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Donald <keyword id="19906203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Trump" source="keywords">Trump</keyword> and <keyword id="19903807" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Elon-Musk" source="keywords">Elon Musk</keyword> have apparently become great friends over recent months. Musk poured millions of dollars into Trump's successful election campaign and has been a vocal and visible supporter of the president-elect. In return, he's been given a new job, in joint charge of the new <keyword id="23593857" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Department-of-Government-Efficiency" source="keywords">Department of Government Efficiency</keyword> (Doge), where he will be tasked with streamlining government operations and reducing bureaucracy. This "department"—actually an advisory group—will aim to cut unnecessary spending and make the general functioning of the US government more efficient. The idea is that within a federal budget of over US$6 trillion, there are opportunities to make some big savings. Musk's appointment—like many things he's involved with—has sparked controversy. The richest man in the world has already said he wants to cut spending by US$2 trillion (£1.6 trillion) and mentioned setting up a "leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars.". Some are concerned about the impact he could have on public services. Others fear he will use his position to promote his own business interests. On the positive side, Musk has a very impressive CV when it comes to big organisations. He has created (or co-created) multi-billion-dollar businesses, including Paypal, <keyword id="19895433" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tesla" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Tesla" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Tesla">Tesla</keyword>, and <keyword id="19905255" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SpaceX" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SpaceX" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SpaceX">SpaceX</keyword>. He has founded startups involved in AI (xAI), tunnelling (the Boring Company), and medicine (<keyword id="19985233" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neuralink" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Neuralink" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Neuralink">Neuralink</keyword>). And research suggests that much of Musk's success comes down to a relentless focus on efficiency. He has also been praised for the depth of his analytical thinking and innovative problem solving. Tesla's factory in California went from being the least productive car manufacturing plant in the US when it was owned by General Motors to the most productive under Musk's ownership. SpaceX has vastly reduced costs in the space cargo business. So he has form. And Musk is not the first American business leader to offer private sector expertise to the world of politics. Back in the 1960s, Robert McNamara, former president of the Ford Motor Company, served as secretary of defence under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. McNamara brought significant innovations to <keyword id="22668770" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-efficiency" source="keywords">government efficiency</keyword> that drew on his corporate experience. He championed cost-benefit analysis and a data-driven approach to decision-making and was keen on reducing bureaucracy and promoting accountability in complex governmental processes. To achieve this, McNamara recruited a team of experts from the worlds of academia and business. Known as the "Whizz Kids," they brought new perspectives to the White House. In the UK now, the Labour government's minister of state for investment is Poppy Gustafsson, a former venture capitalist and tech founder. Its minister for prisons is James Timpson, former CEO of the Timpson Group, a family firm renowned for hiring ex-offenders. These people—and there are many other examples around the world—were brought into the political sphere because of the knowledge and vision they have demonstrated in the private sector. The hope is their talent and leadership will improve policy and practice. <h2>Data-driven reform</h2>The same must be hoped for Musk: that with his co-leader, Vivek Ramaswamy—a biotech entrepreneur and former Republican leadership candidate—he will bring expertise in cost-cutting and innovative strategies. This will probably include comprehensive audits and data-driven approaches to reform. Critics refer to prior examples of Musk's approach, such as the mass layoffs and aggressive cost-cutting measures at Twitter (now X), with concerns that there could be similarly drastic reductions in the federal workforce and public services. But big job cuts were happening across the tech sector at that time. They came in the wake of reduced revenues and a need to reduce bloated workforces and ineffective functions—not unlike the challenges faced by the US government. Nevertheless, while proponents see Musk as an experienced leader capable of streamlining bureaucracy, sceptics fear the advent of harmful austerity measures that risk disruption to essential public programs. Concerns have also been raised about potential conflicts of interest, as Musk's business empire benefits from government contracts. However, since Doge will operate as an advisory body, concerns over him gaining advantage through any self-dealing seem overblown. Besides, two of Musk's companies (SpaceX and Tesla) have been awarded US$15.4 billion (£12.3bn) in federal contracts in the last decade. Perhaps then, success precedes influence rather than the reverse? Doge will also be governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which maintains legal and ethical guardrails. And Congress will have the final say over any decisions. Fears of the worst possible outcome to Musk's appointment are a natural human response in the face of uncertainty. It is part of the reason that negative headlines get more clicks than positive ones. It is also true that Musk has aligned himself with a politician who divides opinion like few others. By leveraging his billions of dollars and 200 million followers on X to help Trump to victory, he made it clear which side he was on. And in a highly polarised US political landscape, the anguish about his governmental role may be little more than a knee-jerk reaction from the millions of people whose side he did not choose.

Love him or loathe him, Elon Musk is a champion of efficiency and could save the US government a fortune

