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New Delhi: <keyword id="19909974" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="maruti-suzuki" source="keywords">Maruti Suzuki</keyword> <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword> is looking to sell around 6 lakh CNG vehicles in the current fiscal, an increase of around 25 per cent as compared to FY24, according to a senior company executive. The country's largest carmaker company on Wednesday expanded its CNG model range as it rolled out its premium hatchback Swift with S-CNG trims. "This fiscal we are targeting to sell around 6 lakh CNG units. We ended last year with sales of around 4.77 lakh units," <keyword id="20035105" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maruti-suzuki-india-senior" source="keywords">Maruti Suzuki India Senior</keyword> Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) <keyword id="21102180" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="partho-banerjee" source="keywords">Partho Banerjee</keyword> told PTI in an interaction. In the April-August period this fiscal, the auto major has so far sold 2.21 lakh units, he added. The new Swift comes in three variants priced at Rs 8.19 lakh; Rs 8.46 lakh and Rs 9.19 lakh respectively. <keyword id="20068420" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="banerjee" source="keywords">Banerjee</keyword> said the S-CNG trims deliver a fuel-efficiency of 32.85 km/kg. "The company pioneered the production of CNG vehicles in India back in 2010. Since then, we have sold over 2 million S-CNG vehicles to date, contributing to a significant reduction of 2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions," he added. The company now offers 14 models with CNG technology, Banerjee said. "Last fiscal year, our CNG sales in the passenger vehicle category witnessed a 46.8 per cent growth, compared to 2022-23 and registered a compound annual growth rate of around 28 per cent since 2010," he noted.

Maruti Suzuki targets to sell 6 lakh CNG units this fiscal: Official

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine is aiming to field a diverse arsenal of ground robots to help support its war efforts.</li><li>These robots can launch assaults, lay mines, and deliver supplies to the front lines. </li></ul>Ukraine has its eyes set on a dynamic fleet of ground robots to fight alongside — and, sometimes, instead of — its soldiers in combat as Kyiv continues growing its arsenal of unmanned systems.These robotic systems, also known as unmanned ground vehicles, can launch assaults on Russian positions, self-destruct next to enemy armor, and deliver ammunition to front-line positions, among various other tasks.UGVs have already carried out these kinds of missions, though not on the same scale as Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicles and drone boats."Ground robotics is one of the solutions," Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, said in translated remarks shared with Business Insider. "If robots can fight instead of people, why won't we try to do this?"Fedorov <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-army-of-drones-shahed-hunters-donation-push-2023-5">set up</a> UNITED24, a Ukrainian government initiative that has for over two years helped fuel Kyiv's war efforts by raising money to purchase weaponry like drones, and recently, it launched a fundraising campaign to acquire <a target="_blank" href="https://u24.gov.ua/robots_fight">three types of ground robots</a> for the military.Ukraine hopes to use the new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-ratel-drone-meant-to-drive-under-russian-tanks-explode-2023-10">ground robots in different roles</a>, supporting direct combat, minelaying, and logistical operations on the battlefield, according to a fact sheet about this initiative shared with BI.<div type="image" title="Multiple ground robots at a UNITED24 summit." height="4024" width="6048" msid="111240158" hostid="261"></div>The new ground combat robots can assault and defend positions, as well as conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, all while being operated remotely from up to two-and-a-half miles away. The systems are armed with machine guns, hardened against small-arms fire, and outfitted with thermal-imaging cameras for nighttime missions.The minelaying and self-destruct robots can threaten Russian armor, positions, and supply routes. Strapped with anti-tank mines, these systems can charge into a target at over 15 mph before detonating, or they can drop explosives on the ground. They can be operated remotely from nearly three-and-a-half miles away.The logistical robots, on the other hand, aren't necessarily capable of directly inflicting losses on the Russians, but they can be used for life-saving and resupply missions. These systems can quickly deliver ammunition and equipment to front-line positions and evacuate wounded soldiers with their ability to carry over 1,300 pounds. They also boast a 25-mile operational range.<div type="image" title="A MOROZ combat robot." height="1051" width="1600" msid="111240157" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="A RATEL-S minelaying robot." height="1280" width="960" msid="111240155" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="A RYS PRO logistics drone" height="960" width="1280" msid="111240154" hostid="261"></div>"Squads of robots will save the lives of our military and civilians," the Ukrainian fact sheet says. "They will fight alongside people and for people. The first robots are already proving their effectiveness on the battlefield, but there are many more required."Fedorov said there's no exact number of robots that Ukraine is seeking because there's a "constant need" for them, so they are just trying to get as many as possible. The cost of the robots varies, as each type has different variants manufactured across the defense industry.Systems that have more sophisticated technologies, like those with machine guns, for instance, are naturally going to be more expensive than those used primarily for medical evacuations without any weaponry attached.Fedorov explained that the goal right now is to pump money into the defense industry so production facilities can invest in research and development and scale-up the operation — leading to cheaper, faster, and better products. He said that Ukraine's drone industry has already seen this big push in other areas, and now robots are the next focus.<div type="image" title="An LYUT combat robot." height="867" width="1156" msid="111240153" hostid="261"></div>"I believe robotics [is] the next game-changer technology of this war," Fedorov said. "The same one as were drones at some point."Both Ukraine and Russia have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-using-ground-drones-destroy-russian-trenches-2024-4">employed UGVs</a> in this war, giving the two militaries another domain in which they can wage war with unmanned systems beyond <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-drones-cant-replace-weapons-it-really-needs-zelenskyy-says-2024-4">the air</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-ships-not-enough-protect-kerch-bridge-ukraine-naval-drones-2024-6">sea</a>. Ground robots have even been involved in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-ukrainian-quadcopter-blows-up-russian-robot-rare-drone-combat-2024-4">drone-on-drone combat</a>, underscoring a level of depth and sophistication to these operations.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-struggling-with-ukraine-cessna-style-drone-flying-brick-bomb-2024-5">evolution of unmanned systems</a> has been one of the defining elements of the Ukraine war. Beyond being used to conduct one-way attacks on enemy personnel and armor and keep soldiers out of harm's way, they have also given the world an unprecedented — and often terrifying — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drones-watching-soldiers-shows-future-wars-scary-us-army-officer-2024-3">look at the conflict</a>.These developments observed in Ukraine, meanwhile, have prompted Western forces like the US military and its partner forces to reexamine <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-isnt-ready-drones-potential-biggest-threat-next-battlefield-2024-5">how they can better prepare</a> for future conflicts."This is the most technologically advanced war in human history," Fedorov said. "Technologies make a difference on the battlefield, and we are basically re-inventing their use every day."

