• The US is cracking down on Russia's oil industry, with broader sanctions introduced on Friday.
• The US and UK are blocking two Russian energy giants and other entities in the nation's oil trade.
• Russia's energy revenue is expected to account for more than a quarter of the nation's budget in 2025.

The US is tightening the screws on one of the key pillars of Russia's wartime economy: its energy business.

The US said it would join the United Kingdom in imposing wider-sweeping sanctions against Russia's oil industry on Friday, which include blocking Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, two of Russia's largest oil producers.

Sanctions will also be imposed on the producers' subsidiaries, as well as 183 tankers associated with Russia's oil trade, according to a statement from the Treasury Department. Some of the sanctioned tankers were part of Russia's shadow fleet, a group of ships Russia is known to rely on to trade oil under the radar.

The new sanctions also targeted several "opaque traders" involved in Russia's oil business, as well as oilfield service providers and prominent executives at Russian energy companies, the statement added.

"The United States is taking sweeping action against Russia's key source of revenue for funding its brutal and illegal war against Ukraine," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "With today's actions, we are ratcheting up the sanctions risk associated with Russia's oil trade, including shipping and financial facilitation in support of Russia's oil exports," she later added.

Western nations have targeted Russia's energy trade since the early days of the Ukraine war, given that Russia's energy revenue makes up a big chunk of the nation's war budget. Oil and gas revenue is expected to account for around 27% of Russia's federal revenue in 2025, according to a draft budget viewed by Reuters in September.

Consequences from existing measures, like the ban and $60 price cap on Russian oil, have already started to hit Moscow's cash flow. Russia's total energy revenue plummeted by nearly a quarter in 2023, according to data from Russia's finance ministry.

The nation's oil and gas revenue is also expected to decline through 2027, the draft budget showed.

Economists share a grim outlook for Russia's economy, with some experts expecting the nation to soon undergo a stagnation that could mirror the decline of the Soviet Union. The nation is now likely feeling the full impact of international sanctions, which could produce enough strain to bring an end to the war this year, according to one Washington, D.C.-based think-tank.

• Mark Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan he's "optimistic" about how Trump will impact American businesses.
• On the nearly 3-hour podcast episode, Zuck said he thinks Trump will defend American tech abroad.
• The conversation comes days after Meta got rid of third-party fact-checkers.

Mark Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan in a podcast episode on Friday that he thinks President-elect Donald Trump will help American businesses, calling technology companies in particular a "bright spot" in the economy.

"I think it's a strategic advantage for the United States that we have a lot of the strongest companies in the world, and I think it should be part of the US' strategy going forward to defend that," Zuckerberg said during the nearly three-hour episode of 'The Joe Rogan Experience.' "And it's one of the things that I'm optimistic about with President Trump is, I think he just wants America to win."

Zuckerberg told Rogan the government should defend America's tech industry abroad to ensure it remains strong, and that he is "optimistic" Trump will do so.

The episode dropped just days after Meta significantly altered its content moderation policies, replacing third-party fact checkers with a community-notes system similar to that on Elon Musk's X. Trump praised the change earlier this week and said it was "probably" a response to threats he's made against the Meta CEO.

Zuckerberg, clad in a black tee and gold necklace emblematic of his new style, told Rogan that the change reflects the nation's "cultural pulse" as it was reflected in the presidential election results. At the beginning of the episode, Zuckerberg bashed how President Joe Biden's administration handled content moderation, especially during the pandemic.

A representative for Biden didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The episode and Meta's flurry of changes are part of efforts from Zuckerberg to improve his relationship with Trump. Meta has confirmed to BI that it's donating $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, along with other tech companies like Microsoft and Google.

• I ranked hummus from Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods, and Wegmans from worst to best.
• I thought Trader Joe's organic hummus could've used a squeeze of lemon.
• Wegmans' hummus topped with garlic and chickpeas was hands-down my favorite dip.

Though hummus, a tasty dip or spread made from chickpeas, is available in almost every supermarket, I've wondered which is the best one.

To find out, I bought hummus from Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe's, and Wegmans and compared them.

I purchased the most basic version available and ate each dip with carrots and pretzel chips. Here's how each spread stacked up, from worst to best.

I started with Trader Joe’s organic hummus.

For the sake of this comparison, I chose Trader Joe's plain organic hummus over the Mediterranean-style and roasted-garlic options.

Out of all the hummus I tried, this one looked the driest and least vibrant in color.

I thought Trader Joe's organic hummus was mediocre.

The hummus wasn't unpleasant, but the texture was mealy rather than creamy. I thought there was too much cumin, and it needed a squeeze of lemon.

Overall, it was good, but the flavor wasn't all that exciting. I'd buy it again if I needed hummus and was at Trader Joe's, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

The Kirkland Signature organic roasted-pine-nut hummus looked delicious.

Costco sells packs of snack-sized Kirkland Signature hummus, but I selected the 34-ounce organic roasted-pine-nut variety for this comparison.

The tub of hummus was rimmed with a layer of oil and topped with pine nuts, herbs, garlic, and roasted peppers.

I'm not sure if the Kirkland Signature hummus would please everyone.

Out of all the hummus brands I tried, this option tasted the most bland without mixing in the toppings. I also found it to be a bit grainy.

I thought mixing the toppings into the hummus made it look less appetizing, but the additional oil and prominent red peppers improved the flavor.

I enjoyed this hummus, but I could imagine it being divisive. For example, I already knew my kids wouldn't like it because of its red-pepper flavor.

I'd opt for a more traditional hummus if I were serving others.

The 365 original hummus from Whole Foods didn't look too special.

My local Whole Foods had a broad selection of hummus, including a handful of store-label 365 choices.

The 365 original hummus had a nice color, looked creamy, and came without toppings.

For me, the 365 hummus was great.

The 365 option was everything I could reasonably hope for in a grocery-store hummus. It was flavorful and had the earthiness of tahini, distinct notes of cumin, and a velvety texture.

This hummus was good enough to buy again. In fact, I won't even bother perusing Whole Foods' other options.

Wegmans' hummus came with a garlic-and-chickpea topping.

The Wegmans I visited offered an overwhelming selection of store-brand hummus, including dill-pickle, bagel, and jalapeño-cilantro options.

Though all of the options looked delicious, I decided to stick to the simplest-looking hummus for the sake of this taste test.

The hummus from Wegmans was my favorite.

Wegmans' hummus was a cut above the competition from the first bite. Even before I mixed in the roasted-garlic-and-chickpea topping, this hummus stood out for its moist, creamy texture and bright, citrusy tang.

With the garlic mixed in, it was undoubtedly the best hummus I've ever found at a supermarket — and better than plenty of dips I've had at restaurants. I finished the container of Wegmans' hummus the same day I did this taste test.

My nearest Wegmans is a 40-minute bike ride away, but I'll make that trip for this hummus again.

This story was originally published on March 6, 2024, and most recently updated on January 10, 2025.

• My family lives in Northeast LA, just outside of the evacuation zones for the raging LA fires.
• Our neighborhood is filled with smoke and everything is covered with ash. Schools are closed.
• Parents don't get to stop parenting during a disaster, but we're doing what we can to survive.

It was raining ash when I went to pick my daughter up from school on Wednesday.

We awoke that morning to the smell of smoke seeping in through the cracks under the door and the roar of the Santa Anas as they rattled the trees outside. My family lives in Northeast Los Angeles, in the direct smoke path of the Eaton Fire, burning through the Pasadena/Altadena area.

My husband and I are both native Californians; we know what to do in these situations. I got out our pack of kid-sized KN95s, while my husband pulled our air purifier out of the laundry room. We briefly discussed the safety of our kids' schools. My five-year-old daughter's school, with its new air filtration system installed during the pandemic, seemed safe, my two-year-old son's home daycare located closer to the fire less so.

Yet as I pulled up to my daughter's school, the air choked us and soot was swirling, I was unsure whether I was making the right decision. I ultimately dropped her off to spend the day at school with her friends.

Back at home, I watched the air quality index tick up — 151, 274, 337, 438 — and I grew nervous. I was putting my shoes back on when I got the alert that her school was closing, just an hour after the school day had begun.

As I stood in the line of anxious parents waiting to sign out their kids, ash was floating through the air landing on our heads, shoulders, and the tops of our cars. It looked like the snow in the Christmas snow globes we've just packed away. Helicopters panted in the grey sky. Behind the thick layer of smoke, an orange ball of sun blazed, casting everything in an eerie hue.

So far, we've been lucky

Perched on a steep hillside below Mount Washington, our home wasn't in immediate danger on Wednesday. Yet the brush that surrounds us is as dry as a tinderbox. Usually in January, the hillside is a verdant green, but it hasn't rained any significant amount since May. The grasses are parched and brown. Skinny coyotes now prowl the fence around our property, sniffing and desperate. As the Santa Anas rage and new blazes pop up throughout the day, I know it would only take a single ember to ignite it all.

Life goes on, no matter what is happening outside

I packed an emergency bag with diapers, birth certificates, Cheerios, and a hand-painted baby book my mother made, and placed it by the door. Then I fixed the kids a snack. Life goes on.