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Department of Government Efficiency wouldn't be a department, but an outside advisory group.</li><li>Under current law, Congress needs to approve most budget changes, limiting the DOGE's power.</li></ul>President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a new effort to slash what he sees as federal inefficiency, with Elon Musk as cost-cutter-in-chief.Trump <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-cabinet-election-x-2024-9">made good on a campaign promise</a> when he tapped Musk to co-lead the proposed "Department of Government Efficiency," or DOGE, alongside former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.Musk says he wants to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget to make it more efficient and effective. Beyond that, though, little is known about how the DOGE will function and how much power it — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-adopts-elon-musk-plan-cut-government-spending-efficiency-reform-2024-9">and Musk</a> — will have.Musk did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment for this article. A representative for Ramaswamy declined to comment.<h2 id="2dc0c03e-9977-4403-9201-3d55e844524d">What do we know about the DOGE?</h2>Despite its name, the DOGE will <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-doge-gets-a-government-checkmark-on-x-2024-11">not actually be a government department</a>, as departments are permanent and can only be created by Congress. Instead, it will function "outside of the government" and disband by July 4, 2026, Trump said in a statement.<div type="image" title="Trump and Musk at a rally" height="2584" width="4184" msid="115360794" hostid="261" sizebytes="161264"></div>The name DOGE is an homage to Musk's preferred cryptocurrency, Dogecoin, which shot up in value after Trump won the election. Under current law, the DOGE might not be able to accomplish much, since Congress controls federal spending."They have no power. No power at all," Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Brookings Institute who led efforts to reform the federal government under former President Bill Clinton, told Business Insider. "They do make recommendations, and once they make recommendations, the expectation is that the government will act on them."There's no guarantee that a recommendation will turn into a policy, especially given that many of the DOGE's suggestions will likely require congressional approval, Kamarck said.<h2 id="0f11a880-6c1f-4025-a722-a860ae33d16c">The DOGE's $2 trillion goal is something of a pipe dream.</h2>Federal spending <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-department-government-efficiency-doge-2024-11">reached $6.75 trillion in 2024</a>. Multiple experts told BI that it's unlikely Musk will be able to cut his desired $2 trillion without sacrificing programs that have wide bipartisan support or fall under federal mandatory spending, like Medicare and Social Security. Kamarck called the $2 trillion goal the "most unrealistic" part of the whole DOGE plan.Trump has long been preoccupied with cutting what he sees as Washington's waste and fraud."The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will ultimately be staffed and dedicated to this mission," Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trump's transition team, told BI in a statement.Quoting former Rep. Barney Frank, Kamarck said that excess federal spending is "marbled" <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-doge-government-efficiency-what-us-spends-2024-11">throughout the budget</a>, like fat throughout a steak, making the DOGE's desired $2 trillion in cuts tricky."It just doesn't work, unless you decide to start cutting Social Security benefits or Medicare, at which point all hell breaks loose," she told BI. "And you know, the bromance between Trump and Musk will end very quickly."Known for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-efficiency-companies-tesla-spacex-x-2024-11">streamlining efficiency at his companies</a>, Musk says he wants to cut bureaucracy, shrink the federal workforce, and trim the number of federal agencies down to no more than 99 (there are currently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies">more than 440</a>).Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former director of the Congressional Budget Office, told BI that he doubted that the loosely defined group would be able to accomplish much given its sprawling $2 trillion target."It is hard for me to get seriously ginned up about it until there's a real structure there that suggests that this makes some sense and has a purpose," he said. "If something is designed to do everything, it will do nothing."<h2 id="6bcaf431-1be5-4839-9b83-d0f24a7146cf">The DOGE will exist "outside of government."</h2>In one scenario, the DOGE could function as an advisory committee, which Trump can create through an executive order. The president-elect said the DOGE will work with the Office of Management and Budget, which prepares the president's budget request for Congress."They have made clear that this is a non-governmental department, which is not a familiar term, and so it's not really clear how the organization will operate because of that," Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the progressive nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen, told BI. "It might be an advisory committee of non-governmental actors, but even from that posture, it won't have the authority to alter budgets or fire employees or rescind regulations."<div type="image" title="Donald Trump and Elon Musk" height="1910" width="2707" msid="115360796" hostid="261" sizebytes="118134"></div>Kamarck said that there are specific rules laying out how much interaction external committees can have with the government, but it's not clear how Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy envision the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-doge-hiring-staff-how-to-apply-2024-11">internal infrastructure of the DOGE</a>."How are they going to talk to each other? How are they going to meet with each other? Are they going to go talk to anybody in the government, or are they just going to make up things from 50 miles away?" she said.On November 14, the DOGE <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/DOGE/status/1857076831104434289">said in a post on X</a> that it is seeking "super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ per week on unglamorous cost-cutting." Musk said on his <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1857112441529700671">personal X account</a> that the positions will not be paid.<h2 id="4c25da3e-39de-44e2-a1c5-c7249f9fc728">Trump has talked about changing a key law that limits his federal spending power.</h2>Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy may try to circumvent the congressional obstacles standing in the way of their cost-cutting agenda. Last year, Trump expressed interest in going after the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 provision that requires the president spend funds that Congress has appropriated."Bringing back Impoundment will give us a crucial tool with which to obliterate the Deep State, Drain the Swamp, and starve the Warmongers," the president-elect <a target="_blank" href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-using-impoundment-to-cut-waste-stop-inflation-and-crush-the-deep-state">said in a video</a> in June 2023.Holtz-Eakin said attempting to skirt the impoundment act would be like rewriting history, and Kamarck told BI that any attempt to not spend money that Congress has appropriated poses big Constitutional questions."If he tries to change the law so that he can impound funds, my guess is there'll be a fight in the Congress and he'll lose," she said.<h2 id="4956dc95-91da-4028-b1b3-d843a1509397">Musk could bump up against many conflicts of interest but likely wouldn't have to divest from his companies.</h2>If the DOGE is a federal advisory committee, Musk and Ramaswamy would likely be "special government employees," who are experts or consultants that can work for a federal agency or the White House for up to 130 days. They do not get paid and, crucially, would not have to divest from their companies."They've been clear also that they're staying in their roles as the heads of companies and in other places," Gilbert said. "Not being a part of government means they don't have to deconflict themselves."In a press release for Public Citizen, Gilbert said that Musk's "own businesses have regularly run afoul of the very rules he will be in position to attack" as the DOGE co-lead.<div type="image" title="Donald Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy" height="5504" width="8256" msid="115360795" hostid="261" sizebytes="4296554"></div>In the role, Musk and Ramaswamy would still be bound to federal ethics laws and have to recuse themselves from conversations that affect them personally, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-14/doge-what-can-musk-do-with-the-department-of-government-efficiency?srnd=homepage-americas">Bloomberg</a> reported. With his companies under investigation from at least 20 federal regulatory agencies and SpaceX having more than $15 billion in federal contracts, Musk could face many such conflicts.Kamarck said that there's no "firm line" about when employees need to take themselves out of discussions, but that lawyers address questions on a case-by-case basis.Musk has expressed public frustration with what he views as overbearing federal oversight, which he said has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/12/us/politics/elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-trump.html">slowed down his pace of business</a>.By law, meetings of advisory committees, like the kind the DOGE could be, need to be open, and Musk has no problem with the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-doge-leaderboard-federal-government-spending-trump-2024-11">transparency</a> — in fact, he seems to invite it. In a post on X, the billionaire promised to post all of the group's actions online <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-leaderboard-government-spending-marketing-genius-doge-donald-trump-2024-11">"for maximum transparency</a>" and said the public should chime in with their opinions.It's also possible the group might intentionally avoid becoming a federal committee because of the increased oversight and scrutiny, Holtz-Eakin said."It's not a federal committee as far as I can tell," he said. "I think that's deliberate. If you do that, then you're subject to lots of things like a conflict of interest you have to sign off on, and I think that would be a nightmare for Mr. Musk. And so they're not going to let it tiptoe toward federal jurisdiction."Until Trump actually forms the DOGE, if he ever does, the legal and bureaucratic details remain murky, and the experts BI spoke with aren't convinced that it will work well."It sounds a little screwy, frankly," Kamarck said.

How Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency could actually work

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Despite the Kremlin's neutral stance, Russian state media shows it favors Donald Trump.</li><li>State media has ridiculed Kamala Harris while portraying Trump in a positive light. </li></ul>The Kremlin has long maintained it doesn't care who will win the US presidential election on November 5th."Generally speaking, the outcome of this election makes no difference to us," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-russias-lavrov-warns-dangerous-consequences-us-ukraine-1964468">Newsweek</a> earlier this month.But despite what Russian officials claim, the country's state media tells a very different story."Russia absolutely cares a great deal about who wins the US election," Ann Marie Dailey, a policy researcher at RAND, told Business Insider."Russia will seek to sway the election in a way that minimizes US support for Ukraine."<h2 id="e100d3ae-6870-4e15-9852-ebf704ef6b7d">State media coverage</h2>Per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/kremlin-says-trump-harris-should-leave-putins-name-out-us-political-battle-2024-09-11/">Reuters</a>, Harris' tendency to burst out laughing during interviews and debates has been ridiculed in Russian state TV broadcasts.Russian state TV has also played compilations of some of Harris' worst moments and made frequent sexist and racist comments about the presidential candidate."Kamala with the nuclear button is worse than a monkey with a grenade," Andrei Sidorov, the dean of the global politics department at Moscow State University, said on the Russian state-run Rossiya 1 channel, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-punching-bag-joe-biden-us-elections-2024-washington-kremlin-propaganda-moscow/">Politico</a>.By comparison, Russian state TV's main Channel One news program often portrays Trump and running mate, JD Vance, as confident and intelligent, Reuters said.The discrepancy between how broadcasters view the two candidates was particularly clear after last month's presidential debate, which was widely regarded as a clear win for Harris.However, Russian channels struggled to explain what had happened.According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/putin-pals-bamboozled-as-complete-fool-kamala-harris-creams-our-donald/">Daily Beast</a>, hosts and pundits on Russian state television said that Trump was somehow "sabotaged" or "disadvantaged."<h2 id="89aa4f78-1a2e-46d5-a896-c7d61cc86e37">Covert influence operations</h2>It's not just seemingly biased reporting. Last month, TikTok said it removed accounts associated with Russian state media for "engaging in covert influence operations."<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta">Meta</a> also banned RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and other Russian state media networks from its platforms, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-russia-misinformation-ai-generated-news-stories-us-election-2024-8">claiming</a> the outlets had used deceptive tactics to carry out interference activity.In a statement to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gllnx0p40o">the BBC</a> at the time, RT said: "It's cute how there's a competition in the West — who can try to spank RT the hardest, in order to make themselves look better."Don't worry, where they close a door, and then a window, our 'partisans' (or in your parlance, guerrilla fighters) will find the cracks to crawl through — as by your own admission, we are apt at doing."In September, the Department of Justice said in an indictment that an unnamed Tenessee firm — later identified as conservative company Tenet Media —<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pro-trump-influencers-say-had-no-idea-russia-funding-videos-2024-9"> took almost $10 million from the Russian state media company RT.</a>The aim, according to the Department of Justice, was to "create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian government messaging."Tenet Media published content from six influencers, all of whom publicly support former President Donald Trump. The influencers distanced themselves from the accusations and described themselves as being "victims."<h2 id="912b0f53-d5d1-4981-96d6-d368543c0822">Trump's influence</h2>"The Kremlin does absolutely care about this election the most," Mathieu Boulegue, a consulting fellow at Chatham House, told BI."They would much rather prefer a Trump presidency. They care so much about the elections that they're trying to rig and to play the elections by using propaganda, information warfare, and probably cyber activities."For Putin, a Trump presidency could help him achieve his goals in Ukraine. Trump has praised Putin for being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-praised-smart-putin-us-stupid-country-2022-2">"smart" </a>and<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-ukraine-invasion-justification-genius-savvy-2022-2"> "genius"</a> after he began his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.He has consistently backed a swift end to the war in Ukraine and has questioned why the US is helping Ukraine defend itself.The war has been costly for Russia. An unnamed US official <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-operations-ukraine-have-probably-cost-up-211-billion-us-official-2024-02-16/">told Reuters</a> in February that Russia's war in Ukraine has cost it up to $212 billion.A December 2023 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2421-1.html">RAND report</a> projected the direct costs of the war for Russia through 2024 to be $132 billion.Though Trump has offered few details on how the war could end, a peace plan suggested by Vance on a podcast <a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4884798-the-trump-vance-plan-for-ukraine-is-insane/">in September indicates </a>that it'd involve Ukraine ceding the territory Russia holds and pledging neutrality.William Pomerantz, an analyst at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC, previously told BI that "Trump believes that he can end the war in Ukraine in a week, but that would require conceding to all of Putin's demands."The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request by BI for comment.

