She gave birth, twice, in prison. We were there to witness the reunion with her kids.

Rick, Kelly, and baby Silas at the San Antonio airport on Jan. 20, 2022, the day of Kelly's release.

Alan Chin for Insider

Despite a wave of reforms, babies born in prison can still be taken from their mothers. The negative impacts can be dramatic and long-lasting.

Silas was taken from his mother's arms soon after he was born, in October 2021. The same was true for his older brother Kaleb, who came into the world in 2009, just after their mother was imprisoned for a nonviolent drug offense.

This is a story about lost time. It's also a story about a fresh start.

On January 20, 2022, three-month-old Silas, 13-year-old Kaleb, and their two older siblings reunited with their mom, Raquel Esquivel. That day, Raquel (her family calls her Kelly) walked out of prison and boarded a flight to San Antonio, where she'd get to embrace her fiancé, Rick Gonzalez, and hold baby Silas for only the second time. After Insider profiled her last year, Kelly allowed us to chronicle her journey home. As she left prison, still wearing her prison-issue sweatsuit, the photographer Alan Chin raced to catch the reunion at the San Antonio airport. He found Rick scanning the crowd from his Buick, just in time to see Kelly rushing toward them.

"My heart was beating fast," Kelly said of the reunion. Pulling off her mask, she hugged and kissed Rick and then found Silas bundled up in back, in the car seat.

"Seeing him for the first time, man, it was..." She paused. "I just saw his face. His eyes, of course, you get lost in that intense gaze. You get caught in that moment, and you don't want to look anywhere else."

Rick and Kelly after spotting each other in the airport pickup spot in San Antonio.

Alan Chin for Insider

What made this reunion even more poignant was that Kelly had been let out once before. In May 2020, she was part of a COVID-era experiment of 4,500 incarcerated people who were transferred to home confinement to thin overcrowding in federal prisons. With ankle monitors and multiple mandatory check-ins daily, they were given the chance to rebuild their lives and reconnect with loved ones.

And Kelly both rebuilt and reconnected. She lived with her kids and managed to find a job she loved. Things felt so settled that she allowed herself the space to date Rick and fall in love. Soon, they were engaged and expecting a baby. Sure, starting a new family would take time away from her three kids, but she felt OK about it because she had time. Kelly, and everyone around her, believed that her home confinement would turn into a permanent homecoming. She was nearing the end of her sentence, and things were going well.

She thought she had nothing but time.

But then, in May 2021 — a year after her release — Kelly was ordered back to prison. The Bureau of Prisons had audited her ankle monitor and determined she'd traveled outside her approved radius and missed a check-in. (Kelly and her then-employer dispute this.) She was several months pregnant. 

On her first day in prison, Kelly applied to be part of MINT, or Mothers and Infants Nurturing Together, a program that allows some people who are serving time to give birth and raise their babies in a halfway house for up to a year. She was rejected with a fuzzy explanation: the prison had agreed, but the BOP (which declined to answer Insider's questions about the matter) denied the request.

A calendar in the family apartment in Del Rio, Texas, checks the days until Kelly's release.

Alan Chin for Insider

Kelly had ended up in a prison where COVID-19 was still rampant, and where a pregnant woman had died of the coronavirus just a few months earlier. Kelly feared for her baby's health, and worried about how he'd cope without his mother.

She was also haunted by the feeling that her relationship with Rick had taken her away from her older kids, Dain, Jordan, and Kaleb. "I got out, got in a relationship, got pregnant. I didn't even give them time," she said. "It's something that consumed my mind. Some nights I wouldn't be able to sleep, 'cause I was like: 'I'm so wrong. Am I ever going to learn? Am I ever going to make the right decision?'"

Silas James was born October 18, 2021, in a hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. After a brief stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, Rick was called to the hospital and took him home. Kelly went back to prison.

Three months later, Kelly learned her release date was imminent.

At an Applebee's, Kelly tends to Silas, with Rick by her side.

Alan Chin for Insider

Rick, Kelly, and Silas at Applebee's.

Alan Chin for Insider

There is no reliable count of the number of babies born behind bars each year. One study, from 2016-17, found that at least 4% of incarcerated women were pregnant at the time of their sentencing. Babies can suffer dramatic and traumatic repercussions when they're separated from their mothers and are at heightened risk of cognitive delays, depression, and anxiety.

At the airport, when Kelly finally got to cradle her son, Silas was no longer the wrinkly, sleepy newborn she'd given birth to. "He looked directly in my eyes like he knew exactly who I was," Kelly said. "He knows his mom for sure, and I was kind of nervous about that!"

A short while later, the three of them were all tucked into a booth at an Applebee's. They cut an unremarkable sight — an adoring couple, giddy with their three-month-old. And yet, this was Kelly's first meal as a truly free woman.

Rick posted a few of Alan's pictures on social media, and supportive likes and comments flowed in.

Next stop: Kelly's 16-year-old daughter, Jordan, who lives with her father in San Antonio.

Rick waits in the car as Jordan and Kelly hug.

Alan Chin for Insider

Back in 2009, when Kelly was first locked up, Jordan was in preschool. Kelly had been working as a Border Patrol agent and was caught helping a smuggler move cannabis across the border from Mexico. Court documents say that she "provided him with information on highways and roads to use or avoid, locations of sensors, and areas and times patrols and local authorities would be working" and that he'd passed the information up the chain.

During her long incarceration, Kelly struggled to stay connected to her children. For one thing, FCI Waseca, the prison where she spent several years, was in Minnesota, nearly 1,300 miles from her kids.

