• NATO pit elite divers against new sensors to protect undersea cables from sabotage.
• Foreign adversaries have increasingly targeted undersea cables and underwater infrastructure.
• The training marks another shift in how NATO countries are preparing for future warfare.

NATO sent special operations divers to test new systems designed to help shield critical underwater infrastructure from damage and sabotage, growing problems.

Underwater cables and pipelines providing internet connectivity and energy have been damaged in a string of alarming incidents in recent years, with accusations of sabotage being thrown around about several just in the past couple of months.

These incidents highlight the vulnerability of these lines, but the NATO alliance is looking for answers.

Last fall, elite special operations divers from within the NATO alliance practiced bypassing underwater electronic detection sensors as part of an effort to boost protection for critical underwater infrastructure. NATO shared footage this week of the November training event — Exercise Bold Machina 2024 in La Spezia, Italy — as well as commentary from leadership.

The 13-nation event was the first of its kind, said US Navy Capt. Kurt Muhler, the maritime development director at the NATO Special Operations Headquarters, and was designed to test new sensors that could be used to defend against underwater sabotage attempts. This exercise, which Defense News first reported on, also tested allied special operations divers and their abilities to operate in increasingly transparent battlespaces.

Divers on offensive operations may not always be able to rely on dark, opaque waters to conceal their movements, Muhler, who has held SEAL team leadership positions, said, citing increased advancements in underwater detection system technologies.

"It's not knowing if somebody knows, or if you're being detected," Muhler told Defense News last fall. "It is understanding that there is a system that has the capability to detect you, but that you know nothing about it and don't know exactly what the capability is."

Undersea cables, pipelines, and other critical underwater infrastructure are at risk

The joint exercise in Italy came as damage to critical underwater infrastructure has become increasingly worrisome to Western officials who are scrambling to deter more damage to cables from vessels often quietly linked to Russian and Chinese governments.

Several underwater cables have been damaged in the past two months, including one telecommunications line linking Finland and Germany and another connecting Finland and Estonia.

Finnish officials said that they found a 60-mile seabed trail suggesting a tanker linked to Russia might be responsible for cutting cables. And around the same time, cables linking Germany and Finland and Sweden and Estonia were damaged with a Chinese vessel detected nearby when the damage occurred.

Such damage has spurred British defense officials to create a new joint operation with 10 European countries throughout the Baltic Sea area, using artificial intelligence to monitor potential threats from ships.

Undersea cables are critical components of international telecommunication infrastructure and the global economy — around 745,000 miles of cables span global seabeds and help transmit 95% of international data, including around $10 trillion in financial transactions daily.

NATO officials highlighted growing threats to cables from Russia last year, noting surveillance activity from Russian units specializing in undersea sabotage. But the barrier to entry for sabotage isn't particularly high. Russia has submarine units known to specialize in underwater sabotage, but cables have also been damaged by commercial vessels simply dragging their anchors along the sea floor.

And the concerns about the risk of underwater cable and infrastructure damage are not limited to European waters. Damage just last week to cables off the coast of Taiwan left that island's officials suspecting intentional damage from China.

"The underwater domain is hard both to protect and hard to attack," said Alberto Tremori, a NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation scientist who helped oversee the November NATO exercise. "It's not easy to protect because it's a complex environment, it's a vast environment."

• The Los Angeles wildfires have devastated the city over the last week.
• Local spots like Yeastie Boys Bagels and Sunday Gravy are working to feed evacuees and first responders.
• Pizza spots, including LaSorted's and Jon & Vinny's, are also sending free pies to firefighters.

On the second day of the Los Angeles fires, in a hotel restaurant filled with evacuees, bartender Jeff Braga watched as a child went up to his father seeking advice. They wanted to console a friend who had just lost their house.

"Dad, what do I say to him?" the child asked.

It's a question that just about everyone in LA has asked themselves as the wildfires — which have killed at least 10 people and burned over 35,000 acres in three days — continue to rage.

For the chefs, owners, and service workers in the city's sprawling restaurant industry, the answer to how to help was immediate — they needed to feed people, even amid their own evacuations.

A fire unlike any other

Many of the chefs who spoke to Business Insider recalled seeing the Palisades fire first break out on Tuesday morning.