Russia claims it doesn't care who wins the US election. Its state media tells another story.

A new study analysing long-Covid among children and teenagers in the US has found that <keyword id="44308" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="symptoms" source="Orion">symptoms</keyword> differed between the two groups. While children faced more brain and stomach-related problems, teenagers experienced fatigue, <keyword id="950054" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Physical-Pain" source="Orion">physical pain</keyword>, and loss of smell and taste. Moreover, long-Covid symptoms common in both adults and teens were more than those between teens and children, highlighting the importance of age groups-based COVID-19 research, according to the team of over 140 researchers that conducted the study. Published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the study is part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s 'RECOVER' Initiative, aimed at understanding and preventing long-Covid, which refers to a set of persisting symptoms months after having COVID-19 <keyword id="6393040" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="infection" source="Orion">infection</keyword>. The researchers studied more than 5,300 children and adolescents, of whom about 3,860 -- - 751 children and 3109 adolescents -- had a history of the viral infection. Caregivers were surveyed for about 75 symptoms that occurred at least 90 days after an initial COVID-19 infection and lasted for at least a month. They were also enquired about their child's overall health and quality of life. Among children aged 6-11 years, the most common long <keyword id="8764262" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Covid" source="Orion">COVID</keyword> symptoms were headache (57%), followed by trouble with memory/focusing, trouble sleeping (44 %) and stomach pain (43 %), the study found. Among the adolescents, about 80% had tiredness or low energy during the day, while physical pain in the body, muscles and joints affected 60% of them. Headaches persisted in 55% of the teens, while 47% of them continued to have trouble remembering or concentrating. While identifying groups of symptoms distinct to each age group, the researchers developed a long-Covid research index that indicates the likelihood of the condition in a child or a teenager. The index, separate for both age groups, included 18 prolonged symptoms that were more common in children and 17 common among teenagers. "The symptoms that make up the research index are not the only symptoms a child may have and they're not the most severe. But they are most predictive in determining who may have long COVID," said lead author of the study Rachel Gross, an associate professor in the departments of <keyword id="492850" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paediatrics" source="Orion">Paediatrics</keyword> and Population Health at New York University. In the study group, 45% of the infected (338) and 33% of the uninfected children, along with 39% of the infected and 27 % of the uninfected adolescents reported having at least one prolonged symptom, the authors of the study said. Twenty-six symptoms among infected school-age children and 18 symptoms in infected adolescents persisted in at least 5% of the participants, they said.

Symptoms of long Covid differ between children, teens: US study

The United States government isn’t holding back when it comes to Big Tech, and <keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword> is squarely in its sights. After years of concern over the tech giant’s grip on the digital world, the US Justice Department (DOJ) has made a bold demand: sell your Chrome browser. The move comes amid two high-stakes antitrust trials that accuse Google of monopolistic practices. So, what’s at the heart of the government’s case, and why is Chrome a key piece of the puzzle? Let’s break it down. <h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14.0pt;margin-bottom:4.0pt;">Search, Chrome, and monopoly madness</h3>In one corner, we have the DOJ versus Google in a trial in Washington, D.C., where a judge has already ruled that Google’s search business operates as an illegal monopoly. The DOJ argues that Google’s dominance in search, bolstered by its Chrome browser, gives the company an unfair advantage, effectively locking in users and advertisers. To remedy this, the DOJ has proposed that Google sell off Chrome entirely. This drastic move, they argue, could level the playing field and restore competition to a market where Google currently reigns supreme. <h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14.0pt;margin-bottom:4.0pt;">The ad tech tug-of-war</h3>Meanwhile, in Virginia, a second trial focuses on Google’s grip on the ad tech market — the engine behind the ads you see while browsing. The government alleges that Google’s trio of advertising software products effectively monopolises the ad tech ecosystem. Publishers like News Corp and Gannett claim they’re stuck using Google’s ad tools to survive. DOJ lawyer Aaron Teitelbaum summed it up bluntly: “Google is once, twice, three times a monopolist.” The DOJ accuses Google of using its financial clout to buy out rivals and control the auction systems that determine which ads appear online. This, they say, allows Google to charge advertisers more while paying publishers less. The government wants Google to divest parts of its ad tech business to dismantle this stranglehold. <h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14.0pt;margin-bottom:4.0pt;">Google fights back</h3>Unsurprisingly, Google has a different story. The tech giant calls the government’s arguments an attempt to pick “winners and losers” in an already competitive market. “The law simply does not support what the plaintiffs are arguing in this case,” said Google’s lawyer Karen Dunn. Google also argues that the ad tech market isn’t as straightforward as the DOJ claims. The company points out that ads appear across multiple platforms — search engines, social media, and apps — and Google doesn’t dominate all of them. In fact, it says rivals like Meta, Amazon, and TikTok are gaining ground. Dunn warned that forcing Google to sell parts of its business or work with competitors would essentially amount to government interference. “This is central planning,” she said, urging the court to reject the DOJ’s proposals. <h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14.0pt;margin-bottom:4.0pt;">What’s at stake?</h3>If the court rules against Google, the implications could be seismic. The DOJ’s proposals — selling Chrome or divesting parts of Google’s ad business — would fundamentally reshape how the company operates. But don’t expect a resolution anytime soon. Presiding Judge Leonie Brinkema is expected to issue her opinion swiftly, but any decision will almost certainly be appealed, dragging the case potentially to the US Supreme Court. Even then, the question of enforcement remains murky. While the Biden administration is eager to rein in Big Tech, future administrations could change course. Whether Google will ultimately be forced to sell Chrome or parts of its ad tech business is up to the courts — and potentially years of appeals. For now, the trials highlight a growing unease with the power of tech giants like Google. For Google, the stakes couldn’t be higher. For the rest of us, these decisions will shape the future of the internet as we know it. Stay tuned — this battle is far from over.

