• Exercising can make you feel great, but some of your workout habits could be hurting you. 
• You shouldn't be in lots of pain because of a workout, so you should reassess your routine.
• Getting sick often, not sleeping well, or losing your appetite are signs you may be overtraining.

What you think are healthy exercise habits might actually be hurting you or putting you at risk for injury. 

If you're on a fitness journey this New Year, Business Insider spoke with training experts about the common signs your workout could be hurting you.

If you're in any amount of pain, stop what you're doing.

Jasmine Marcus, a New York-based physical therapist, told BI why pain during your workouts is a recipe for disaster.

"Pain is your body's way of protecting you and it most likely means you are injuring yourself," she said.

If the pain is localized to one body part, and you're able to finish a workout, Marcus said, you can continue working out as long as you're sure to seek medical treatment for whatever it is that is bothering you.

"For example, if your shoulder is bothering you, you should avoid irritating it further with shoulder presses, but there's no reason you can't keep working out your lower body," she added. "Just make sure to eventually seek out treatment for your shoulder."

Always listen to your body because toughing it out through an injury could end up sidelining you longer. If your pain is sharp, stabbing, or severe, or if you experience swelling, bruising, or any sort of open wound, you should seek medical assistance.

Working out shouldn't make you dizzy or weak for extended periods of time.

If you're experiencing dizziness or feeling weak long after your workout, that's not a good sign.

Mitchell Starkman, a sports and orthopedic physical therapist based in Canada, told BI that some dizziness is normal, but it shouldn't persist.

"If you're consistently getting dizzy while working out, it's always a good idea to follow up with your doctor first," he said, "That being said, many people become temporarily dizzy while training during position changes."

Starkman added that, similar to feeling light-headed when you stand up too fast, this dizziness comes from your body readjusting to the pressure change caused by sudden movements (like squats or deadlifts), which can lead to a "momentary lapse of blood flow to the brain."

Another reason for dizziness could be your eating habits. Every person's dietary needs vary, but if you're frequently working out on an empty stomach, it might make you feel woozy during a workout.

Your workout routine could be to blame if you keep getting sick.

Consistent exercise can boost your immune system, however, overtraining can backfire and cause you to get sick.

"Exercise is an amazing thing, and it, when done consistently, actually boosts our immune system over time," Starkman told BI. "That being said, when it's too intense, after our workouts, the body's immunity actually slightly drops for a few hours, making us more susceptible to sickness."

If you're constantly getting sick, you might want to reassess your fitness regime and make sure you're planning enough rest days and properly fueling your body before and after your workouts.  

If you're having trouble sleeping, it might be from overtraining.

Exercise is thought to benefit the quality of your sleep, but if you're lying awake at night tossing and turning, it means you might be overtraining.

"Insomnia is a sign that your sympathetic nervous system is not functioning healthily and is directly linked to exercising too much," Chelsea Axe, a board-certified chiropractic physician and certified strength and conditioning specialist at DrAxe.com, told BI.

She continued, "An overactive sympathetic nervous system and trouble sleeping are more closely linked to anaerobic activities, like sprinting, and especially heavy resistance training, like weightlifting."

Since the sympathetic nervous system is closely connected to the brain's fight-or-flight response, these kinds of exercises can easily cause insomnia or restlessness. Working out earlier in the day or scaling back on workout frequency and intensity can help alleviate sleep issues tied to your workout.

"Exercisers with signs of an overactive sympathetic nervous system could benefit from regular meditation, gentle yoga, and massage," Axe said. 

In addition to messing up your sleep schedule, your routine may be causing extreme fatigue.

If you find yourself feeling tired all the time or leaving the gym feeling exhausted instead of energized, you might need to scale it back.

"Sore muscles are common with a new routine, but excessive fatigue is not. If you are getting adequate sleep and are still super tired, there [might be] a couple of reasons," Megan Ostler, a registered dietitian and the director of nutrition at iFit, told BI.

One common reason for it, especially in women, is iron deficiency anemia.

"When we are deficient, we can't transport as much oxygen, and without enough oxygen, our muscles and organs can't perform the way they should, including converting nutrients to energy," she said. "Low energy production means low energy for us."

Another common reason for fatigue is not consuming enough calories pre- and post-workout.

"Our bodies work hard to make sure we don't die from starvation, so when our food intake decreases or exercise increases, our bodies must adapt," Ostler told BI. 

Loss of appetite is also a sign of overtraining.

Although it's true that you might find yourself hungrier than usual as your body adapts to a new fitness routine, suddenly finding that you're never hungry should set off some alarm bells.

"Many athletes assume that they can just follow their hunger cues to know how much to eat. However, that isn't always the case," Ostler told BI. "If you are working out at a high level your appetite might actually be suppressed."

Depression or irritability can be unwanted side effects of working out too much.

When we sweat, our body releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones that make us feel relaxed and alleviate stress. However, Axe said, exercise can actually also lead to spiked levels of anxiety or depression.

"Too much aerobic activity can lead to parasympathetic overtraining," she said. "Symptoms of this include fatigue, depression, and impaired sports performance."

She continued, "Overtrained athletes can also suffer from adrenal dysfunction, in addition to mood disorders exacerbated by excessive cortisol levels in the body."

If your heart is racing long after your workout, you might be overdoing it.

A telltale sign that you're overdoing your workout routine is if your heart rate is fluctuating at rest.

"If you're new to exercise, variation in resting heart rate is expected as your body gets into better shape," Axe said. "But for seasoned exercisers, heart rate variability may be an easy way to pick up on early signs of overtraining."

Persistent muscle aches may be a sign that you're injuring yourself.

Muscle soreness is common in the days after a particularly strenuous workout, but it shouldn't completely sideline you — and it should go away relatively quickly.

If your muscles are constantly sore and achy, you might be overtraining.

"When you work out, you cause small micro-tears to your muscles," Emily Paskins, a personal trainer at iFit, told BI. "This breakdown is then built over, which causes muscle growth. However, if you are constantly 'tearing' the muscles down without allowing adequate time for them to rebuild, you will begin to cause a state of constant wear and soreness."

This story was originally published in May 2018 and most recently updated on January 8, 2025.

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• I renovated a bathroom in my Victorian home for $12,000. It's nice, but I have a few regrets.
• White floors are difficult to keep clean, and our mirror is hung too high to serve shorter people.
• Our ceramic inserts for shampoo and toilet paper are too small to be fully functional.

I live in a charming 4,000-square-foot Victorian home that was built in 1890.

In recent years, I spent about $12,000 renovating the small, 50-square-foot bathroom that's tucked underneath the front staircase.

When I bought my house in 2012, it already felt outdated.

A stained acrylic tub was shoe-horned behind a half-wall near the toilet, tucked under a pitched ceiling where stairs on the other side of the wall ran up and over it. This meant no one taller than 5 feet could stand under the showerhead.

My renovation included a full rip-and-replace to the wall studs, custom tile and installation, plumbing and electrical costs, new fixtures and accessories, drywall, and paint.

Although I love my updated bathroom — now bright and modern with black-and-white tile throughout and the shower in a new location — I still made a few mistakes.

Here's what I did wrong and wish I'd done differently:

The toilet is in clear view from my living room whenever the bathroom door is open.

My carpenter convinced me to reverse how the door opens from the hallway, moving the hinges from the right side to the left.

It used to swing into the bathroom, and he needed it to swing out so it would not hit the new wall-hung sink directly behind the door.

Unfortunately, this means the toilet is now in full view to anyone in my living room — not exactly classy to see while enjoying a glass of wine or watching a movie. I close the door when leaving the bathroom, but guests often fling it wide.

If I had a do-over, I wouldn't have changed the direction in which the door opens, instead keeping the toilet hidden and putting the sink on the opposite wall.

White tile floors look elegant but show every speck of dirt.

I love the retro look of tiled bathrooms, especially in gleaming black-and-white designs. My tile floor was beautiful when installed, with bright-white grout and a polished black center in each square.

Within days, though, heavy foot traffic made the floor dingy — and the white still seems to show every speck of dirt.

I'm on my hands and knees weekly, scrubbing the floor.

The shallow wall inserts for shampoo and toilet paper are impractical.

I chose to add one ceramic insert to the tiled shower and another for the toilet paper roll. Unfortunately, both are too small.

The shower insert holds about one bottle of product. Had I gone with a taller and wider insert, I could fit two larger bottles, shampoo and conditioner.

The toilet-paper insert is also too small for the mega rolls we buy. I need to leave the roll on the floor until enough sheets have been torn off where it will fit into the smaller holder.

The mirror is hung too high to be useful to shorter people.

There's only one piece of drywall in the bathroom, and everything else is tiled. During installation, the tile was stacked too high up the wall, meaning the drywalled area is closer to the ceiling.

My 90-year-old mother lives with me and, after we hung a mirror on the drywall, we discover she can't see into it. She is 5 feet tall — on her tiptoes, she can see the top of her head. Although we chuckle, this is impractical.

Unfortunately, to fix this, we would need to rip out all the tiles in the wall.

