The Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students and gave it 72 hours to hand over student records. Now, Harvard is suing the Trump administration for the ban.

• The Justice Department is dropping its criminal case against Boeing.
• It's a major win for the embattled planemaker.
• The case stems from two Boeing 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019.

The Justice Department on Friday said it had reached a deal with Boeing that would allow the planemaker to avoid criminal charges stemming from two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people and upended the planemaker's business for years.

Boeing will instead invest more than $1 billion in strengthening its compliance, safety, and quality programs in exchange for the Justice Department dropping the case. The deal is not yet finalized and will be submitted to the court soon, the department said in a court filing.

Crucially, the lack of being labeled as a felon could help it continue winning lucrative defense contracts without a waiver from the Pentagon.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Boeing originally agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration and pay a $243.6 million fine, but that deal was thrown out by the judge in December. A jury trial was scheduled to begin in June.

The families of some victims have long opposed any outcome that did not result in a trial.

"This isn't justice. It's a backroom deal dressed up as a legal proceeding, and it sends a dangerous message: in America, the rich and powerful can buy their way out of accountability," the victims said via a lawyer when reports first surfaced earlier in May that a deal was in the works.

It's yet another piece of good news for the beleaguered planemaker following the 737 Max crashes, a midair door-plug blowout, and other quality control headaches that have plagued its production line in recent years. In 2025, the company won a lucrative defense contract for the F-47 fighter plane and has seen an influx of orders for its 787 Dreamliner and yet-to-be-certified 777X.

Shares are up more than 17% year-to-date, outpacing the broader market.

• President Donald Trump feted the top holders of his $Trump token on Thursday night.
• Justin Sun, the top holder of the coin, said he was presented with a $100,000 Trump-branded watch.
• A billionaire, Sun previously ran into legal troubles related to his other holdings.

Crypto billionaire Justin Sun said he received a $100,000 Trump-branded watch at President Donald Trump's meme coin dinner at at the Trump National Golf Club golf club outside of Washington DC on Thursday. The top 220 holders of the token were to invited to the event.

Photos and video of the event show Sun posing with his fellow attendees. He signed a print-out of a leaderboard showing he was first among the top 220 Trump coin holders.

Sun said he was gifted a Trump Tourbillion watch, which retails for $100,000, another of the president's private business interests that remain ongoing during his second term. The top 25 holders were treated to a more intimate reception with Trump.

"I really appreciate, like, everything the Trump administration has done to our industry," Sun said in a video that he reposted on X. "As the president said right before, so like, basically, like, 100 days ago, like, they go after crypto people like everywhere. That's impossible for us to have such beautiful events in DC."

In a separate post, Sun shared a video showing him walking into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where top White House officials work. The White House did not respond to a question about whom Sun met with.

In 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Sun with fraud, accusing him of manipulating the market for Tronix or TRX crypto. In February, after Trump took office, the SEC paused its investigation.

Sun, who Forbes estimates is worth $8.5 billion, has other ties to the Trumpworld. Before buying the meme coin, he invested $75 million in World Liberty Financial, a crypto projected connected to the president and his sons.

The White House previously said that it had nothing to do with the event. The dinner was held at Trump's private golf club outside of Washington, where he spoke from behind presidential podiums.

Trump stands to make millions off of the coin. According to the $Trump coin website, the Trump Organization and affiliated entities control 80% of the meme coin. First Lady Melania Trump has her own coin, too.

Sun has spent millions to participate in other headline-grabbing events. He shelled out $4.6 million to have lunch with Warren Buffett, $6.2 million to eat a duct-taped banana, and a staggering $28 million to fly on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin (though Sun has yet to blast off).

Representatives for the Trump Organization and Sun did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Take a look inside President Donald Trump's new ultraluxurious jet, a $400 million Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar. From bedrooms and salons to private offices and even a playroom, this flying mansion is raising eyebrows in Washington — not just for its opulence, but for the controversy it's already sparking.

• North Korea's naval gaffe with a 5,000-ton destroyer's launch can be seen from space.
• A photo shows the warship capsized in the water after a botched launch.
• State media said a furious Kim slammed the mistake as a "serious accident and criminal act."

New satellite images of the Chongjin port in North Korea show the aftermath of a failed ship launch on Wednesday: a capsized new destroyer still partially resting on the pier. The ship's internal compartments are almost certainly flooded, complicating efforts to right it.

Calling the event a "serious accident" on Thursday, North Korean state media reported that the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, was watching the ceremony as the ship's stern slid down a ramp ahead of schedule, jamming the entire vessel.

Satellite imagery from Airbus and Maxar Technologies show that North Korea likely planned a broadside launch of the 5,000-ton destroyer, a method that splashes the ship sideways into the water.

In one image, taken after the failed launch, the ship appears to be lying on its starboard side and still partially stuck on the ramp; the superstructure that is its highest point can be seen lying to the left of the hull, resting in or near the water. Much of the vessel's frame seems obscured by blue fabric. The aerial image below reveals the line of the normally level aft flight deck fully on its side, at far right.

The weight of the bow section on the pier may be pinning the destroyer in an exposed position and would be exacerbated by any internal flooding likely on the stern. These internal spaces would need to be de-watered before a heavy-lift crane has a chance to lift the 5,000-ton vessel.

Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Thursday that Seoul also assessed the ship to be partially submerged. Seawater can corrode and short-circuit electronic systems and rust exposed metal, necessitating expensive and time-consuming repairs once it's removed.

State media wrote that the launch mechanism malfunctioned, causing the stern to slide into the water while the bow remained stuck on land.

After watching the error, an irate Kim was quoted by state media as criticizing the officials involved in the launch, saying they were censured and that their mistakes would be "dealt with" at a party committee meeting next month.

The North Korean leader further called the bungled launch a "serious accident and criminal act," adding that it had "brought the dignity and self-respect of our state to a collapse in a moment."

South Korean officials told reporters on Thursday that it's likely the destroyer is in the same class as the Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton vessel that it launched from a separate shipyard in April.

Analysts and top North Korea watchers have assessed that the Choe Hyon is the country's largest warship to date.

Satellite images from early last month showed what experts said was likely the "fitting out" process of the ship, during which internal construction is completed and equipment is installed before the warship is handed over to North Korea's navy. Then, in late April, North Korea unveiled the vessel during a ceremony at Nampo port. A ship is launched once it's watertight and all of its major components are installed.

The only upside for North Korea is that during a ship launch likely no crewmembers would be aboard.