Parenting through disaster or tragedy includes a mundanity that serves as both a respite and an unbearable tedium: there are still meals to be cooked, bedtime stories to be read, toys to be squabbled over.

I am supposed to be working from home. But as morning turns to afternoon, the kids become as restless as the winds outside. We try an art project, then my son scribbles on the coffee table.

My daughter whines for TV and I relent, Ms. Rachel and Elmo getting me through yet another challenging parenting moment. I tell myself it's good that my kids are whining; it means they're not scared.

It's been hard to focus

My mother-in-law came to watch the kids and I retreated to a back room, where I tried to work. But the Watch Duty App keept pinging with new evacuation orders, new burns.

I picked up my phone and descend into doomscrolling, flipping through a succession of heartbreaking posts: "We've lost everything," "Our house is gone," "We are in shock."

GoFundMe links appear and multiply. The Eaton Fire has consumed most of nearby Altadena, an affordable mountain town with a historic black community, where many working and middle-class families purchase their first homes. Due to recent policy changes in the state, many were unable to purchase fire insurance. It's hard to not feel helpless and overwhelmed by the scale of it all. I click to donate.

We muddled through the afternoon, reading books and building forts. I count the hours until bedtime.

That night, the Watch Duty app continues to ping, vegetation fires that quickly get named: Sunset, Kenneth, Creek. Friends and relatives text, asking if we're okay. Totally safe, I reassure them all. I am aware that I am also reassuring myself.

My local mom group fills with requests for items people fled without: a breastfeeding pillow, a sound machine, children's clothing in all sizes. People coordinate pick-ups and drop-offs, and offer guest rooms to displaced families. "Look for the helpers," Mister Rogers famously said. "You will always find people who are helping." I resolve to tell my kids about this tomorrow.

I went to sleep nervous, leaving my ringer on for evacuation alerts. Then I woke up every hour or so to check my phone, but no fires drew near.

We don't know what's next

Schools are closed again. The winds have died down and you can almost see some blue sky behind the haze of smoke. But the blazes are still burning, an there's still an encroaching ring of fire around the city. With little to none of the fires contained, it will be days before the air quality is breathable, longer until the ash and soot are cleaned from the playgrounds. Friend after friend reports leaving town.

On our block's text thread, our neighbors with children are all debating the same thing: do we leave now for better air, or hunker down and shelter in place? We consider the expense, my husband's PTO, and the hassle of having the kids away from their comforts and cramped in a hotel room. There is no right answer.

My kids are just grasping the scope of the situation

When morning comes my son tries to put on his boots, then flops himself on the floor and screams when I tell him he can't go outside. "It's not safe," I tell him. Our play structure is covered in black soot and grey pieces of ash, the sun is still orange.

I tell my kids that even though it's a bummer that we're stuck inside, we're incredibly lucky. "Some people have lost their houses, and everything inside."

My daughter's eyes widen. "Even their toys?" she asks. I nod. "Even their toys."

We look at some pictures of the wreckage online together. I don't know if I should be shielding them or being honest. I remember to tell them about all the people helping each other, the firefighters and animal rescuers, and the moms gathering clothes and toys for those who need them.

"We're very lucky," I tell them. "And totally safe. As long as we stay inside."

Privately, I pray it will stay that way.

• Tesla launched a redesigned Model Y in China with a revamped Cybertruck-like look.
• The new model comes as Tesla reported a year-over-year sales decline amid EV market challenges.
• It's similar to Apple's approach to improving a product rather than creating a new one.

Tesla's new look for the Model Y in China has a Cybertruck-like design, a noticeable change that could be just what Tesla needs to refresh its aging car lineup.

Tesla's new Model Y boasts a redesigned exterior, along with updated suspension, wheels, and tires. It's also quieter and more efficient and has an 8-inch rear touchscreen. The company said on its website that it includes "soft-touch textiles" that give passengers the feeling that they're "floating in space," drawing inspiration from other futuristic Tesla designs.

It's not far off from Telsa's Model 3 redesign in 2023, which introduced a more luxurious and minimalist aesthetic. The upgrade similarly featured a quieter cabin and a rear screen display. The front end was made sleeker with slimmer headlights and a new wheel design. It also came with a redesigned dashboard and steering wheel.

While the new Model Y's design isn't nearly as radical as completely new models like the Cybercab or Cybertruck, that might be intentional. Sometimes drastically changing the look of a vehicle can be polarizing. One Cybertruck driver previously told BI he's owned all Tesla models but only faced negative reactions on the road with his Cybertruck. The YouTuber was even told by a sponsor that he couldn't feature his truck in a video because of its polarizing nature.

The refreshed model will still generate conversation about Tesla's most popular vehicle, which is one of the world's best-selling cars. The new Model Y could stick out more on the road and help car buyers broadcast they're in the latest Tesla, which may help boost sales or convince existing Model Y owners to upgrade their vehicles.

It's similar to Apple's approach with the iPhone, where the company has stuck with enhancing the model rather than building a new phone product line. Similar to Apple, Tesla offers frequent over-the-air software updates. When it comes to hardware updates, though, Tesla often offers a revamped design and enhanced features rather than creating an entirely new vehicle.

The new model announcement comes after the company reported its first year-over-year decline. The car giant said on January 2 that it sold around 1.79 million cars in 2024, slightly under 2023's 1.8 million. While Tesla's 2024 fourth-quarter deliveries increased by over 11,000 from the year prior, it still fell short of analyst expectations by about 14,430.

It's been a challenging time for the EV industry overall, which has slowed in the last couple of years due to factors including limited charging infrastructure and a lack of affordable options. President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration adds further uncertainty to the landscape, as he has vowed to eliminate EV tax credits.

The Model Y refresh in China comes at a pivotal moment for Tesla, as the EV giant faces increasing pressure from competitors like BYD. BYD has recently experienced surging demand, and is challenging Tesla's dominance in the country.

While the new model hasn't launched yet in the US, it's giving investors something to look forward to in 2025, in addition to a new lineup of cheaper EVs.

• JPMorgan told employees on Friday that their days of hybrid work were numbered.
• It said the five-day RTO mandate would start in March and affect roughly 30% of the bank's workforce.
• See the memo explaining the new policy and rationale.

JPMorgan on Friday told employees that hybrid work was largely over. In a memo issued by the bank's operating committee, the largest US bank by assets said it was calling all workers back to the office starting in March.

"Starting in March, we'll be asking most employees currently on a hybrid schedule to return to the office five days a week," a copy of the memo obtained by Business Insider said. "As it stands, more than half of our workforce already comes into the office full-time."

A company spokesman said that roughly 70% of the bank's employees were already back in the office five days a week, while everyone else was in three or four days a week.

"We know that some of you prefer a hybrid schedule and respectfully understand that not everyone will agree with this decision," the memo said, adding, "We think it is the best way to run the company."

JPMorgan, which had more than 300,000 employees in September, is the latest in a growing list of large companies to revert to pre-pandemic office norms. AT&T and Amazon have implemented similar five-day mandates starting this month.

JPMorgan's return-to-office policies have been slowly ratcheting up since the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned all managing directors — the highest rank outside the C-suite — to a five-day workweek in 2023.

The full memo sheds some light on the company's rationale:

Message from the Operating Committee

Dear colleagues,

We're proud of how our company has successfully adapted and thrived in an ever-changing environment, and this is thanks to all of you. We are a better organization because of your commitment and continued care for our customers, clients, communities and each other. Developing effective teams and maintaining a vibrant, healthy culture are clearly key for our success — and we believe best achieved through working together in person. This is why starting in March, we'll be asking most employees currently on a hybrid schedule to return to the office five days a week. As it stands, more than half of our workforce already comes into the office full-time.

We know that some of you prefer a hybrid schedule and respectfully understand that not everyone will agree with this decision. We are now a few years out of the pandemic and have had the time to evaluate the benefits and challenges of remote and hybrid working. We feel that now is the right time to solidify our full-time in-office approach. We think it is the best way to run the company. As we've discussed before, the benefits of working together in person are substantial and irreplaceable, and as we spend more time together, the more advantages we gain. Being together greatly enhances mentoring, learning, brainstorming and getting things done. It accelerates decision-making and offers valuable opportunities for spontaneous learning and creativity. It also allows our early career professionals to learn through our apprenticeship model and expand their networks by building connections with peers across the firm.

Many of our global locations, but not all, have existing capacity to allow for most or all employees to return to the office full-time in early March. We will confirm the list of locations where this is possible by the end of January. The evaluation of our locations will focus on operational readiness, including food services, cleaning and parking. For locations with capacity constraints, or where changes are needed to create capacity, we will work through plans in the coming weeks and will share information and timelines as they become available on a location-by-location basis. Until your location's readiness is confirmed, you should continue on your current work schedule. It's important to note that following a thorough review and applying stringent criteria, a few specific teams whose work can be easily and clearly measured will continue to work remotely or on a hybrid schedule. These decisions have been made in the best interest of the company. If you are on one of these teams, your manager will confirm your schedule.