"So many times I'm like: 'Man I'm just going to let them live their life, you know, and they can just forget about me. I'm just going to stop calling.' So many times, I thought that, but I never did," she said.

Some of the women Kelly met in prison advised her it was foolish to try to exist in two places at once: "They would tell me: 'You can't do your time that way.' But I was like: 'I don't know no other way — my kids are out there. That's my life.'"

Kelly and Silas take a break from the drive to Del Rio, Texas.

Alan Chin for Insider

Back on the road, Silas had gotten fussy, and Kelly reached to make a bottle. She'd only ever breastfed, so she asked Rick for the ratio. "One scoop for every 2 ounces," he replied. Kelly mixed while Rick drove.

"Oh my goodness, there you go," she told Silas, feeding him for the first time. The car grew quiet.

From there, it was straight west to Del Rio, the Texas border town where Kelly grew up and would now live again.

Rick and Kelly.

Alan Chin for Insider

When Kelly returned to prison after her year out, Rick tried to stay in close touch. But Kelly, feeling angry and isolated, didn't want visitors. Both acknowledged their phone calls were often strained. As Kelly put it, she felt cold in prison and couldn't be "all lovey-dovey."

From the outside, Rick was the one to coordinate with criminal-justice-reform advocates helping Kelly with her case. Now, with Silas behind her in the car, Kelly was talking to some of those people for the first time, thanking them, as they called to celebrate her release.

"How is baby Silas?" said Amy Povah, of Can-Do, an organization that seeks clemency for nonviolent drug offenders.

"I mean, we're getting acquainted," Kelly said.

"Oh, Raquel, you know what? Enjoy every single minute of it," Povah said, calling the system that had separated them "a monster."

It's mind-blowing to see how much time was lost.

As they approached Del Rio, Kelly got a call from her oldest son Dain, who's now 18. He wanted to know whether his girlfriend could be with them at the apartment when Kelly walked in. 

Introducing your girlfriend to your mother can be a delicate task for any teenager, and there was a slight tremor in Dain's voice. It was another moment that was both normal and extraordinary, as Kelly prepared to reenter her eldest child's life once again.

Sure, Kelly said. 

Kelly and Dain had maintained a close bond over the years, and living together again during her home confinement, they'd found a happy rhythm. Her sudden reimprisonment left him utterly dazed. "I was like, 'Now what do I do?'" he said. He took his sadness to Kelly but found it to be "a lot harder having to talk to her through the phone about everything," he said.

Now, they'd have another shot. A week earlier, Dain had moved into the apartment with Rick and Silas, as they all awaited Kelly's return. What Dain craved, he said, was "just a good talk with my mom." Face to face, he clarified.

"I haven't had that in a while."

A "Welcome Home" message on the wall of Kelly's new home.

Alan Chin for Insider

Finally, they reached Del Rio, and Kelly got a first look at her new home.

Back in May 2021, Rick and Kelly were five days from moving into their first apartment together when Kelly was re-imprisoned. Rick moved in alone, and this was where he'd brought Silas. Until now, they'd never woken up together, or shared a home. 

Now, as Rick toured Kelly through each room, Kelly made a beeline for the closets. 

Rick and Kelly in their apartment.

Alan Chin for Insider

Rick shows Kelly some of the baby's things.

Alan Chin for Insider

After being locked up for more than a decade, Kelly takes stock of one of her closets.

Alan Chin for Insider

She teased Rick and Dain for not cleaning the bathrooms to her standard. But, overall, she seemed pleased.

"They say you don't know somebody until you've lived with them," Kelly said. "So, a lot of prayers!" She laughed and then added: "I really do believe that Rick is the one for me. I believe that with my heart, I do."

The sun had set. The next stop was the home of Kelly's parents, Veronica and Rosendo, where Kaleb has lived all his life.  Kaleb was just getting home from gymnastics practice and welcomed his mother with a backflip.

Kelly's son Kaleb does a backflip as he's reunited with his mom.

Alan Chin for Insider

Kelly delivered Kaleb while handcuffed to a hospital bed, and he was taken from her the day he was born. (The practice of shackling federal prisoners during labor was banned, with some exceptions, in 2018. It's still allowed in about a dozen states.)

"I could not even hold him once I gave birth," Kelly said, "I saw him for a couple of minutes and then they took him away."

He went home with Veronica, who's played the role of his mother.

Kelly's parents, Veronica and Rosendo, pictured with Kelly in their home, helped raise her children when she was locked up.

Alan Chin for Insider

Kelly embraces Kaleb, as Dain looks on.

Alan Chin for Insider

While thankful that all her children were loved, safe, and provided for when she was in prison, Kelly was aware she was rejoining a program already in progress. With Kaleb, especially, she said, "I don't know how our relationship will turn out."

"He definitely knows me as mom, but how can I explain it?" she said later. "He never comes to me for permission for anything, because he doesn't live with me."

At her parent's home, Kelly goes through her mail, as Dain and Dain's girlfriend stand beside her.

Alan Chin for Insider.

Kaleb holding Silas in front of Kelly and Veronica.

Alan Chin for Insider

Rick helping Kelly with Silas' carrier.

Alan Chin for Insider

That night, back at the apartment, Kelly lay down in her own bed, tucked between Silas and Rick.

"I couldn't sleep," she said. "It was so surreal. Having Rick on one side and Silas on the other, taking up all the space! And Dain down the hall. You know, it was just … oh, man, I couldn't have asked for a better homecoming. It was amazing."

