• A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill to designate advanced nursing as a professional degree.
• The Education Department’s new student-loan borrowing caps exclude nursing from the higher limits.
• Lawmakers and advocates said the limits could exacerbate the ongoing healthcare shortage.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers agree: nurses deserve to take out more student loans.

On Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker led a bipartisan bill to include nursing degrees in the Department of Education’s professional degree designation.

The legislation addresses President Donald Trump’s new borrowing limits, which take effect July 1 and include a $100,000 lifetime limit for graduate students and a $200,000 limit for professional students. The Department of Education’s list of programs that meet the definition of “professional” includes medicine, law, and dentistry, but excludes advanced nursing degrees.

The exclusion concerned borrowers, advocates, and lawmakers across the aisle, who said nursing tuition can exceed the cap and would leave students unable to attend. The new bill would add advanced nursing programs to the Department of Education’s list.

“Nurses save lives, one bedside at a time. We should be doing everything we can to make it easier to recruit the next generation of these heroes, not make it harder,” Merkley said in a statement. “Republicans and Democrats alike have sounded the alarm over changes that make student loans for nurses more expensive, which threaten the future of the nursing workforce.”

A bipartisan companion bill was also introduced in the House.

In a House hearing last week, Education Sec. Linda McMahon said that nurses “are incredibly respected” and that most would not be affected by the borrowing caps.

“We looked very, very carefully at the entire nursing profession. 95% of the nurses that are in programs do not exceed these caps. 78% of the nurses that are moving for graduate programs do not exceed or come up to these caps,” McMahon said. “We were very carefully looking at the cost of these programs across the country. There are outliers.”

Most students in post-graduate nursing programs borrow within the new caps, according to an analysis of Education Department data from the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute. In 115 out of 140 advanced nursing programs, students borrowed less than $100,000, it said.

Still, lawmakers and advocates said the caps could exacerbate an ongoing shortage of healthcare workers. In December, a bipartisan group of more than 140 lawmakers urged the department to revise its professional degree definition. They referred to the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program, which can cost over $200,000, and said that the proposed $100,000 cap is “restricting the pipeline of CRNAs and further limiting an anesthesia workforce that is suffering from shortages across all provider types.”

Thousands of people pushed to change the definition of a professional degree during the rule’s public comment period in February.

“Policies that make graduate nursing education less affordable will not only discourage nurses from advancing their education but will also reduce the number of nurse educators available to train the next generation of nurses,” one commenter said. “Fewer educators mean fewer nursing school slots and longer delays in bringing new nurses into the workforce, and ultimately compromising care.”

Have a story to share about your student loans? Contact this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.

• Sundar Pichai touted a 7x increase in Google’s AI products at the I/O developer conference today.
• The stunning increase drew audible gasps from the audience.
• Pichai cracked a joke about ‘tokenmaxxing,’ but said the stat still tells an important story.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai isn’t afraid of touting big AI usage numbers, despite the ‘tokenmaxxing‘ controversy.

At Google’s annual developer conference today, Pichai said that monthly usage of its AI products has increased sevenfold to 3.2 quadrillion tokens since last year.

The huge increase drew audible gasps from the packed Shoreline Amphitheater near Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters — and a joke from Pichai.

“Some out there might call it tokenmaxxing, and there’s probably some truth to it,” Pichai said to some laughter from the audience. “I still think it tells an important story about our products and how others are building on it as well, especially our developers.”

Tokens are the basic building block of AI chatbots, with one ‘token’ making up about ¾ of a word. Tokenmaxxing, or flexing about how many tokens you’re using, has become a lightning rod in tech this year, as some argue developers are using up unnecessary tokens just to brag about it.

Despite the controversy, the clear use of Google’s AI products is surging, something Pichai was keen to highlight.

“I never imagined I’d say quadrillion at a keynote, but here we are,” he said.

Google has been seen as a winner on the AI front in recent months, thanks to its Gemini 3 AI model and AI chips known as TPUs. Its stock has more than doubled since last year’s I/O.