Ground robots may be the 'next game-changer technology' of the war, senior Ukrainian official says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dmitry Medvedev warned freed Russian dissidents to watch their backs after the recent prisoner exchange.</li><li>Prisoners swapped in the deal with the West included Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin.</li></ul>Russian opposition figures and dissidents freed in Thursday's mass prisoner exchange should "adopt new names" and "disguise themselves," a senior Russian politician has said.Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and a former Russian president, made the thinly veiled threat in a post on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/medvedev_telegram/520">Telegram</a> on Thursday."I would like, of course, for Russia's traitors to rot in a penitentiary or die in prison, as has often happened. But it is more useful to get out our own people, who worked for the country, for the Fatherland, for all of us," he wrote."Let the traitors now feverishly adopt new names and actively disguise themselves under the witness protection program," he added.In a follow-up <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/medvedev_telegram/521">post</a> on Sunday, Medvedev said: "Let them keep on barking, dreaming of tearing apart the body of our country.""Let them not forget about the perishability of their existence in this world. Let them burn in hell!" he said.Among those released by Russia were Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who was serving 25 years on a treason conviction; opposition activist Ilya Yashin, imprisoned for his criticism of the war in Ukraine; and Oleg Orlov, a human rights campaigner.Russia has a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/list-of-people-putin-is-suspected-of-assassinating-2016-3">history</a> of attempting to take out critics and defectors.As Russian President in 2010, Medvedev pardoned jailed British double agent Sergei Skripal.Eight years later, a Russian hit squad traveled to Salisbury, England, and poisoned him and his daughter with a Novichok nerve agent.Despite falling critically ill, both survived the incident.In 2006, Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital, killed by highly toxic radioactive polonium 210, which is thought to have been administered in a cup of tea.Litvinenko had worked as an officer in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), but he fled to the UK and began criticizing the Kremlin.On Sunday, Medvedev also welcomed the return of agents who had been jailed in the West, including Vadim Krasikov, a Russian hitman."There is no doubt that the returned citizens are patriots of our Fatherland, who have accomplished great feats," he wrote on Telegram.

Russia has a history of going after dissidents. One senior Kremlin official has now warned freed prisoners to 'disguise themselves.'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia could offer support to the Iran-backed Houthis as they menace key shipping lanes.</li><li>A senior US State Department official said Moscow is engaging with the rebels at a "serious level."</li></ul>Russia could decide to help the Houthis with their Red Sea attacks and is engaging with the Iran-backed rebels at a "serious level," a senior US State Department official said.The Houthis have long received <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-battles-best-iranian-tech-red-sea-admiral-2024-10">extensive support from Iran</a>, including weapons and training, which the rebels have relied on over the past year to carry out attacks on military and civilian vessels transiting key Middle Eastern shipping lanes.But the State Department has grown increasingly concerned in recent months that the Houthis could be receiving assistance from another country: Russia, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking told Business Insider in a recent interview."It does seem as though there is a fairly serious level of engagement happening," Lenderking said of the Houthis and Russia. "We are particularly concerned about the kind of equipment that would really enable the Houthis to be more accurate in their targeting of US and other ships in the region — that would enhance the Houthi capability to strike those targets."<div type="image" title="Russian President Vladimir Putin exits his limousine as he arrives at Red Square in Moscow earlier this month." height="3456" width="5184" msid="115428314" hostid="261" sizebytes="326430"></div>Lenderking said the US has discussed the situation at "high levels" with Saudi Arabia, a partner nation that fought the Houthis for years, and with Russia as well. The relationship between Washington and Moscow has been fraught with tension since the latter invaded Ukraine in February 2022.The US has also made efforts to convey messages to the Houthis. Lenderking said that the Yemeni rebels appear to be determined to strike the American and European warships that have spent the past year <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-nato-warship-destroys-drone-boat-red-sea-rescue-mission-2024-8">defending merchant shipping</a> from their relentless attacks."The fact that the Russians might assist in this effort is diabolical," Lenderking said. "It's a very strong concern."The full scope of Russian support for the Houthis is unclear. Some Western media reports suggest that Moscow has already provided the rebels with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-provided-targeting-data-for-houthi-assault-on-global-shipping-eabc2c2b">targeting data</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/us/politics/russia-houthis-weapons.html">small arms</a> and was considering supplying them with missiles — a development that could significantly escalate the conflict.The Houthis are known to have received help from outside of Yemen. A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/houthis-got-help-from-iran-others-for-dangerous-weapons-un-2024-11">recent United Nations report</a> found that the rebels have been getting weapons, training, technical assistance, and financial support from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and armed Iraqi groups.<div type="image" title="Newly affiliated Houthi fighters shout slogans while attending a demonstration against Israel and in solidarity with Palestinians in Yemen in October." height="3651" width="5476" msid="115428315" hostid="261" sizebytes="1188336"></div>Russia and Iran have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-images-show-russian-cargo-ship-transported-iranian-ballistic-missiles-2024-9">increased their military ties</a> since the start of the Ukraine war. Tehran has provided Moscow with lethal aid, including missiles and drones similar to what it has given the Houthis in previous years. Both countries have been isolated on the world stage over their malign actions and involvement in Ukraine.The Houthis have used their arsenal of missiles and drones over the past year to tirelessly carry out attacks on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-images-show-difficult-mission-save-stricken-red-sea-tanker-2024-9">military and civilian vessels</a> in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, a campaign that the rebels claim is connected to the Israel-Hamas war.American forces <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-weapons-expenditure-cost-middle-east-conflicts-2024-10">operating in the region</a> in defense of the merchant shipping lanes are frequently tasked with intercepting Houthi threats. Just last week, for instance, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-destroyers-unscathed-after-missile-exploding-drone-houthi-attack-2024-11">two US Navy destroyers</a> had to fend off a complex missile and drone attack.The US also routinely <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f-35-variants-seen-combat-after-fighter-struck-houthis-2024-11">carries out airstrikes in Yemen</a>, targeting rebel missile systems, weapons storage facilities, and other sensitive sites in an effort to curb their ability to carry out the attacks.Lenderking said that the Houthis still "maintain the ability to launch pretty aggressively at passing ships," but the US is committed to keeping shipping lanes open in the Red Sea.

