The forthcoming DOGE commission has been the talk of Washington in recent months.Just miles away, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland is pushing his own government efficiency plans.Moore wants to save the state $50 million by weeding out waste.President-elect Donald Trump'sElon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will co-lead the effort.A perhaps less talked about but also significant governmentGov. Wes Moore of Maryland announced this month his state would launch an initiative to weed out waste. His goal: Find $50 million in savings for the current fiscal year.Maryland faces a $3 billion budget gap. So Moore is proposing $2 billion in spending reductions to his $67.3 billion budget plan. An executive order that Moore signed earlier this month directs state agencies to identify cost savings and eliminate redundancies.Moore told Business Insider in a recent interview that while he didn't know DOGE's full slate of proposals, he thinks they "should probably take a look" at what his administration is doing to boost government efficiency in Maryland."We're looking at everything from fleet management to how we're looking at IT consolidation to how we're looking at real estate," he said. "These items alone are going to save the state of Maryland tens of millions of dollars.""DOGE should pay attention to what we're doing with our government modernization," he added.Moore is a first-term Democrat leading one of the country's bluest strongholds, while the DOGE is a national GOP-led effort. When asked if more Democrats should embrace government efficiency efforts, Moore said voters are looking for results."If people are asking, 'Where's the future, and what should I look to for inspiration?' I would say, 'look at the states,'" he said. "The budget that I just proposed is giving a tax cut to nearly two-thirds of Marylanders and 82% of the people in my state are either about to get a tax cut or have no change at all in their tax code."Moore told BI his plan would cut corporate taxes and eliminate the inheritance tax. The plan would also create a 6.25% tax rate for single filers making at least $500,000 and a 6.5% tax rate for state residents who earn $1 million or more. Under the current tax code, single filers in Maryland who make over $250,000 have an income tax rate of 5.75%.Similar to the optimism of DOGE's leaders, Moore believes his state's efforts can serve as a model for forthcoming efficiency efforts."We're doing a lot of things that people are paying attention to and a lot of innovation that we're hoping for is actually happening within our state," he said. "I'm really proud that Maryland is helping to lead the charge on that."

I started working remotely in 2017 to combine international travel with my career.My parents thought that decision was reckless and unstable.But my mom has just decided to quit her job so she has more flexibility like me.When I started working remotely in 2017 with the hopes of advancing in my career while traveling, my parents thought I was throwing away a successful life for no reason. To them, success meant the stability of a job that required staying in one place, working traditional hours, and showing up in person.By the time I graduated from college, I was chasing what I thought was the ideal career: a finance job in Washington, DC. I was 22, working hard, and on track to achieve everything I'd been told would make me happy. But after almost a year of back-to-back office days, needless happy hours, and a long bus commute, I burned out completely.One morning, as I was on my way to work, I fainted, and waking up surrounded by strangers, I realized how unsustainable my life had become. Many things went through my head, but the thought that I was losing my health and I was so far from living my dream of traveling the world made me question everything I was working for.Burnout made me realize I had to do things differentlyI knew something had to change. I wanted to travel, but I also wanted to keep advancing in my career, so I started to look for postgraduate studies that would allow me to do both. A few months later, I was accepted into a program in Auckland, New Zealand. But instead of moving across the world and looking for a new job, I decided to continue doing the job I was doing in DC remotely.Convincing my employer was not easy. Remote work wasn't popular back then, and I had to negotiate extensively and justify my productivity, but after months of paperwork and back-and-forth discussions, they finally agreed.When I broke the news to my parents, they were shocked. My dad thought I was being reckless and putting at risk something that I didn't have to, and my mom couldn't understand why I'd leave a stable job for an uncertain opportunity halfway across the world. Still, I knew I had to go.In late 2017, I moved to New Zealand, where I studied and worked remotely for over two years, visiting places like Zimbabwe, Colombia, and the Netherlands. I learned to balance work and life in a way that felt fulfilling.Everything changed during the pandemicMy parents relied heavily on in-person interactions to manage their accounting business. Meeting clients face-to-face and maintaining a personal connection built trust and kept their business running.Like so many others, they were forced to adapt when the pandemic hit in 2020. Suddenly, remote tools like video calls and cloud-based software became necessities. While the shift wasn't easy at first, it proved to them that it was possible to be productive, maintain relationships, and do their work entirely online.However, when things started returning to "normal" in 2022, my parents returned to seeing clients in person. My mom, in particular, started feeling the burden of her old routine. Her client list included people scattered across different areas, and she often had to spend long hours in traffic, juggling an inflexible schedule that rarely worked in her favor. The constant back-and-forth of driving to meet clients left her exhausted.My mom has decided to go remote for goodThis year, everything came to a head. I had my daughter my mom's first granddaughter and she traveled to the Netherlands to visit us. That trip changed her perspective completely. Spending time with her granddaughter made her realize just how much she valued family time and how the rigidity of her in-person work schedule was holding her back.When she returned home, she boldly decided to quit her in-person job and transitioned entirely to remote work.It wasn't an easy process; at first, she had to work through negotiating with some of her clients and find others who would already accept this way of working. But she pushed through, building a remote practice that allowed her to spend more time with her family and even travel with my daughter and me.

Russia is struggling to get its new intercontinental ballistic missile working properly.Moscow has put a lot of money and propaganda behind the ICBM.Failures leave Russia reliant on older missiles that won't last forever, experts warn.Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, but it's having trouble getting its newest intercontinental ballistic missile to work. The debacle leaves it dependent on capable but inferior missiles at a time when other major powers are modernizing their nuclear forces.Russia's new RS-28 Sarmat ICBM appeared to suffer a catastrophic failure during testing in September, with satellite imagery showing a big crater around the launchpad at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.That apparent failure followed what missile experts have described as a host of other issues. Ejection tests and its flight testing were repeatedly delayed, according to the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, and it had at least two canceled flight tests and at least one other flight test failure.The Sarmat is meant to replace the Soviet-era R-36, which first entered service in 1988. NATO calls the long-range missile, which has been modified over the years, the SS-18 "Satan." Without the new Sarmat, Russia has to rely on older missiles, extending their lives, but that can't go on indefinitely.Stuck with inferior missilesDelays to the Sarmat, or even its cancellation, would mean Russia has to keep using older systems as nations like China field new DF-41 ICBMs and the US pushes forward with upgrades for its ICBM force as part of the Sentinel program.The R-36 is "already really, really past its service life," said Timothy Wright, a missile technology expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, yet the Russians keep having to extend it.Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the turn of the century they were going to be out of service by 2007, but here they are, still in operation nearly two decades later."There's only so much they can do," Wright said. "Parts will start failing at some point." He said the R-36s "will eventually start failing because their parts just will need replacement, and they don't make the parts anymore." If Moscow tried to launch 40 R-36s, he said, "you might not get all 40 out the ground, frankly." Russia's Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is launched in Russia's northwest region of Plesetsk in April 2022. Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service via AP, File Fabian Hoffmann, a missile expert at the Oslo Nuclear Project, said the R-36 has been "sitting there for a really long time."Russia was required to reduce the size of its arsenal of missiles under the New START treaty with the US. Hoffman said that Russia could use old parts from those missiles to keep its usable ones running. But the supply is not infinite, he said. "Who knows how much these missiles can still take, how many years?"There's the possibility Russia would "have to start cannibalizing existing missiles, taking them out of service or retiring them or taking them off what they call combat duty alert, which is where the missile is literally ready to go," Wright said.Russia has other ICBMs, but the R-36 carries the largest and most strategically significant payload. The Sarmat, as its replacement, will likewise carry a substantial payload.Big missiles with lots of warheadsThe purpose of the Sarmat was "to constitute a big bulk of their warheads in the future," Wright said.The Sarmat has an estimated maximum range of 18,000 miles. It has a ten-ton payload and can carry 10 large warheads or 16 smaller ones, per a Missile Threat fact sheet from the Center of Strategic and International Studies. The R-36 it is meant to replace has a shorter range but similar payload, able to carry 10 multiple independent re-entry vehicles. A disarmed R-36 intercontinental ballistic missile, which has the NATO reporting name SS-18 Satan. Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Other Russian ICBMs are "much smaller," Wright said. They can't carry the same heavy MIRV payload. Russia's RS-24 Yars ICBM, for example, can only carry three MIRV warheads.As of May 2023, Russia had 1,674 warheads deployed, with a total stockpile of 4,489, per the CSIS. Many of these are deployed on other missiles and elements of the Russian nuclear triad, which provide it with deterrence, but Russia wants the big missile with the tremendous destructive capacity.Russia was understood to have 46 R-36s in April 2016. Wright said that "if they then took that missile out of service, then they have a bit of a gap.""And for Russia, it's important to ensure they have warhead parity with the Americans," he said. "Whatever number the Americans have, the Russians want it as well."Russia appears to be keeping its warheads limited in accordance with the New START treaty. But if that changes, and it may as Russia has suspended its involvement with the treaty, Russia may want to deploy more warheads. Without the Sarmat, Russia will need to find other places for its warheads.The Sarmat's problemsHoffman said the most recent Sarmat test was "catastrophic." He said that "it's not even like the missile failed to hit its target and you can say, 'Oh, the guidance system didn't really work.' No, the whole thing blew up."That means it was either a freak accident, or "there's something fundamentally wrong with the propulsion system, which is of course catastrophic," he said. "And so if I was Russia, I think at this point I would be concerned about that."Some experts have warned that Russia's struggles could make it desperate, making problems more likely.Wright said he can't see Russia deciding to cancel the Sarmat program. He said Putin "has invested a lot of propaganda into the system. When he unveiled it in 2018, it was all these fantastic reasons why it's so good." Russia's President Vladimir Putin. GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Putin bragged in 2018 that "missile defense systems are useless against them, absolutely pointless" and that "no other country has developed anything like this."The Russians have also dumped a lot of money into this project, making cancellation unpalatable.Hoffman agreed, saying Russia had little choice given the state of its older missiles. It wants Sarmat for propaganda reasons, and "it's also just desperation in terms of: 'What else would there be?'"But big delays in getting Sarmat operational would likely cause problems for Russia, with nothing in line to replace the Sarmat."Sarmat's designed to fulfill a very specific purpose, which is to essentially have lots of warheads on top of it," Wright said, and there is no direct replacement in Russia's arsenal or in the works.

Reddit COO Jen Wong said the company's content is "foundational" to training AI models.Google and OpenAI have deals with Reddit to use its content to train their large language models.Reddit has also leveraged AI for a translation tool that's helped it grow internationally.Last year was a big one for Reddit.The company went public in February. Then it began investing heavily in AI for features like its translation tool and an AI-powered search tool. It also struck agreements with Google and OpenAI that allow the tech companies to train their AI models using Reddit comments and posts.Reddit COO Jen Wong says those investments are paying off."AI itself, more broadly, is incredibly important to everything we're doing," Wong told AdExchanger at the CES technology conference.Wong added that Reddit is now "foundational to the training" of large language models.In February, Reddit signed a licensing deal with Google to train Google's AI using Reddit content for $60 million a year. Then, in May, Reddit signed another massive content data-sharing deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to train its AI models.Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said the company is in talks with "just about everybody" when asked if Reddit would consider working with Microsoft during The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live event in October.Huffman said Reddit posts and comments contain a wealth of "colloquial words about pretty much every topic" that are constantly updated, making them valuable in teaching machines how to think and speak like humans.Wong told AdExchanger that Reddit's introduction of AI translation features, meanwhile, has helped the company grow at an "accelerated rate" outside the United States.In September, Reddit announced the expansion of an AI-powered translation feature that lets users translate Reddit posts and comments into different languages. The expansion covered more than 35 countries, including Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, and countries throughout Latin America."It's made our core product better," Wong said. "People find a home on Reddit."Wong also said that Reddit plans to use AI on its advertising platform to create more "creative variants" and "make things more Reddity.""We bought a company, Memorable AI, that allows us to do that," Wong told AdExchanger. "So we see a lot of opportunity for our AI application."Reddit acquired Memorable AI, an AI-based advertisement company, in August 2024. Reddit said that the acquisition would give Reddit advertisers access to Memorable's "best-in-class" tools for advancing advertising campaigns in a blog post at the time.Reddit did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.

Captain RK Smithley flies McDonnell Douglas DC-10 fire bombers for New Mexico-based 10Tanker.Smithley dropped red fire retardant over the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles.Mountainous terrain, winds, busy air traffic, and drones have complicated the mission.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Captain RK Smithley, a pilot flying McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody airliners converted into tanker planes for a New Mexico-based company called 10Tanker. The DC-10 is one of dozens of aircraft assisting in fighting the California wildfires near Los Angeles. His words have been edited for length and clarity.I'm a third-generation ground firefighter who ended up in the air fighting fire, so my career has come full circle.Starting at age 16, I spent 16 years as a volunteer firefighter in southwest Pennsylvania, where I'm from, before I became a pilot. I flew for World Airways in these same McDonnell Douglas DC-10s for 10 years and another 15 years in the MD-11, which is basically a modern version of the DC-10.We're the biggest tanker fighting the California wildfires 10Tanker DC-10 Ship 912 dropping red fire retardant over the Eaton Fire near Los Angeles. China News Service/China News Service via Getty Images To fight the California fires, 10Tanker has four DC-10s and two ships 912 and 914 here in San Bernardino at the old Norton Air Force Base. I'm on Ship 912. The DC-10 is a capable airframe for our size, at 420,000 pounds. We're dropping 85,000 pounds of fire retardant on our target.It's a very good airplane for what we're doing we're the largest tool in the Forest Service's arsenal because we're the biggest tanker out here.January is an odd time for wildfires in CaliforniaThis fire is unprecedented. In 10 years of doing this, I've never flown fire in the United States in January. Working fires in January usually means we're in Australia, Mexico, and Chile.We're in the off-season. That's why all four of our DC-10s aren't here; the other two are in maintenance. Typically, we park our airplanes in October or November, and we'll do recurrent annual training in February and March before the first airplanes go out on contract in mid to late March.We're one part of a large teamThere are different contract tankers that fight fires. We're all on the same team, from the little single-engine tanker carrying 700 hundred gallons to us big ones carrying 9,400 gallons, and all the stuff in between.I can't stress enough how much of an orchestrated team effort it is. We work as a team with the tanker base, with the mechanics who keep us rolling, the air traffic controllers to get us out there, the guys fueling the airplane, and all those retardant loaders. Some airplanes out here are what they call "initial attack qualified," which means they can go out with just aerial supervision orbiting over top, but we in the DC-10 have to have lead aircraft that we follow to guide us on the drops.But at the end of the day, the real heroes are the guys and gals we're helping the firefighters on the ground. They're the ones that we're there to support to the best of our ability so that they can help protect lives and property. A 10Tanker DC-10 drops fire retardant over Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images The 10Tanker flies a very specific missionIt's not as simple as flying over the fire and pushing a button and all the stuff comes out.Helicopters are generally dropping water to directly attack the fires, but air tankers or fire bombers as I like to call them are designed to carry fire retardant, which is designed to build walls around fires to stop or at least slow down the fire so that the ground firefighters can get in there and get things under control. The retardant is colored red so that we can see it build lines and change angles on it.We start our days at 7 a.m. basically sunrise at which time the airplane is prepped, ready, and fueled to go. How many flights we can wedge in between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. depends on how far the fire is from the base, and how much daylight you have.We flew four missions on Friday to the Palisades and six on Saturday. The record for 10Tanker is about 11 runs in a day, with a 20-minute reload time in between flights.LA's weather and geography have been a challengeThese fires have been bad not only because of the destruction and the wind, but also because we're fighting fire while wedged into tight air space between the LAX, Van Nuys, Burbank, and Santa Monica airports.The Palisades fire is around 24,000 acres; I've worked 300,000 and 400,000 acre fires that were massive compared to this one. But the destruction and air space and the 60 to 80 MPH winds kind of made this a cataclysmic event. Entire neighborhoods and towns burned until the winds died down enough for us to get in there and get to work. It's been a terrible situation.We're threading needles, like going straight down the side of a mountain. The DC-10 is very capable; we yank and bank it around like a fighter. If we were flying passengers, these maneuvers would be considered an emergency descent.If drones fly, we can'tDrones have been a big problem here in California. "If drones fly, we can't" is an axiom we use in aerial firefighting. Normally a drone will shut down an aerial firefighting effort.At one point, we moved to a different section of the fire to get away from them so that we could continue to help save lives and property, along with the work that firefighters on the ground are doing to get this thing under control. We had a drone come sailing past our left wing on Saturday; the Super Scooper air tanker from Montreal got a hole punched into its wing because a drone ran into it.The drones have to stop because they're jeopardizing our lives and safety in the fire traffic area. It's unacceptable. Get the drones out of there so we can do our jobs.

