• Georgie Noble is a 51-year-old from Porepunkah, Australia.
• Her granddaughter was born when she was just 41, and she loves that she's a young grandmother.
• She has a lot of energy to keep up and feels being young helps her relate better.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Georgie Noble, a 51-year-old grandma from Porepunkah, Australia. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I had my daughter Alisha when I was 16 years old. I actually didn't find out I was pregnant until I was four months along.

There's no doubt that becoming a mother at such a young age was challenging, but Alisha was a pretty easy kid, so I was so lucky in that regard. When Alisha turned 16, and I was 32, I had my second child, Tai.

One of the perks of being a young mom meant that when my daughter had a child of her own, I was also a young grandma. I'll never forget when Alisha broke the news to me that she was pregnant. I was 41 at the time.

Alisha has always referred to my mom as "GB," which stands for "Granny Bett." Mom became a grandma at 46 and never wanted to be called "Nana," so we came up with the nickname for her. One day, Alisha called me out of the blue and said, "Mom, guess what? You're going to be a GG — Granny Georgie."

I was so excited. Being a grandparent is wonderful because you get to enjoy another little one, but you can also hand them back at the end of the day.

I spent time with my daughter after she gave birth

As Alisha's due date approached in December of 2014, I flew from my home in Porepunkah, Australia, to Brisbane, where Alisha lives, so that I could be there for the birth. When she went into labor, I was with her at the start supporting her through the contractions.

It's difficult to watch your daughter in labor because you remember what it was like yourself. You also know which stages of labor they're at, and when they're not even close to the final stage, and they're in pain, it can be hard to watch. I didn't want to give her false hope.

Alisha ended up having a C-section due to complications. My beautiful granddaughter was born at 12.22 a.m. on December 12. She certainly liked the number '12'.

The first time I saw her, I was overwhelmed with love. She was such a sweet little baby. Alisha called her Lacey, and though it took a while for the name to catch on, I soon realized that it suited her to a tee.

I stayed with Alisha and her partner for about six weeks, cooking and caring for the baby. After the C-section, Alisha couldn't drive, and she really needed my support. She also felt lightheaded in the bathroom one day, and I was glad I was there with her.

I bonded with my granddaughter immediately

It was a lovely bonding time with my granddaughter. That newborn phase is so special, when they're all new and smell gorgeous. It felt different from when I had my own children — I didn't have the pain to deal with, for starters. When the time came for me to fly back home, I was sad to say goodbye.

As Lacey grew, she and I became very close. She was so much fun. As a grandma, I wanted to enjoy her; to eat her up and do as much as I could with her.

When she'd come down to visit me, we'd make playdough and do crafts together. We'd FaceTime on the phone and play games together on Snapchat. Being a younger grandma meant that I was reasonably tech-savvy, so I could communicate with Lacey in ways that she understood and enjoyed.

You can relate to your grandkids a bit more when you're a younger grandparent. You're closer in age to that generation, which means you're a bit more aware of what's going on in their world.

You also have a lot more energy to keep up with your grandkids. Now that Lacey is 10 and I'm 51, I can happily swim in the pool with her for hours, pick blackberries together, then take the dog for a walk, and still have energy to spare at the end of the day.

Nowadays, Lacey's more of a mommy's girl. She and Alisha are super close. She'll still have a chat with me on the phone, but then she's off. I don't get to see her that often because we live in different states, but when I do see her, I love our time together. She's the light of my life.

• Beyoncé has confirmed the "Cowboy Carter" tour is happening.
• The singer is going on the road in 2025, but has yet to share dates or when tickets will go on sale.
• Her last tour, the Renaissance World Tour, wrapped in late 2023.

The wait is over, Beyhive — Beyoncé has finally confirmed the "Cowboy Carter" tour is set to go ahead.

The star made the announcement in a pair of social media posts early Sunday morning, nearly a year after the country-inspired record was released.

The first post featured a video of a light-up sign flashing the words: "COWBOY CARTER TOUR."

