarter on Thursday, and its report looked a little bit different this time.

Gone were any specific numbers on quarterly subscription numbers, a change the streaming giant had previously announced.

The company's revenue was $10.54 billion, slightly beating analyst expectations. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg had expected revenue of $10.5 billion.

Operating income was $3.3 billion, higher than Bloomberg's estimate of $3 billion. Earnings per share were $6.61, a big beat over analysts' estimates of $5.68.

The streaming service's shares were 3% higher in after-hours trading.

The company didn't change its guidance for 2025. It still expects revenue of between $43.5 billion and $44.5 billion for the year, as well as an operating margin of 29%.

Netflix has added more new subscribers than analysts expected in recent quarters, in part thanks to new policies aimed at reducing password sharing. That's pushed many who might have been using credentials from a friend or family member to start paying for their own account.

Starting with Thursday's report, though, Netflix is no longer providing quarterly updates on how many new subscribers it logged.

"The streaming land grab era is dead for good," said Ross Benes, an analyst at Business Insider's sister company, EMARKETER, after the company reported earnings.

"Netflix got ahead of the story by eliminating its quarterly subscriber update just as password sharing gains were set to decline and the outlook on subscriber increases appeared stale," Benes said.

Instead, Wall Street analysts were looking for details about ad sales as well as Netflix's plans for sports and creator content to judge how the company is doing. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said Thursday that video podcasts could be the next format to appear on the service.

His comments confirmed earlier reporting by Business Insider that Netflix was exploring potential deals with video podcasters.

Advertising has been one area where Netflix is trying to expand and compete with the likes of Amazon. Netflix launched its ad tech platform on April 1, it said in its earnings announcement on Thursday, and is "on track to roll it out in our remaining ads countries in the coming months."

Despite worries about an economic slowdown, Netflix isn't seeing ad buyers cut back, co-CEO Greg Peters said on the company's earnings call.

Netflix reportedly has big growth plans: It's targeting a market cap of $1 trillion by 2030, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

"On rare and very disappointing occasions, our confidential and internal discussions can leak into the press," Sarandos said on the company's call, referring to the Journal's report. He said it's important to note that internal discussions about goals are different than official company guidance.

Netflix's stock has outperformed the broader indexes and other major technology stocks so far this year.

Viewers are likely to keep watching Netflix programming — or even consume more of it — if the US slips into recession, some analysts have said.

Speaking to wider economic pressures, Peters said consumers have kept spending on entertainment.

"Netflix specifically also has been generally quite resilient, and we haven't seen any major impacts during those tougher times," he said.

We got an inside look at the United States Marine Corps' intense 13-week basic training program. Chief video correspondent Graham Flanagan spent five days at the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot in San Diego, California, where he observed different companies at various stages of training.

Enlisted recruits who live west of the Mississippi River attend basic training in San Diego, where women have only trained since 2021. Men and women train together, but live in separate squad bays. Male and female recruits are not allowed to talk to each other during training. In week seven, recruits travel 40 miles north of San Diego to Camp Pendleton, where they complete their training.

Boot camp culminates with a 54-hour event known as The Crucible, in which recruits endure mental and physical challenges with minimal food and sleep. After completing The Crucible, recruits receive the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor pendant, marking their official transition to Marines.

• Katy Perry has traveled across the country, overseas, and to space this year.
• She's also been wearing daring fashion for each appearance, from leather corsets to sparkling gowns.
• So far, three of those outfits have been stunning, and three have missed the mark.

Katy Perry has been everywhere this year — almost literally.

She's traveled across the country to promote her Lifetimes tour, made a few overseas appearances, and, of course, briefly flew to space with Blue Origin.

All the while, she's been sporting her signature daring fashion.

From sparkling gowns to leather costumes, here's a look at the best and worst outfits she's worn in 2025 so far.

Katy Perry looked striking in silver at the Breakthrough Prize ceremony, but her dress had a few issues.

Gaurav Gupta designed her sequinned number for the April event. It had an asymmetrical bodice, deep chest cutouts, a floor-length skirt, and a head covering.

Though its silver color suited her, the gown's skin-colored mesh was visible beneath its daring chest piece and distracted from the outfit.

Its skirt was also an awkward length — not dramatic enough to create a train, and not short enough to show her shoes.

She wore her best look of the year at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in March.

Perry walked the red carpet in a shimmering Miss Sohee gown. The strapless piece was covered in small, square pieces with a pearl finish and even smaller sequins in between.

The gown fit her perfectly and made her one of the night's best-dressed stars. Her updo hairstyle and shimmering body makeup also complemented the gown.

The leather ensemble she wore to the SiriusXM Studios in February didn't make sense.

While promoting her Lifetimes tour, Perry was photographed wearing a brown getup from the London-based brand KNWLS.