My now-husband was planning to propose to me at an ice rink, but I was too tired to go.He ended up proposing to me at home while we were watching TV, and it was perfect.Our laid-back engagement represents who we are as a couple."Can we please just go?" my boyfriend of four years pleaded with me. I had arrived home exhausted, asking if it was OK to cancel our plans that December evening.It should have registered that it was odd behavior for him to be urging me to go ice skating. But I was clueless and depleted from a long workday one of my last before the Christmas break. Even though I'd written this date down excitedly on the calendar a week prior, and despite the fact that the rink was inside our private building complex and just steps away, I can still recall the resounding desire I felt to stay home that night as I was walking home almost a decade ago."Let's just go tomorrow or another time," I said. My reply was met with a huff, which caused us to momentarily bicker. "You shouldn't cancel things last minute, it's not nice," he muttered under his breath. "What is wrong with this man?" I thought to myself.It turned out, there was a reason he wanted to go ice skatingThirty minutes later, I was in sweatpants, watching a random episode of "Seinfeld" on TBS. I basked in the simple joy that comes with crashing on your couch after a long day. It felt good to be home. Then, my partner suddenly made a stealthy movement from the couch to the floor.Before I could comprehend what was happening, he sat before me with a diamond ring in his hand."Will you be my wife?" he nervously asked to my genuine surprise. Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza continued talking in the background as we embraced and got engaged. It was the episode when the guys pitched their show about nothing to NBC.Private proposals are on the riseA survey from 2021 found that women were increasingly disinterested in grand or public gestures when it came to being asked that big question. Instead, 66% of the 300 respondents preferred a private proposal. Yet, The Knot's recent report on engagement trends from 2024 showed that only 14% of couples had a low-key, at-home proposal. Though many couples do want a private place, home isn't usually the popular choice.I was delighted when I heard about Tom Holland's laid-back proposal to longtime girlfriend Zendaya at home over Christmas. The news comforted me and brought some validation that a casual proposal could be special and romantic even for celebrities.Our engagement represented us as a coupleI loved my own engagement, even though I accidentally sabotaged a more elaborate idea. Though not planned, having it happen in our living room was more symbolic of our relationship than any forced, clichd ice rink setting. I had finally found someone who ignited that feeling everyone wants to have about someone he felt like home. Proposing inside our own home was only natural.But it's more than that. I believe there's an intimacy in choosing this kind of engagement. It reflects the foundation two people need to make a lifelong relationship work.As we celebrate our anniversary our eighth year married, our first as new parents I look back on everything we've done together. The adventures, but more importantly, the moments in between the minutiae of daily life. That's where the purest joy can be found.Of course, we did replace that first couch. The navy fabric one my once boyfriend brought when he moved into my apartment. The one we sat on to make out and watch movies. The one we were on that cozy night in 2015, watching "Seinfeld," when my perfectly imperfect engagement occurred.It was small, past its prime, and overstayed its welcome the way any piece that brings comfort does. When we grew up and got married, we finally outgrew the loveseat. In its place, a more grown-up, brown leather L-shaped couch now sits. One large enough for sleeping dogs, playful babies, and lazy days doing absolutely nothing.

Housing inventory could improve as boomers age and pass on their homes, Zillow says.Rust Belt markets are poised to benefit the most from this trend.Here are the top 5 markets that are ripe for a so-called silver tsunami.In what's been dubbed a silver tsunami, there's an $84 trillion generational wealth transfer that's slated to happen in the next two decades as boomers age and pass on their assets.That could seriously shake up a housing market where home ownership is heavily skewed toward older Americans. Boomers, who comprise 20% of the overall US population, owned 36% of all homes in 2024, according to Freddie Mac. They're also sitting on over $17 trillion, or roughly half, of the total home equity in the US.The silver tsunami might not be a silver bullet for the housing crisis at a national level, according to Orphe Divougny, a senior economist at Zillow.But certain markets throughout the country have a particularly high concentration of empty-nest homes, which are expected to come on to the market as their boomer owners either downsize or pass away, according to Zillow. If you're looking to buy a home but have been discouraged by the lack of supply on the market, these areas could provide an easier entry point.Boomer-heavy metro areas don't have much overlap with the expensive markets popular with Gen Z and millennials such as San Jose, Austin, and Denver, according to Zillow. That means inventory in those hot spots won't see much of a boost from empty-nester houses coming onto the market. Rather, many of the markets that have a high concentration of empty-nest households are located in the Rust Belt.But Gen Z and millennials are proving that they're increasingly willing to relocate out of expensive metro areas and seek affordability, thanks to the flexibility of remote and hybrid work. In fact, there's been a recent trend of younger Americans moving out of cities and into suburban or exurban communities. Some are going even further into rural areas.For homeowners willing to look outside the popular housing markets, there are deals to be found where the boomers are located."When these homes hit the market as owners downsize or otherwise move on, that extra supply should benefit buyers," Divougny said.Listed below are the top five housing markets that'll benefit from the silver tsunami and the percentage of empty-nest households in each, according to Zillow. For context, the average empty-nester share of households in 2022 nationwide was 16%.5 housing markets ripe for a silver tsunami

TikTok is veering toward a US shutdown after the Supreme Court upheld a divest-or-ban law.The app is set to leave app stores and may go dark on Sunday if its owner, ByteDance, doesn't divest.TikTok creators and their teams are tired from months of uncertainty, but cautiously hopeful too.TikTok is in trouble.The company is set to disappear from US app stores on Sunday due to adivest-or-ban lawthat requires its owner, ByteDance, to sell the app by January 19 or essentially cease operating in the country. TikTok may stop showing content in the US and "go dark" over the weekend.For TikTok creators and their teams, ongoing uncertainty around the app's US future has sparked frustration and fatigue."We've been dealing with this for months," said Julian Andrews, founder of talent management firm Talentiish. "I just sort of want the situation to be over so we know how to move on."Some in the talent community are cautiously optimistic that a solution will emerge to save TikTok. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to try to rescue the app once in office, though his options could be limited."So many of us are still holding out hope that it will work out," Barbara Jones, CEO of Outshine Talent, said.Others aren't holding their breath and are instead focusing on established alternatives, such as Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, as well as challenger apps like Clapper, Flip, and RedNote."Many of our clients are making accounts on RedNote and Flip as well as downloading their data from the TikTok app," Jones said. "They are trying to be as prepared as possible."Creators may be hesitant to commit to new platforms, however, when the advertising dollars are much more reliable on major players like Instagram.Instagram is, for the most part, the platform of choice among those Business Insider spoke to who are pivoting from TikTok.Fallen Media, which runs TikTok shows like "What's Poppin? With Davis!" said it will be heavily investing in Instagram reels, for example."I have suggested to my clients not to focus on any new platforms and focus on the tried and true," Andrews at Talentiish said.In the meantime, there's still no clear answer as to what happens this weekend."The truth is we don't really know what's going to happen on Sunday, which I think is the crazy part," said Fallen Media CEO Sol Betesh.Creators are exhausted and devastated to say goodbye to TikTokAs news stories around a TikTok ban swing between good news and legal defeats, some creators have sunk into despair. The Supreme Court loss on Friday hit particularly hard for those whose businesses depend on the app."The ruling is truly devastating for me as someone who built their platform starting on TikTok," said Sofia Bella, a TikTok creator with 4.8 million followers. "Losing the majority of my audience is a difficult reality to face, and while I'm doing everything I can to prepare, it's hard not to feel like I'm starting over."Andrews said the job of talent manager has teetered between acting as a therapist and strategist for the creators they manage.Some creators are actively fighting against a TikTok ban, including Vitus Spehar, who runs the news account @underthedesknews. Spehar has been covering breaking news and political developments around the divestment. They said Americans should call their senators and other representatives to demand action against the law.Still, other creators who have experienced burnout from TikTok are welcoming a possible shift if the app goes down."Generally, the tone from most internet creators I've spoken to has been entirely apathetic," said Tati Bruening, a TikTok creator with 2.4 million followers. "The pacing of content creation for TikTok was a recipe for burnout."Building a strategy for doomsdayEven as the creator economy braces for the loss of its favorite corner of the internet, this moment is a lesson for many."Stop building brands on social media that other people own," Jennifer Powell, a talent manager who works with creators like Tezza and Ty French, told BI. "This can and will happen again. Start your website, get newsletters going, blogs, use affiliates, turn it into a brand, and own your own little place on the web."A TikTok ban could also be a gold rush for social media startups as they race to fill the void."There's never been a better time to start a creation or curation company," said Em Herrera, a former investor at Slow Ventures who recently founded a firm called Creator Venture Accelerator.

Many modern and popular parenting techniques place a high emphasis on attending to our kids' emotions.I give my daughter space when she experiences big emotional outbursts.I want her to learn that emotions are passing sensations.I could see the emotional monsoon coming from a mile away. That's why, as we approached the house, I gently warned my daughter that we would need to take her rainboots off before going inside. She continued splashing through the puddles in our driveway, either unable or unwilling to hear me. Sure enough, when we entered the garage and sat down to take off our shoes, a torrent of tears erupted."No, you're NOT taking my boots off!" she screamed. Days earlier, her daycare teacher informed me that she even refused to remove them during naptime.I briefly considered allowing her to wear the boots inside just to avoid the fight. But glancing down at our muddy footprints only strengthened my resolve.I breathed in, took her tear-streaked face in my hands, and explained why the boots needed to stay outside. More shrieks. I slipped off her shoes (narrowly avoiding a kick to the face) and carried her thrashing body into the kitchen, where I placed her on the ground. She curled into a ball, threatening to explode again at any moment."I love you," I reassured her, patting her back. "I'm sorry we had to take off the boots. We can put them back on later. Right now, I need to cook dinner. Can I give you a hug?""NO!" She spat. "I want my boots!" She scrambled back toward the door, slamming her tiny fists against it. "Give me my boots!" she wailed.Her outburst continued to escalate, but I started making dinner anyway.I ignored her and carried on with the evening to-dosModern parenting philosophies (like gentle parenting) would advise me not to leave her side. These "big emotions" deserve our utmost attention and investigation, according to gentle parenting experts. Many millennial parents have fallen into this "pendulum parenting" trap. We were raised to suppress our own emotions, so now we're over-correcting that mistake by giving our kids' emotions all the power.But here's the mistake I think we're making as parents in this gentle parenting era: we need to go beyond identifying the emotion and teach our kids how tomove pastit.We need to teach our kids how to move past their emotionsStopping everything to comfort a child for 45 minutes over something like rainboots or rice crackers does not increase their emotional competence. It's communicating that, despite whatever else is going on, their emotions reign supreme. Nothing and no one else matters; plans get lost in the wake.Oftentimes (especially when it comes to toddlers), emotions do not represent reality. So, instead of validating our kids' emotions, we validate their outsize reactions to trivial matters. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Havard-trained neuroscientist, explains that the physical sensations of emotions pass after 90 seconds. Our feelings persist because we choose to dwell on whatever caused them in the first place. The solution is to acknowledge the emotions and allow them to move through us without continuing to react.All emotions will pass once I stop giving them my attentionI don't expect my daughter to understand or comprehend what took me years of therapy and practice to figure out. She's only 2, after all. But if I can show her that our emotions don't have all the control, I think it will save her a lot of heartache in the future.So when a toddler tornado hits, I get out of the way.After labeling her feelings and offering comfort (if she wants it), I give her time and space to express her emotions in a safe environment. But I don't add fuel to an already-raging fire by giving it more of my own energy and attention. Even the worst storms will eventually pass.Emotions are a sometimes delightful and sometimes distressing part of the human experience. But they are only onepart there's so much more to life, and the actions that we take in response to our circumstances (and feelings) matter more than anything else.