Why does the US want Google to sell its Chrome browser?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US is warning against travel to Jamaica because of the threat of violence.</li><li>The US embassy highlighted home invasions, armed robberies, and homicides. </li></ul>The US government has elevated its travel alert level for Jamaica and the Bahamas, cautioning Americans against visiting the Caribbean nations due to violent incidents.The <a target="_blank" href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/jamaica-travel-advisory.html">State Department has raised the advisory for Jamaica </a>to "Level 3: Reconsider Travel," citing concerns over crime and unreliable medical services. The announcement follows a <a target="_blank" href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/the-bahamas-travel-advisory.html">warning about the Bahamas, </a>which remains at a Level 2 advisory, urging increased caution after a series of murders.The US embassy in Jamaica warned of home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides. Sexual assaults have been reported at all-inclusive holiday resorts, said the State Department's Jamaica travel advisory. It also noted: "The homicide rate reported by the Government of Jamaica has for several years been among the highest in the Western Hemisphere."Furthermore, it said Jamaican police often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents, and hospitals and ambulances may not always provide reliable services, with some private institutions requiring upfront payments.The cost of air ambulance services from the Caribbean to the US can range from $30,000 to $50,000, it said.The State Department's warning to US visitors is important because tourism is a vital economic driver for Jamaica, the largest island in the Caribbean.It recorded 4,122,100 visitors from January to December 2023 — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jaxfaxmagazine.com/2023/11/02/jamaica-expects-record-number-of-visitors-in-2023/">three out of four come from the US</a> — a 23.7% annual increase, injecting about $4.2 billion into <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-jamaica-travel-advisory-bahamas-caribbean-spate-of-murders/">Jamaica's economy</a>, per CBS News.<div type="image" title="Nassau, Bahamas." height="3543" width="5314" msid="107385777" hostid="261" sizebytes="1349866"></div>In the Bahamas, the US embassy in Nassau highlighted 18 murders in the capital since the beginning of the year, linked mainly to gang violence.The "<a target="_blank" href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/the-bahamas-travel-advisory.html">Over the Hill" area of Nassau </a>has seen heightened violent activity as a result of gang-on-gang violence, per the State Department travel advisory.The State Department also warned against water-based activities, such as tours on commercial, recreational watercraft, stressing that these are not consistently regulated.Likewise, the Bahamas relies heavily on tourism, a crucial sector that the amped-up travel warning could hitLast month, The <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://co.usembassy.gov/security-alert-risks-of-using-online-dating-applications/">US embassy in Colombia also issued a security alert</a> warning of the risks of using online dating sites in the South American country after eight US citizens died under suspicious circumstances in the city of Medellín between November 1 and December 31, 2023.

US citizens planning to visit Jamaica should reconsider due to the threat of violent crime and sexual assaults, the State Department said

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Elon Musk pushed for federal regulation of autonomous vehicles during Tesla's earnings call.</li><li>The Tesla CEO has previously said he'd be interested in a cabinet role under a second Trump admin.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> said Wednesday that he thinks autonomous vehicles should be approved at the federal level, rather than state by state, and that if he ends up with a role in the White House, he'd make it happen.The Tesla CEO made the comment on the company's earnings call Wednesday. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-stock-tsla-earnings-call-report-live-updates-2024-10">Tesla's third-quarter earnings</a> beat expectations, and its stock was up 12% in after-hours trading following the earnings release.Musk said during the call that he expects Tesla to have unsupervised fully autonomous vehicles on the road in Texas and California next year, pending state approval. He said he would be "shocked" if the company did not get approval, but that he thinks in general it would be better if autonomous vehicles were approved on the federal level."There should be a federal approval process for autonomous vehicles," Musk said on the call, adding, "If there's a department of government efficiency, I'll try to help make that happen. For everyone, not just Tesla."Musk did not mention Trump by name, but he previously said he would be enthusiastic to take on a White House role centered on enforcing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-government-efficiency-ideas-wrong-experts-2024-9">government efficiency</a> should Donald Trump take office."I can't wait," Musk said on X, in response to a Washington Post report about Trump floating the idea of a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-cabinet-election-x-2024-9">cabinet role for the billionaire</a>. "There is a lot of waste and needless regulation in government that needs to go."The US regulates autonomous vehicles on a state and federal level, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ncsl.org/transportation/autonomous-vehicles">National Conference of State Legislatures</a>. At least 29 states have enacted laws related to autonomous vehicles, the association said.Since his endorsement of Trump in July, Musk has been aiding the Trump campaign's ground game, flying to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-private-jet-hits-swing-states-campaigns-donald-trump-2024-10">swing states</a>, hosting town halls, and setting up <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-1-million-giveaway-legal-questions-2024-10">sweepstakes</a> that encourages people to vote, which some legal experts say could breach election law.At a Pennsylvania town hall on October 18, Musk proposed firing an unspecified number of federal workers while providing them a two-year severance.Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