We recognize that switching from hybrid to five days a week in the office may be disruptive and require adjustments for some colleagues. Importantly we will work to give you at least 30 days' notice in line with local requirements, prior to your full-time return. Once your location is ready, if you need a bit more time to accommodate the new schedule, you should discuss your needs with your manager and get their approval. We know that a lot has changed in our workplaces since returning to the office after the pandemic and recognize that it will take us some time to get all of our locations ready to accommodate a five-day-a-week schedule.

What is not changing is our support for flexibility in the workplace, which we are committed to providing at every level in a fair way. We fully recognize how important it is to be able to work remotely as life events happen, and managers will be directed to provide team members with the flexibility they need to work remotely under some circumstances, such as unexpected occurrences, family commitments or other times on occasion when you and your manager agree you can work away from the office. As always, we expect you to continue to track your time out of the office, and we will work hard to support a workplace of flexibility and collaboration.

We greatly appreciate your outstanding efforts day-in and day-out and are honored to work together on behalf of everyone we serve.

• On Meta's internal forum, its employees criticized its decision to roll back DEI initiatives.
• It follows changes to Meta's content-moderation policies, which got rid of third-party fact-checkers.
• Meta's VP of HR said the term DEI had "become charged" and "suggests preferential treatment."

Meta employees spoke out on its internal forum against the tech giant's decision Friday to roll back its diversity, equity, and inclusion program.

Staffers criticized the move in comments on the post announcing the changes on the internal platform Workplace. More than 390 employees reacted with a teary-eyed emoji to the post, which was seen by Business Insider and written by the company's vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale.

Gale said Meta would "no longer have a team focused on DEI." Over 200 workers reacted with a shocked emoji, 195 with an angry emoji, while 139 people liked the post, and 57 people used a heart emoji.

"This is unfortunate disheartening upsetting to read," an employee wrote in a comment that had more than 200 likes.

Another person wrote, "Wow, we really capitulated on a lot of our supposed values this week."

A different employee wrote, "What happened to the company I joined all those years ago."

Reactions were mixed, though. One employee wrote, "Treating everyone the same, no more, no less, sounds pretty reasonable to me." The comment had 45 likes and heart reactions.

The decision follows sweeping changes made to Meta's content-moderation policies, which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday. The changes include eliminating third-party fact-checkers in favor of a community-notes model similar to that on Elon Musk's X.

As part of the changes to Meta's policy on hateful conduct, the company said it would allow users to say people in LGBTQ+ communities are mentally ill for being gay or transgender.

"We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like 'weird,'" Meta said in the updated guidelines.

One employee wrote in response to the DEI changes that, in addition to the updated hate-speech guidelines, "this is another step backward for Meta."

They added: "I am ashamed to work for a company which so readily drops its apparent morals because of the political landscape in the US."

In the post announcing the decision to drop many of its DEI initiatives, Gale said the term DEI had "become charged," partly because it's "understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others."

"Having goals can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender," she said, adding: "While this has never been our practice, we want to eliminate any impression of it."

One employee told BI the moves "go against what we as a company have tried to do to protect people who use our platforms, and I have found all of this really hard to read."

Meta did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Do you work at Meta? Contact the reporters from a nonwork email and device at [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].

• I live near Rocky Mountain National Park, so I know of lots of hidden gems in the area.
• In the park, I recommend checking out the Holzwarth Historic Site and Alpine Visitor Center.
• Outside the park, it's worth visiting the picturesque Chapel on the Rock and the Stanley Hotel.

Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, which spans 415 square miles, offers endless recreation opportunities. From watching the trees change colors in the fall to cross-country skiing in the winter, there's always something to do.

However, I've noticed that many visitors tend to check out only a few popular areas in the park. Since Rocky Mountain is practically in my backyard, I've come across some less-busy treasures in and around the park that are worth exploring.

Here are five hidden gems I think all tourists should check out when visiting Rocky Mountain National Park.

Venture over to the west side of the park.

I've found that the vast majority of Rocky Mountain National Park visitors only visit the east side of the park, particularly the Bear Lake area. In fact, I've gone on hikes on the west side and have only seen a handful of people over multiple hours.

My favorite thing to check out on the west side is the Holzwarth Historic Site. Here, you can find a small village of log cabins, giving you an idea of what life looked like in the Rockies 100 years ago.

However, what really makes this stop stand out is the creek you walk over to get to the site. Although it's easy to overlook, this stream is actually the beginning of the Colorado River.

It's difficult to imagine that this babbling brook grows into the mighty river that carved out the Grand Canyon.

For spectacular views, venture up to the Alpine Visitor Center.

If you're visiting in the warmer months, Trail Ridge Road is your lifeline through Rocky Mountain National Park. The main route through the park offers gorgeous views of the Continental Divide, mountain lakes, and wildlife.

At the highest point on the road (11,796 feet above sea level), you'll find the Alpine Visitor Center. This is a great place to grab a coffee and look out over the expansive landscape below.

You also have a good chance of seeing two fuzzy critters: marmots and pikas. Both are part of the rodent family and make for some great entertainment as you sip on a drink.

After visiting the park, stop by the Chapel on the Rock.

The Chapel on the Rock somehow feels completely out of place yet blends in perfectly with its surroundings.

Located near Rocky Mountain National Park, the 90-year-old stone church almost startles you after seeing nothing for miles on the country highway leading up to it.

Officially named the St. Catherine of Siena Chapel, visitors are able to enter the building to pray or learn about its history, which is fascinating in itself. In 1993, the chapel even hosted a very famous guest: Pope John Paul II.

Although it's not a long stop, the Chapel on the Rock is a very unexpected landmark in rural Colorado.

Check out the Stanley Hotel — the inspiration for "The Shining."

Estes Park is the mountain town just outside the main entrances to Rocky Mountain National Park. The downtown is lovely to stroll through — filled with taffy stores and souvenir shops. However, the most famous landmark in the town is the Stanley Hotel.

First and foremost, the Stanley is a luxury hotel complex, complete with restaurants, a whiskey bar, and a theater. The hotel opened in 1909 and has hosted its fair share of notable guests — including Stephen King in September 1974.

King and his wife Tabby were the only guests in the entire hotel, as the property was set to close up for winter the next day. This stay inspired his bestselling thriller, "The Shining."

If you want to dive into "The Shining" lore and the hotel's ghost stories, you can book a special tour around the hotel grounds. However, if you don't have time for that, quickly stopping by to check out the beautiful buildings (and hedge maze out front) is well worth the time.

Spend some more time outdoors at the YMCA of the Rockies.

After hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, you might want to continue your dive into the "full mountain" experience. Luckily, there are plenty of activities to scratch that itch, from fly fishing to ax throwing.

The YMCA of the Rockies is a great option if you want to try several activities at a time. After buying a day pass (which costs $29 for adults), you'll have access to their entire grounds, which often have elk and other animals wandering around.

• Influencers have filed a lawsuit against Capital One.
• They allege its Shopping extension hurt their earnings by unfairly claiming credit for sales.
• Capital One said it disagreed with the premise of the lawsuit.

First, the influencers came for PayPal's Honey. Now, Capital One is under scrutiny.

Capital One is the subject of a lawsuit filed this week by creators who allege the company's Shopping browser extension hurt their affiliate-marketing commissions by stealing credit for driving sales.

"We disagree with the premise of the complaint and look forward to defending ourselves in court," a Capital One spokesperson told Business Insider.

Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension that searches for discount codes and coupons, compares prices across about 30,000 online retailers, and lets users earn rewards that can be exchanged for gift cards. It makes money by earning a commission when its users purchase an item from its merchant partners.

In a class-action lawsuit filed on Monday in a Virginia court, two creators who promote products on social media allege the browser extension is designed to "systematically appropriate commissions that belong to influencers."

The lawsuit alleges Capital One Shopping "stole credit" by swapping out influencers' affiliate-marketing browser cookies with its own. Cookies are small data files stored on a user's device that help companies track users' browsing history.

The war for the last click

Much like recent lawsuits filed by influencers against PayPal over its Honey browser extension, the Capital One Shopping case homes in on the marketing practice of "last-click attribution."

In this model, cookies, unique web links, promo codes, and other analytics tags are used to determine the last piece of content a user engages with before they make a purchase. That entity, be it a YouTube video or an ad, gets credit for the purchase.

The practice has fallen out of favor in some marketing circles because it doesn't consider the full cycle of persuading someone to buy a product. There are also concerns that an intermediary may try to game the system to unfairly claim last-click credit for purchases that they had little to do with.

Companies in the affiliate-marketing industry often seek to adhere to "stand down" practices, where they won't override another affiliate's cookies.

In their lawsuit, the content creators Jesika Brodiski and Peter Hayward allege Capital One Shopping took credit for sales and conversions that were originally derived from affiliate-marketing links they shared on social media.