Nearly a year later, Kelly is working as a shipping clerk for Toter, a company that makes trash cans. She started as a temp and has converted to full time. "401(k), the works," she says.

Dain graduated from high school and recently got a job at Toter, too, working alongside his mom. Jordan visits from San Antonio every two weeks, and she'll spend her Christmas vacation with Kelly and her brothers. Silas is walking and bats his eyelashes ("making ojitos," Kelly laughs) at all the big kids and adults who surround him.

"I'm at a good place in my life, and my kids are at a good place," she says. "We're making memories."

On July 15, 2022, Kelly and Rick married at the Del Rio courthouse. It was Rick's birthday.

The road to Del Rio.

Alan Chin for Insider

"It was just us: me and my kids, and him. It was awesome, just perfect," Kelly says. "After everything we've been through, we did it."

But even when things are great, and family life flows naturally, one of the older kids will recall something that happened when they were 8 or 9. "I'm like, 'Wow, I missed so much,'" Kelly says. "It's mind-blowing to see how much time was lost."

If there's a lesson here, she thinks it's that society needs to see what separating incarcerated moms from their babies and little kids does to families, and to find a better way.

"It takes an army to make a change. People get complacent, and they accept what is, and you stop fighting," Kelly says. "But people need to keep fighting."

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Meet a Gen Xer with $230,000 in student debt who worries payments will restart without Biden's loan forgiveness: 'It will be an excuse to say they'd done all they can'

College graduate sitting outside.

Sean de Burca/Getty Images

• Timothy Babulski, 44, has $230,000 in student debt, so Biden's relief will hardly impact him.
• But he says payments restarting before the relief is implemented means "the majority of borrowers will be abandoned."
• Biden's student-loan forgiveness currently sits in the Supreme Court, awaiting a judgment on its legality.

Timothy Babulski knows that $10,000 in student-debt relief will hardly make a dent in his $230,000 balance. 

But for the sake of millions of other borrowers dealing with debt loads, he hopes reductions to their balances will happen before they are thrown back into repayment.

As an adjunct professor in Maine, Babulski, 44, pursued two advanced degrees because he said it was the only way for him to progress in his teaching career. He received his Ph.D in 2017, but during the three and a half years it took to get that degree, his loans were in in-school deferment, meaning he did not have to make any payments but the interest on them continued to grow.

While Babulski's employer would be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after ten years of qualifying payments, the program's initial rules did not allow adjunct work to qualify since it was part-time. 

The Education Department announced proposals in October to permanently reform PSLF, including by establishing full-time employment as 30 hours a week and requiring employers to give adjunct faculty credit of at least 3.35 hours of work for every hour taught. Babulski is hoping he will be able to take advantage of those changes once they are implemented. But with the up to $20,000 in broad debt relief Biden announced at the end August currently held up in court, Babulski said he's worried with how the Biden administration will handle the outcome.

"My fear, regardless of the outcome of the case, is that the White House is so desperate to restart payments and get back to normal that they've forgotten that 'normal' is a decades-long debt sentence; either way, it will be an excuse to say they'd done all the can," he said. "The only difference will be whether the majority of borrowers will be abandoned— or all of us will be."

"It's a system that has historically failed us for half a century"

Biden's goal when he announced broad student-debt relief was to help millions of borrowers recover from the pandemic and ensure they would not be forced to enter repayment in a worse-off position than they were before COVID-19.

Biden's administration has used the HEROES Act of 2003 to carry out this relief, which gives the Education Secretary the ability to waive or modify student-loan balances in connection with a national emergency, like COVID-19. This is "one-time" debt relief, as Biden has frequently noted, and he maintains confidence that the Supreme Court will rule in his favor when it hears arguments to the cases beginning on February 28.

The Education Department also used the HEROES Act to recently extend the student-loan payment pause through June 30, or whenever the lawsuits are resolved, whichever comes first — meaning that borrowers might still have to resume paying off their debt if the Supreme Court ends up striking down Biden's policy

But the administration has not publicly noted what it will do, if anything, if the Supreme Court strikes down the broad debt relief. That has Babulski concerned.

"It's a system that has historically failed us for half a century," Babulski said. 

"We have no other options in our society to pay for that education other than debt," he continued. "That's how it has to be done. It's people who come from money versus people who don't."

While many Republican lawmakers have criticized Biden's debt relief, arguing it would cost taxpayers and benefit the wealthy, the $125,000 income cap the president placed on his loan forgiveness was intended to ensure it would benefit the lower earners.

As Insider previously reported, some Democratic lawmakers and advocates have been urging Biden to use the Higher Education Act of 1965, rather than the HEROES Act, to cancel student debt. It does not rely on the existence of a national emergency. Experts at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School wrote in a 2020 memo that under the Higher Education Act, the "Secretary has the authority to modify a loan to zero, and exercises this authority even in the absence of any implementing regulations."

Babulski just hopes the focus on resuming payments doesn't take away from the Biden administration's promise of taking some of the student debt burden off the shoulders of borrowers.

"We should want to have that feel good story for everyone," Babulski said. "The important amount isn't the amount of debt that is canceled. It's having no debt at the end. The ambition of my generation, the millennial generation, isn't even to get ahead. It's just to get to zero."

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Most House members didn't show up in person to vote on a $1.7 trillion government funding bill

An unusually-full House chamber during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress on Wednesday.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

• The House passed a $1.7 trillion government funding bill Friday, sending it to President Biden's desk.
• But a majority of House members were not physically present for the vote due to proxy voting.
• The practice began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but lawmakers have since used it for other reasons.