"We have a clear view of the Palisades from our patio, so we saw the fire grow from a little cloud to a spread of darkness over the whole bay," said Calin Senciac, the owner of Papille Gustative in Santa Monica. "From the beginning, we were very concerned."

"The winds were crazy, and we started to see the smoke plumes up in the Palisades, and I was like, 'Wow, I hope that doesn't turn into something bigger,'" recalled Sol Bashirian, who co-owns Sunday Gravy with his sister in Inglewood. "I never would've imagined it could lead to this much devastation."

As new blazes ignited in Pasadena and the Hollywood Hills, Tommy Brockert of LaSorted's Pizza fled with his 3-month-old baby to his sister's house. Evan Fox, the owner of Yeastie Boys Bagels, grabbed just his passport and bar mitzvah photo album before getting out.

Then, it was time to figure out how they could help.

"I didn't know what I could do, but the least I could do is offer a pizza," Brockert said. "It was important to step up and say, 'We're here for you.'"

Rallying through food

As the fires raged on Wednesday, Fox decided to send his bagels to anyone in need. The Yeastie Boys Bagels trucks went to evacuation centers throughout the city, and they're now coordinating their efforts with the World Central Kitchen to feed hundreds of people daily.

Local businesses are also finding small ways to help their neighbors. Senciac is keeping his doors open and baking huge batches of fresh cookies to offer milk and baked goods to anyone who drops by.

"It's a comfort food that makes people happy and brings a smile to their face," Senciac told BI.

Bashirian of Sunday Gravy has offered free family meals — spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad — to hospital workers and anyone in need.

On Wednesday, Rob Noyola began serving free bowls of chicken noodle or vegan lentil soup at Oy Bar, his restaurant in LA's Studio City neighborhood. Now, with more staff on hand, Noyola told BI the restaurant is offering free burgers, sandwiches, and fries for evacuees and first responders, "no questions asked."

Okay Inak runs Sora Craft Kitchen in downtown LA on his own, but the lack of staff didn't stop him from springing into action to make free grilled chicken bowls. And Gigi Ganieva and Azim Rahmatov, who opened Zira Uzbek Kitchen less than two months ago, have switched gears to feed first responders.

A slice of comfort

Several LA pizza restaurants have also been working around the clock to deliver free pies to first responders in any way they can.

"Our first thought was we want to feed the firefighters and frontline workers. We want to keep the people fighting for our city fueled up; that's what we do," Daniel Holzman, the chef and owner of Danny Boy's Pizza, told BI.

Holzman and Brockert of LaSorted's Pizza have sent free pizzas to fire stations, relying on volunteers to deliver the pies. Brockert has also added a link on LaSorted's delivery site that allows people to buy a $25 pie for first responders.

Caroline D'Amore, the owner of Pizza Girl Venice, has been delivering pizzas and drinks to first responders on the Pacific Coast Highway after having to evacuate her home with her husband and three children.

Meanwhile, Jon & Vinny's has been delivering food from its five LA locations to the main command posts for first responders near the Eaton and Palisades fires. A spokesperson told BI that Jon & Vinny's is also helping collect and deliver free food from other LA restaurants.

'You realize how fragile life is'

Restaurants that remained open during the fires have become safe havens for those who have evacuated, lost their home, or taken in displaced friends and relatives.

"I was serving people that were just devastated," said Braga, a bartender at The Surfing Fox. "It was really heavy but also really nice to see this community band together."

"It's solemn. You can see it on their faces — they look tired and exhausted. They look like they've been through the most traumatic thing of their life," Bashirian said.

But through the tragedy, there has also been overwhelming support. Fox, of Yeastie Boys, told BI that amateur chefs have been reaching out to offer help, while Bashirian has raised close to $15,000 to help fund Sunday Gravy's family meals.

Celia Ward-Wallace, the cofounder and CEO of South LA Cafe, said the organization had a "huge influx of volunteers" to help deliver fresh groceries to those in need.

The dust has yet to settle, and the chefs who spoke to BI said they're just beginning their efforts to help the community. But they hope to shine a light on how devastated the city is.

