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• Cook County, which includes Chicago, ran a two-year basic income experiment in 2022.
• During the pilot, thousands of residents received $500 a month to spend however they wanted.
• The county has now made that basic income program permanent in its 2026 budget.

Many American cities and counties have been experimenting with a novel concept: Giving financially vulnerable residents free money every month without expecting anything in return.

The goal is to let those people decide for themselves how best to spend the extra cash, rather than requiring them to spend it on certain kinds of food or other necessities.

When those programs end, many report largely positive results. Few, however, are ever made permanent.

Cook County in Illinois, which includes Chicago, is now an exception.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved its 2026 budget proposal on Thursday, and it includes $7.5 million for a guaranteed basic income program.

Cook County had earlier run a basic income experiment for two years. It provided $500 a month to 3,200 households during that time. The last payment went out in January.

“The County will invest $7.5 million to continue supporting the Guaranteed Income program, providing direct unconditional monetary support to help residents live healthier and more stable lives,” the county’s now-approved budget proposal says.

A guaranteed basic income is a social safety net program in which a government provides certain residents with recurring, no-strings-attached cash payments for a set period. Often, the eligible recipients fit specific criteria, such as having a household income near the poverty line.

A guaranteed basic income differs from a universal basic income, which is when a government provides all individuals in a population with recurring, no-strings-attached cash payments, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

AI leaders, such as Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have publicly advocated for basic income programs to mitigate the potential impact of AI on human jobs.

Governments worldwide have toyed with basic income programs. Ireland recently made its basic income for artists permanent, and South Korea is poised to launch one of the world’s largest programs.

Cook County released survey findings based on responses from those who received cash payments between 2022 and 2025. The majority said the payments made them more financially secure, reduced their stress, and improved their mental health.

The top reported uses for the payments were food, rent, utilities, and transportation.

• I’ve been a stepmom for 20 years and am the second in three generations of stepmoms.
• My mom taught me to let my stepchildren guide the role they need me to play in their lives.
• For 20 years, I’ve tried to be a trusted adult and am now watching my stepdaughter do the same.

The first stepmother I remember was Lady Tremaine — the wicked stepmother, brought to us by Disney in the film “Cinderella.”

Today, I’m the second in three generations of stepmoms. I’m a stepmom of three. My mom became a stepmom when I was in my teens. My youngest stepdaughter is now a stepmom, and I have a stepmom.

Throughout my teens and early 20s, I watched my mom as she navigated being a stepparent. This year, I’ve officially been a stepmom for 20 years. Now I’m watching my stepdaughter as she navigates her own stepparent journey.

Becoming a not-so-evil stepmom in the most magical place on Earth

Funny enough, I became a stepmom at a Disney World wedding. At the time, my stepson was 16, my stepdaughters were 13 and 8, and my son was 5.

The kids all joked that the second we said “I do,” I was going to turn wicked and lock them in a tower.

My husband and I had dated for a few years before we got married. I had gotten to know the kids pretty well. My son was almost 3 when we met, and my future stepchildren knew me not just as Dad’s girlfriend, but also Austin’s mom.

I think being a mom myself helped my stepchildren see me in a different light. I wasn’t their mom, but I was someone else’s mom, and they liked that kid.

Our blended family grew to yours, mine, and ours

In 2008, our family grew from yours and mine. We added “ours,” and now my stepchildren have a stepsibling (no shared parent) and a half-sibling (shares one parent).

One thing I learned from my mom is that siblings fight. When the kids would argue about whose turn it was to unload the dishwasher or fight over a special cup, my husband and I would smile. We both had similar arguments with our own siblings. It’s what families do.

My favorite moments were being crammed around the table during dinner. The noise was deafening — everyone sharing stories, grabbing food, laughing. We couldn’t do it often, but made it a priority when it was possible.

Despite a large age difference, the kids have relationships. They all dance together at weddings. The youngest, now 17, and the oldest play video games together. My son regularly goes to my stepdaughter for advice.

Being a trusted adult, not another parent

The role of a stepparent isn’t usually the same as being a parent. I learned this from watching my mom. My stepsister had a mom, a very involved mom, and that wasn’t the role my mom was going to play in her life.

My stepchildren have a wonderful, caring, engaged mom. I’ve tried to take the lead from my stepchildren on the role they need me to play.

That role was finding a great deal on a teenager’s first car. To take them for their first pedicure. To know where to find cute prom dresses for petite girls. To offer advice, ideas, and another point of view. To be a break from their parents. Be the person on the phone when they didn’t want to call mom or dad. To be there when life is harsh.

My stepmom came into my life in adulthood. She’s kind, caring, a friend, and an adult I can rely on. My youngest stepdaughter, now a stepmom herself, said it best. The role of a stepparent is that of a trusted adult.

