• Jon Stewart says he would be game to have Elon Musk on "The Daily Show."
• The interview can go for as long as Musk likes, Stewart said in his Monday monologue.
• Stewart's invitation follows his criticism of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

Jon Stewart says he'd be game to have Elon Musk on "The Daily Show" completely unedited — and they can keep rolling for as long as the Tesla chief likes.

The possibility of a Stewart-Musk showdown was first floated after Stewart's February 24 monologue on the Department of Government Efficiency. During that segment, Stewart criticized DOGE's cost-cutting measures — and got so worked up that he smashed a ceramic mug and cut his hand.

"After the show, Gov. Musk tweeted — or X'd, I guess — that he would like to come on here and talk to me as long as the show airs unedited," Stewart said on Monday night about Musk, who is not an elected official.

"After thinking about his offer, I thought, 'Hey, that's actually how the in-studio interviews normally are. It's unedited," Stewart said. "So sure, we'd be delighted."

Stewart said he would "sweeten the pot" and keep the cameras rolling for as long as Musk wants their dialogue to last.

"The interview can be 15 minutes. It can be an hour. It can be two hours, whatever," Stewart said.

It would not be out of character for a Musk interview to run long. He's done hourslong podcast appearances on shows hosted by Joe Rogan and Lex Fridman.

Stewart, Musk, and the DOGE of it all

Stewart said in his Monday night monologue that he has seen Musk's critiques of him on social media.

Musk initially said on X he would be open to going on Stewart's show if the segment aired unedited.

"@elonmusk we'd be delighted," The Daily Show wrote on its X account in response.

But in separate X posts on February 25, Musk called Stewart "too set in his ways" and "very far left."

Musk followed that criticism up with another post on March 1, calling Stewart a "propagandist."

"Look, Elon, I do have some criticisms about DOGE. I support, in general, the idea of efficiency and delivering better services to the American public in cheaper and more efficient ways," Stewart said on Monday.

"And if you want to come on and talk about it on the show, great. If you don't want to, sure," the late-night show host added. "But can we just drop the pretense that you won't do it because I don't measure up to the standards of neutral discourse that you demand and display at all times?"

Musk first pitched the idea for DOGE to President Donald Trump during a livestreamed conversation on X back in August. At the time, Musk said he'd be "happy to help out" with a government-efficiency commission.

Since taking office, Trump has focused on trimming the size of the federal government. In addition to offering federal workers buyout offers and limiting federal hiring, the Trump administration has also asked federal workers to provide a list of their work accomplishments every week.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside regular office hours.

• Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China are now in effect.
• The Trump administration is imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico.
• Trump doubled the US's additional tariffs on China from 10% to 20%.

President Donald Trump's new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China are here.

Tariffs of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico went into effect on Tuesday. Energy imports from Canada are subject to a lower 10% tariff.

Trump had initially announced tariffs on both countries in early February, but he reached a deal with the leaders of Mexico and Canada to delay the tariffs by a month.

Also on Tuesday, Trump doubled the tariff on goods from China from 10% to 20% in an effort to push for strengthened drug policy, particularly surrounding the flow of fentanyl into the US.

The president's initial executive order placing tariffs on the three countries said the tariffs would remain in place "until the crisis is alleviated," referring to border and drug policy.

Responses from China, Mexico, and Canada

Beijing retaliated swiftly against Trump's additional tariffs, announcing that China will impose additional tariffs of 10% to 15% on some US imports starting March 10.

They include 10% tariffs on US soybeans, pork, and beef imports, as well as 15% tariffs on chicken and cotton imports, according to the Commerce Ministry.

US farm imports into China were also targeted by Beijing when Trump started the trade war in his first term.

Beijing is also banning Illumina — a California-based biotech firm — from selling gene sequencing products in China to "safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests," the country's Commerce Ministry announced separately.

Beijing also added 10 US companies onto a list of unreliable entities and imposed dual-use item export controls on 15 US entities.

Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said in a statement earlier on Monday evening that if the White House followed through, his administration would retaliate with 25% tariffs on $155 billion of US goods.

"Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered," Trudeau said.

The statement said Ottawa plans to roll out the retaliatory measures over 21 days, with immediate tariffs on an initial $30 billion tranche of US goods. Trudeau added that his government is discussing other "non-tariff measures."

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Monday that she would wait to see the scale of the new tariffs before announcing any retaliation.

The US imports a range of key goods from Canada, Mexico, and China, including crude oil, car parts, and electronics. Some companies, like Walmart, have said they will raise prices if tariffs go into effect.

Trump wrote on Truth Social in February that Americans will feel "some pain" with tariffs, but "it will all be worth the price that must be paid."

The White House did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

• A top Ukrainian official said Russia beat its 2024 recruitment goal and is still doing so in 2025.
• That's after Moscow already raised its goal to 430,000 troops last year.
• It comes as Russia has poured cash into sign-up bonuses and passed laws to recruit crime suspects.

The deputy chief of Ukraine's military intelligence said Russia is exceeding its recruitment targets, affirming Moscow's earlier claim of hiring over 440,000 soldiers in 2024.

That recruiting success is set to continue in 2025, Maj. Gen. Vadim Skibitsky said in an interview published by the news agency RBC Ukraine on Monday.

"In January, they fulfilled their recruitment plans by 107%," said Skibitsky. "This issue remains relevant, and the Russian authorities have no problem with staffing their troops and filling losses."

Skibitsky said Russia initially set a hiring target of 380,000 troops in 2024 but raised it to 430,000 recruits. And beat that goal, he added.

In December, Dmitry Medvedev, the chairman of Russia's security council, said Moscow had signed contracts with 440,000 new soldiers in 2024.

Skibitsky confirmed that number in his Monday interview and said that Russia officially plans to recruit another 343,000 soldiers in 2025.

"But based on the experience of 2024, we know that these plans inevitably change, in the upward direction," he said.

Recruiting at that scale is allowing Russia to continue fighting intensely in Ukraine, Skibitsky said.

"It is important to understand that almost 80% of those recruited under contract are used to replace combat losses," he told RBC Ukraine.

These reported figures come as the Kremlin has poured cash into one-time recruitment bonuses for the military — just one of many ways it's pushing its economy and spending toward defense.

In July, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a decree that more than doubled the baseline sign-up bonus from 195,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles for the rest of 2024.

The 400,000 ruble payout is worth about $4,450 now. But some regions upped their bonuses to nearly 2 million rubles last year, putting them on par with the US military's sign-on payments.

"For the Russian Federation, these are very large sums," Skibitsky told RBC Ukraine.

Federal statistics from the Russian government in December cited the average monthly wage in the country as 86,500 rubles.

Ukraine expects Russia to also significantly ramp up the number of soldiers it recruits from prisons or criminal trials.

With Russia already actively recruiting from prisons, Putin signed a bill in October allowing those who face criminal charges to avoid their trials or convictions if they enlist in the military.

Skibitsky said Russia's plans for 2025 include 30% of its forces being made up of "special contingents," which describe units fielding inmates or soldiers who signed up to avoid charges.

That's up from 15% of its forces involving such troops last year, Skibitsky said.

"This issue is already arising for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation — what to do with these people and how to work with them," he said.

Analysts from the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War wrote that Russia likely increased its recruitment target in 2024 because that's when it stepped up the intensity of its assaults in Ukraine.

Moscow has, over the last year, started throwing thousands of men daily at Ukrainian positions in ground assaults, sustaining high casualties but also pressuring Kyiv's tired forces on the front lines.

ISW analysts wrote that Russia will likely have to raise its recruitment quota again this year to maintain that strategy.

"Continued Western military aid would help Ukrainian forces inflict additional losses on the Russian military that would likely intensify Russia's economic and military issues and force Putin into making concessions during meaningful negotiations in 2025," they wrote.

• Pfizer's CEO said he may move manufacturing back to the US in response to Donald Trump's tariffs.
• Albert Bourla said he was not surprised by Trump's victory in November.
• Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.

