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• Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a nearly $1 million settlement with food delivery app HungryPanda.
• The junk fee case follows a settlement with Uber Eats and other apps over worker pay violations.
• The administration says it will continue taking on corporations to protect consumers and businesses.

At the Prospect Park Zoo’s red panda exhibit, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a crackdown on the fees food-delivery apps charge to businesses and consumers.

The press conference’s location was a nod to the food delivery platform HungryPanda, which largely services Asian restaurants. The administration alleged that the app illegally overcharged hundreds of these businesses through junk fees, and announced a $875,000 settlement on Wednesday. More than 380 restaurants will receive relief money, the mayor said, after the app “bamboozled hardworking New Yorkers.”

“For so many restaurants and businesses, it is already hard enough to balance daily costs — labor, rent, equipment, utilities — even harder, frankly, to stay afloat when a delivery platform steals hard-earned revenue,” said Mamdani, who was joined by Deputy Mayor Julie Su and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine.

Mamdani added that “this is the first-ever action to hold a delivery app accountable for violating the rights of New York City restaurant owners.” He said many of the restaurants affected are immigrant-owned and located in neighborhoods like Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens. The settlement will require the HungryPanda app to provide fee disclosures to users, implement compliance policies, and submit annual compliance certifications, he said.

The city has investigated HungryPanda more than once

Combating junk fees for NYC businesses and consumers has been a top priority for Mamdani in recent months. City law requires third-party food cap fee amounts at 15% for delivery and 5% for other services.

The HungryPanda app has been ordered to pay over $580,000 in restitution to affected restaurants, along with more than $294,000 in civil penalties and fees.

Wednesday’s HungryPanda settlement announcement also follows a January settlement involving Uber Eats, Fantuan, and HungryPanda, in which the companies were ordered to pay over a total of $5 million for pay violations affecting nearly 50,000 workers. DCWP’s investigation at the time found that HungryPanda failed to pay workers the minimum pay rate between December 2023 and January 2024.

HungryPanda did not immediately respond to a comment request about either settlement.

Mamdani’s team secured a similar settlement for fast food and retail workers this year — which the mayor announced while eating a Crunchwrap Supreme at a Taco Bell. He said his administration plans to continue to take on major corporations “exploiting” local workers.

“We are putting abusers and violators of these laws on notice: If you break these laws, we will hold you accountable,” he said. “It is time to have a city where, when people play by the rules, they are not put at a disadvantage, because those who break them are allowed to do so with impunity.”

• The Masters Tournament is being held in Augusta, Georgia, between April 6 and April 12.
• Attendees are buying tons of merchandise, which includes branded golf gear, beach towels, and more.
• Some of the hottest items this year include $88 quarter-zip sweatshirts and $50 garden gnomes.

One does not go to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and leave with a single hat or T-shirt.

If you speak with anyone who’s attended the golf event, you’ll quickly learn that spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on themed merchandise is, pun intended, par for the course.

Morgann Savage, a 21-year-old from Evans, Georgia, told Business Insider she was on-site around 5 a.m. and was one of the first 10 patrons to enter the Pro Shop when it opened on Sunday morning.

“After 15 minutes, it got very busy in the store,” she said. “You could barely move with your bags, and everyone was bumping into each other.”

There are branded towels, sweaters, golf gear, socks, and mugs, among other popular items. More exclusive pieces include $50 garden gnomes, which Savage said people were “rushing to buy,” and $550 mahjong pieces.

Business Insider spoke with attendees who shopped for all of the above at this year’s Masters Tournament, taking place between April 6 and April 12.

They said their hauls contain more than “just stuff.” Instead, attendees left with memories and status symbols of exclusivity in their green Masters tote bags.

Augusta native Savanna Perry goes to a lot of golf tournaments. She likes to wear Masters merch to all of them.

Savanna Perry, 36, first attended the Masters Tournament at age 2, so the event is nostalgic and meaningful to her. She missed out on buying a gnome this year, but found other gems.