Brodiski shared affiliate-marketing links on social media for products on Walmart.com, and the lawsuit claims that — if a user had the Capital One Shopping extension activated during the checkout process — Capital One would remove her associated cookie and replace it with its own. The lawsuit says Brodiski earned about $20,000 through affiliate marketing in 2024 but that her earnings were hampered by Capital One Shopping.

Hayward is part of the Amazon affiliate-marketing program and similarly alleges Capital One would replace his referral tag with its own.

The lawsuit also says Brodiski and Hayward "face future harm in the form of stolen referral fees and sales commissions because the Capital One Shopping browser extension continues to steal affiliate marketing commissions with each passing day."

A court will need to certify the class action in order for the case to proceed

The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial. If the case is certified as a class action, other influencers could join the suit.

Christopher Roberts, a partner and class-action attorney at the law firm Butsch Roberts & Associates, told BI the most difficult part of such cases is getting the class certified. The court will need to rigorously analyze various factors, such as whether the class is big enough and whether it would make more sense to litigate complicated cases individually.

Certification aside, Roberts said he felt the case would come down to what discovery showed.

"This case, on its face, is very well pled," Roberts said, "and it's pretty specific as to the code for this app being supplanted on the computer so that they can get the affiliate payment."

• The third book in Rebecca Yarros' "Empyrean" series comes out on January 21.
• It will pick up where dragon rider Violet Sorrengail left off in "Iron Flame."
• Warning: This article contains major spoilers for "Fourth Wing" and "Iron Flame."

The much-anticipated third installment of Rebecca Yarros' "The Empyrean" series is finally hitting bookshelves.

"Onyx Storm," which continues Violet Sorrengail's journey to become a dragon rider, will be released on January 21 by Red Tower Books.

Yarros' dragon-filled romantasy world became massive in "Iron Flame," and it might be difficult to remember everything that happened in the sequel before you read the third "Empyrean" book.

Check out Business Insider's recap of the major events in "Iron Flame" so you're ready for "Onyx Storm." And if you need a refresher on the first installment in the series, you can also read BI's guide to "Fourth Wing."

The rest of this article contains major spoilers for "Fourth Wing" and "Iron Flame."

Violet Sorrengail was reckoning with some major shocks at the start of 'Iron Flame'

When "Iron Flame" opens, Violet Sorrengail is recovering from a battle that brought her face to face with venin and wyverns, evil creatures the government of Navarre — including her mother, General Lilith Sorrengail — told her weren't real.

The battle also revealed that her romantic interest, Xaden Riorson, and other students at Basgiath, the war college Violet attends, have been secretly fighting for the revolution, and it left her friend Liam dead.

As if those revelations weren't enough, Violet also awakens at a rebel outpost in Aretia to discover the mender who saved her life is Brennan, her brother she thought had died. Instead, he has been working with the rebels under an alias since his disappearance.

Violet and her other classmates decide to return to the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath before the school's graduation. They are under strict orders to keep the venin attack — and the true cause of Liam's death — secret. Violet also decides to try to find information about Navarre's wards to help protect innocents from the venin.

During the fight, Violet's younger dragon, Andarna, exerted so much power to protect Violet that she escalated her growth process and had to fall into a deep sleep to complete her change. Violet takes her to the Vale, the home of the dragons, to recover while she returns to Basgiath with her other dragon, Tairn.

New dangers at Basgiath

After graduation, Xaden is assigned to work at an outpost called Samara, a full-day flight away from Basgiath. Xaden and Violet, who is still a student, must visit each other every seven days so her dragon, Tairn, and his dragon, Sgaeyl, can see each other because they are mated.

Meanwhile, the imposing Vice Commandant Varrish comes to work at Basgiath, keeping a close eye on Violet and her classmates who were at the venin battle.

Violet also discovers that Jack Barlowe, her nemesis from "Fourth Wing," whom she thought she killed, was resurrected. Violet is wary of Jack as he's integrated back into Basgiath, but when a first-year student tries to kill her, Jack saves her, telling Violet they're even after his attempts on her life the previous year.

Violet and her squad continue to bond as they face new challenges in a Rider Survival Course. Violet also manages to steal a journal written by Lyra, one of the First Six Riders, from the royal family with their help. She hopes it can offer insight into how Basgiath's wards function.

The danger surrounding Violet at Basgiath comes to a head when Varrish and his cronies torture her for five days for stealing the journal. Visions of Liam keep Violet sane during the torture. When Varrish taps Violet's childhood friend Dain Aetos to wrench secrets from her mind with his signet power, he surprises them all by betraying Navarre and freeing Violet.

Xaden arrives soon after, and he and Violet kill Varrish and confess their love for each other. They also decide to reveal the existence of venin and wyvern to the Basgiath student body, giving their peers the chance to join them as they flee to join the rebels.

They manage to convince around 200 riders to leave with them, including Dain, Violet's squad, and even some teachers, heading to Xaden's home, Riorson House, for safety. Mira, Violet's sister, also joins her siblings at Basgiath.

Violet and her squad join the resistance

Andarna wakes up soon after Violet arrives at Riorson House, and she now appears to be a large, black dragon. Though she has matured into a moody adolescent, her disrupted growth means her wing muscles didn't develop correctly. She will never be able to bear a rider, which is heartbreaking for both her and Violet.

Meanwhile, Violet and the other cadets from Basgiath settle in with the rebels. They continue to train alongside gryphon riders — including Xaden's ex-girlfriend Cat — which can be fraught as the riders learn to trust each other.

Ahead of a wyvern attack, Violet manages to get the wards surrounding Aretia up, though they don't work as well as those in Navarre. Lilith then gives Violet Lyra's journal during a meeting because she wants her children to be safe, and Violet taps her Scribe friend Jesinia to translate it so they can find answers about the wards.

During their time at Riorson House, Violet realizes Xaden has a second signet he has kept secret from everyone but her. He confides in her that he is an inntinsic, allowing him to read people's intentions — a signet that riders are immediately killed for having because of the dangers they pose to other riders.

The conversation also hints that Violet has a second signet that has yet to be revealed because she is bonded with two dragons.

'Iron Flame' culminates with a battle at Basgiath

Violet and her friends rush back to Basgiath when they realize venin are launching an attack on the school. When they arrive, they discover that Jack has secretly turned venin months ago, and he destroys the wards after killing his own dragon.

Dragons, gryphons, and their riders work together to defend Basgiath from venin and wyverns in an intense battle. Brennan manages to mend the wardstone Jack broke, and Jesinia finally translates Lyra's journal, telling Violet they need a seventh type of dragon to make them work.

Jesinia's discovery makes Violet realize Andarna isn't a black dragon as she previously believed and is, in fact, the seventh breed of dragon. Andarna then tells Violet she didn't hatch for 650 years, as she was waiting specifically for her.

The dragons assemble to raise the wards, and Violet nearly gives all her power to secure them until her mother steps in. Lilith sacrifices herself, raising the wards and killing the invading wyvern.

Violet rushes to find Xaden after the battle, and she discovers he has the red-rimmed eyes associated with the venin, as he took power from the land to try to protect Violet. The book ends with Jack telling Xaden there is no known cure to turning venin.

Violet won't continue her studies at Basgiath in "Onyx Storm," instead traveling to find allies to help fight the venin — and save Xaden.

• Mom Lisa Ward lives in Topanga, between Palisades and Malibu, where the LA wildfires are raging.
• Her family was horrified when they saw TV images of their local high school burning to the ground.
• While her 17-year-old won't get the graduation he hoped for, his priority is to help homeless friends.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lisa Ward, 59, a stay at home mom from Topanga, California. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Our family is sheltering in Topanga, a canyon region between Palisades and Malibu that is being ravaged by California wildfires.

The generator turns on and off at random, but we're glued to the local TV news whenever we can be. On Tuesday — when the fires struck our area — my oldest son, Luc, 19, jumped up from the couch.

"That's the high school," he shouted, pointing to the footage of the flames and billowing smoke consuming the campus. "There's the locker building, the baseball field, and the football stadium — they're all burning."

We were in shock. We'd been in the stadium for Luc's graduation from Palisades Charter High School in 2023 and were proudly looking forward to sitting in the bleachers for his 17-year-old brother Cole's graduation in June.

Our youngest, Theo, 15, began as a freshman there last September.

It was terrible to see the campus ablaze, though we knew it wasn't as horrific as watching someone's home burn down. A few minutes earlier, Luc's girlfriend, Nikola, 19, had spotted her condo building on fire around a mile away from the school.

She sobbed in my arms. We later found out she'd lost everything except the bag of clothes she'd grabbed before evacuating. The branches of the trees were in flames as she ran to the car.

My son asked about his graduation and prom

Cole, our senior, was on a snowboarding trip with some classmates in Mammoth Mountain, a five-hour drive from Topanga. They found out about what happened to the high school on social media.

"I won't get my graduation ceremony at Pali High, will I?" Cole asked me. "Or prom?"

"No," I replied as gently as I could. I don't think you will." He had gone to his brother's graduation, and it had been an enormous thing. Cole is a linebacker on the school football team, which plays a huge role in the celebration.