Albert Bourla, Pfizer's CEO, said on Monday that the company may move overseas drug manufacturing back to the US if President Donald Trump's tariffs affect it.

Bourla was speaking at TD Cowen's annual healthcare conference when he was asked about the impact Trump's tariffs could have on Pfizer's operations.

While most of Pfizer's generic drugs are produced overseas, Bourla said the company has a large manufacturing network in the US.

"We have 13 manufacturing sites in the US right now, up and running," Bourla said, adding that some facilities are "mega, mega sites."

"So we have all the capabilities here, and the manufacturing sites are operating in good capacity right now. It's not that they are not, but if something happens, we will try to mitigate by transferring from manufacturing sites outside, to manufacturing sites here, the things that can be transferred quickly," Bourla continued.

Bourla also said at the conference that he was not surprised by Trump's victory in November.

"I was expecting him probably to win. It was very big win," Bourla said, adding that there will be "risks and opportunities" with the new administration.

"But the important thing is, what are you doing about it? And what are you doing about it, is you try to influence the environment. From our perspective, the whole pharma industry and us as Pfizer, try to stay as close to the administration," Bourla added.

On Monday, Trump said the White House would proceed with its plans to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada starting Tuesday. The tariffs were originally meant to take effect in early February but were delayed after both countries promised to strengthen their border security.

The Trump administration imposed a 10% tariff on China last month and said it would levy an additional 10% tariff starting Tuesday. In February 2024, Trump told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo he would introduce tariffs of more than 60% on Chinese goods if he won the election.

"When it comes to China, it's not affecting us. As Pfizer, we haven't any reliance on China right now, nor Canada or Mexico," Bourla told CNBC in an interview on February 18.

"We are waiting to see how that could play out with the tariffs in places that have not been announced yet," Bourla added.

Representatives for Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• California is mandating that state employees return to the office four days a week starting July 1.
• The move aligns with a White House mandate for federal workers to return full-time.
• Companies like Amazon and JPMorgan also require in-person work, ending remote policies.

California is requiring most state employees to come into the office at least four days a week starting July 1.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said on Monday that the state employs 224,000 full-time workers and that over half have returned to daily in-office work.

"When we work together, collaboration improves, innovation thrives, and accountability increases," Newson said in a statement.

The announcement said telework would be granted on a case-by-case basis, including for employees who do not live near their offices.

The order follows a White House mandate to return federal workers to the office full time. President Donald Trump signed the return-to-office mandate during his first hours in office.

Changes are also being rolled out on the state level. Some states, including Ohio and Oklahoma, require their employees to work in person, ending pandemic-era telework policies.

Similarly, companies including Amazon, JPMorgan, and Salesforce have required their employees to return to in-person work.

California's order has gained criticism from one of the largest public sector unions in the country.

On Monday, SEIU Local 1000 called Newsom's decision "out of touch, unnecessary, and a step backward" and asked him to "reverse this reckless decision."

"Forcing workers back into the office hits them financially," the union, which said it represents 96,000 people employed by California, wrote in a statement. "Many will face higher costs for gas, parking, and commuting — expenses that telework helped avoid."

The order reverses Newsom's outlook and policies toward remote work. During the pandemic and until the end of 2023, his administration encouraged remote work for California government employees. It also gave individual agencies within the government autonomy over remote or hybrid work policies. Newsom has been pushing for in-person work since April 2024.

Newsom also asked state human resources to streamline the hiring of former federal workers who want jobs in areas such as firefighting, weather forecasting, natural resource management, and medical and mental healthcare. Mass layoffs and employee buyouts across US government agencies led by Elon Musk's DOGE have left thousands of federal employees unemployed.

President Donald Trump and Musk have said the moves are meant to improve productivity and slash federal spending.

Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

• Dolly Parton's husband, Carl Dean, has died at age 82 in Nashville.
• Parton and Dean first met outside a laundromat in 1964 and married two years later in 1966.
• Dean has largely stayed out of the spotlight since then, but he inspired Parton's hit "Jolene."

Dolly Parton's husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, has died at age 82, the singer said in a post on Instagram on Monday.

"Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie," the post read.

"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy," the post continued. "The family has asked for privacy during this difficult time."

Parton and Dean met outside a laundromat on the day she moved to Nashville in 1964.

"I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me). He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about," Parton said of the meeting in a post on her official website.

Sparks flew between them almost immediately.

"My first thought was 'I'm gonna marry that girl,'" Dean told Entertainment Tonight in 2016 in a rare public statement for the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. "My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin.'" And that was the day my life began. I wouldn't trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth."

After two years of dating, they married in 1966 in a private ceremony in Georgia.

Since their marriage, Dean has largely stayed out of the spotlight.

Parton received her first songwriting award in 1966 for "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" recorded by Bill Phillips. Parton and Dean attended the ceremony and dinner together, but they did not continue making joint public appearances.

"After the dinner, we walked back out, and they brought us our car — I don't even remember what we were driving then — and we got in it and headed for home," Parton said at the Marty Stuart Jam in 2011, per country music news site The Boot. "Carl turned to me and said, 'Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I'm happy for you, but don't you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again!'"

Dean also inspired one of Parton's biggest hits, "Jolene."

The story for the song came from a bank teller who had a "terrible crush" on her husband, Parton said in a 2008 interview with NPR.

"And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one," she told NPR.

In 2019, the singer told Business Insider that a typical date night with her husband involved a romantic dinner at home, during which they would both get dressed up for each other.

"We've always been sweethearts as well as being best friends, as well as being husband and wife," she said. "So we just decide what we want to do."

A representative for Parton told BI that the singer had no additional comment.

• Canadians are angry over Trump's tariff threats and 51st-state comments.
• In response, they're abandoning US consumer brands in favor of locally-made alternatives.
• The country's largest retailer said sales of Canadian goods are up by double digits.

In response to President Donald Trump's tariff threats and comments about adopting the 158-year-old nation as the 51st US state, Canadians are hitting back with a bit of economic populism of their own.

"Every single person I meet, they want help and guidance how they can buy more Canadian products, and we're really trying to do everything we can to help them," Loblaw Companies CEO Per Bank said on the company's fourth quarter earnings call last month. Loblaw, which owns several grocery and pharmacy brands, is the largest retailer in Canada.

In a LinkedIn comment a week before the call, Bank said sales of products prepared in Canada were up double digits in the second week of February, especially in grocery, dairy, and frozen sections as shoppers were "already in a patriotic state of mind."

The sentiment goes well beyond the grocery aisles.

"It's a combination of we're hurt and angry," said Mike Moffatt, a former economic adviser to Justin Trudeau, in an interview with Scott Galloway published last week. "Weirdly, we're actually more we've come together more as a country. I think we are less divided than we have been in probably a decade here."

Moffatt noted that Canada is significantly more dependent on foreign trade than the US is, and that new tariffs — as well as any retaliatory tariffs — would create a host of supply chain challenges and new price increases.

Trump said Monday that Canada had "no room left" to avoid the tariffs.

Canadians aren't mincing words about how they're feeling and what they hope to accomplish with their next grocery run.

"I'm a little bit horrified. I'm very scared," Pearl Whamond, a nurse who has lived in Montreal all her life, told Business Insider. She said she's personally witnessed an outpouring of Canadian patriotism even in Quebec, a primarily French-speaking province that is not typically considered very patriotic.

"If Quebec is pissed off enough to become nationalistic and fly the Canadian flag, something's really wrong," she said.

Whamond is among the many Canadians who are trying to boycott American companies in favor of Canadian ones. She said her local Facebook groups are full of people asking for Canadian alternatives to specific products and brands.

She personally hasn't shopped at Amazon in nearly a month — despite her husband previously referring to her as the "Amazon queen" — and is also avoiding brands like McDonald's and Walmart.

Another Canadian based in Alberta who asked to remain anonymous for fear of political backlash, told BI he also has been trying to avoid buying American products, opting for goods made in any other country but especially Canada when it's feasible.