The Choe Hyon has been identified as a guided missile frigate and reportedly one of two in the class that are under construction. Some analysts suggested the warship looked capable of carrying a vertical launch system, an upgrade for North Korea's naval capabilities that allows the warship to carry a larger arsenal of anti-ship, land-attack, or surface-to-air missiles.

The Choe Hyon is just one example of Pyongyang's naval modernization efforts. It's been a top priority under Kim along with a broader military buildup. Much of that focus has been on the submarine force; North Korea unveiled a new missile submarine two years ago.

North Korea's navy is considered "primarily a coastal force" per a 2021 US Defense Intelligence Agency report, consisting of about 60,000 personnel, 400 patrol ships, 70 diesel-electric submarines, and 260 amphibious landing craft. The country faces insufficient resources in its shipbuilding industry, a major challenge towards its naval modernization efforts.

While Choe Hyon appeared to be a sophisticated vessel, experts were waiting until its launch to observe potential capabilities and technologies.

• Billy Joel has canceled the rest of his concert tour due to a brain condition.
• Joel, 76, has "normal pressure hydrocephalus," a type of fluid buildup in the brain.
• The condition causes issues with hearing, vision, balance, and memory.

Billy Joel is canceling the rest of his concert tour after being diagnosed with a brain disorder. The news comes after the singer postponed some gigs over health concerns.

In an Instagram post, Joel, 76, shared that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a rare brain disorder which he said leads "to problems with hearing, vision, and balance."

His doctor advised him to refrain from performing and pursue physical therapy in his recovery process.

What is normal pressure hydrocephalus?

NPH is a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain's ventricles, or fluid-filled chambers. The buildup creates pressure on brain tissue, leading to brain damage if left untreated. NPH is more likely to occur in people over 60.

There are two main types of NPH.

Primary NPH has no known causes and makes up 50% of cases. Secondary NPH is caused by other health issues like a stroke, brain aneurysm, brain tumor, or a traumatic brain injury.

Common symptoms of NPH include struggles with walking, balance, vision, memory, hearing, mood regulation, and urinary incontinence.

NPH is usually treatable

Despite being caused by abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels, NPH is called "normal pressure" hydrocephalus because a spinal tap measuring CSF usually yields normal results. For that reason, it can take a while to diagnose the condition, as it can initially be confused with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.

NPH is diagnosed with physical and neurological exams, diagnostic tests (such as MRIs and CTs), and spinal taps, which can rule out or identify related conditions like meningitis.

In many cases, NPH is treatable and even reversible. The most common treatment is implanting a shunt into the brain to drain the excess fluid into other parts of the body, like the abdomen.

• Christine Cornell, a veteran courtroom artist, is covering the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial.
• She told BI what it's like to sit inside the charged courtroom and who has been hardest to draw.
• From her spot right in front of Combs' family, Cornell is learning how to capture his "dark side."

Christine Cornell said, with some hyperbole, that the backpack she wears into the Sean "Diddy" Combs courtroom "weighs about 300 pounds."

It's full of pastels, drawing tools, and even binoculars, Cornell told BI.

For the past 50 years, Cornell has been a courtroom sketch artist in New York and the surrounding area. She's covered some of the city's most iconic trials — the falls of Wall Street financier Bernie Madoff and Mafia boss John Gotti, to name a few. Now, Cornell has a front row seat to the Combs sex-trafficking and racketeering trial, and talked to Business Insider about what it's like to make sense of the case from behind her sketch pad.

"I love what I do because it's a very human thing," she said. "The things that I learn about people are very human things."

After the trial kicked-off, the first thing Cornell had to do was figure out where to sit to get a good view. She ended up on the right side of the courtroom, right in front of Combs' family and about 30 feet from the witness stand.

"When I can see, I can draw," Cornell said. "And then I'm really in heaven."

Every time Cornell is in a courtroom, she said she learns something new. Despite having sat through grisly testimony for half a century — and the Diddy trial has been full of violent, disturbing details — she loves her job because it lets her fill a unique purpose.

"Court art is very different from photography, because it's time-lapse. It's not a snap," she said. "You get to pick all of the most important qualities of the people and put them together in one image, so that you can tell a much bigger story than a still shot can do."

Cornell said it always takes her a bit of time to get comfortable drawing a trial's main characters, and that this case hasn't been any different. It took her a few days to feel confident sketching Combs when her view is partially blocked. Even now, a couple of weeks into the trial, she's still perfecting her depiction of the rapper.

"I started thinking that maybe I had to get a little bit more of that dark side of him into the picture. Because Cassie would talk about it," Cornell said, referencing Cassie Ventura, Combs' ex-girlfriend and the prosecution's star witness. "She said that when he'd get angry, his eyes would turn black."

When she heard that, Cornell said she thought of the mob boss Gotti, whose darkness she could "feel."

Combs is accused of sex trafficking two women, including Ventura. He has denied the charges and all accusations of sexual abuse.

Drawing Ventura herself proved to be a challenge, Cornell said, because "she's so damn beautiful."

Cornell told BI it took her a few tries to get past Ventura's external poise, but that she now has a handle on drawing the woman whose story set off Combs' downfall.

"It's a very human process, making these choices," Cornell told BI about deciding what to include in her images and what to leave out.

When the courtroom was shown a photo of Combs' home on Star Island in Miami, for example, Cornell chose to draw something else.

"It was the only time I could see Puffy's face since he was turning to look," Cornell said, using a nickname for Combs. "I wanted to draw him. I wanted to get that look of wistfulness on his face."

Cornell said her job has changed drastically with the 24-hour news cycle — there are fewer courtroom artists and smaller budgets. Despite the changes, Cornell said her role is still key to helping the public understand cases like Combs'.

Cameras are not allowed inside the courthouse, but that hasn't stopped photographers from setting up outside en masse. Artists are the only eyes the outside public has in the room during the trial.

"There's a million cameras here, but there's not a million artists here," she said.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Tech Memo newsletter.
• Sign up for the weekly BI Tech Memo newsletter here.

Hello, and welcome to your weekly dose of Big Tech news and insights. These are the moments I feel so lucky to be a journalist in Silicon Valley. AI is rapidly changing so much important stuff, for better or worse. Even just witnessing this from the sidelines is a joy.

I had a fancy newsletter ready to go, all about Google's big I/O conference. Then, OpenAI bought Jony Ive's AI gadget startup for $6.5 billion. It's called io. Lowercase. I'm not joking. That's the name.

Agenda

• What you need to know about this OpenAI-io megadeal and what it means for Apple, Google, and the rest of the tech industry.

