• Jamie Dimon said JPMorgan’s Texas workforce is booming, as its NYC workforce shrinks.
• He said high corporate and individual income taxes could push people and businesses out of the city.
• His warnings haven’t come true yet — in the first quarter, demand for NYC office space was up.

Jamie Dimon warned that companies could leave high-tax cities like New York — but so far, they aren’t.

In his annual letter to shareholders, the JPMorgan CEO said New York City has “much going for it,” but it also has high corporate and individual income taxes that are inhospitable to some businesses.

Dimon, the man behind JPMorgan’s new $3 billion building in Manhattan, said some individuals might move, noting that the wealthy are already fleeing a few states with high taxes and costs of living. A proposed wealth tax in California, the state with the most billionaires, has drawn sharp criticism from some lawmakers and business leaders. Some big names are already leaving, like Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who moved entities linked to them out of the state ahead of a deadline tied to the proposal.

In his letter, Dimon didn’t name New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who supports increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and has proposed raising residents’ property taxes to address the city’s $5.4 billion budget deficit.

“Companies need to remain competitive in this very tough, fast-moving world,” he wrote. “And higher taxes mean lower returns on capital and less competitiveness by their nature.”

For now, though, the shift Dimon is warning about isn’t showing up in the office market.

Commercial real estate firm JLL found that in the first quarter of 2026, companies are continuing to sign leases for high-quality office spaces in Manhattan, and vacancies are down 2.2% compared to a year ago. AI companies are driving some of the demand for office space, JLL reported, as they anticipate near-term hiring. Rents were up 3.5% year-over-year.

In its report, JLL mentioned two financial firms’ recent commitments to New York City: Bank of America’s plans to expand its Midtown office space, and American Express’ commitment to open a new headquarters building in the Financial District.

Dimon, however, highlighted in his letter that some financial firms and their employees are migrating south.

“Sometimes you see companies leaving states, but migration also shows up in shifts of employees out of certain states,” he wrote.

JPMorgan’s head count in New York City dropped from 30,000 to 24,000 over the past decade, Dimon said, while its head count in Texas has gone from 26,000 in 2015 to 32,000 today.

“This trend will likely continue,” he said.

JPMorgan, which employs more than 12,000 people at its campus in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas, isn’t alone in building up its presence in the Lone Star State, dubbed “Y’all Street” by some. Both Goldman Sachs and Bank of America have announced plans to build new campuses in Dallas, and Apollo recently said it is searching for a second headquarters in Texas or Florida.

• Over 150 aircraft were involved in the rescue mission of a downed US F-15 airman in Iran.
• Some of the aircraft were part of a deception campaign to confuse Iran about the officer’s location.
• The weapon systems officer, stranded in the mountains, was rescued after roughly two days in enemy territory.

The high-stakes combat search and rescue missions to recover two downed US airmen stranded in Iran involved numerous aircraft, close calls, and a deception campaign, President Donald Trump and other administration officials said Monday.

The shootdown of an F-15E Strike Eagle last Friday in Iran saw both the pilot and the weapon systems officer eject from the aircraft and land deep inside hostile territory. While the pilot was rescued quickly, the other airman landed miles away and hid for nearly 48 hours before being rescued.

At a press conference Monday, Trump and other officials shared details on the complex rescue mission. After the F-15 was downed by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile, Trump ordered the military to retrieve the two airmen, he said.

Within hours, 21 US aircraft launched to rescue the pilot, flying at very low altitude under fire, Trump said. The first wave located the pilot, who was extracted by an HH-60 Jolly Green II rescue helicopter.

The other F-15 crew member had landed a “significant” distance away from the pilot, the president said. The airman was injured and proceeded to climb into mountain terrain toward higher altitudes while treating his injuries. Trump said the officer was avoiding a very heavy Iranian presence in the area.

The weapons systems officer signaled his location with a beeper-type technology, the president explained without going into detail, and the US organized a major operation to rescue him from the mountains. The US dispatched 155 aircraft for the second rescue mission, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft, and others.