The second showed an image of Beyoncé alongside a caption that said the tour would take place in 2025.

The tour announcement was preceded by several hints that Beyoncé was gearing up to make a major announcement.

The singer performed songs from "Cowboy Carter" for the first time at the Christmas Day NFL game Halftime show, which was streamed live on Netflix under the title "Beyoncé Bowl."

Following the performance, the singer dropped a now-deleted video that teased an announcement on the date "1.14.25" with the caption, "Look at that horse," referring to the lyric in her song "Sweet Honey Buckiin'."

Fans quickly began to speculate that either a tour announcement or a new album was on its way. But Beyoncé chose to postpone the announcement due to the wildfires that were devastating the Los Angeles area at the time.

Then, on Sunday, Netflix shared a post directing viewers to revisit the "Beyoncé Bowl." An audio-less clip from the performance was captioned: "Tonight seems like the perfect night to rewatch Beyoncé Bowl on Netflix."

Beyoncé's own announcement followed. It's unclear when the singer will release more details regarding the tour, such as dates, locations, and when tickets will go on sale.

The announcement came as the music industry gears up for the Grammy Awards, where Beyoncé is nominated for 11 awards — the most nominations of any artist this year. Among the awards she is in the running for is album of the year, an award the 43-year-old artist has yet to take home.

Fans have speculated online that Beyoncé may share further details about the tour during or after the awards ceremony, depending on how the night goes.

Alternatively, the Super Bowl could offer her another chance to make an announcement. She first teased "Cowboy Carter" in a Verizon commercial during last year's game.

Many believed that Beyoncé was going to announce the "Cowboy Carter" tour in 2024.

However, as fans will know from the documentary concert film "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," which chronicled the creative process behind bringing her 2023 world tour to life, a Beyoncé tour is not something that happens overnight.

As the singer revealed in the documentary, the tour was the culmination of four years of planning and dedication.

The "Renaissance" world tour saw Beyoncé perform 56 shows across Europe and North America.

There's an unspoken, ugly rule of American politics: Do unto the other what they have done unto you.

• Simply put: Copy the payback, punishments and precedent-shattering techniques practiced by the other party — if they prove effective.

Why it matters: In 30 years of covering this city, it's hard to recall any controversial new power grabs or moves not growing commonplace in American politics.

• That's why impeachment threats ... governing by executive order ... and ever-expanding presidential power are as predictable as winter follows fall.
• They did it to us. So we'll do it, too — on steroids.

The big picture: President Trump didn't start this trend, by any stretch of the imagination. But he stretches the trend beyond imagination.

• We're in uncharted territory, a new frontier. Republicans should fully expect future Democratic presidents to use and build on all these norm-busting moves.

Trump's new techniques and tactics, likely to be adopted by future presidents, include:

1. Fire critics and perceived enemies. Trump is ousting people across the bureaucracy and not hiding his motivation — payback. In the past, presidents griped about hostile forces inside government, but rarely acted beyond one-offs. They assumed they lacked the power. But courts are validating a broader presidential authority than had been presumed. Incoming presidents usually fixate on the cabinet. Trump is paving the way for them to instantly resurface huge chunks of government with loyalists.
2. Punish media companies for critical coverage. Trump has sued several news organizations for stories or even interview edits he disliked. Some of these organizations are settling the cases, enticing Trump and others to make this a permanent weapon. The Pentagon said it'll "rotate" four major news organizations — The New York Times, NBC News, NPR and Politico — from their workspace on Correspondents' Corridor beginning Feb. 14, and cycle in several friendly outlets. That's a new level of carrot-and-stick.
3. Reward political allies with pardons. This has always been done, for sure — but in smaller doses. Trump's sweeping clemency for Jan. 6 rioters, including people convicted of attacking police, set a new precedent for protecting people who defend your politics. Combine this with former President Biden's preemptive pardon of family members and political allies, and it's hard to see any real limits on setting friends or allies free.
4. Impunity with immunity. Trump helped shape a Supreme Court that granted all presidents presumed immunity for official acts in office. That codified a level of freedom and presidential power some assumed — but was never solidified. Now, it is. Fully expect more cases codifying presidential power to land on the Supreme Court docket. Trump wields power with few perceived restraints. Others will follow, especially when they control Congress.
5. Presidential profits. Presidents and their families can start businesses — or even currencies — and profit without restriction or outcry going forward. They always could — but most steered clear of the appearance of a conflict or profiting off their power while in office. It was seen as beneath the presidency. But Trump started promoting a memecoin three days before taking office — with paper value that reached tens of billions — with little outcry. Most Americans didn't realize there are basically no limitations on presidents profiting off their reins of power through new businesses or business deals. Now, they do.