• An exclusive look at a powerful new Microsoft AI exec who came from Meta.

• How I created a podcast about Google I/O in about 15 minutes, using one of the company's AI tools.

Central story unit

I went to Google I/O this week. It's my favorite Silicon Valley event. Despite being a $2 trillion corporation, Google retains some of its lovingly nerdy, playful attitude.

There's been a lot of angst lately about OpenAI eating Google's lunch. I didn't see much evidence of that at the conference. Neither did my BI colleagues Charles Rollet and Pranav Dixit, who attended with me.

Pranav told me that I/O made it clear how far Google has come in a relatively short time. "OpenAI still ships incredibly fast, but Google finally has real momentum," he said. "I'm genuinely excited to see how this plays out over the next year."

Charles' (good) advice: "Never underestimate Google." He had a caveat, though. "I was at a technical panel when the news hit that OpenAI was buying Ive's hardware startup, and seeing OpenAI upstage Google like that felt a little ominous."

But what about Apple? The handwringing has suddenly switched to this tech giant now. Ive helped create the iPhone, but he regrets the unintended consequences of smartphones. He recently said it still weighs on his mind.

Ive's io startup has been designing a new device for an AI future where a powerful personalized chatbot assistant follows you around, helping with everything. He also recruited a bunch of Apple technologists to help. What's the form factor? It's definitely not going to be a phone. It could be a pin of some sort, maybe? Although that idea bombed once already.

Now, OpenAI owns whatever this is. ChatGPT is likely to be the AI assistant embedded in this gadget. That is a potentially potent threat to Apple, which has struggled for years to come up with what the next big device will be. It doesn't help that Apple is way behind OpenAI and Google in the AI race.

Read more.

News++

Other BI tech stories that caught my eye:

• Exclusive: Microsoft hired Jay Parikh away from Meta. We reveal his big plans.
• BI's full breakdown from Google I/O.
• Exclusive: We tested Waymo vs Tesla FSD in San Francisco. Elon Musk responded.
• Sergey Brin explains why he's partly back in founder mode at Google.
• Why some investors walked away from Sam Altman's OpenAI funding efforts.

Eval time

My take on who's up and down in the tech industry right now, including updates on Big Tech employee pay.

UP: Google (Alphabet) is up almost 2% this week. See above for the reason.

DOWN: Apple shares are down about 7% this week. That's a shift of more than $200 billion in market cap, in favor of Google. Donald Trump issued a new iPhone tariff threat on Friday, adding to Tim Cook's challenges.

COMP UPDATE: Below is data from Indeed's Hiring Lab. They looked at salaries in software development from the start of 2024 through the end of March 2025. I'm surprised by the blockchain pay. I suppose bitcoin hit a record this week.

From the group chat

Other Big Tech stories I found on the interwebs:

• Given the angst around Apple right now, you should read this from Mark Gurman (Bloomberg).
• When Big Tech moments happen like this, I always turn to Ben Thompson (Stratechery).
• More clues here on what this Jony Ive AI device might be (WSJ).

AI playground

This is the time each week when I try an AI tool. What do you think of this week's pick? What should I do, or use, next week? Let me know.

I met Dan Fitzpatrick at Google I/O. He's a Tech Memo subscriber and expert on AI for education. We discussed how he uses generative AI, particularly how he creates podcasts from his research. Here's one he did this week in which he talks about meeting Google CEO Sundar Pichai. This was his workflow:

• Record a voice memo on his phone.
• Put that into Google's Gemini chatbot and ask it to create a transcript.
• Ask Gemini to try again and keep the words closer to how Dan spoke in the audio file.
• Upload the transcript to a speech AI service called ElevenLabs in three batches.
• ElevenLabs turned this into a new audio file of Dan speaking in his distinct style.
• Dan edited the audio in TikTok's CapCut tool and published it on LinkedIn as a podcast.
• "I also add the jingles in CapCut," he told me.

Not to be outdone, I created a podcast, too. I asked Charles and Pranav for some of their top Google I/O takeaways. I put that text into a Google Doc and added it to Google's NotebookLM AI tool. I then selected "Audio Output" on the right-hand side of the NotebookLM page. About one minute later, the tool created this podcast. Check it out and let me know what you think.

User feedback

I would love to hear from anyone who reads this newsletter. What do you want to see more of? Email me at [email protected].

Specifically, though: This week, I want to hear back from anyone who attended Google I/O. Is OpenAI (and Jony Ive) a real threat to Apple and Google, or not? Why?

Business Insider's chief video correspondent Graham Flanagan and senior producer Jake Gabbard take you behind the scenes of the latest "Boot Camp" story: covering the US Army Mountain Warfare School in the rugged mountains of Vermont.

From battling brutal weather conditions to capturing the intense, high-stakes training soldiers endure, Graham and Jake break down what it took to produce one of the series' most challenging episodes. They dive into the storytelling process, talking about choosing compelling characters and navigating the harsh terrain — all while bringing the unique world of military mountaineering to life on-screen.

• In my early 20s, I saw a story about sending a letter to deployed soldiers.
• I hadn't made many friends after college, so I wrote one and sent it with cookies.
• In 1995, I married one of the soldiers with whom I had become a pen pal.

In 1990, I was in my early 20s, living in my first apartment and in my first post-college job.

Still, I wasn't like other women my age. I had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and was facing hip replacement surgery. Dating and love weren't on my radar.

One evening, I saw a media story encouraging Americans to send letters to "Any Soldier" to support deployed troops. I wrote a patriotic letter, thanking whoever received it for their service, and put it in a shoebox with homemade cookies. Duty done.

I wasn't expecting to meet my husband like that.

A crew wrote back

A few weeks later, I received a letter, not from a US Marine Corps tank crew thanking me for the package and telling me a little about themselves. One of them mentioned that "Sgt. Ski" (the quiet one) read my letter on Good Morning America.

As the holidays approached, I sent Christmas cards to each of the four-person crew. I began receiving letters from each of them, including Sgt. Bill Mioduszewski. The crew and I exchanged group letters and audiotapes. They even painted my name on the side of their tank.

While quiet in real life, Bill was a marathon letter writer, sharing about his favorite bands, hometown, family, the cookies his grandma sent, and why he joined the Marines. He asked me about my life and the concerts he assumed I was attending back home.

When we met, he didn't feel like a stranger

Though Bill and I were strangers, we developed an easy, unguarded bond through our correspondence. Still, I didn't share my health issue with him; to be honest, I didn't think we'd ever meet. He asked for my phone number, but I didn't think he'd ever call.