How many items she bought: 33

What she spent: $2,661.51

Who she shopped for: herself, her children, her husband, and friends

“I’m getting a lot of DMs and requests to buy [merchandise for strangers on TikTok],” she said. “I get it. The merch is very sought after and rare.”

Her favorite items: a $178 woven purse with the Masters logo, a $726.95 Masters-themed Mahjong set (the bag, game set, and mat were sold separately), and an $88 white quarter-zip sweater that says “Masters.”

Why she shops: “In Augusta, you don’t go anywhere without seeing people wearing Masters stuff all year round,” she said.

“My husband and I also go to a lot of golf tournaments,” she added. “We went to the Arnold Palmer last month, and we’re going to the Heritage in a week. I like to have really quality stuff for tournaments, and the Masters stuff is so good.”

Taylor Crocker Williams was in line at 5 a.m. to get her hands on a coveted garden gnome.

Taylor Crocker Williams, 30, worked at the Masters Tournament while studying at the University of South Carolina. Now, she’s returned as an attendee after winning a ticket.

How many items she bought: 18

“You walk in and kind of black out,” she told Business Insider. “Everything you thought goes out the window.”

What she spent: $1,032.92

Who she shopped for: herself, her husband, and her two children

Her favorite items: a $50 garden gnome and the popular $88 white quarter-zip sweater

Why she shops: “[Shopping at the Masters Tournament] is such a rush,” Crocker Williams said. “I love shopping regardless; it’s one of my favorite hobbies. Then you add the layer of exclusivity to it, and it’s insane.”

“Hopefully one day, I can take the kids,” she added. “Each year, I’m like, ‘Oh, this might be the last year that I get to go.’ There’s no guarantee.”

Rebekah Knowles has been to the Masters Tournament eight times and always shops for family and friends.

Rebekah Knowles, 25, and her fiancé receive tickets each year through Bank of America, where they’re longtime clients. She said they always attend with “a written list” of merch to buy.

How many items she bought: 35

What she spent: $2,230.77

Who she shopped for: herself, her fiancé, family members, friends, and a friend’s baby

Her favorite items: a $75 “twilly” scarf (to be worn in her hair or on her purse) and the $88 white quarter-zip sweater

Why she shops: “As locals, we wear these items all year round,” the Augusta local said. “They are extremely sought after and of amazing quality.”

She didn’t start shopping until 2 p.m. this year, so there was no line to enter the store. Still, it was crowded inside.

“Everyone was running around and bumping shoulders, but the checkout lines were extremely fast,” she said. “They have the process down to a science.”

Sam Edelman bought 41 items on the first day of the Masters Tournament.

Sam Edelman, a 31-year-old from North Carolina, won tickets to this year’s Masters Tournament through its lottery. It’s her second time attending the event.

How many items she bought: 41

What she spent: $2,162.95

Who she shopped for: herself, her husband, friends, family members, and their son

“Some of our friends who have never attended didn’t want clothing items; they felt it would be stolen valor,” she said. “But they did want home items, like golf flags and tumblers.”

Her favorite items: an $88 blue crewneck sweater embroidered with the Masters Tournament logo, and a $48 candle that smells like pine trees in Augusta

Why she shops: “The merch is exclusive, and [wearing it] feels like a badge of honor that you were able to attend,” Edelman said. “Living in the South, whenever you see Masters apparel out and about, people always strike up a conversation about it.”

Kelly Turner’s haul includes gifts for her future bridesmaids — even though she’s not engaged yet.

Kelly Turner, 28, grew up in Augusta and regularly attended the Masters Tournament with her grandparents. She later spent six years working at the event.

“It’s a tradition and something that feels like home,” she said. “I know how rare it is to have the kind of access I’ve had, and I don’t take that lightly. The Masters has been part of every stage of my life.”

How many items she bought: 105

What she spent: $3,500

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and friends

“I bought beach towels for my future bridesmaids, which I know sounds a little extra since I’m not engaged yet,” she said. “But I’m hopeful. A lot of them have ties to Augusta, whether they married someone from there, lived there, or just love golf.”