It featured a leather corset with a zippered shawl on top, matching sleeves, and leg straps over gray bike shorts. She completed the look with square-toed boots.

Ultimately, Perry's ensemble had too much going on. There were too many pieces to make the look cohesive, and its contrasting colors didn't work together.

The same goes for the black-and-white look she donned at the 2025 Invictus Games.

The pop star hit the stage that day in a multi-layered outfit and statement shoes.

She wore a white corset beneath a running vest, gray shorts over suspender tights, and thigh-high white boots with shin and knee pads. She also wore fingerless gloves.

Perry may have been aiming to look athletic for the sporting event, but the high heels of her boots didn't match the outfit's casual aesthetic.

The ensemble also might have looked better without a few layers, like the stockings and gloves.

Perry kept things simple and fun for the FireAid benefit concert in January.

She hit the stage wearing a brown skirt with a deep slit, thigh-high boots in brown, and a black T-shirt from a Los Angeles fire department. The latter was altered to feature a small corset.

The outfit was casual, meaningful, and still fit for a celebrity with its fun details.

She also rocked a traditional leather look that month.

Perry was photographed arriving at the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" studio in January wearing leather pants from Area.

The $1,795 trousers had slits across each leg that were studded with gold pieces, matching Perry's $1,195 strapless top.

The outfit was chic and simple, but still had an edge and looked luxurious.

• With return-to-office mandates pushing workers back to the office, some are seeing economic impacts.
• In some cities, workers spend up to 7% of their income on commuting by car.
• Multiple cities in California and Florida rank within the top 10 most expensive cities to drive in.

With return-to-office mandates becoming more common in corporate America, it seems that the days of commuting from the kitchen to the couch are behind us.

As people make their way back to the office, they have to factor in commuting costs again.

Mercury Insurance released a report in March that ranked 147 US cities by how much residents paid, on average, to commute to and from work by car. Its study considered factors including average driving distances, gas prices, tolls, and repair costs per city using the most recently available data. Sources for the report included data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analytics, transit-research company Replica, CarMD's Vehicle Health Index State Index, and TollGuru's toll calculator tool.

While some of the top cities, like New York and San Francisco, have extensive public transportation systems that allow many residents to commute using public transit, most places on the list are predominantly car cities.

See how the top 10 cities rank.

10. Louisville, Kentucky

Sitting on the Ohio River, Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky with over 600,000 residents.

The city is in Jefferson County where, in 2023, nearly 72% of workers drove alone to work, according to the US Census' American Community Survey data.

Although the city has a bus system, public transportation isn't a particularly popular option for commuters, with only 1.8% of the county's population opting for it, per the ACS data. The percentage of those walking to work is higher, at 2%.

In Louisville, commuting costs an average of $3,615 per year, representing 5.5% of the average income in the city, Mercury Insurance's report said.

9. Wichita, Kansas

In Wichita, commuting times averaged 19.9 minutes in 2023. Commuting costs averaged $3,670, or 6.08% of the average income in the city, Mercury Insurance reported.

Nearly 90% of the county's residents commute by car to work, with some 80.4% of residents driving alone to work, according to census data.

8. Flagstaff, Arizona

The mountain city of Flagstaff, Arizona, and its fewer than 100,000 residents also experience some of the highest costs of commuting in the country, per the report.

Although at 18.4 minutes, the average commute time is shorter than in other US cities, the average cost of commuting in Flagstaff is $3,688 annually, or 5.95% of the average income, per Mercury Insurance.

However, its county also has a relatively high rate of work-from-home employees, averaging 11.6% in 2023, according to census data. That year, 64.2% of the population drove alone to work.

7. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Another mountain city, Colorado Springs also ranks among the costliest commutes in the country — the annual average is $3,909. Nearly 70% of residents in the county, El Paso County, drive alone to work, according to census data.

The costs equal to 5.94% of the average income for city residents, according to the insurance company's report.

6. Orlando, Florida

A famously car-dependent city, Orlando ranks high on the list, reportedly averaging a yearly $3,916 in commuting costs. The commute costs relative to income is the highest on the list, with residents spending 6.78% of their incomes on commuting, on average.

In Orange County, which includes Orlando, 67.9% of residents drove alone to work in 2023, according to census data. It has a high rate of work-from-home employees, with 17.5% of residents working remotely.

5. Tampa, Florida

Tampa residents spend an average of $3,957 driving to and from work. It's another car-dependent city, with 60% of residents driving to get around, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the City of Tampa.

Census data for Hillsborough County estimated that 65.6% of residents drive alone to get to work. The county, however, also has a high share of remote employees, with 20.1% of residents working from home.