But in April 1991, when he turned to the US, he did. We continued to write over the next two years and talk on the phone occasionally. I was chatty and flirty, and he was quiet and amused.

As time passed, Bill talked more frequently about meeting. I made excuses. I was afraid that if we met, he would see I didn't look like I did in that flattering picture I had sent the crew in 1990; I had gained 50 lbs. from medications for my health condition.

He pushed me to set a date to meet in 1992. I told him I was having surgery and needed to take time off for that. He sent me flowers and a sweet get-well card. I had put him off again.

In 1993, Bill was transferred from the West Coast to the East, now only a nine-hour drive away. I had no more excuses. I wrote to him and told him why I was afraid to meet.

When I didn't hear back immediately, I assumed the worst. Two weeks later, I got his reply: "I don't care if I come there, you come here, or we meet halfway — we are going to meet."

So we set a date, Labor Day weekend in 1993. As soon as we saw each other, he went for a long embrace. It didn't feel like we were strangers then.

We've been married for 29 years

That night, we went out with a friend and her husband. We went back to their house to watch a late-night TV show, and Bill and I laughed at the same stupid jokes. I took him to a few Florida touristy spots and tried to impress him with my culinary skills.

Three days after we met, he shyly kissed me. We were falling in love, not in the usual way, but as friends who knew each other pretty well before we "technically" met. Two months later, he quietly told me he loved me, and I told him I loved him, too. In November 1995, we got married.

Since then, we have lived all over and gone through life's lows and highs, including illness, deployments, infertility and miscarriages, buying our first home, welcoming our only child, and career changes, including his retirement from the Marines.

In September 2001, when I was seven months pregnant with our son, Bill went to California for desert training. He unexpectedly ran into his former lieutenant, the one who made him read my "Any Soldier" letter on TV.

Bill said, "Remember our pen pal, Vikki? I married her and she's having our son." The then-USMC major responded with a look of surprise followed by an "Ooh ra! Hope he's born on the Marine Corps birthday." I missed the 226^th by a couple of days.

This year, Sgt. Ski and I will celebrate our 29th anniversary. What began as a dutiful letter and melted cookies in a shoebox addressed to "Any Soldier" landed exactly where they were meant to, if you believe in fate — and we do.

• Henry Butler was diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer at age 49.
• He was given a lot of treatment options and ultimately chose a prostatectomy.
• It's been five years since his surgery. While he's physically back to normal, his life is forever changed.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Henry Butler, who is a prostate cancer survivor. He lives in the UK with his wife, where they run a wine shop together. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

When I found out I might have prostate cancer, I was on holiday with my family, sitting on a boat.

I remember getting the phone call from my doctor saying that my PSA levels were slightly above what they should be for my age, and I should come in for more tests because it might be cancer.

So that was fun.

When I got back, I returned to the doctor and got an internal examination with the finger up the backside. That's when he said my prostate didn't feel right on one side.

I wish I hadn't had so many treatment options

I was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in 2019 at age 49. I'd been taking antibiotics for a sinus infection, and suddenly started getting a lot of painful UTIs.

I never prioritized doctor visits before that, but my wife insisted I schedule an appointment. Thank goodness she did.

After my doctor felt my prostate, everything was fast-tracked. I had an MRI and two biopsies. My Gleason score, which measures how aggressive the cancer is, was around three or four — high enough to consider treatment.

I was given loads of options. I sort of expected the medical experts to tell me what treatment I should have, but it was the reverse. They said this needed to be my journey, and I had to choose.

In hindsight, I wish I hadn't had all the options. My wife and I investigated them all, and I still wasn't sure which was the right one.

Then, one day, I was in the hospital, and a urologist who had bought wine from us a couple of years back recognized me.

We got to talking, and he was the first doctor I really warmed to. He told me straight up, "You've got cancer and we need to deal with it." On hearing that, I just thought, "You're the man."

We discussed the various options and ultimately decided to go with surgery.

I chose to cut out the cancer

In spring 2020, I had a prostatectomy. The doctor said I was going to feel like I'd been hit by a train after the surgery, and he was right. Getting back on track wasn't easy and took a full year.

Aside from the pain post-surgery, which got a little better each week, I had issues with incontinence and couldn't get an erection. This didn't make me feel like less of a man, though. I accepted that if there were changes, then I'd deal with it, and it would be fine.

I've got a friend who doesn't want any treatment because I think he's worried about how it would change him as a man. So he just monitors his PSA levels, but is constantly worried.

Physically, I'm back to normal

I struggled with incontinence during that first year post-surgery, but now I hardly think about it.

Sex was something my wife and I had to get used to, again. Part of my recovery involved taking Viagra every day for a year to help get everything back in working order.

My wife was worried about hurting me at first, and I was also nervous, but we got there eventually.

Physically, I'm almost completely back to normal, thanks to the incredible care I received and diligently following the recovery guidelines, like regularly walking, doing Kegel exercises, and staying positive.

However, this experience has changed my life.

My life is different after treatment

I started therapy for the first time in my life. A friend signed me up because I had the cancer thing going on, I had a couple of friends who had died, and business was struggling.

Turns out, I loved therapy. Off the back of that, I'm now in a men's group.

Before all this, the thought of joining a men's group sounded horrific. I didn't want to sit around with a bunch of men and talk about, I don't know, stuff. But it has been super rewarding.

You quickly realize that everyone's had something going on — it's not always cancer, it can be another form of trauma. We talk about masculinity and how you deal with trauma mentally, and how you communicate with each other. That's been a really good way of making connections with people.

I think that's a big thing that's changed in me. I'm better at keeping connections and being more open with my emotional side, which can be upsetting sometimes, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. You get a lot back from people if you're vulnerable.

• Interior designer Vicente Wolf shared which decor items he'd never have in his home and why.
• He said small coffee tables aren't functional enough, and short drapes can look odd.
• The designer also avoids faux fireplaces, plastic flowers, and mass-produced art.

When designing your space, deciding what not to bring into your home can be just as important as choosing which pieces to buy.  

So, Business Insider asked Vicente Wolf, an interior designer with over 40 years of experience and principal designer of Vicente Wolf Associates, to share a few things he'd never have in his own space.

Here's what he said.

Coffee tables serve a real purpose in homes, so Wolf avoids small ones

"Coffee tables offer people a place to put things down — even your feet, should you choose to," he told BI.

A generously sized coffee table is especially necessary if you don't have end tables or other flat surfaces conveniently located nearby, Wolf added.

