• Russia is preparing to build a factory in Belarus that can make up to 100,000 drones a year.
• Moscow said the plant would bring "effective security" to Minsk but didn't say if it's for weapons.
• Russia aims to build millions of drones yearly, but a plant in Belarus brings production closer to NATO.

Belarus said on Thursday that it's open to hosting a Russian factory that can build up to 100,000 drones yearly, expanding Moscow's production to NATO's backyard.

Russian representatives, including Maxim Oreshkin — the Kremlin's deputy chief of staff — proposed the idea at a drone exhibition in Minsk on Thursday.

"This is a huge prospect for us," Belarusian leader Aleksander Lukashenko, who attended the event with Oreshkin, said in a statement from his office.

Belarusian officials at the exhibition said the plant would initially build 2,000 drones for agriculture and other logistics.

Though Oreshkin did not explicitly say the factory would also be used to build military drones, he said it would bring "effective security" to Belarus.

"This, of course, is a matter of ensuring sovereignty," Oreshkin told Belarusian state media.

Lukashenko said that Belarus would consult drone specialists in April and May but did not specify when the plant is expected to finish construction.

Russia said in September that it's already able to build 1.4 million drones a year, but official production has been focused deep in its territory through areas such as Tatarstan. Some Russian volunteer groups also provide their troops with cheaper drones.

A plant in Belarus would expand official production to a nation bordering Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. All three are NATO members seeking to rapidly scale up defense spending as concerns soar about a heightened Russian threat.

Those efforts also include drone production on their end: Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia are part of a six-nation European coalition that plans to build a "drone wall" to police their eastern borders.

The rest of the world is also locked in an arms race to boost drone capacity, and Russia and Ukraine have been at the forefront. Both say they want to build 3 to 4 million drones each in 2025.

Still, military drones can vary in size and function, and it's unclear what type of drone Belarus intends to help manufacture. The Kremlin, for example, has relied on Iranian long-range Shahed drones to harass Ukrainian cities.

At the same time, the war has seen the sharp rise of commercial drones fitted with explosives, which serve as a cheap, lethal, and precise way to attack troops and valuable equipment.

Regular reports from Ukraine's air force say it typically shoots down about 1,000 Russian drones — a mix of Shaheds, first-person view drones, and reconnaissance drones — a week.

Belarus already hosts several significant Russian capabilities, including tactical nuclear weapons and advanced air defense systems. In 2022, Moscow's troops used the country to station part of its invasion force to attack Ukraine's northern border.

Press services for the defense ministries of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

• Ashley Tisdale says she had very different postpartum experiences following her two births.
• The "High School Musical" star felt "robbed" of her first experience as a mother due to postpartum depression.
• But welcoming her second child to the family was a "very easy transition," she said.

Ashley Tisdale, 39, is excited that she got to be a mom again.

The "High School Musical" star told Us Weekly that welcoming her second child was a chance to experience motherhood again since she felt "robbed" of her first experience due to postpartum depression, or PPD.

"To be able to have this experience again and to have it in such a great way and be so present, it makes me cherish every single moment," Tisdale said.

Tisdale and her husband, Christopher French, married in 2014. They welcomed their first daughter, Jupiter, in 2021 and their second daughter, Emerson, in September.

So far, it's been a "really easy transition" for the family, she said.

When she first became a mom, Tisdale said she was nervous and didn't know what to expect.

"With the second, you just feel so much more confident," she said.

She also credits her husband for his support.

"I feel like we balance each other out," Tisdale said. "There are times where Chris is really the fun parent and I might be a little bit more strict. And then, there's times where he's a little bit more strict with scheduling, and I'm a really fun parent."

In a September post on her website, written about two weeks after she gave birth to her second child, Tisdale reflected on how different her two postpartum experiences were.

When she had her first child, "something just wasn't clicking for me as a new mom," Tisdale wrote.

"I had expected to feel certain things as a new mother, but I didn't. Instead, I spent a lot of time feeling sad and anxious—and guilty about feeling that way," she continued. "It took me a while to realize that I was going through postpartum depression. Fortunately, I came out of it in time, but I remember feeling robbed of the joy I'd been hoping to experience."

But thankfully, things were different with her second child.