Some people in his cohort have already had their pictures taken for the senior graduating yearbook in their formal dresses and suits. But this year's book can't be finished. The photo lab where they do it has gone.

I could tell Cole was upset, but he's a kid who puts things into perspective. It's best not to have a school than a home. Of the six kids who went to Mammoth Mountain, only two of them — including Cole — still had homes. We've told them that there'll always be a bed for them here as long as we're not evacuated.

Everyone is on edge as we worry about our houses. We haven't really had a chance to think about what classes will look like this year.

But Cole and Theo have been told they will start online schooling before the high school figures out how to relocate about 3,000 kids to other places.

The kids can't really process the events

Remote learning during the pandemic was a nightmare for everyone, particularly Theo, who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was younger. We didn't get through a single day without tears. The social isolation also affected the kids.

As for the here and now, they can't absorb what's going on. When you watch the fires on the news, the images are so shocking that they don't seem real. I can see it in their faces. "My darlings," I told them. "I don't think the human brain can process this because so much has gone in such a short space of time."

I'm a big communicator, even when the boys don't like it. Sometimes, I'll talk and hear nothing back, but I don't stop. I'm constantly checking in on them to tell them that I love them.

• Trump's nominees must file personal financial disclosures.
• Those reports include information on income, assets, and more.
• On Friday, the first disclosure report for a Trump nominee became public.

How you ever wondered how some of President-elect Donald Trump's appointees and nominees make money? We're starting to find out.

Just like House members, senators, and congressional candidates, Trump's nominees are required to file personal financial disclosures before they assume office or are confirmed by the US Senate.

Those disclosure reports, along with their ethics agreements, include details of each person's assets, sources and amounts of recent income, and other details of their personal finances.

The documents are likely to reveal information like Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth's salary at Fox News, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi's compensation for lobbying, and the sprawling assets of the billionaires working for the administration.

As of Friday, January 10, only one of these disclosures has been made public. This story will be updated as more become available.

Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Russell Vought is Trump's nominee to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a role he served during the second half of Trump's first administration.

His financial disclosure shows that he brought in more than $542,000 in both salary and bonuses from the Center for Renewing America, a pro-Trump think tank, and its affiliated advocacy group, Citizens for Renewing America. Vought serves as the president for both organizations.

He's made thousands in extra income on the side, including $15,000 from the Republican National Committee for helping to prepare the policy platform for the party's convention.

He also received a $4,000 honorarium from Hillsdale College on September 19, the date that he appeared on a panel during the conservative institute's Constitution Day celebration in McLean, Virginia.

His assets include various mutual and index funds, along with between $1,000 and $15,000 in Bitcoin, which generated more than $1,000 in income last year. As part of his ethics agreement, Vought agreed to sell off that Bitcoin within 90 days of his confirmation.

• Delta reported fourth-quarter earnings that topped analyst expectations on Friday.
• Revenue from premium seats was a major bright spot for the airline.
• Shares soared more than 9% in trading following the announcement.

People are clamoring for premium air travel, and Delta Air Lines is cashing in on that demand.

The airline reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue on Friday, both of which beat Wall Street estimates. Massive growth in premium seat sales helped send shares up more than 9% in trading Friday.

Revenue from Delta's premium cabins, which include Delta One, Domestic First Class, and Delta Premium Select, increased 8% to over $5.2 billion in the quarter, versus a 2% growth in its main cabin.

Despite taking up a small fraction of an aircraft's cabin, premium seats generated $20.5 billion in revenue during 2024, just $4 billion shy of the amount brought in by economy.

For 2024, Delta reported $61.6 billion in total revenue, up 6% over 2023.

Delta President Glen Hauenstein said baby boomers have played a big role in driving that premium demand.

"Being a boomer myself, I'm proud of us driving our premium results," Hauenstein said during the company's earnings call on Friday. He expects younger generations to account for more premium demand as the older generation of consumers ages out.

"The newer generation is wealthier, and we have a bigger share of that generation. So excited not only for today as the boomers are driving it but excited for tomorrow as we pass it on to the next generations," Hauenstein said.

In recent years, Delta has introduced updated premium cabins and opened new and expanded Delta SkyClub lounges. The airline also recently opened its first DeltaOne business-class lounge in New York.

Americans are clamoring to go to Europe

Demand for international travel gave Delta a boost during the final quarter of 2024.

Transatlantic revenue increased by 6% despite a 2% capacity cut. Revenue from transpacific flights increased by 19%, but that required an outsize 24% capacity increase.

It looks like the strong demand for transatlantic travel will continue into 2025. Hauenstein said Americans' continued desire to travel to Europe during the early months of this year is due to the strong US dollar and will not compromise demand for flights this summer.

"You go to a restaurant in New York and then go to a restaurant in Europe, you'll see a vast difference in the bill," he said. "This is a great time to travel to Europe. People are seeing that."

Delta expects first-quarter 2025 revenue to be 7 to 9% higher than the same period in 2024.

Delta's lucrative credit card partnerships continued their hot streak.

The airline earned $2 billion in the quarter by selling frequent flyer miles to American Express to be offered as rewards card holders. That's up 14% from the same period in 2023.

• Meta is dropping many of its DEI initiatives, BI confirmed.
• The company sent a memo announcing the changes on Friday.
• Meta's VP of human resources said the legal and policy landscape in the US was changing.

Meta is rolling back its DEI programs, Business Insider has learned.

The company's vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale, announced the move on its internal communication platform, Workplace, on Friday, which was seen by BI.

"We will no longer have a team focused on DEI," Gale wrote in the memo.

"The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing," she wrote. "The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI."

She added the term DEI has "become charged" partly because it is "understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others."

Meta confirmed the changes when contacted by Business Insider.

On Monday, Meta said that it is also replacing fact-checkers with community notes on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Meta is the latest company to back away from DEI in the wake of backlash, legal challenges, and the reelection of Donald Trump as president.

Read the full memo:

Hi all,

I wanted to share some changes we're making to our hiring, development and procurement practices. Before getting into the details, there is some important background to lay out:

The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing. The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. It reaffirms longstanding principles that discrimination should not be tolerated or promoted on the basis of inherent characteristics. The term "DEI" has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.

At Meta, we have a principle of serving everyone. This can be achieved through cognitively diverse teams, with differences in knowledge, skills, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Such teams are better at innovating, solving complex problems and identifying new opportunities which ultimately helps us deliver on our ambition to build products that serve everyone. On top of that, we've always believed that no-one should be given - or deprived of -opportunities because of protected characteristics, and that has not changed.

Given the shifting legal and policy landscape, we're making the following changes:

• On hiring, we will continue to source candidates from different backgrounds, but we will stop using the Diverse Slate Approach. This practice has always been subject to public debate and is currently being challenged. We believe there are other ways to build an industry-leading workforce and leverage teams made up of world-class people from all types of backgrounds to build products that work for everyone.
• We previously ended representation goals for women and ethnic minorities. Having goals can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender. While this has never been our practice, we want to eliminate any impression of it.
• We are sunsetting our supplier diversity efforts within our broader supplier strategy. This effort focused on sourcing from diverse-owned businesses; going forward, we will focus our efforts on supporting small and medium sized businesses that power much of our economy. Opportunities will continue to be available to all qualified suppliers, including those who were part of the supplier diversity program.
• Instead of equity and inclusion training programs, we will build programs that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.
• We will no longer have a team focused on DEI. Maxine Williams is taking on a new role at Meta, focused on accessibility and engagement.

What remains the same are the principles we've used to guide our People practices:

1. We serve everyone. We are committed to making our products accessible, beneficial and universally impactful for everyone.
2. We build the best teams with the most talented people. This means sourcing people from a range of candidate pools, but never making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics (e.g. race, gender etc.). We will always evaluate people as individuals.
3. We drive consistency in employment practices to ensure fairness and objectivity for all. We do not provide preferential treatment, extra opportunities or unjustified credit to anyone based on protected characteristics nor will we devalue impact based on these characteristics.
4. We build connection and community. We support our employee communities, people who use our products, and those in the communities where we operate. Our employee community groups (MRGs) continue to be open to all.

Meta has the privilege to serve billions of people every day. It's important to us that our products are accessible to all, and are useful in promoting economic growth and opportunity around the world. We continue to be focused on serving everyone, and building a multi-talented, industry-leading workforce from all walks of life.

Do you work at Meta? Contact the reporters from a non-work email and device at [email protected]; [email protected]; and [email protected].

• Social-media sentiment around Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has soured amid their feud.
• Lively has accused Baldoni of harassment, and he claims she tried to smear him.
• Negative posts around the stars have ballooned since Lively filed her complaint.

The feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni seems to have tanked public perception of both stars.

That's the key takeaway from a new analysis of social-media sentiment shared exclusively with Business Insider. The data comes from the social-monitoring firm Sprout Social, which tracks posts on X, YouTube, Reddit, and Tumblr and categorizes them as negative, neutral, or positive.