The House of Representatives voted by a 225-201-1 margin to pass a nearly $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill on Friday that will fund the government through most of 2023, send billions in new funding to Ukraine, and institute reforms to the Electoral Count Act in response to the January 6 Capitol riot.

But most members of the House weren't there for the vote — at least in person. More than half of them — 226 — voted by proxy.

As of Friday afternoon, 235 members of Congress had signed proxy letters designating other members of Congress to cast votes on their behalf, attesting that they were "unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency."

It is likely the most poorly-attended vote since the Democratic-led House instituted the procedure in May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, members have used the procedure for a litany of non-pandemic related reasons.

Among the no-shows was Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has been vacationing in Costa Rica since Sunday, Insider first reported.

Other lawmakers likely left town to avoid travel days caused by historic winter weather, or had already made plans to be out of town ahead of the holidays — the votes held this week were only added to the calendar recently, as lawmakers took longer than expected to reach an agreement on funding the government.

Below is a list of the members who voted by proxy, acccording to the the House Clerk. The member who cast the vote on each members' behalf is in parentheses.

 

Republicans have vowed to end the practice in the next Congress, when they will hold the majority. However, many have frequently used the practice anyway.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy noted that the majority of the chamber was absent in a statement following the vote on Friday.

"For the first time in history, a bill in the House was passed without a physical quorum present – meaning more people voted from home than in the House Chamber," said McCarthy. "The fact that [the bill] was allowed to pass with blatant disregard to Article I, Section 5 of our Constitution will forever stain this body."

Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a major critic of proxy voting, spoke on the House floor after the omnibus vote on Friday to note that 226 members — a majority of the chamber — had voted by proxy and suggested that a quorum was not present under the US Constitution.

He also teased a potential challenge to the legitimacy of the vote.

"Can the speaker advise whether there is a physical quorum present as required under the Constitution, and whether there is any recourse for any member under our rules to challenge a ruling that there is a quorum?" asked Roy.

"The Chair would just note that a quorum was indeed present," replied Democratic Rep. G.K Butterfield, who was presiding over the chamber at the time. He also said that members "recording their presence by proxy are counted for the purpose of establishing a quorum under the rules of the House."

McCarthy also said in his statement that House Republicans would be "pursuing legitimate challenges to the legality in which the Democrat Congress distorted the business and institutional precedents of the House" when they assume the majority.

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I drove Uber during the holidays to get my son the gift he wanted. I didn't think I'd get enough tips, but then a Christmas miracle happened.

Bunny Rivera and her son.

Courtesy of Bunny Rivera

• Uber driver Bunny Rivera started working for the rideshare company after she became a mom.
• Rivera said the job was flexible and she enjoyed the experience, so she stuck with it.
• She recalled some of her most unexpected holiday experiences, which include really big tips.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bunny Rivera, a 35-year-old Uber driver from Washington, DC, about her experiences working during the holiday season. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I began delivering food for Uber Eats during the fall of 2019. Prior to that I was a flight attendant. When I got pregnant, I continued flying right up until the 32-week mark, when my doctor insisted I stop.

When my son Kaiden was two months old, I left his father. Flying as a single mom was out of the question for me, so I began searching for another way to earn a living. I also had to find a job where I could take my newborn son with me, since I couldn't afford a babysitter. Uber Eats provided me with the flexibility I needed to do just that. 

I only expected to do work for Uber Eats until I got back on my feet, but I wound up enjoying the experience and the flexibility couldn't be beat. Most of the time I worked between 20 and 40 hours a week, doing a combination of Uber Eats when Kaiden was with me and Uber rideshare when he was with his Dad. 

These days, I run an Etsy shop and I'm swamped with orders for the holidays, which doesn't leave much time for driving. But I have lots of unexpected experiences working with Uber during the holidays.

Where I drive in DC isn't always the safest, and on more than one occasion I've been assaulted

One time a passenger grabbed my chest and I kicked him out of the car. Another time I arrived at my pickup only to find there were too many people in the party, including little kids without car seats. When I told the group I couldn't take them, one of the guys got mad, reached through the car window, and grabbed me by the shirt. When I tried rolling up the window, a second man reached in, trying to push the window back down. Luckily, I was able to drive off.

Ever since I was first assaulted, I posted a sign in the backseat of my car with a photo of me and Kaiden. If a passenger is looking to start any trouble, my hope is that seeing I'm the mother of a small child will make them reconsider. In addition to the photo, I list my Instagram handle and Cash App information for gratuities.

Despite what one might think, my tips go down during the holidays

In my experience, tipping has gone down since COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, I'd estimate half my rides tipped, even if just a dollar, but these days less than a quarter of my passengers tip. I chalk it up to people trying to save money. However, those that do tip do fairly well.

During my first year driving for Uber, I drove a couple home from a holiday party and they ended up tipping me $100. They even treated me to McDonald's since they requested we make a stop at the drive-thru.

Working full-time for Uber had become a good way to earn money on my own terms, so I was at a complete loss when Kaiden, at the age of 15 months, got sick and I had to stop working for nearly a month and a half to stay home with him.

I'll never forget the day I picked Kaiden up from his dad's house and saw his lips turning blue. We rushed to the emergency room, where a series of X-rays revealed he'd swallowed a coin.

That evening was one of the roughest of our lives. Over the next weeks, Kaiden suffered from lung infections and pneumonia, causing him to lose a dangerous amount of weight. Because he was so weak, he couldn't return to daycare and so I couldn't return to work.