"People are jaded and think LA is glitz and glamour, but it's real people, as real as anywhere else in this country," Bashirian said. "They could use as much help as possible."

"Moments like this, you just realize how fragile life is," Brockert said. "In my 42 years in Los Angeles, I have never experienced this. But people from here are salt of the earth, hardworking, good everyday American people, and we come together and take care of each other."

• Streaming TV company Fubo took on Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, and it paid off.
• The giants canceled plans for a joint sports streamer that Fubo had raised antitrust concerns about.
• Fubo struck a deal with Disney this week to settle the suit and merge with Hulu's live TV business.

Fubo took on Goliath and cashed out.

The small streaming TV company fought against media giants Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery's plans to join forces for a new streaming service called Venu that would bring together their sports content. Fubo filed an antitrust suit in 2024 that argued the companies were planning a service they had blocked competitors like Fubo from offering.

This week, Fubo struck a deal with Disney to drop the lawsuit and merge with Hulu's live-TV business. Then, on Friday, Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they abandoned plans for the streamer.

"Had Venu happened, it would have been a threat" to Fubo, Michael Pachter, a stock analyst at Wedbush that covers Fubo, told Business Insider.

Because Venu would have been owned by three large companies with claws in the sports broadcasting industry, Pachter said a company like Fubo would have been scared of Venu's potential to get exclusive access to content and become a major space for live sports. Satellite TV competitor DirecTV also indicated it would continue the antitrust battle against Venu after Fubo's lawsuit was settled.

Now, Fubo is walking away with a sizable payday and the backing of one of the largest players in sports media. The Venu partners agreed to pay Fubo $220 million to settle the case, and Disney is set to give Fubo a $145 million loan. Not a bad outcome for a company that posted a $110 million net loss last quarter.

Fubo now has a bunch of cash to play with as it figures out its identity in this new position.

Since the Disney merger was announced on Monday, Fubo's stock has risen over 250%.

How Fubo stands to benefit from Venu's demise

Fubo, with a market capitalization of $1.7 billion compared to Disney's $197 billion, now has new pathways to grow its sports streaming business.

Fubo CEO David Gandler said during an investor call that Fubo could create "skinnier sports, news, and entertainment bundles."

On Monday, when the deal was announced, Fubo executives suggested Fox would be part of a skinny bundle as well, as BI's Peter Kafka reported.

That could create an offering similar to what sports fans could have gotten with Venu. Venu planned to charge around $43 a month for sports content from the three partners.

Fubo could also have other options to bundle its service with Disney's, on top of the merger with Hulu + Live TV. As part of the new agreement, Disney would own about 70% of Fubo.

"Fubo is going to generate a lot more sales," said Pachter. "Disney, Hulu, and ESPN brands add a lot of value to Fubo, which is not as recognizable as a brand."

CEO Gandler surprised some media observers when he first decided to challenge Disney, but the legal battle seems to have paid off.

"I was … impressed by his gutsiness," said Pachter. He acted promptly and forcefully, he had good legal advice, and it surprises me that he won but he gained a lot more respect."

• The Pentagon deployed modified C-130 aircraft to aid in the fight against the Los Angeles wildfires.
• The wildfires spread rapidly due to strong winds and dry conditions, scorching over 30,000 acres.
• The C-130s can waterbomb wildfires with nearly 14 tons of fire retardant in less than five seconds.

The Department of Defense deployed modified C-130 aircraft and Navy helicopters to support efforts to contain the destructive wildfires burning in Los Angeles.

A wildfire started in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday and began to spread rapidly as strong offshore winds fanned the flames, setting over 30,000 acres ablaze and ruining neighborhoods in scenes reminiscent of war zones.

The C-130s are fitted with a firefighting unit that can drop thousands of gallons of water or fire retardant to suppress the blaze.

Most destructive wildfires on record

At least 10 people have died and 10,000 properties have been damaged in the fires, and officials expect figures to grow as firefighters and first responders struggle to contain the flames.

The Santa Ana winds annually threaten to stoke the flames during California's wildfire season, but extreme drought combined with the powerful offshore winds catalyzed the record-breaking wildfires that continue to burn through Southern California.

Since California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County, tens of thousands of residents have been impacted by evacuation orders.