4. San Francisco

The tech hub has some of the highest costs of commuting, contributing to its expensive cost of living. The average cost of driving to and from work in the California city totals $4,465 annually, although Mercury Insurance reported the figure represents 3.42% of the average resident income, which is lower than in other cities.

While the cost of driving to work is high, commuting by car is also not as predominant as in other cities on the list, with 29.7% of San Francisco County residents driving alone to work in 2023, according to census data.

Nearly a quarter of workers in the county work from home, while 22% rely on public transportation.

3. Houston

The Texas metropolis, known for its extensive highways, has the third-highest cost of driving to and from work, with the annual average in Houston coming in at $4,864, or 6.71% of the average income, per the report.

Just over 70% of residents in Harris County, which includes Houston, drive to work alone, according to census data. Another 11.9% worked from home.

2. San Diego

Costing residents 6.42% of their average income, driving to and from work in San Diego averages $5,081, the highest of the car-dependent cities on this list.

According to 2023 census data, two-thirds of San Diego County residents drove alone to work, while 16% worked from home.

The average commute time in the city is 25.7 minutes, clocking in higher than some other places on this list.

1. New York

Topping the list is New York City, which in recent months has implemented policies like congestion pricing in a bid to discourage solo drivers from entering the busiest parts of the city.

For those who drive to work in the city, the costs average $5,907 annually, accounting for 6.46% of average incomes.

However, 2023 census data for the five boroughs indicates over half of residents commute through public transportation, making the commuting cost only applicable to the 24% who decide to drive alone to work.

• Donald Trump promised to "bomb the hell" out of ISIS in the lead-up to his first term.
• Now, several months into a second term, he's hammering terror groups again.
• The US military has stepped up its airstrikes in Somalia and Yemen in recent weeks.

Ahead of his first term in the White House, President Donald Trump campaigned on "bombing the hell" out of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. At that time, the terror group was surging, causing turmoil in the Middle East and beyond.

Now, roughly a decade later and a few months into his second term, the president is back to bombing terror groups.

The US military has noticeably increased the number of airstrikes that it has carried out against ISIS in Somalia under Trump compared to his predecessor, Joe Biden, according to publicly available information on these operations.

And across the Gulf of Aden, a body of water that separates the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the US has been heavily bombing the Houthi rebels in Yemen nonstop for more than a month in a bid to get them to stop their Red Sea attacks. Trump's new bombing campaign against the group appears much more aggressive than the Biden administration's operations.

Bombing ISIS and others

Trump's campaign pledges in 2015 and 2016 to "bomb the hell" out of ISIS preceded an intense air campaign against the terror group. The White House later announced the US military had defeated ISIS.

Its once-sweeping caliphate in Iraq and Syria crumbled under international pressure, but the threat persisted. The US intelligence community still considers ISIS to be a major threat, and it is not limited to the old caliphate.

During the first three months of the new Trump administration, US Africa Command has disclosed at least eight rounds of airstrikes against ISIS in Somalia. It's a major jump from previous years under Biden.

Last year, the US military carried out one airstrike on ISIS in Somalia, according to publicly available statements from Africom. And in 2023, American forces carried out a lone assault operation against the terror group in the country. In 2022 and 2021, there were no publicly reported missions.

ISIS-Somalia has doubled in size over the past year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence wrote in a March report on global threats. Africom regularly says that the terror group "has proved both its will and capability" to attack American and partner forces and calls these efforts a threat to US national security interests.

The US military is also conducting operations against al-Shabaab, which ODNI refers to as Al Qaeda's largest and wealthiest affiliate group. It has long been active in Somalia.

The US averaged more than 10 rounds of airstrikes against the group each year that Biden was in office, with a peak of 15 in 2023. So far, there have been at least five rounds of US airstrikes against al-Shabaab this year, the latest of which occurred overnight Wednesday.

The strikes come amid reports that the White House was considering eliminating Africom and closing diplomatic posts in Africa, which could hurt counterterrorism efforts. The airstrikes also appear to reflect the president's move to give US commanders more authority over strikes and operations.

A US defense official told Business Insider on Thursday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is "focused on persistent malign influence" by ISIS, al-Shabaab, and similar groups in the area, adding that "we're working closely with the Somali government to degrade and destroy those malign actors."

The official said Hegseth has "empowered" combatant commanders to take the necessary steps to identify and eliminate threats to the US and its interests.

The US is still hunting down ISIS in the Middle East. In March, for instance, the military killed the terror group's second-in-command in Iraq. Other operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria that have been publicly acknowledged by the Trump administration have been carried out by local partner forces and "enabled" by American troops.

The Houthis

Between late 2023 and the end of last year, US warships and aircraft have been tasked with intercepting Houthi missiles and drones targeting ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. American forces have also carried out airstrikes to wipe out rebel weaponry and assets in Yemen.