Christmas, as we knew it, was looking like it would be canceled in our household, until I turned on the Uber app

On a trip to Walmart, Kaiden spotted a "Baby Shark" ride-on toy that cost $150 and fell in love. One evening, when Kaiden's dad took him for the night,  I decided to Uber as long as I could to earn enough to buy that Baby Shark, assuming it would take five or six hours.

The night started out slow, until I picked up two drunk college guys who were headed from one bar to another. 

When they saw my sign, the guys started asking me about my plans for Christmas. I told them we weren't doing much of anything and that I was out working to afford the Baby Shark toy for Kaiden. I didn't think much of it when they asked me how much it cost, but then they announced they were going to tip me $150 so I could buy the toy. 

Unfortunately, the Uber app has a $100 limit on tips. My passengers didn't have Cash App and I didn't have Venmo, so they insisted I call a girlfriend of mine who used Venmo so they could send her the money. It was after midnight, but luckily she answered, I explained the situation to her, and the guys sent her the money. 

Then they waited in my car for her to forward the money to my Cash App. As soon as that money hit my phone I just broke down and started crying. 

To this day, I keep in touch with one of the guys on Instagram and we message once in a while. What he and his friend did that night meant everything to me. One day, when Kaiden is older, I'll tell him Santa exists in many forms and that he's not just a guy with a white beard and a red hat.

I haven't driven for Uber since October, but after the holidays I plan to drive 20 hours a week.

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Elon Musk was challenged about his pronoun comments by a Tesla investor who has a trans child

Tesla investors are increasingly concerned by Elon Musk's focus on Twitter.

Getty Images

• A Tesla investor challenged Musk on his jokes about pronouns in a Twitter Space on Thursday.
• The user said Musk's jokes made them feel uncomfortable about owning a Model X.
• Musk said he felt like the use of pronouns were "a shield to allow people to be assholes."

A Tesla investor with a trans child challenged Elon Musk over his comments about pronouns in a tense discussion on Thursday.

In a Twitter Space for Tesla investors where Musk was a speaker, a participant asked him about his recent language but got a cagey response.

The user, Earl of FrunkPuppy, told Musk that while he was still passionate about Tesla and owned shares in the company, he felt disenfranchised by the CEO's recent behavior.

Earl of FrunkPuppy said they had a daughter as well as a trans child who had both previously been excited about owning a Model X, but now had "mixed feelings."

"It's not always directly related to what you say, but kind of some of the opinions or attention you draw to things like pronouns or something like that. And it's just, it's sad for me to watch that happen," the user said.

The person also said that as a shareholder they were concerned that Musk was alienating moderates. Musk responded: "I'm not going to sort of suppress my views just to boost the stock price."

The moderator then asked: "Elon, you don't hate trans people, do you?"

Musk said he did not, but added: "It does bother me that people will use pronouns to just be super judgmental. To me feels like a lot of these things are a shield that allow people to be assholes, like a moral shield that where they just give them an excuse to be an asshole and that's, that's what that bothers me."

The investor pushed back on Musk's comments and said it felt like he was "punching down to a really marginalized group" with his comments about pronouns.

"My kid is just trying to have like their pronoun used in school and stuff and it's like, you know, then you have this really rich popular person like crapping on pronouns," the user said, before being cut off by Musk who asked the moderator to move on to the next question.

—🐶 Earl of FrunkPuppy 🐶 (@28delayslater) December 23, 2022

Musk has often said he wanted to fight a "woke mind virus" he argued was negatively affecting public discourse. That appeared to include mocking the use of pronouns by mostly liberal users in their social media handles. 

In 2020, he tweeted: "I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an esthetic [sic] nightmare."

His latest joke about pronouns involved Musk tweeting: "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci," in reference to calls from right-wing sources to arrest Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the US President, for his role in the imposing COVID-19 quarantines. 

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China is likely seeing over a million COVID cases and 5,000 deaths a day, report says. But Beijing's official data is showing 7 deaths so far this week.

An elderly COVID-19 patient lies on a stretcher at the emergency ward of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in China's southwestern city of Chongqing on December 22, 2022.

Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images

• China is likely seeing over 1 million infections and 5,000 deaths a day from COVID-19, per Airfinity data.
• China has officially reported 14,285 cases and just seven deaths so far this week.
• Beijing has also changed the way it records COVID-19 deaths, which may cause the low official count.

More than 5,000 people are likely dying from COVID-19 in China each day — in stark contrast to Beijing's official count of just seven deaths in the past week, according to Airfinity, a health data company.

Airfinity's data modelling shows China is likely seeing over 1 million COVID cases a day, in what it called a "stark contrast" to official figures, per a press release on Wednesday.

 The staggering estimates were released just as China's seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, after the country loosened pandemic restrictions following nearly three years of strict containment measures.

China reported 3,696 new local COVID-19 cases and zero deaths on Thursday, according to the National Health Commission. The country has officially reported 14,285 local COVID cases and just seven deaths so far this week, despite anecdotal accounts suggesting much larger infection and fatality numbers.

Crematoriums and funeral homes in Beijing and Shanghai are also tending to a rising number of people who have died from COVID-19, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Financial Times reported last weekend. There was a line of about 40 hearses outside a Beijing crematorium on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

"China has stopped mass testing and is not longer reporting asymptomatic cases. The combination means the official data is unlikely to be a true reflection of the outbreak being experienced across the country," Dr Louise Blair, the head of vaccines and epidemiology at Airfinity, said in the press release.