• Business Insider asked etiquette experts about the mistakes guests should never make at weddings.
• Guests shouldn’t ignore the RSVP deadline or arrive late to the ceremony.
• Overindulging at the bar, bringing an uninvited guest, and taking food home are all major faux pas.

No one wants to be that guest at a wedding. You know, the one everyone is whispering about for walking in during the middle of the ceremony or having a bit too much fun at the open bar.

A lot of time, effort, and money go into planning a wedding, so it’s important for guests to be on their best behavior during the festivities.

That’s why Business Insider asked four etiquette experts about the mistakes wedding guests should never make. Here’s what they said.

Missing the deadline to RSVP

Weddings, especially larger ones, require significant planning and coordination.

That’s why Nick Leighton — cohost of the etiquette-centric podcast “Were You Raised by Wolves?” — said it’s important to abide by the RSVP deadline on a wedding invitation.

“There are few things more rude than leaving a host hanging, so be sure to RSVP promptly,” Leighton told BI.

Arriving late to the ceremony

Although you may routinely show up late to other events, weddings are not a place for tardiness. In this environment, late arrivals can disrupt the flow of the ceremony or reception.

“Arriving late to a wedding ceremony is a social faux pas,” etiquette expert Lisa Mirza Grotts said. “Guests should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early.”

Ignoring the dress code

Etiquette expert Jamila Musayeva said ignoring the dress code for a wedding is inconsiderate and disrespectful.

“When a guest shows up underdressed, it disturbs the aesthetic and can even make others uncomfortable. It’s always better to be slightly overdressed than risk looking out of place,” Musayeva told BI.

Wearing white or light-colored styles

Jo Hayes, an etiquette expert and founder of EtiquetteExpert.Org, told BI it’s never OK for guests to wear all-white, cream, or pale pastel outfits.

“Do not wear a style that looks remotely bridal. You do not want to come even close to stealing the bride’s spotlight,” Hayes said.

However, she said white elements in an outfit are OK if they’re within reason.

Taking photos during the ceremony without having explicit permission to do so

Nothing can ruin wedding photos like camera flashes and raised arms holding up phones.

To mitigate this issue, many couples now request “unplugged” ceremonies, where smartphones and other electronic devices are kept out of sight.

Musayeva told BI that ignoring the couple’s wishes and using a phone are among the most disrespectful things a guest can do during a ceremony.

Bringing an uninvited plus one

Unconfirmed guests — including children — impact headcounts, meal planning, and table dynamics, and cause stress and frustration for the couple and wedding coordinators.

“Bringing someone who wasn’t explicitly invited places an unexpected financial and logistical burden on the couple,” Musayeva said.

Overindulging at the bar

Open bars are a popular choice for weddings, but Musayeva told BI it’s important that guests don’t overdo it.

“Drinking excessively shows a lack of self-awareness and puts unnecessary strain on the hosts,” Musayeva said. “A guest who becomes disruptive, loud, or sloppy can change the tone of the evening entirely. It shifts attention away from the couple and onto someone’s behavior.”

Straying from the wedding registry

Although giving the couple a personal and thoughtful gift might seem gracious, Grotts said wedding guests should avoid straying from the provided wedding registry, as it can create more work for the couple down the road.

“A couple’s registry is a curated list reflecting their needs and tastes,” Grotts told BI. “Disregarding it can result in redundant or unwanted items, hence returns.”

Making the day about you

Hayes told BI that claiming the spotlight with any big personal announcement or news is both self-centered and inconsiderate.

“Don’t steal the spotlight or make the day about yourself in any way. This includes no wedding proposals or baby news announcements. The day is about the couple, not you,” Hayes said.

Assuming you can take food home with you

Leighton said it’s never tasteful for guests to bring to-go containers with them, no matter how casual the wedding is.

“The hosts want you to have a nice time, but they probably don’t want to cater all your meals for the week,” he said.

It’s best to avoid banking on the idea of leftovers altogether — and always ask permission before taking anything home.

This story was originally published on June 4, 2025, and most recently updated on May 18, 2026.