Like parenting, stepparenting is a mix of emotions

When my husband and I were still dating, we took my son and youngest stepdaughter to see “March of the Penguins.” During a traumatizing scene involving a shark, she climbed into my lap to be comforted.

I had this mix of emotions: happy, sad, and guilt. Happy we had grown close enough that I was a comfort for her. Sad that it was so scary, and I couldn’t fix it. And guilt because I know how I would feel if another mom were comforting my kid. This mix of feelings was telling for life as a stepparent.

I would see them do something amazing, but I’m not the first person they hug. They’re sick, but the school didn’t call me. On Mother’s Day, I get a text, but I’m not the priority for brunch. I see them struggle with tough decisions; I’m there to listen and offer a perspective, but the final choice is one I don’t have a say in.

Rationally, I know they have amazing parents, but emotionally, it was hard.

I am lucky to have these three caring, clever, funny people to love. To be there for birthdays, weddings, becoming parents, and just those occasional loud dinners full of laughter.

To this day, my youngest stepdaughter and I are close. We share a love of fashion, gymnastics, incredibly long, rapid-fire texts, and being not-so-evil stepmoms. Now I get to see her use her experience to help her stepchildren. To listen, understand, and be that trusted adult.

• Kraft’s apple pie-flavored Mac & Cheese offers a surprisingly tasty twist on comfort food.
• The author recalls past unusual food pairings, like cheddar on apple pie, that exceeded expectations.
• Trying new, unconventional flavors can lead to delightful surprises and memorable experiences.

If you’d told me years ago that cheese and apple pie could go together, like Kraft’s new limited-edition apple pie mac and cheese, I would’ve laughed.

I’ve never been the most adventurous eater, but over the years I’ve grown more curious about odd flavor pairings — the ones that sound ridiculous until you try them. So when I heard Kraft was releasing an apple pie-flavored mac and cheese for the Thanksgiving season, I knew I had to track it down.

I’m glad I did, because surprisingly, I loved it.

I bought it online at Walmart

Unlike when I drove around to multiple Taco Bells trying to find the Baja Blast pie without success, it was much easier to get a hold of the mac and cheese.

We were thankfully able to find it without having to hunt too much in stores. Kraft’s apple pie-flavored mac and cheese is currently available via Walmart online. My friend found it, and we got six boxes delivered to his apartment the next day. We were both excited about trying it.

I also looked online about ways to make boxed mac and cheese better than simply the out-of-the-box standard. I bought a couple of apples, Greek yogurt, and some cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks. My plan was to try the mac and cheese as it said on the side of the box, and then try a second version with some of the additional ingredients.

It looked like regular mac and cheese

Opening the box, it looked the same. It was a box of dried noodles with a spice packet that looked nearly identical to the original packets. The apple one, however, smelled great. I was hopeful that it would taste as apple cinnamony as it smelled from the packet.

I started with the basic version, following the box directions exactly — boil the noodles, stir in the sauce packet, and wait. When I tore open the seasoning packet, the smell hit me immediately: it had tones of warm cinnamon and sweet apple.

Once it was mixed together, though, the flavor was far more subtle than the aroma promised. The cinnamon and apple were there, but just barely. If anything, it made the mac and cheese taste brighter and more layered, almost like what the regular version should be all along.

My friend and I kept taking bites, trying to decide if we actually liked it or if the novelty was just talking. We both agreed that we liked it and that if this were available all year round, we’d buy it over the regular Kraft mac and cheese. By the time we finished the bowl, we were already talking about ordering more.

We then experimented with new recipes

We then decided to try a different version with the extra boxes the web had.

We started with plain Greek yogurt, which completely elevated the flavor of the mac and cheese for us. The yogurt made the dish creamy and slightly tangy. The cinnamon pretzels, crushed a bit on top, gave the mac and cheese an additional crunchy and sweet texture to balance things out. This had tangy, sweet, and savory all in one meal that felt more filling than the bowl without it.

In the end, the whole experience reminded me why I love stepping outside my comfort zone — especially when it comes to food. What started as a silly experiment turned into something genuinely fun and surprisingly delicious.

• The Miss Universe competition was launched in 1952 to celebrate and empower women.
• The US has the highest number of competition wins at nine.
• Fátima Bosch won the 74th annual Miss Universe in November 2025, marking Mexico’s fourth victory.

Miss Mexico has won the 74th annual Miss Universe pageant. Fátima Bosch, 25, took the crown after competing against 120 women from around the globe.

The Miss Universe competition has been a global event since 1952 and aims to “empower and inspire women to shape a better world,” according to its website.

Many countries, of course, vie for the crown, but certain ones have produced more winners than others throughout the competition’s history.

Here are the countries with the most Miss Universe wins.