Beijing has also changed the way it records COVID-19 deaths — this data will now only include those who die from pneumonia and respiratory failure caused by the virus. Those who die from other underlying health conditions that worsened due to the virus are not classified as COVID deaths, said Wang Guiqiang, head of the infectious disease department at Peking University First Hospital, at a government press conference on Tuesday, according to an official transcript.

"This is different to other countries that record deaths within a time frame of a positive test or where COVID-19 is recorded to have attributed to the cause of death," said Airfinity's Blair. "This change could downplay the extent of deaths seen in China."

The World Health Organization has expressed concerns about the situation in China, but said it didn't think the country was "actively" concealing case numbers amid the strain on its healthcare system currently.

"In China, what's been reported is relatively low numbers of cases in ICUs, but anecdotally ICUs are filling up," WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan said at a media briefing on Wednesday. "I wouldn't like to say that China is actively not telling us what's going on. I think they're behind the curve."

And the situation is only likely to deteriorate in the coming weeks. 

Airfinity predicts two upcoming COVID-19 peaks in China with cases reaching 3.7 million a day in mid-January and 4.2 million a day in early March 2023. This coincides with the Chinese New Year season, when travel typically spikes as people travel to and from their hometowns for the official week-long holidays beginning January 21, 2023.

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See inside the Ocean Endeavor, a ship that sails to Antarctica. Rooms can go for over $10,000.

A chinstrap penguin with the Ocean Endeavour in Antarctica.

Taylor Rains/Insider

• A record 100,000 people are expected to travel to Antarctica during the 2022/2023 season.
• To get to the white continent, most people take a ship and have to cross the rough Drake Passage.
• I spent $5,700 for a triple cabin on Intrepid Travel's Ocean Endeavor for my voyage — see inside the ship.

Travel to Antarctica is booming, with 100,000 people expected to travel to the continent this season.

Intrepid Travel passengers looking out at Antarctica.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: NC State University

Tourism to the isolated snow desert dates back to the 1950s and has grown dramatically in recent years.

Tourists stepping on Antarctica at the tour's first landing site.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: British Antarctic Survey

In the 2016/2017 season, only about 38,000 people visited, while in 2019, around 74,000 people made the journey.

Passengers on a zodiac boat.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty

However, travel was halted during the pandemic and many tours were canceled or postponed — including mine with Australia-based tour company Intrepid Travel.

The front of Intrepid's Ocean Endeavor ship with a branded flag waving.

Taylor Rains/Insider

My trip was originally scheduled to depart in November 2020, but was delayed to November 2021, and again to November 2022.

Antarctic ice reflection in the water.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Fortunately, with COVID-19 now under control and many tours, including Intrepid, requiring vaccinations, I was finally able to reach Antarctica last month.

Standing on Antarctica.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Intrepid Travel

My incredible 9-night journey was on the 200-person Ocean Endeavor expedition ship, where rooms can cost passengers over $10,000. Here’s what the trek was like.

A chinstrap penguin with the Ocean Endeavour in Antarctica.

Taylor Rains/Insider

According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which is an organization that promotes safe and responsible travel to the continent, most tourists reach Antarctica by boat from South America.

A view of the port in Ushuaia.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Flying is also an option, but only about 1% of tourists arrive by plane as the weather is unpredictable at the landing sites and the continent's infrastructure can make it difficult to rescue a stranded aircraft.

Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions based a Boeing 757 Chile to fly tourists to Antarctica.

Tim Hewette/ALE

Source: The Points Guy, British Antarctic Survey, Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions

For my adventure, the departure port was in Ushuaia, Argentina, which is the southern-most city in the world.

Standing with the "fin del mundo" sign in Ushuaia.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I flew to the small city from Buenos Aires on the nation's flag carrier, Aerolineas Argentinas, though budget airlines like JetSmart also offer service. Whatever the airline, I suggest you reserve a window seat — the views are unforgettable.

The view on descent into Ushuaia.

Taylor Rains/Insider

For Intrepid's trip, guests were instructed to arrive a day early and were provided accommodation in Ushuaia. I was booked at the Wyndham Garden Ushuaia Hotel del Glaciar, which was about 10 minutes by taxi from town and up a giant hill.

I was put up at the Wyndham Garden Ushuaia Hotel del Glaciar, though other guests were booked at the Las Hayas Ushuaia Resort down the road. The latter was a nicer hotel, though mine was perfectly comfortable with great views of the port.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Here, an icebreaker was hosted and I met a wonderful group of nine travelers who I spent my entire Antarctic adventure with.

My little Antarctic family: (L-R): Erica, me, Emily, Courtney, Paulina, Nastassja, Joanna, Ashley, Harrison, and Hugo.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The following day, Intrepid arranged a transfer from the hotel to the port, which is where we got our first look at the company's specially-modified expedition ship — the Ocean Endeavour.

Standing at the port with the Ocean Endeavour.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The ship is new to Intrepid, with my voyage being only the company's second-ever to Antarctica.

The Ocean Endeavour in Antarctica.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Originally named the Konstantin Simonov after a Russian poet, the Ocean Endeavour launched in 1982 and was used by Soviet companies to ferry people around the Baltic Sea.

The ship went by many names, including Kristina Katarina (pictured), before being called the Ocean Endeavour.

MFKI

Source: USA Today

The ship was converted into a polar vessel in 2014 and equipped with 20 robust zodiac boats to transport people from the ship to remote landing sites in the Arctic and Antarctica.

Guests on a zodiac in Antarctica.

Courtesy of Harrison Hunt

Source: USA Today

Arriving at the Ocean Endeavour, it was much bigger than it looked from afar but was dwarfed in comparison to the luxury vessel on the adjacent dock, where rates start at over $20,000 for a 12-night cruise in November 2023.