Some aircraft, like A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, one of which was lost to enemy fire, engaged in close-in firefights with the Iranians to keep them away. Some were involved in recovery. Others were involved in deception.

Trump said much of the mission was “subterfuge” intended to throw off the Iranian hunt for the downed airman. “We wanted them to think he was in a different location,” he said.

He said that Iran had thousands of people looking for the airman, promising a reward.

“We were scattered all over” seven different locations across the country, intended to confuse the Iranians so they couldn’t figure out the officer’s actual location, the president added.

Trump said the US had planes circling dozens of miles down the coast, for instance. The deception was meant to mislead and misdirect to prevent the enemy from massing near the pilot’s real position.

In the actual area where the airman was hiding, US aircraft descended in force to rescue him, engaging the Iranians, pulling out the airman, and leaving. The officer had been out there for almost 48 hours. Trump said some aircraft were damaged by gunfire. Some aircraft were destroyed and left behind.

The CIA was also involved in executing an intelligence and deception campaign central to the mission. At the briefing, CIA director John Ratcliffe said the agency deployed “human assets and exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service in the world possesses to a daunting challenge comparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the desert.”

While attempting to locate the second airman, the CIA also pursued a deception campaign to “confuse the Iranians,” Ratcliffe said. US officials confirmed Saturday that the weapon system officer was alive and hiding in the mountains and said the deception campaign helped prevent Iranian forces from finding him before the US carried out a rescue.

Radcliffe did not go into detail on the deception, but the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported that the agency bought the military time to find the second airman by spreading rumors that the US had already found him and was moving him out in an overland operation, the intent being to draw Iran’s focus away from the real mission.

The F-15 lost last week was flying a mission as part of the US war against Iran, now stretching into its fifth week. US forces have struck over 12,000 targets in Iran and conducted over 13,000 combat flights, targeting Iranian air defenses, missiles, command and control, and military infrastructure.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in Iran shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for crude oil and gas shipments, resulting in price hikes for oil and international concerns over energy supplies.

Amid negotiations between the US and Iran, Trump has continued to threaten more strikes on the country. He has said that 8 p.m. ET tomorrow is a deadline for Iran to make a deal. Failure to do so, the president said, will result in bombardments of Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants.

• Top YouTuber MrBeast said he rarely worked less than 15 hours a day during “Beast Games” production.
• The content creator said he does “not have a healthy work life balance.”
• MrBeast is looking to grow his team by 50%, his company’s CEO recently said.

MrBeast has hired hundreds of employees since starting his namesake YouTube channel in his bedroom, but that doesn’t mean he’s cut back on his workload.

“It was a miracle if a day was less than 15 hours for me,” he said of his work schedule when his team was making his Amazon show “Beast Games.”

The YouTuber, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, recently lifted the curtain on his jam-packed agenda. In a video with creator Jon Youshaei, Donaldson said he works nearly non-stop in a schedule that’s “literally planned down to the minute.”

“Everything has to be perfect because I don’t have much time,” he said.

Donaldson gave the example of his YouTube thumbnails. Donaldson has a body double who, in the video, said he was working “nine to five, Monday to Friday,” blocking out potential thumbnails for Donaldson.

That means when Donaldson is ready to shoot the thumbnail, his team can execute it quickly.

Donaldson seems to have no complaints about his workload and later in the video said he had no plans to slow down. Still, said his schedule is “not really a fair comparison for most people.”

“I live to work and 100% do not have a healthy work life balance,” he wrote on X.

Donaldson has built a team around him to help him grow his output.

In 2024, he tapped Jeffrey Housenbold, a former Shutterfly CEO and venture capitalist, to lead his business as CEO. Beast Industries has since built a team of executives hailing from TikTok, Snap, NBCUniversal, and other companies.