What to watch: Republicans currently rule Washington and the courts — so they're full, content beneficiaries of all of this. But what happens when Republicans are inevitably out of power? 

• Power in Washington has swung wildly for 20+ years — Biden had two years of all-Democratic rule ... after first-term Trump had two years of all-GOP rule ... after President Obama had two years of all-Dem rule ... after former President George W. Bush had full GOP control ... after former President Clinton had two years of full Dem control.

Reality check: There's an asymmetry between MAGA and the Democratic Party as it currently exists.

• Democrats have a religious devotion to norms and institutions that Republicans simply don't share, and it's a unique feature of Trumpism to despise the "Deep State," mainstream media, and checks on executive power.
• Biden campaigned in 2020 on restoring normalcy. The 2028 Democratic nominee might well take a similar tack — though four years of Trump could push the party in a more brass-knuckle populist direction.

The bottom line: History shows the next Democratic president, with a Democratic Congress, will likely use — and expand — many of these powers. Biden did it! Trump did it! So I shall do it, too!

• Axios' Zachary Basu contributed reporting.

Go deeper: "Behind the Curtain: Purges, punishments, payback."

• The US has a patchwork of state laws with which autonomous vehicle companies must comply.
• The Trump administration has signaled interest in developing a federal framework for AVs.
• Former DOT inspector general Eric Soskin told BI there are a few ideas the government could explore.

As US companies continue their full-speed race to deploy fully autonomous vehicles, the federal government appears to be trailing behind in regulation.

Companies like Waymo, Tesla, and others heavily invested in robotaxis must navigate a patchwork of state laws, each with its own rules regarding self-driving cars.

For example, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Colorado doesn't require AVs to have liability insurance. In California, it does.

AV companies argue that these inconsistent rules present a hurdle to the mass adoption of self-driving cars in the US.

It's why autonomous vehicles are one area where companies turn to the federal government for guidance, Eric Soskin, a former inspector general for the Department of Transportation, told Business Insider.

"Manufacturers in most industries, especially innovators, often say, 'Hey, I don't like regulation very much. I want my space to be minimally regulated.'" Soskin said. "But in the autonomous vehicle space, now we're seeing manufacturers saying, 'You know what? It would be great if the federal government would take on a bigger role here in the United States.'"

Soskin was the DOT's inspector general for four years after he was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2020. He was among 18 IGs who were fired in January as the second Trump administration underwent rapid cuts in federal spending under the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Soskin declined to comment on his termination.

The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association — a consortium of companies exploring AVs, including Alphabet's Waymo and Volkswagen — recently released a proposal for a federal policy framework in an effort to "accelerate the deployment and commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology."

The framework provides recommendations for safety, transparency, accountability, and leadership advancement, the group said.

The Trump administration also has been said to be looking into easing rules around autonomous vehicles, including reporting requirements by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Bloomberg reported.

In establishing federal rules on self-driving cars, Soskin notes that the DOT could enact some actions while others may require the hand of Congress or the President.

Setting aside those limits, Soskin provided a few approaches and areas the government could address when enacting a federal framework.

Performance-based standards

Soskin said regulating autonomous vehicle companies by setting "performance-based standards" that they reach for rather than implementing specific rules that manufacturers must follow can be a balanced way to encourage innovation while safely rolling out the technology.