Plastic plants can be drab and have the same stale look year-round

Wolf avoids faux plants in his home designs as they can be lifeless and unchanging. They also don't hold a candle to living ones.

"There is a joy in seeing things grow," he added.

Plus, based on the ancient practice of feng shui, which focuses on harmony and balance in a space, every room should include something living. 

Fluorescent lights can be too harsh and unflattering

Wolf avoids using fluorescent bulbs in his home because they're not very flattering in spaces or against skin tones.

"They are way too harsh for the eyes, and wreak havoc on the colors in the decor," he said.

Wolf recommends staying away from matchy-matchy bedroom sets

Matching furniture sets may be a one-step way to decorate a bedroom, but they lack originality, Wolf said.

"In my opinion, they also look dated, as society has moved toward a more relaxed vision of home styling," he told BI. "Coordinating pieces that work together is so much more fun — and alluring — but do take an extra bit of thought."

You won't find short drapes in his space

According to the designer, having drapes that hang above the floor is akin to wearing clothing that doesn't fit properly.

He said drapes typically look best when they touch the floor or puddle a ½ inch to an inch or so.

The designer replaces paper napkins with cloth ones

Although paper napkins are easier to clean up, Wolf said it's best to opt for cloth ones if you want a more sophisticated look.

Cloth napkins are wonderful for entertaining guests and are a personal luxury to use in everyday life — just make sure they're good quality.

"Buy cotton napkins that have some absorbency," he added. "You have to be able to wipe grease off your face properly."

Wolf tries to avoid reproduced and mass-produced art

Wolf said mass-produced art is the opposite of sophistication, and using it is a missed opportunity to create a more personal home design.

"I like my home and those of my clients to be an expression of how they live and who they are," he said.

So, he prioritizes special original pieces and typically steers clear of reproduced art for himself and his clients.

He suggested looking at secondhand stores for original art that "won't break the bank" or framing your own photos. After all, Wolf said, "most everything will work beautifully" in a really great frame.

Fake fireplaces don't offer the same feel as real ones

The designer said faux fireplaces can be tacky and electric inserts can't even come close to the look and feel of a real fireplace.

"If you must, a gas-powered fireplace is acceptable, but there is nothing like the real thing with real logs," he said. "So, if it doesn't light, I don't want it."

He said furniture with visible branding is tacky

He also avoids displaying labeled or branded furniture in his home. 

"It's just tasteless," Wolf said. "Why do I want to give a company free advertising?"

This story was originally published on November 7, 2022, and most recently updated on May 23, 2025.

• Anthropic banned the use of AI in job applications.
• The startup is backtracking on this policy, Mike Krieger, Anthropic's chief product officer, said.
• Anthropic is a leading AI startup that offers an AI chatbot service called Claude.

About a week ago, I told you about an odd policy at one of the top AI companies. When you apply for a job at Anthropic, the startup won't let you use AI to write a required "Why Anthropic?" essay.

That seemed a bit rich, coming from a company that's been warning us to adopt AI or face irrelevance.

On Friday, an Anthropic executive said the startup is reversing this stance.

"We're having to evolve, even as the company at the forefront of a lot of this technology, around how we evaluate candidates," Mike Krieger said during an interview on CNBC. "So our future interview loops will have much more of this ability to co-use AI."

Why would an AI company have previously not wanted people using its products like this? This technology is supposed to take over the world, revolutionizing every aspect of work and play. Why stop at job applications?

I asked Anthropic about this earlier in May. I still haven't heard back. But I think Krieger described the evolving situation thoughtfully. Here's everything he said on Friday about this issue (edited for clarity by me, not an AI bot).

"I actually was in a conversation this week around how we're revising our interview loop to actually let people use AI, because that is an actual part of the software engineering job today.

"Are you able to use these tools effectively to solve problems? Just like, I talk to people who are high school teachers and they've had to evolve, how they even think about what it means to give assignments out in the age where people are using AI.

"We're having to evolve, even as the company at the forefront of a lot of this technology, around how we evaluate candidates. So our future interview loops will have much more of this ability to co-use AI, but talk about, how did you prompt the AI? What were you trying to do with it? What are its limitations? What did you change, based on what it did?"

Anthropic is hiring a lot right now. If you go to its career website and click on a job posting, you may still see this requirement:

"While we encourage people to use AI systems during their role to help them work faster and more effectively, please do not use AI assistants during the application process," Anthropic wrote in a job posting I checked on Friday. "We want to understand your personal interest in Anthropic without mediation through an AI system, and we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills. Please indicate 'Yes' if you have read and agree."

I assume Anthropic will update these listings soon. Maybe they'll get their Claude AI chatbot to do it?

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at [email protected].

• I compared premade frozen beef patties from Wegmans, Costco, and Whole Foods to find the best one.
• I thought the patties from Wegmans were a bit too greasy.
• I loved the burger patties from Whole Foods because they were full of great flavor.

When it comes to summer cooking, I always like to have frozen burger patties on hand. They're a quick and convenient meal I can make whenever the mood strikes. 

To find out which supermarket chain carries the best frozen burgers, I compared options from Wegmans, Costco, and Whole Foods.

Here's how the frozen burger patties stacked up, from worst to best.

Wegmans' Angus beef burgers looked a little different than the other patties.

At $15 for six ⅓-pound patties, this option was more expensive than many of Wegmans' fresh burger options.

The packaging on Wegmans' seasoned Angus beef burgers suggested cooking them frozen, so I separated a patty from the stack and cooked it on a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

The juice didn't pool up on the top of the burger patty while I cooked it, and it kept an even shape and puffed up to the perfect size. However, I thought the seared outer layer took on an oddly orange hue.

I also tried thawing another Wegmans burger before cooking it, and this patty was noticeably grayer than the others I tried. However, I wasn't worried because color isn't always an indicator of freshness.

These burgers were a little too greasy and spongy for me.

When I bit into the Wegmans burger, there was an enormous explosion of greasy juice. However, this could've been because I let them sit for a little bit before eating them.

I thought these patties were a little on the salty side, but to be fair, they were pre-seasoned with sea salt. They stayed moist, but seemed a bit greasy, even by burger standards. I also thought they had a spongy texture.

I'd eat one again if someone served it to me, but I'll skip them next time I'm at Wegmans.

I was curious to see what the Kirkland Signature Angus ground-chuck and beef patties would be like.

At $28 for 18 patties — each weighing ⅓ pound — Costco's house brand represents the best deal for frozen patties of the three stores. 

The packaging suggested cooking these patties frozen, but I tried cooking them both thawed and frozen.