Housenbold said recently on LinkedIn that Beast Industries is looking to expand its team “by 50% this year” across New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and its headquarters in Greenville, North Carolina.

MrBeast’s VP of talent said on LinkedIn that the company is looking to bring on people for their creative, engineering, marketing, product, and production teams.

• Ye, aka Kanye West, performed at two sold-out concerts last week at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
• Though brands and institutions have pushed back on Ye’s comeback, his core base has remained intact.
• Ye’s continued success illustrates how celebrities can still stay relevant when brands abandon them.

If you’ve only been reading the headlines about Ye over the past few years (Sexual assault allegations! Antisemitic tirades! A shocking number of explicit references to Hitler!) you might assume his career is dead in the water.

But if you were at SoFi Stadium last week during one of his sold-out concerts, you’d have witnessed a man who’s not only dry and alive, but defiantly perched on top of the world.

Literally: When the artist formerly known as Kanye West returned to the stage last week to commemorate the release of his album, “Bully,” he performed atop a massive globe-like mound designed to resemble our rotating Earth. The set list was packed with hits from across Ye’s career, from the prophetic noughties single “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” to “Heartless,” “Power,” and newer additions to his catalog. He reportedly grossed $33 million in two nights, breaking a record for the Los Angeles venue.

Ye is hoping to continue that financial success abroad, though he’s already facing institutional resistance. He’s booked to headline all three nights of London’s Wireless Festival in July, which UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as “deeply concerning,” citing the rapper’s “antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.” The day after Starmer spoke out, Pepsi withdrew its sponsorship of the event, followed quickly by the beverage company Diageo, which owns brands like Guinness, Ciroc, Captain Morgan, and Johnnie Walker. The British charity Campaign Against Antisemitism has urged the UK government to ban Ye from entering the country.

And yet, Ye’s latest appearances stateside prove that even gatekeepers who wield their ad dollars don’t hold the power they once did in show business. Ye is a multimillion-dollar brand unto himself, and there are hordes of fans who are happy to put money in his pocket, whether by seeing him live or supporting his music. Indeed, “Bully” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after selling 56,000 physical copies and amassing over 98 million on-demand streams in its first week. Not bad for a man who seems to generate negative press with every breath.

After decades of controversy, Ye’s fan base isn’t easily spooked

Ye has been flirting with controversy and outrage since his 2004 debut album, and his shift toward right-wing conspiracy theories and gleeful ragebait has been in motion for at least a decade. Now, he’s left with fans who don’t spook so easily. Ye’s brand has long revolved around embracing volatility and ego (or, in his words, “dragon energy”), so when he acts volatile and egocentric, his fans don’t see it as a betrayal.

Much has been made about “cancel culture” and what that phrase truly means — especially in an era of social media marketing and instant feedback, when stars are born on platforms like TikTok, and consumers can choose who becomes a breakout star and who fades into oblivion. If we’re to use Ye as a case study, then true cancellation must come from the fans, or it simply won’t stick. The crowd is louder than the critics.

• I flew with Korean Air and spent a few hours in business class in the Prestige Suites 2.0.
• My seat felt spacious, and I liked that it had walls around it. The food was great, too.
• I wish my flight came with complimentary WiFi. Otherwise, it was pretty great.

I recently chose Korean Air for a business-class flight from Chicago to Bangkok because it was the most convenient and affordable option.

The round-trip ticket cost $5,468.

Since there are no direct flights from the US to Bangkok, I had to connect somewhere in Asia, which turned out to be a bonus. It gave me the chance to try Korean Air for the first time and compare its two different business-class cabins.

On the shorter leg from Seoul to Bangkok, I flew in the newer Prestige Suites 2.0.

This flight offered me more privacy than I expected.

Compared to Korean Air’s older 2-3-2 business-class configuration, where many seats do not have direct aisle access, the 1-2-1 Prestige Suites 2.0 offer much more privacy.