Containing the blaze

More than 600 personnel, 10 rotary-wing aircraft, and two C-130 Hercules aircraft from the California National Guard were deployed to battle the blaze.

The Biden administration ordered the Pentagon to send eight MAFFS-equipped C-130s from Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado to support firefighting efforts in Los Angeles. Some were expected to start fire-suppression flights on Friday.

Hazardous weather conditions prevented the DoD from getting the planes in the air earlier and from sending additional assets to respond to the massive fires.

"We can surge assets, and the president has directed this department to bolster whatever California needs, but we have to work with California," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said during a press conference Wednesday, "and right now, we can't even get assets up in the air because the fires are so bad and the winds are so bad."

"Until we can get more assets in the air, there's only so much we can provide," she continued. "So we're going to be standing by to support in every single way that we can."

In the meantime, the Defense Department is also sending 10 Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets for immediate aerial suppression, in addition to two firefighting teams and four military police groups on the ground.

From cargo plane to firefighting aircraft

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a versatile workhorse plane with a spacious cargo hold that can be equipped for a wide range of operations.

When deployed as a firefighting aircraft, the C-130 can be equipped with a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) unit to support other air tankers in aerial suppression.

The MAFFS units can be filled with water or a fire retardant called "slurry," which is mostly made of water with the addition of ammonium sulfate, a jelling agent, and red coloring to make it visible to pilots when dropped.

The US military has eight MAFFs units ready for use nationwide, operated by National Guardsmen stationed in California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Colorado.

The MAFFS Program was launched by Congress in the 1970s after a massive wildfire in Long Beach, California, overwhelmed the responding civilian air tanker fleet and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Waterbombing process

The unit can fit inside the cargo hold with no structural modification to allow for quick loading on short notice, taking about four hours or less for a crew of five to set up, fill, and load the 11,000-pound unit.

The C-130 drops its contents through a discharge tube installed on the rear left side of the C-130 and through the open cargo bay door, releasing 3,000 gallons in less than five seconds and covering an area over 1,300 feet long and 100 feet wide.

Because the fire retardant slurry is released in a mist, it doesn't cause damage to buildings and structures while acting as a fertilizer, but it can be harmful to the environment and local wildlife if used in excess.

The unit can be refilled and airborne again in under 20 minutes.

From exclusive items to portion sizes, we explored the differences between chicken nuggets in the US and the UK. This is "Food Wars."

• Meta's chief marketing officer Alex Schultz is concerned that "too much censorship" is harmful.
• Schultz's comments come after Meta updated several policies, including content moderation.
• The new guidelines change what is permissible to be said about LGBTQ+ people.

Meta's chief marketing officer warned that greater censorship on its platforms could "harm speech" from the LGBTQ+ community aiming to push back against hate.

Alex Schultz posted his feelings on Meta's decision to change its policy on hateful conduct earlier this week in a post on its internal forum.

"My perspective is we've done well as a community when the debate has happened and I was shocked with how far we've gone with censorship of the debate," Schultz wrote in the post, seen by Business Insider.

He added that his friends and family were shocked to see him receive abuse as a gay man in the past, but that it helped them to realize hatred exists.

"Most of our progress on rights happened during periods without mass censorship like this and pushing it underground, I think, has coincided with reversals," he said.

"Obviously, I don't like people saying things that I consider awful but I worry that the solution of censoring that doesn't work as well as you might hope. So I don't know the answer, this stuff is really complicated, but I am worried that too much censorship is actually harmful and that's may have been where we ended up."

Earlier this week, the company adjusted its moderation guidelines to allow statements on its platforms claiming that LGBTQ+ people are "mentally ill" and removed trans and nonbinary-themed chat options from its Messenger app, features that had previously been showcased as part of the company's support for Pride Month.

Schultz also said that he does not think that censorship and cancel culture have helped the LGBTQ+ movement.

He wrote, "We don't enforce these things perfectly," and cited an example of a mistake of taking down images of two men kissing and removing a slur word toward gay people rather than a deliberate move by a "bigoted person in operations."

Schultz added, "So the more rules we have, the more mistakes we make…Moderation is hard and we'll always get it wrong somewhat. The more rules, the more censorship, the more we'll harm speech from our own community pushing back on hatred."