I wish I'd gotten a built-in shower bench installed.

Speaking of my mother — although she's still agile, she is 90 years old.

Although our shower has a grab bar, I wish I'd paid extra to have a built-in bench installed, too. I've since noticed benches in friends' homes, and I imagine my mother will one day need this option.

I can buy a teak bench to place in the shower, but a tiled one would've been a sleeker solution.

• It's been over 20 years since "Cheaper by the Dozen" (2003) hit theaters. 
• Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, and Richard Jenkins have continued their successful careers.
• Hilary Duff, Tom Welling, Ashton Kutcher, and Alyson Stoner have all become big names.

 "Cheaper by the Dozen," a remake of the 1950 family comedy, was released in 2003. 

The film starred Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt as Tom and Kate Baker, who have 12 children together. 

Here's what the cast of "Cheaper by the Dozen" is up to now, over 20 years later.

Steve Martin, who starred as Tom Baker, has continued his successful career in the entertainment industry.

Steve Martin played Tom Baker, a college football coach who has 12 kids with his wife, Kate. 

Martin was a well-established entertainer before he took on the role. He was best known for his work as a comedian and comedic actor on shows like CBS' "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" in the 1970s and in films like "Parenthood" (1989) and "Father of the Bride" (1991).

After the film, he continued solidifying his legacy as a writer, comedian, actor, and musician. 

In addition to writing for and hosting various award shows, he continued to be a host and special guest on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." He also continued to act, starring in films like "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005),  "The Pink Panther" (2006), "Baby Mama" (2008), and "It's Complicated" (2009).

In 2007, he earned a Kennedy Center Honors — a lifetime achievement award for the performing arts.

Martin has also had a successful music and comedy career, earning five Grammy awards for his comedy recordings and bluegrass albums.

In 2016, he was nominated for two Tony awards for his work on the score for the Broadway musical "Bright Star."

Recently, Martin returned to his famous role in the short "Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)" (2020) and released the book "A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection" with illustrator Harry Bliss.

The actor also stars alongside Maritn Short and Selena Gomez on Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building."

Bonnie Hunt starred as Kate Baker, and she's still working as an actress, writer, producer, and comedian.

Bonnie Hunt played Kate Baker, Tom's wife and the mother to their 12 children. 

Like Martin, Hunt was well-established in the entertainment industry prior to her role in "Cheaper by the Dozen." She starred in films like "Beethoven" (1992) and "Jumanji" (1995), and she voiced characters in films like  "A Bug's Life" (1998) and "Monster's Inc." (2001).

She also starred on several TV shows, like CBS's "Bonnie" from 1995 to 1996 and ABC's "Life With Bonnie" from 2002 to 2004

In 2005, she returned as Kate in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2." After the film, she continued her work in Hollywood as a host on her talk show "The Bonnie Hunt Show" from 2008 to 2010. 

She also continued voice acting in animated movies such as the "Toy Story" films and shorts, the three "Cars" movies, "Monsters University" (2013), and "Zootopia" (2016).

In more recent years, she starred on Showtime's "Escape at Dannemora," appeared in "The Ultimate Playlist of Noise," and voiced her characters on the Disney+ series "Monsters at Work," "Cars on the Road," and "Zootopia+."

The actor is currently an executive producer of the podcast series "Going Reno."

Richard Jenkins, who starred as Shake McGuire, is an award-winning actor.

Richard Jenkins appeared in "Cheaper by the Dozen" as Shake McGuire, a colleague and friend of Tom.

Like Martin and Hunt, Jenkins had a long acting career before the film. He is well-known for his role as Nathaniel Fisher on HBO's "Six Feet Under" from 2001 to 2005.

Following his role in "Cheaper by the Dozen," he continued to appear in a variety of hit films, including "Burn After Reading" (2008), "Step Brothers" (2008), "Let Me In" (2010), "Jack Reacher" (2012), and "The Cabin in the Woods" (2012). 

He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "The Visitor" (2007) and won an Emmy for his role on the HBO limited drama series "Olive Kitteridge" (2014). Jenkins was also nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his supporting role in "The Shape of Water" (2017).

Jenkins starred on Epix's "Berlin Station" from 2016 to 2019, and he was in "Kajillionaire" (2020), "The Last Shift" (2020), and "Nightmare Alley" (2021). 

Most recently, the actor appeared on Netflix's "Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" and voiced a character in "If" (2024).

Piper Perabo starred as Nora, the Baker family's eldest daughter.

Piper Perabo starred as the oldest Baker, Nora, in "Cheaper by the Dozen."

Prior to the film, Perabo made a name for herself starring as Violet Sanford in "Coyote Ugly" (2000).

Along with starring in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," she went on to appear in films such as "The Prestige" (2006), "Because I Said So" (2007), "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (2008), "Looper" (2012), and "Angel Has Fallen" (2019).

Most recently, Perabo appeared in "Spontaneous" (2020). 

On TV, Perabo has appeared on USA Network's "Covert Affairs," Showtime's "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels," Paramount Network's "Yellowstone," and Showtime's "Billions."

Ashton Kutcher, who is now a successful actor, producer, and activist, starred as Nora's boyfriend.

Ashton Kutcher played Nora's boyfriend Hank, a self-obsessed actor, in "Cheaper by the Dozen." 

Kutcher became a household name thanks to his roles on Fox's "That '70s Show" from 1998 to 2006 and in the film "Dude, Where's My Car?" (2000).

The same year "Cheaper by the Dozen" was released, Kutcher also started his own production company, Katalyst. 

Following his role as Nora's boyfriend, Kutcher continued to act, starring in films such as "The Butterfly Effect" (2004), "What Happens in Vegas" (2008), "No Strings Attached" (2011), and "Jobs" (2013).

He also worked on shows like CBS's "Two and a Half Men" from 2011 to 2015 and Netflix's "The Ranch" from 2016 to 2020.

Beyond acting, he has established himself as an entrepreneur by investing in companies like Skype, Foursquare, Airbnb, and Uber. He's also an activist known for cofounding the human-rights organization Thorn, a nonprofit that works to combat child sexual exploitation, in 2009.

Recently, Kutcher appeared in "Vengeance" (2022) and "Your Place or Mine" (2023), and he reprised his role on Netflix's "That '90s Show." 

Tom Welling continued his career on TV after starring as Charlie Baker.

Tom Welling played the second-oldest Baker kid in "Cheaper by the Dozen." 

Welling made it big by starring as Clark Kent on The CW's "Smallville" from 2001 to 2011.

He's also appeared in a handful of films, including "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," but the bulk of his career has been on TV. 

In recent years, Welling starred on Fox/Netflix's "Lucifer," played Vincent Corbo on Viaplay's "Professionals," and appeared as Samuel Campbell on The CW's "The Winchesters."

His most recent credits were in "Clear Cut" (2024) and "Mafia Wars" (2024). 

Hilary Duff expanded her career after starring as Lorraine Baker.

Hilary Duff was at a peak in her career when she played Lorraine, Baker kid number three.

She got her big break starring on the Disney Channel's "Lizzie McGuire" from 2001 to 2004. She also appeared in films like "Casper Meets Wendy" (1998), "Cadet Kelly" (2002), and "Agent Cody Banks" (2003).

After appearing in "Cheaper by the Dozen," Duff went on to star in a variety of popular films, including "A Cinderella Story" (2004), "Raise Your Voice" (2004), "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005), and "Material Girls" (2006).

She's also starred on TV Land's "Younger."

Over the years, Duff made a name for herself in the music industry. She released her first pop album, "Metamorphosis," in 2003 and released a few more studio albums from 2004 to 2015.

In 2023, Duff and her husband, Matthew Koma, released a cover of the Third Eye Blind's "Never Let You Go" with the music group RAC.

The actor most recently starred on Hulu's "How I Met Your Father."

Kevin G. Schmidt played Henry Baker, and he's acted in a few projects since.

Kevin G. Schmidt played Henry, Baker kid number four, in "Cheaper by the Dozen."

Although Henry is still Schmidt's most well-known role, which he reprised in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," he appeared in a few other films, like "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" (2009).

He also worked on CBS's "The Young and the Restless" from 2008 to 2012 and Cartoon Network's "Unnatural History" in 2010.

More recently, he appeared in "Randy's Canvas" (2018).

Alyson Stoner is still dancing and acting. She's also made a name for herself online.

Child dance star Alyson Stoner played Sarah, Baker kid number five.

They started their career as a dancer for Missy Elliott before starring in "Cheaper by the Dozen." After the film, Stoner continued to act in film and on television.

They worked on shows like the Disney Channel's "Mike's Super Short Show" from 2002 to 2007, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" from 2005 to 2007, and "Phineas and Ferb" from 2007 to 2015.

The actor also starred in both the "Camp Rock" and "Step Up" film franchises. 

They continued her dance career by performing with artists like Eminem, Kumbia Kings, Outkast, and Will Smith. Recently, they danced during Missy Elliot's 2019 MTV Video Music Awards performance. 

Stoner has dabbled with music over the years, recently releasing their own song, "Stripped Bare." 