The Ocean Endeavour (right) and the Le Commandant Charcot (left) in port. The ship was named after French Antarctic expeditionist Jean-Baptiste Charcot who voyaged to the continent in 1903.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Ponant

Getting settled into the boat was quick and easy with help from the designated reception desk on deck 5.

The reception desk.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The employee onboard held onto my passport and gave me my key to cabin 4100 located toward the front of the boat.

My cabin key on the Ocean Endeavour.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I paid a Black Friday rate of $5,700 in 2019 for a triple interior room, meaning I had two random female roommates and no window in the cabin. I also had to pay a "fuel surcharge" in August 2022 due to rising oil costs, amounting to about $450.

Fortunately, my roommates were lovely adventurers and we had no drama.

Intrepid Travel

My rate was relatively cheap compared to current triple room prices that sit between $8,800 and $11,000 for 2023 voyages. I also paid less than one person in my group who spent upward of $7,000 in 2021 for her triple room.

Intrepid includes the possibility of a fuel surcharge in its booking conditions.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: Intrepid Travel

While at first, I was a little worried about being in a triple, the room proved to be one of the biggest on the ship. Inside were four beds, including three that pointed toward the side of the ship and one that faced back to front.

Excuse the mess, it was a hectic embarkation day. My roommate snagged the far left bed and quickly realized how easy it was to fall out of it during the journey through the infamous Drake Passage, but more on that later.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Also inside the cabin was a separate bathroom and shower, which were each inside a small room with a door. There was shampoo, body wash, a handle to hang onto, and a curtain inside the shower room.

The doors to the separate shower and toilet. The toilet uses a vacuum system and we were warned about letting anything fall in as it could clog up the entire ship’s plumbing.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Other amenities in the cabin included large closets with hangars, a TV that broadcast a few rotating movies and onboard science presentations, power outlets, and securable drawers.

The science presentations were live-streamed from the ship’s Nautilus Lounge.

Intrepid

I thought the room was extremely comfortable, and the large size meant I wasn't falling over my roommates. Though, I didn't spend much time in the cabin other than sleeping or showering.

My triple interior cabin.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While my room only had one shower, the other three triples on the boat had two. Moreover, they only had three beds across the cabin with one full bathroom on either side. The closets were not as big though.

I preferred my larger room, despite only having one shower.

Intrepid Travel

Other rooms onboard included a comfort twin, which one person in my group spent $7,700 on when booking in the summer of 2022…

She had one random roommate.

Taylor Rains/Insider

…as well as single rooms and suites. These go for much more than the shared cabins, costing between $10,000 and $18,000 per person, according to current Intrepid pricing.

My friend had a room with two twin beds and two berths that folded down, meaning four people could sleep int he cabin. She had no roommates though.

Courtesy of Karen Beck

Source: Intrepid Travel

In addition to rooms, the Ocean Endeavour also featured several other spaces, but don't expect a typical Caribbean cruise ship.

A rendering of Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean International

Passengers will not find casinos or giant Broadway-like auditoriums, nor are there water slides or steakhouses onboard.

The reception area on the Ocean Endeavour. Most spaces had minimal seating or decor because everything would slide or fall through the Drake Passage.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Instead, the amenities were simple, but still very nice. Toward the front of the boat was the Polaris Restaurant, where buffet-style and a-la-carte meals were served three times a day.

Guests getting food on the first day.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I thought the food was delicious, and there were some vegan and vegetarian options, but there was minimal fish because the company couldn't find an acceptable ethical vendor.

One of my a-la-carte steak meals.

Taylor Rains/Insider

My group bought several bottles of wine in Ushuaia before embarkation, which Intrepid let us bring onboard at no additional cost and we drank them at every dinner.

Wine bottles at dinner.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While the dining room was really only intended to provide meals, it ended up being a pretty eventful space when journeying through the Drake Passage.

The dining room.

Taylor Rains/Insider

On our way to Antarctica, we were lucky to only have what is called the "Drake Lake," which means the rough sea was actually pretty calm, and the boat didn't have unbearable movement.

Day two of sailing through the Drake Passage on the way to Antarctica.

Taylor Rains/Insider

But, on the way back was a different story. We encountered what is known as the "Drake Shake," battling gale-force winds of over 30 miles per hour and waves reaching over 15 feet, making it hard to eat, walk, or even sleep.

The boat hitting the water after a giant wave in the Drake Passage on the way back to Argentina.

Taylor Rains/Insider

For about two days straight, the boat rocked side-to-side and up and down, crashing onto the ocean's surface and dumping people out of their beds and dining room chairs.

Intrepid showed us the weather in the Drake Passage, with pink meaning gale-force winds and huge wave swells.

Taylor Rains/Insider

In a viral TikTok video taken by fellow Antarctic passenger and friend Paulina Portillo, you can hear plates and glasses breaking as they slide off tables.

Glasses falling during a giant wave.

Courtesy of Paulina Portillo

Source: TikTok

I’ll admit the event was a little scary at times, but there were handles to help walk, and I mostly camped out in the aft lounge where the movement was less intense.

The waves and snow heading through the Drake Passage.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Fortunately, I avoided any nausea thanks to the seasickness patches I got prescribed before the cruise. I cannot express this enough — do not go to Antarctica without strong anti-nausea medicine.

The Scopolamine patch goes behind your ear. My doctor instructed me to only use half of the patch, which I put on about three hours before setting sail. It works for three days before needing to switch it out. Dramamine worked for other shipmates.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While the Drake Passage was definitely an experience in itself, the boat had several rooms and activities that provided entertainment, like the Nautilus Lounge, which featured tables and chairs...