The company's latest decision to roll back its DEI programs has sparked intense internal debate and public scrutiny. The announcement, delivered via an internal memo by VP of HR Janelle Gale, said that the company would dismantle its dedicated DEI team and eliminate diversity programs in its hiring process.

The company said Tuesday it will replace third-party fact-checkers on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads with a community notes system, mirroring the approach used on Elon Musk's platform, X.

Schulz told BI in an interview earlier this week that the election of Donald Trump and a broader shift in public sentiment around free speech played significant roles in these decisions.

He acknowledged that internal and external pressures had led Meta to adopt more restrictive policies in recent years, but the company is now taking steps to regain control over its approach to content moderation.

Meta's internal forum, Workplace, saw reactions ranging from anger and disappointment to cautious optimism about the company's direction.

One employee lamented the rollback as "another step backward" for Meta, while others raised concerns about the message it sends to marginalized communities that rely on Meta's platforms.

At Meta's offices in Silicon Valley, Texas, and New York, facilities managers were instructed to remove tampons from men's bathrooms, which the company had provided for nonbinary and transgender employees who use the men's room and may require sanitary products, The New York Times reported on Friday.

Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

You can email Jyoti Mann at [email protected], send her a secure message on Signal @jyotimann.11 or DM her via X @jyoti_mann1

If you're a current or former Meta employee, contact this reporter from a nonwork device securely on Signal at +1-408-905-9124 or email him at [email protected].

• The Trump Organization announced its ethics plan for Donald Trump's second term.
• The president-elect's private company said Trump would be walled off from day-to-day duties.
• Unlike in 2017, the company is leaving the door more open to some foreign transactions.

The Trump Organization on Friday announced that President-elect Donald Trump will be walled off from the day-to-day management of his privately held company.

Unlike in 2017, Trump's company is not agreeing to a blanket stop on new foreign business transactions. Instead, a five-page ethics plan calls only for a limit on transactions with foreign governments.

"The Company will not enter into any new material transactions or contracts with a foreign government, except for Ordinary Course Transactions," says a copy of the plan, obtained by CNBC.

The language would seem to allow business dealings like the Trump Organization's work with LIV Golf, a competitor to the PGA financed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, to continue. LIV is set to return to Trump National Doral in Florida for an April tournament.

Many policies outlined in a five-page document mirror Trump's promises when he took office in 2016. One of the main similarities is that the Trump Organization has again appointed an outside ethics advisor. Bill Burck, co-managing Partner of Quinn Emanuel and a former George W. Bush DOJ official, will serve as the advisor.

According to the plan, Burck will review acquisitions over $10 million, leases involving more than 40,000 sq. ft., and new debts of more than $10 million. He will also review deals with the US government as well as with state and local governments.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the ethics plan. The Journal also reported that the Trump Organization wants to reclaim its former Washington, DC, hotel. Congressional Democrats sued Trump when he was in office, alleging he was partly violating the US Constitution's emoluments clause by renting out hotel rooms to foreign governments. In 2021, the Supreme Court threw out the remaining emoluments-related lawsuits.

Trump has significant assets outside of his eponymous firm. He has a significant stake in Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of his social media platform Truth Social. Trump's shares are a large part of the reason why his net worth is now estimated to be over $6 billion.

• Personal-finance company Wallethub has identified the best small cities in America. 
• It compared more than 1,321 cities across five key metrics, including affordability and quality of life.
• The list is dominated by cities in the Midwest, with Carmel, Indiana taking the top spot. 

Sky-high home prices and a limited supply of available homes in larger, more popular cities have driven many buyers to smaller towns, where they can enjoy a relatively more affordable cost of living and tighter-knit communities.

WalletHub has released an annual report ranking the best small cities in the US. The personal finance company compared more than 1,321 small US cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across five key metrics: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety.

The Midwest region — with its strong manufacturing and agricultural roots — boasts the most cities on the list. At the top is Carmel, Indiana, a suburban town just 35 minutes north of Indianapolis, home to several wineries, vineyards, gardens, and walking trails.