Those standards can touch upon issues states and consumers are concerned about, such as how well vehicles can detect other objects in their environment and, generally, how well AVs know what's happening on the road.

An example is how car companies can choose to submit their vehicles to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to get official safety ratings. Those ratings are then used to advertise to consumers the safety of the vehicles.

"Performance-based standards, or hitting some mark, is going to be a lot more effective in encouraging different routes to getting a solution," he said.

Cybersecurity and privacy

Autonomous vehicle companies often tout how self-driving cars are safer than cars driven by humans. But for the government to understand the extent to which that is true, companies will need to share a lot of data, Soskin said — and so far, manufacturers and drivers are reluctant to do so.

This is where a set of cybersecurity and privacy standards will be important to assure consumers of the safe handling of their data. The former inspector general said the government could then establish a requirement or incentives for manufacturers to share ride data and crash data.

System redundancies

The government may also want to set a standard for failure modes or system redundancies — in other words, safety features that will kick in if the autonomous driver fails. For example, Volvo says its self-driving trucks have two brake systems so that a secondary brake can stop the truck if the primary system fails.

"What's supposed to happen when something goes wrong?" he said. "Or when something does go wrong, how do we ensure something else takes over?"

Insurance

Another area that will need to be addressed is liability and insurance.

"The adoption of autonomous vehicles, I think, is going to require that those involved are not held liable in ways that are disproportional to human-operated vehicles," Soskin said.

In a liability trial, juries may have to determine a compensatory amount when a human is at fault in a collision.

"If X is that number for human-caused liability and a hundred X is that number for autonomous vehicle liability, that would be a huge disincentive to autonomy," Soskin said. "So thinking about how we set a liability system that permits autonomy to move forward is important and potentially important at the federal level."

• Jonathan Soto-Nieves left Puerto Rico in his 20s to join the Marine Corps.
• After leaving active duty, Soto-Nieves began a tech career in the defense industry.
• Last year, he moved back to Puerto Rico to start his new defense systems company.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jonathan Soto-Nieves, the 40-year-old founder and CEO of iTerra Solutions, a Puerto Rican-based company focusing on cybersecurity and the defense industry. Soto-Nieves moved from Virginia back to his home country of Puerto Rico last year to launch the startup.

The following has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

I was born and raised in the outskirts of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I'm from a town called Hatillo, which is in the countryside and very rural.

I always say that being Puerto Rican is the best thing that ever happened to me. The country is very family-oriented and culturally vibrant. Plus the beaches and mountains make Puerto Rico very idyllic.

Growing up, I never really saw myself leaving Puerto Rico, but my brother joined the Marine Corps and I had always been intrigued by the military.

I decided to join the Marines in 2010 and moved to the mainland when I was 24. I was active duty for almost 10 years. I did six deployments. I was in Afghanistan, I've been in Africa, South America, and Europe.

Being a Marine shaped me into who I am. I developed an interest in operations and learned leadership skills. It helped me start to shape my professional life and opened a lot of doors. I'm still in the reserves.

I really liked all the different places I lived during that time. I was stationed in San Diego at one point, as well as North Carolina, and Germany.

Puerto Rico was always on my mind.

I thought maybe one day I'd get to retire here.

After leaving active duty in 2019, I transitioned into the corporate world. I worked at a few companies before moving to Virginia to work for Microsoft. I spent three years there and I learned a lot about technology and cyber security.

The idea for iTerra Solutions first came about when I was working in Virginia. I had made a group of friends and colleagues who all worked at different companies in the defense industry. A lot of them were former Marines, too.

We provide cyber security help and data analytics across several defense-related sectors.

We were originally planning to open and operate iTerra Solutions in the US. We even registered the company in Virginia in May 2023.

But Puerto Rico was calling me home

I was doing some research in 2024 when I stumbled on Invest Puerto Rico, a nonprofit that works to promote Puerto Rico as a competitive business locale by helping new businesses get established on the island.