Her favorite items: four sets of $22 Masters-branded Del Campo socks and a $19 Masters Tervis cup, which reminds her of the one her mom would drink out of every day

Why she shops: “It’s not just stuff,” Turner said. “I’ve inherited a few pieces from my grandparents, and the quality is so good that they’ve lasted for years.”

Liz Godfrey attended the Masters Tournament for the first time and left with 24 souvenirs.

Liz Godfrey, 25, is a Florida native who received an invite to the tournament this year from her best friend, Kelly Turner. It marked her first time at the Masters.

How many items she bought: 24

“Walking into the Pro Shop felt like a dream,” she said. “It was bustling with people, but somehow, they’ve made it so the environment doesn’t feel rushed. The staff was exceptional, always helpful, attentive, and available to assist with anything.”

What she spent: $1,037.26

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and friends

Her favorite items: three $18 Masters Tournament coffee mugs and a $34 pink snapback hat that says “Azalea” (the signature flower of the Masters, and also the name of the tournament’s popular cocktail)

Why she shops: “For me, purchasing multiple items was about capturing the experience,” Godfrey said. “I wanted pieces I could use in my daily life that would also serve as reminders of my time at Augusta National.”

Angie Looney wasn’t able to snag the gnome she wanted, but she found more than two dozen other items.

Angie Looney, 33, traveled from South Carolina to attend the Masters Tournament for the first time. She’s dreamed of going since her teenage years.

How many items she bought: 28

What she spent: $1,700

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and her boyfriend, who is an avid golfer

Her favorite items: a $29 Corksicle wine tumbler covered in a pink Azalea print, a $98.50 ANWA sweatshirt, and a $125 Peter Millar polo for her boyfriend

Why she shops: “I love the Masters and golf in general, and I attend a lot of golf events with my job,” Looney said. “I really wanted some great items to wear to those events, and keepsakes to cherish from my time at this exclusive event.”

Morgann Savage went to the Masters with the intention of shopping “a lot.”

Morgann Savage, 21, wasn’t planning on attending the Masters Tournament this year. But when a family member could no longer attend, she received their ticket and had less than 12 hours to prepare.

How many items she bought: 91

What she spent: $4,458.81

Who she shopped for: herself, family members, and her dad’s business

“My dad requested things for his business, Doc Savage Heating, as part of a giveaway,” she said, adding that he also gives merchandise to people on business trips and donates other items to charity fundraisers.

Her favorite items: the $50 garden gnome, a $99 gnome-print sweatshirt, and the $178 woven purse

Why she shops: “The Masters Tournament is breathtaking and spectacular,” Savage said. “The merchandise does not come close to anything I have bought before. I am also proud to be from Augusta, home of the Masters Tournament.”

• Pink Himalayan salt is sourced from Pakistan, not the Himalayas, despite its name.
• The world’s largest deposit of pink salt, the Khewra mine, produces 400,000 tons of pink salt a year.
• Pakistanis are expanding salt processing to capture more value in the global market.

Marketed as a premium, natural alternative to table salt, pink Himalayan salt can sell for up to 30 times the price. However, this salt doesn’t actually come from the Himalayas.

Instead, the world’s largest deposit of pink salt — the Khewra salt mine — sits about 155 miles west of the Himalayas in Pakistan’s Punjab province, in a region known as the Potohar Plateau.

Most of the salt mined in Khewra is exported to markets like the US and Europe. There, it’s often branded as “Himalayan” pink salt, named for the broader region than its exact origin.

Still, demand for this premium product continues to grow. The global market for Himalayan salt was $523 million in 2025 and is projected to reach nearly $700 million by 2030, according to Grand View Research.

Its popularity is driven in part by marketing. Influencers and wellness companies have promoted claims that pink salt can regulate blood sugar, improve sleep, and detoxify the body. However, scientists say there is no solid evidence to support this.

Regardless, pink salt’s supply isn’t expected to go away anytime soon. The Khewra mine alone produces close to 400,000 tons of salt each year, and the reserves are large enough to last for centuries at current extraction rates.