Elon Musk said he'd push to regulate autonomous driving on the federal level 'if there's a department of government efficiency'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A US State Department official resigned because of President Joe Biden's "blind" support for Israel.</li><li>Josh Paul, director of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, justified his decision in a letter.</li></ul>A US State Department official overseeing arms transfers resigned in response to President Joe Biden's "blind" decision to keep supplying Israel with weapons as it imposes a siege on Gaza as part of its war with Hamas.Josh Paul, who served as the director of congressional and public affairs for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs of the State Department for more than 11 years, explained the reasons for his resignation <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=548c6a9b8d071048e42c4b6705e7b37ba7db0ffbba40df1e885dfdbe54a9d22a&amp;postID=653130d83f64add278f5ef34&amp;postSlug=us-state-official-resigned-biden-blind-military-aid-for-israel-2023-10&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Ffeed%2Fupdate%2Furn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7120512510645952512%2F">in a letter published on his LinkedIn page on October 18</a>.Paul said that the Biden administration's "blind support for one side" was leading to policy decisions that were "shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values we publicly espouse."He added: "The response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people"."I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it for longer," he said.Paul did not give specifics about what he meant by the US' "past mistakes".More than 1,300 Israelis died in Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7, <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/IDF/status/1714842755677986890?s=20">the Israel Defense Forces said</a>. Over 3,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza during Israel's retaliatory strikes, <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/1714296685008986620?s=20">according to the Palestinian Health Ministry</a>.The US government has given Israel more aid than any other foreign country over the last nearly 75 years, <a target="_blank" href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/05/12/bringing-assistance-to-israel-in-line-with-rights-and-u.s.-laws-pub-84503">according to the non-partisan think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace</a>.The Biden Administration is now working on a $100 billion foreign aid package that will include help for Israel as well as other priority security concerns, two aides familiar with the plan <a target="_blank" href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-drafts-100-billion-foreign-aid-package-including/story?id=104059871">told ABC News</a>.While Paul acknowledged there is a "great need" for American arms and defense assistance across the world, he said the Biden administration cannot be "both for and against" the occupation of Gaza.The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/10/latest-occupied-palestinian-territoryisrael">said on Tuesday</a> that the Israeli government's decision to evacuate the northern part of the enclave and its siege of Gaza constituted a forceful transfer of residents in violation of international law.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/us/state-department-official-resigns-israel-arms.html">In an interview with The New York Times</a>, Paul said the Biden administration cannot let American weapons fall into the hands of human rights violators.Paul condemned Hamas' attack on Israel in the strongest terms, calling it a "monstrosity". But he insisted that, as third parties in this conflict, the US should not side with the "combatants" but rather the people "caught in the middle."

A US State Department official resigned over Biden's 'blind' military support for Israel