"When I first looked into Emerson's eyes, I immediately had the connection I'd dreamed of. This postpartum period has been so much easier because I feel like my normal self, and I feel 100% connected with my daughters," she wrote.

Tisdale isn't the only celebrity mom who has been open about experiencing postpartum depression.

In a March 2017 essay for Glamour, Chrissy Teigen shared that taking antidepressants helped her with postpartum depression. She was diagnosed with the condition after giving birth to her daughter, Luna, in April 2016.

During a 2020 episode of Jameela Jamil's "I Weigh" podcast, Reese Witherspoon shared that she experienced postpartum depression after the birth of two of her three children.

Based on data from the CDC, one in eight women in the US report experiencing symptoms of depression after giving birth.

Some symptoms of postpartum depression include severe mood swings, crying too much, and having difficulties bonding with the newborn baby.

A representative for Tisdale did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

Newsweek has provided a list of useful tips to help you secure the word puzzle's coveted five green squares.

Newsweek is back a new set of handy hints and solutions for Friday's edition of the word-puzzle game.

Kohberger has been charged with first-degree murder in the November 2022 slayings of four University of Idaho students.

• TikTok could face a shutdown in the US if it doesn't find a new owner by April 5.
• But President Donald Trump says he could extend the sale deadline again if needed.
• Big-name buyers like Kevin O'Leary and Alexis Ohanian have expressed interest in TikTok.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that there is "a lot of interest" in a potential TikTok deal and that he is open to extending the sale deadline if needed.

"We have a lot of interest in TikTok," Trump told reporters during a press conference in the Oval Office, adding that he hopes China will approve the deal.

When asked if he would extend the deadline, Trump said that it would depend on how the sale process goes.

"Well, we will see. Right now, we have at least another month, so we don't need an extension. But if I needed an extension, I'd probably get it extended," Trump said.

Under the divest-or-ban law passed by the Senate in April, TikTok was supposed to stop operating in the US on January 19 if it didn't divest itself from its Chinese owner, ByteDance. But the ban was paused for 75 days after Trump signed an executive order on January 20.

TikTok has until April 5 to find a new owner in the US.

Representatives for the White House and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

TikTok sale has drawn interest from big-name buyers

Trump has floated several ways to save TikTok. Shortly after signing the order halting the ban, Trump said the US should own half of TikTok. He also said the company could be sold to tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Larry Ellison.

Last month, Trump signed an executive order to establish a sovereign wealth fund for the US. Trump told reporters at the time that the new fund could be used to buy TikTok.

Several big-name buyers like Trump's former treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, have expressed interest in purchasing TikTok.

A consortium of big-name buyers has also been assembled, in the form of "The People's Bid." On Tuesday, Alexis Ohanian, the cofounder of Reddit, announced that he was making a joint bid for TikTok with former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary.

"TikTok has been a game changer for creators, and it's future should be built by them," Ohanian wrote in an X post on Tuesday.

A federal judge gave the Trump administration until 6pm Monday ET to make some outstanding foreign aid payments to USAID partners, per multiple reports on Thursday.

The big picture: U.S. District Judge Amir Ali's ruling during a case involving several nonprofits and aid groups including the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council comes one day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the lower court judge's order requiring the Trump administration to unfreeze some $1.9 billion in foreign aid payments.

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State of play: The groups sued the Trump administration after it froze foreign aid as part of a DOGE-led federal government cuts and large-scale dismantling of USAID, which was the world's largest humanitarian aid organization.

• Ali said Thursday he thought it was "feasible" for the first set of payments to be made by the Monday deadline, per the Washington Post.

What they're saying: Attorneys for the Trump administration said in a filing officials had worked overnight to certify some "$70.3 million in additional payments" to the groups, which were expected to be released on Thursday.

• "It will take another day or so for those payments to be received vendors accounts," the filing added.
• "It is currently anticipated that all legitimate payments owed to the Plaintiffs will be processed within days, and not more than ten working days."
• Representatives for the Trump administration and did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.

Go deeper: Exclusive: Oversight Dems open probe into Trump's USAID purge

Cameron Young didn't get his Arnold Palmer Invitational off to a great start, leading fans to criticize his casual approach to the first tee.

The SpaceX launch failure prompted many of Florida's biggest airports to halt flights on Thursday night.