Russia's engagement with the Houthis as they lob missiles at ships is getting 'serious,' US official says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Donald Trump wants the next GOP senate leader to give him greater power to staff vacancies.</li><li>Trump wants to use the president's recess appointment power in a major way.</li></ul>President-elect <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-white-house-staff-cabinet-picks-list-2024-11">Donald Trump</a> will return to the White House with Republicans in complete control of Washington.For Trump, Tesla CEO <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-net-worth-wealth-tesla-stock-trump-election-ev-2024-11">Elon Musk</a>, and other influential conservatives, this simply is not good enough. The early reactions to Trump's nominations of former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida as attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary illustrate that even a GOP trifecta might not give Trump everything he wants.Trump wants Republicans to help him use a special procedure called recess appointments that would allow him to install Cabinet appointees and even a Supreme Court justice without a single vote. In theory, Trump's push for broad recess appointment power could allow him to disregard the process entirely — meaning that any more than 1,200 positions requiring Senate confirmation could be filled without even an FBI background check or a confirmation hearing."It's just been made so explicit and used as a strategy in and of itself that even though former presidents made recess appointments, they didn't say this part, and there wasn't widespread fear about what it means and why they are using it now," Casey Burgat, the director of the Legislative Affairs Program at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management told Business Insider.Like Trump, Musk is a big believer in flexing the recess appointment power.The world's richest man recently wrote on X that without them, it would be "impossible to enact the change demanded by the American people, which is utterly unacceptable."Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who won the race to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has said "all options are on the table, including recess appointments. On Thursday, Thune stressed that Trump may still encounter obstacles if he goes that route."You have to have all Republicans vote to recess as well," Thune told Fox News host Bret Baier. "The same Republicans that you mentioned that might have a problem voting for somebody under regular order might be the same Republicans that have a problem voting to put the Senate into recess."<h2 id="9fdd85ec-762d-4f4e-9d55-9d0cd426582d">Why Trump wants this power.</h2>Trump could get his choices confirmed with just 50 votes, thanks to Vice President-elect JD Vance's tie-breaking power. With Republicans projected to hold 53 seats, Democrats can't stop a nomination on their own. But they can force Republicans to grind it out.In his push for recess appointment power, Trump argued it was about ensuring he could staff up in a timely manner.According to the Center for Presidential Transition, it took President Trump twice as long on average to get his nominees approved during his first three years in office (115 days) than it did Ronald Reagan's presidency (56.4) days. Through late November 2023, it took President Biden roughly 109.6 days on average. The center also found that while the Senate filibuster is part of the reason for delays, even complete control of Congress hasn't sped things up.Not everyone is convinced that time is Trump's sole motivation, particularly when many of his early selections illustrate how much he will elevate controversial choices like Gaetz and Kennedy."From the president's perspective, I suppose he would see this as a shortcut to take his favorite list of appointees and put them in for temporary appointments," Sarah Binder, a senior fellow at Brookings, told Business Insider.<h2 id="745efdee-399a-4d58-9336-c1b7209a287e">Trump can't flex this power by himself.</h2>As Thune said, the Senate would need to vote on adjournment. The Constitution also requires the House to approve the Senate breaking for over three days. A 2014 Supreme Court decision held that the Senate would need to recess for at least 10 days.There's even a way for Trump to avoid the House's need to sign off on a lengthy break. Under Article II of the Constitution, Trump has the power to force an adjournment if the House and Senate are divided on what to do.Time is the only true limit on recess appointments.Officials installed via recess appointment can only serve until Congress' next session. If Trump uses this power immediately upon taking office, officials or judges could only stay through the next Senate session, in January 2027.Otherwise, there is virtually nothing Senate Democrats could do to stop the process. Adjournment votes can't be meaningfully filibustered.<h2 id="b23bbc27-f0ff-4ab9-95b7-d757a9914d9d">Recess appointments were created for a bygone-era. </h2>Before World War II, presidents needed recess appointment power because the US Senate was out of session more often than lawmakers were in the nation's capital. Presidents sometimes used their power to game the system, rushing nominees through who might have failed to get confirmed. In 2005, President George W. Bush bypassed the senate to appoint John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations over criticism from Senate Democrats.In recent years, senators, including Republicans, have tried to thwart presidents from using their recess appointment power by holding "pro-forma" sessions where even just one senator can briefly convene and conclude business within minutes.<h2 id="c5b5cf7b-d42b-4d24-931f-6e4885ad0309">Not everyone is convinced this power grab is wise.</h2>Trump's biggest defender thus far is former White House counsel Don McGahn. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Tuesday, McGahn said that Trump needs the power because the Senate is too slow."Returning to the longstanding tradition of recess appointments would ensure that every elected president is able to staff the government with senior officials who share his policy vision," McGahn wrote.Some conservatives are skeptical. Ed Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank, strongly opposes the idea."If you want to show that you're fundamentally hostile to the constitutional separation of powers, trying to do a blanket bypass of Senate's core advice-and-consent authority is a good way," Whelan wrote on X.The National Review wrote in a Wednesday editorial that Trump's request is "wholly inappropriate within the American system of government and ought to be rejected with prejudice."Trump may only be in power for four years, but the reality of Washington is that if he follows Musk's encouragement, he will set a standard Republicans will one day regret."The Senate works on precedent, and so whatever happened last is going to be the default for how it should happen going forward," Burgat said, "and so if we know anything about politics and power grabs they are really hard to claw back and the next guy is gonna use it."