"Having lived in Carmel for nearly a decade I can safely say that town is amazing," A resident wrote on neighborhood and school ranking website Niche. "The people are kind and there is always something to do down in the arts center. Having the Monon Trail running through the center of town means there are lots of opportunities to walk around and enjoy the community."

Here are the 20 best small cities in the US, as ranked by Wallethub. Business Insider has also included the median home sale price for each city as of November, sourced from Redfin, along with population data based from the latest available Census figures.

20. Arlington, Massachusetts

• Median housing cost: $1,100,000
• Population: 46,308

19. Needham, Massachusetts

• Median housing cost: $1,375,000
• Population: 32,091

18. Downers Grove, Illinois

• Median housing cost: $483,000
• Population: 49,706

17. Saratoga Springs, New York

• Median housing cost: $742,500
• Population: 28,544

16. Kaysville, Utah

• Median housing cost: $754,500
• Population: 32,941

15. Castle Rock, Colorado

• Median housing cost: $656,000
• Population: 81,415

14. Noblesville, Indiana

• Median housing cost: $394,500
• Population: 73,916

13. Leesburg, Virginia

• Median housing cost: $741,250
• Population: 49,312

12. Fair Lawn, New Jersey

• Median housing cost: $630,000
• Population: 35,564

11. Milton, Massachusetts

• Median housing cost: $1,025,000
• Population: 28,630

10. Westfield, Indiana

• Median housing cost: $421,000
• Population: 57,746
  

9. Bozeman, Montana

• Median housing cost: $685,000
• Population: 57,305

8. Lancaster, Pennsylvania

• Median housing cost: $236,000
• Population: 18,677

7. Brentwood, Tennessee

• Median housing cost: $1,200,000
• Population: 45,265

6. Apex, North Carolina

• Median housing cost: $660,000
• Population: 72,225

5. Appleton, Wisconsin

• Median housing cost: $260,000
• Population: 74,719

4. Fishers, Indiana

• Median housing cost: $415,000
• Population: 104,094

3. Lexington, Massachusetts

• Median housing cost: $1,600,000
• Population: 34,454

2. Brookfield, Wisconsin

• Median housing cost: $462,500
• Population: 41,884

1. Carmel, Indiana

• Median housing cost: $479,500
• Population: 102,296

• The LA wildfires have displaced thousands and have inflicted billions of dollars in damage.
• Some celebrities have been stepping up to help by providing money, clothing, and assistance.
• Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to wildfire relief.

Wildfires have been raging in Los Angeles and Southern California since Tuesday, burning tens of thousands of acres and leaving thousands of people without homes.

The Pacific Palisades, a popular neighborhood for celebrities, has been almost entirely leveled.

Many famous figures have been using their platforms to share information — posting infographics and links to resources and donation pages — and to highlight the work of firefighters and aid organizations. Some celebrities have also donated their own money, clothing, or time to help people impacted by the devastation.

Here are some celebrities who are taking action amidst the fires.

Jamie Lee Curtis has pledged $1 million to relief efforts.

Curtis, who lives in Pacific Palisades, posted on Instagram on January 9 about her intentions to donate $1 million to help with wildfire relief.

"My husband and I and our children have pledged $1 million from our Family Foundation to start a fund of support for our great city and state and the great people who live and love there," she wrote on Instagram.

She also shared footage of her smoldering neighborhood, writing, "Our beloved neighborhood is gone. Our home is safe. So many others have lost everything. Help where you can."

Steve Guttenberg walked up and down his block trying to clear a path for people to evacuate.

Guttenberg, best known for his roles in "Three Men and a Baby" and "Police Academy," was spotted by KTLA on Palisades Drive on January 7 moving abandoned cars to clear a pathway for those trapped higher in the hills.

Speaking to the reporter, he explained the need for people to leave their keys in their cars if they're fleeing.

"What's happening is people take their keys with them as if they're in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars," he told the outlet. "If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there."

He continued, "There are people stuck up there. So we're trying to clear Palisades Drive, and I'm walking up there as far as I can moving cars."

James Woods said he helped his 94-year-old neighbor evacuate.

During a January 8 appearance on CNN, Woods shared his harrowing story about evacuating from his Pacific Palisades home while everything was going up in flames.