"Patriotism is definitely way up," he said. "I feel like we're actually a united front as Canadians. We're collectively rejecting the divisive rhetoric that has led to all this."

The renewed patriotism even spilled out onto the ice during the final game of the Four Nations Face Off hockey tournament, which replaced the otherwise sleepy NHL All Star Game.

After the US handed Canada a decisive defeat in their round-robin match-up, Canada returned with a vengeance in the final to win a sudden-death overtime victory on par with the Olympics or the Stanley Cup.

"You can't take our country — and you can't take our game," Trudeau posted on X.

It's a mood that has more Canadians reaching for Crown Royal over Maker's Mark.

• CentralReach has tapped investment bank William Blair to weigh a potential sale, BI has learned.
• The company makes electronic health records software for autism care.
• One person with knowledge of the efforts said CentralReach could seek a valuation of over $1 billion.

Autism care software maker CentralReach has been exploring a sale, Business Insider has learned.

CentralReach has tapped the investment bank William Blair to pursue a potential sale, according to people with knowledge of the efforts.

Founded in 2012, CentralReach sells electronic health records software to providers caring for autism and related intellectual and developmental disorders. The company also builds AI-powered tools within its platform to help providers automate tasks like reviewing clinical notes.

CentralReach and William Blair didn't respond to requests for comment for this story.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based CentralReach has been publicly quiet about its financials to date. It's backed by venture and private equity firm Insight Partners, which invested an undisclosed sum into CentralReach in 2018.

Two people with knowledge of CentralReach's efforts said the company has soared as a market-leading maker of software for autism care. One of those people said CentralReach is doing about $75 million in earnings before deductions like taxes and interest.

That person said they expect CentralReach to seek a valuation north of $1 billion, based on current market standards.

A number of healthcare companies have been looking to sell themselves after a slow year for company combinations in 2024.

Investors and bankers told Business Insider in February that healthcare companies that are profitable and can demonstrate stable revenue will be far more attractive to buyers, especially private equity buyers.

Medical practice tech maker ModMed announced Monday that it sold a majority stake to PE firm Clearlake Capital from Warburg Pincus, which first invested in ModMed in 2017. The company didn't disclose the terms of the acquisition, but the Financial Times reported the day before that the deal valued ModMed at $5.3 billion.

CentralReach has also made multiple acquisitions in the past few years, most recently buying Behavior Science Technology, which built a platform for measuring and tracking the efficacy of autism therapy, in September. In its 13-year history, CentralReach has made 14 acquisitions.

CentralReach said in a September release that its tech is used by more than 175,000 healthcare professionals globally.

• Litia Garr is one of the contestants on Grant Ellis' season of "The Bachelor."
• She's a 31-year-old venture capitalist based in Salt Lake City.
• After their one-on-one date in Edinburgh, Grant told Litia he's falling for her.

Grant Ellis and Litia Garr's blossoming romance on season 29 of "The Bachelor" could make it to the finish line.

Prior to the season premiere, Grant told Business Insider he had "a really special connection with Litia," and said it grew throughout the season.

Their connection has indeed been one of the strongest and most consistent of the season, and Litia, 31, is now one of the remaining four contestants vying for Grant's heart.

Here's everything to know about her.

Litia's job is working at a venture capital firm

According to her LinkedIn profile, Litia attended Brigham Young University—Hawaii.

She's been working at Pelion Venture Partners, a venture capital company based in Utah, since 2016. Litia started as a receptionist and is currently Head of Platform & Community at the company.

Litia comes from a big family and was raised Mormon

Litia's mom, who's from Idaho, and her late dad, who was from Fiji, met in college in Hawaii. Three months after her birth in Hawaii, Litia's dad died in a car accident.

"Even though he's gone, I still feel his love and his presence in my life," Litia says during the season premiere.

Litia remains close with her mom, whom she calls the "greatest example of strength and resilience," and her extended family.

Religion is also a significant part of Litia's life. She was raised Mormon and says on the show that religion is a "guiding light" for her.

During her one-on-one date with Grant during week five, Litia speaks about her religious upbringing and says she wants her future children to know they're loved by God. Grant and Litia bond over their desire to have big families, and although the Bachelor isn't familiar with Mormon beliefs, he agrees that he'd like God to be a presence in his kids' lives.

She's a Swiftie

Litia attended one of Taylor Swift's concerts in Vancouver as part of the Eras Tour in December and documented the experience on social media.

"swiftie core 🫶🏽," she captioned an Instagram post that included photos and videos of her trading friendship bracelets and belting out Swift's songs with her mom and other attendees.

Grant has already told Litia that he's falling for her

Grant and Litia's connection starts off strong, and it's strengthened by an emotional one-on-one conversation during week three.

"After tonight, Litia could be my wife," Grant says.

Then, after their one-on-one date in Edinburgh during week five, Litia says that she can see a life with him.

Their feelings grow even stronger that evening during dinner when Grant cries while opening up about feeling lonely as a child and trying to put on a brave face. In response, Litia is comforting and assures Grant that he's "enough."

"Knowing I have a safe space with Litia, knowing that I have somebody that I'm comfortable with, that I can let her in and she can know my biggest insecurities and that she's accepting of it is big for me," Grant says. "I know she sees that, and I know she sees me for me."

"I feel like you're somebody who I could see myself building a life with and I am falling for you," Grant tells Litia.

Even though Litia doesn't tell Grant that the feelings are mutual, she shares the same sentiment.

"I feel grateful that he opened up to me and it just made me want to love him," Litia says in the voiceover.

Fans will have to keep tuning into "The Bachelor" to see if Grant and Litia's relationship goes the distance.

New episodes of season 29 of "The Bachelor" air Mondays on ABC.

• Two of Ruby Franke's kids participated in a new docuseries about her.
• The former vlogger was convicted of child abuse and sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
• Shari Franke says she'll never speak to her mother again; Franke's son Chad still has love for her.

One of the most harrowing parts of "Devil in the Family," Hulu's new docuseries about the downfall of former mommy vlogger Ruby Franke, happens minutes before it ends.

Shari Franke, her eldest daughter, was an internet personality as a child alongside her five younger siblings Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve, who were all featured on their mother's popular YouTube channel "8 Passengers." Shari participated in Hulu's series alongside her father, Kevin Franke, and her younger brother, Chad Franke.

In an interview near the end of the third and final episode, Shari reflects on her fractured current relationship with her mother as she watches old footage of herself as a child with her mother.

It's a dark moment for Shari. The now 21-year-old saw her family, presented for years as idyllic and perfect, crumble in the public eye.

Ruby Franke, who started her YouTube channel in 2015, was convicted on four counts of child abuse and sentenced to between four and 30 years in a Salt Lake City, Utah, prison. Before that, she'd become controversial in 2020 over her parenting style, which some viewers called abusive.

The true depth of her crimes was uncovered in 2023, when her younger son, one of the two kids she abused, escaped from the home of Franke's friend and collaborator Jodi Hildebrandt and told authorities he and his sister had been subjected to horrific abuse.

Here's where Ruby Franke's six kids are now, amid their mom's imprisonment.

Ruby Franke's 4 youngest kids are being kept out of the spotlight

Ruby and Kevin Franke's four youngest children are still minors. Though they were prominently featured in their mother's YouTube channel and on her Instagram for years — and even had "official" individual Instagram accounts managed by their parents — their identities were concealed in footage shown in the Hulu docuseries. The kids' faces were blurred out in old videos, and they weren't named.

In legal documentation related to Franke's trial and conviction viewed by Business Insider, the four youngest were also referred to by their first initials. The two youngest kids, "R." (Russell) and "E." (Eve), were 12 and 10 at the time of Franke's arrest and were the ones subjected to physical abuse.

The abuse stemmed from Franke and Hildebrandt's belief that they were possessed by the devil, and that their "deviance" needed to be addressed with harsh punishments. Those punishments, chronicled in Franke's detailed journal about the abuse made public by authorities during the trial, included withholding food for days, making them stand in the hot sun for hours, and having them run shoeless in the Utah desert.