Israel's government moved closer Friday to approving a cease-fire deal struck with Hamas.Officials in Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet approved a deal, which still requires wider approval from the government.Netanyahu's office said the deal was on track to be finalized by Sunday.Israel on Friday moved closer to ratifying a cease-fire and hostage release deal it struck with Hamas that would end 15 months of fighting in Gaza.The security cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave its approval on Friday afternoon local time.The next step is for the wider Israeli government to give approval to the deal.Netanyahu's office said Friday "the Government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The framework for the hostages' release will come into effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025.". A White House official said Thursday that they are confident the deal will move forward as planned.Hopes for a deal to end the fighting and free the hostagesThe agreement, expected to be a major breakthrough in the Middle East conflict, is meant to halt the bloodshed and facilitate the release of some of the remaining hostages. Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas react to the cease-fire announcement during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. AP Photo/Oded Balilty "At long last, I can announce a cease-fire and a hostage deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas," President Joe Biden said in a televised announcement Wednesday afternoon.US officials helped broker the deal in Qatar.In a written statement, he said the deal would stop the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite hostages with their families. Hours later, Israeli strikes reportedly killed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza.On October 7, 2023, as part of Hamas-led terror attacks against Israel, Hamas and other militants kidnapped 251 people from Israel and killed around 1,200 across the country.Hamas and its allies still hold 98 hostages, an Israeli government spokesperson said Tuesday, though at least 34 of them are thought to have died in captivity.How the cease-fire agreement could be implementedThe deal, if formally approved by Israel's government, is set to include multiple phases.The first stage is expected to include 33 hostages most of whom are alive released on "humanitarian" grounds, an Israeli spokesperson told reporters at a briefing. This will consist of women, children, older people, as well as hostages who are sick. Destroyed buildings are seen from a U.S. Air Force plane flying over Gaza in March 2024. AP Photo/Leo Correa, File When asked how many Palestinian prisoners Israel was willing to release in exchange, the spokesperson said that the country "is prepared to pay a heavy price, in the hundreds."The Israeli military confirmed that it's preparing for the return of the hostages. On Wednesday, Qatar's prime minister said the deal would go into effect Sunday.Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had told reporters that the first phase of the deal included a full cease-fire. If ratified, it's expected to last six weeks and includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza.A second phase, which is still being worked out, would see a "permanent end" to the war, Biden said.The president added that this phase would include the release of the remainder of the living hostages, with the rest of the Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza.In the third phase, any remains of hostages who have been killed would be returned to their families, and a major reconstruction plan would be set in motion for Gaza. Israeli soldiers board an armored vehicle to enter Gaza at the border in southern Israel in December 2024. AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov To date, 117 hostages have been returned alive to Israel, including 105 freed as part of a prisoner exchange in November 2023.The cease-fire deal intends to end the brutal conflict, which has seen large areas of Gaza destroyed and left the militant group severely battered. The Hamas-run health ministry says Israel's military offensive in the coastal enclave has killed more than 46,000 people. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.Negotiations for a cease-fire deal have been ongoing for many months, but news that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching an agreement emerged earlier this week, hinting that, at last, there could be movement.President-elect Donald Trump said his victory in November directly contributed to the deal coming to fruition. "We have achieved so much without even being in the White House," he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.

TikTok may go dark Sunday unless Biden ensures the ban won't be enforced.The Supreme Court upheld a law requiring TikTok's US operations to be sold by Jan. 19 or face a ban.Biden's administration doesn't plan to enforce the ban before Trump takes office.TikTok said Friday it will be forced to go dark on Sunday, the day the ban of the platform is set to take effect, unless the Biden administration takes further action to ensure it will not be enforced."The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans," TikTok said in a statement posted on X."Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19," the statement continued.The statementcame after the Supreme Court earlier on Friday upheld the law banningTikTok.The law, which was passed by Congress and signed by Biden last spring, required TikTok to be banned unless ByteDance, its China-based parent company, sells the app's US operations by January 19.The law specifically bans US app stores, like Apple's and Google's, from carrying or updating the app. Companies that violate the law could face fines of up to $5,000 per user who accesses TikTok.The Biden administration said this week it does not plan to enforce the ban given that it is set to set effect one day before President Joe Biden leaves office and President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in."President Biden's position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the President's desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.The Justice Department issued a statement on Friday in support of the Supreme Court's decision, adding:"The next phase of this effort implementing and ensuring compliance with the law after it goes into effect on January 19 will be a process that plays out over time."Trump has said he does not support banning TikTok and will work on finding a solution.TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in a video earlier on Friday thanked Trump for his commitment to working on saving the app.

Mark Zuckerberg praised Sheryl Sandberg in a Threads post on Friday.He also denied a report that said he blamed Sandberg for an inclusivity program at Facebook.Meta recently said it was rolling back its DEI initiatives.Mark Zuckerberg praised former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg on Friday and denied reporting that said he had blamed her for an inclusivity program at the company."Sheryl did amazing work at Meta and will forever be a legend in the industry. She built one of the greatest businesses of all time and taught me much of what I know," Zuckerberg said in a post on Threads.The post was sent in response to another user who shared a Business Insider article from last year with the headline, "Mark Zuckerberg jokes that Sheryl Sandberg raised him 'like a parent.'" The user said it "didn't age well."Sandberg responded in a Threads post: "Thank you, @zuck. I will always be grateful for the many years we spent building a great business together and for your friendship that got me through some of the hardest times of my life and continues to this day."Representatives for Sandberg declined to comment when reached by BI. Neither Meta nor Zuckerberg responded to Business Insider's request for comment.In a Threads post sent a few hours later, Zuckerberg wrote: "I answered a question about where the phrase 'bring your whole self to work' came from, and now there's a whole bogus narrative saying I blamed Sheryl for a bunch of stuff that I never did and never will."The quote "bring your whole self to work" has previously been attributed to Sandberg, whohas pushed for women's empowerment in the workplace and wrote the book "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead."Zuckerberg appeared to be referencing a New York Times report published Thursday that described a meeting between the Meta CEO and Stephen Miller, an advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, at Mar-a-Lago late last year.The Times said Miller told Zuckerberg Trump would target DEI culture, including at companies like Meta. Zuckerberg assured Miller he would not stand in Trump's way, the Times reported, citing three unnamed sources.The outlet also reported that one source said Zuckerberg blamed Sandberg for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook during the same meeting.The reporting was met with some backlash online and support for Sandberg, who was sometimes referred to as the "adult in the room" at Facebook while she was there.Zuckerberg appears to be reshaping Meta ahead of the incoming Trump administration. Meta told employees last week it was rolling back its DEI programs in addition to ending the use of third-party fact-checkers in favor of a community notes system.During an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast last week, Zuckerberg said "masculine energy" was needed in the workplace."Masculine energy, I think, is good, and obviously society has plenty of that, but I think that corporate culture was really trying to get away from it," he said in an interview on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "It's like you want feminine energy; you want masculine energy."January 17, 2025: This story has been updated to include a post from Mark Zuckerberg denying reportingthat he blamed Sheryl Sandberg.

Democrats may need to help Republicans raise the debt ceiling this year.If that happens, Democrats aren't going to do it for free. They'll likely demand concessions.Rep. Ro Khanna, a Silicon Valley Democrat, says his party should demand a federal minimum wage hike.At some point in the next few months, Congress will have to raise the debt ceiling.For now, Republicans are planning to do it on their own. But if past is prologue, they'll probably need votes from across the aisle and Democrats are likely to demand something in return.Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat who represents Silicon Valley, told Business Insider this week that he believes the price should be an increase in the federal minimum wage."We should force Republicans to vote on it," the California Democrat told BI.Khanna did not specify a particular level at which he'd like to raise the wage, but Democrats generally support a $15 per hour federal minimum wage. Some, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, have proposed pushing it even higher, to $17 per hour.President-elect Donald Trump said in December that he would "consider" raising the minimum wage, but several Republican lawmakers later told BI that they opposed the idea.Scott Bessent, Trump's nominee for secretary of the treasury, said at a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday that he does not believe the current $7.25 per hour federal minimum wage should change.It's not clear if Democrats will follow Khanna's lead, though he told BI that he would "make the case to the caucus."Minimum wage increases tend to be popular among both Democratic and Republican voters in November, several Republican-leaning states passed minimum wage hikes via ballot measures.Democrats still have to figure out their price for helping RepublicansAs of now, Republicans want to avoid handing any leverage to Democrats in the first few months of Trump's presidency. They plan to include a debt ceiling hike in a broader party-line "reconciliation" bill containing a smattering of Trump's priorities on energy, immigration, border security, and taxes.But there's a good chance that won't work, given some hardline Republicans' deep reservations about raising the debt ceiling without dramatic spending cuts. Some Republicans have never voted to raise the debt ceiling before, and in December, dozens of them openly defied Trump's call to raise the debt ceiling after Elon Musk helped tank a government funding bill.If Republicans can't do it themselves, Democrats will have the chance to make demands, lest the country breach the debt ceiling and trigger a fiscal crisis."I'm not a cheap date," Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts told BI. "The idea that we're just going to help them out when they can't get their own members to cooperate, those days are gone."Of the several House Democrats that BI spoke to, only Khanna was willing to name a specific price. Others demurred, saying they were waiting to see what negotiations would look like in the coming months, and underscoring that Democrats would have to decide on their approach collectively."The sentiment from our caucus is: If you need our help on anything, you're going to have to help us," Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told BI. "All of this, I think, is subject to many of our internal conversations."Democrats could also use their leverage to try to halt the deep cuts to federal government spending that Republicans may pursue in the coming months, rather than making an affirmative policy demand."There's clearly a whole host of things that I think the caucus would have as priorities," Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle of New York told BI.