Lively's 80-page complaint, filed December 21, impressed some public-relations pros, who, in interviews with BI, called it well-timed and detailed. They said at the time it would be hard for Baldoni to come back from it. Lively accused her "It Ends With Us" costar Baldoni of sexually harassing her and engaging in a smear campaign against her. Her allegations were detailed in a The New York Times article published the same day the complaint was filed.

Baldoni hit back in a lawsuit filed against the Times, which accused the paper of libeling him and said Lively embarked on a negative PR campaign against him.

Sprout Social data showed that the volume of social-media mentions of both stars soared after Lively's complaint was filed and the Times story was published. Most of the commentary was negative, the firm's analysis found.

Lively saw negative sentiment jump 29 percentage points to 61% in the immediate aftermath of her complaint (from December 21 to 26), the data showed, compared with the period just before (December 15 to 20).

Baldoni's largely positive sentiment flipped to mostly negative, increasing 41 percentage points to 63% negative during that time.

Baldoni's lawsuit, filed December 31, as well as one filed by Lively the same day, brought a fresh round of negative sentiment on social media for both stars.

Negative sentiment around Lively jumped from 39% right before Baldoni's suit (from December 26 to 31) to 52% right after (from January 1 to Monday). Baldoni saw a similar jump, from 42% just before his lawsuit to 52% after.

The positive sentiment around both stars languished at 6% for Lively and 7% for Baldoni during the period following his suit.

In their legal filings, Lively and Baldoni accused each other of using PR pros to plant negative stories about them, supported by screenshots of conversations.

Lively's complaint alleges Baldoni's camp engaged in "astroturfing," a controversial PR tactic that involves planting online comments while making them look as if they're occurring organically.

The new data suggests that negative sentiment reached its highest point, however, after the stars went to war in legal filings and in the press.

• Ukraine said one of its pilots downed a record-breaking six cruise missiles in a single mission.
• The pilot said he downed two of them with his gun, something experts said took great skill and risk.
• Getting close enough to shoot down missiles requires skill to avoid getting hit with dangerous debris.

The Ukrainian F-16 pilot said to have shot down half a dozen Russian cruise missiles in a single mission showed remarkable skill, particularly during a risky gun battle, a former US Air Force pilot told Business Insider.

Ukraine's air force command said that an F-16 pilot took out six Russian cruise missiles during a single flight in December, calling it a first for the jet. It said that during the historic engagement, the pilot shot down two missiles with the F-16's M61A1 six-barrel 20 mm cannon.

Ret. Col. John Venable, a 25-year veteran of the US Air Force and a former F-16 pilot, told BI that the pilot's ability to gun down the Russian missiles without putting his own aircraft at risk required a lot of skill.

He said "the fact that he did that without fragging himself" says "a lot about his skill set."

Switching to guns raises risks

Ukraine's F-16s have been repeatedly seen flying with an air-defense loadout of two AIM-9 Sidewinders and two AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles. The country's air force said the pilot had used up all of his missiles and was low on fuel after destroying four Russian missiles, but he then saw another Russian missile going toward Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

He moved to intercept it, firing his gun at the missile that was traveling over 400 miles an hour, the air force said. There was more than one explosion, and the pilot realized that he had actually eliminated two Russian missiles.

The Ukrainian F-16 pilot, per a translation by RBC-Ukraine, said that there was a danger in doing that because "shooting down cruise missiles with a cannon is very risky because of the high speed of the target and the danger of detonation. But I did what the instructors in the US taught me, and I managed to hit it."

Venable said the risk of debris makes this kind of engagement more dangerous for the pilot. He said that pilots must get close to missiles to get a good shot.

He said that if the intercepting aircraft is behind the target and it explodes when hit, "you're going to be what we call fragged," meaning that the aircraft absorbs some of the explosive debris. Pilots have to come in at an angle. Venable said that there being two missiles meant the situation required greater skill.

Tim Robinson, a military aviation specialist at the UK's Royal Aeronautical Society, likewise said that fighter pilots using guns must get "pretty close" to their target. That brings danger, with cruise missiles "packed with explosives."

"If you're firing at something and it's at close range and that thing goes off — you've got to be pretty aggressive and pretty brave to be doing that," he said.

It takes skill to fly this mission

Retired US Army Maj. Gen. Gordon "Skip" Davis, the former deputy assistant secretary-general for NATO's defense-investment division, told BI "shooting two cruise missiles with aircraft guns is quite impressive."

Venable said that pilots who are shooting at a missile but want to protect their aircraft must approach the missile like they are coming onto a highway from an off-ramp, "where you're at 90 degrees out, and then you start to actually align your car with the highway as that on-ramp turns onto the road."

"That's where you want to take the shot, not when you are right behind the aircraft." And doing that "takes skill," he said.

Ukraine has not commented on the aircraft's state but said the pilot landed at an airfield, indicating it was intact.

Ukraine's air force command said pilots learned to shoot missiles with aircraft cannons in US simulators but never tried it before in combat, the Kyiv Post reported.

Peter Layton, a fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute and a former Royal Australian Air Force officer, told BI the gun kill was "good flying."

He said that it's "easier now with modern radars in fighters than in World War II, but the fighter still needs to close with the cruise missile and fire very accurately."

The jets are likely to continue to fight as missile shields

Battling Russian aircraft would be the better test because they shoot back, but Venable said the reported achievement, which he said was "more than plausible," says a lot "about how far Ukraine's air force has come" and the Ukrainian air force's capabilities.

Kyiv's new F-16s provide added air defense as Russia batters Ukraine with barrages of missiles, hitting major cities and energy infrastructure and killing civilians. The jets support already-strained ground-based air defenses.

This mission carries risks, and Ukraine has already lost at least one of its F-16s and one of its trained pilots.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser on the International Security Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told BI that Ukraine is facing threats Western pilots haven't.

"None have faced the numbers of simultaneous incoming missiles that the Ukrainians have," he said. "US and Western pilots have faced one or two incoming missiles at a time."

Ukraine has a limited F-16 fleet that arrived later than desired. Partner nations have pledged more than 85, far fewer than what the Ukrainians likely need. Many of the jets, older versions of what Western nations fly, still haven't been delivered.

Ukraine probably won't receive enough fighters to use them the way the West does, but it can use them to strengthen its air defenses.

Venable said Ukraine does not have enough aircraft, stealth platforms, and other assets to be able to really use its jets to press against Russia. He said partners had to be conscious of leaving enough jets in their own fleets.

Col. Yuriy Ihnat, the head of the Ukrainian air force command's public relations service, said Ukraine wants more powerful modifications and missiles for its F-16s to compete with Russia, but said the headline-making intercept showed the skill of Ukrainian pilots and how formidable Ukraine's air force could be with more powerful jets.

• Macy's just announced the list of locations it will shutter this year.
• The 66 closures are part of a broader plan to shutter 150 stores by the end of 2026.
• The department store chain has struggled as shoppers turn to lower-priced rivals and online retailers.

Macy's just revealed a list of 66 stores across 22 states that will close this year.

The company said most of the locations on the list are expected to close before May.

The stores announced Thursday are the first of 150 locations that the retailer plans to shutter through 2026. Following the closings, there will be about 350 Macy's left.

"We are closing underproductive Macy's stores to allow us to focus our resources and prioritize investments in our go-forward stores, where customers are already responding positively to better product offerings and elevated service," CEO Tony Spring said in a statement.

Macy's has struggled for years as online shopping and lower-priced options have grown and the chain's in-store experience floundered. Over the past decade, its share price has been down more than 50%.

The department store chain said its closure plan will allow it to focus on its best-performing locations and online experience, where it will refresh its merchandising assortment and modernize the shopping experience.

Macy's isn't the only department store struggling. Kohl's announced this week that it would close more than two dozen stores this year, and over the past five years, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy.

Here's a full list of the Macy's stores that will close this year.