I filled out a form explaining the idea behind iTerra Solutions and someone from Invest Puerto Rico reached out immediately.

I went to my wife, who was pregnant with our son Sebastian at the time, and told her we were going to be able to move back home. We started the moving process at the end of 2024 and officially moved from Virginia to Puerto Rico in January 2025.

Invest Puerto Rico helped us so much in getting started because I didn't know a lot of people in Puerto Rico anymore since I'd been gone from the country for 20 years. I didn't know the ecosystem and they helped me with networking and transitioning.

Invest Puerto Rico works in collaboration with other companies and accelerators. For example, iTerra Solutions is in a program right now which is part of the Puerto Rico Scientific Trust, which is an accelerator that helps startups like us.

I call it an ecosystem because the whole community is working in conjunction with one another. It's amazing.

I am just so stoked to be a part of this amazing movement happening in Puerto Rico right now. It really is the place to be. There are so many interesting companies on the rise in aerospace engineering, biopharma, and other future-oriented sectors.

Moving back to Puerto Rico was a big transition

My son was born last year in the US, but I always wanted him to have the life I had growing up in Puerto Rico and I'm so happy to be able to give him that.

Now, in 2025, I'm ready to hit the ground running as both a first-time father and a startup founder.

We are up and operating in Puerto Rico. iTerra Solutions is already part of this amazing ecosystem, supporting customers in the healthcare industry who are modernizing their computer data systems.

It feels so good to be back. I missed the culture here so much, and it's so wonderful to see all the collaboration in the business sector, as well as my family. My son has two grandmothers here to love him.

The country feels different from when I grew up here. Puerto Rico is becoming a real powerhouse and I think that's only going to continue to grow.

And from a personal standpoint, you just can't beat living here. I work from the beach with my computer regularly in 80-degree weather.

I smell the salt from the ocean each morning. I love to go running along the beach and feel the breeze.

You never know what life is going to throw at you, but our plan is to stay here in Puerto Rico forever. This is Plan A and we don't have a B or C.

Flights throughout the U.S. could experience "residual delays" Sunday morning due to a warning system outage, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The big picture: It is unclear if the outage was tied to the broad changes and deletions across federal sites, which led to several pages and datasets going dark.

• Duffy said in a Saturday night statement shared to social media that the Federal Aviation Administration is working to restore the temporary outage of the primary Notice to Air Missions system, which alerts pilots about hazards or "abnormal" information that would impact flight operations.
• Duffy said there is no impact on the National Airspace System because "a backup system is in place."
• "We are investigating the root cause and we will provide updates," he wrote.

By the numbers: There have been 599 delays within, into, or out of the country as of Sunday around 8:50am ET, per air traffic tracker Flight Aware.

• There have been 64 cancellations within, into, or out of the U.S.

Zoom in: The outage comes days after the fatal midair collision of a regional jet and Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., which marked the deadliest air carrier crash in the U.S. since November 2001.

Flashback: This is not the first time the Notice to Air Missions system, which communicates hazards like closed runways or airspace restrictions in real time, has gone down.

• In 2023, the FAA ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures after an outage.

Go deeper: What the data says about Trump's DEI air crash claims

Don't want to wait for that trendy bagel or fashion pop-up? You can hire someone.

Why it matters: More people are paying for line-standing services.

• Bookings for such jobs rose 18% at the end of 2024 compared to 2023, according to Taskrabbit data shared with Axios.

How it works: Users hire a line stander online — Taskrabbit rates average $27 per hour — and discuss details, like when to swap places in the queue.

Demand is especially hot in New York City, where Taskrabbit requests for someone to wait for reservations at Lucali, a star-studded Brooklyn pizzeria, surged 30% from September to October of last year.

The big picture: Gig workers aren't the only people in the waiting game, much to the frustration of some customers.

• Businesses in cities including New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles offer similar services.

What they're saying: Savvy designer shoppers often recruit line sitters for sample sales.