Stoner is also active on social media, with 1.2 million followers on Instagram and over 660,000 YouTube subscribers. They use those platforms to promote self-love and share their own dance videos. 

In recent years, the star has continued voicing Isabella in the "Phineas and Ferb" franchise. 

Jacob Smith played Jake Baker, but he is no longer is active in the entertainment industry.

Jacob Smith played Baker kid number six, Jake.

Before the film, Smith played Owen Salinger on Fox's "Party of Five" from 1998 to 2000. 

Following his role in "Cheaper by the Dozen," Smith only appeared in a handful of projects, including "Troy" (2004) and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005).

He has had a couple of guest appearances on TV shows like "Miracles" and "Without a Trace." According to IMDb, he hasn't acted in anything since 2006.

Morgan York played Kim Baker.

Morgan York starred in "Cheaper by the Dozen" as Kim, Baker kid number seven.

After "Cheaper by the Dozen," York starred in "The Pacifier" (2005) and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005).

Her last credited acting role was as Sarah on the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" from 2006 to 2010.

In 2020, York posted a life update on Instagram that said she's currently working as an editor in the book-publishing industry. She's also trying to get several of her own books published.

"The publishing world is complicated, so I'm not published or agented yet, but not for lack of trying. So far I've written six YA fantasy books," she wrote in the caption.

In more recent years, she's posted samples of her work on her blog.

Liliana Mumy continued to act in films and on television after playing Jessica Baker.

Liliana Mumy starred as Kim's twin sister Jessica, Baker kid number eight.

Prior to starring in "Cheaper by the Dozen," Mumy starred in "The Santa Clause 2" (2002).

After the film, Mumy went on to appear in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" as well as "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" (2006).

The bulk of Mumy's work since "Cheaper by the Dozen" has been in voice acting for animated films, shorts, and series.

She's voiced roles in "Mulan II" (2004), the "Lilo and Stitch" shows and films, Disney's "Sofia the First" from 2015 to 2018, Nicktoons' "Bravest Warriors" from 2012 to 2018.

In recent years, the actor has been voicing Leni in Nickelodeon's "The Loud House" franchise.

Forrest Landis played Mark Baker, but he's no longer in the spotlight.

Forrest Landis starred as Mark, Baker kid number nine, in "Cheaper by the Dozen." This was his first professional acting role.

Outside the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films, Landis' most well-known role is from the 2005 film "Flightplan." He also appeared on a handful of television shows including NBC's "ER," NBC's "LAX," and Showtime's "Weeds."

Per IMDb, his last acting credit was in the 2008 film "Spy School."

Blake Woodruff played Mike Baker, but the actor has laid low in the entertainment industry over the past few years.

Blake Woodruff appeared as Mike, Baker kid number 10.

After "Cheaper by the Dozen," Woodruff also played Noah Newman on "The Young and the Restless," the same role that his "Cheaper by the Dozen" costar, Schmidt, took over in 2012.

His other film credits include "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," "Whisper" (2007), and "Victor Crowley" (2017). 

Brent and Shane Kinsman played identical twins Nigel and Kyle Baker, but neither of them have acted in years.

Brent and Shane Kinsman rounded out the Baker's dozen as identical twins Nigel and Kyle.

After the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films, the brothers appeared in the film "Knocked Up" (2007) and played twins on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" from 2004 to 2011. 

Neither Kinsman has acted since 2011, and both appear to have left the entertainment industry. 

This story was originally published on April 25, 2020, and most recently updated on January 8, 2025. 

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• ABC's "Modern Family" aired in 2009 and ended in April 2020 after 11 seasons.
• Actors Ty Burrell and Sofía Vergara made names for themselves in the US because of "Modern Family."
• Many of the stars haven't acted much since "Modern Family" ended.

ABC's "Modern Family" first aired in 2009.

The popular family sitcom ended in April 2020 after 250 episodes and 11 seasons.

Here's what the cast has been up to in the 16 years since "Modern Family" made its debut.

Ty Burrell made audiences laugh as Phil Dunphy.

Burrell played the dad-est dad of all the dads, Phil Dunphy, on the show. His character became known for his goofy and lovable humor.

Prior to this role, Burrell had appeared in a few movies and shows.

Burrell's sense of humor is now his trademark.

If anything, his humor became a signature of both Dunphy and Burrell and has carried over into his side projects.

Famously, Burrell voiced Bailey in "Finding Dory" (2016), and he was also in a series of humorous Gain detergent commercials that almost felt like a subplot of a "Modern Family" episode.

Recently, he voiced a character on Fox's comedy "Duncanville." The actor is currently set to star in "Tightrope!" — a Roku comedy executive produced by Bryan Cranston.

Julie Bowen found her niche as Claire Dunphy.

Before starring as Claire Dunphy, Bowen made the rounds on a variety of television series, including "ER," "Weeds," and "Ed."

She hadn't landed the job that would be her claim to fame — until "Modern Family" aired.

Bowen is still in the industry.

Since "Modern Family" debuted, she's won two Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.

In 2021, she wrapped up voice work on Disney's animated "DuckTales" series and appeared in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and the movie "Mixtape."

In 2024, she was in the Peacock series "Hysteria!"

Ariel Winter played the uber-intelligent Alex Dunphy.

Winter started on the show as middle child and girl genius Alex Dunphy when she was 11 years old.

As she made her way through her teen years as the practical perfectionist on "Modern Family," she lent herself to other big-name shows as a voice actor, like "Phineas and Ferb" and "Sofia the First."

Winter was pursuing her college degree but has paused her studies.

Winter began pursuing her college degree at UCLA in fall of 2017, according to Entertainment Tonight.

She paused her studies after a few months, but did say, "I think education's really important. I love being there. I love learning," Winter said. "I will continue to keep learning."

She's been in a few movies since "Modern Family," including "The Quarry" and "Bully."

In recent years, she's spoken about her choice to leave Los Angeles — and, in 2022, she purchased a mansion in Tennessee.

Sarah Hyland played the rebellious oldest Dunphy.

Hyland played the troublemaking Haley Dunphy, who had a few mishaps throughout the series, including an underage-drinking arrest.

Before landing her part on "Modern Family," the actor appeared in a number of small roles in TV shows, like "Law & Order," and TV movies, including "Annie" (1999).

Hyland has continued performing.

In the past few years, Hyland has created viral videos with Boyce Avenue on YouTube, covering popular songs like "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and "Don't Wanna Know" by Maroon 5.

She also performed the catchy song "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" on the television remake of "Dirty Dancing" in 2017.

According to her Instagram bio, she's also the cofounder of the vitamin-infused chocolate brand Sourse.

Nolan Gould starred as Luke.

Like Winter and Rico Rodriguez, Gould started on the show at just 11 years old.

As the youngest child in the Dunphy family, Luke started out as a rambunctious and dim-witted kid who was often the center of mischievous antics.

As the series has progressed, however, he's shed his playful ways and the writers have progressively leaned into Luke's lack of intelligence, much like his older sister, Haley.

Gould has shown off his academic chops.

Even though his "Modern Family" character is famously not bright, the actor is actually very intelligent.

Gould graduated with a GED at just 13 and told Ellen Degeneres in 2013 that his IQ was 150. He's also a member of high-IQ society Mensa International.

He has acted in a handful of projects since "Modern Family" wrapped — recently, he was on an episode of "Grey's Anatomy" and in a few films, including Camp (2023) and "The Nana Project" (2023)

Ed O'Neill owned his role as everyone's favorite (and brutally honest) patriarch.

As the patriarch of the Dunphy-Pritchett clan, O'Neill's character, Jay Pritchett, was problematic at worst and simply ignorant at best during the beginning of the series.

Over the course of the show, Jay became more accepting of the other characters — especially those most different from him.

Prior to this role, the actor appeared in many films but was perhaps most known for playing Al on the series "Married ... With Children" for over a decade.

O'Neill's performance is sure to remain iconic.

O'Neill has taken on just a few roles since "Modern Family" ended, including one on FX's "Clipped."

Sofía Vergara became memorable as Gloria on the show.

Before "Modern Family," Colombian-American actor Vergara had small roles in various American television shows and movies and even hosted two shows on Univisión in the late 1990s.

Once she owned the role of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, she became a household name in the United States.

The show helped make Vergara a household name in the US.

Since then, she's been the face of CoverGirl, been nominated for both Emmys and Golden Globes, and has starred in successful movies like "Hot Pursuit" and "Chef."

She spent years on Forbes' list of the highest-paid television actresses in America. She's also been a judge on "America's Got Talent" and host on "Extra."

In 2024, she lent her voice to "Despicable Me 4" and starred in the Netflix limited series "Griselda."

Rico Rodriguez played Manny Delgado, a kid wise beyond his years.

When 11-year-old Rodriguez was introduced as the unbelievably mature Manny Delgado at the start of the show, his wisdom and class hilariously mismatched the young kid on the screen.

Rodriguez hasn't done much acting since.

Since then, Rodriguez has had small roles in several small projects over the years but hasn't acted in a major production since "Modern Family."