• David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance hired a former Google exec as its head of consumer AI.
• Paramount is turning to AI to jump-start its streaming services.
• Read Paramount product chief Dane Glasgow’s memo to staffers about the hire.

Paramount Skydance just made a key hire to help advance its AI push.

Barak Turovsky, who oversaw Google’s AI language product for seven years, is joining David Ellison’s company as the head of consumer AI, product chief Dane Glasgow told tech staffers on Monday afternoon.

Turovsky most recently worked at General Motors and has held positions at companies including Cisco, PayPal, SAP, and IBM.

Hiring Turovsky will help Paramount “supercharge” the company’s transformation as it uses AI to “meaningfully drive” growth, Glasgow told employees in an email, which was obtained by Business Insider.

Turovsky “will be responsible for growing our AI / ML team,” which will “explore ways to leverage AI” across its streaming business, headlined by Paramount+ and free streamer Pluto TV, Glasgow said.

Glasgow then listed the ways AI could help its streamers:

• Personalization
• Content discovery
• Platform intelligence
• Consumer engagement
• Monetization capabilities

The company has been looking to bolster its streaming services with new consumer-facing features. Paramount+ rolled out a short-form video feed, and the company is developing interactive features, including a shopping tool and one centered on sports stats. The company is also looking to put video podcasts on Paramount+.

Paramount is leaning into technology

Paramount software engineers have told Business Insider they’re increasingly using AI, and one said they’d used eight to 10 agents at a time to knock out tasks. This AI user said that “Paramount is getting better” at implementing tech, adding that it’s still catching up to companies like Netflix and Google.

Paramount’s product chief said in the Monday email that the company’s goal is to “attract some of the best talent available” as it leans into AI.

Ellison’s company recently hired fellow former Google executive Hugh Williams as an EVP and an “Executive in Residence.” Last fall, Glasgow joined Paramount from Meta, and revenue chief Jay Askinasi came on board from Roku.

Paramount is looking to hire AI aficionados down the chain of command, based on current job listings for lead software engineers with experience building “intelligent automation systems.”

The company will restructure its tech organization when CTO Phil Wiser steps down at the end of the month, Business Insider reported on Friday. The company will not replace Wiser and instead have four key executives report directly to Glasgow.

Turovsky, who joined Paramount on Monday as an EVP, also reports to Glasgow.

Robert Dumoulin, Paramount’s SVP of Applied Intelligence, will now report to Turovsky.

Read the full memo from Glasgow to employees here:

Team,

As we see every day, the pace of technological change our industry is experiencing is rapid and we’ve already made tremendous progress in recent months to evolve our organization and products to remain on the forefront of what’s possible. In order to supercharge our transformation, I am excited to announce that Barak Turovsky is joining Paramount as our EVP and Head of Consumer AI, reporting directly to me.

Barak brings deep and highly relevant experience, having contributed to the development of foundational technologies that underpin AI and applying those capabilities at scale across multiple industries. At Google, he led the Languages AI product organization responsible for commercializing AI technologies across Google Search, Ads, YouTube, Cloud, Translate, Android, and other products, and spearheaded the product efforts behind the industry’s first large-scale commercial deployment of large language models and Transformers-based technology. Later, he held senior AI-focused roles at both General Motors and Cisco leading research, engineering and product teams to develop cutting-edge solutions and technologies.

He joins at a critical time in our company’s evolution as we look to scale AI and ML to meaningfully drive our growth. He will be responsible for growing our AI / ML team and their capacity as we attract some of the best talent available. Barak and team will also explore ways to leverage AI to improve personalization, content discovery, platform intelligence, consumer engagement, and monetization capabilities across Paramount+ and Pluto TV. To drive strong alignment across these efforts, Robert Dumoulin, SVP of Applied Intelligence, will report to Barak.

Technology will always be a creative multiplier and, with Barak’s leadership, I’m looking forward to seeing the impact he and the team will make as we drive our technological evolution forward. Please join me in welcoming Barak to Paramount!

Cheers!

Dane

• In 2024, Keara Callahan quit her corporate job to become a full-time social media influencer.
• She said she’s working more than before, but she’s earning more money and is happier.
• Callahan shared five things she’s learned from quitting a corporate job.