Taylor Rains/Insider

and a bar that served cocktails, wine, beer, and nonalcoholic drinks.

The beer bucket came with six bottles and cost $28.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The lounge is where the expedition team provided daily educational lectures on topics like whales, penguins, photography, tectonic plates, and the history of Antarctica.

The study of seabirds was one of the lectures, and the expedition team took guests outside to survey and photograph the ones flying around the ship.

Courtesy of Harrison Hunt

The room was also used for explaining how to use some of the excursion equipment, like snowshoes and camping gear. I signed up for both, which cost an additional $150 and $300, respectively.

Snowshoe leader March demonstrates how to use the boots.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Unfortunately, neither of those activities happened due to the weather, but the kayakers, who shelled out over $1,000 for the experience, were able to go out a few times.

The kayakers paddling around Neko Harbour in Antarctica.

Courtesy of Harrison Hunt

Also onboard the ship were several other spaces, like a spa, sauna, and gym…

The sauna and gym were on deck 8. The sauna could be reserved.

Taylor Rains/Insider

…the bridge, which was open to guests to see how the ship navigated through the rough seas…

The bridge was open to guests at certain times of the day.

Taylor Rains/Insider

…the Aurora Lounge and the Meridian Club...

The Aurora Lounge (pictured) was smaller than the Nautilus Lounge but had the same chairs and tables.

Taylor Rains/Insider

…and the Compass Club.

The Compass Club stretched the side of deck 6.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Here, the crew provided daily tea time with sweets and mini sandwiches, as well as all-day coffee, cookies, and fruit.

The table that held the all-day food and drinks.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Probably the most interesting room onboard was the mud room, which is where passengers got ready to head out into the frigid Antarctic air.

The mud room on the Ocean Endeavour.

Taylor Rains/Insider

To get to shore, we had to ride on the 10-person Zodiacs manned by an expedition team member.

My Antarctic family on the zodiac.

Taylor Rains/Insider

However, sometimes ice blocked certain landing sites and we instead spent hours just riding around and looking at the glaciers, sea animals, and icebergs, which was actually my favorite part of the trip.

One zodiac cruise destination was a 1915 shipwreck. The boat is called the Guvernøren and intentionally beached itself at Foyn Harbour after catching fire.

Taylor Rains/Insider

But, spending hours in the Antarctic meant we had to dress appropriately. I opted for four layers on my top and three on the bottom, as well as a buff, gloves, beanie, wool socks, and ski goggles.

I was bundled with 17 total pieces of clothing, as well as a mandatory life jacket.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Fortunately, I only needed to bring merino wool base layers, a fleece, and waterproof pants on the cruise because Intrepid provided us with the top layers, including a Kathmandu down jacket to keep…

Intrepid provided us a branded black Kathmandu 600 synthetic filled jacket.

Taylor Rains/Insider

…as well as a waterproof and windproof parka and muck boots to rent. To go out, we were put into four groups and called down to the mud room when it was our turn to put on all our layers.

The storage room full of muck boots.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Most people kept their parka and boots in their designated mud room locker and wore the puffer on deck. The boat was kept consistently warm, so layers weren't needed inside.

Parkas, muck boots, life jackets, and other layers were stored in the mud room lockers.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Each locker had a few hangars and space on top for wet clothes when we got back since no one is safe from Zodiac splashing. The company actually requires everyone to wear waterproof pants when off the ship for this reason.

I used some of the hangars to store my backpack and hiking pole.

Taylor Rains/Insider

When not zipping around on Zodiacs or walking on the seventh continent, I spent a ton of time on deck looking out at the ice.

Cruising around Antarctica.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The ship had plenty of standing areas outside, both in the front and back of the boat, as well as along the side.

Guests could walk along the side of the ship, which is also where the crew stored the life boats.

Taylor Rains/Insider

There was also a pool and hot tub...

View of the aft deck. The pool was on deck 6 while the hot tub was right above it on deck 7. The pool wasn't used due to the cold and winds.

Taylor Rains/Insider

...and a smoking area, which one of my new friends nicknamed "Starboard 7."

The view from Starboard 7.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I even mustered the courage to do the famous "polar plunge," meaning I put on a swimsuit and jumped into the 33-degree Antarctic water. The experience was exhilarating and I'm glad I did it.

Me taking the polar plunge.

Courtesy of Ashley Russo

While overall the ship wasn't a luxury vessel and was very much built for expeditions, I felt I had everything I needed onboard.

This was the entrance to the Nautilus Lounge. All throughout the ship were maps, posters, and other educational material tacked to the walls.

Taylor Rains/Insider

My cabin was spacious, the shower was hot with great water pressure, and I loved the social atmosphere of the lounge and dining room.

A few of my Antarctic family friends before the polar plunge in the Nautilus Lounge.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Although the entire trip set me back about $8,000 and the Drake Passage was pretty uncomfortable, I don't regret the remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime trip.

A seal sitting on an iceberg.

Taylor Rains/Insider

However, I will note that while Intrepid does everything it can to keep Antarctic travel environmentally friendly, it's impossible.

A zodiac and the Ocean Endeavour.

Courtesy of Harrison Hunt

Source: CNN

According to an NC State University study, high travel to Antarctica could stress out the penguins, so be respectful of the wildlife and don't leave anything behind that could be harmful to the continent, like trash or food.

A penguin getting ready to jump.

Courtesy of Harrison Hunt

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