This year started out with relative calm in the Houthi conflict, but on March 15, the Trump administration started a new campaign of strikes in Yemen to get the rebels to permanently stop their maritime attacks. Since then, the US has moved a second aircraft carrier into the Middle East and has deployed B-2 stealth bombers to a base in the Indian Ocean in a major show of force.

Top officials, including the president, have said that the large-scale bombing will be "unrelenting," and the US military frequently touts the "24/7" operations on social media.

However, experts and analysts have cast doubt that the intense campaign, now in its second month, will completely annihilate the Houthis, as Trump has threatened.

It's unclear how much of the Houthi network the US has affected. Air Force Lt. Gen Alexus Grynkewich, director of operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters on March 17, days after the campaign began, that strikes hit training sites, drone infrastructure, command centers, and weapons storage facilities.

Details since then have been scarce, but US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said Thursday that American forces struck a port in Yemen that the Houthis used to import fuel.

Known as the "Hillbilly Donnie Brasco," FBI agent Scott Payne risked his life to expose violent neo-Nazi cells threatening national security, including the KKK and biker gangs.

Payne began his law enforcement career at the Greenville County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina, where he worked for five years as a uniform patrol officer and a vice and narcotics investigator. He signed up for the FBI in 1998 and was assigned to the New York, San Antonio, and Knoxville field offices, working against drug trafficking, human trafficking, and domestic terrorism. In 2005, he went undercover with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Massachusetts. In 2017, he helped arrest a white nationalist who planned an attack on a synagogue. In 2019, he embedded himself with US extremist groups as part of an FBI investigation to avert a mass shooting planned by a white nationalist group called The Base.

Payne talks to Business Insider about undercover protocol, creating legends, whether agents use burner phones, the ethics of undercover work, and surveillance techniques. He also voices his opinions on changes to the FBI since he started and what the future holds for the agency's leadership.

Since leaving the service in 2021, he has become a professional speaker with Eradicate Hate. He is the author of "Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis."

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"Code Name: Pale Horse"

• Gracie Abrams spoke about her friendship with Taylor Swift in Billboard's new cover story.
• Abrams said that spending time with Swift makes her own fame feel manageable by comparison.
• "One of the things that I've felt lucky to observe is how extreme it can be," Abrams said.

Gracie Abrams may be a top-10 charting pop star who was raised by a blockbuster movie director, but she said her fame feels slight in the shadow of her mentor and friend, Taylor Swift.

In her ascent to mainstream renown, Abrams, 25, has been subjected to plenty of scrutiny about her love life (she's reportedly dating "Gladiator II" star Paul Mescal) and her family (she's faced "nepo baby" accusations thanks to her father, J.J. Abrams, whose credits include hit TV shows like "Lost" and major film franchises like "Star Wars" and "Star Trek").

However, in Billboard's new cover story, Abrams said spending time with Swift puts her own experience in the public eye into perspective.

"It's like, I really don't have it that bad in terms of invasion of privacy, you know what I mean?" Abrams said. "I feel like I learned a lot from her, obviously, but one of the things that I've felt lucky to observe is how extreme it can be [for her]. It helps right-size my own shit."

Still, that doesn't mean Abrams isn't harboring Swift-sized ambitions.

The two musicians became close when Swift enlisted Abrams as one of her opening acts on the Eras Tour; they ended up collaborating on a Grammy-nominated duet ("Us.") and sharing the stage multiple times during Swift's record-breaking stadium trek.

Asked if she hopes to headline her own stadium tour in the future, Abrams replied, "Hell yeah."

"I could have never imagined myself admitting to that," Abrams continued. "I think having had the privilege of opening for Taylor in the stadiums that we played, to now have a visual reference and a real sense of what it feels like to be on a stage in that environment… It's something that I miss and desperately hope to earn over time."

Abrams also said that, much like Swift, the scrutiny she's faced hasn't changed her approach to dating or diaristic songwriting. "That would be so unfortunate," she told Billboard.

Abrams released her debut EP, "Minor," in 2020, which served as an early lyrical inspiration for Olivia Rodrigo (who became another close friend after Abrams opened for Rodrigo's Sour Tour).

In addition to praise from her peers, Abrams also drew critical acclaim for songs like "I Miss You, I'm Sorry" in 2020 and "Rockland" in 2021 — but she didn't crack the Billboard Hot 100's top 10 until last year with "That's So True." The surprise hit was released as a deluxe track from her sophomore album, "The Secret of Us," which also yielded fan favorites like "I Love You, I'm Sorry" and "Risk."

In March, Abrams was honored as songwriter of the year at Billboard's annual Women in Music event, where Abrams thanked "the incomparable Miss Taylor Swift."

"I will never stop thanking her for the gift of her pen," Abrams said, "which very much raised me."