Why Trump and Elon Musk want key administration officials to be confirmed without a floor vote

Iran is preparing to launch an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel, a senior White House official said, according to multiple reports."We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack," the official said in a statement, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/10/01/iran-missile-attack-israel">according to Axios</a>. "A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran."The warning of a potential attack comes after Israeli forces battered Hezbollah locations in Lebanon and raided across the border in ground operations against the militant group.Bond yields and stocks tumbled on the news, with major US equity indexes falling more than 1%. Safe haven assets like gold surged, as did oil prices, which rose on speculation the conflict could limit production.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel: US official

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former President Donald Trump proposed ending Social Security taxes for older adults.</li><li>Experts warn the policy could increase the deficit by $1.6 trillion, depleting Social Security and Medicare.</li></ul>America's older adults could see tax cuts under a new <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/donald-trump">Trump</a> Administration — but the policy risks shrinking Social Security funds sooner than expected.In a Wednesday interview with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6360004194112?spark_wn=1#_intcmp=fnvpl_playlist_5_Trump_reacts_to_Kamala_Harris_tapping_Tim_Walz_as_running_mate:_'I_can't_believe_it'">Fox &amp; Friends</a>, the Republican presidential nominee said he plans to eliminate <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/what-is-social-security">Social Security</a> taxes for older adults. The taxes currently apply to all individuals with a household income above $25,000. This group pays income tax <a target="_blank" href="https://www-origin.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/taxes.html">on 50%</a> of their benefits, and people with a higher income are often taxed more.Trump's proposed change aims to help older adults living on a fixed income by ending the income tax on their monthly checks."We can do a lot of things to help the people," Trump told Fox &amp; Friends. "People on Social Security are being killed, and one of the things I'm doing is no tax for seniors on Social Security, and I'll get it done quickly."Trump had previously pitched his plan to eliminate taxes on Social Security, <a target="_blank" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112881452914352595">writing</a> on his social media platform Truth Social on July 31: "SENIORS SHOULD NOT PAY TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY!"Some experts have criticized the plan. The Tax Foundation's Garrett Watson published a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://taxfoundation.org/blog/trump-social-security-tax/">blog</a> on August 2 calling the proposal to remove income taxes from Social Security "unsound and fiscally irresponsible," arguing that doing so would increase the deficit by about $1.6 trillion over 10 years and cause the Social Security and Medicare trust funds to dry out quicker.According to the latest Social Security and Medicare Trustees report, the program will be able to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-will-social-security-benefits-run-out-retirement-crisis-boomers-2024-5">pay out full benefits for 11 more years</a>, after which they will shrink if Congress doesn't act. The average monthly Social Security check in 2024 is about $1,780 a month, and some boomers rely on Medicare as their only source of health insurance.Business Insider has heard from boomers <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/social-security-no-savings-snap-benefits-debt-boomers-experiences-2024-6">without retirement savings</a>, many of whom are falling behind on bills or forgoing retirement entirely. According to the Census Bureau's Population Survey, over half of older adults in the US have an annual income of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/social-security-no-savings-snap-benefits-debt-boomers-experiences-2024-6">$30,000 or less</a>.While tax breaks might help in the short term, boomers are scared their Social Security benefits could be significantly cut in the next decade. With Trump's proposed policy, it's a risk."It scares us to death because we'll still be here, God-willing," a boomer in Illinois <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boomer-couple-lives-social-security-snap-no-retirement-savings-2024-6">previously told BI.</a> "How are we to survive?"<h2 id="bc6245e7-eca1-4e8f-ab0a-679752174266">Trump has vowed not to cut Social Security</h2>Trump has previously taken a strong position on Social Security — at times conflicting with members of his own party who have faced criticism from Democrats for calling for Social Security cuts. For example, Trump <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gop-leave-medicare-social-security-cuts-from-debt-ceiling-2023-1">said</a> in January 2023 that "under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security.""Cut waste, fraud and abuse everywhere that we can find it and there is plenty, there's plenty of it," he said in a video message. "But do not cut the benefits our seniors worked for and paid for their entire lives. Save Social Security, don't destroy it."Additionally, Trump's platform that was adopted by the Republican National Committee <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-platform-social-security-medicare-retirement-age-end-inflation-2024-7">vowed to preserve Social Security</a> and Medicare benefits while ensuring there would be no cuts or changes to the retirement age. Older adults can start collecting Social Security at age 62 right now, and the official retirement age is typically 67, though it varies slightly by birth year.Even with Trump's pledge to protect retirees' benefits, Democratic lawmakers have continued to criticize the GOP and some of their proposals to change the program by raising the retirement age."As long as I am President, I will keep strengthening Social Security and Medicare and protecting them from Republicans' attempts to cut benefits Americans have earned," Biden said in a May <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/06/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-social-security-and-medicare-trustees-reports/#:~:text=As%20long%20as%20I%20am,cut%20benefits%20Americans%20have%20earned.">statement</a>.Vice President and Democratic nominee <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-expanding-obamacare-without-congress-health-coverage-2022-4">Kamala Harris</a> has not yet released a policy outline on Social Security, but she is expected to continue Biden's work to expand Social Security benefits, as well as protect Medicare and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-expanding-obamacare-without-congress-health-coverage-2022-4">Affordable Care Act</a>.