"Severance"Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Britt Lower, and Adam Scott in "Severance." Apple TV+ "Severance" is probably Apple TV+'s most popular show its highly anticipated second season premieres January 17, almost three years after the first season ended in April 2022.The sci-fi thriller takes place in a world where employees of the Lumon corporation can choose to undergo the "severance" procedure, which completely separates their consciousness between their work selves and their home selves (or "innies" and "outies" in the show's parlance).The cast is packed from top to bottom with amazing actors, but we can't say enough about Adam Scott's dual performance as Mark Scout/Mark S. It's clear that while the two share an underlying goodness, they each have distinct personalities and mannerisms.Fans of shows like "Lost," "Mr. Robot," and "Westworld" should tune in immediately."Slow Horses"Jack Lowden in "Slow Horses." Apple TV+ "Slow Horses" is a British spy thriller based on the Mick Herron books series called "Slough House."A far cry from the slick halls of James Bond's MI6, "Slow Horses" follows a team of reject MI5 agents who, rather than get fired or quit, are sent to Slough House, a junky outpost run by the slovenly Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), a former Cold War super-spy who has become jaded with the entire service.Of course, even though these are supposed to be the most incompetent agents in the intelligence community, things just keep happening to the Slow Horses that keep them in the action.There are four seasons with six episodes each, with at least two more on the way, so it's a perfect weekend binge."Bad Sisters"Eve Hewson and Sharon Horgan in "Bad Sisters." Apple "Bad Sisters" is a black comedy starring Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson as five sisters living in Dublin. One of them, Grace (Duff), is married to a controlling, abusive man named John Paul (Claes Bang).Each of the Garvey sisters has their own problem with John Paul, so when he dies mysteriously, each becomes a suspect in a case involving John Paul's life insurance.The first season told a relatively complete story, so it was surprising when the show returned for season two. While it didn't live up to the highs of season one, it's enough to be in the company of the Garvey sisters for another eight hours.Plus, you can always pretend it's a perfect limited series if you really don't want to watch season two."Hijack"Idris Elba in "Hijack." Apple TV+ "Hijack" seemed to come out of nowhere, but what a pleasant surprise it was. The show stars Idris Elba as Sam, a corporate negotiator who happens to be on a flight from Dubai to London that gets hijacked midair.The series is a tense thriller set in real time. It is seven episodes long, and the flight is seven hours.It was renewed for season two last summer, and we can't wait to see what Sam does next."Shrinking"Harrison Ford in "Shrinking." Apple TV Plus "Shrinking" is a comedy starring Jason Segel as Jimmy, a therapist grieving the loss of his wife after a drunk-driving accident. Sick of listening to people complain to him about their problems without doing anything about it, Jimmy begins to cross ethical lines and tell people what he thinks they should be doing.It's a comedy, we promise.The cast is rounded out by Jimmy's coworkers Gaby (Jessica Williams) and Paul (a locked-in Harrison Ford), his best friend Brian (Michael Urie), and his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell).If you're a fan of the heartwarming, gentle comedy of "Ted Lasso" (more on that later), the two seasons of "Shrinking" will go down easy, and we're sure the upcoming third season will too."Black Bird"Taron Egerton in "Black Bird." Apple TV Plus The first true-crime series on this list, "Black Bird" is the real story of Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), a low-level criminal who agreed to a two-year plea deal with a chance of parole that turned out to be a 10-year deal with no chance of parole.But his fortunes begin to change when the FBI approaches him with a proposition: befriend fellow inmate and suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) and get him to confess to as many murders as possible, and get out of prison immediately with an expunged record."Black Bird" also stars Ray Liotta in one of his final performances as Jimmy's father, Big Jim.Anyone who was a fan of Netflix's "Mindhunter" should tap into "Black Bird" as soon as possible."Presumed Innocent"Jake Gyllenhaal and Renate Reinsve in "Presumed Innocent." Apple TV+ This is the second adaptation of Scott Turow's novel of the same name, after the 1990 film starring Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy.In the show, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Rusty Sabich, a Chicago prosecutor who is accused of murder himself after a coworker he was having an affair with, Carolyn (Renate Reinsve), turns up dead.This show is, in a word, chaotic. But it is extremely watchable, and we don't get enough legal thrillers in movies or on TV anymore, so it's great to see one as successful as this. Season two was confirmed in July 2024."For All Mankind"Michael Dorman in "For All Mankind." Apple TV+ "For All Mankind" is an alternate history show that asks what would have happened if the Soviet Union had beaten the US to the Moon in 1969. You might not think that would change a lot, but the four seasons of "For All Mankind" suggest it would've changed NASA and the space program in all sorts of ways.Each season of the show takes place in a different decade, allowing us to check in with our characters in the '70s, '80s, '90s, and 2000s. A fifth season in the 2010s has already been confirmed.In addition to being thrilling sci-fi, it's also a compelling look at the personal relationships between the astronauts and their families. There's something for everyone."The Morning Show"Reese Witherspoon in "The Morning Show." Apple TV Plus You might be asking, "Is 'The Morning Show' actually good?" And our response to that would be: Must a show be good?Is it not enough to cast some of the best TV actors of all time (Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Jon Hamm, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Steve Carell, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman, Billy Crudup, Julianna Margulies, Nicole Beharie, Holland Taylor, Tig Notaro the list goes on) to spout some nonsense about how important TV ratings and morning shows are to American culture?Ultimately, "The Morning Show" is extremely watchable. Season four is set to drop this year."The Buccaneers"Aubri Ibrag, Josie Totah, Imogen Waterhouse, and Kristine Froseth "The Buccaneers." Apple TV+ "The Buccaneers" is one of Apple TV+'s few teen-focused shows, but it's a great one. Based on Edith Wharton's unfinished novel of the same name, "The Buccaneers" is a more progressive take on what it was like to be a young woman in society during the Gilded Age.Our titular buccaneers are a group of American friends who travel to England during debutante season to secure advantageous matches. But someone in the writer's room was clearly watching "Bridgerton," because there's racial diversity, a compelling queer storyline, love triangles, and tons of modern music."The Buccaneers" ended on a tantalizing cliffhanger, so thankfully, it was renewed for a second season in December 2023."Bad Monkey"Vince Vaughn in "Bad Monkey." Bob Mahoney/Apple TV+ Vince Vaughn stars in another crime series after "True Detective"; this time it's a more comedic one based on the Carl Hiaasen novel "Bad Monkey."All of Hiaasen's novels are characterized by the easy-breezy Florida mentality of its lead characters, and "Bad Monkey" is no different. In the series, Vaughn plays Andrew Yancy, a motor-mouthed cop turned restaurant inspector.When Yancy is tasked with some busy work by a former colleague (transporting a severed arm to the morgue), he gets dragged into a conspiracy spanning Florida, Key West, and the Bahamas.It was renewed for season two in December 2024."Pachinko"Lee Min-ho in "Pachinko" Russ Martin/Apple TV+ "Pachinko" is a generational epic based on Min Jin Lee's 2017 novel of the same name. It follows a Korean family living in Japan across four generations and 74 years. Part of the show's central tension is the treatment of Korean immigrants in Japan throughout the 20th century, and it is sure to both warm and break your heart.Fans of Anna Sawai from "Shogun" should check out the two seasons of "Pachinko," as she's equally wonderful in both shows."Five Days at Memorial"Vera Farmiga in "Five Days at Memorial." Apple TV+ The second true-crime limited series on this list, "Five Days at Memorial," is based on the five days immediately following Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center, a hospital in New Orleans. It's based on the 2013 book of the same name.If you don't know the true story already, we recommend going blind. Vera Farmiga gives a truly harrowing performance as Dr. Anna Pou, an overworked surgeon who makes stomach-churning decisions about how to help her patients best as they await rescue."Platonic"Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne on "Platonic." Paul Sarkis/Apple TV+ For some lighter fare, we turn to "Platonic," a sweet, decidedly not rom-com about two best friends who reconnect after one gets divorced.Why'd they stop being friends? Because Sylvia (Rose Byrne) accidentally told her best friend Will (Seth Rogen) that she hated his his now-ex Audrey (Alisha Wainwright).The stakes are low in "Platonic," but the chemistry between Rogen and Byrne, first established in the "Neighbors" films, remains as charming as ever.Season two was announced in December 2023, so it's expected to be released this year."Manhunt"Damian O'Hare, Tobias Menzies, and Brandon Flynn in "Manhunt." Apple TV+ "Manhunt" went somewhat under the radar upon its release last March, but we don't know why. It's a genuinely riveting portrayal of the 12-day manhunt for Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle), led by Lincoln's secretary of war, Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) and the conspiracy led by some in the South to protect Booth.In the series, Lincoln is played by an unrecognizable Hamish Linklater (who is never anything less than stellar).The series is just seven episodes long, so it's another great weekend show to binge."Dickinson"Hailee Steinfeld and Wiz Khalifa in "Dickinson." Apple TV Plus "Dickinson" is one of the most inventive shows on this list, starring Hailee Steinfeld as the 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson. The show follows her as a young woman living in Amherst with her sister Vinnie (Anna Baryshnikov), her brother Austin (Adrian Blake Enscoe), and her parents Edward (Toby Huss) and Emily (Jane Krakowski).Complicating matters is that Austin's fiance Sue (Ella Hunt) is Emily's secret lover.While fans of Dickinson's might know that she didn't have the happiest adult life, the show manages to inject hilarity, biting social commentary, and a decent amount of magical realism into the show for example, Emily is friends with a personification of Death played by Wiz Khalifa.It ran for three seasons from 2019 to 2021 and is one of few shows today that actually has a satisfying conclusion."Mythic Quest"Charlotte Nicdao and Rob McElhenney in "Mythic Quest." Apple "Mythic Quest" is a workplace sitcom about a team of employees working at a video game studio that created a hugely popular MMORPG game of the same name.The cast is an all-star lineup of comedians, including "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's" Rob McElhenney as Ian, the creative director and creator of "Mythic Quest"; Danny Pudi as Brad, the head of monetization; David Hornsby as David, the executive producer; Jessie Ennis as Jo, David's assistant; and Charlotte Nicdao as Poppy, the lead engineer.If you're not sure about the show at first, give it until the fifth episode, "A Dark Quiet Death," which completely upends its structure and introduces two entirely new characters, played by Cristin Milioti and Jake Johnson.Season four will premiere on January 29, giving you enough time to catch up."Servant"Nell Tiger Tree in "Servant." Apple If you happened to catch "The First Omen," one of 2024's best horror films, you're probably wondering where else you can watch Nell Tiger Free be delightfully creepy.Look no further than "Servant," a psychological horror show produced by one of the kings of horror, M. Night Shyamalan."Servant" is the story of a married couple, Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean (Toby Kebbell), who are dealing with the tragic death of their 13-week-old son Jericho in an unorthodox way they've purchased a realistic baby doll, and Dorothy is treating it like it's her actual, living son.So much so that Dorothy and Sean (who knows that the doll isn't real) have hired a nanny to care for Jericho. Enter: Free as Leanne, the creepiest nanny to grace the small screen in quite a long time."Servant" is up and down, as Shyamalan projects can be, but the four seasons keep the tension up the entire time. All horror fans should at least try it out."Ted Lasso"Jason Sudeikis in "Ted Lasso." Apple TV Plus We couldn't round up Apple TV+'s best shows without including "Ted Lasso," arguably the show that put the streamer on the map and was nominated for a record-breaking 20 Emmys for its first season.The show, born from a character created for an NBC Sports ad, starred Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, a college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a Premier League soccer team in England. For reasons revealed later in the show, Ted is very game to uproot his entire life.But the reason for his hiring isn't altruistic the team's new owner, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), got ownership of the team in a bitter divorce and now wants to take the team down to piss off her ex-husband.Much has been said and written about the quality of "Ted Lasso's" three seasons, but we maintain that the first season is as perfect as TV gets.It's a beautiful story about meeting new people, what it means to be a leader, opening yourself up to love, and radical kindness and optimism. We needed it upon its premiere in 2020, and we're certain we'll need it again in 2025."Silo"Rebecca Ferguson in "Silo." Apple TV+ "Silo" is a dystopian thriller based on a series of novels by Graham Yost. It takes place on an Earth ravaged by warfare that has left the surface poisonous. Humanity has moved underground into a giant solo that's 144 levels deep.Rebecca Ferguson plays Juliette, an engineer who works deep inside the Silo. She becomes curious about why everyone is forbidden from learning about the outside world and the death of her lover George (Ferdinand Kingsley) and begins to investigate what's actually going on in the Silo."Silo's" second season concludes on January 17 but fear not, it's already been renewed for a third and fourth season to conclude the story."Schmigadoon!"Kristin Chenoweth in "Schmigadoon!" Robert Falconer / AppleTV+ We're still bitter about the cancellation of "Schmigadoon!," a love letter to classical musicals.The show follows Josh and Melissa, a couple played by Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong, who happen upon the magical town of Schmigadoon while on a hike.In the town, all the residents act like they are living inside a 1940s musical and break out into songs of course, since the cast is made up of musical theater icons like Kristen Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Jane Krakowski, Aaron Tveit, Tituss Burgess, Patrick Page, and more, it's an absolute hoot.Season two, subtitled "Schimago," spoofs the darker musicals of the '60s and '70s. Since it was canceled after that, we'll never know what was set for season three, but it's made clear from the finale that it probably would've been poking fun at the mega-musicals of the '80s and '90s like "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera."However, "Schmigadoon" isn't gone for good. A stage adaptation is set to premiere in Washington, DC, this month, and hopefully, it will be transferred to Broadway."Loot"Joel Kim Booster, Maya Rudolph, and Ron Funches in "Loot." Apple TV+ All you need to know about "Loot" is that it stars Maya Rudolph as Molly, the wife of a billionaire who gets cheated on and is suddenly left with a lot of money, a lot of time, and zero purpose.To fill her time, she decides to become involved in a foundation bearing her name instead of just being a figurehead. Hilarity ensues.It was renewed for a third season in July 2024, meaning we'll have more of Molly's antics soon."The Afterparty"Sam Richardson in "The Afterparty." Apple "The Afterparty," while being a TV show, was a true love letter to movie fans everywhere, as each episode took turns poking fun at a different genre with razor-sharp accuracy.The first season of the show focused on the murder of pop star Xavier (Dave Franco) at the after-party of his high school reunion. As Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) asks each person to take her through the night, each person gets to tell their story in their preferred way.For example, an episode from Xavier's former bandmate Yasper's perspective is an upbeat musical, while another classmate's night seemed straight out of "The Fast and the Furious."Season two has a similar format, except it's about a wedding after-party, during which the groom was murdered.It was canceled after two seasons, but at least we'll always have "Yeah Sure Whatever.""Sugar"Colin Farrell in "Sugar." Apple TV+ We don't want to spoil the midseason twist of "Sugar," a seemingly straightforward LA detective story starring Colin Farrell as John Sugar, a private investigator.But rest assured: This show is bonkers. It is worth watching the eight episodes and Apple agreed, as season two was greenlit in October 2024.

Right off the bat, Maggiano's felt high-end and intimate.In some ways, Maggiano's reminded me of when I used to visit Little Italy in Baltimore. Terri Peters On the outside, the restaurant's black awning with simple lettering felt elegant and welcoming.Inside, Maggiano's ambiance reminded me of a high-end, pricey steakhouse or an authentic Italian restaurant. The candle-lit, chandelier-dotted interior felt quite intimate and cozy.I didn't feel like I was in a chain restaurant at all. In fact, it reminded me of when I used to live in Baltimore and visit its Little Italy neighborhood for dinner.The restaurant has a family-style menu, but we chose to order individual dishes.The Maggiano's menu was pretty easy to navigate. Terri Peters The restaurant offers a family-style menu with shareable courses, including starters, an entre, a pasta dish, and a dessert. It seemed like a decent deal for about $50 a person. However, everyone in my party had specific cravings and wanted pasta, so we ordered from the regular menu instead.We started the meal with a round of drinks.We spent a decent amount of money on drinks at Maggiano's. Terri Peters To start off the meal, my husband ordered a Negroni ($9) while my teenagers and I stuck with sodas and iced tea ($5 each).Later in the meal, my husband ordered an $18 glass of wine to go with his pasta, followed by a $5 cup of coffee with dessert.He spent way more on drinks than others in our group over $30 but the three of us were content with our free refills.A complimentary bread course came out soon after we were seated.At Maggiano's, a bread service was complimentary with our meal. Terri Peters Soon after we were seated, we were brought a basket of fresh, warm ciabatta bread and oil with herbs for dipping.The bread was delicious, and we were served so many pieces that we even had some left to take home.For our appetizer, we shared fried mozzarella.My family enjoyed the fried mozzarella at Maggiano's. Terri Peters We started our meal by sharing the fried mozzarella for $16.The crisp planks of battered and fried cheese were topped with melted mozzarella and served with a tomato dipping sauce.Everyone at my table enjoyed this tasty appetizer, which felt like an elevated take on mozzarella sticks.My daughter also got a bowl of creamy tomato soup as an appetizer.Maggiano's tomato soup came with tasty croutons. Terri Peters Topped with tasty croutons, Maggiano's tomato soup ($10.50) was a great starter for my soup-loving daughter. She really enjoyed it and even let me try a few bites.The creamy soup tasted perfectly tangy and seasoned with just enough salt to make each bite perfect.I tried one of Maggiano's signature pasta dishes.Maggiano's Rigatoni D pasta seemed to be pretty popular online. Terri Peters Before visiting any chain, I love checking out the dishes that have copycat recipes on social media. I found a lot of people making copycat versions of Maggiano's Rigatoni D pasta on TikTok, so I ordered it.The dish includes rigatoni mixed with roasted chicken, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and marsala cream sauce.It was really good, and I can see why TikTokers recreate the $28.50 dish. The generous portion size meant I took some of the pasta home. Fortunately, it was as delightful leftover as it was served fresh. My daughter also chose a rigatoni dish for her meal.My daughter enjoyed the spicy vodka sauce. Terri Peters One of Maggiano's newer menu items is rigatoni alla vodka ($26.50), a combination of rigatoni, Calabrian chiles, caramelized onions, and vodka sauce.My daughter added grilled chicken to the dish for an additional $8.50.We're big fans of pasta with vodka sauce and make it at home often even so, Maggiano's version of the dish held up.This creamy pasta was really delicious, especially when eaten leftover the next day.My son ordered classic spaghetti and meatballs.My son enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs at Maggiano's. Terri Peters My son is a picky eater, so he kept his order simple with spaghetti and meatballs.His $25.50 spaghetti dish was really good. It was full of classic Italian flavors, with tangy tomato sauce and hearty meatballs.He had no complaints and also came home with leftovers. Lastly, my husband chose a carbonara with lobster.Maggiano's lobster carbonara cost us $39. Terri Peters Another fan-favorite dish at Maggiano's is lobster carbonara ($39), a blend of lobster, smoked bacon, sugar snap peas, white-wine truffle cream sauce, Parmesan, and spaghetti.TikTok is also full of copycat recipes for this pasta dish, so we expected it to be pretty impressive. After all, what's not to love about creamy sauce, pasta, bacon, and lobster?My husband thoroughly enjoyed this generously portioned dish. Although I couldn't try it due to a shellfish allergy, he said it was everything he'd want from a carbonara, with just the right hints of creamy sauce and carb-y spaghetti to soak it all up.Maggiano's also had my favorite dessert and it tasted wonderful.We finished our meal with dessert at Maggiano's. Terri Peters Crme brle is my favorite dessert, so I'm sure to order it whenever it's on a menu. We were incredibly full from our evening of bread, fried cheese, and pasta, so we decided to share one $12.50 order of it.I'm glad we shared because this dessert felt huge, just like the pasta dishes we had earlier. It was easily double the size of any crme brle I've had in a restaurant.It was also delicious. As full as I was, I couldn't help but go back for bite after bite of this creamy, sugary, warm treat. Maggiano's impressed us more than other high-end dining chains have.Our meal felt just as high-end and high quality as meals we've had at nice steakhouse chains. Terri Peters Our $230 dinner (including tax and before tip) included lots of drinks, a complimentary bread service, an appetizer, four giant pasta dishes, and a dessert.Overall, it felt like a great value, and the atmosphere at Maggiano's rivaled any high-end chain we've visited.We spent less on our meal here than we would at most steakhouse chains, but our dining experience felt just as high-end and high-quality.Our table felt intimate and we were able to chat with our teenagers and have a great dinner together, something that's just as valuable to my husband and I as the food these days.To save money next time, we might share dishes since the portion sizes are huge. I'd also consider coming back just to sit at the bar and have crme brle for dessert.Based on my experience, I'd definitely return to Maggiano'sand add it to thelist of chain restaurants I'd visit with family again and again.