Keara Callahan thought she was doing everything right. She went to college, earned a degree in economics, and landed a well-paying government job as a tech consultant.

But she still felt something was missing. Watching endless TikTok videos of young people traveling and living freely only deepened that feeling.

In 2024, after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend and moving back in with her parents, Callahan quit her corporate job — a decision she wasn’t too sure about at the time.

“I’m very risk-averse, but I put in my notice and decided to pursue social media full-time,” Callahan, 28, told Business Insider. “It was probably the riskiest move I’ve ever made.”

Nearly three years after leaving her job, Callahan is now a full-time content creator with more than 300,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Her content, along with her newsletter and podcast, is geared mostly toward women and focuses on traveling and self-improvement.

Callahan said becoming her own boss was challenging, but worth it. While she’s putting in more hours than at her last job, she’s making more money and feels fulfilled.

Here are five things she’s learned since leaving the corporate world and starting over.

Always have a backup plan

Although Callahan was doing well in her corporate career, she knew better than to get too comfortable.

“We talk about corporate jobs almost as if they’re a guarantee that you’re going to be OK, but that might not always be true,” she said. “There are layoffs, reorganizations, changes in structure, and shifts in the economy.”

Before leaving her corporate job, Callahan had already begun building her social media following and making money from brand deals. She said that extra income made the jump more possible.

“Is it risky to do my own thing? 110%,” she added. “But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that I’d rather have something on the side, like I did when I was working in corporate. It’s important not to rely entirely on things outside your control.”

Don’t fear failure or judgment

Callahan said fear of failure had long held her back, both professionally and personally.

“I was pretty young when I entered the corporate world, as most of us are, and I was fearful that if I did anything wrong, I was going to get kicked out or fired,” she said. “Fear held me back on both ends: fear of failure at work and fear of judgment outside work for doing something outside the norm.”

However, since quitting her corporate job, Callahan said she has found a new confidence in her decision-making.

“Our brains are wired to protect us from scary things, even when those scary things can be fruitful or lead to something better on the other side,” she said. “Regardless of fear, just take a step.”

Being your own boss takes discipline

While it’s nice to imagine not having a boss breathing down your neck to get your tasks done on time, working for yourself requires building your own structure and holding yourself accountable.

“In a job, you have a certain role and certain tasks you have to do on a daily or weekly basis,” Callahan said. “When you’re working for yourself, you have those same things, but there’s no boss above you telling you what to do or checking in to make sure the work has been done.”

Callahan admitted she struggled to balance work and free time after she first left her full-time job.

“I had all this time in the world, so I’d tell myself, ‘I’ll do it later,'” she said. “Then later came, and a week went by, then two weeks.”

To get herself back on track, Callahan leaned on her corporate experience to create a more structured daily scheduled.

Now, her days follow a routine: From about 6:30 to 9:30 or 10 a.m., Callahan focuses on herself, doing things like working out, before sitting down to work. Each day of the week is also designated for a specific task. Mondays are for recording content and working on her podcast, client calls happen Tuesdays through Thursdays, and Fridays are usually reserved for time off or half days.

There’s no shame in asking for help

Callahan said she struggled to ask for help or raise concerns while working in corporate.

“I felt like I always had to put on an act in corporate,” she said. “Depending on where you work in your organization, you might not feel comfortable asking for help because you might be judged or seen as less than.”

Now that she works for herself, Callahan has become less focused on titles and hierarchy and more focused on learning from others.

“I’ve been able to open up 10,000 times more and get the help I need for my business, and learning how to grow and create,” she said.

Have faith in yourself

Deciding when to walk away from her job was something Callahan contemplated for a long time. Looking back, she said she wishes she had made the move sooner.

“My biggest thing is timing,” she said. “There’s never going to be a right time for anything. I know that’s so cliché and so annoying, but I’d rather just bite the bullet now and figure it out along the way.”

While she used to worry about what her friends, family, and colleagues thought of her, Callahan now knows the only person she has to please is herself.