I found it very easy to overcook them, especially when I started with a thawed burger. These patties were large in circumference but thin, so they cooked faster than I expected. The first three came out fully well done when I was aiming for a medium temperature.

Still, they took on a nice brown crustiness when seared on the skillet and maintained a decent size.

I didn't think the Kirkland Signature patties had a ton of flavor.

Unfortunately, I didn't think these burgers tasted like much. They were a bit juicy when I cooked them to medium, but didn't offer much flavor.

That said, when I garnished them with cheese, ketchup, and the like, they were good. If I served them at a barbecue, no one would ever complain.

I preferred them to some other frozen burgers I've tried in the past, and due to the cost and convenience, I could imagine myself picking up a package of these during barbecue season. 

The Whole Foods organic grass-fed beef burgers were smaller than the other patties.

The Whole Foods burger patties were the most expensive of the three, at $8.50 for four ¼-pound patties. They were slightly more costly per pound than Wegmans' and the only organic beef option among the three I tried. They were also smaller than the other patties.

The box I got was frozen solid, and the burgers were pressed so tightly in their packaging that it was impossible to separate them without at least partially thawing them first. 

Unlike the other two brands, the box for the Whole Foods burgers suggested thawing these patties before cooking.

The small patties cooked very fast. They were so thin that, at times, I wound up with dried-out edges even when the center of the burger was still juicy. They shrunk in the pan and didn't look especially appealing. 

The Whole Foods burger was my favorite.

In my opinion, these patties tasted distinctly better than the other two options. There was a rich, meaty, almost gamey flavor that tasted as much like skirt steak as ground beef. Each patty also had a nice, crusty texture from the skillet.

When I tried all three burgers side-by-side, completely unadorned, this was the only one I finished.

Once I run out of the remaining Kirkland Signature burgers in my freezer, I'll pick up the Whole Foods patties to cover the rest of the summer.

This story was originally published on June 16, 2024 and most recently updated on May 23, 2025.

• The Defense Information Systems Agency is facing a 10% cut to its workforce, its director has said.
• DISA, the Pentagon's tech arm, provides the military with IT and telecommunication resources.
• Its director said it was an "opportunity to ruthlessly realign."

The Defense Information Systems Agency, the Pentagon's IT arm, is facing a 10% cut to its workforce, its director told lawmakers this week.

Speaking to senators in Washington on Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton said DISA was set to lose around one tenth of its staff but that that could be a good thing for the agency.

"It's giving us an opportunity to ruthlessly realign and optimize how we are addressing what is an evolving mission," he said. "We are doing a realignment and we're going back to the department to ask for what we refer to as a surgical rehiring. We need to hire the right people back into the right positions to then lead us forward."

DISA currently has around 20,000 employees — including about 6,800 civilians and more than 10,000 contractors, Stanton said.

The cuts come as part of a wider realignment in the Department of Defense.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in April that the DoD would be doing away with billions of dollars worth of IT and consulting contracts, including some with companies such as Accenture and Deloitte.

"These terminations represent $5.1 billion in wasteful spending at the Department, and nearly $4 billion in estimated savings," Hegseth said in a memo.

But Stanton assured that the cuts at DISA were being conducted in a strategic manner.

"Our contracts are aligned to the highly technical IT and cybersecurity workforce. They're not consulting contracts. These are individuals that are putting hands on keyboard, that are running fibreoptic cables, that are performing server maintenance in a global footprint," he said, adding that DISA's contracts were "healthy" and "in a good spot."

It comes after the Defense Department announced plans in February to reduce its civilian workforce by 5 to 8% in an effort to "to produce efficiencies and refocus the Department on the President's priorities and restoring readiness in the force."

The DOD employs more than 900,000 civilians around the world, in jobs ranging from engineering and tech to finance and legal.

Efforts to reduce its workforce come as part of the wider government cuts pushed by President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.

The Elon Musk-linked agency has been tasked with maximising efficiency and productivity across the government under Trump's new administration, and it has carried out waves of controversial layoffs in pursuit of its goal.

• Steve Madden says Trump's tariffs won't achieve his desired outcomes.
• Tariffs aim to reduce trade deficits and boost US manufacturing, Trump said.
• Madden argues the US benefits from trade with China, including "better jobs" than working in a factory.

Shoe boss Steve Madden says Donald Trump's tariffs won't pan out the way his administration hopes.

When Trump announced his tariff plans in April, he argued that big trade deficits weakened US manufacturing and made supply chains too dependent on other countries.

As a result, imported products are getting more expensive, and you can "thank your government for that," Madden, the cofounder of his eponymous shoe brand, told "The Cutting Room Floor" podcast host Omondi on Wednesday.

"They fundamentally do not understand what they're doing," Madden said when asked about tariffs.

The notion that the US has lost manufacturing jobs to China is true, Madden said. However, he said, Americans have picked up "many better jobs as a result of our relationship with China."

He points to the iPhone, now the target of an "at least 25%" tariff directed at only Apple. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he expects iPhones sold in the US to be "manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else."

"The iPhone being made in China — the success that that has created — the commerce," Madden said. "There's probably hundreds of thousands of people working for Apple today in America as a result of them making those phones in China."

The US has evolved into a "society that doesn't want to work in a factory making fucking socks," especially when jobs in retail, marketing, social media, and more exist, he said.

It's a concept that Madden says wealthy businessmen who "never made anything" wouldn't understand, and that's the problem.

"The Trump administration is deploying a multi-faceted approach of tariffs, rapid deregulation, domestic energy production, and tax cuts to reshore critical manufacturing and restore American Greatness," White House spokesman Kush Desai told Business Insider in a statement.

Representatives for the Steve Madden brand didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by BI.

The titans of retail are feeling the effects of Trump's tariffs. As Apple examines where to produce its US iPhones, Walmart warned that its prices will be increasing as a result of the tariffs. Best Buy, Target, and more have told consumers to expect to see products get more expensive.

"We are the people who create commerce — the Apples, the Steve Maddens, the UGGs, the Ralph Laurens — we create the economy, and they're destroying it," Madden said.

• Keke Palmer has been acting since she was 10, but told BI she didn't feel adequately paid until 2022.
• She said that she doesn't compare herself to others in Hollywood because she feels she's not on an even playing field.
• Palmer said that's why she's diversified her income sources.

Keke Palmer has worked in Hollywood since she was 10 — but when asked by Business Insider when she felt adequately paid, the 31-year-old said: "'Nope,' that was probably the first time."