Trump wants to cut Social Security taxes for seniors. It's not as good as it sounds.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>October saw Russia hit with its highest average daily casualties since the war in Ukraine began, a UK offical said.</li><li>The UK's Chief of Defence Staff said Russia suffered around 1,500 killed or injured each day.</li></ul>October saw Russia hit with its worst casualty rate since the war in Ukraine began, a senior UK official has said.The UK's Chief of Defence Staff, Tony Radakin, said on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0024vjj/sunday-with-laura-kuenssberg-trumps-victory-ukraine-and-defence-spend">BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg"</a> that Russia suffered a daily average of more than 1,500 killed or injured troops in October, which he called "an extraordinary price" for "tiny increments of land."But he added that there was "no doubt that Russia is making tactical, territorial gains" that are putting pressure on Ukraine.In a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/DefenceU/status/1855496002972667979">post</a> on X on Sunday, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense shared figures from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that put Russian combat losses since the start of the invasion in February 2022 at around 709,000 troops.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in late October that the number of Russian troops killed or wounded in the war was "over 600,000."Russia has also suffered heavy losses to military vehicles during the war, losing over 9,200 tanks and around 18,700 armored fighting vehicles, per the Ukrainian figures.The Institute for the Study of War said in an update on the conflict on Saturday that Russian forces would not be able to sustain its current loss rates indefinitely, "especially not for such limited gains."<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korean-troops-ukraine-russia-kursk-8000-front-lines-2024-11">Russian forces were bolstered by the arrival of thousands of North Korean soldiers</a> in October, Western officials have said.Reports of Ukrainian and North Korean troops' <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-details-first-ukraine-attack-north-korea-troops-russia-kursk-2024-11">first clashes in Russia's Kursk region</a> emerged earlier this week.<div type="image" title="Kim Jong Un has been an ally to Putin during Russia's war on Ukraine." height="1877" width="2813" msid="115150108" hostid="261" sizebytes="111736"></div>In his interview with Kuenssberg, Radakin also mentioned the mounting pressure on the Russian economy.Russia has been spending big on defense over the course of the war in Ukraine, which has fueled growth but also led to rampant inflation.The Russian central bank raised its key interest rate to a record 21% in October to try to combat inflation it said was "running considerably above" expectations.Russia is probably capable of going for years before it has to confront its overspending, Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, wrote in the Financial Times last month."This is an unpleasant truth for policymakers in Europe and the US," Prokopenko said.Following his election win earlier this week, Donald Trump's team has reportedly been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-advisors-peace-plans-ukraine-demilitarized-zone-no-aid-russia-2024-11">laying out plans for how to end the war in Ukraine</a>.