Before starring in "Modern Family," Jesse Tyler Ferguson was on Broadway.

Before he played lawyer Mitchell Pritchett on "Modern Family," the actor had a successful theater career, originating the role of Leaf Coneybear in "The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee."

Ferguson has returned to his theatrical roots.

Ferguson and his character Mitchell Pritchett share the same love of theatre and film.

In years since the show first aired, he's taken on off-Broadway roles in "The Tempest" and "Spamalot" and again originated a Broadway role as Sam in "Fully Committed" in 2016.

He also appeared in Taylor Swift's music video for "You Need to Calm Down."

Recently, he released a cookbook with recipe developer Julie Tanous and was in a Broadway revival of "Take Me Out," which opened in 2022.

In 2023 he appeared in the movie "Cocaine Bear."

Eric Stonestreet became the star of the show as Mitchell.

The chronically optimistic, bubbly, and caring Cameron Tucker on "Modern Family" brought Stonestreet from guest-star status to recognizable TV star.

Before he landed the role, Stonestreet was most recognizable as Ronnie Litre on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and as a hotel desk clerk in "Almost Famous."

He has two Emmy awards for his role on the show.

Stonestreet won two Emmys for his role in "Modern Family."

He's also done voice work for a few shows, including "You're Not a Monster" and "Sofia the First."

In recent years, he appeared in the comedy "American Auto."

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons started the show very young.

Anderson-Emmons played Lily Tucker-Pritchett, who Cam and Mitchell adopted in season one of the show.

Although twins Jaden and Ella Hiller originally played Lily, Anderson-Emmons took over the role when she was 4 years old.

Anderson-Emmons hasn't done much acting since.

She has not acted in major projects since the show wrapped in 2020.

She's built up a fairly large following on TikTok and is fairly active on social media.

• President-elect Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to block Friday's hush-money sentencing in NY.
• Wednesday's request seeks "to prevent grave injustice and harm to the presidency."
• The court asked for a response by 10 a.m. Thursday from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.

Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked the US Supreme Court to block the president-elect's Manhattan hush-money sentencing, currently set for Friday.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is assigned to handle emergency applications from New York for the court.

Sotomayor, nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009, issued a scathing dissent of the high court's July 1 opinion granting presidents broad immunity from prosecution. The 525-page application filed by Trump on Wednesday morning refers to presidential immunity more than 300 times, and argues that it voids his conviction and indictment.

Still, the full panel of justices would decide Trump's application; he would need a majority 5/9 vote to prevail.

Trump's 11th-hour bid to avoid sentencing comes one day after a New York appellate judge nixed a similar stay, rejecting arguments by a defense lawyer that presidential immunity from prosecution extends to presidents-elect.

Defense lawyers on Wednesday morning simultaneously filed an application with the state's highest appellate court seeking to block Trump's sentencing.

The nation's highest court has asked prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to file response papers by 10 a.m. Thursday. A spokesperson for Bragg declined comment, saying, "We will respond in court papers."

SCOTUS can decide any time after Bragg's response whether the sentencing happens as scheduled.

Trump is seeking "to correct the unjust actions by New York courts and stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.'s Witch Hunt," Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said. "The Supreme Court's historic decision on Immunity, the Constitution, and established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed."

• I usually fly economy, but I splurged on a first-class Alaska Airlines ticket to Hawaii.
• The round-trip flight cost over $2,000, but the amenities really let me down.
• It definitely wasn't worth it for me — I hope I actually get a first-class experience someday.

I travel often and have only flown economy. However, faced with long-haul flights from the East Coast of the US to Hawaii, I decided to spring for first-class tickets.

I was traveling without my family, so I thought it might be my only chance to see what it's like at the front of the plane without shelling out for multiple tickets.

After looking at different itineraries, I picked a round-trip flight on Alaska Airlines that cost over $2,000. I'd never flown with the airline before, but I excitedly hit buy on the nonrefundable first-class tickets.

I thought the luxury experience would be worth the investment. Instead, in my opinion, what I got wasn't much better than economy.

Unfortunately, I should've done my research.

My first incorrect assumption what that my first-class ticket would automatically get me access to an airport lounge. I thought this would be especially nice since my itinerary included a layover in each direction.

Unfortunately, there weren't Alaska lounges at any of the four airports I flew through during my trip, and you have to be an Alaska Lounge+ member to access any of the airline's partner lounges.

To make things worse, I assumed the first-class seats would be as nice as those I've seen on other airlines. My heart sank when I learned that Alaska Airlines' first-class seats don't recline much and don't have seat-back screens.

I'd been looking forward to a deep recline to help me sleep and zone out while watching movies and catching up on emails throughout my 18-hour travel day.

At this point, I wondered if it would've been better to fly economy on a different airline, but it was too late to change my ticket.

Still, I tried to look on the bright side.

When I boarded my first flight, I was cautiously optimistic.

I was glad to see my first-class chair was noticeably bigger than a typical economy seat. Plus, it had plenty of padding to make it more comfortable.

Unfortunately, the seats reclined even less than I expected. I also didn't get a pillow or an amenities kit, just a blanket, which is what I'm used to on longer economy flights on other airlines.

Unfortunately, things only got more boring from there.

I packed a tablet with a big screen so I could watch movies and TV shows through Alaska's app, which seemed to have a pretty good selection. However, there wasn't a tablet holder on the seatback for either of my flights there.

Because I had only one tray table, I had to choose between watching movies or using my computer to catch up on emails. Given the limited space, things got even tighter when the food came out.

I also had to pay an extra $32 ($8 on each leg of my flight) for WiFi.

I subsisted on snack boxes throughout the long flights there.

When it was time to eat, I was hoping for a hot meal. I left my house at 4 a.m. without breakfast and was starving.

I waited to see what would be on my tray, only to discover that because I had not selected a meal in advance (which I didn't know was a thing), I was stuck with a snack box and a couple of mediocre sides.

I got the same snack box (sans entrée) on my second flight, leaving me hangry when I landed.

As I deplaned, I longingly thought about the delicious food I had on a recent Turkish Airlines flight in economy.

The return flight was slightly better but still far from luxurious.

When it came time to board my first flight home, I was happy to see that the plane was nicer.

This time, I had a tablet holder on the back of my seat so I could watch from a comfortable distance and save some tray space.

The seats didn't recline more than the other plane, but they did have footrests. My flight left at 11 p.m., and I was so tired that I dozed off easily.

Unfortunately, I was soon disappointed again when I boarded my connecting flight. The plane was an older model without a tablet holder.

I had at least preordered a meal for this leg, which was better than the snack box.

I'm looking forward to having a better first-class experience someday.

I can't totally blame Alaska for my underwhelming first-class experience.

If I had done some research before booking, it would've been much clearer that the airline is known for its no-frills planes. However, it still felt like I was paying first-class prices, so I think some disappointment is appropriate.

I won't be flying first class on Alaska again, but I hope to have a real, luxurious experience on another airline in the future.

Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• TikTok published its global "What's Next" trends report for marketing creatives on Wednesday.
• It advised marketers to try out AI tech and hire a wider set of creators to reach niche communities.
• TikTok also dove into how marketers should change how they talk about life stages with consumers.

TikTok thinks marketers should lean into artificial intelligence as a creative tool in 2025.

It's one of several trends TikTok laid out on Wednesday in its 2025 "What's Next" report, which breaks down the culture and technology trends the company thinks will shape marketing in the coming year.

It's also recommending brands hire a wider set of influencers to reach niche communities and adjust how they speak to a new crop of consumers who view life stages differently than their predecessors.

Business Insider spoke to Cassie Taylor, TikTok's global creative solutions and trends lead, and several marketing partners who had early access to the report about where TikTok marketing is heading next.

TikTok's deep dive into global trends did not address the elephant in the room: its app could be pulled from US app stores as early as January 19, as mandated by a divest-or-ban law. If that does happen, TikTok would still operate in other markets. Brands would likely shift their US attention to other short-video products, such as Instagram reels or YouTube shorts. Taylor declined to comment on a potential ban.

Here are BI's key takeaways from the 36-page report:

1. AI is a marketer's friend, not a foe (hopefully)

Last year, TikTok announced a bunch of new generative-AI tools for marketers inside a creative suite called Symphony. The product allows creatives to generate ad scripts and trend summaries and translate and dub videos into new languages, among other offerings. One of Symphony's more striking features helps brands use AI-generated avatars built from the likenesses of influencers or paid actors. That tool remains in limited use, Taylor said.

Some influencers and marketers have expressed nervousness about the potential for generative AI to take away jobs. TikTok acknowledged that uncertainty in its report. Still, the company wrote that marketers can gain a "creative edge" if they embrace AI.

"Even a few years ago when we started to see different apps come out with AI, it was a little bit of, 'Do we like this? Do we not like this?' Should we be worried about it?'" Taylor said. "It's now been around just enough time from a trend perspective for people to really see its value."