The US Navy faces critical shipbuilding problems that could hobble it in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-china-missile-problem-getting-worse-2024-5">a war with China</a>.The Navy's aging fleet of aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines faces lengthy maintenance and repair backlogs, and it can't build new warships fast enough. Yearslong delays and cost overruns are plaguing new construction.These are all symptoms of a larger issue: the hollowing out of the vast American shipbuilding industry the Navy depends on.Nowhere are the stakes higher than in the Indo-Pacific, where a US Navy not at full strength could face a substantial Chinese battle force and an expanding arsenal of anti-ship missiles. In this scenario, American warships are unlikely to sail away unscathed, and US industrial capacity may not be up to the task of repairing them or building replacements fast enough, officials and naval analysts have warned.<div type="image" title="Several ships are under construction at a shipbuilding enterprise in the Taicang Port Economic and Technological Development Zone in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China, on July 15, 2024." height="2970" width="5280" msid="115383231" hostid="261" sizebytes="992198"></div>China boasts the largest navy in the world, and its sprawling shipyards rapidly pump out warships and commercial vessels, potentially allowing it to absorb losses more easily than the US Navy. As it stands, China's yards can simply outbuild the US's."Given the shipbuilding challenges, the budget situation, and challenges with recruiting and retention, the Navy is at a crossroads as it faces rapidly evolving threats from peer adversaries, such as China," Shelby Oakley, a director in the US Government Accountability Office who oversees the office's investigations of Navy shipbuilding, told Business Insider.<h2 id="f184d04b-a818-4ec3-ad8b-f52edc8ea134">Why is so much warship work behind schedule and over budget?</h2><div type="image" title="Shipbuilding workers walk past the USS George Washington as it rests pcerside." height="1333" width="2000" msid="115383243" hostid="261" sizebytes="445680"></div>The US shipbuilding industry is a shadow of what it was in the final years of the Cold War. The Navy is reliant on only a handful of major shipbuilders that design and construct different ship classes: Huntington Ingalls Industries (aircraft carriers, submarines, amphibious ships, destroyers), General Dynamics (submarines, destroyers, support ships), and Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation (frigates). Higher production rates would require infrastructure costs and a larger workforce. Repair and maintenance are likewise constrained by the few public yards available.A Department of the Navy review earlier this year found that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-us-navy-shipbuilding-projects-are-delayed-by-years-2024-4">top US Navy shipbuilding projects, from new submarines to surface ships, are delayed by years and facing ballooning costs.</a>The longest project delays, expected to be at least three years, are for the coming Block IV Virginia-class attack submarines and the Constellation-class guided-missile frigate. The Navy's first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-may-keep-ohio-missile-subs-longer-over-columbia-cost-2022-7">a priority for the Pentagon</a>, isn't expected to arrive until 12 to 16 months after its planned delivery, potentially leaving a hole in readiness plans for the nation's nuclear forces. And the Navy's next Ford-class carrier, USS Enterprise, faces a delay of 18 to 26 months.<div type="image" title="Chinese shipyard workers working on various elements of shipping equipment in Nantong, China, on July 8, 2024." height="2505" width="3543" msid="115383233" hostid="261" sizebytes="976120"></div>Navy officials, analysts, and industry figures attribute delays to a range of challenges, including a lack of coordination among the stakeholders, inconsistent defense budgets, shifting Navy requirements, the lasting impacts of COVID-19, inflation, a dwindling workforce, and supply-chain issues.Other factors include backlogs and program mismanagement on top of a shrunken industry where sole-source suppliers are awarded projects with limited market competition. Shipbuilders, dependent on materials from overseas, are regularly left waiting for parts to arrive, and pre-pandemic contracts are now out of sync with the current economy.Oakley said that the GAO had observed consistent issues with Navy cost estimates, which "are often lacking and the assumptions unrealistic."<div type="image" title="A yellow rope is in the forefront of the picture, connecting across a body of water to parts of a shipyard." height="3475" width="5213" msid="115383246" hostid="261" sizebytes="2151506"></div>Shipbuilders begin work before designs are finished, resulting in out-of-sync work, but the Navy's budget doesn't adjust for cost increases and extended schedules. That reduces "the Navy's buying power" and contributes "to program instability," Oakley said.That leaves the industry in an uncertain position. Paula Zorensky, the vice president of the Shipbuilders Council of America, told BI that while shipyards make long-term investments to meet the Navy's demands, the Navy has pulled back on planned programs. "That inconsistent demand signal contributes to uncertainty in the industrial base, which was already contending with broader economic challenges of inflation, delays caused by the pandemic, and other economic factors," she said.The Navy has consistently encountered problems building the fleet of at least 355 ships it has said it needs. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-carrier-uss-gerald-ford-deploys-after-years-of-delays-2023-4">Challenges with new technologies bogged down the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford</a>; the Zumwalt class was cut to just three stealth destroyers and left without ammo for its main guns; and the flawed littoral combat ships are already being decommissioned even though some of them have been in service for just a few years.<div type="image" title="Navy SEALs climb aboard a US Navy submarine." height="4024" width="6048" msid="115383244" hostid="261" sizebytes="488582"></div>The Navy's push toward increasingly advanced designs and platforms has, in some ways, contributed to issues as well, Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer who's now a defense expert at the Hudson Institute, told BI. "If you look at it, pretty much every class of warship the Navy's building right now is behind schedule, and that's because the requirements have grown faster than the shipyard's capacity to deliver them."It's a complex problem that the Navy is dealing with as it also struggles to maintain and repair its existing fleet. While the submarine force is seen as critical to US combat power in the Pacific, it was reported in 2023 that 40% of the 49 submarines available at the time were idling, waiting for maintenance due to worker shortages and supply-chain problems.Mackenzie Eaglen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in September that the Navy needed to break what she called the "doom loop." Costs for shipbuilding, maintenance, and repairs continue to rise as the fleet ages and shrinks and new construction issues arise. And while the Navy criticizes shipbuilders, shipbuilders are lamenting the rising costs of wages, inflationary pressures, and budget uncertainty.<h2 id="8d223ba3-734f-43de-95ba-221b9541d098">What does that mean in a war?</h2><div type="image" title="The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier sits in a dry dock at a shipyard with a grayish blue sky in the background." height="2192" width="3300" msid="115383240" hostid="261" sizebytes="617600"></div>The US Navy has not been in a naval war since World War II, when its shipbuilders rapidly expanded the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/us-ship-force-levels.html#1938">fleet</a> to 6,768 ships, eight times what the Navy had at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, by the war's end, overcoming the losses of high-end naval combat. Many naval experts say the US couldn't do anything like that today."When inevitable combat damage occurs, we may not have the capacity to get ships back into the fight," Bryan McGrath, a retired naval officer and the managing director of The FerryBridge Group LLC, told BI.The GAO reported in 2021 that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-not-ready-to-do-battle-damage-repairs-report-2021-6">battle-damage repair</a> capabilities would be critical in a fight against a peer or near-peer adversary, especially if the US cannot build new ships or replace ones lost in battle, but that is lacking. The agency reported that "battle damage repairs may further exacerbate" the "ongoing shipyard challenges to keep up with regular maintenance demand," only making things worse.<div type="image" title="A black and white satellite image showing an overview of Jiangnan Shipyard and Chinese shipbuilding." height="5894" width="7342" msid="115383241" hostid="261" sizebytes="3613556"></div>China has pursued a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-senators-express-concern-over-low-attack-submarine-procurement-plan-2024-3">substantial naval buildup and the capacity to replace lost vessels or repair damaged ones by making shipbuilding a national priority</a>. Unclassified US Navy data suggests China has 230 times the US capacity. Much of its strength there comes from its commercial shipbuilding, which shares yards and resources with its military.Shipyards like Dalian in northeastern China, Huangpu Wenchong near Hong Kong, and the Jiangnan and Hudong-Zhonghua yards near Shanghai are all operated by subsidiaries of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Together with other yards, they are delivering on Chinese national defense ambitions while also dominating commercial shipbuilding."I don't even think they're really playing the same game, to be honest with you," Matthew Funaiole, a senior fellow with the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told BI. While the US has struggled in recent decades, losing its edge in the commercial shipbuilding industry to foreign competitors that can build cheaper, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-shipbuilding-military-plans-not-without-struggles-2024-9">China's expansion has made it the global shipbuilding leader</a>.<div type="image" title="Two Chinese aircraft carriers, a formation of fighter jets, and rows of warships sail forward in a blue ocean." height="3280" width="4920" msid="115383247" hostid="261" sizebytes="628980"></div>An important debate centers on quality versus quantity. China has the numbers, but the US still maintains more advanced, combat-proven warships. It is an "indisputable fact that US warships are the envy of the world, that no other nation on Earth comes close to our ability to field incredibly powerful, networked, and survivable warships," said McGrath, who commanded the destroyer USS Bulkeley.But that edge is not guaranteed. In 2020, the US Office of Naval Intelligence said China's ships were increasingly comparable to US ships. Technological advances will likely strain China's shipyards as they have US yards. And with a much younger fleet, China's maintenance and repair capacity hasn't really been put to the test yet, but that younger fleet also means it isn't grappling with some of the challenges the US is facing.<h2 id="44a879d6-1ea9-4cce-b50b-6b9e450028ee">How does the US fix this?</h2><div type="image" title="From above, workers conduct maintenance on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier." height="1500" width="1500" msid="115383245" hostid="261" sizebytes="198344"></div>The US Navy's shipbuilding woes aren't new, and there simply isn't a quick fix.Earlier this year, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, said that the force needed to be ready for the possibility of a war with China by 2027, which is when the US has assessed <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-tell-us-when-chinas-ready-to-invade-taiwan-2024-4">Beijing has ordered its military to be ready to seize Taiwan</a>. That date does not mean conflict is inevitable; it's a benchmark.While it's impossible for the Navy to catch up to China's shipbuilding might by then, Franchetti has suggested the focus should be on readying current platforms and fixing maintenance issues. Autonomous systems are also a priority for the Department of Defense and could shape how the US fights China. Beijing, too, is working on similar systems.<div type="image" title="Three US Navy warships are seen sailing in blue waters against a blue sky." height="2336" width="3271" msid="115383232" hostid="261" sizebytes="383292"></div>The US Navy fights as part of a joint force, one that has been investing in anti-ship capabilities, intermediate-range fires, and other measures to blunt China's edge.But in the long term, experts and analysts have said the US needs to make significant investments in rejuvenating its military shipbuilding capabilities and capacity, ramp up production, and streamline its design process. A clearer strategy for industry and establishing stable supply chains, as well as hiring and keeping talented workers, is critical, too. Larger investments and drastic changes may be needed to build and maintain a force beyond 300 ships.<div type="image" title="The top of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier sits at a shipyard during decommissioning against a grayish blue sky." height="3456" width="5184" msid="115383234" hostid="261" sizebytes="444092"></div>The US also sees opportunities with allies in the Pacific. US Navy leadership has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-secretary-floored-by-ally-south-koreas-shipbuilding-2024-4">praised Japan and South Korea for their strong shipbuilding industries</a> and has considered partnering with them to revive dormant US shipyards and reduce China's advantage.Despite shipyard struggles, the US remains the top naval power for the time being."Even if the process is not pretty at times, the Navy builds the most powerful and capable warships on the planet in the US with American workers," Oakley said. "The people of the Navy and the industrial base are hardworking and focused on the evolving threats we face as a nation. In addition, the contractor workforce has some of the most highly skilled welders, electricians, and pipe fitters in the world."