As the docuseries recounts, the two middle sisters, Abby and Julie, did not appear to be physically harmed at the time Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in August 2023. All four kids were taken into the custody of Utah's Department of Child and Family Services when Franke was arrested; their father, Kevin Franke, alleged in the docuseries that he had been pressured to leave the family home and cut off contact with all his children for over a year by his wife and Hildebrandt.

Kevin Franke's attorney told Today.com in September 2023 that he was "focused on doing what is best for his kids" and was "making an effort to rebuild and bridge these relationships." Kevin filed for divorce that year and has been seeking to regain custody of his four youngest children. It's unclear whether the kids are still in the custody of the state, in Kevin Franke's custody, or elsewhere, as the status of his guardianship case isn't publicly accessible.

As of a June 2024 filing in Kevin Franke's lawsuit against Hildebrandt, viewed by BI, all four kids were residing in separate homes while in the state's custody.

When reached via email, a representative for Utah's DCFS declined to comment further on specifics of the case or the whereabouts of the Franke children "in order to protect the integrity of the necessary working relationships with those we serve, and to respect the privacy of children and families."

Chad Franke still has love for Ruby Franke despite her crimes

Chad Franke is Kevin and Ruby Franke's second-eldest child and eldest son. He and his older sister Shari, who are now both adults, participated in the Hulu docuseries where they opened up about their family's vlogging career and their mother's abuse case.

In the docuseries, Shari and Chad recalled how the two of them were the most popular of the Franke siblings among viewers, remarking that photos with the two of them in the thumbnail tended to perform best on "8 Passengers." Chad in particular became something of an internet celebrity in his own right, and he said he played into the charming goofball character.

Kevin admitted in an interview for the docuseries that he was living vicariously through preteen Chad, who was much cooler and more confident than he ever was, and said he and his wife exploited that for monetary gain. At its peak, Kevin said they were making over $100,000 a month in YouTube revenue.

As a teen, Chad started to act out, culminating in his expulsion from school. At that point, the Frankes brought in Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist referred by a family friend, to help keep Chad in line. He was sent to the Anasazi Foundation Wilderness Therapy Program, a troubled teen program.

In the docuseries, Chad said he didn't mind working with Hildebrandt at first, as she mostly focused on trying to get him to be more spiritual. He even grew to love her, despite her encouragement of Kevin and Ruby Franke's harsh punishments. It was Chad's revelation in a 2020 YouTube video that he'd had his room taken away and was made to sleep on a bean bag chair in the basement for seven months that kickstarted the backlash against the Franke family and precipitated their downfall.

Chad was ultimately kicked out of the family home by Franke and Hildebrandt, who'd moved in with them, when he was 17 for admitting to watching pornography in the house. He went to live in an apartment nearby and didn't have contact with his parents or siblings for a year. He recalled in the docuseries finding out about his mother's arrest when someone at his lifeguarding job saw it on the news and told him.

Initially, Chad still believed that his punishment and his siblings' treatment were appropriate and that Hildebrandt and Franke had been acting as "God's chosen people." It was only after his father finally realized they'd both been lied to and told Chad that he realized the extent of the abuse.

In the docuseries, Chad said it was "heartbreaking" seeing his mother on trial. He admitted that his feelings about her are complicated, though he believes she belongs in prison — at least for now.

"I miss a mother figure. I miss how she was when I was very young. But I think what she's going through is deserved," he said. "I don't think she should get out, at least until the kids, all the kids, turn 18 years old. But that doesn't mean I don't have love for her."

Chad now works as a real estate agent in Utah. He's also started his own influencing career, growing his personal following on Instagram and TikTok, where he posts videos with his girlfriend.

Shari Franke says she'll never speak to Ruby Franke again and is lobbying against family vlogging

In the docuseries, Shari and Chad recalled how their mother grew her following by forcing all the kids to constantly create content for the channel, which began when Shari was a preteen. Shari managed to break away before the situation deteriorated, leaving the family home to attend Brigham Young University in 2020; Shari says Franke kicked her out of her room two weeks before she left for college in order to move Hildebrandt in.

She recalled being immediately suspicious of Hildebrandt and found negative reviews of her online that said she'd destroyed other families and even had her license revoked. Shari told her mother, but Franke didn't listen. Ultimately, Franke cut Shari off after Shari refused to stop contacting her father Kevin and brother Chad from college.

In the docuseries, Shari and a family friend who was her former teacher recalled going to the Franke home to confront Franke, who was unmoved even as Shari cried and begged Franke not to cut her off. From that point, Shari didn't have contact with her family, but neighbors would keep her updated on the situation with her siblings amid their father's absence.

In 2022, they alerted Shari that Franke appeared to be gone for hours at a time, leaving the younger kids home alone. Shari placed a call to the Springville Police Station in September 2022 asking for a welfare check; a case opened by the DCFS was eventually closed because according to documentation previously viewed by BI, there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

Shari addressed cutting ties with her family on a podcast in 2023, months before Franke's arrest, saying that they'd left her "spiritually drained." When Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested that August, Shari reacted to the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of a police car with the word: "Finally."

"Today has been a big day," Shari said in another post. "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."

She also appealed to her followers and former "8 Passengers" fans to help her crowdsource "questionable or concerning" video evidence against Franke and ConneXions, the controversial group started by Hildebrandt that Franke had joined, shortly after the arrest.

Today, Shari is an outspoken critic of family vlogging, testifying at an October 2024 Utah Senate committee hearing in favor of laws to protect child influencers. In her speech, she called herself a "victim of family vlogging" and said "there is no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger."

"If I could go back and do it all again, I'd rather have an empty bank account now and not have my childhood plastered all over the internet," Shari said. "No amount of money I received has made what I've experienced worth it."

She also published a memoir, "The House of My Mother," in January ahead of the Hulu docuseries, about her family life with Franke.

"Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke" is streaming on Hulu.

• My wife and I want to be parents, but we need to find a sperm donor.
• The process of finding a sperm donor is strange because we can only look at documents.
• It's also expensive, and we have not yet gotten pregnant.

The calling to have children and be a mother came from deep in my soul — and has remained consistent over the years.

When I came out as queer, I worried about how much more difficult it would be for me to become a parent.

"Modern science is great. You'll be able to have children," a friend said encouragingly. I hoped they were right and now I'm learning the truth.

When my wife and I decided to become parents, we needed a sperm donor. The process has been difficult, strange, and expensive.

We chose our sperm donor based on documents

My wife and I have been in fits of laughter, browsing the sperm banks and seeing some of the photos and descriptions. Each donor provides photos (adult and baby), a personal essay, a voice recording, and a medical profile.

It's weird. Several times, we thought we had found a donor we liked, but then we heard their voice, and it was off-putting — or they'd say their favorite animal is a small bird or ladybug.

We were looking for a donor who was more analytical or mathematical, given that we're both creative and artistic. Physically, we wanted someone tall, with dark brown curly hair — to match the traits of my wife, given that I'd be carrying the baby.

It's hard because the process forces us to emphasize the things that don't matter — looks, career, genetic greatness, and astrological signs. There's no formula. It's all feeling.

When we finally found the donor we wanted, it felt like an instant connection with "the one." It just felt right.

But that connection never goes beyond documents or forms. It's a strange kind of pseudo-relationship and quasi-emotional connection.

We're spending a lot of money

So far, we have spent thousands of dollars on this process, and we've had no pregnancies.

We're also sinking our money into an unregulated industry.

Most of these sperm banks don't adhere to the family limit number, meaning one donor can have anywhere from 10 to 150 children.

Avoiding half-sibling pods can be difficult, but right now, this expensive path seems like our only option.

My wife and I are leaning on each other for support

The process hasn't been easy. Since my wife's DNA won't be involved in the making of our baby, we are navigating a strange territory. We're trying to ensure my wife will leave her park on the child during pregnancy and early life.

"This shift in perspective does not change the facts but gives an optimistic way to see a scenario and gives back some of the control these individuals may feel they lost during the process," Jennifer Teplin, clinical director at Manhattan Wellness, who specializes in maternal mental health and treats LGBTQ+ patients, said told me.