Bridget Jewell, an executive creative director at Dentsu Creative who sits on a creative partner council for TikTok, said the agency uses TikTok's Symphony suite to come up with video ideas and identify trending sounds.

"It's the tool that allows us to think about things differently," Jewell said.

2. Work with influencers to connect with niche communities

Marketers go back and forth on whether to hire celebrities and mega influencers for reach or to work with creators who have more targeted audiences. TikTok is betting the latter will take off in 2025.

"As communities seek trusted voices, more people are becoming creators, from quiet reviewers to quirky characters," the company wrote in its report. "It's not about the loudest voice, but increasing the number of creators, sometimes even by 50% — to drive impact at scale."

Working with creators who know how to speak to a specific community can help a brand build trust, Taylor said.

"I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for a mass message," Taylor said. "What I'm saying is people will build a relationship with you on TikTok if you're talking to them like the community."

Jamie Gersch, chief marketing officer of the fashion brand Rothy's, told BI the company looks to work on campaigns with influencers who are already engaging with its products on social media.

"The in-house team is living and breathing on the platform and finding people that are naturally talking about us and love us," Gersch said.

3. Brands should treat life stages differently for modern consumers

Marketers should rethink the way they talk about traditional life milestones like buying a home when they speak to TikTok users.

These milestones can induce "FOMO and anxiety about falling behind," the company wrote. It pointed to users on the app who have shared their struggles with student debt and homeownership.

Instead of posting videos that value classic life stages, brands could lean into other goals TikTok users have shown they care about, like improving mental health or going on a hike.

"People are getting married later. People are moving abroad as a milestone. People are having different career goals," Taylor said.

• Brooke Shields, 59, has been in the limelight since she starred in the movie "Pretty Baby" at 11.
• She told Real Simple society is obsessed with youth, but with age comes experience.
• Here life lessons include not being afraid to age, having strong friendships, and loving yourself.

At 59, Brooke Shields doesn't like being called "aged."

"People imprint onto me what they remember from a certain era of my life, and they're attached to that," she told Real Simple.

But the actor and model, whose career started at age 11 when she appeared in the controversial 1978 movie "Pretty Baby," hopes that this will change with the release of her new book, "Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old."

Shields said she is embracing aging, which feels "rebellious" because "our society has become so myopically focused on youth."

Brookes doesn't want people to "lose sight of the value that comes with age and experience and time," she said.

Here are three lessons she has learned in her 59 years.

Friends are important

Shields said that she wouldn't be alive today without her friends.

She sees spending time with friends as self-love. "I leave either knowing a bit more about myself or remembering something I liked about myself through them," she said.

Plus, "it's really important to have friends so it's not all on your partner," she said.

Friendships are important for our physical and mental well-being. Professor Rose Anne Kenny, a gerontologist at Trinity College Dublin and lead researcher on the The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, thinks friendship is just as important as diet and exercise for longevity.

Love yourself

"It's kind of a cliché, but God, you really have to learn early to love yourself," Shields said, adding: "There's just such freedom in finding all the ways you like yourself."

She said part of that is finding a sense of humor about yourself that isn't self-deprecating — which she used to be. But "after 30, 40 years, you start to believe your self-deprecation, and that's dangerous," she said.

Business Insider has previously reported on what it means to love yourself.

Don't fear aging

Shields wants her daughters, aged 21 and 18, not to be "terrified" of aging because "there's something to be said" about life at 59.

"I feel like more of a new person now than I've ever felt," she said, adding: "I'm a bit more in my own life and skin. I'm sitting with myself more. I don't bore myself." This is because she's no longer focused on age-related milestones, such as having children, she said.

Plus, she said she couldn't have launched her hair care business in her 20s, without the life experience she now has.

"I think a life experience is the biggest gift we can be granted," she said.

BI has previously reported on other people who started businesses in their 50s and older.

• One could argue that fast-food chains are defined by their signature burgers.
• I compared the Big Mac and the Whopper with cheese to find out which burger came out on top.
• Burger King's Whopper impressed me with its flame-grilled patty and fresh toppings.

Practically every fast-food chain has a signature burger … and some are better than others.

I decided to compare the most famous burgers from the two biggest burger chains in the US: McDonald's and Burger King.

I tried the McDonald's Big Mac and the Burger King Whopper with cheese to determine which classic fast-food burger is best based on taste and value.

Every fast-food chain is striving for value in 2025, amid price hikes and a competitive market with other brands. Even casual dining establishments like Chili's and Applebee's are fighting to offer customers the best deals.

On Tuesday, McDonald's announced it would be introducing a new value meal on the heels of its highly popular $5 value combo, in which customers can order any full-price menu item and get an additional menu item — with choices ranging from a six-piece chicken nugget to a double cheeseburger — for $1.

Here's how the McDonald's Big Mac stacked up against the Burger King Whopper.

First, I tried the Big Mac from McDonald's.

The Big Mac, often considered the most iconic fast-food burger, has been a McDonald's menu staple since 1967. Created by Pittsburgh franchise owner Jim Delligatti, the original Big Mac featured a triple-decker burger and sold for just 45 cents.

It was launched nationwide in 1968 and soon became the chain's signature item.

The Big Mac is topped with cheese, shredded lettuce, and a signature sauce.

The Big Mac consists of two 1.6-ounce beef patties, pickles, shredded lettuce, chopped onions, a slice of American cheese, and Mac sauce, all sandwiched between a sesame seed bun.

Similar to a club sandwich, a third bun is also placed in the middle of the sandwich.

It cost me $7.69, excluding tax, at my local McDonald's in Brooklyn, New York.

There was a generous serving of pickles and shredded lettuce on the burger.

The Big Mac is unique in that the top beef patty doesn't have any cheese or sauce on it — all of that goodness is toward the bottom of the burger.

I thought that the lettuce overpowered the burger, and overpowered the cheese, meat, and sauce flavors. I was hoping for a tangier kick from ketchup and mustard, or just more Big Mac sauce.

The extra bun made the burger taste dry.

The burger tasted noticeably dry, likely because the toppings were unevenly distributed, making it bottom-heavy. The cheese and Big Mac sauce were concentrated at the bottom, leaving the dry bun and patty to dominate the first bites with little flavor or moisture.

I liked the tanginess of the pickles and the sauce. I just wish their flavor was more prevalent.

While I recognize the Big Mac's iconic status on the McDonald's menu, it's far from my favorite. Next time, I'll stick with a Quarter Pounder.

Burger King's signature Whopper has been around for decades.

Burger King's iconic Whopper has been a staple since 1957, debuting just four years after the chain's founding. Priced at 37 cents, it offered a larger, premium option compared to the chain's original 18-cent burger.

What sets the Whopper — and all Burger King burgers — apart is their flame-grilling, which gives them a unique smoky flavor.

The Whopper is a classic cheeseburger.

A standard Whopper comes with a quarter-pound beef patty, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise on a sesame seed bun.

I opted to order mine with cheese for a closer comparison to the Big Mac. At my local Burger King in Brooklyn, it cost me $8.49, excluding tax, putting it at 80 cents more than the Big Mac I tried.

The burger was piled high with lettuce, tomato, and condiments.

From the start, it was clear this burger was going to be bursting with flavor. Thick layers of ketchup and mayonnaise oozed from the sides, while the oversize bun managed to hold everything together.

This burger stood out as my favorite for its taste and texture.

The lettuce, tomatoes, and onions were incredibly fresh, adding a satisfying crunch to the burger, and the cheese added a punch of rich flavor to each bite.

The patties had a smoky, savory flavor, giving the sandwich a just-grilled taste. I also appreciated the patty's shape — larger in diameter but flatter than other burgers — making it easier to eat.

All of the elements felt well-balanced, with not one single ingredient overpowering the others, like I felt happened with the shredded lettuce on the Big Mac.

Overall, I had to give the win to the Burger King Whopper.

I much preferred the flavors of the Whopper with cheese and thought it was more balanced. It tasted like a classic cookout burger, and the flavor of every ingredient came through in each bite.

I also thought the Whopper was worth the slightly higher price tag. It was more flavorful and was a large-sized fast-food burger for under $10 — something that's becoming increasingly rare these days as prices rise.

• A Ukrainian F-16 pilot may have pulled off a feat no one flying the jet has achieved before.
• Ukraine's Air Force Command said the pilots took out six Russian cruise missiles in a single flight.
• Colonel Yuriy Ihnat said it was the first time this had been recorded in the jet's history.

Ukraine said one of its F-16 pilots achieved a feat nobody flying the jet has managed before.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Ukraine's Air Force Command said a pilot flying an F-16 took out six Russian cruise missiles during a single flight, using air-to-air missiles and an aircraft cannon.

This occurred during a "mass" missile and drone attack in December, it said.

On December 13, Russia fired almost 200 drones, Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, and 94 cruise missiles at Ukraine.

The pilot's main target was the cruise missiles, according to the post.

He used all four air-to-air missiles on board the F-16, two of which were short-range, forcing the jet to fly closer to the missiles — an "extremely dangerous" task, it said.

The pilot then struck two other missiles flying close to each other using an air cannon.