Business Insider visited the mine late last year to see how this salt is extracted, processed, and shipped to more than 80 countries worldwide for use in a wide range of goods, from edible salt to bath products and decorative lamps.

The Khewra mine has been a source of salt for generations

Industrial-scale mining began in the 1870s during British colonial rule. After Pakistan gained independence in 1947, the government took ownership of the mine and continues to lease sections to private companies.

Today, miners do not remove all of the salt; large portions are left behind to support the tunnels and prevent collapse.

Inside, workers rely on a mix of modern geological surveys and techniques passed down through generations to identify high-quality deposits. Once they find one, workers drill holes about 4 feet deep into the rock and pack them with explosives by hand to blast the salt rock loose.

It’s a risky process and workers must wait about 30 minutes after each blast before reentering tunnels to check for misfires or unstable rock.

After drilling and blasting, the large blocks are transported out through an extensive network of tunnels that spans about 25 miles across 17 levels. Some of the raw salt blocks that come out can weigh over 1,700 pounds, making them too heavy to lift without machinery.

The risks don’t end in the mine

Workers involved in processing the salt are also exposed to fine particles released during cutting and shaping.

At one factory, drilling and cutting salt blocks can produce what workers describe as “salt fumes.” Over time, those particles can collect in the lungs and make it harder to breathe.

Workers use protective measures like water sprays, masks, and goggles to reduce exposure.

Some of these blocks can still weigh up to 220 pounds, requiring careful handling to avoid injury. Workers use diamond-tipped blades to slice through the salt.

Factories have begun automating parts of this workflow to increase output. The Ittefaq salt facility can process nearly 350 metric tons of salt per day.

Pakistan’s fight for its share of the market

For years, Pakistan exported much of its pink salt in its raw form, limiting the value it captured in the global market.

Large volumes of unprocessed salt were shipped to India at low prices. There, it was refined, packaged, and sold to Western markets as a premium product — sometimes even labeled as “Made in India.”

That meant much of the profit was generated later in the supply chain, outside of Pakistan, once the salt had been processed and branded.

This dynamic began to shift in 2019, when political tensions between India and Pakistan escalated over the Kashmir region. Pakistan suspended bilateral trade, cutting off a key export route for raw salt.

In response, local companies expanded their own processing capabilities.

Instead of exporting raw blocks, more businesses began investing in equipment to grind, refine, and package the salt domestically. That allowed them to produce finished goods that could be sold directly to international buyers.

It’s a gradual transition. Earlier processing facilities were less modern and, in some cases, lacked basic safety measures.

Still, the shift marks a broader effort to retain more of the industry’s profits within Pakistan — moving from a supplier of raw materials to a producer of higher-value products in a growing global market.

• US Air Force A-10 Warthogs were part of the rescue operation for downed airmen in Iran.
• The A-10s were in a “Sandy” role supporting search and rescue.
• The Air Force has pushed for the retirement of its A-10 fleet, deeming them obsolete.

US Air Force A-10 Warthogs, decades-old attack aircraft the service has been pushing into retirement, were part of the risky rescue missions to retrieve downed American airmen in Iran.

The Warthogs flew in their “Sandy” roles, supporting search and rescue while engaging in close-in battles at low altitudes. The rescue marks the latest involvement of the A-10 in the US war in Iran despite the Air Force’s plans to imminently shelve its remaining fleet.

Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared details on the aircraft used in the mission during a Monday briefing on the rescue of the pilot and weapon systems officer after an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran last week.

Caine said that a task force including A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, commonly called Warthogs, “audaciously penetrated enemy territory in broad daylight” to rescue the F-15E pilot. “This was an incredibly dangerous mission,” he added, sharing the task force faced Iranian fire while locating and retrieving the downed pilot.

In the operation, the A-10s, along with other aircraft, including drones, flew in so-called “Sandy” roles, “violently suppressing and engaging the enemy in a close-in gunfight” to draw attention away from the rescue activities, as well as keep the enemy at bay.