Palmer played Emerald Haywood in Jordan Peele's 2022 horror movie, in which she and Daniel Kaluuya play siblings who try to get a photo of a murderous UFO to sell the image for money.

Before "Nope," Palmer led the Nickelodeon series "True Jackson, VP," which ran from 2008 until 2011, starred in the 2015 slasher comedy "Scream Queens" created by Ryan Murphy, and voiced the mammoth Peaches in multiple "Ice Age" movies. Palmer's first prominent movie role was at the age of 12 in 2006's "Akeelah and the Bee," in which she starred opposite Angela Bassett.

Palmer, who is also a singer, TV host, author, and podcaster, said that gender and racial inequalities are very real in Hollywood, but she doesn't dwell on them.

"I don't compare — especially as a Black person, a Black woman — because it's not a fair thing to do to myself," Palmer continued. "I don't think that comparing oneself makes sense in any regard, because you're not at the same vantage point, beginning or otherwise, as someone else."

She added that "if you are getting your needs met, that has to be at the forefront of your mind. That doesn't mean that everything is fair, but it's an important thing to think about and have a particular perspective about."

Palmer encourages other actors in Hollywood to diversy their income streams

Palmer said it's one of the reasons she's diversified her income streams, including owning multiple production companies, and has encouraged others to do the same.

"It's essentially why I turned my brand into a holdings company with subsidiaries. You have to diversify," Palmer said.

It's increasingly common for A-listers to launch multiple businesses to increase career longevity. Rihanna has Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty. Kim Kardashian launched Skims, and Reese Witherspoon's media company, Hello Sunshine, is among the most successful in Hollywood.

In recent years, Black actors, including Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Mo'Nique, and Taraji P. Henson, have spoken out about not being paid fairly on account of their race and gender.

In a 2023 SiriusXM interview, Henson confirmed rumors that she considered quitting Hollywood over pay inequality.

"I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost," she said tearfully. "I'm tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, 'You work a lot.' Well, I have to."

• The best-selling country artists of all time include Elvis Presley, Tim McGraw, and Shania Twain.
• We used RIAA's data to compile this list based on total album units sold in the US.
• Only three artists on this list debuted in the 2000s: Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Luke Bryan.

Did you know two of the top three best-selling musicians of all time are country music artists?

Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks trail only the Beatles in record sales.

Country music is one of the most popular genres in music, with its own set of stars, award shows, and hall of fame.

We used the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) list of best-selling artists, ranked by albums sold, to pick out the top 25 most successful country musicians of all time.

To qualify as a country star, a musician's output had to primarily appear on country charts, or the artist had to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, nominated in the country genre at the Grammys, or have received nominations at country award shows like the CMAs or the ACM Awards.

Here's who made the cut, from No. 25 to No. 1.

25. Luke Bryan — 19 million units

24. Hank Williams Jr. — 19.5 million units

23. Brooks & Dunn — 21.5 million units

22. Carrie Underwood — 22.5 million units

21. Jimmy Buffett — 23 million units

19 (tie). Kid Rock — 23.5 million units

19 (tie). Johnny Cash — 23.5 million units

18. Vince Gill — 24 million units

16 (tie). Toby Keith — 25.5 million units

16 (tie). Faith Hill — 25.5 million units

15. Linda Ronstadt — 30 million units

14. Willie Nelson — 31.5 million units

13. The Chicks — 33 million units

12. John Denver — 33.5 million units

11. Kenny Chesney — 35 million units

9 (tie). Tim McGraw — 41 million units

9 (tie). Reba McEntire — 41 million units

8. Alan Jackson — 44.5 million units

7. Kenny Rogers — 47.5 million units

6. Shania Twain — 48 million units

5. Alabama — 49 million units

4. Taylor Swift — 57 million units

3. George Strait — 69.5 million units

2. Elvis Presley — 146.5 million units

1. Garth Brooks — 162 million units

• I visited Universal's newest theme park, Epic Universe, which opened on Thursday.
• The unique meet and greets and creative food and drink options really blew me away.
• However, I wish the park had more shade and didn't rely as much on mobile ordering for restaurants.

Epic Universe, the newest major theme park in Central Florida in years, opened on Thursday.

The Universal park consists of five themed worlds: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, and Celestial Park.

After a full day in the park, I was blown away by how immersive it felt. I rode every attraction, tasted some of the many food and drink offerings, and met iconic characters.

For those wondering if a visit is worth it, I've put together a list of things that impressed me most at Epic Universe — plus two of my biggest disappointments so far.

I love how open and immersive the main corridor of Epic Universe is.

After walking under the Chronos, the park's main entry structure, you're inside Celestial Park. This themed world is packed with star imagery, plus tons of greenery and flowers.

I loved how wide the sidewalks are and how open this area feels. The floral landscaping and water features really do make it feel like a park or garden.

All of this gave me a great first impression of Epic Universe as a whole.

The park's meet and greets have some incredible characters.

I love meeting characters from my favorite movies and franchises, and all around the park, there are opportunities to meet icons like Princess Peach and the Invisible Man.

The one character you must see is Toothless, a dragon from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. The interactive animatronic is impressively cute and lifelike.

I liked how interactive the new Harry Potter-themed world is.

There are several Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter throughout the world in places like California and Japan. Even so, the newest Orlando addition focused on the Ministry of Magic is exceptional.

There are so many small details and interactive areas inside the world that you could really spend all day enjoying it.

Even the queue for the ride Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry was breathtaking. Between the giant wizard banners, intricate statues, and lighting design, I felt like I was inside the movies.

I also appreciated that this land had many spots where guests can use special wands to interact with "magical" objects and buildings.

Dark Universe ended up being a hit for me, mostly because it's packed with entertainment.

I typically don't like spooky, scary, or intense things, so I was surprised I really enjoyed Dark Universe.

It's themed after famous monsters and creatures, from Dracula to Wolf Man. It has two rides, and I found myself especially impressed by how much walk-around entertainment was packed into this land.

As I walked through, I passed tons of storytellers and characters ready to interact with guests and take photos. I especially loved meeting Gregor, a funny monster hunter who hangs around at the land's Burning Blade Tavern.

I appreciated how easy it was to get to the park from my room at Universal Helios Grand Hotel.

I stayed at the newest Universal Orlando hotel, Universal Helios Grand Hotel, during my visit. It opened earlier this year and has its own entrance into Epic Universe.

Staying here meant it was incredibly easy for me to walk to the park. I was able to get from my room to Epic Universe in under five minutes.

For me, it's always a win when theme parks have hotels just steps away.

The inventive and fun food and drink options impressed me.