Russian forces suffered an average of over 1,500 casualties a day in October for 'tiny increments of land,' UK official says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Welcome back! Mondays are probably the best day to start eating healthier. (Can't start a diet on a Friday.) And whatever your goals are, protein will play a key role. A nutrition coach breaks down <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/easy-calculate-how-much-protein-coach-olympians-2024-9">how to figure out how much you need</a>.In today's big story, the stock market has officially enjoyed a bull rally for over two years. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-outlook-bull-rally-anniversary-earnings-interest-rates-sp500-2024-10">So now what</a>?What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: Jamie Dimon's retirement <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-political-ambitions-retirement-plans-jpmorgan-3q-earnings-2024-10">doesn't mean his exit from JPMorgan</a>.</li><li>Tech: Roblox investors are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/roblox-stock-recovers-after-short-seller-hinderberg-report-2024-10">shrugging off a short-seller's report</a>.</li><li>Business: It's the first day of work for Nike's new CEO. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-ceo-elliott-hill-takes-over-faces-challenges-2024-10">Here's what's at stake</a>.</li></ul>But first, time flies when you're making money.If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h3 id="7fa5f018-5b05-4a37-a8dc-d3f89138bcb3">The big story</h3><h2 id="5fd547b9-ec52-41fc-8e08-4f4b27dd8097">Bullish on the bull market</h2><div type="image" title="Wall Street bull statue" height="4024" width="6048" msid="114217361" hostid="261" sizebytes="1697474"></div>Happy belated birthday to the stock market's bull rally!In case you missed it, Saturday marked two years since stocks bottomed out before going on a run. The Nasdaq 100 (88%), S&amp;P 500 (62%), and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (46%) have posted strong returns in the two years since.But don't worry about missing the celebration, because the party might be going on for a while. Stock market experts who spoke with Business Insider's Matthew Fox <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-outlook-bull-rally-anniversary-earnings-interest-rates-sp500-2024-10">don't see things slowing down anytime soon</a>.In fact, the average bull market lasts longer than five years, so we might not even be halfway to the finish line. There's no consensus on exactly how the next few years will shape up, but the experts agree they don't see a market downturn in the near future.Earnings season, which is in full swing this week, will provide more color on where things are headed. <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-q3-earnings-preview-investors-themes-ai-interest-rates-2024-10">Expectations are high</a>, and for good reason. The S&amp;P 500 has enjoyed year-over-year earnings growth for four consecutive quarters.<div type="image" title="inflation dollar hovers over groceries" height="893" width="1786" msid="114217363" hostid="261" sizebytes="43390"></div>So, what's the case for the bull rally to continue?Past performance does not guarantee future results, so bull runs' history of sticking around doesn't mean this one will.But the first thing to consider is this bull market's resiliency.The past two years have seen multiple banks fail, a bond-market meltdown, and the unwinding of a trade tied to the Japanese yen that sent stocks tumbling. Interest rates also remained elevated as the economy battled high inflation.Beyond the financial markets, things haven't been much calmer. The war in Ukraine rages on, and there's arguably more violence in the Middle East than there has been in decades.Meanwhile, the run-up to the presidential election has been unprecedented. The sitting president shockingly ended his reelection campaign, and another candidate faced multiple assassination attempts.So yes, we've been through a lot, and stocks keep going up and to the right.While I can't guarantee things will calm down, there are some bright spots. There might not be more rate cuts this year, but the job market is strong and inflation is (mostly) under control. Whether we're in a soft landing or a "no landing," both situations are better than a recession, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-recession-outlook-prediction-labor-market-job-additions-interest-rates-2024-10">which seems unlikely at this point</a>.The actual stock market is healthier, too, as it's no longer reliant on the Magnificent Seven's performance. Instead, it's enjoying growth across different sectors, which gives it more immunity from industry-specific shocks.<h3 id="77f31a4c-8462-4e3d-a71f-838cb79493fb">News brief</h3><h2 id="1fcd294b-3f53-425f-9f20-4093e8623b59">Top headlines</h2><ul><li>SpaceX's Starship <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starship-fifth-flight-test-how-to-watch-2024-10">completes historic 5th flight test</a>.</li><li>'Let chaos reign': <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-players-startups-ai-inference-driving-prices-down-cheap-workload-2024-10">AI computing costs are about to plummet</a>.</li><li>The professor made porn. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/professor-porn-fired-salacious-free-speech-academic-freedom-2024-10">His firing may shape the future of free speech</a>.</li><li>Elon Musk says <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-launches-california-coastal-commission-2024-10">he will take legal action</a> after California officials cited his politics when rejecting SpaceX launches.</li><li>How Saudi Arabia could create <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-economy-saudi-arabia-oil-price-war-supply-opec-cuts-2024-10">a crisis for Russia's economy</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="8120060b-ae66-48dc-b149-f0489a30ffa2">3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="Photo of Jamie Dimon" height="500" width="1000" msid="114217365" hostid="261" sizebytes="20910"></div><ol><li>You can't get rid of Jamie Dimon that easily. The JPMorgan CEO has hinted at plans to step down in the not-so-distant future. But during the bank's earnings call, he also said there is an "almost nil" chance of him joining the next presidential administration as he plans to stay at JPMorgan "for a long period." <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-political-ambitions-retirement-plans-jpmorgan-3q-earnings-2024-10">Here's how both things can be true</a>.</li><li>Ken Griffin knows who he's voting for, and he's not happy about it. The billionaire hedge fund manager and Republican megadonor hasn't supported either presidential candidate. The Citadel CEO said he knows who he is voting for, but "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/citadel-ken-griffin-election-taxes-florida-2024-10">it's not with a smile on my face</a>."</li><li>BlackRock wants to make alt investments not so alternative. The $11.5 trillion asset manager <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackrocks-next-big-bet-private-markets-2024-10">hopes to grow its private markets business</a>, which includes less liquid, more expensive investments with the potential for higher returns. It comes after securing $221 billion in net inflows last quarter, a company record.</li></ol><h2 id="f4b54806-7f81-450c-ba32-92560d4fae9b">3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="Augustus Doricko sits in a desk with a huge American flag on the back wall." height="3739" width="4985" msid="114217359" hostid="261" sizebytes="612242"></div><ol><li>The 24-year-old wunderkind trying to make water out of thin air. With his new company, cloud-seeding startup Rainmaker, <a target="_blank" href="http://businessinsider.com/rainmaker-augustus-doricko-cloud-seeding-el-segundo-2024-10">Augustus Doricko has launched a God-fearing, cigarette-loving tech hub</a> in El Segundo, California. "Respect to Zuck, but I certainly hope the next cohort of people that build great things do it in the real world," Doricko told BI.</li><li>Roblox took an L and bounced back. The gaming platform's stock tumbled after a prominent short-seller accused it of inflating user numbers and failing to protect children from predators. Investors appear undeterred; after the drop, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/roblox-stock-recovers-after-short-seller-hinderberg-report-2024-10">Roblox's stock rebounded</a>, with Wall Street focused on its growth potential.</li><li>Twelve AI coding startups to watch. AI coding startups are having a moment as VCs look to invest in tools that automate the boring parts of coding and let developers focus on more creative tasks. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-code-startups-that-have-raised-the-most-vcs-a16z-2024-10">These 12 startups have attracted funding</a> from VCs like a16z and Menlo Ventures.</li></ol><h2 id="9260fa45-d397-4b3c-b4f8-4bb193976216">3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="Photo illustration of expensive Erewhon groceries, receipt, shopping cart, and payment system" height="1000" width="2000" msid="114217368" hostid="261" sizebytes="117578"></div><ol><li>I've been a very brave Gen Zer. I'd like a treat. Inflation's got nothing on Gen Z's love of bougie snacks: Young people splurge on expensive groceries more than any other generation. The reason? <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-loves-expensive-groceries-snacks-erewhon-whole-foods-2024-10">Consuming health-conscious food is a show of economic power</a> — and everything else is too expensive.</li><li>Office vacancy may deliver some housing relief. The office sector will experience a wave of distress in coming years, real estate experts told BI. That might be good news for housing supply <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/commercial-real-estate-office-outlook-fire-sales-apartment-conversions-housing-2024-10">as former offices get converted to apartments</a>.</li><li>It's Elliott Hill's first day as Nike's CEO. Can he just do it? Nike released its first-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings report on October 1, and revenue declined 10% from the previous year to $11.6 billion. Now, it's up to Hill <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-ceo-elliott-hill-takes-over-faces-challenges-2024-10">to lead a full-scale comeback for the brand</a>.</li></ol><h2 id="1ad7b482-3f4b-44b4-81b6-a864aa386478">In other news</h2><ul><li>How rich Americans can save on taxes by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/upstream-planning-transfers-capital-gains-tax-stock-real-estate-2024-10">giving stock and real estate to their parents</a>.</li><li>Tesla investors don't seem to trust Elon Musk like they used to. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-twitter-wall-street-disappointment-self-driving-taxi-2024-10">Is that because of Twitter</a>?</li><li>Here's how natural disasters are shaping the buy-versus-rent decision <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-natural-disasters-buy-rent-florida-climate-change-risks-2024-10">in vulnerable states like Florida</a>.</li><li>Warren Buffett's company website looks like a relic from the 1990s — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-website-homepage-culture-values-billionaires-links-2024-10">but that's on purpose</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="9f5d80ac-3466-429f-a50a-2ffbb70c65ff">What's happening today</h2><ul><li>It's Columbus Day in the US. In some states, like New York, it's a day to celebrate Italian American culture and history.</li><li>It's also Indigenous People's Day, which some states recognize instead of, or in addition to, Columbus Day. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia mark this holiday.</li></ul>The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Milan Sehmbi, fellow, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