During the engagement, one A-10 aircraft was hit by enemy fire. The pilot flew it into friendly airspace but determined that they wouldn’t be able to land it. The pilot ejected as the plane went down. They were recovered safely.

“A ‘Sandy’ has one mission: get to the survivor, bring the rescue force forward, and put themselves between that survivor on the ground and the enemy,” Caine said.

The “Sandy” role originated during the Vietnam War as the call sign for A-1 Skyraiders leading combat search-and-rescue missions. These aircraft located downed airmen, coordinated rescue efforts, and suppressed enemy fire to protect helicopters.

As the A-1 retired, the Sandy role — a mission, not a platform — passed to aircraft like the A-10 Warthog.

These “Sandy” aircraft are part of the larger CSAR package, which includes HH-60 helicopters and highly trained rescue personnel, HC-130 refueling tankers, fighter escorts, and intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance assets.

“The A-10 force and the rescue force did a fantastic job,” Caine said Monday. Earlier in the war, the top general highlighted the involvement of Warthogs in hunting down Iranian fast-attack boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

The A-10’s days are, however, numbered. The Air Force is planning the aircraft’s retirement, though it has run into roadblocks. Congressional intervention has repeatedly thrown the attack plane a lifeline and prevented the service from fully retiring the entire fleet. There are over 160 Warthogs in service.

Pushing for the retirement of the fleet, Air Force leadership has previously argued that “the aircraft does not deter or survive against our pacing challenge,” a reference to China. The service has been looking into whether F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters can fulfill the A-10’s missions, such as close-air support. Supporters of the A-10 argue no other aircraft can currently fulfill its missions.

The A-10 was introduced in the 1970s and intended to be a tank-killer capable of blunting a Soviet armored assault. It can carry rockets, missiles, and bombs, but is best known for its 30mm GAU-8 Avenger seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon.

A US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II was shot down in Iran while attempting to rescue crew members from the downed F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet. According to US officials, the pilot safely ejected over friendly territory and was unharmed.

Known as the Warthog, the A-10 has been in service since 1977… but the Air Force has been pushing to retire it from service, deeming the aircraft obsolete.

• TikTok advertising executive Khartoon Weiss is leaving the company.
• Weiss, who spent almost six years at TikTok, oversaw its North America ads business for the past year.
• Weiss is one of several advertising and marketing execs to leave TikTok this year.

TikTok’s advertising team is undergoing another big shake-up.

Khartoon Weiss, the lead exec for TikTok’s North American ads business, is exiting the company, four people familiar with the matter told Business Insider.

Weiss, who pitched TikTok’s suite of ad products to marketers onstage at its NewFronts event last month, joined the company almost six years ago from Spotify. She oversaw TikTok’s global agency and accounts teams before being promoted to lead the North America division of the global business solutions team in March 2025, following the departure of advertising head Blake Chandlee.

Digiday first reported on Weiss’ exit.

Weiss’ exit is the latest in a string of advertising and marketing team departures at TikTok.

Zuber Mohammed, TikTok’s global head of consumer marketing, left the company in March. Sofia Hernandez, the global head of business marketing and commercial partnerships, and Rema Vasan, who headed up business marketing in North America, left the company last quarter.

Other teams at TikTok have also seen leadership changes this year, including the company’s content division, which lost its global head of creators, Kim Farrell, in January.

Some of the executive exits have shifted control of North America teams to leaders from Singapore or China. When Chandlee left last year, oversight of the sales team, known as global business solutions, moved to Singapore-based executive Will Liu, for example.

TikTok’s US team restructured in January while forming a new joint venture to transfer certain work, like US user data management, to a separate group that includes Oracle and investment firms MGX and Silver Lake. Its advertising and marketing teams remain under the control of parent company ByteDance.

As part of the structural change, Adam Presser, a trust and safety executive, became CEO of the US joint venture. Presser appeared alongside Weiss at TikTok’s March NewFronts presentation to assure advertisers that the company’s ads experience would not be disrupted amid internal changes.