Trump temporarily paused tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico on Thursday.

"What I think is lacking is the humanity and decency in the way the administration is going about these cuts," Fred Trump said on CNN.

The Los Angeles Lakers (39-21) welcome the New York Knicks (40-21) to Crypto.com Arena on Thursday in an exciting NBA matchup.

• The Women's Tennis Association announced maternity benefits for its players.
• The benefits include up to 12 months of paid maternity leave.
• Stars like Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka have pushed for maternity benefits for athletes.

Women's tennis players are now eligible for paid maternal leave, marking a historic moment in the sport's history.

The Women's Tennis Association announced the Maternity Fund Program on Thursday, saying Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will support the initiative. Eligible WTA players can receive up to 12 months of paid maternity leave.

Victoria Azarenka, a WTA Players' Council Representative and professional tennis player, said the program will help athletes navigate their careers and personal life.

"This marks the beginning of a meaningful shift in how we support women in tennis, making it easier for athletes to pursue both their careers and their aspirations of starting a family," she said in a statement. "Ensuring that programs like this exist has been a personal mission of mine, and I'm excited to see the lasting impact it will have for generations to come."

Navigating that balance can be difficult for tennis players who double as mothers, and some have spoken out about their experience returning to the game after having children.

Here's what they said.

• Parenting my teen wasn't hard until I realized I wasn't ready to let her go.
• I got weirdly clingy and was afraid I'd push her away.
• Refocusing on myself helped me look forward to the future and a new version of our relationship.

When my daughter was an adorably cheeky toddler, it seemed every older person I encountered told me, "Wait 'til she's a teen!" before sharing some teenager-related horror story.

I hated all the negativity and refused to believe that a difficult parent-teen connection was inevitable. I worked hard to maintain a healthy relationship, and at 17, my daughter rarely rolls her eyes at me. She still likes to hang out, has a kind boyfriend and an amazing group of friends, and is rocking high school.

I wasn't prepared for the realization that hit me as I waved goodnight to her boyfriend a couple of months ago; I no longer know her best. Instead of sharing her secrets with me, she shares them with him or her besties in the group chat. While she's living her best life, I am coming to terms with the fact that this amazing human is spreading her wings, and my job is to stand back, watch her soar, and be a steady, soft place if she needs to crash land.

I was surprised by my reaction to her growing independence

Having a graduate degree in psychology, I understood this was a normal, healthy part of adolescent individuation, the process that allows teens to fully develop their sense of self and become functioning adults. But nothing prepared me for the messiness of my own emotions. I was horrified to find myself peppering her with questions, barging in on her conversations, and feeling hurt when her dad knew something I didn't. My sadness had me holding on tighter when I was supposed to be letting go.

"The feeling of grief is sometimes surprising to people because they don't see it as grief," explained my neighbor Carla Corral, a licensed clinical psychologist whose oldest daughter is a sophomore in college. "We're not losing somebody, right, to death or illness or the abrupt end of a relationship, but it's grief."

I didn't like the way my grief had me inserting myself into my daughter's life. I felt needy, clingy, and decidedly not cool. I didn't want to push her away or make her feel she needed to care for my feelings. It was time to get hold of myself.

I had to change my behavior or risk pushing her away

I thought back to how exciting life was when I was her age and how eager and capable I felt. Shifting away from my current point of view as a concerned mom helped me see how smart, responsible, and prepared my daughter is. I also turned my attention back on myself and my dreams for the future. I grew up dancing, so I joined a tap class. It's great exercise and so much fun. Instead of gifts for Christmas, I gave my friends a breakfast or lunch date to prioritize connecting one-on-one.

I started journaling again to dump my worries on the page instead of on my daughter. This helped me see some of my concerns as ridiculous and others as important points to discuss before she leaves. I keep reminding myself my job as a parent is shifting, but it's not over. Making my life more about me again allowed those clingy behaviors to fade away, and when they occasionally pop up, I take a deep breath and focus on something I enjoy.

While I soak up the time I have with her — including family movie nights, a spring break trip to visit her top choice university, and long conversations while walking the dog — I'm building a list of things I want to do after she starts college, like visiting friends, volunteering for a local land trust and joining my husband for some of his work travel.