But my wife and I are getting through this together. Luckily, she's always cracking jokes, bringing levity to a strange scenario.

I've also found peace in the fact that no one gets to choose their family. We found a donor my wife and I both felt drawn to, which I'm grateful for. In the end, if we only have one child, they will be born with a much wider support system and family beyond our home.

That's a beautiful gift to give.

• Melania Trump is supporting a bill that aims to stop AI-generated nudes.
• Deepfake nudes are a growing issue in schools that is affecting young people — especially girls.
• This is a perfect issue for the first lady to take up: It's bipartisan and relevant.

Melania Trump appeared at a roundtable on Capitol Hill on Monday to support a proposed bill that would tackle the issue of nonconsensual sexual images, especially deepfake nudes.

This is a perfect issue for the first lady to take on. It's bipartisan — and is something everyone agrees is awful and a scourge to young people.

It also hits a rare sweet spot of retaining some anti-tech and anti-AI feelings without actually impeding Big Tech. (In fact, Big Tech companies like Meta and TikTok have supported the bill.)

Nonconsensual sexual images created with AI, or deepfake nudes, have exploded as an issue in high schools and even in middle schools, where images are created to harass and shame peers. It's especially affected young women, although it's also affected boys.

People have created sexualized images and videos of celebrities for years by using photo-editing software, but AI has made it that much easier. There are "nudify" apps that do this with just a few taps. 404 Media has reported on how Instagram has struggled to take down ads for these kinds of apps, which are against Meta's rules.

On Monday, Thorn, an organization that advocates against online child sexual abuse and exploitation, published a report based on its survey of 13-to-20-year-olds: It said one out of eight young people who responded said they knew someone personally who had been a victim of a deepfake nude image. These images, sickeningly, put a victim's real face on an AI-generated body.

"By closing a key legal gap, this bill criminalizes the knowing distribution of intimate visual depictions of minors — whether real or AI-generated — when shared with intent to harm, harass, or exploit," Emily Slifer, Thorn's director of policy, told Business Insider.

For the people affected, such images can be devastating. The New York Times called the issue an "epidemic" in a story about how AI images have wreaked havoc in suburban high schools and middle schools. During Monday's roundtable, several young women shared their experiences.

In the past, Melania Trump has rarely gotten involved in the weeds of legislation, so putting her weight behind this bill sends a signal. Using her prominent position, she can push for action that actually will make a difference.

The "Take It Down Act," a bill introduced by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, along with a bipartisan group of senators, including Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, would criminalize publishing these kinds of nonconsensual images and make it easier for victims to get images removed quickly.

During Donald Trump's first presidency, the first lady launched a "Be Best" initiative, which was aimed at stopping online bullying. At the time, the amorphous slogan and the fact that the president himself was no stranger to hurling insults on social media made it a bit of a punchline among some people.

But in the last two years, the effect of social media on teen mental health and the dangers of a "phone-based childhood" have become front-of-mind issues for parents and regulators. The timing for the return of Be Best is perfect.

"As first lady, my commitment to the Be Best initiative underscores the importance of online safety," Melania Trump said during the roundtable with Cruz and others. "In an era where digital interactions are integral to daily life, it is imperative that we safeguard children from mean-spirited and hurtful online behavior."

Cyberbullying is actually quite complicated.

For social platforms, there's a tension between banning people for being jerks online and upholding the values of free speech. Elon Musk's X and now Mark Zuckerberg's Meta platforms have both loosened policies around speech that some people, including me, would consider abhorrent — like anti-trans slurs.

But some stuff, of course, should clearly not be allowed — like child sexual abuse material, or sexualized photos that are either fake or used without someone's consent. It makes sense for Melania Trump to say that out loud.

• Kieran Culkin won the best supporting actor award for "A Real Pain" at the 2025 Oscars.
• Culkin has been in the industry since he was a child.
• Fellow Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jodie Foster were child stars, too.

Kieran Culkin concluded his awards season with a bang, winning the Oscar for best supporting actor thanks to his performance as Benji Kaplan in Jesse Eisenberg's "A Real Pain."

But while Culkin may be best known for his Oscar-winning role and as Roman Roy in the satirical drama "Succession," the 42-year-old has been in the spotlight for decades.

Turns out, there was more than one Culkin in the "Home Alone" movies; Kieran played Fuller McCallister, a cousin of Kevin McCallister, famously played by Culkin's older brother, Macaulay.

"What Kieran loves more than anything is for people to go up to him when they meet him and talk about 'Home Alone,' so I did, yeah," Eisenberg told People about his costar in January.

Culkin's journey from child star to Oscar winner isn't unique, either. From Leonardo DiCaprio to Jodie Foster, here are 10 Oscar winners who got their start as children.

Kieran Culkin

Culkin got his start acting alongside his brother, Macaulay Culkin, in the '90s classic "Home Alone."

Since then, he's appeared in projects like "The Mighty," "Igby Goes Down," and "Succession." For the latter, he earned two Critics' Choice awards, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and two Screen Actors Guild awards.

Culkin won his first Oscar on March 2 for best supporting actor in "A Real Pain." For the role, he also won a Golden Globe, a SAG award, Critics' Choice award, and a BAFTA.

Jodie Foster

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 23, Jodie Foster shared that her first audition was for a Coppertone commercial when she was 3 years old. Foster won the part, and as she told the audience, "the rest is history."

From there, Foster appeared in television shows like "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and "Paper Moon," as well as films like "Napoleon and Samantha" before embarking on more mature roles.

Foster famously starred in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" when she was just 12 years old. The actor told Deadline in 2024 that her mother put her up for those types of roles because "she wanted me to have a career that had a lot of longevity, where I was taken seriously, or because she wasn't because she came from a pre-feminist era."

Throughout her career, Foster has been nominated for five Oscars, winning two; first in 1989 for her role as Sarah Tobias in "The Accused" and second in 1992 for her role as Clarice Starling in "The Silence of the Lambs."

Leonardo DiCaprio

From his Oscar-winning role as Hugh Glass in "The Revenant" to memorable performances in "Titanic," "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Romeo + Juliet," and more, it's easy to argue that Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the greatest actors of his generation.

His prolific career began back in the late '80s when he started acting in commercials. He later earned more roles in television series like "Parenthood" and "Growing Pains," before two breakout roles in "This Boy's Life" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" in 1993. The latter earned him his first Oscar nomination — he was nominated for best supporting actor at the 1994 ceremony, when he was 19.

DiCaprio has been nominated for a total of seven Oscars, winning once in 2016.

Reese Witherspoon

Best known for roles like Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde" and Madeline Mackenzie in "Big Little Lies," Reese Witherspoon has also been acting for decades.

The actor and Hello Sunshine founder made her debut in 1991 when she was just 15 years old in Robert Mulligan's "The Man in the Moon."

She went on to win her first, and so far only, Oscar in 2006 for her performance as June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line."

Helen Hunt

Before she was known as Jamie Stemple Buchman in "Mad About You," Helen Hunt got her start acting as a child in the 1970s.

One of her earliest roles came in 1973 in the film "Pioneer Woman" alongside William Shatner.

However, despite acting during her childhood, Hunt told Vulture in 2011 that she "was never a child star."

"I was in school every year and had normal friends and I loved it and here I am," she said, adding that she didn't wish she started acting later but that a movie set is "a very adult place to be."

Hunt won the Oscar for best actress in 1998 for her role as Carol Connelly in "As Good as It Gets."

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman started in the industry in 1992 as an understudy in the play "Ruthless!"

Two years later, when she was just 13 years old, Portman starred as Mathilda in "Léon: The Professional." She's since gone on to star in a number of projects, including the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, "V for Vendetta," "The Other Boleyn Girl," and "Black Swan."

For the latter, Portman won the Oscar for best actress in 2011. She has received a total of three Oscar nominations, the most recent of which came in 2016 for her portrayal of former first lady Jackie Kennedy in "Jackie."