The stock market has officially enjoyed a bull rally for over two years. So now what?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The UK says a new anti-missile laser for its aircraft defeated 100% of its targets in a live test.</li><li>Officials said it faced off against multiple heat-seeking missiles launched simultaneously.</li></ul>The UK Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it successfully tested a new air-defense system that tracks missiles midflight and jams them with a precision laser.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-air-defence-laser-engages-multiple-missiles-at-once">In a statement</a>, officials said the laser downed 100% of its targets at the Vidsel Test Range in Sweden while facing "a range of infrared heat-seeking missiles being fired simultaneously.""100% of threats were quickly defeated using a laser with pinpoint accuracy," the statement said.A joint venture with aerospace firms Leonardo and Thales, it's designed for Royal Air Force planes such as the Shadow R2 surveillance craft and the A400M Atlas transport.The statement did not say if the laser was tested while mounted on a flying aircraft.When contacted by Business Insider, a ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the system's range and the number of missiles used in the test, citing security concerns. Officials said the system combines Thales' threat warning software, Elix-IR, which uses algorithms to detect missiles in the air, with an infrared laser built by Leonardo, called Mysis."Threats are defeated faster than the time it takes to read this sentence," a statement by Defense Secretary John Healey read.His ministry added that senior officials from several NATO states observed the live-fire trial, but did not say which countries they were from.The UK is likely to offer this new technology to its allies, with the ministry statement saying it would be available to "export customers."<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-enterprise-approach-for-air-platform-protection">In a 2022 statement</a> about its defense agreement with Leonardo and Thales — called Team Pellonia — the ministry said its project would be compliant with the NATO Defensive Aids System standard, allowing it to sell the technology to approved nations.The UK was the world's seventh-largest arms exporter with a 3.7% market share from 2019 to 2023, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/fs_2403_at_2023.pdf">the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.</a>This isn't the first laser weapon the UK has touted in recent years, as Western militaries look to complement expensive conventional air defense with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-wants-rechargeable-magazines-lasers-to-take-out-drones-2024-2">cheaper options for bringing down missiles and drones.</a>In March, it published footage of its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/britain-shows-off-dragonfire-laser-weapon-take-out-drones-cheap-2024-3">DragonFire laser</a> taking down several targets in Scotland, saying the trialed weapon can strike a coin from a kilometer away and costs $13 per shot.Four months later, the UK debuted another weapon, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-trial-on-british-army-vehicle-for-high-powered-laser-weapon">a ground vehicle-mounted laser</a> that officials said can fire at $0.12 per shot, in publicly released images.October 21, 2024: This story was updated to reflect a response from the UK Defense Ministry.

A new anti-missile laser downed 100% of its targets while fighting multiple threats at once, UK defense officials say

A thing that is real: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-5-dollar-meal-promotion-inflation-cheaper-burger-chicken-fries-2024-5">craving McDonald's</a>. A thing that is not real: craving a salad from McDonald's. Customers know that. McDonald's does, too, and it shouldn't forget it.The fast-food chain's forays into healthier alternatives have been rotten. At The Wall Street Journal's Global Food Forum in June, Joe Erlinger, the president of McDonald's US, detailed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-mcplant-us-trial-failed-not-enough-demand-beyond-meat-2024-6">the company's missteps</a> in meatless burgers and salads. The McPlant burger fell flat in tests in San Francisco and Dallas, he said, and won't be appearing on American menus soon. (Vegan options are doing better for the brand in Europe.) As for salads, McDonald's might be down to serve them widely at some point after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/mcdonalds-keeps-salads-bagels-off-menus-for-now-11592494697">ditching them</a> in 2020 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-salads-disappeared-from-menu-april-2020-2020-12">during the pandemic</a>, but only if consumers show up for them, which they haven't in the past. "What our experience has proven is that's not what the consumer's looking for," Erlinger said. To state the obvious: obviously. McDonald's whole thing is that it is not some beacon of health. People are showing up for an affordable, decent burger accompanied by some (hopefully) affordable, decent fries. No one walks up to the golden arches jazzed that they're about to make a super great choice for their body."You go to McDonald's for a cheap, craveable quick bite, not a healthy, more expensive item," said Darren Tristano, the CEO and founder of Foodservice Results, a food-industry consultancy. A higher-quality alternative may get tossed on the menu so that if people are going out to eat in a group, there's an option for a health-conscious person in the mix, preventing their veto, he said. "But ultimately you're not going to see a group of kids going there and buying four plant-based burgers."In general, McDonald's is exceptionally good at scaling an established trend and bringing it to the masses, said Danilo Gargiulo, a senior research analyst at AB Bernstein. But it's not really a trendsetter or an innovative company. If you consider the extent to which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/beyond-meat-healthy-taste-price-impossible-layoffs-2023-2">plant-based meat has failed to take off in the US</a>, it makes sense that it would be a flop at McDonald's, too. Beyond Meat, which partnered with McDonald's on the McPlant, earlier this year <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/beyond-meat-price-increases-hikes-vegan-falling-sales-cost-margin-2024-2">revealed a turnaround plan</a> to try to revive its brand, including cutting at least $70 million in costs. Its rival Impossible Foods has undertaken <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impossible-foods-lays-off-20-plant-based-meat-struggles-2023-1">multiple rounds</a> of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impossible-lays-off-6-in-reorganization-under-ceo-mcguinness-2022-10">layoffs</a> over the past couple of years.The issue with salads isn't that they're not popular in the US — it's that there are plenty of places to get them that aren't McDonald's. There's no good reason to get your roughage from the same place that makes the Grimace Shake when you can go to Sweetgreen, Cava, or Panera. Or you can just spin something up from ingredients you got at the grocery store, reserving your McDonald's trip for when you're in the mood for a treat.Consumers give restaurants a sort of permission to offer certain items. At McDonald's, diners are on board with breakfast sandwiches and Big Macs; they're not so on board with a mediocre salad."They will only give you credit for the things they think you can produce," Tristano said. "You're not going to see an eggs Benedict at McDonald's."Over the years, McDonald's has been able to fold in some noncore items — namely, coffee and chicken. But that makes sense. Coffee, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/business/worldbusiness/19iht-coffee.1.8387256.html">specialty coffee</a>, is already popular. McDonald's has had regular drip coffee available for decades, but it didn't open its first McCafé until 1993, in Australia. The first McCafé in the US <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080512005130/http://www.fool.com/news/foolplate/2001/foolplate010430.htm">opened in Chicago</a> in 2001.McDonald's <a target="_blank" href="https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/10-things-mcnuggets.html#:~:text=Chicken%20McNuggets%20were%20first%20developed,the%20Chicken%20McNugget%20was%20born.">developed chicken nuggets</a> in the 1970s and added them to the menu in 1983. It <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/then-and-now-mcdonalds-menu-items-2020-2#mcdonalds-debuted-the-mcchicken-in-1980-and-it-was-a-disappointment-at-first-17">put the McChicken sandwich on the menu</a> in 1980, later pulled it because of poor performance, and then put it back on again after the success of the nuggets. Today, McDonald's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-chicken-sandwiches-nuggets-business-as-big-as-beef-burgers-2024-2">is selling as much chicken as it is beef</a>, if not more, doing $25 billion in chicken sales annually. Still, it's the crispy chicken and the nuggets that are going gangbusters, not the leaner grilled chicken, which it also pulled from menus across the US during the pandemic.It's not just consumer demand that's keeping McDonald's menu limited to the more-traditional, less-than-body-boosting items — it's its franchisees, too. It doesn't want to have to offer items they have a hard time selling, let alone put in the investment to make them. Keeping the menu limited helps them serve faster and keep costs down. In the landscape of fast food, McDonald's is unique and it isn't. Tristano said Wendy's, for example, hasn't had much success in expanding its menu beyond chili, which it can use its leftover meat to create, though it does have salad. Gargiulo said Burger King had done a little better on some fronts because in its DNA is a focus on a little higher quality. Its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impossible-whopper-boosts-burger-king-sales-2019-9">Impossible Whopper</a> remains available in the US, though <a target="_blank" href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/are-diners-souring-on-plant-based-plant-based-meat-at-restaurants/696250/">some of its other vegan options</a>, such as the Impossible Croissan'wich, have been taken off the menu."Part of what McDonald's excels at is their ability to operationally make things efficient. And even if you look at the kitchen, the equipment and how it's laid out and how their workers are optimizing the space as well as the time that they are using everything is, it looks like a Toyota production system," Gargiulo said. "Burger King has always been a little bit more irreverent. It's been a little bit more the smaller brother attempting to be something better than McDonald's."Consumers have certain expectations for McDonald's, just as they do of any brand. For McDonald's, they'd like it to be cheap, they want it to taste OK, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/customers-are-calling-mcdonalds-5-dollar-meal-deal-skimpy-2024-5">they want to feel like they're getting bang for their buck</a>. But if they're worried about their waistlines, at this point it's pretty clear McDonald's is not the place to go. No one goes to J.Crew looking for a new car. No one goes to the Apple Store looking for a charm bracelet. And no one goes to McDonald's looking for greens.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/emily-stewart">Emily Stewart</a> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