He shared that he helped his 94-year-old neighbor with dementia escape from his home shortly before it collapsed.

"He'd been left alone. There was so much chaos, it was like an inferno. Every house was on fire around us," he said. Woods said his neighbor eventually made it to the hospital.

Sharon Stone is helping coordinate clothing donations from multiple celebrities.

Stone has been sharing on social media about +COOP, a boutique turned fire-relief pop-up owned by real-estate agent Jenna Cooper, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

In Stone's Instagram posts about +COOP, other celebrities have detailed their donations.

"Harry [Hamlin] and I just dropped off lots of coats jeans, sweaters, etc… thank you for setting this up," wrote former "Real Housewives" star Lisa Rinna.

Stone's "Catwoman" costar Halle Berry also posted about the store.

"I'm packing up my entire closet and heading over to the COOP! If you live in the Southern California area, I urge you to do the same," she wrote. "Thank you @sharonstone for your leadership. Love you Lady."

Michelle Pfeiffer shared her intentions to donate clothes, as well.

"Love Island USA" star Leah Kateb is fostering animals.

Kateb, a Calabasas native, shared on Instagram that she had taken in a "fire foster," a dog displaced from its shelter by the wildfires.

Pets frequently go missing during wildfires — 3,000 animals went missing after the Maui wildfire in 2023, according to the Maui Humane Society — so many celebrities, such as Jennifer Aniston, have been posting about how to help animals in LA.

Jason Oppenheim of "Selling Sunset" is offering free representation to help people find homes.

Jason Oppenheim, whose real-estate brokerage is featured on "Selling Sunset," shared on social media that many clients were contacting him to help find a place to live after losing their homes.

"As real estate agents, we obviously have an obligation to help them find a place, even when it's going to be difficult with thousands of people looking for places and not nearly as many houses available," he said.

Oppenheim said the Oppenheim Group is "offering to represent anybody for free, or we will credit you back any commission paid if you've lost your house and you're now displaced."

"We will help you find a place, or do our best to help you find a place to rent," he added.

• 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.
• Tesla recently reported a year-over-year sales decline amid EV-market challenges.
• Tesla is taking an Apple-like approach by iterating on a product rather than creating a new one.

Tesla's new 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 has a redesigned exterior along with updated suspension, wheels, and tires. The company says it's also quieter and more efficient, and it has an 8-inch rear touchscreen.

The company says the car includes "soft-touch textiles" to give passengers the feeling that they're "floating in space," drawing inspiration from other futuristic Tesla designs.

It's not far off from Tesla's Model 3 redesign in 2023, which introduced a more luxurious and minimalist aesthetic. It similarly featured a quieter cabin and a rear screen.

The front end was made sleeker with slimmer headlights and a new wheel design. The dashboard and steering wheel were also redesigned.

While the new Model Y's design isn't nearly as radical as the Cybercab's or the Cybertruck's, that might be intentional. Sometimes drastically changing the look of a vehicle can be polarizing.

One Cybertruck driver told BI that he'd owned all Tesla models but faced negative reactions on the road only with his Cybertruck. The driver, a YouTuber, also said a sponsor declined to be featured in a video with his truck because of its polarizing nature.

The refreshed model is still likely to generate conversation about Tesla's most popular vehicle, one of the best-selling cars. It could stick out on the road and broadcast that drivers are in the latest Tesla, which may help boost sales or convince existing Model Y owners to upgrade.

It's similar to Apple's approach with the iPhone, in which the company has opted to enhance its models rather than build a new product line. Like Apple, Tesla offers frequent over-the-air software updates. When it comes to hardware updates, Tesla often offers a revamped design and features rather than a new vehicle.

Last week, Tesla reported its first year-over-year sales decline. The car giant said it sold about 1.79 million cars in 2024, slightly fewer than the 1.8 million it sold in 2023. While Tesla's fourth-quarter deliveries increased by more than 11,000 from the prior year, they fell short of analysts' expectations.

It's been a challenging time for the EV industry, which has slowed in the past couple of years because of factors including limited charging infrastructure and a lack of affordable options. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration adds 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. It's facing increasing pressure from competitors like BYD, which has experienced surging demand and is challenging Tesla's dominance in the country.

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