Regina King

When she was just 14 years old, Regina King won the role of Brenda Jenkins in the show "227," which followed the lives of people in a Northeast DC apartment building.

In 2020, King told People that her mom required her to stay in public school while filming the series, adding, "It was instrumental in me becoming a person who can find balance on shaky ground."

"It's not an easy thing, living your life on display, and it's particularly hard when you're young," King told the outlet.

After "227," King continued acting in projects like "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "Ray," and "Southland." In 2019, she won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance in Barry Jenkins' "If Beale Street Could Talk."

In addition to acting, King has pursued writing and directing; she was nominated for the 2021 Golden Globe for best director for "One Night in Miami."

Christian Bale

In 1987, a 13-year-old Christian Bale started his acting career in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun."

However, his breakthrough came in the 2000s thanks to performances in "American Psycho," "The Machinist," and Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy.

Bale has been nominated for four Academy Awards throughout his career; his first and only win so far came in 2011 for his role as Dicky Eklund in "The Fighter."

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix started acting in the '80s alongside his siblings in projects like "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Murder She Wrote," and "SpaceCamp."

He received critical acclaim throughout the 2000s thanks to performances in films like "Gladiator," "Signs," and "Walk the Line."

Phoenix has won one Oscar from four nominations; his win came in 2020 for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips' "Joker."

Jennifer Connelly

In 2002, Jennifer Connelly won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Alicia Nash in "A Beautiful Mind," 18 years after she made her acting debut at 14 years old in "Once Upon a Time in America."

Connelly had originally worked as a child model before pivoting to acting. Some of her career credits include "Labyrinth," "Blood Diamond," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "Snowpiercer."

• I tried all the cheeses I could find at Trader Joe's and ranked them from worst to best.
• I didn't like the white Stilton cheese with apricots at all.
• Trader Joe's creamy Toscano cheese soaked in syrah was my favorite.

Trader Joe's has so many cheese options on its shelves that it can be hard to pick just one.

To find out which varieties are worth the money, I purchased 17 different kinds at my New York City location and tasted each one.

Here's how I'd rank them from worst to best — and which I'd definitely buy again.

Trader Joe's white Stilton cheese with apricots was my least-favorite option.

Trader Joe's white Stilton cheese with apricots primarily tasted like the fruit, so it was cloyingly sweet.

I'd only pair the sweet cheese with a breakfast pastry. Still, I'd prefer to use jam or butter instead.

The Comté cheese was too earthy for me.

I didn't like the Comté cheese because I thought it had a deep, unpleasant earthiness.

This option could be a conversation starter on a cheese board, but I'd pair it with fig jam to take the edge off the strong flavor.

The Cotswold double Gloucester cheese with onions and chives reminded me of a baked potato.

The Cotswold double Gloucester cheese had a smooth, almost Velveeta-like texture. The assertive cheese's onion and chive flavors, which reminded me of a loaded baked potato, grew on me after a few bites.

I'd add this cheese to a steaming hot baked potato, with or without sour cream.

The New Zealand sharp cheddar cheese had a unique aftertaste.

Trader Joe's New Zealand sharp cheddar cheese had a subtle, Swiss-like aftertaste that I didn't love.

However, I liked it better when I tried it alongside pepperoni.

The fontina semisoft cheese wasn't memorable.

The fontina was soft, mild, and one of the most forgettable cheeses I tried. Its subtle flavor, milky texture, and red-wax coating reminded me of the Babybel cheeses I pack in my kids' lunches.

I used it to make a particularly creamy mac and cheese, which my family enjoyed.

Trader Joe's Manchego cheese was fine.

The Manchego had a mild, buttery flavor with a hint of sweetness. I'd describe it as a refined Monterey Jack.

It didn't wow me, but it would probably be good on a burger.

The cheddar cheese with scotch bonnet chile and red peppers had a nice kick to it.

The cheddar cheese with scotch bonnet chile and red peppers was one of the strongest options I tried. It was very sweet, fairly spicy, and soft like a classic pimento cheese.

I could see it serving as a great starter for a spicy cheese dip.

The creamy Danish Havarti cheese would be great on sandwiches.

The Havarti had a creamy texture and mild flavor that could work in plenty of dishes.

It would probably be great on sandwiches, especially because Havarti tends to melt well.

Trader Joe's goat milk cheddar-style cheese was tangy.

Trader Joe's goat milk cheddar-style cheese was a great option. It had a sharp, familiar cheddar flavor and a tanginess from the goat milk.

It was surprisingly creamy for a firm cheese. I'd use it on a roasted-turkey sandwich with cranberry mayo.

Trader Joe's Camembert was a smooth, subtle cheese.

Trader Joe's Camembert was silky and mildly earthy. It would be a great mild option on a cheese plate alongside bold flavors like salami or chorizo.

I might also spread some on a fresh baguette.

The Unexpected cheddar was one of the best cheeses I tried.

I didn't expect Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar to be the best cheddar I tried, but its dry, pleasantly grainy texture and sharp, tangy flavor were addictive.

Next time I make chili, I'll be grating this on top.

The Chiave d' Oro raw milk hard cheese was nutty and mild.

Trader Joe's Chiave d' Oro, which translates from Italian to "golden key," was a hard cheese that was surprisingly creamy in texture. It had a mild, nutty flavor and bitter rind.

I'd pair it with honey on a charcuterie board or add it to a salad with a sweet vinaigrette.

Trader Joe's goat's milk Gouda-style cheese was milder than I expected.

I love Gouda-style goat cheese, so I was excited to try this option from Trader Joe's.

I was initially disappointed that the goat's milk Gouda-style cheese tasted milder than expected. Still, it had a subtle earthy flavor and a delicious creamy texture on a cracker. It was especially tasty when paired with a slice of spicy soppressata.

My kids were fans of the Iberico cheese.

This 4-month-old Spanish cheese made with cow, goat, and sheep's milk was hard and sharp, like a buttery Parmesan.

I could see it pairing well with red wine or fruit, like sliced pears. My Parmesan-loving kids liked this cheese the best.

Trader Joe's raw milk cave-aged Le Gruyère was delicious.

The cave-aged Le Gruyère was especially tasty because of its hearty spiciness, earthiness, and delicately granular texture.

It was a powerful cheese that I'd imagine pairing well with whiskey. To serve, it doesn't need much more than a simple cracker.

Trader Joe's bucheron was more flavorful than I expected it to be.

Though Trader Joe's bucheron was the last cheese I tried, it was the one I ate the most of. The soft-ripened goat's milk cheese had an intense flavor that came on slowly.

It had a soft, creamy texture and pleasant tanginess. It would likely make a tasty, indulgent addition to a salad.

The creamy Toscano cheese soaked in syrah was my winner.

The creamy Toscano soaked in syrah was the clear-cut favorite for me and my wife. It was creamy and granular, sharp and sweet, with only a breath of wine flavor.

This cheese paired nicely with a sweet cracker — I'd recommend the Carr's whole-wheat variety or anything with dried fruit.

This story was originally published in April 2024 and most recently updated on March 3, 2025.

• For years, I overpacked to avoid repeating outfits on vacation.
• Now, I've mastered the art of packing, and my biggest tip is to stick to one color.
• It allows for more outfit combinations. Plus, it leaves room in your bag for fun statement pieces. 

Three summers ago, I sat on my unzipped suitcase in the middle of New Zealand's Auckland Airport and attempted to squeeze my carry-on bag shut.

Strangers avoided eye contact when they spotted me: a helpless over-packer. Sweat glistened on my forehead as I forced the zipper closed. I was already wearing a tank top, sweater, and jacket. Next to me was a tote bag with more clothes and souvenirs. Nearby, my backpack was stuffed to the brim. 

I prayed no one would question my three carry-on bags instead of the allotted two. I also vowed to never overpack again. 

Now, after a handful of two-week-plus international trips, I'm convinced I've mastered the skill of packing. My biggest tip: stick to one color.