Weak shipbuilding could be the US Navy's Achilles' heel in a war with China

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Beazer Homes is building "zero energy," climate-friendly homes even though they're more expensive. </li><li>CEO Allan Merrill said the upfront investment will pay off long-term. </li></ul>A new community of 19 single-family homes north of Baltimore is at the forefront of the green-building movement.Solar panels are on the roofs. Garages come with electrical-vehicle charging. Energy-efficient appliances, including electric heat pumps and induction stoves, are installed. Airtight insulation prevents leaks that waste energy. Fresh-air systems keep indoor air clean. The homes use so little energy that solar could offset most or all energy utility costs.The project was developed by Beazer Homes, one of the largest US homebuilders. Several years ago, the company set a goal that by 2025, all its new homes would meet the US Department of Energy's "Zero Energy Ready" <a target="_blank" href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/zero-energy-ready-home-program">certification</a>. Its CEO, Allan Merrill, said Beazer was close to meeting the goal.The effort has come at a cost; Merrill said climate-friendly features can add $10,000 to $30,000 to construction and that the market for these homes is still emerging. It's also a precarious time, with so many Americans struggling to afford a home and the reelection of Donald Trump threatening to reverse many environmental regulations. But there are tailwinds, including state laws that require industries like utilities and real estate to decarbonize and a record amount of renewable-energy projects across the US.Merrill thinks the up-front investment will be worth it in the long term, even if shareholders haven't rewarded Beazer yet. Prioritizing sustainability helps the company attract the best talent, he said, and homeowners are increasingly concerned about rising utility costs. Now Beazer has to educate customers and the broader real-estate market about the value of green homes."Leadership requires investment," Merrill said. "We made a conscious decision to make less money on all of these homes. Now it's about talking to more customers, becoming more effective at communicating the value, and getting paid for it."<div type="image" title="People stand in the kitchen of a &quot;Zero Energy Ready&quot; home in Parkville, Maryland." height="3463" width="3024" msid="115056622" hostid="261" sizebytes="404276"></div>Merrill added that Beazer is in the middle of that journey. The 19 single-family homes in Parkville, Maryland, cost at least $700,000, which is more than double the area's median sales price in September of $300,000.Merrill said the value of Zero Energy Ready homes comes from lower utility bills, healthier air quality, a quieter living space, and a reduced environmental impact. Beazer estimated that owners of the new homes in Parkville would save about $453 a month in energy-utility costs compared with owners of older homes in town, and $311 a month compared with owners of a typical new build. Better indoor air quality is a selling point for buyers with asthma or other respiratory problems. Renewable energy and electric appliances don't emit fossil fuels."The tricky thing is when people walk in, they're not wearing a button that tells you which of those issues are relevant to them," Merrill said. "That's the discovery process. It's finding a way to connect what we've done to each buyer."He said another challenge is that home appraisals generally don't account for energy efficiency or renewable-energy technologies.Woody Fincham, a residential appraiser in Charlottesville, Virginia, who also teaches courses on sustainable homes for the Appraisal Institute, says few appraisers have the expertise. But he argued that the problem is broader. Real-estate agents need to market green features so that prospective buyers understand their value, which then has to be communicated to mortgage lenders who can seek out qualified appraisers.Still, there's no guarantee that a green home can fetch a higher price, because the market largely depends on what's sold nearby."If you're in a community where people put a lot of value on efficiency — and there are some parts of the country where they do — the appraisal will be able to show that the market is willing to pay more," Andrew Pizor, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, said. "But if you're in a community where people don't care about that kind of thing, the appraiser is going to compare prices and likely find that no one's willing to pay extra for it."Two Democrats in Congress have proposed legislation that would require appraisals to consider a home's energy use compared with that of nearby properties, as well as whether the home has energy-efficient appliances, solar panels, and EV charging. The bill would also require additional training for appraisers.But it hasn't passed, and Merrill said Beazer isn't waiting around.

Why the CEO of a big US homebuilder is gambling on green homes

<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.

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