I remind myself I've loved every stage of being a mom, even with the challenges, and I trust I will enjoy parenting a young adult. The part of my job that involved driving her around and making sure her homework was turned in may be done, but I know there are wonderful times ahead for both of us, together and apart.

• In 2023, a breast cancer diagnosis reframed Low Seow Yee's perspective on life.
• She decided to quit her job at a government agency to open Hangout Laundry, a laundromat, in Singapore.
• Laundromats are often touted as a passive income business, but she's hosting parties and making laundry fun again.

When Low Seow Yee went for her routine yearly mammogram in March 2023, she wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary.

But a few weeks later, she received a letter requesting that she come in for a follow-up. A biopsy revealed that she had stage one breast cancer. The next few months passed by in a blur.

Her bosses at the government agency where she worked were empathetic and told her to take as much time as she needed. After two surgeries and over 15 sessions of radiation therapy, Low was cancer-free.

"It was on my first day back at work when I realized, 'Oh no, I really don't want to do this,'" Low, now 46, told Business Insider. She handed in her resignation the following week.

Her medical scare had reframed her perspective on life. She had always been working for people — first in the events and F&B industries early in her career, and then in a marketing role for a government agency — and she wanted to try something new.

"It occurred to me that if I keep on doing this, I don't know — I feel like maybe I'm missing out on some experiences in life," the mother of three said.

From federal employee to small-business owner

In December 2024, Low and her husband opened Hangout Laundry, a 24-hour self-service laundromat in Bedok, a neighborhood in the eastern region of Singapore.

Low was drawn to the idea of starting a laundromat because it was an evergreen business. She also wanted to avoid making laundry feel like a chore.

"The whole idea was that we really want people to kind of look forward to laundry day. It doesn't have to be stuffy or boring," she said.

The air-conditioned interiors are bright and inviting. There's free WiFi and a coffee machine, and tables and chairs are set up where customers can wait.

Low's intention was to create a comfortable space where people could relax or get work done while doing their laundry.

Prices for the washer range between 7 and 12 Singapore dollars, or about $5 and $9. The cost of using the dryer is S$1 every 5 minutes.

While researching the industry, Low said she noticed that laundromats were often touted as a passive income business, which meant owners were not always around to keep an eye on things.

Dirty folding tables, or even a hot and stuffy atmosphere can have a big impact on the customer experience, and she wanted to change that. "I wanted it to be a more social place," she said.

Trusting her gut

Hangout Laundry is tucked away in the corner on the ground floor of a public housing apartment block.

The biggest challenge has been marketing the laundromat since it doesn't receive a lot of foot traffic; the nearest subway station is about a 15-minute walk away.

Everything on the laundromat's website has been optimized for search engines, Low said. That, coupled with getting their regulars to leave reviews, has helped boost their visibility online.

But ultimately, it's the experience that will keep customers coming back — something they feel is enhanced through social interaction. That's why Low and her husband take turns coming in almost every day to get to know their customers and listen to feedback.

Low said trusting her gut also paid off. For instance, she was told it was a bad idea to have a coffee machine in the laundromat, but she went ahead with the idea anyway.

Hot drinks range in price from S$3.30 to S$4.90, and Low said coffee now accounts for 20% of the store's sales.

She added that there are people who come in just for a cup of coffee or to use the desks: "We highly encourage it. I also have kids who want to come and study. I say it's no problem if they just buy a drink."

The average cost of starting a self-service laundromat is not as hefty as many other businesses, Gary Tan, a general manager at Fresh Laundry, a distributor of commercial laundry machines in Singapore, told BI.

Fresh Laundry offers turnkey services to those who want to set up their own laundromats, with entry-level packages starting from S$130,000, he said.

"If we were to include all other miscellaneous licensing and costs that an investor needs to consider, he needs to set aside an estimate of about S$160,000," Tan said, adding that a typical laundromat would take about three years to break even.

Low preferred not to share how much she has invested in or earned from the laundromat.

Making laundry a social activity

In the spirit of making the laundromat a more social space, Low held a Valentine's Day-themed party in February.

"We had a couple of rounds of silly games like blindfolded clothes-folding contests," she said, adding that there were multiple DJs and a pop-up bar that night.

Entry tickets were S$20 with one free drink, but free entry was granted to anyone who came with a load of laundry to wash or dry.