Each seat is mostly surrounded by walls that are more than 4 feet high, complete with sliding doors that can fully shut — although they’re not operational yet as Korean Air awaits regulatory approval.

In this new configuration, the two center seats are great if you’re traveling with a companion and want to converse. There’s also a sliding divider between these seats if you’re sitting next to a stranger or want privacy.

I opted for a window seat since I was traveling solo and was happy to be in a little cocoon. The new design with high walls and a sliding door felt really nice for added privacy, and my seat reminded me of Qatar Airways’ Qsuites.

The seat offered plenty of perks and charging options.

My suite felt sleek and modern, with lots of navy and gray touches, plus metallic trim. I had access to a panel with several options for controlling my seat and the lighting.

The seat can lie flat, but I didn’t end up reclining all the way because my flight was pretty brief.

I appreciated the several different charging options available within the suite, too. There were two USB-C ports located under a wireless charging pad shelf, as well as a universal AC power outlet near my feet.

The wireless charging pad worked really well for my iPhone, and I didn’t even have to take my case off. By the end of my six-hour flight, my phone went from 50% to 85%, and my AirPods charged even more quickly with the USB-C port.

Since the flight between Seoul and Bangkok was less than six hours each way, no amenity kits were provided; only slippers and Frette blankets.

I enjoyed K-dramas and K-pop throughout the flight.

Noise-canceling headphones were provided to me, though I didn’t use them much.

I was able to use the seatback entertainment’s Bluetooth feature to connect my AirPods to listen to music and watch movies. I wish more airlines offered this.

Korean Air’s selection of Western movies is not as large as I’ve found on North American or European airlines, but there were hundreds of interesting K-dramas and Korean movies, plus a great selection of K-pop.

I liked how large the monitor was, and its ultra-high-definition visuals felt super sharp.

The food was quite tasty (and spicy).

On my flights between Seoul and Bangkok, the menu was printed in Korean, English, and Thai, with included wine pairings suggested for each main course.

Appetizers were served with a selection of veggie side dishes, or banchan, which felt like a nutritious touch. Dessert was simply sliced fruit and single-serve containers of Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

There were three main-course options in the air, and several more dishes were available for passengers who had preordered.

On my flight from Seoul to Bangkok, I tried a plant-based roasted shiitake mushroom dish with hot pepper sauce, served with rice, soup, and toasted seaweed. This meal was available only by preorder.

The mushrooms were a hearty vegetarian option with a nice sweet and spicy flavor.

On the way back, I tried Korean spicy roasted chicken with rice and vegetables. The chicken was nicely marinated and seriously spicy, accompanied by an equally spicy soup. This airline isn’t afraid to hold back with the heat.

I liked having a chance to try Korean food I wouldn’t find on other airlines, and I definitely recommend checking out the Korean Air website for a more extensive menu before you fly.

There was lots of bubbly on offer throughout the flight.

Charles Heidsieck 2018 brut millésimé was served on the Seoul-Bangkok route, and I had Rare Champagne’s 2015 vintage on the longer flight between Seoul and Chicago.

I usually try not to drink too much on flights, but it’s hard to resist great Champagne.

I also enjoyed some ginseng tea.

I tried the Korean red ginseng tea after dinner, which came as a powder that the flight attendant mixed in hot water, rather than a Dammann Frères tea bag like the other varieties on offer.

It had a slightly sweet and nutty herbal flavor that I enjoyed. Ginseng is also said to have possible benefits, such as boosting energy levels and strengthening the immune system — both much needed during a long travel day.

Unfortunately, there was no free WiFi.

I did not receive complimentary WiFi on my trips, which felt particularly shocking on my long-haul flight between Seoul and Chicago.

Although WiFi was available on my flights between Bangkok and Seoul, even business-class passengers needed to pay for it. For this flight, two hours of internet cost $10.95, and full-flight internet was $13.95.

Most airlines I’ve flown on in recent years offer business-class passengers complimentary internet for the entire flight, or at least for a couple of hours.