The United States: 9

1954: Miriam Stevenson

1956: Carol Morris

1960: Linda Bement

1967: Sylvia Louise Hitchcock

1980: Shawn Weatherly

1995: Chelsi Smith

1997: Brook Lee

2012: Olivia Culpo

2022: R’Bonney Gabriel

Venezuela: 7

1979: Maritza Sayalero

1981: Irene Sáez

1986: Bárbara Palacios

1996: Alicia Machado

2008: Dayana Mendoza

2009: Stefanía Fernández

2013: Gabriela Isler

Puerto Rico: 5

1970: Marisol Malaret

1985: Deborah Carthy-Deu

1993: Dayanara Torres

2001: Denise M. Quiñones

2006: Zuleyka Rivera

Mexico: 4

1991: Lupita Jones 

2010: Ximena Navarrete

2020: Andrea Meza

2025: Fátima Bosch

The Philippines: 4

1969: Gloria Diaz

1973: Margarita Moran

2015: Pia Wurtzbach

2018: Catriona Gray

Sweden: 3

1955: Hillevi Rombin

1966: Margareta Arvidsson

1984: Yvonne Ryding

South Africa: 3

1978: Margaret Gardiner 

2017: Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

2019: Zozibini Tunzi

India: 3

1994: Sushmita Sen

2000: Lara Dutta

2021: Harnaaz Sandhu

Matcha has become one of the most sought-after teas in the world, with the US now importing over 2,000 tons from Japan a year.

As more Western consumers demand ceremonial-grade matcha — the highest-quality and most expensive kind — Japanese farmers are struggling to keep up. Extreme weather, aging tea farmers, and labor-intensive production methods have all contributed to global shortages and record-high prices.

Meanwhile, the rise of cafes like Aoko Matcha in New York City and social media trends like #matchatok have fueled even more demand.

• Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is stepping down from his teaching position at Harvard.
• Summers announced he would step back from public life due to his connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
• When a professor said the Harvard community would miss Summers’ “wisdom,” one student disagreed.

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said he would no longer teach at Harvard University after his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were recently made public.

The scandal, however, continues to play out in his old classrooms.

A video posted on TikTok on Thursday showed a professor addressing a room full of Summers’ former students about his absence. The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student-run newspaper, reported that the professor was Summer’s co-instructor and that the exchange took place in a course Summers taught called “The Political Economy of Globalization.”

“As I’m sure you are all aware, Larry has decided to step down from his teaching responsibilities this semester,” the professor said. “I’m really sorry for the undoubted disruption it’s going to cause all of you.”

“We will miss his insights and his wisdom.”

In response, a student yelled out, “No, we won’t.”

A different student could be heard saying in the video, “Yes, we will.”

The professor, for his part, ignored both students before introducing the guest speaker for that class: former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The video was viewed over 4.3 million times in 24 hours.

That same day, a student group called The Harvard Feminist Collective began circulating a petition demanding “Harvard revoke Larry Summers’ tenure and investigate and cut ALL university ties with Epstein.”

Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender who killed himself in prison in 2019 before the start of his sex-trafficking trial. Epstein’s deep connections to numerous politicians, celebrities, and top-level executives, including President Donald Trump, have led to calls for documents related to the investigation into his crimes to be made public.

Last week, the House Oversight Committee released emails showing Epstein’s private messages with several prominent people, including top Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler and Summers.

The emails showed that Epstein and Summers had years’ worth of correspondence, including one exchange in which Summers asked Epstein for advice on how to romantically pursue a woman he said he was mentoring. As public scrutiny mounted, Summers said he would step back from the public sphere.

“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” Summers told Business Insider in a statement earlier this week. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

A representative for Summers told Business Insider on Friday that he had no further statement. Harvard did not reply to requests for comment on Friday.

The petition circulating among Harvard students calling for the university to revoke Summers’ tenure specifically cites the former Treasury secretary’s emails.

“With the newest release of emails, including Summers’ communication with Epstein about abusing power as a professor in pursuing sex with a mentee, it confirms what survivors and Harvard community members have said for years: Summers is unfit and unsafe to teach at Harvard,” the petition said.

Jessica Wang, an organizer in the Harvard Feminist Collective and one of the students behind the petition, told Business Insider in a statement that Summers’ tenure should be revoked to prevent him from returning to the university.

“Although it’s a step in the right direction that Summers has stepped down from teaching, he is still a tenured professor at Harvard. That means he is still employed by the university and could come back to teach a classroom in a year or two,” Wang said. “The University must cut all ties to Summer and revoke his tenure to take a strong stance against sexual violence and harassment.”

After Congress voted to release documents related to the Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein, Trump signed the order on Wednesday. The Trump administration had initially pushed back against releasing the files, which are expected to be heavily redacted.