The Supreme Court upheld a law that could see TikTok shut down on Sunday.Or maybe it won't shut down?There's lots of confusing and contradictory information out there. Here's what we know.TikTok is shutting down in the US on Sunday.Or maybe TikTok won't get shut down because Joe Biden or Donald Trump will save it before then.Or maybe TikTok will get shut down on Sunday, and then Donald Trump will restart it a day or two later.Confused? Me too. It's possible things will get easier to understand in the near future. They could also remain opaque for some time.But let's try to sort out where things stand right now again, with the caveat that this could all change soon.The law and TikTokThe one thing we know for sure: Last year, Congress passed a bill, signed into law by Joe Biden, that required ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to sell its US operations to a non-Chinese owner. The deadline for that transaction is this coming Sunday, January 19.Everything after that is at least somewhat fuzzy.For instance: While the intent of the law is to force ByteDance to sell US TikTok or shut it down, it's not entirely clear what would happen if the law goes into effect.The law requires app stores like the ones run by Apple and Google to stop distributing TikTok, but that doesn't mean TikTok would disappear from your phone. The law also prohibits internet companies from maintaining or updating the app. But it's unclear whether that means TikTok would immediately fall apart, or if it could limp along in some crippled manner.But last week an attorney for TikTok told the Supreme Court that the service would go "dark" in the US on Sunday if the law stays in place. Subsequent press reports say that TikTok plans to simply shut down the service itself on Sunday, hoping that it will create political pressure. The Information reports that TikTok plans on sending users who open the app to a website with information about the ban.The courts and TikTokTikTok has spent months trying unsuccessfully to get the law overturned, arguing that it violates the First Amendment. TikTok got a last-ditch hearing before the US Supreme Court last week, but the justices seemed skeptical of its arguments. And on Friday, they upheld the law."There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of communication. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary," the court concluded.The possible TikTok loopholeThe TikTok sell-or-ban law does offer a theoretical reprieve for the app. It says that prior to the Sunday deadline, the president can grant a 90-day extension if there is "significant progress" in place to transfer ownership of US TikTok, including "relevant binding agreements" to make that happen.But so far, TikTok and its owner have shown no public interest in a sale, and there are no reports that a non-Chinese buyer has a plan in place, let alone a deal.It's also worth noting that no Big Tech company with the resources to buy and run a company the size of TikTok has shown any interest in public to take it on. The only plausible buyer mentioned to date is Elon Musk Trump's new ally but that only came up in recent days, via reports that suggested it was a last-minute brainstorm from Chinese officials in Beijing. Musk has remained uncharacteristically mute about the scenario.The TikTok possible workaroundsThis is where the information is by far the fuzziest, and often contradictory.For instance: Donald Trump, who will become president on Monday, had previously tried to push through his own TikTok ban-or-sale effort during his first term in office. But last year, Trump said he thought TikTok should stay in the US and he's been even more enthusiastic about the app following his reelection.Last month, Trump's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to push back the January 19 deadline so he could work on the deal once he becomes president again. And Trump has invited TikTok CEO Shou Chew to attend his inauguration, a source familiar with the matter told BI. He's been offered a prime seat for the event on the dais alongside other important figures, including Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos,Various news reports and analysts have talked about a scenario where Trump brokers a deal between ByteDance and a buyer once he's in office. The law allowsUnder normal circumstances, it would take many days, weeks, or even months to get a complicated deal worth tens of billions of dollars executed. Which would mean TikTok would stay dark, or at least crippled in some way, for some time. But perhaps Trump thinks he can get something down in record time.And on Friday, Trump said he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about "balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok and many other subjects," and that he expected to "solve many problems together."Does the TikTok law just not get enforced?An alternate scenario you may have read about involves Trump simply overturning the ban via an executive order a mechanism he has already said he intends to use to reverse other moves Joe Biden made in office.But the whole point of a law again, passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president is that it's a law. And it's supposed to be hard to change or modify a law unless the courts weigh in or unless Congress amends it. So, it's very unclear whether an executive order would suffice. (It's worth noting that Wall Street analyst Rich Greenfield believes that Trump can overturn the law with an executive order, by relying on an argument that gives the president power when it comes to foreign affairs and national security.)Another scenario recently floated would be that Trump simply tells Pam Bondi, his candidate to become attorney general, not to enforce the law an extraordinary step. Asked about that prospect in her confirmation hearing, Bondi declined to comment. It's also worth considering whether the likes of Apple and Google would follow Trump's theoretical command to ignore the law while it was still on the books.One last bit of confusion: Members of outgoing President Joe Biden's team, who have been quiet about the looming deadline for weeks, are now trying to figure out a solution themselves, NBC reported Wednesday. "Americans shouldn't expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday," an anonymous administration official told NBC.Now, press reports indicate that Biden's plan to deal with the ban is to ignore it for a day, and pass it along to Trump to deal with.At this point, the only thing we can really tell you with any certainty is that we'll know at least a bit more in the next few days.

This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.Happy Friday! Not a great way to start the weekend, but important nonetheless: A new report detailed the alarming rise in cancer among women under 65. While breast cancer remains the biggest risk, lung cancer cases are on the rise.In today's big story, time is running out for TikTok as its sell-or-ban deadline is just days away.What's on deckMarkets: When it comes to your 2025 investing strategy, size shouldn't matter.Tech: Meta's aggressive approach to underperformers is a nod to Amazon's playbook.Business: Streamlining. Rightsizing. Reduction of force. Companies are using confusing language to disguise job cuts.But first, we can't keep swiping.If this was forwarded to you, The big storyTick tock for TikTok Gearstd/iStock, Tyler Le/BI TikTok's For You Page might soon be for no one.The social media platform is days away from a shutdown in the US thanks to a divest-or-ban law passed back in April.Or is it?To quickly recap: A law requires ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to sell its US operations to a non-Chinese owner by Sunday.However, anything beyond the above statement is unclear, as Business Insider's Peter Kafka explains.There is some murkiness and conflicting reports on everything from how the law will be enforced to what will happen to TikTok if it isn't sold and the app's potential workarounds. Peter broke down all the possible scenarios.Two central figures in the TikTok saga are the Supreme Court and President-elect Donald Trump.With the former, TikTok argued the law violates the First Amendment. (Give me mindless day-in-the-life videos, or give me death.) However, legal experts told BI the app's argument might not have been good enough to get the highest court in the land to step in.Then there's Trump. Despite having once backed a TikTok ban, the incoming president has done a 180.He's now much more supportive of the app, even inviting CEO Shou Chew to attend his inauguration. Some Democratic lawmakers are cheering Trump on regarding his TikTok efforts.But as Peter points out, there are still questions about what Trump could do, even as president, to prevent the ban. fotograzia/Getty, Richard Drury/Getty, Imgorthand/Getty, Tyler Le/BI In the meantime, the world keeps swiping. One way or another.Americans are proving stubborn, resourceful, or a combination of both as they look to scratch their social-media itch.RedNote, which is basically China's version of Instagram, is surging in popularity in the US. The irony is Americans are essentially thumbing their nose at the US government by jumping to another Chinese-owned app, writes BI's Katie Notopoulos.RedNote has become so popular that Duolingo told BI it's seen 216% growth in new Mandarin learners in the US.If TikTok truly is gone for good starting Sunday, there could be more US winners as users continue to look for a new home. And wherever the self-anointed "TikTok refugees" land, the ad dollars could follow.Some familiar names could just gobble back up more business, according to Wall Street analysts, but emerging platforms like Reddit and Trade Desk might also stand to benefit, writes BI's Kelly Cloonan.As for content creators who have built businesses on TikTok, it's another lesson in the importance of diversification.News briefTop headlinesA huge fire broke out at one of the world's largest battery storage plants.David Lynch, director of 'Twin Peaks' and 'Blue Velvet,' dead at 78.Six key takeaways from Justin Baldoni's new lawsuit against Blake Lively, including an apparent nod to Taylor Swift.Israeli cabinet set to vote on Hamas cease-fire deal after delay over 'last-minute crisis.'Amazon cuts jobs in its Fashion and Fitness group, according to internal messages.Trump's attorney general pick owned at least $3.9 million in Truth Social stock and made $1 million as a lobbyist last year.3 things in markets Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng 1. America's economic exceptionalism isn't going anywhere. If you're wondering whether US market dominance peaked in 2024 when US GDP neared $30 trillion and dwarfed both the Eurozone and China the answer is no. JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs both urged investors to bet on the red, white, and blue this year.2. Dutch Bros, Tempur-Sealy, and Mattel make the cut. UBS made its case for small and mid caps, with analysts pointing out how smaller firms outdid their larger peers by 2% per year in the long term. Interest-rate cuts aren't on the forecast after last month's knockout jobs report, but UBS still had some top picks for smaller stocks to buy.3. Six shocks that could shake up markets in 2025. It's hard to predict surprises, but that doesn't stop some strategists from trying. From a global internet outage to another year of 20% stock gains, here are the curveballs Bank of America thinks could rattle investors.3 things in tech Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. John Raoux/AP 1. The Musk-Bezos space race. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin successfully sent its New Glenn rocket into orbit on Thursday. Its competitor SpaceX ran its seventh Starship launch later that day, but the mega-rocket unexpectedly dropped out of communications and exploded after liftoff. Pressure is mounting on both Bezos and Musk, as they prepare for Trump's White House return.2. Amazon's RTO headaches. The company's five-day return-to-office mandate is off to a bumpy start thanks to a shortage of office space. Some employees told BI the rollout was riddled with issues like a lack of desks and meeting rooms, and workplace theft. Plus, they're still on video chats.3. The times, they are a-changin' and Big Tech workers pay the price. Meta and Microsoft are embracing Amazon's brutal management style, prioritizing lean, high-performing teams over employee retention. "The overarching trend is that corporations feel they have more power over their employees," one former Googler told BI.3 things in business Meta is among the companies using corporate jargon to describe job cuts. Alex Wong/Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI 1. Nonregrettable attrition (noun): a euphemistic term for layoffs. Many companies go out of their way to avoid calling job cuts what they are. But whether it's "rightsizing," "streamlining," or Meta's recent buzzphrase "nonregrettable attrition," the corporate lingo of job cuts doesn't soften the blow to employees.2. Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, claiming $400 million in damages. The "It Ends With Us" director filed a 179-page suit on Thursday, accusing his costar of hijacking the movie and destroying his reputation. Lively previously accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and of trying to smear her in the press, claims that Baldoni has denied.3. All the lonely (young) people. Gen Z adults are the loneliest and least optimistic generation, a new survey found. It's not just about young Americans having fewer social connections. More time alone and young people getting married later are also factors. Boomers, on the other hand, are on a different wavelength.In other newsKPMG closes in on setting up a US law firm a first for the Big Four.Some creators say they won't pay their taxes if TikTok gets banned in the US.A population time bomb threatens to make young people work longer hours, be more productive, and delay retirement, McKinsey finds.Private firefighters breakdown how they spend most of their time and it's not protecting mansions.The 10 safest states to live in the US, ranked.What's happening nowIMF World Economic Outlook Update launches.Senate committee hearing on Kristi Noem, Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security.China releases quarterly GDP data.The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Ella Hopkins, associate editor, in London. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.

A fire broke out at California's Moss Landing Power Plant on Thursday.The Monterey County Sheriff's Office urged residents near the plant to evacuate.40% of the battery plant has burned, according to a Sheriff's Office spokesperson.A major fire has broken out at one of the world's largest battery storage plants, located in California.The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said the North County Fire Protection District was responding to a fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant in an X post on Thursday.Moss Landing is about 270 miles from Los Angeles, where wildfires have been ravaging the city for more than a week.Out of an "abundance" of caution, it urged residents in nearby areas to close windows and doors, shut off air systems until further notice, and avoid the area so that emergency vehicles could respond.A few hours later, it issued evacuation orders for areas of the plant and shut down parts of California's Highway 1.A Monterey County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told KSBW 8 that 40% of the battery plant had burned.A law enforcement spokesperson told CNN that efforts were being made to limit the fire.They said the fire broke out at about 3 p.m. local time, and that evacuation orders were issued at 6:30 p.m. due to concerns about hazardous materials and potential chemical spills.Over 2,000 individuals were instructed to evacuate, they added.Neither Vistra Energy, the plant's owner, nor the Monterey County Sheriff's Office specified the cause of the fire, and they didn't respond to Business Insider requests for comments made outside working hours.Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church told KSBW-TV that this was the "worst-case scenario" and a "very severe" situation. But he said he didn't expect the fire to spread beyond the concrete building it was enclosed in.Even so, "there's no way to sugarcoat it," he added. "This is a disaster."The National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area said heat signature could be seen in satellite imagery.Jenny Lyon, a spokesperson for Vistra Energy, told Politico that the cause of the fire has yet to be identified but that an inquiry would begin once it's extinguished.In a press release announcing the plant's expansion in 2023, Texas-based Vistra Energy said it was one of the world's largest battery storage plants.It's not the first time the facility has experienced fires, power outages, or technical issues. In 2015, a transmission tower at the power plant collapsed, resulting in a significant power outage.A failing heat detector also caused damage to the battery complex in 2021, and in 2022 a fire broke out at a nearby Pacific Gas & Electric-owned battery plant.North Monterey County Unified School District said all of the county's schools and offices would be closed on Friday due to the fire.Thursday's fire comes as wildfires across Los Angeles area have ravaged over 40,000 acres and killed at least 25 people.AccuWeather has put the total estimated cost of the LA wildfires at $250 to $275 billion.This is a developing story. Please check for updates.