Arizona

Superstition Springs Center
6535 E Southern Ave, Mesa

California

Broadway Plaza
 750 W 7th St., Los Angeles

Hillsdale Furniture (Closed in FY2024.)
 2838 South El Camino Real, San Mateo

Sunrise Mall
6000 Sunrise Mall, Citrus Heights

Westminster Mall
300 Westminster Mall, Westminster

NewPark Mall
200 NewPark Mall, Newark

Mission Valley Home (Closed in FY2024, furniture business relocating.)
1555 Camino De La Reina, San Diego

Otay Ranch Town Center
2015 Birch Rd Ste. 2, Chula Vista

Village At Corte Madera
1400 Redwood Hwy, Corte Madera

Downtown Plaza
414 K St., Sacramento

Colorado

Northfield Stapleton
8298 E Northfield Blvd, Denver

Streets At Southglenn Furniture (Previously announced and closed.)
6797 South Vine Street, Centennial

Florida

Boynton Beach Mall
801 N Congress Ave. Ste 100, Boynton Beach

Fort Lauderdale Furniture (Furniture business relocating.)
4501 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale

Pembroke Furniture (Furniture business relocating.)
13640 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines

South Dade Furniture (Closed in FY2024, furniture business relocating.)
13251 South Dixie Highway, Miami

West Shore Plaza
298 Westshore Plz, Tampa

Altamonte Furniture (Going out of business sale to occur in Q1.)
820 W Town Pkwy, Altamonte Springs

Southgate
3501 S Tamiami Traill Ste 600, Sarasota

Boca Raton Furniture (Previously announced and closed. Furniture business relocating.)
9339 Glades Road, Boca Raton

Georgia

Gwinnett Furniture (Going out of business sale to occur in Q1.)
3360 Venture Parkway, Duluth

Gwinnett Place
2100 Pleasant Hill Rd Ste 2318, Duluth

Johns Creek Town Center (Small format location.)
3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suwanee

Idaho

Silver Lake Mall
200 W Hanley Ave Ste 200-4, Coeur D'alene

Illinois

White Oaks Mall
104 White Oaks Mall, Springfield

Louisiana

Acadiana Mall
5733 Johnston St. Ste 2098, Lafayette

Massachusetts

Independence Mall
101 Kingston Collection Way Ste 1, Kingston

Maryland

Security Square
6901 Security Blvd Ste 871, Baltimore

Harford Malle
600 Baltimore Pike, Bel Air

Michigan

Grand Traverse Mall
3400 S Airport Rd W, Traverse City

Lakeside Malle
14200 Lakeside Cir, Sterling Heights

Oakland Mall
500 W 14 Mile Rd, Troy

Genesee Valley Center
4600 Miller Rd, Flint

Minnesota

Maplewood Mall
3001 White Bear Ave N Ste 2035, Maplewood

Burnsville Center
14251 Burnhaven Dr, Burnsville

Missouri

Metro North Mall
400 NW Barry Rd Ste 150, Kansas City

South County Mall
10 S County Center Way, Saint Louis

New Jersey

Essex Green Shopping Center (Backstage location, expected to be closed mid-year.)
459 Prospect Avenue, West Orange

New York

Lake Success (Backstage location, going out of business sale to occur in Q1.)
1550 Union Turnpike, New Hyde Park

Melville Mall (Backstage location, going out of business sale to occur in Q1.)
834 Walt Whitman Road, Huntington

Queens Place (Backstage location, expected to be closed mid-year.)
88-01 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst

Sheepshead Bay (Backstage location, going out of business sale to occur in Q1.)
2027 Emmons Avenue, Brooklyn

Mall At Greece Ridge
397 Greece Ridge Center, Rochester

Sunrise Mall
400 Sunrise Mall, Massapequa

Brooklyn
422 Fulton St, Brooklyn

Staten Island Furniture (Furniture business relocating.)
98 Richmond Hill Road, Staten Island

Fordham Place (Backstage location, going out of business sale to occur in Q1.)
404 East Fordham Rd, Bronx

Ohio

Fairfield Commons
2727 Fairfield Commons Blvd, Beavercreek

Franklin Park
5001 Monroe St Ste D100, Toledo

Oregon

Streets Of Tanasbourne
2055 NE Allie Ave, Hillsboro

Salem Center
400 High St NE, Salem

Pennsylvania

Logan Valley Mall
5580 Goods Ln Ste 2178, Altoona

Exton Square Mall
245 Exton Square Mall, Exton

Philadelphia City Center
1300 Market St, Philadelphia

Wyoming Valley Mall
59 Wyoming Valley Mall, Wilkes Barre

Tennessee

Oak Court
4545 Poplar Ave, Memphis

Texas

Almeda Mall
100 Almeda Mall, Houston

Fairview
201 Stacy Rd, Fairview

Shops at Willow Bend
6209 W Park Blvd, Plano

Southlake Town Square (Small format location.)
321 State St, Southlake

West Bend (Small format location.)
1751 River Run #101, Fort Worth

Highlands of Flower Mound (Small format location.)
6101 Long Prairie Rd Ste 500, Flower Mound

Virginia

Southpark Mall
170 Southpark Cir, Colonial Heights

Washington

South Hill Mall
3500 S Meridian Ste 985, Puyallup

Redmond Furniture (Going out of business sale to occur in Q1.)
15340 NE 24th St, Redmond

Kitsap Mall
10315 Silverdale Way NW, Silverdale

• We adopted a child in Oregon who had Costa Rican heritage that we wanted to be sure to celebrate.
• So, when she was 4, we moved to Costa Rica. We struggled and returned to the US after a few months.
• We learned ways to embrace her roots without having to leave the community we'd built in the US.

In 2008, my husband, Jonathan, and I adopted our daughter from Oregon's foster-care system when she was 18 months old.

The Department of Human Services mandated months of preliminary classes, many of which focused on how best to celebrate an adopted child's ethnicity. I took this directive very seriously.

Our kid's birth mother had been born in Costa Rica and adopted by a US couple two decades before she got pregnant and relinquished her infant to the state.

I knew enough about the emotional wounds adopted children can face to believe I should take drastic measures to try to mitigate any pain my own girl could experience.

When she was 4 years old, I had an even bigger idea for how we might be able to do so: We could move to Costa Rica. It would be an adventure, I thought, a perfect escape from the cold, rainy Northwest winters in our tiny Oregon cottage!

Call it a revelation or call it a midlife crisis, but my husband took a six-month leave of absence, I quit my job, and we found a short-term renter who would care for our cats until we found a new house to purchase.

In December 2011, we moved from the US to Playas del Coco with two backpacks and a bag of kids' science books.

We spent weeks trying to embrace the local culture and fall in love with our new home

For the first few weeks in Costa Rica, we spent our days at the beach or taking the public bus throughout the Pacific side of the country, searching for the ideal place to put down roots.

However, we hadn't prepared for Christmas. We'd spent past holidays at my mother's house in California, drinking eggnog and opening presents.

In an unfamiliar country, Jonathan and I wandered through the aisles of the local supermarket looking for last-minute small, portable gifts for our daughter.

We picked up a makeshift cardboard tree and tried to feel merry without our handmade stockings hanging over the fireplace and our 6-foot tree covered in ornaments rich with memories.

Our new condo was still empty and felt soulless, so we wandered out for some classic Christmas cheer. We found ourselves on the beach clutching cups of shaved ice in sweaty palms while red-faced children in suits and taffeta dresses sang and swayed on hot sands to "Let It Snow."

"I miss my friends," our small daughter whimpered. "I miss our cats."

I missed our pets and my own friends horribly, but we'd resolved to surround her with the people, music, and traditions of her birth mother's country.

Instead of commiserating, I suggested we head out for dinner.

We sat down to plates of gallo pinto — Costa Rica's ubiquitous rice-and-bean dish — and pan-fried plantains in a pastel-painted room full of empty tables and a neon-purple Christmas tree.

We hadn't met any other families yet, so we walked home alone, pointing out holiday light displays on our new neighbors' houses and trying to feel celebratory.

For another seven weeks, we traveled the country by bus and occasionally in a rented Jeep. We spent most of our time in Playa Samara, where we enrolled our daughter in a bilingual kindergarten.

We roamed the beautiful beaches, kayaked on rivers, and introduced our child to the animals, birds, trees, and insects of her birth mother's country. She met local kids of all ages and shopkeepers who pinched her cheeks and slipped her complimentary bags of fried plantains.

Still, our daughter was miserable. "I want to go home!" she said daily.

After 3 months in Costa Rica, we headed back to the US

Early in March, Jonathan turned to me, red-faced and sweating. "It's broiling by eight in the morning," he said. "Makes me almost miss winter in Oregon."

"I do miss winter in Oregon," I replied. "I miss the rain and the cold. I think I even miss the mud!"

We walked down to the beach, our daughter riding his shoulders, and crossed a rickety little bridge to a new restaurant we'd heard about.

Outside, we stopped and stared. Oregon Ducks flags — the green and yellow emblems in our college town back home — hung everywhere. The owner, we learned, had relocated from our part of the world.

As our child eyed the flags wistfully over yet another bowl of gallo pinto, I stared out at the dark ocean. This felt like a sign that Oregon was our perfect place, and my husband agreed.

By mid-month, we'd moved back to the US. We acknowledged our change of heart with chagrin, but our friends and neighbors welcomed us back with joy.

Now that we were home, I studied what other adoptive parents did to honor their children's culture — everything from special summer camps to weekly dinners, church services, and festivals. We set about creating a community of kids who looked like our daughter and began taking Spanish classes.

There were less extreme ways, I found, to celebrate our daughter's heritage and bolster her against the inevitable sorrow that can come with being adopted. We didn't need to relocate 4,000 miles away from all that she loved.

The next Christmas, Jonathan hung our stockings over the fireplace in a cottage that now struck me as charming, shaded by graceful firs and cedars.

We sewed catnip mice and tucked them into small stockings. We set up our big tree and excitedly hung the ornaments we'd been exchanging for years.

Then, I led my daughter into the kitchen where I got out the stepstool and the cast-iron pan. "Open this can of black beans," I told her. "We're going to learn to make gallo pinto."