It's official: McDonald's should stick to unhealthy food

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US said that Iran will face "severe consequences" for its missile attack on Israel.</li><li>Israel said that Iran fired 180 ballistic missiles at it on Tuesday, most of which were intercepted.</li></ul>The US has promised "severe consequences" for Iran after it <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-attacks-israel-with-missiles-after-hezbollah-leader-killing-2024-10">launched a massive ballistic missile strike</a> on Israel on Tuesday.The Israel Defense Forces <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/IDF/status/1841205620709503051">said</a> that Iran fired 180 missiles at Israel in what Iran called a retaliatory attack for the recent assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders."This is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event," US national security advisor Jake Sullivan <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP7od1GtU04">told reporters</a> in a White House press conference on Tuesday."We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case," Sullivan added.Announcing the attack, the Israel Defense Forces said on Telegram on Tuesday that "a short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel."In an X post, it said that "all Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel."After the attack, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: "Iran made a big mistake tonight — and it will pay for it."Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3923320/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-irans-missile-strikes-a/">said</a> on Tuesday night that the US would help defend Israel and called the strike an "outrageous act of aggression."Sullivan echoed the words of another senior White House official, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-preparing-ballistic-missile-attack-against-israel-us-official-2024-10">who told Business Insider</a> before the attack that the US had seen "indications" of an attack against Israel."We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack," the anonymous official told BI. "A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran."During the attack, US Navy warships <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-warships-downed-iranian-missiles-massive-attack-on-israel-2024-10">fired interceptors</a> at Iranian missiles.Sullivan told reporters at the briefing that US naval destroyers "joined Israeli air-defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles.""We do not know of any damage to aircraft or strategic military assets in Israel," he added, saying the attack "appears to have been defeated" and was "ineffective."There were no reports of injuries from the attack in Israel, but one Palestinian laborer was killed by falling shrapnel in the Israel-occupied West Bank, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/10/01/world/israel-lebanon-hezbollah?smid=url-share#gaza-palestinian-dead-iran-attack">per The New York Times.</a>Iran said that the missile attack was a retaliation against Israel's recent killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2024/10/01/3169848/missile-strike-on-israel-a-testament-to-iran-s-power-ex-irgc-quds-force-chief">Tasnim News Agency</a>, which is affiliated with the Iranian Armed Forces.In July, Israel <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ismail-haniyeh-top-hamas-leader-killed-in-iran-2024-7">assassinated one of Hamas's top leaders</a>, Ismail Haniyeh, while he was in Tehran. And on Friday, Israel killed Hezbollah's leader, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-was-hassan-nasrallah-the-hezbollah-leader-killed-by-israel-2024-9">Hassan Nasrallah</a>, in an airstrike near Beirut.During trading on Tuesday, US crude oil prices surged more than 5%.An increase in tensions between Israel and Iran could drive oil prices higher, Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Houston, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/rising-oil-prices-after-iran-strike-increase-us/story?id=114394795">told ABC News</a>."Clearly this will have a huge impact on gas prices," Krishnamoorti told ABC News. "There's no doubt about that."

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