One color means more outfit options and more space

After living in New York for three years, I fell into the cliché of wearing all black. Initially, I thought it was an NYC uniform and, hence, a requirement to be trendy in the city. Later, I realized it makes life a whole lot easier.

My abundance of black clothes means I can mix and match textures and shapes without doubting whether the color combination will work together.

For years, I didn't follow this rule when packing for trips. An international trip, to me, is a big celebration.

To mark the occasion (and the pictures that would accompany it), I packed with the goal of never repeating an outfit. I'd ditch the fashion lessons I learned from New York and pack fun colors and untouched pieces from the back of my closet.

Then, I'd end up on a trip not liking anything I packed and repeat outfits again and again.

Finally, I realized that if wearing mainly black makes my day-to-day life easier, it'd probably make my vacation life easier.

By focusing on one color, most of the outfits in my suitcase go together. This allows me to mix and match pieces to create new shapes and new fits without repeating an entire outfit. 

Plus, it saves me room in my bag. If more of my items go together, I can pack less while still having options.

One color doesn't mean you can't pack a statement item or two

I learned that this space-saving tip also means I have room for a statement item or two that I'm confident I'll wear.

When I embarked on a two-week trip to Japan, my suitcase was filled with dark clothes, which gave me the confidence to pack my polka-dot coat.  

I knew my all-black outfits would match the coat, so my statement piece could be worn repeatedly. If I had packed other patterns or more colorful clothes, I likely would've worn the coat once or twice and would've needed room for more coats in my suitcase.

For a two-week trip across Italy and Cyprus, I followed a similar rule and mainly stuck to black clothing. 

Here, my statement pieces were accessories and shoes. I wore colorful earrings, rocked platform sandals, packed trusty button-downs, and found pops of colors in scarves and jewelry I purchased during the trip.

When I look at pictures, I don't think — or care if — it looks like I'm wearing the same thing

One fear I had when I started wearing mainly black on trips was that it might look like I was wearing the same thing in every picture.

I combat that by packing different types of clothes. I might pack a black midi dress that can be worn as a dress, as a skirt, or with long sleeves underneath. Beyond a dress, I'll pack black jeans and black flowy pants. When it comes to shirts, I'll make sure I have tight-fitting tops and loose ones.

By having a variety of styles, I think my outfits vary enough.

Even more importantly, I learned that it doesn't matter if I look similar in pictures.

I care more about the places I visited and the memories I created — regardless of what I was wearing.

• Donald Trump on Monday said tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods are coming.
• The US previously worked out a pause with its neighbors but the time has run out, he said.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 848 points and the S&P 500 was down more than 2%.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the White House will forge ahead with imposing 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

"No room left for Mexico or Canada," Trump told reporters during an unrelated White House event. "The tariffs are all set, they go into effect tomorrow."

Trump's comments deepened a sell-off in the stock market during Monday's trading session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped as much as 848 points and the benchmark S&P 500 was down more than 2%. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3%, with the tech-heavy index extending its decline after a sharp drop in Nvidia stock during the day.

Earlier in the day, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had left the door open that the president might change his mind. Trump already paused the tariffs for a month based on both countries pledging to do more to stem illegal immigration.

Trump on Monday reiterated his view that the tariffs are punishment for Mexico and Canada for failing to do enough to prevent fentanyl from entering the US.

Both nations have already said how they would retaliate with their own tariffs. Canada published an extensive list of targeted American products, ranging from agricultural products to alcoholic beverages. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously called on his citizens to prepare to forgo American-made goods.

"It might mean checking the labels at the supermarket and picking Canadian made products," Trudeau said last month. "It might mean opting for Canadian rye over Kentucky bourbon, or foregoing Florida orange juice altogether. It might mean changing your summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada."

The US imports a range of key goods from the two countries, including crude oil, car parts, and electronics, and trade policy experts previously told BI that new tariffs are likely to increase the prices of those goods.

Trump previously said that Americans would feel "some pain" with tariffs, but the price would be worth it in the end. Still, some companies have started to prepare for price increases caused by the tariffs. Real estate consultants previously told BI that Trump's 25% steel tariff will likely make rent and condo prices surge.

It's unclear how long these tariffs will last. Trump's initial executive order from February said that they would remain in effect until the impacted countries cracked down on their drug and border policy.

This is a breaking news story. Stay with Business Insider.

• Some YouTube creators are adapting their content for TV screens by producing longer videos.
• Longer content on TV can boost revenue with more ad breaks and higher rates.
• YouTubers shared how they're optimizing their videos for the big screen.

YouTube wants to be the new TV, and some content creators are doubling down on it to make more money.

The company said in February that TV had surpassed phones as the main place to watch YouTube in the US. It said that on average, viewers were watching more than 1 billion hours' worth of YouTube on their TVs.

The rising TV viewership is starting to boost ad revenue for some creators.

Jordan Matter, who has 28 million subscribers, makes challenge and skit-based videos featuring his daughter. In the past 28 days, he told Business Insider, 65% of his channel's total ad revenue came from TV, despite TV viewers accounting for 45% of his total audience.

In December, YouTube said creator earnings from TV were up by more than 30% year over year.

Creators including Matter are developing longer videos and compilations as they chase TV viewers and ad dollars. Longer videos can include more ad breaks, thus boosting revenue.

"If you have a 45-minute video, you can have three or four different ad-break segments," Dan Weinstein, a cofounder and co-CEO of Underscore Talent, told BI.

Weinstein said that combining existing videos in compilations was also an easy way for short-form content creators to join the TV trend.

"Really funny, viral short-form stuff actually does tend to do pretty well if sort of strung together," Weinstein said.

Making extra-long videos by piecing together shorter ones

YouTubers don't need highly produced Netflix-style shows to do well on TV. Victor Potrel, a senior vice president of partnerships and creator services at the digital-media company TheSoul Publishing, said he saw YouTube consumption on the TV as an accelerating trend.

"It's more the evolution of people gradually changing their consuming habits but wanting the same content on their TV devices," Potrel said.

TheSoul manages several YouTube channels, including 5-Minute Crafts, Bright Side, and 123 Go. For TV, Potrel said, TheSoul packages videos based on themes such as home decor and builds them into hourslong videos.

"You don't need to radically change the way that you produce content," Potrel said. "Mostly it's been about packaging the content and adapting it for the screen."

The company said TheSoul's share of global views on connected TVs rose to 24% in 2024 from 17% in 2022, and watch time increased to 41% from 28%. Global emerging markets have also shown an increase in TV viewership — for instance, views of TheSoul's content on connected TVs in India doubled from 2022 to 2024, reaching 10%.

Revenue has increased as well. Potrel said longer watch times had led to higher ad rates for TheSoul's creators.

Reaching different audiences on TVs

YouTubers are trying to appeal to both kids and Gen Z viewers on TV. Their viewing behaviors are very different — kids may sit down to watch more engaging pieces of content, while Gen Zers may listen to videos in the background while multitasking.

For Matter, who makes videos for kids, his team has adapted in two ways: They've doubled the length of the videos and elevated production quality with subtitles and video graphics.

Kiana Parker, an executive vice president of programming and content at the sketch-comedy YouTube channel Smosh, said Gen Z and millennial viewers tended to enjoy accessible content on TV that doesn't require a lot of background knowledge.

"What can you put on and be busy folding your laundry to, or go run out of the room to grab something and come back and still feel like you didn't miss the entire thing," Parker said.

Now most of Smosh's content is 30 to 45 minutes long, comparable to a TV series. The Smosh Pit YouTube channel used to frequently upload 12- to 15-minute videos.

"Our current production value splits the difference between quality but also casualness," Parker said. "Our editing style is more free-form, where the editors are inserting jokes into the video or we leave in a blooper."

The Smosh team is continuing to explore new strategies and create content for larger screens — partly because it's reading the tea leaves on where YouTube is headed as a platform.

"Whenever YouTube is really adamant about a product, it's always a quiet indicator to really care about it," Parker said.