I am a smart, capable adult. I thought I was too clever to get caught up in a scam. I was wrong.It happened when I turned to social media to seek help with a travel-related issue with my car rental.Next time, I'll remind myself to take a breath and go slow when someone comes to my aid.I know full well that new internet scams are popping up every day. I'm suspicious to the point of being cynical and I've worked in online media for more than 15 years. I thought I was scam-proof. I was wrong.Stressful travel made me feel desperateAt the tail end of spending time back East with my family, my son got sick on the day we were supposed to fly home to LA, so I delayed our flight for two days. The plane ticket was easy to switch with no extra charges, but when I went to extend my rental car, the company website said they'd charge me more than $3,000 for a rental car that was supposed to be just $51 per day. I was panicked. I told myself this must be a mistake and called their customer service number for help. After an hour of getting redirected to automated lines over and over I felt sick. I couldn't pay for this it would cost more than our entire trip. If I could just get in touch with a live person, I had hope that everything could be worked out.I turned to social media for helpI remembered I had had luck contacting corporations through social media before and found the rental company's official Facebook page. I posted a message about my situation with a plea for help. I was flooded with relief when I received an immediate reply from a profile with the title "Customer Service". The person on the other end asked for my phone number and email address, and I got a call minutes later. With a shaky voice I explained what was going on and the voice on the other end of the phone someone named Kenneth apologized for the error and said he could help.And that's when he got me. I was so desperate to connect with a live person, that I was willing to follow every instruction that he gave me to rectify the situation.Kenneth (who knows if that was even his name) said that not only would I not be charged the exorbitant fee for the extra two days, he would make my extra two days complimentary just for my trouble. All I needed to do was confirm my credit card number. He said for safety reasons I shouldn't tell him the number over the phone, but instead download an app called Remitly where the number would stay confidential. He said he would send a $100 refund to my card to make up for the extra two days I'd be charged. Looking back, I now realize this doesn't make much sense and it wasn't even the right amount. It should have been $102 if he was crediting me for two days. But, I didn't even hesitate for a second. No warning bells went off in my head or my gut. I was just so glad to finally be getting help. I followed his instructions.And then, it happened againThen I got another Facebook message from a different "Customer Service" profile stating they were trying to contact me but I wasn't picking up the phone. "It's OK," I typed. "I'm talking to someone right now.""Hang up," they wrote. "Hang up the phone."A chill crept over me from head to toe. "Oh my God," I wrote back. "It's a scam. I just gave this guy my credit card number."I hung up the immediately and the phone rang again. Now someone allegedly name James was available to help me. Now I was snapped out of my daze and hung up on him as well.Finally, I heard from a real personEventually, the rental car company wrote back on Facebook saying none of the messages or calls had come from them, and that I'd have to work the extra fees out at the rental counter when I returned the car.I was humiliated and even more panicked now. I called my credit card company and cancelled the card.I spent the next 36 hours berating myself for being so foolish. When I arrived at the rental car counter, I was able to find a manager who cancelled the $3678.07 charge that caused me to reach out to customer service in the first place, but by then I was a complete wreck. In the end, the scammers ended up charging me $100 and I don't know if I'll ever get that money back, but realize I'm lucky that's all this annoying lesson cost me.I'll do things differently next timeThe next time I'm up against a stressful customer service issue, I'll remind myself to take a deep breath and go slow. When I feel that sense of relief that someone is coming to my aid, I'll always take a pause and verify that they are who they say they are, especially when I'm reaching out via social media. And the next time someone calls me cynical, I'll tell them "It comes from experience."

Stefan Vorontsov is a Ukrainian volunteer who secretly coaches those who want to leave occupied Ukraine.He told BI what it's like to evacuate and prepare for scrutiny from border authorities.He said the journey's most difficult leg is the border checkpoint, where Ukrainians can get interrogated for six hours.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stefan Vorontsov, a Ukrainian who fled Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka in early 2022. His organization, Humanity, has helped over 6,000 Ukrainians leave southern and eastern Ukraine.Vorontsov is trying to raise awareness of the situation at the border, and limited his interview to information that he says would not compromise evacuees' safety. The following has been edited for length and clarity.Ukrainians who want to leave Russian occupation have only one path: Russia itself.It's too dangerous to cross the front line, so we must go through either Crimea or Rostov-on-Don. Each one has a border checkpoint that gives Ukrainians access to Russia, but they are incredibly difficult to pass through.The Russian border authorities are constantly screening people to catch pro-Ukraine partisans or punish those with family in the Ukrainian forces. One slip-up may mean you go to prison or never leave.When a Ukrainian evacuee makes contact with us, we give them a "legend." It's the fake story we must create about why they want to enter Russia, about their families and national identity, and about their past.For example, sick people can say they want to visit a Russian hospital, and families can say they want to go to the Black Sea and chill at the beach. Ukrainians in occupied Kherson typically try to leave through Crimea, while those in the Mariupol and southern Donbas areas go through Rostov-on-Don. Vorontsov said Ukrainians in Donetsk and Luhansk typically do not need as much help as travel restrictions are more lax there. Screenshot/Google Maps It's a lot harder for young Ukrainian men, especially those who are flagged by Russia for making pro-Ukraine posts online. For these people, we have to make sure their legend is strong.In most cases, I use Telegram's "secret chat" function to message an evacuee carefully. I have to be delicate with what I tell them because I know that Russia may be able to read every word I write.The Russians search everything about youThere are many reasons Ukrainians did not flee before the Russian army arrived. Many are sick. Many have children. Even though the war is on your doorstep, on your streets, it's so difficult to make the decision to permanently leave your home. Vorontsov's organization, Humanity, said that it's helped over 2,000 Ukrainian children leave occupied territories. Stefan Vorontsov Over the years, I've learned that 95% of an evacuation's success depends on preparation before the person steps out the door.The most important thing Ukrainians must do is clean up their phones.The Russians check everything at the border checkpoint, and they're always looking for people with pro-Ukrainian views.Evacuees must prepare that they could be interviewed for six hours at the border checkpoint, where the guards will meticulously vet everything about them: their phones, their social media posts, and their search history.Anything related to Ukraine can implicate you. Ukrainian words, text messages from family members, photos of the Ukrainian flag, and even the colors of blue and yellow might land you in trouble. The guards can see if you liked or subscribed to a pro-Ukraine social media channel.Maps are especially important to delete. The Russians do not like maps, and they think you will use them for sending coordinates.Photos of buildings or city locations can also be a trap because they might be labeled as evidence of Russian positions.The Russians will look through your phone contacts and call history, and try to find numbers from their database of pro-Ukraine people or Ukrainian soldiers. Even if it is an unknown number to you, you can still be caught if it's related to someone the Russians don't like.We also consider the type of phone our evacuees use. If they use an Android phone, it's very easy for the Russians to recover a lot of their deleted data, like messages and photos from the last two or three years.To help their case, we sometimes tell evacuees to add a bit of Russian flavor to their digital history by following certain Telegram channels or subscribing to pro-Russia YouTubers.Surviving the checkpointOur organization gives free evacuation to those who want to escape, and we try to plan every step for them. We arrange for licensed bus drivers to take them to Crimea or Rostov-on-Don, and if they can't make it themselves to the gathering point, we pay for taxis, food, or hostel stays. Fleeing Ukrainians pose after arriving at Odesa's railway station. Stefan Vorontsov But we have to compete with Russian drivers, who come from the east and offer desperate Ukrainians travel into Russia for $400 a trip. We pay our drivers less than $50 per person.At the border, the interviewers will try to provoke the evacuees. They will ask questions to make Ukrainians angry and catch them slipping if they support Ukraine.This is where an evacuee's legend is so important.If, for example, their brother is in the Ukrainian military, they should never tell the Russians that. They should try to talk about how they hate war and pretend to be as neutral as possible. Sometimes, it's useful to say that they are tired of the Ukrainian government.The consequences of failing the checkpoint clearance can be great. You can be stuck in occupied Ukraine. Or you can go to prison. Or they can send you to a deep part of Russia without telling anyone.Dozens of my friends, colleagues, and evacuees have disappeared while making this journey, and I don't know where they are.Old people, children, and the sick often have an easier time, but it's becoming a lot harder to leave occupied Ukraine. When I left Ukraine in early 2022, it was 40 days after the Russians took Nova Kakhovka. Many of the evacuees aided by Vorontsov are old, have disabilities, or are sick. Stefan Vorontsov Back then, the Russians thought they would take our country quickly. They found photos and information on my phone that revealed I was pro-Ukraine, but somehow I managed to lie my way through to Georgia. Now, they try to break all Ukrainians, even old grannies and mothers.Since January 2024, Russia has also required all Ukrainians to get a Russian passport for permission to cross the border. That's made our work a lot more difficult, and it introduced new complications. Boys and men, even those as young as 15, get pressured to join the Russian army when they apply for a passport.If a Ukrainian can overcome all of these obstacles and pass the border checkpoint, they can travel to Moscow. From there, they can take a train to Belarus or Europe and eventually return to unoccupied Ukraine.The entire process takes about four days. As for myself, I had to pass a second checkpoint and go through another four-hour interview on my way to Georgia, where I stayed for six months. Now, I'm in Western Europe helping to coordinate evacuations.We don't get paid for what we do. In 2024, my organization helped to evacuate 360 Ukrainians, including 106 children, for a total of $23,500. We also evacuated a horse and dozens of dogs and cats.We fundraise for train tickets, bus rides, and other evacuee expenses. We have a mission to save the Ukrainian people, to save the Ukrainian nation. This mission is our driving force, our fuel.

All of North Korea's troops in Kursk could get wiped out by April, given current losses, a think tank said.Analysts cited casualty reports from Ukraine and South Korea, estimating 92 losses per day for Pyongyang.Still, the estimated 12,000 troops sent by North Korea are a small fraction of its total military strength.If North Korea's current casualty rate holds, it would take three more months for Pyongyang to lose all of its estimated 12,000 troops deployed to fight Ukraine, per an estimate by researchers from the Institute for the Study of War.Analysts at the Washington-based think tank cited casualty reports from Ukraine and South Korea, as well as Russian military bloggers who said that North Korean troops were actively participating in significant combat in December."North Korean have therefore likely suffered roughly 92 casualties per day since starting to participate in significant fighting in early December 2024," they wrote in an assessment published on Thursday.The think tank said that "the entirety of this North Korean contingent in Kursk Oblast may be killed or wounded in roughly 12 weeks (about mid-April 2025) should North Korean forces continue to suffer similarly high casualty rates in the future."The analysts wrote that Pyongyang's losses will likely involve more wounded troops than those killed in action, which they said is "typical or armed conflict.""And it is unclear if or when injured North Korean soldiers return to combat," the think tank's assessment said.A South Korean lawmaker, Lee Sung-kwon, said on Monday that Seoul's intelligence service estimated that about 300 North Korean soldiers had been killed in action in Kursk, with another 2,700 wounded.Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in early January that North Korean losses in Kursk had reached up to 3,800 wounded or killed."12,000 has arrived. Today, 3,800 killed or wounded," he told podcaster Lex Fridman.The US also gave its estimate for North Korean casualties in December, saying that Pyongyang likely suffered 1,000 killed or wounded in its first week of engaging in significant combat."We now assess that North Korean forces are conducting massed massed, dismounted assaults against Ukrainian positions in Kursk," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on December 27.Russia's defense ministry press team did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.Western and South Korean intelligence officials have said that the roughly 12,000 North Korean troops deployed in Kursk are likely from the Storm Corps.The elite branch of soldiers is considered North Korea's version of special forces, and estimates have varied as to how many are fielded by Pyongyang. One of the highest counts, by South Korea's Defense Ministry in 2022, put the Storm Corps at up to 200,000 strong.Questions remain as to whether Kim Jong Un may send more troops to Russia's aid if manpower on the frontline runs dry. Quantity has been vital for both Ukraine and Russia from troops to artillery to ammo as the war looks to drag into its fourth year.North Korea has an estimated 1.2 million soldiers in its armed forces, though they have barely any combat experience. Pyongyang is known to instead often rely on its troops for building infrastructure projects.Still, Zelenskyy warned in early January of the possibility that North Korea could send up to half a million troops to aid Russia. But Pyongyang isn't giving its troops away for free Kim is receiving food, technological expertise, and economic assistance from Russia in exchange.Ukraine and South Korea reported in November that Russia was also paying Kim a stipend for each North Korean soldier deployed in Kursk. Seoul's intelligence said at the time that the cost was about $2,000 per man.

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos exchanged friendly tweets after rocket launches on Thursday.The billionaires have had a long-standing rivalry over space ambitions and more.Their recent interactions suggest a possible end to their long public feud.Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos may no longer be enemies. In fact, a friendship may be budding between the two billionaires, judging by tweets they recently posted on X.Both tech founders own rocket companies that launched missions on Thursday, with mixed results.SpaceX's huge Starship spaceship exploded, although its Super Heavy rocket booster successfully returned to a platform on Earth."@elonmusk Kudos to you and the whole SpaceX team on the flawless booster catch! Very impressive." Bezos wrote on X.Earlier in the day, Bezos' Blue Origin launched its 32-story-tall New Glenn rocket into orbit. It lost its booster during the test flight."Well done, @JeffBezos, and the Blue Origin team!" Musk wrote.Is their long feud over?Followers on X formerly Twitter were quick to notice the seaMusk and Bezos have been embroiled in a years-long feud.They've argued over their space ambitions at SpaceX and Blue Origin as they've repeatedly leapfrogged each other for the title of the world's richest person. That's a title Musk currently holds by a massive margin: With Bloomberg estimating his net worth at $439 billion, he's by far the richest person in the world. Bezos is second, with an estimated net worth of $240 billion.Musk has said Blue Origin has tried to poach talent from SpaceX, and he's taunted Bezos repeatedly about the status of their respective businesses.In 2015, when SpaceX landed its Falcon 9 spacecraft, Bezos needled Musk on Twitter by suggesting Blue Origin had already accomplished a similar feat.Bezos has also subtly criticized Musk's mission to colonize Mars over the years. When NASA picked SpaceX for a major contract in 2021, Blue Origin was furious and protested the decision.Less than two months ago, they were at it again.In an X post, Musk said BezosDonald Trump was bound to lose the presidential election.Hours later, Bezos said the claim was "100% not true."Billionaire"Step Brothers"This history is what has made Thursday's friendly repartee between the billionaires so jarring.Musk posted a gif on X from the movie "Step Brothers," with the main characters saying,"Did we just become best friends? Yep!""Step Brothers is the perfect meme for @JeffBezos& me," Musk wrote.He posted another clip from the same movie, implying his relationship with Bezos was now harmonious.Of course, all of this is unfolding on social media, which has its limitations. But one thing is for sure: No matter what's happening behind the scenes or offline, Thursday's exchanges mark a change in Bezos and Musk's online rapport.

SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded during a test Thursday.The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning after the explosion, calling the area "dangerous."After the explosion, some flights near Turks and Caicos were diverted, per Flightradar24.Flights near the Turks and Caicos islands were spotted diverting to avoid debris after SpaceX's Starship exploded on Thursday.SpaceX was conducting its seventh test flight of its unmanned Starship mega-rocket from its Starbase launch site near Brownsville, Texas. The launch occurred around 5:30 p.m. ET.The Starship's Super Heavy Booster, which boosts the Starship spacecraft, successfully touched down back to the launchpad, marking another milestone in SpaceX's goal to create reusable boosters.However, the upper stage of the system, Starship, was lost in what the company called a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."Videos on social media appeared to show debris light up the sky near Turks and Caicos as it fell back to Earth.Dean Olson, who captured footage of the Starship debris while in the area, told Business Insider that he heard the sound of constant "thunder" for about a minute after witnessing the explosion.SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in an X post on Thursday night that the rocket "had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall."Musk wrote that the leak "was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity.""Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month," he added.The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning after the explosion, calling the area "dangerous" and warning of "falling debris of rocket Starship.""The FAA briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area where space vehicle debris was falling," an FAA spokesperson said. "Normal operations have resumed."Flight data from Flightradar24 showed several aircraft near the Turks and Caicos Islands diverting from destination routes.One flight was an Airbus A320-232, operated by JetBlue, headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Fort Lauderdale, according to the website. The flight was diverted back to Fort Lauderdale International.JetBlue and SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket has exploded in two of its previous tests.In November 2023, the Super Heavy booster exploded as it returned to Earth while the Starship continued to climb toward space.

SpaceX launched its Starship mega-rocket for the seventh time on Thursday.It performed an epic booster catch for the second time but the Starship exploded shortly after.The launch marked the first flight of a new-generation Starship.SpaceX Starship mega-rocket has stumbled on the road to commercial use, unexpectedly dropping out of communications and exploding as it screamed toward space for its seventh flight on Thursday.After liftoff, theSuper Heavy booster heaved the Starship spaceship toward space, separated itself, and fell back toward Earth. As the falling booster approached SpaceX's Texas facilities, it nailed a complex maneuver that's only happened once before. SpaceX successfully caught its Super Heavy booster for the second time. Screenshot via SpaceX webcast The booster fired its engines to lower itself to a catch tower, where a pair of giant "chopstick" arms closed around its trunk and caught it.This technological feat is key to reaching SpaceX's goal of building a fleet of rapidly, fully reusable rockets to help slash spaceflight costs, advance the company's business model, and ultimately build a city of people on Mars.However, shortly after the epic booster catch, SpaceX said the upper stage of the system, Starship itself, was lost and later confirmed on X that it had suffered a rapid unscheduled disassembly, which is another way of saying it exploded."We were just coming up to the end of that ascent burn for the ship when we started to lose a couple of the engines," Dan Huot, one of the hosts of SpaceX's livestream of the launch, said in the broadcast.Then the ship dropped out of communications, meaning there was some kind of anomaly and Starship was lost, Huot said."This was a brand new vehicle essentially," he added. "With that, there's a lot of things you're upgrading, but there's a lot of things you're going to learn as all those systems are now interacting with each other for the first time."Elon Musk, the company's founder and CEO, posted on X shortly after that "improved versions of the ship & booster already waiting for launch."SpaceX's Starship flight 7 didn't achieve all it set out toFor the first time, SpaceX flew Starship with a reused Raptor rocket engine.The Super Heavy booster runs on 33 Raptor engines. For the entire rocket to be reusable, as Musk has said he intends, then those engines must be recycled and reused too. A picture of the Raptor engine SpaceX reused during its latest launch. Screenshot via SpaceX webcast Aboard Thursday's flight, one of those engines was the same one that SpaceX flew on its October flight.Also flying for the first time was SpaceX's new generation second-stage Starship. This new generation comes with significant upgrades designed for "bringing major improvements to reliability and performance," the company wrote on its website.For example, the flaps on this upgraded Starship are smaller and reoriented so they're not exposed to as much heat upon reentry. These flaps are designed to eventually help Starship fly back and touch down on land, making it reusable. The new-generation Starship that flew on SpaceX's latest launch has significant upgrades, including to its flaps highlighted here. Screenshot via SpaceX webcast However, SpaceX has not yet recovered a Starship from spaceflight. So far, every Starship that has flown to space has sunk into the Indian Ocean. The ship on Thursday's flight was slated for the same fate before it was lost shortly after launch.Starship was scheduled to deploy a set of 10 Starlink simulators, or dummies. They were about the same size and weight as SpaceX's next-generation V3 Starlink satellites. Deploying them was practice for eventually the real thing, which is a key part of SpaceX's business plan.Starship is set to make other SpaceX rockets obsolete SpaceX's Super Heavy booster hangs in mid-air between giant "chopsticks" arms. Screenshot via SpaceX webcast In its final form, Starship should be able to release up to 100 second-generation Starlink satellites at a time, increasing SpaceX's internet coverage and a core pillar of its income.Once Starship is operational, its sheer power will likely make it the cornerstone of SpaceX's business, which has long hinged on the comparatively wimpy Falcon 9 and its hefty counterpart, Falcon Heavy."Starship obsoletes Falcon 9 and the Dragon capsule," SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell said at the Baron Investment Conference in November, according to Ars Technica."We'll be flying that for six to eight more years," she added, "but ultimately, people are going to want to fly on Starship. It's bigger. It's more comfortable. It will be less expensive. And we will have flown it so many more times."

A TikTok ban could happen as early as January 19.A ban could mean the migration of users and billions of ad dollars to competitors.Meta could gain up to $3.38 billion solely through freed up ad revenue, eMarketer estimated.If TikTok is booted from US app stores, Meta could stand to be one of the largest beneficiaries, analysts say.TikTok, the video platform owned by China's Bytedance, faces an impending ban if the US Supreme Court upholds a law that forces the parent company to divest from TikTok's US version or be forced to shut the app down by January 19.The legal action would most likely bar people in the US from downloading TikTok for the first time from app stores or from installing updates, eventually making the platform unusable. The app could also go dark, blocking existing users from seeing videos.In any case, a TikTok ban would hobble one of the largest social media companies in the US, leaving the time users spent on the app and billions of dollars of ad revenue up for grabs, according to an analysis from Business Insider's sister company EMARKETER."Our latest forecast estimates that TikTok generated $12.34 billion in US ad revenues in 2024," the analysis said. "Assuming TikTok could lose between 50% and 70% of ad revenues due to a ban, $6.17 billion to $8.64 billion of ad spending could need a new home."And one social media giant's loss could be another social media giant's gain.The analysis estimated that Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook, could reap anywhere between $2.46 billion to $3.38 billion in ad revenue with a TikTok ban.Spokespeople for Tiktok and Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Similarly, Morgan Stanley analysts say that Meta will be the"largest fundamental winner of any TikTok ban" in part due to its existing user base and data set.The ban could add 5 to 9 percent in Meta's earnings per share for the 2026 fiscal year, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote.InstagramEMARKETER estimates that TikTok users in the US spent nearly an hour of their day on the app in 2024 and nearly three quarters of those users were also on Instagram."That leaves close to an hour of their daily media time up for grabs," eMarketer analysts wrote.Morgan Stanley analysts say that Meta would gain around $.30 to $.60 to their 2026 earnings per share estimates for every 10% of TikTok's US time Meta captures.The upside of a TikTok ban won't be concentrated to Meta.Alphabet's YouTube and Snapchat may also see some benefits with TikTok out of the way.For advertisers, a looming TikTok ban should serve as a prescient reminder that no platform, however large, is invincible."Although it's difficult to say if the TikTok ban will go ahead, as it's possible TikTok could sell at the last minute, this should serve as a warning not to put all your content eggs in one basket," Danielle Dullaghan, social strategy director, at the marketing agency Iris, told Business Insider.James Poulter, head of AI and innovation at London-based ad agency House 337, told BI that the brands and creators who will succeed are those diversified across platforms and focused on "owned assets like websites and email lists.""The brands and creators who thrive in uncertain times are those who prepare for the unexpected, ensuring their stories can be told regardless of the platform," he said.

10. WyomingThe Moulton Barn in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Bob Pool/Shutterstock Wyoming, which also came 10th in 2023, ranked relatively high (15th) on both personal and residential and financial safety for 2024.In all other categories road and workplace safety and emergency preparedness it ranked 21st. Casper, the second largest city in the state was also named the second safest city in the US in a separate study by WalletHub.However, the state has the seventh-highest bullying incidence rate and the second-worst fatal occupational injuries per total workers, WalletHub reported.9. Rhode IslandCastle Hill Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island. Marianne Campolongo/Shutterstock Rhode Island has also retained its ninth spot on the list.The state ranked eighth on emergency preparedness scale and 11th on road safety. Its ranking for personal residential safety, though, dropped to 19, compared to eight in 2023.Still, the state has the fewest fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, the fourth-fewest assaults per capita, the third-lowest bullying incidence rate, and the fourth-lowest share of uninsured residents, per WalletHub.The state did not fare as well on the workplace safety ranking, standing 38th, despite having the fewest fatal occupational injuries per total workers.8. MinnesotaThe Third Avenue Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Minnesota, too, has maintained its ranking from 2023, retaining the eighth position.The Midwestern state scored highly under three categories: financial safety, where it ranked ninth among all states; road safety, where it ranked second; and workplace safety, where it stood sixth.It also has the third lowest fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel and the fifth-lowest share of uninsured residents and fatal occupational injuries per total workers.7. ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut. JTMC/Shutterstock Connecticut, which ranked sixth in 2023, has swapped spots with Hawaii, previously ranked seventh.The Constitution State, has the second best personal and residential safety among all 50 states. It is also the 16th safest in terms of emergency preparedness and 20th in road safety.In addition to its high rankings, when compared to other states, it has the third-fewest assaults per capita, third-highest percentage of adults with rainy day funds, and, like Rhode Island, the second fewest fatal occupational injuries per total workers.6. HawaiiMakena Beach in Maui, Hawaii. Pierre Leclerc/Shutterstock Hawaii moved from seventh in 2023 to the sixth-safest state in the US in 2024.This improvement is partly due to its strong performance in financial safety, where it ranked sixth, as well as in personal and residential safety and emergency preparedness, both ranking 11th.The state also stands out for having the fifth-lowest rate of assaults per capita and the highest percentage of adults with rainy-day funds.5. UtahSalt Lake City skyline during sunset. Nick Fox/Shutterstock Utah, the fourth-safest state in 2023, moved down one spot, ranking fifth in 2024.The Beehive State ranked No.1 among all states in workplace safety and fourth in emergency preparedness. It also fared well in road safety, ranking seventh overall.Additionally, the state has the second-lowest per capita losses from climate disasters, which means it suffers relatively low monetary losses from events like hurricanes, floods, or wildfires when calculated per person.4. MassachusettsGood Harbor Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Steve Rosenbach/Shutterstock Massachusetts ranked among the top 10 in at least four categories, including third-highest in personal and residential and road safety.It was also the fourth-best state in the US for financial safety and ranked 10th in emergency preparedness.It's also the state with the second-fewest fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, the fifth-lowest bullying incidence rate, the lowest share of uninsured residents, and the fourth-highest percentage of adults with rainy-day funds, per WalletHub's report.3. MaineFort Williams in Portland, Maine. Fotogro/Shutterstock WalletHub ranked Maine as the third-safest state to live in the US because of its high financial, personal and residential safety rankings. The state has one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the strongest job growth rates in the country.According to the report, the state also has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, with the second-fewest aggravated assaults and third-fewest thefts per capita. Between June 2022 and June 2024, it also had the second-fewest mass shootings.In addition to its strong safety ranking, the Pine Tree State also has a very low risk of natural disasters.2. New HampshirePortsmouth, New Hampshire. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock The Granite State, known for its natural beauty, ranked second on WalletHub's safety index.It topped the rankings in personal and residential safety thanks to its low rates of violence, a high number of neighborhood watch groups per capita, and strong financial safety.New Hampshire also secured second place in financial safety and ranked third overall in emergency preparedness. It has the fewest assaults per capita and the lowest unemployment rate, alongside South Dakota, North Dakota, Vermont, and Hawaii.However, the state also has the sixth-highest bullying incidence rate in the country.1. VermontThe Vermont State House. meunierd/Shutterstock Vermont has been the safest state in the US on WalletHub's index for two years in a row.The Green Mountain State has maintained its top position, in part because it is the No. 1 state in the country for financial safety WalletHub reported it has one of the country's lowest employment rates and one of the strongest job growth rates.Vermont also came second in workplace safety and fourth in road safety, with the report chalking this up, in part, to "good driving behavior": The state has the lowest percentage of drivers who've used a phone behind the wheel, per WalletHub.It was also in the top 10 among the two other categories, ranking sixth in personal and residential safety and ninth in emergency preparedness.