Business Insider was not able to verify the report.

Intercepting "such important targets is not an easy task for a pilot, but who, if not Ukrainian pilots, has the most experience in the world of winged missiles?" Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Ukrainian Air Force Command's public relations service, said.

Since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has frequently launched large missile attacks on Ukraine, aimed at overwhelming Ukraine's air defense systems and hitting targets behind the front lines.

The pilot, who had recently undergone retraining for F-16s in the US, said in the post that Ukrainian F-16 pilots had never used an aviation cannon to shoot down targets.

However, he said he applied the lessons he learned in the US.

"I must have set a record that day," he said, adding, "I am convinced that this experience will be useful to colleagues."

Colonel Ihnat described it as the first-ever documented case.

He said that "based on objective control, we have one hundred percent confirmation that for the first time in history in anti-air combat, an American fighter F-16 shoots down six winged missiles."

• A wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles and is raging through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
• "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill was among the 30,000 people in LA evacuated from their homes.
• The average house price in the northern LA area is $4.5 million.

A wildfire in Los Angeles is tearing through the Pacific Palisades area, which is home to A-list actors including Ben Affleck — who bought his $20.5 million mansion there last July.

Other A-listers such as Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Keaton, Adam Sandler, Miles Teller, and Eugene Levy also live in the Palisades.

The area is situated in northern LA, where the average house price is $4.5 million, per Realtor.com.

The fire started on Tuesday in the Palisades before spreading west toward the Malibu stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. On Wednesday, the city of Malibu issued a statement on X advising residents to prepare to evacuate.

Among the at least 30,000 LA residents asked to evacuate their homes due to the fire was "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill. He said on Instagram that he had left his Malibu home on Tuesday with Marilou, his wife, and their dog, Trixie. He described it as the "most horrific fire since '93."

He said: "Evacuated Malibu so last-minute there were small fires on both sides of the road as we approached PCH."

Oscar-nominated actor James Woods said on X that he and his family safely evacuated from the Palisades, but he didn't know if his home "is still standing."

On Tuesday, TMZ reported that Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, stars of "The Hills," lost their home in the fire after they were evacuated from the area.

The Palisades Charter High School also burned down, per The Hollywood Reporter. The campus was used for films including "Carrie," "Freaky Friday," "Project X," and MTV's "Teen Wolf" TV series.

Premieres for "Wolf Man" and "Unstoppable," which were due to happen on Tuesday, were canceled.

In 2023, the University of California, Irvine, found that California's wildfires have worsened each year over the past two decades.

The fire that started on Tuesday quickly spread due to the Santa Ana winds, which created up to 80-mile-per-hour gusts. The drought in Southern California also exacerbated the situation, creating dangerously dry conditions.

In 2018, Kim Kardashian and her ex-husband Kanye West were criticized by fans for hiring private firefighters to protect their $60 million home in the Hidden Hills when the Woolsey fire burned almost 100,000 acres of land.

• A former aide to Bashar Assad discussed the recent collapse of the Syrian government.
• He pointed to a "trick" by Russia's Vladimir Putin in an interview with Saudi media.
• Russia was unwilling to come to Assad's rescue as rebels advanced.

A former aide to Syria's deposed President Bashar Assad described how he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin contributed to the country's collapse.

Speaking to Al Arabiya, a news outlet owned by the government of Saudi Arabia, Kamel Saqr said Putin stalled on a high-stakes effort to broker military help to Assad's forces.

That, he said, left them too weak to repel the rebels who ultimately overthrew Assad in December.

Assad had long relied on support from Russia and also from Iran to maintain power through Syria's long civil war.

Per Saqr's telling, both allies looked the other way as collapse loomed.

Assad was in Moscow as rebels seized control of Syria's second-biggest city, Aleppo, on November 29.

Saqr said in the interview that, during the trip, Assad asked Putin to help transport weapons from Iran via a Russian-occupied base in Syria.

"Bashar al-Assad's request to Putin was for him to personally handle the secure aerial transportation necessary to deliver military aid to support or stop the advance of the Syrian opposition," Saqr said.

His description of behind-the-scenes events could not be verified by Business Insider.

According to Saqr, Putin agreed to the request for arms to be transported using Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria.

"But what happened," he said, "was that the Iranians told Bashar al-Assad, 'we did not receive any signals to proceed with moving Iranian aircraft to the Hmeimim base [or to] fly through Iraqi airspace to land at the base.'"

"The question was relayed to Moscow, but no answer came."

The Al Arabiya interviewer asked whether the failed maneuver was down to a "trick" by Putin, and replied that there was "no other explanation."

The Kremlin at the time would not confirm reports Assad was in Moscow as rebels advanced. Saqr told Al Arabiya that he started to believe something was off after the Kremlin refused to release a joint press statement after the leaders met.

Russia and Iran were Assad's two chief international allies, but as rebels began driving back government forces in a lightning advance, neither stepped up to help.

Analysts say that Russia was too distracted by its invasion of Ukraine to offer significant support. Iran and its ally Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militia, were both badly weakened in their clashes with Israel.

As rebels advanced on the capital, Damascus, Russia flew Assad and his family out of the country, providing them refuge in Moscow.

Saqr, in the interview, said Assad had waited several hours on December 8 at Russia's Hmeimim base for his flight out, ending the Assad family's five decades in power.

"My information suggests that he stayed at the base for several hours until the plane was secured, prepared, and its takeoff and flight to Moscow were ensured," Saqr said.

• Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz isn't worried about Elon Musk's close relationship with Donald Trump.
• The boss of the Tesla rival told Bloomberg it may actually be good for the US auto industry.
• Musk has signaled support for cutting the EV tax credit, which he said would "devastate" Tesla's rivals.

With his close ties to President-elect Trump, Elon Musk is more influential than ever — but the boss of one of Tesla's biggest rivals isn't worried.

Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz said on Tuesday that he thinks the Tesla CEO's outsize influence over the Trump administration may actually be positive for the rest of the auto industry.

"I don't see that as a concern, honestly," Munoz said in an interview with Bloomberg.

The Hyundai CEO said he believed it was in Musk's own interests to ensure the US continued to promote EV investment and growth, and remained competitive with China's upstart electric vehicle industry.

"I think having someone who is very close to the US industry and the EV world (in that position) should be positive for the industry," Munoz added.

Musk's close relationship with Trump, which has seen the billionaire take on an advisory role to cut government spending at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has raised fears that the Tesla CEO could use his newfound influence to boost his own company and target rival automakers.

Musk has already signaled his support for cutting the $7,500 federal subsidy for new US-made electric cars, which applies to Hyundai, Ford, General Motors, and Tesla vehicles.

The SpaceX founder and analysts have both said cutting the subsidy will have a greater impact on Tesla's rivals, with Musk saying the move would "devastate" the company's competitors and benefit Tesla in the long term in a November earnings call.

Musk's DOGE cofounder Vivek Ramaswamy has also said the cost-cutting body will "carefully scrutinize" the $7.5 billion in federal loans granted by the Biden administration to Tesla rivals Rivian and Stellantis.

It comes as Hyundai and its sister company, Kia, continue to see strong electric vehicle sales in the US.

The two companies reported record EV sales in the US last year thanks to new models like the IONIQ 5 and Kia EV9. In June, their combined parent group beat out Ford and GM to briefly become the second-largest EV seller in the country behind Tesla.

Hyundai did not respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.

• Ryanair is suing a passenger it said had forced a flight to divert, it announced Wednesday.
• The airline said it paid for 160 passengers' accommodation after the diversion meant an overnight delay.
• It said it would take action against "disruptive passengers personally."

Ryanair announced a clampdown on passenger misconduct as it revealed it was suing someone it accused of disrupting a flight and forcing it to divert.

The budget airline said it wants to claim over 15,000 euros, around $15,500, in damages, having filed proceedings in the Irish Circuit Court.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the airline said it would now take action against "disruptive passengers personally" in a "major misconduct clamp down."

It added it would "continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behavior."

In the statement, it said that the incident occurred on April 9, 2024, on a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote — a popular vacation destination in Spain's Canary Islands.

The flight, with 160 passengers on board, diverted to Porto, Portugal, and was delayed overnight, the airline said.

The airline accused the passenger of "inexcusable behavior" but did not elaborate on what they had specifically done.

A Ryanair spokesperson said the incident cost the airline 15,000 euros for overnight accommodation, passenger expenses, and landing costs.

"It is unacceptable that passengers — many of whom are heading away with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday — are suffering unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time as a result of one unruly passenger's behavior," the spokesperson said.

"This demonstrates just one of the many consequences that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of Ryanair's zero-tolerance policy, and we hope this action will deter further disruptive behavior on flights so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment," they added.

• Apple still can't sell iPhone 16s in Indonesia due to a ban in place since October.
• Indonesia's industry minister said that Apple doesn't meet rules to source some materials locally.
• That's despite Apple's plan to invest $1 billion in building an AirTag factory in the country.

Apple is still banned from selling the iPhone 16 in Indonesia after a top government official dismissed its $1 billion plan to meet local investment requirements.