Low's already brainstorming ideas for the laundromat's next event — possibly a "Dungeons and Dragons" night, she says — and for ways to improve the laundry experience.

"Some people want iced coffee, so we're putting in an ice machine. Some people want a library of sorts, so we're thinking about it," Low said.

It's not easy being a small-business owner, but she hopes that it can rub off on her kids, who often come in on weekends to help her out.

"I'm hopeful that my kids can also learn to be a bit more entrepreneurial," Low said. "It would be nice."

The Los Angeles Lakers have revealed the final injury status of both LeBron James and Luka Doncic for their game against the New York Knicks.

The veteran-led Nashville Predators will host the balanced scoring attack of the Seattle Kraken in a Western Conference matchup on Thursday.

Will Leitch, founder of once-cutting edge sports site Deadspin, made a "bold" prediction about the New York Yankees' chances in 2025.

Polling firm Gallup has tracked support for Israel and Palestinians for 25 years starting in 2001.

The layoffs that hit about 800 NOAA employees last week will hamstring the agency's fleet of hurricane research aircraft, experts warn.

Threat level: NOAA's aircraft have specialized equipment that the Air Force's Hurricane Hunters lack. Their flights during hurricane season are aimed at feeding data into computer models to improve forecast accuracy.

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• The now-thinly staffed team of flight directors, engineers, scientists and mechanics means NOAA will struggle to maintain a 24-hour-a-day tempo of flying its modified Gulfstream jet and aging WP-3 research aircraft, said Josh Ripp, who was laid off as a flight engineer since he was a probationary employee.
• Ripp said the missing flights will translate into less accurate forecasts and greater risk for coastal residents who are used to having at least two to three days' warning of a hurricane's predicted landfall location.
• He told Axios in an interview that the agency is now either short one person or is at just the level of personnel needed to staff 24/7 flight operations, which has been the desired tempo during past seasons.

However, that assumes no one gets sick or has a family emergency and cannot crew a flight. NOAA, he said, is now "playing the odds that everyone there is going to be fine all season."

Zoom in: Two others associated with NOAA's hurricane research program confirmed the challenges the agency faces after the layoffs hit its Office of Marine and Aviation Operations in Lakeland, Fla.

• According to Andrew Hazelton, who was laid off from working on hurricane forecast models at the National Hurricane Center, the cuts may compromise forecast accuracy and ultimately cost lives.
• He said NOAA uses the information from the flights in two ways. One is to gauge the intensity and movement of a storm, since such data is immediately relayed to the Hurricane Center.
• The other is to use the specialized equipment — such as powerful, tail-mounted-Doppler radar — to gather data that's fed into hurricane forecast models to better anticipate a storm's movement and shifts in intensity.

Consistent NOAA and Air Force Reserve hurricane reconnaissance has helped lead to vast improvements in hurricane track forecasts in particular, with new gains made in intensity projections in recent years.

Between the lines: NOAA only has a minimum capacity of flight directors, positions that require years of training, according to one source familiar with staffing issues who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution if they are rehired.

• It missed out on gaining three who were in the hiring process when the Trump administration instituted a government-wide freeze, and then lost two to the layoffs, the source said.
• "This leaves the exact number for staffing four total WP-3 and G-IV crews," the source said. "It leaves no room for anyone to get sick or have a life event that precludes them from being able to fly."
• "It will, of course, also lead to burnout of the remaining flight directors," they said, noting that flight engineers are also at "critically low" levels of personnel.

Hazelton told Axios that NOAA is running the risk that a storm will approach the coast and that the agency won't be able to fly into and around it with its advanced capabilities.

• "I think that's a real risk that could happen if some of these moves aren't reversed," he said.

What they're saying: NOAA wouldn't comment specifically about the Hurricane Hunter staffing issue.

• "As per longstanding practice, we don't discuss internal personnel and management matters," the agency said in a statement to Axios.
• "NOAA remains dedicated to providing timely information, research and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation's environmental and economic resilience," the statement said. "We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission."

Go deeper:

DOGE moves to cancel NOAA leases on key weather buildings

Top weather, climate agency NOAA the latest layoff target

NOAA layoffs threaten weather, climate forecasts

DOGE plans for NOAA, FEMA could have big climate impacts