• "When I reached out to my usual guy, he told me that he had 50 requests already for line sitters," NYC TikTok user Saheedat Abdul posted last fall.
• (She'd tried to hire someone to wait from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. for The Row's luxury sample sale.)

And it's not just about exclusive items. Line sitters can wait at the DMV or city hall.

• Some even held spots at President Trump's hush money trial.

The other side: You can pay to skip the line nearly everywhere. But there might be mental health benefits to waiting it out, according to psychologist Maggie Mulqueen.

• "When we denigrate the act of waiting, we risk losing an important part of our shared humanity," she wrote for CNN in 2023.

• I've stayed at every Disney hotel in the United States, and there are five I especially love.
• I love Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World for its theme and rooms with views of African wildlife.
• Disney's Vero Beach Resort is a fun hotel right on the Atlantic Ocean.

I've been going to Disney parks around the world for about 30 years.

As part of my travels, I love trying out new Disney hotels, which often have incredible themes and high-end amenities.

There are more than 25 Disney hotels in the United States alone, and the company has plans to open more throughout the next few years.

After staying at every Disney hotel in the US, these are my five favorites.

I like the beautiful rooms and amenities at the Villas at Disneyland Hotel.

I love the Villas at Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. These Disney Vacation Club rooms can be booked by timeshare owners using points or other guests with cash.

I've stayed in the deluxe studios, which can be themed to Disney animated classics "Sleeping Beauty" or "The Princess and the Frog."

My favorite part of the hotel is the rooms, which have special design details nodding to the movie that inspired them. The deluxe studios have ample storage space, a pull-down Murphy bed, and a large bathroom.

Even better, both Disneyland theme parks nearby are just a 10-minute walk from the tower.

Disney's Vero Beach Resort is a perfect seaside getaway just a few hours south of Disney World.

Disney's Vero Beach Resort is a cute retreat on the Atlantic Ocean about two hours from Disney World. The hotel is known for its beach access, ocean views, and sea-turtle nesting grounds.

On a recent visit to the resort, I was lucky to be walking on the beach at night when a nest of sea turtles began hatching. I watched in awe as they popped out of the sand and made their way to the ocean.

During sea-turtle-nesting season, guests can head to the beach to watch the Disney Conservation team protecting new nests and counting eggs.

Coronado Springs Resort is my favorite more budget-friendly hotel.

If I'm looking for a budget-friendly stay at Disney World, I book a room at Coronado Springs Resort. Although prices vary by time of year and availability, I've seen rooms go for about $200 or less.

The Southwest-themed hotel has multiple smaller buildings filled with rooms, plus the 545-room Gran Destino Tower. Each style of room I've had has been spacious and comfortable for me and my travel companions.

I love that Coronado Springs Resort feels like a quiet retreat. It's slightly isolated since it's not directly connected to any of the parks.

I also love the rooftop bar at Gran Destino Tower, Dahlia Lounge, which has great views of Hollywood Studios in the evening and good drinks.

Aulani has my favorite theming of any Disney hotel I've stayed at.

I recently stayed at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, for the first time, and I already can't wait to return.

The island resort was filled with incredible amenities like a lazy river, an adults-only restaurant, an on-site luau, and photo opportunities with special characters.

Above all, I love the stunning resort's theming and artwork inspired by Hawaiian heritage and culture, including the lobby's massive mural depicting local history.

During my stay, I also enjoyed going on one of the resort's complimentary art and culture tours where I learned about how Disney Imagineers showcased the traditions of Hawaii on the property.

I love that I can see wildlife from my hotel room at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

One of my favorite places for a staycation is Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World. I love that I can watch African wildlife like zebras, giraffes, and gazelles from most of the rooms here.

The resort also has a sprawling pool and incredible dining options. When I stay here, I try to make reservations at the lodge's restaurant, Jiko, which has an impressive collection of South African wine.

My favorite time to stay at the hotel is around the holidays, when a towering Christmas tree takes over the center of the lobby.