“I don’t care what other people think about me, my journey, or my trajectory,” she said. “I’m afloat and making a more livable wage than I had been. It’s all working out, and it’s going to continue working out from here on out.”

• Delta Air Lines is ending snack service on flights under 350 miles starting May 19.
• The change also means flights over 350 miles get a full snack and beverage service.
• The internet’s response is divided, but I don’t think it’s a big deal.

A small airline Biscoff cookie has split the internet.

Earlier this month, news broke that Delta Air Lines would end free snack service for economy travelers on all flights under 350 miles starting on May 19. Those flights previously had “Express Service,” a scaled-down complimentary snack and drink offering.

Cirium data shows the change applies to about 90 routes, most of which are on Delta’s regional subsidiaries. Think hops like New York to Boston, San Francisco to Los Angeles, and Atlanta to dozens of smaller cities across the Southeast. Delta First is not affected, but economy flyers will need to bring their own SunChips or sodas — air travel comforts that many are accustomed to.

A Delta spokesperson told Business Insider the affected routes are all under an hour, and that the shake-up actually means 14% more daily flights will now get full snack and beverage service.

That includes a wider drink selection — including beer, wine, and liquor — and four snack options, instead of the more limited express lineup, which included the Biscoff and usually pretzels or chips. The Biscoff will still be available on full-service flights.

Reduced or no snack service on shorter routes is the norm for major airlines, as it saves money on weight and inventory and doesn’t strain flight attendants’ already limited time. It’s not even completely new for Delta — the airline’s previous cutoff was under 250 miles, or about 750 daily flights.

But raising that to 350 miles means around 500 more daily flights under that threshold will now go snackless, or about 9% of its total operations. Delta now has the strictest snack cutoff among the Big 3 US airlines — American’s is 250 miles, and United’s is 300.

Although Delta has said the change is positive for most customers, reactions on social media, including X and Reddit, have been mixed.

In response to the news, one X user equated the loss of snacks to flying low cost: “Spirit’s body is not even cold and they’re already trying to replace them!”

Another said: “Translation: Delta will operate like a discount airline while charging you full-service prices.”

A Senate candidate from Maine, Graham Platner, said on X that the move comes after Delta CEO Ed Bastian brought home a huge compensation package in 2024: “Delta can afford to pay their CEO $27 million,” he said. “But a complimentary water bottle is where they draw the line.”

Not everyone is upset, though.

An analyst from the Florida Commerce Department, Kyle Lamb, said on X that flight attendants are already pressed for time on short flights. Others pointed out that the new threshold only adds 10-20 minutes of snackless flight time.

Travel analyst Mike Arnot told Business Insider that airlines constantly measure customer satisfaction, and there are more pressing concerns among flyers.

“For most airlines, the biggest driver of customer satisfaction is whether the flight arrived on time,” he said. “Everything else falls by the wayside in comparison.”

He added the weight savings could actually result in a better performing airline: “Perhaps lower fares, or more destinations to small cities that live and die by air service.”

I see both sides. But, as someone who has experienced Delta’s express service dozens of times, I don’t think it’s a huge deal. I can throw a granola bar in my purse and get coffee on the way to my gate (Dunkin’ is better than airplane coffee anyway).

Plus, I can imagine that those who frequently take flights just under the 350-mile cutoff — Cirium shows Chicago Midway to Minneapolis is exactly 349 miles, for example — are happy to get more options.

And there are dozens more routes now that will get the full service — effectively moving Delta’s better onboard service onto more flights.

But I also see how others perceive it as Delta devaluing the economy experience in favor of its higher-paying premium customers.

Delta has been laser-focused on premium post-COVID as demand for more in-flight comforts soars, including new luxe cabins and fancy airport lounges — but it has simultaneously added restrictions on certain economy tickets, like taking away lounge access and reducing their SkyMiles value.

American and United are similarly all in on premium, and Arnot warned that other airlines may make similar adjustments to their short-haul snack service.

For me, I’ll miss the Biscoff, but I think most people will probably stop noticing pretty quickly. I can manage another 15 minutes in the air without a pick-me-up.