Charging for the internet feels like nickel-and-diming when tickets are thousands of dollars.

All in all, Prestige Suites 2.0 feels like a huge upgrade from Korean Air’s previous offering.

I’ve flown business class many times across several airlines, and I was quite impressed with my experience in Korean Air’s Prestige Suites 2.0.

The design felt modern and minimalist, with a comfortable seat and practical storage and charging options that I appreciated.

These suites feel like a great upgrade from the airline’s old ones, which I experienced on my flight from Chicago to Seoul. In my opinion, the older 2-3-2 configuration felt quite dated and too cramped for business class.

In the future, I would try to only fly in Korean Air’s newer suites whenever possible.

However, I’m still bummed about the WiFi. Hopefully, complimentary internet will become an airline industry standard soon, just as it is in hotels.

• I used to focus on Christmas, but it became complicated as my kids grew up.
• I stopped competing for holiday time and chose Easter as our new tradition.
• Now I host a low-pressure Easter and let go of expectations around Christmas.

I have never cared about Easter as a holiday. Not just because I’m not religious, although I suppose that’s probably part of it.

Historically, Easter has not made sense to me, especially as a mom. Am I buying presents? Chocolate? Decorating the house? Am I wearing that pastel sundress my algorithm is aggressively trying to sell me, even though it’s still 50 degrees outside? Why is a rabbit delivering eggs, and why is he hiding them?

I ignored Easter

These were minor irritations for younger me. The single mom raising four boys in a small town. I was the custodial parent and the holiday-maker.

When I was this mom, I had the privilege of deciding against Easter as a holiday because, let’s face it, I got to decide all of the holidays and every other day of the year. When I was this mom, I could afford to give Easter the cold shoulder in favor of Christmas. The Big Show. The main event.

I made a real meal out of Christmas, throwing myself into wringing every last magical moment out of the holiday. I baked their favorite cookies. I bought them holiday pajamas. I hosted their friends for parties. Decorated the tree with them, wrapped gifts with them, watched movies with them, sang carols with them.

That was before. Now I’m a new kind of mom. A mom of adult sons.

They have other plans now that they are adults

I am realizing that I’ve spent the past few years fighting to get that Christmas back. Auditioning to be on the main stage of Christmas even though we all know I’m more of a benevolent bystander in my sons’ lives these days.

I’ve watched them do their best to include me in their holidays. I’ve watched them try to navigate Christmas with their partners and their partners’ families, their dad and their friends, and their work, and even just try to find a moment for themselves. It’s a lot. It’s too much,

And even though I know they’re trying so hard to wedge me in where they can, I inevitably get my feelings hurt or just get lonely or maudlin or stop being any fun at all.

The thing is, I like to be fun. It’s fun to be fun. So I’m changing the game.

I’m making Easter our holiday together

This year I’m taking over Easter. No one else seems to want Easter for all the reasons I’ve already mentioned. It’s ripe for the picking. I’m going to become the default Easter mom everyone’s dreams of.

I am going to drive to the city where they live, and we will eat together. A big brunch of all our favorites, either at a restaurant or I’ll cook in someone’s home. I’m letting my sons pick. We are planning an afternoon movie at a cool little art-house cinema, where we will eat our Easter chocolate, then go for drinks afterward to discuss. We will order several plates of table fries and pick at them together. We’ll go back to my son’s house for board games in the evening. Eat more food. This will be our new thing. This will be my new thing.

I fought Easter for so long, and now? Now I’m excited. I’m excited to make life easier for my adult kids, to take one small pressure off their backs when their lives are exactly as full and great as I always hoped they would be. I’m excited to redefine Easter weekend as a relaxed, easy break. No gifts, no expectations, no decorations, no pressure.

And when Christmas comes around, I’m going to just let it go. Maybe even try something new and go away for a little holiday all my own. Because I’ve already had my perfect holiday with my kids.

I’m the new default Easter mom. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?