Indonesia's industry minister, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, said in a briefing on Wednesday that Apple's proposal, which included a plan to build an AirTag factory in the country, did not fulfill the demands of its local regulations.

Apple has been blocked from selling its latest iPhone model in the country of over 280 million people since October. It currently falls short of a requirement for tech firms to locally source at least 40% of the material in their smartphones and tablets.

Indonesia's investment minister, Rosan Roeslani, said on Tuesday that Apple had "committed" to building the AirTag factory on Batam Island, with operations beginning in early 2026.

However, Kartasasmita said on Wednesday that the factory would not be enough to reverse the ban, with AirTags considered just an accessory, according to comments reported by Bloomberg.

"As of this afternoon, the government does not have a basis for issuing the local content certificates" that Apple needs to sell its flagship device in Indonesia, Kartasamita said. "Apple needs to negotiate with us so that we can issue a certificate."

The comments came after Reuters reported that Indonesia's industry minister had met with Apple representatives on Tuesday to discuss the tech giant's plans to comply with investment expectations and get the iPhone 16 ban lifted.

However, Kartasasmita's comments on Wednesday suggest negotiations between Indonesia and the world's most valuable company had failed to reach a resolution, extending Apple's drought on iPhone 16 sales in Indonesia.

Apple's difficulties in Southeast Asia's largest economy have been deepened as smartphone rivals such as Samsung have pushed forward with their own efforts to meet Indonesia's regulatory demands.

"There's no deadline for compliance," Kartasasmita said. "If Apple wants to sell the iPhone 16, and especially if they plan to launch the iPhone 17, the decision is entirely up to them."

Apple did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

• The advertising giant WPP is telling workers to come to the office four days a week from April.
• Business Insider obtained the internal memo sent to the company's 114,000 employees.
• "I believe that we do our best work when we are together in person," CEO Mark Read said in the memo.

The advertising giant WPP has told its workforce of more than 100,000 employees to return to the office at least four days a week.

"From the beginning of April this year, the expectation across WPP will be that most of us spend an average of four days a week in the office," WPP CEO Mark Read wrote in a memo sent to staff on Tuesday and seen by Business Insider.

The Financial Times first reported the move.

The policy is set to go into effect in April to give staff time to make adjustments and to "address capacity requirements" in offices, he wrote.

The CEO said in-office attendance was associated with "stronger employee engagement, improved client survey scores and better financial performance."

"I believe that we do our best work when we are together in person," he wrote. "It's easier to learn from each other, it's a better way to mentor colleagues starting out in the industry, and it helps us win pitches as a truly integrated team."

Under the new policy, WPP will allow staff one flexible working day a week and consider individual circumstances through a formal approval process, a person familiar with the matter told BI.

One WPP employee, speaking with BI on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on company policy, said they still had questions about the return-to-office plan's practicalities. They said that in some offices, there were already issues with securing enough desk space or meeting rooms, for example.

AT&T this week began implementing a staggered five-day RTO mandate, and workers told BI that limited available desks and elevators at some offices complicated their return.

Amazon encountered office-capacity issues last year, which, as BI previously reported, delayed its full return-to-office plan for some employees.

Another WPP insider said they felt the move would be positive for younger staff and help them network and learn from colleagues, while allowing flexibility for those who required it.

WPP's announcement follows that of its fellow advertising giant Publicis Groupe, which last year told employees to return to the office at least three days a week. The company later fired hundreds of employees for noncompliance with the mandate, Ad Age reported in October.

Bruce Daisley, a workplace-culture consultant and former Twitter vice president, said WPP's return-to-office policy would be an employee-morale gamble because advertising jobs already aren't as lucrative and aspirational as they once were.

"Working in an advertising agency used to be gloriously paid, now those who work in the field squint into spreadsheets all day earning salaries that are often substantially lower than the clients and media owners they deal with," Daisley wrote in his Make Work Better newsletter.

Read the full memo CEO Mark Read sent to WPP employees:

To everyone at WPP

I hope you had a restful holiday season and the chance to recharge over the break.

As I wrote to you in December, 2025 is going to be a year of opportunity for WPP — a year when we can win through a relentless focus on our clients.

With that in mind, I wanted to share our priorities for the next 12 months, as well as a change we are going to make in the way we work.

Clients, creativity and our work

WPP's mission is to deliver creative transformation for the world's leading brands. This means not only producing exceptional work in every discipline of modern marketing, but helping clients transform how they operate for a very different world. This is ever more true of our largest and most important clients, who come to us for the quality of what we do, the breadth of our skills, and our ability to prepare them for the future.

While industry mergers and jostling for status may distract our competitors, focus will be paramount for us in 2025. We have the opportunity to stand out by being more obsessed than ever with serving our clients. In every single decision we make, we should ask ourselves "how will this help us do even better work for our clients?" Those companies who embrace this philosophy will be those who emerge on top.

Technology, data and AI

Demand from clients for creative ideas, effective media plans, brilliant PR campaigns and outstanding design remains constant, but the way in which we deliver our work is changing faster than I have ever seen. That's why technology, data and AI are at the heart of our plans for the future, and why adoption of our AI-driven marketing operating system WPP Open has grown so quickly. Keeping up that momentum is another key objective for 2025.

WPP Open helped us win a number of 2024's biggest reviews and we are going to increase our investment in Open this year to build on the success it has brought us. It will be central to how we bring an integrated, AI-enabled offer to market, with the goal of producing better results for clients and winning more than our fair share of pitches in the year ahead.

A culture of winning, together

Finally, we are going to focus on the culture of our company. For all our technological sophistication, we remain a people business. Across everything we do, our success still relies on the fundamentals of human connection, creativity and relationships. Teams of talented individuals, working towards common goals, are what drives growth for our clients and our agencies.

I believe that we do our best work when we are together in person. It's easier to learn from each other, it's a better way to mentor colleagues starting out in the industry, and it helps us win pitches as a truly integrated team. The data from across WPP agencies shows that higher levels of office attendance are associated with stronger employee engagement, improved client survey scores and better financial performance. More of our clients are moving in this direction and expecting it of the teams who work with them.

For all these reasons, spending more time together is important to all of us, and we are making a change to help that happen. From the beginning of April this year, the expectation across WPP will be that most of us spend an average of four days a week in the office.

This doesn't mean we're going back to old ways of doing things. During the pandemic we all learned the value of greater flexibility in our working lives and of being trusted to balance work and personal commitments. We need to keep that spirit of flexibility and trust, and will approach this transition with pragmatism and an understanding of people's different circumstances. There will be a clear process to request additional flexibility — including for those with caring responsibilities, health issues and other considerations. Some roles that have always been fully or largely remote will continue as they are.

We know that for some colleagues this new policy will require adjustments to their routines and arrangements, which is why it will not come into effect until April — giving people time to make any changes they need to. There is also work to do between now and April to ensure we make the best use of our workspaces. Our WPP campuses offer superb working environments in beautifully designed buildings with leading environmental credentials. But it will take detailed planning in the coming months to address capacity requirements and other related areas, and I'd like to thank the teams who are already hard at work figuring that out.

Your leaders are working closely with the WPP People and Real Estate teams, and will follow up with next steps for your part of the business. It's important that we take a consistent approach across our agencies, who will communicate the requirements to you in detail. In the meantime, visit insideWPP for FAQs, details of the policy, and an AI-powered chat agent to help answer your questions.

A collaborative, winning culture is what makes WPP and our agencies a great place to work, and it's the key to our future growth and success. I firmly believe this change we are making will protect and enhance that culture, for the benefit of everyone.

As always, if you want to get in touch, email me.

Mark

• I started making my daughter's bed when she was little and still do it now that she's 18.
• I plump her pillows and make it a comfortable place for her to return to.
• Now that her departure to college is approaching, I'm trying to do as many things for her.

I remember when my daughter was a little girl of around 5. While she was out at school, I would carefully make her bed before I set off for work.

I'd plump up her pillows, usually adorned with princesses or mermaids or whatever Disney character she was obsessed with at the time. I'd fluff out her duvet and artfully arrange her array of fluffy cushions, placing her selection of beloved toys and teddy bears in just the right line-up to welcome her home. I wanted to make sure my little girl's bed was a lovely, cozy place for her to fall asleep in and ensure the sweetest of dreams.

The problem is, 13 years on, I still make her bed.

I make her bed every morning

Of course, the bedding designs have changed. Now, there are cool abstract swirls and patterns instead of princesses; the teddy bear waiting on her pillow is a gift from her boyfriend, not a bedraggled childhood comforter. And instead of tucking a fleecy nightie under her pillow, I'm folding up a sexy silk Victoria's Secret camisole.

Each morning, as she heads out for high school, blowing me kisses over her shoulder, I know she is more than capable of making her own bed before she leaves or even, heaven forbid, leaving it unmade for a day or so. But somehow, without fail, I find myself uncontrollably drawn to her bedroom, to plump and smooth and fluff and carefully arrange her bed into the same cozy place to welcome her home to.