Erosion has come for yet another home on the billionaire hot spot island of Nantucket.A house last purchased in July was demolished on Tuesday.Buying on certain parts of the wealthy island has become a gamble as weather patterns intensify.Just over six months after businessman Don Vaccaro signed the paperwork on his new property on Nantucket's coast, the beach house is no longer.On Tuesday, the three-bedroom home was demolished after being condemned by the town after the coast eroded to within five feet of the structure, according to a filing by the town's conservation commission. Just last year, the property was valued at nearly $2 million by the town's assessor. Vaccaro spent only $200,000 on it, but its upkeep cost several hundred thousand more.Vaccaro says that in hindsight his purchase of 28 Sheep Pond Road was a "terrible investment.""Not only the $400,000, but the time suck of having to deal with it," Vaccaro wrote in an email to Business Insider. He cautioned other beachfront homeowners to think seriously about erosion strategies, like planting sea grass, to avoid a similar fate.Though Vaccaro followed the town's condemnation order, he still believes 46-year-old home could've lasted longer before it finally fell into the ocean."I hoped to have the summer of 2025, but that will not happen," he wrote.The home's final demise was also a surprise to Mike Melvin, the general manager at Holdgate Partners, which oversaw the demolition, told Business Insider. Just last year, his firm had updated the house when its septic tank fell into the ocean."It was a little bit surprising to see how fast things have eroded out there," he said.Melvin blames storms this winter with strong southeast winds that chipped away at the island's southern shore."They'd be better with a nor'easter, to be honest," Melvin added.By the end of the week, what remains of the house will either be turned into gravel or packed up and sent to a contractor to handle the disposal off-island. Melvin worries other homes in the area might still be at risk as the year goes on."It could be just one bad storm" that takes out other properties, Melvin said.Buying a home on certain parts of Nantucket, an island off Cape Cod's coast known for attracting the ultrawealthy like billionaires Eric Schmidt and Steve Schwarzman, is a gamble. In recent years, erosion has led to the demolition of a handful of properties, many once valued at multiple millions of dollars. Other residents have spent seven figures to move their homes away from threatened bluffs.Over the next 50 years, sea level rise, coastal flooding, and erosion are estimated to cause over $3.4 billion in cumulative damages to Nantucket, according to the island's 2021 Coastal Resilience Plan.While there have been a number of firesales on particularly vulnerable properties, the island's larger real estate market has remained healthy. In 2024, the number of single-family homes sold on the island increased 11% year over year, according to data from local firm Fisher Real Estate. Since 2020, the number of homes sold on Nantucket for more than $10 million has increased 50% and the median home sale price reached an all-time high of $3.7 million."The concentration of wealth is quite stunning on Nantucket, and it keeps escalating," Bruce Percelay, a real estate developer and the publisher of the island's N Magazine, who has been vacationing on Nantucket for nearly all of his life, told BI last year. "To use a well-worn phrase, come hell or high water, people are still buying multimillion-dollar homes on Nantucket."

Companies are offering support to their employees and others affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.The deadly flames have burned thousands of acres and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing.From planning a benefit concert to serving free Happy Meals, here's what companies are doing.The wildfires in Los Angeles have claimed 24 lives as of Thursday, burned thousands of acres and homes, and sent hundreds of thousands of people looking for shelter.The disaster has prompted many major companies to adjust their operations and donate to relief efforts.Here is a roundup of the actions that major businesses are taking in the wake of the fires.AmazonAmazon is donating $10 million in fire relief efforts in the Los Angeles area, the company said on Monday. The funding will come from Amazon's entertainment division, which includes Amazon MGM Studios, as well as Ring and Whole Foods Market.Among Amazon's donations so far are respirators and gloves for clean-up efforts to the American Red Cross, as well as food donations from Amazon Fresh to local groups feeding fire victims.AppleApple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday that the company would "be donating to support the victims and recovery efforts on the ground" in a post on X.Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the size or other details of the donation.Comcast NBCUniversalComcast NBCUniversal donated $10 million to relief efforts, the company announced Monday. Benefiting organizations included the American Red Cross, the Entertainment Industry Foundation SoCal Fire Fund, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles."We stand ready to support our employees and the broader Los Angeles community as we recover and rebuild from these tragic events," Comcast chair Brian Roberts said in a statement.DisneyHundreds of Disney employees, including CEO Robert Iger, had been evacuated from their homes as of Monday, while 64 had lost their houses, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. Disney has approved $15 million for "community services and rebuilding efforts," the Times reported.Disney's movie production, however, hasn't slowed down, the Times reported. The company's movie operations in Burbank are far enough from the fires. Lots for Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Netflix, and other entertainment providers are also not currently threatened by the fires.Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.GoogleGoogle and its philanthropic division "are supporting relief and recovery efforts with grant funding and an internal giving campaign for employee donations and company gift match," the company said in a post on Thursday.The tech company also said it was providing details about the fires, such as the boundaries of affected areas, on Google Maps. It was also working with the Hotel Association of Los Angeles so that search engine users affected by the fires could find free or discounted places to stay.In addition to contributing to a $15 million donation to relief efforts through Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org, video giant YouTube will offer production facilities for impacted creators once its Los Angeles office can reopen.It's also planning future events to bring the community together, CEO Neal Mohan wrote on the company's blog.Live NationEntertainment company Live Nation is planning a benefit concert called "FireAid" for January 30 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, Variety reported on Friday.While the performer lineup is not public yet, proceeds from the concert will go to rebuilding and supporting victims as well as preparing for future fires, according to Variety.Live Nation didn't respond to a request for comment from BI.MattelEl Segundo, California-based Mattel said in an Instagram post on Sunday that it would support nonprofits doing relief work for the fires through the Mattel Children's Foundation."Our thoughts are with all who are suffering during this unprecedented crisis in our headquarter city," the post reads.McDonald'sMcDonald's restaurants in Southern California are giving out free Happy Meals to first responders and people who have had to leave their homes, according to a website that the chain set up for the offer. The deal is good through Thursday, and patrons have to use the McDonald's app to order.ParamountParamount is donating $1 million to organizations that support firefighting and relief efforts, per an internal memo sent out by its co-CEOs on Friday and obtained by Business Insider.The company is providing support for impacted employees in the form of cash grants via its Employee Assistance Fund (EAF), as well as offering lodging and temporary housing.Paramount will also match all employee donations to charities, including the EAF, wrote co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins.NetflixNetflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos announced that the disaster had impacted "many" of its employees and creative partners.As a result, Netflix is donating $10 million to five organizations: the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Community Fund Wildfire Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, Motion Picture and Television Fund, and Entertainment Community Fund.It's also assisting impacted employees with temporary housing and double-matching all employee charity contributions, Sarandos said.SnapSnap founder Evan Siegel who grew up in the now-fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades posted a love letter to Los Angeles Monday, sharing that his father's house had "burned to the ground on live TV."He also said more than 150 Snap employees had been displaced by the fires."Snap, Bobby, and I have already disbursed $5 million in immediate aid," Spiegel wrote, referring to cofounder and CTO Bobby Murphy, "and we will do more." He added that the company was helping to feed evacuees and first responders and offering free space.StarbucksStarbucks is "temporarily offering catastrophe pay for any missed shifts" to employees whose stores are open but have been displaced due to the fire, the coffee chain told Bloomberg on Tuesday.Starbucks confirmed the catastrophe pay to BI. The coffee chain is also closing stores in evacuation zones and continuing to pay employees whom the company calls "partners" based at those stores, a company spokesperson said.Partners have also been providing coffee to first responders and shelters. On Monday, Starbucks also started offering free tall brewed coffees to first responders who stop by stores in the area."We are deeply proud of our partners," the spokesperson said. "They continue to serve first responders and communities across LA where it is safe to do so."TargetThe big-box chain said it's using its supply chain "to fast-track critical supplies to stores" in areas near the fires, a spokesperson said. It's also donating $1 million to groups that aid firefighters and first responders and offering support to employees affected by the fires through Target's Team Member Giving Fund."Our hearts go out to the many people impacted by the wildfires in California," the spokesperson told BI.WalmartThe Walmart Mobile Relief Kitchen is serving free hot meals until Sunday at Walmart's Supercenter in Baldwin Park, California, east of Los Angeles, the chain said.Walmart, along with Sam's Club and the Walmart Foundation, have donated $2.5 million in aid to relief efforts."Over the past several days, Walmart stores in Southern California have donated food, water and gift cards to help first responders and shelters support people in need," Walmart said.

The app Clapper has surged in downloads amid a potential TikTok ban in the US.Clapper is a social-video app founded in 2020 and based in Texas.It offers an ad-free experience and monetization for creators.Clapper, an upstart video and livestreaming app, has soared to third place in the free iPhone app download charts. The surge comes as TikTok awaits a decision from the Supreme Court about whether it will face a ban in the US.Clapper was founded in 2020 when the first Trump administration initially floated the possibilityof a TikTok ban.BitaMotiie, Clapper's head of operations, told BI that since then, Clapper has seen spikes in user growth any time the topic has been in the news."We've seen skyrocketing numbers of users joining us recently due to the fact that people are actively now looking for an alternative," Motiie said.The top trending topic on Clapper on Wednesday was #TikTokRefugees.A similar dynamic seems to have pushed the TikTok-like app Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, to No. 1 on the free iPhone apps leaderboard. Clapper has been seeing an influx of users, likely because of a potential TikTok ban. Clapper The US Congress passed adivest-or-banlaw last year that will force TikTok to stop operating in the US if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, doesn't sell the app. TikTok told the Supreme Court that the app would "go dark" in the US on Sunday if the divestment deadline isn't extended. A Supreme Court decision on TikTok's future is expected this week and legal experts told BI they thought the justices would uphold the law."A lot of our focus right now is helping all these TikTok users join our platform and learn about the differences," Motiie said.Clapper shares much of the same vertical video functionality as TikTok but differs in a few key ways. It's only available to users 17 or older and doesn't carry ads."People are being bombarded with ads 24/7 through their phones, and we want to provide a safe haven where creators can focus on that genuine connection with others," Motiie said.Creators can earn money on Clapper by receiving gifts from other users in livestreams, group chats, and direct messages. Creators can also sell subscriptions to their content or items on Clapper Shop. Clapper takes a 30% commission from some creator earnings and 5% from Clapper Shop.Clapper's content can appear rougher around the edges than some other social-media platforms. On opening the app in the UK on Wednesday morning, BI was served a video of a man seemingly getting a horrific eye injury after being hit in the face, a woman almost being gored by a bull, and sexually suggestive "thirst traps."Users can turn off "not safe for work" content. The app also forbids sexually explicit content or nudity.Motiie said Clapper was focused on hiring three to four additional community managers and utilizing AI moderation tools. Clapper is a small business at present, with around 20 staff based in Dallas, Texas.A Clapper spokesperson said the company hadn't taken on any outside funding since 2023, when it raised $3 million in seed financing. The spokesperson said the company is profitable and that it is not currently seeking further investment.Industry insiders say Clapper needs to move quickly to seize the momentAsti Wagner, CEO of Invyted, an app that connects brands with influencers, said Clapper would need to move quickly to appeal to creators and refine its marketing to ensure its overnight popularity translates into lasting business success."TikTok was lucky in that it massively boomed in lockdown when everyone was on their phones," Wagner told BI."The 'no ads' thing is really interesting, but I don't know how long that will last," Wagner said. Social platforms, in general, tend to derive most of their revenue from ads.Motiie said it was very unlikely Clapper would introduce ads over the next couple of years. However, that doesn't mean brands can't collaborate with Clapper creators, she added. Clapper is also encouraging brands to set up their own profiles on the app.Gigi Robinson, a creator with more than 150,000 followers on TikTok, joined Clapper in 2020.She's only posted four videos and grown her audience there to around 1,000 followers. However, Robinson said that in light of TikTok's precarious position, she's considering posting more content on Clapper and has been in touch with the company's partnership team to get her profile verified.Whatever TikTok's ultimate fate is, Robinson said the potential of the app going dark has highlighted that creators shouldn't be over-reliant on any single platform for their audience and earnings."A majority of creators are scrambling right now," Robinson told BI. "That's going to be the lasting impact."

The US law market is largely off-bounds to Big Four firms due to ethical rules on legal independence.KPMG is close to changing that by securing a unique license in Arizona to practice law.Traditional law firms shouldn't feel threatened by the move, a legal expert told Business Insider.KPMG is one step closer to becoming the first Big Four firm to set up a legal division in the US.On Tuesday, an Arizona judicial committee unanimously recommended that the state Supreme Court approve KPMG US's application for a unique state license that would allow it to practice law.If approved, the firm will establish KPMG Law US as an alternative business structure (ABS). The Arizona Supreme Court told BI it would weigh the decision on January 28.Arizona began its ABS program in 2021, scrapping a rule that prevents non-legal ownership of law firms.The rule was set by the American Bar Association and only allows licensed lawyers to own or invest in law firms in an effort to prevent conflicting interests.It has held back the Big Four professional services firms KPMG, Deloitte, EY, and PwC from establishing legal divisions in the US as they have done in other key markets.Practicing law in the US "is something that no Big Four network firm can currently do,"The firm does provide business advice to legal clients in the US, he explained, but does "not interpret and apply legal standards to legal questions."Athanasoulas said advances in technology and the growing demand for alternative legal services made it the right time to establish KPMG Law US, and they were "excited by the opportunity" that Arizona's regulatory reform presented."Pending approval, this innovation would differentiate KPMG Law US both in the legal and the consulting markets," he said. KPMG Law already provides legal services in more than 80 jurisdictions globally. Schning/ullstein bild via Getty Images The firm aims to focus primarily on large-scale, process-driven work, such as volume contracting, remediation exercises, and M&A-driven harmonization of contracts. KPMG will position itself as complementing the services of traditional law firms rather than competing with them. It won't work on complex commercial transactions, trademark disputes, and other areas that are "core capabilities of traditional law firms," Athanasoulas told BI.What they do have over competitors is the ability to harness KPMG's holistic, global suite of services."We see opportunities in the market to provide these required tasks, at scale, with better controls and more standardized outcomes than some existing market participants currently provide," Athanasoulas said.Their work would not be limited to Arizona but could extend nationally, depending on individual state rules.KPMG is already a major player in the global legal landscape, providing legal services in more than 80 jurisdictions. In the last financial year, the tax & legal division was KPMG's fastest-growing function, expanding by almost 10%.The Big Four and the US legal landscapeThe pending approval of KPMG Law US's ABS status raises questions about whether the other leading firms will follow suit and whether that will change the nature of the US legal market.The Arizona Supreme Court said it introduced the ABS program to "transform the public's access to legal services," according to a 2020 press release."If the rules stand in the way of making those services available, the rules should change," the Court said.Over 100 firms have since been approved to practice law under the program. Advocates for the Arizona ABS program say it deepens competition, lowers prices, and facilitates easier access to justice.Utah is running a similar pilot program, and there are exceptions in Washington, D.C., that allow non-lawyers to hold minority stakes in a law firm. But other states have not yet followed suit."The most frequently stated concerns are that non-lawyer ownership or investment will create conflicts or low-quality work because of profit motivations," Brad Blickstein, CEO of Blickstein Group, a legal industry consultancy, told BI.KPMG said any new firm would be governed by the same high ethical standards that apply to other law firms, and there would be no crossover between legal services clients and audit clients.Legal experts have been predicting that the Big Four will move into the US law market for several years, Blickstein said. While they may take some work over time, traditional law firms shouldn't feel threatened, he added."KPMG is somewhat limited in what it can do as an Arizona law firm, and even in markets like the UK where they have free rein, the Big Four has not put too many law firms out of business."I continue to believe that the Big Four will eventually have a meaningful - but not existential - impact on US law firms and legal departments," Blickstein said. "This is a step in that direction, but only a step."