• I've been following the Mediterranean diet for years, and I've learned a lot of simple recipes. 
• Lamb souvlaki, baked salmon, and creamy chicken pasta are all in my dinner rotation. 
• For breakfast, I love shakshuka, and orange, avocado, and shrimp salad is a great lighter meal.

I learned to cook for the Mediterranean diet at university over five years ago. Since then, I've tried various recipes and even developed some of my own.

I take a minimalist approach to my diet and often only use a few ingredients in my meals. I bulk out the more expensive ingredients, like fresh fish and poultry, with whole grains, mixed beans, and vegetables.

My favorite recipes take about 10 to 30 minutes to prepare and don't require any specialist equipment. 

I've discovered a love for orange, avocado, and shrimp salad

I wasn't initially convinced that orange, mustard, and shrimp went together. It felt unnatural to make a salad without traditional ingredients like cucumber and tomato.

However, the sweetness of the orange sharpens the buttery avocado and perfectly complements the shrimp. 

Start by tearing half of an orange into segments. Squeeze the juice from the other half and put it to the side. Dice an avocado, slice half a red onion, and rip up some romaine lettuce. Add all of the components to a bowl with a few pieces of shrimp on top — I like to buy the precooked kind for convenience.

To make the dressing, combine the orange juice with a splash of olive oil, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, and a little salt and pepper.

Zucchini fritters with tzatziki make a wonderful lunch

Vegetable fritters are one of my favorite snack foods to batch-cook and freeze for busy weekday lunches. 

Grate one zucchini and half an onion into a sieve. Add a little salt and squeeze out the excess water with a spoon.

Then, grate a handful of Parmesan into a bowl with a cup of all-purpose flour, a splash of milk, and one egg. Combine the grated vegetables and batter. 

Add a generous amount of olive oil to a pan and fry small dollops of batter until golden. Press the fritters flat to make sure they're cooked all the way through.

For the tzatziki dip, mix Greek yogurt, two crushed garlic cloves, a sprig of fresh mint, and a dash of olive oil. 

Smoked mackerel pâté is an indulgent treat

Instead of sweets and chocolate, I like to indulge in cheeses, smoked meats, and pâtés. 

To make that fit into my Mediterranean diet, I combine precooked and shredded smoked mackerel, light cream cheese, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Season the pâté with salt and pepper, and serve it spread on sourdough toast. 

Shakshuka is the ultimate weekend brunch dish

If I fancy a Mediterranean breakfast on the weekend, I go for shakshuka.

Sauté diced red pepper, green pepper, and onion with two crushed garlic cloves. Add a sprinkle of cumin, paprika, coriander, and red-chili flakes before pouring in some chopped tomatoes.

Place three eggs in the mixture, cover the pan, and let them simmer on low heat.

Remove from the heat once your eggs are cooked to your liking and finish with fresh chopped parsley and mint. 

On special occasions, I'll whip up a lamb souvlaki

As a young journalist, lamb is a little out of my price range, so I reserve it for special occasions.

I opt for a good-quality lamb shoulder and season it with garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil for a few hours.

Add chunks of lamb to a wooden skewer and throw them on the grill. I often bulk out my kebabs with bell peppers and onions.

Finish the meal with tzatziki and Greek potatoes. 

Salmon with veggies is an easy weeknight meal

If I've spent my evening at a spin class or late-night meeting, salmon is my go-to dish.

Season some fillets with garlic and herbs and wrap them in aluminum foil. Cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes and pair them with roasted asparagus and broccoli. 

I've concocted a Mediterranean version of a make-your-own pizza 

If you have an at-home dinner date coming up, make some puff-pastry pizza together.

Roll out a premade puff-pastry sheet, add pesto and tomato paste for the base, and cook for five minutes. 

Once it's out, top with crumbled feta, spinach, and onions for a veggie-style pizza. You could also use some shredded salmon for a little extra protein.

Put it back in the oven until the cheese starts to brown and melt.

To balance out my lighter meals, I like to make a 1-pot creamy-chicken pasta 

We all need cheesy carb-filled dinners from time to time — the Mediterranean diet is all about balance and moderation. 

Chop up a few chicken breasts, fry them in a pan until golden, and remove.

Sauté a few cloves of garlic and combine with chicken stock, heavy cream, and fettuccine pasta in the pan. The measurements will depend on how much you like garlic and cream. 

Once the sauce has thickened, sprinkle in some Parmesan, olives, and lemon slices and pop the cooked chicken back in.

Chorizo and butter-bean stew is a cozy meal 

On colder days, I like to cozy up with a stew.

Slice up some chorizo and fry in a pan for a few minutes. Crank your extractor fan onto its highest setting to avoid the smoke alarm going off — I speak from experience. 

Toss in cans of butter beans and chopped tomatoes and let everything sizzle.

Add a big spoonful of pesto for a garlicky twist and serve.

I like to make frittata when it's time to clean out the fridge

When I don't know what to make, eggs are always a great option.

Mix a few eggs, a handful of sun-dried tomatoes, and some crumbled feta cheese together.

Finely dice half an onion and fry with crushed garlic for a few minutes. Sauté some spinach in the onion mixture and pour the egg concoction on top.

Bake in the oven until the egg is fully cooked and garnish with fresh parsley and your seasonings of choice. 

Whenever I need a little extra protein, I turn to tofu 

If I find myself in a bit of a food rut, I mix things up with meat alternatives.

I've only recently discovered tofu, and I've been enjoying adding it to salads and grain bowls for a protein boost.

I marinate the tofu cubes in lemon, garlic, and rosemary overnight and then fry them in olive oil for a crispy texture.

This story was originally published on May 17, 2022, and most recently updated on January 10, 2025. 

• Insurance companies hire private businesses to proactively protect properties from wildfires.
• The CEO of one company told BI its strategies include using fire-blocking gel and cleaning gutters.
• He said companies like his can help solve the insurance crisis, as they focus only on economic loss.

Insurance companies are hiring private firms to protect customer properties before wildfires roll in by taking measures such as applying protective gels and removing combustibles to try to fire-proof structures.

David Torgerson is the CEO of Wildfire Defense Systems, a private company that contracts with insurance carriers to protect homes and businesses from fires like those ripping through Southern California. He said that Wildfire Defense Systems works exclusively with insurers, partnering with dozens of carriers across 22 states to protect structures.

"We are typically working hours in advance, or days in advance of the fire passing over a property, and we call that the presuppression," he told Business Insider. "We're preparing the property to survive the amount of time that the fire is in proximity to the structure, and then we quickly come back in after the fire is passed to secure the property."

He said that his employees — who, unlike first responders, are not focused on saving lives or containing the blaze — are "actively working" to help battle the fires in Southern California.

In addition to applying fire-blocking gels and getting rid of flammable materials, Wildfire Defense System's strategies include cleaning gutters and operating sprinkler systems, a company fact sheet says. The famed Getty Villa has so far survived this week's blaze in part because of similar fire-mitigation efforts.

Once a fire passes through a neighborhood, company personnel will return to insured homes to put out any simmering spot fires and assess other risks, Torgerson said. By law, his company can only protect homes covered by insurance policies that include its services, he said.

In recent years, insurance companies have cut back on coverage in California, largely because of wildfire risk. In 2023, State Farm said it was no longer accepting new homeowner insurance applications in the state. It also ended coverage for 72,000 homes and apartments last year, including some in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood devastated by the most recent blazes.

Preliminary estimates have put insured losses at more than $20 billion, a record high for California. Real estate and insurance experts previously told BI that the current wildfires will likely exacerbate the state's insurance crisis.

Torgerson said that qualified insurance resources like his are part of the solution to coverage woes because they mainly try to mitigate the economic cost of a fire.

"Our job really is to help policyholders and insurance carriers keep insurance available in the marketplace," he said. "If wildfires are going to get steadily more intense and more frequent, the scale of our operations have increased."

With some of the nation's wealthiest ZIP codes on fire — in Pacific Palisades, for example, the average home price is $4.5 million, per Realtor.com — controversy has erupted around who has access to fire safety resources. When a Los Angeles-based investor and self-described entrepreneur posted a request on his X account to hire private firefighters for his home, many responded with outrage in the comments. The user, Keith Wasserman, has since suspended his X account.

Torgerson told BI that his services are very different from private firefighters, who he said comprise a tiny sliver of the market. Wildfire Defense Systems does not have contact with individual homeowners and protects properties based on risk, not home value. He also said his employees meet all the training requirements of the National Wildlife Coordinating Group and are members of the firefighters union.

"It only really comes up when the fires are occurring in Southern California, the LA basin," he said of private firefighters, who he said are not subject to the same training. Torgerson said his services are part of standard insurance policies with the affiliated companies, though he declined to disclose which insurers use his services.

In 2021, State Farm said in a press release that it was partnering with Wildfire Defense Systems and the service would be added to all non-tenant homeowner policies in California, Arizona, and Washington. Chubb also partners with Wildfire Defense Systems in California and other states, according to its website, and says that policyholders can opt to enroll in the protective services.

Representatives from State Farm and Chubb did not respond to a request for comment from BI.