So, where does this irrepressible urge to baby my grown-up girl come from? At 18, Gracie is now a young woman. She is about to complete her SATs and heading off for college in the fall. She has a serious boyfriend, a car, and a circle of sensible, independent girlfriends. And there lies the rub. Her need for her mom is reducing every day as little by little, she moves away from me and toward adulthood that I have prepared her for.

I'll miss her when she's off to college

Of course, I am not completely naive to a teenager's well-honed arsenal of tactics to avoid household chores. I know my daughter has cultivated a handy weaponized helplessness to free her from any kind of domestic drudgery.

She places dirty dishes and cups BY but not IN the dishwasher, as if their very proximity to the machine means they will magically be washed and dried by some mysterious dark art. Her washing piles up hopefully in her laundry bin, as she knows it will reach such a teetering, accusatory pile that my OCD will succumb, and hey presto, it will be returned to her, cleaned and tumbled, dried and smelling faintly of maternal servitude.

The dog that she long campaigned for (" I'll walk it every day !" ) would have never seen sunshine if it were not for the rest of the family walking it. So, I know that my compulsive bed-making is helped along by her conveniently "forgetting" to do it.

Nevertheless, as the day that she will head off to college draws ever closer, I find myself squeezing in as many activities as possible with her in these last few precious months while she is still so easily available to me. Even if it's just driving to pick up a Starbucks and singing "The Sound of Music" at the tops of our voices, I appreciate every minute — and if that means us having a pajama and Netflix day in bed, then all the better that the bed is a perfectly made one.

• Ukraine says it's designed a new type of river drone to target Russian vessels.
• The Black Widow 2 is also able to perform reconnaissance operations, it said.
• Ukraine's military requested it to combat Russian forces and supply runs on the Dnipro River.

Ukraine says it has developed a new type of drone to target Russian vessels deployed on Ukrainian rivers.

Hard Cat, a Kyiv-based drone manufacturer, told Business Insider that the uncrewed river drone, the Black Widow 2, can take out surface targets, including small boats.

It can also carry out reconnaissance and patrolling operations, providing real-time situational awareness, it said, with a maximum speed of almost 25 miles an hour and a communication range of up to 6.2 miles.

And unlike sea drones, which operate in wider bodies of water, the one-meter-long drone's "compact size and high maneuverability allow it to operate effectively" in narrow waterways and river areas.

Drones have been a hallmark of the war in Ukraine, with both sides using them to attack, surveil, and target more accurately.

Ukraine has heavily targeted Russia's fleet in the Black Sea using sea drones, with notable effect.

Hard Cat unveiled the river drone's prototype at the Defense Tech Valley investment summit in Kyiv in October 2024.

It told BI the drone has now been successfully tested in rear-area conditions and is undergoing combat trials with two Ukrainian army brigades. It didn't say where those trials were taking place.

"Warfare on water is quite specific and comes with unique challenges, making such a small water drone potentially very useful," it added.

One of the developers, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, told BI that they began work on the drone in December 2023, at the request of the Ukrainian military, as a way to counter Russian motorboats used for personnel rotation, supply runs, and reconnaissance.

At the time, Ukrainian troops were fighting to hold out on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, against Russian forces that vastly outnumbered them.

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told BI that he expects Ukraine to use these new systems primarily on the Dnipro.

"They would probably be most useful in a defensive role, such as striking small vessels carrying Russian assault troops or supplies," he said, rather than working in conjunction with larger, longer-range naval drones to attack Russian ships in the Black Sea.

Basil Germond, an expert in international security at Lancaster University in the UK, made a similar assessment.

"It is important to understand that Russia not only operates big warships and submarines but also a wide array of small boats that support land operations at the tactical level, especially in the wet areas such as the Dnipro Estuary and other rivers," he said.

Germond added: "River drones are likely to contribute to operations against these sorts of assets."

• An Ohio-based bakeware company is facing fines of almost $200,000 after two workers suffered major injuries.
• The workers both experienced what the Labor Department described as "amputation injuries."
• OSHA cited the company for one willful and five serious violations, urging safety reforms.

A Cleveland, Ohio-based metal bakeware company is facing $182,000 in fines after two employees suffered injuries that resulted in amputations.

According to a press release by the US Department of Labor, the first incident at G&S Metal Products Co., which was founded in 1949, occurred on June 25, 2024, when a 37-year-old worker was using a power press.

As the staff member serviced the machine, the press cycled without warning because its pullbacks were not properly secured, inspectors from the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said. This contributed to the amputation injury.

Two weeks later, a 64-year-old worker who had been employed by the firm four months previously suffered an amputation injury when clearing scrap from a mechanical power press.

The machine's die closed unexpectedly because it lacked necessary guarding and was not locked out to stop operation during maintenance, OHSA said.

No further detail about the exact nature of the injuries was shared publicly.

G&S Metal Products did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Business Insider.

OHSA ultimately found that G&S Metal Products Co. did not equip its machinery with adequate guarding, did not enforce vital safety protocols — such as enforcing proper lockout/tagout procedures — and did not provide sufficient training to workers in machine safety.

It cited the Ohio company for one willful violation and five serious violations, resulting in $182,000 in proposed penalties.

"These two workers must live with permanent injuries because their employer failed to ensure that adequate guarding was in place," Howard Eberts, the OSHA area director in Cleveland, said in a statement.

"G&S Metal Products Co. Inc. must take immediate action to evaluate and address machine safety across its operations," he added. "Employers have an obligation to adhere to basic safety standards to ensure every worker returns home safely."

In 2017, the firm was also cited after an employee suffered amputation injuries while adjusting a power press.

• A nutrition researcher who studies ultra-processed foods doesn't categorically ban them at home.
• He relies on nutrition basics to choose snacks that are a bit healthier for his family.
• Prioritize beans, whole grains, and vegetables, while avoiding added sugar and excess sodium.

NIH scientist Kevin Hall pioneered the first study to definitively prove that ultra-processed foods — like chicken tenders and prepackaged snacks — drive us to overeat and gain weight.

And yet at home, he doesn't avoid convenience food, and buys ultra-processed snacks for his kids.

Hall says his strategy is not as contradictory as it seems, if you understand the nutrition science behind his choices.

What we know — and don't know — about ultra-processed foods

Six years ago, Hall was the first to show definitively that ultra-processed foods cause people to eat more food (500 calories per day!) and gain weight.

This was a big deal: beforehand, scientists could only draw vague connections between ultra-processed diets and long-term health outcomes. There wasn't a definitive cause-and-effect relationship established between ultra-processed foods and poor health.

Hall's team at the National Institutes of Health put people into a laboratory, gave them strictly prepared foods, and studied every morsel they digested for several weeks at a time, seeing what different diets did to their health.

Since then, research on UPFs has snowballed. Today, ultra-processed foods are the poster child for everything that's wrong with American diets. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are promising to weed them out of our diets as a result of all the new research that has cropped up since Hall's landmark study.

Do not let perfect be the enemy of good, Hall says

Hall is not so strict about cutting all UPFs out, and he isn't going to tell people what to eat.

"I don't stand on my soapbox to claim to know all the answers," he said.

Scientists still don't know exactly why ultra-processed foods are so bad for us. More importantly, he says that we don't actually know yet whether all ultra-processed foods are, by definition, bad.

The NOVA scale — used to differentiate between unprocessed, processed, and ultra-processed foods — only looks at how food was prepared. It does not account for nutritional value.

Is a can of ready-to-heat chili just as unhealthy as a jelly donut? They're both ultra-processed, but one contains meat, beans, and non-starchy veggies. The other is sugar, maybe some butter, refined flour, and lots of oil.

At home, Hall tries not to let perfect be the enemy of good. He makes educated guesses about which ultra-processed foods are the best for his health, while also being a realist about convenience.

Like many nutrition and longevity professionals, he prioritizes non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, fruits, legumes, and beans. He also stocks chicken nuggets in his freezer for nights when the kids need a quick dinner. Goldfish crackers are not forbidden.

Hall thinks big picture, and tries to avoid too much added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium in the ultra-processed foods he picks out for his family.

"Would it be better if you had made the homemade version of that?" Hall wondered aloud. "Maybe. It's possible that there's some weird additive or some ingredient in that food that is not good for you. We don't have the science on that yet, but applying what we do know, I think you can still make educated choices."

Plastic packaging doesn't mean it's bad for you

Canned and frozen foods can be great options for busy folks trying to eat healthier. And they're not all ultra-processed.

"People kind of mistake processed and ultra-processed," Hall said.

"There is some degree of confusion. It's typically people using these rules of thumb: if it comes in a can or a box or a package and has plastic around it, it's ultra-processed. I'm sorry, they put cucumbers in plastic at my supermarket, they're not ultra-processed!"

That kind of rigid thinking leads people into fearing foods like canned beans, tinned fish, or frozen vegetables, pantry staples that can make it easier to cook at home, and regularly eat foods that are great for longevity.

"There's so many canned beans that are just like, seasoned," Hall said. "They don't have some weird additives associated with them. A lot of people don't realize those are just processed foods."