• Melania Trump visited the US Capitol Monday to discuss the "Take It Down Act" aimed to help victims of deepfake and revenge porn.
• She arrived wearing a tan suit, matching heels, and a black tie.
• The menswear style is one of a few she's worn so far during Donald Trump's second term in office.

Melania Trump's recent White House fashion can be described in one word: menswear.

The first lady made an appearance at the US Capitol on Monday to support the "Take It Down Act" — a bill that would make posting revenge porn a federal crime.

While entering the discussion via the Senate Carriage hallway, Melania was photographed wearing a three-piece tan suit, black tie, white button-down top, and matching pumps.

The sharp look matches other menswear ensembles she's sported so far during her husband, Donald Trump's second term in office.

Melania wore a similar style almost a week earlier, on February 22, at the 2025 National Governors Association dinner hosted at the White House.

For the occasion, she chose a black suit jacket, skinny, ankle-length dress pants, and a white tuxedo blouse with a sharp collar. The first lady also sported her signature pointed pumps.

Melania's style switch feels significant

The recent masculine shift in Melania's style is significant. Between 2016 and 2020, during her first years in office, the former model more often wore midi dresses, skirt-and-blouse sets, and gowns.

In her first White House portrait, she did wear a suit, though her accessories at the time were feminine. She's seen wearing two diamond rings and a sequined neck scarf in the image.

This time around, however, Melania leaned more strongly into menswear for her official portrait.

Her new portrait shows her wearing a satin suit jacket, a white blouse with buttons left undone, a cummerbund, and pleated pants — all while making a power stance against a table.

The first lady hasn't yet shared any details about why she's started gravitating toward suits.

Still, just like Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris, she seems to have least realized the impact of power dressing.

• Apple is planning something for "this week," according to CEO Tim Cook.
• His X post was concise, but it's a callback to the launch of the first MacBook Air.
• The announcement is likely for the M4 MacBook Air, Bloomberg reported.

Tim Cook is teasing a new Apple launch coming this week.

The CEO kept his Monday X post brief with a simple caption saying, "this week," and a five-second clip. The post stirred up discussions on whether it's a new iPhone, iPad, or something else.

"There's something in the air," the message in the video said.

A big clue may lie in the five-word sentence Cook chose to post. It's a callback to an ad for the first MacBook Air, which was announced in 2008. Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple, famously pulled the laptop out of an envelope to demonstrate its thinness.

Jobs kicked off the announcement with the phrase, "There's something in the air."

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman predicts it's the M4 MacBook Air that'll be announced this week. It would bring a new chip to 13-inch and 15-inch Air models as inventory of the current model winds down, Gurman reported.

As of Monday, Apple lists the M3 and M2 MacBook Air models for $1099 and $999, respectively. The M4 MacBook Pro, which was announced in October, starts at $1599.

If there's a product launch this week, it will follow the February announcement of the iPhone 16E — a more affordable model that's compatible with Apple Intelligence.

• "Anora" director Sean Baker made history at the Oscars on Sunday.
• He won each of his four nominations, including the biggest prize of the night, best picture.
• The indie filmmaker previously told BI he doesn't try to make his films more palatable to studios.

If you didn't know Sean Baker's name before Sunday night, you definitely do now.

The director made history at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, becoming the first filmmaker to win four Oscars in one night for the same film. (Walt Disney won four Oscars in 1953, but for four separate films; Bong Joon Ho won four in 2020 for "Parasite," but one was for best international feature, which is technically awarded to the country, not the filmmaker.)

"Anora," a dramedy about a young stripper who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, snagged Baker statues for best director, best original screenplay, best editing, and best picture. The film's lead, Mikey Madison, also picked up a surprise win, beating out frontrunner Demi Moore in the best actress category.

Though Baker was relatively unknown to the general public until now, the buzzy indie filmmaker didn't come out of nowhere. I spoke to Baker in October, months before "Anora" would sweep the Oscars, about his body of work and the state of moviemaking.

Sean Baker's movies are critically acclaimed, but were largely ignored by major awards bodies before 'Anora'

After graduating from New York University's filmmaking program in 1998, the New Jersey-born Baker quickly found his niche by focusing on marginalized communities. Half of his features, including "Anora," are specifically about sex workers.

But making his work more palatable and marketable to a wider audience was never on the agenda.

"I was always shooting myself in my foot. I was always doing something that would make my film probably not accessible to the mainstream," Baker said, citing his inclusion of an unsimulated sex scene in 2012's "Starlet," a movie about porn stars, as an example.

Before "Anora," Baker's most successful film in terms of awards recognition was "The Florida Project," his 2017 slice-of-life drama about a 6-year-old girl and her unemployed single mom living out of a budget motel in Kissimmee, Florida, just outside Walt Disney World. As with "Anora" and most of his movies, Baker pulled quadruple duty, directing, writing, producing, and editing.

Though largely regarded as Baker's best work to date, outside of awards from critics' organizations, Baker didn't earn any statuettes for it — only star Willem Dafoe clinched an Oscar nomination for his supporting role as the motel's owner.

Given his track record with flying under the radar, Baker told BI last fall that he was stunned that "Anora" had broken through to mainstream acclaim.

"I thought it was going to be extremely divisive, quite honestly," he said.

Baker is an outspoken supporter of independent film and theatrical releases

Baker made four speeches at the Oscars, thanking his team, his cast, the film's distributor Neon, his fellow producers (including his wife, Samantha Quan), and the sex workers who have opened up their world to him over the years. He also took the opportunity during his best director win to zoom out and give an impassioned plea to support the theatrical experience.

"Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, and, in a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever," Baker said, adding that the experience is "under threat" with theaters, particularly independently owned ones, closing down at unprecedented rates.

"If we don't reverse this trend, we'll be losing a vital part of our culture," he said.

Amid ever-shrinking theatrical release windows, Baker implored filmmakers to keep making films with the big screen experience in mind and asked distributors to focus on theatrical releases.

It's something he also touched on during his wins at both the Directors and Producers Guild Awards in February, where he asked his fellow filmmakers to demand 90-day windows for their films to play in theaters. (IndieWire reported that in 2024, the average theatrical window was a mere 32 days across 85 wide-released movies, dropping off over 13% from the previous year.)

Baker has openly criticized Hollywood's risk-averse tendency to bet on blockbusters and IP-driven films over original dramas. That criticism hasn't always come across well, as when Baker told the Associated Press last year that he missed "mature films for adults" that didn't have explosions or superheroes or weren't genre films.

Some took his lament to be a dig at superhero movies and horror films. Baker clarified his stance to BI and bemoaned coming across as "snotty" in that soundbite.

"I didn't in any way mean to be slamming those films. I actually love action films — it's why I went to NYU, to make the next 'Die Hard' or 'RoboCop,'" he told BI. "What I was trying to say is I wish studios were still making other films."

Baker pointed out that it makes sense why studios prioritize those films, knowing that they'll perform better financially. "Genre films essentially are the films that are keeping theaters alive, and therefore I cherish them, and I am so happy they're there," he said. "But I just would love more variety — dramas and dramedies and just everyday human stories."

He maintained that these explosion-less films are just as cinematic, and just as important to see on the big screen surrounded by a crowd of fellow film lovers. "Anora" was Baker's proof of concept: "I want 'Anora' to be something that is better in a theater with a crowd on the big screen."

That "Anora" has been embraced in this way is a huge win for indie filmmaking, one that should serve as a clue to studios that these movies are worth the marketing effort — it's the director's most financially successful film to date, netting over $40 million worldwide on a $6 million budget.

"I'm just trying to make the best film possible," Baker told BI. "When something is too commercial, there's a reason why. It's often watered down in order to reach the widest audience possible. And therefore, it is not as perhaps provocative or edgy, because it needs to be pretty vanilla to reach everybody."

The 97th Academy Awards may have been a fairytale ending for Baker as a filmmaker, but perhaps it will also be the fairy godmother the indies need.

Closing out his acceptance speech for best picture, Baker put it plainly.

"I want to thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film. This film was made on the blood, sweat, and tears of incredible indie artists. And long live independent film."