I've been to many theme parks over the years, but I still found myself impressed by the creative and delicious culinary options at Epic Universe.

My favorite sweet treat ended up being the DK Crush Float from Super Nintendo World. It's pineapple-and-banana-swirl soft serve in a waffle bowl topped with caramel popcorn and chocolate pieces that's loaded into a cup filled with pineapple soda.

It's a total sugar rush worth trying.

However, I wish the park had more shaded areas.

As I walked around Epic Universe, I noticed it didn't have many shaded spots.

This felt especially unbearable when the day was at its hottest in the afternoon. Light-colored paths throughout the park seemed to reflect the Orlando sun.

Although there are some air-conditioned restaurants and attractions in Epic Universe, I could see this sun exposure being especially tough for young guests or those who struggle with the heat to navigate.

I also didn't enjoy the fact that nearly every restaurant relies on mobile ordering.

Most quick-service restaurants at Epic Universe rely on mobile ordering instead of having guests wait in line. Although this seems like it could be time-saving and efficient, I struggled to use this system during my visit.

My phone wasn't able to get a strong enough signal for my order to go through or for me to input my table number in many spots throughout the park.

This could also make ordering food a bit tricky for those who aren't as tech-savvy.

Keke Palmer is the internet's darling. She's an Emmy-winning actor, headline-making podcaster, and TV host. Fun, charismatic, and genuine, Palmer can create a catch-phrase in a split-second moment of genius. Remember, "Sorry to this man"?

So, ahead of our call, I was intrigued to find out what Palmer was like one-on-one, without cameras flashing or being on a big movie set.

What I discovered is that she is everything you'd want a celebrity to be: simultaneously relatable (she's also obsessed with Pilates) and somehow otherworldly (she's motivated to work until 2 a.m.).

In the latest installment of Business Insider's "5-9" series, Palmer, 31, shares a glimpse into her busy life as a businesswoman and mother, as part of her collaboration with American Express' Business Platinum Card.

What time do you get up, and what's your morning routine?

I put my clothes out the night before and get up between 6 a.m. and 6.45 a.m. If my workday starts after 8 a.m., I'll use that hour from 7 a.m. to work out: Pilates is my favorite.

When I get back, I'll have a coffee. I'm drinking my water, and I've got my Stanley. Then I'll start work.

Do you do reformer or mat Pilates?

I love them both for different reasons. If I do mat Pilates, it's going to be heated, and if I do reformer Pilates, it's not. If my hair is done, I'm doing reformer, for sure. I don't want to get sweaty on the mat.

The Pilates that I do is not as yoga-leaning, it's athletic — not cardio, but very intricate and muscle-building.

It's the moment of my day that I get to myself, even if I'm in a class with other people. It's just me, feeling it, existing in the world, and doing something for myself. It's really meditative.

When you're focusing so hard on what you're doing, you can't think about anything else.

Exactly, girl.

What do you have for breakfast?

I try to eat something that will really nourish me, especially as I've got older and work so much. I love what I do, and I'm trying to extend my ability to keep doing it.

Anything that's a whole food. I love eggs. Sometimes, I have egg whites with potatoes. This morning, I had sweet potato pancakes with a side of yogurt.

It's not that I don't care about taste, I do, but I want to make sure that it's stuff that's going to be prolonging me for the rest of the day. Especially with all the traveling, too.

How do you keep yourself healthy while traveling a lot?

I definitely need a premium travel experience. I use my American Express Business Platinum Card because I can relax in the lounge, get something to eat, and do a little work if I need to.

I travel for work mostly, sometimes getting right off the plane and straight into business, so the peace and the comfort that I can obtain from that kind of experience is helpful when I go in and pitch.

Eating for gut health

What are your wellness essentials?

I have an array of different things that really feed into my ability to stay grounded and at ease.

For me, therapy is seasonal. I think that therapy is good if you're not doing it all the time.

I love journaling, prayer, and any type of fitness, such as Pilates, yoga, and hiking. All of that stuff brings me immense joy. I love a good hike by myself, and I like doing things solo, because I'm always around so many people when I'm working.

I love bingeing comfort TV. It doesn't even have to be the most interesting thing.

Spending time with family is huge for me, especially my little boy. I love to be with him. It's like time stops.

What time do you get home from work?

When I'm on set, I can go as late as 2 a.m., but if I get out at a normal time, then I'm off around 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Do you generally not eat dinner at home?

I usually eat before I get home. And then when I'm back, I try to give my stomach a rest to digest because eating so late can mess me up for the next morning and disturb my sleep.

Are you consciously intermittent fasting?

I don't think of it that way. I think about it in terms of my gut.

I've had a lot of health issues with PCOS, my nervous system, and my stomach, which has always been very sensitive. So, over these past few years, it's been really important for me to understand how to help my stomach and what foods are ticking it off, because when your gut brain is good, the rest of your brain is good.

Once you find out what works for you, it makes a real difference.

A lot of times, they're telling you the things that are good for you, but they're not necessarily good for you. Or they're telling you the things that are bad for you, but they're not necessarily bad for you.

People often say, "No rice, no potatoes," but my body prefers those, and I'm not saying they've got to be deep-fried. I pair that with something fibrous, protein, or beans. That's good for me.

Do you have a go-to drink?

Yes, whiskey.

With ice?

No, I don't want it watered down!

Good point.

Baths before bed and "Girlfriends"

Do you have a skincare routine?

It's kind of simple, but there are certain ingredients I like to use. Niacinamide, over-the-counter retinol — not prescribed because I don't want to go too harsh.

I love La Roche Posay Mela B3 for dark spots, and also La Roche Posay's kids' and adults' SPF because it doesn't burn my eyes.

I like oil-based cleansers, especially if I'm doing a lot of performing. Sometimes the makeup's coming on and off, and I don't want a cleanser that's going to be too stripping.

I do switch up products because I honestly think that you have to learn your skin and be able to touch, feel, and look at it, and then define what you're going to do based on that.

What's your nighttime routine?

I love watching TV and oiling my hair while in the bath, using face wash and moisturizer, setting out my clothes, and turning on my bed warmer. It's a warming blanket from Amazon. I put it underneath my sheet, and it's perfect.

I lie in bed. I might look at my phone or journal, drop a couple of magnesium drops in my water, maybe a little bit of turmeric, and sip on that. I have a bean bag eye mask. Sometimes, I microwave it. I put it on my eyes, and I'm out.

I'll always go to sleep to some sitcom like "Girlfriends" or "Gilmore Girls" — any type of comfort show.