• Google had job cuts that hit several teams this week, per an internal crowdsourced document.
• Staff in Cloud, ads, and Trust & Safety were among those affected.
• The company has been making small cuts across the company over the past few months, employees say.

Google cut employees across several of its units this week, including Cloud, ad sales, and Trust & Safety.

Staff inside Google have circulated an internal crowdsourced Google doc tracking company job cuts, sourced from internal memos and employee testimonies.

Google has been making rolling cuts inside the company over the past few months, employees say, though many of these cuts have been much smaller and surgical than the large cuts by Google in January 2023. Across the tech industry, several companies like Amazon and Microsoft have also been making recurring, smaller reductions since conducting sweeping layoffs a few years ago.

A Google spokesperson said fewer than 200 roles were impacted across the teams mentioned in the document.

"Our teams have continued to make changes to operate more efficiently, remove layers, and ensure they are set up for long-term success," the spokesperson said. "This work is ongoing as we continue to invest in our company's biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead."

The crowdsourced document, reviewed by Business Insider, shows that several teams were informed of cuts this week, including an unknown number of employees in Google's ad sales team for the Americas Large Customer Sales (LCS) group, which serves the company's bigger advertising clients. The document cites a memo announcing the cuts were made to streamline and reduce layers.

The document also said that at least 25 people were cut from the Bard EngProd team, an engineering team for the Bard AI product, which has since been rebranded to Gemini. The document also said an unknown number of employees were cut from the Trust & Safety group, with some jobs being "redeployed," according to a cited memo. A spokesperson said the company intended to grow the Trust and Safety team despite the latest eliminations.

For most teams, the specific number of employees cut is unknown.

Several teams within Google's Cloud unit also had job cuts this week, including the Threat Intelligence Group, Scaled Customer Engineering, Google Cloud Platform Support, Go-To-Market, and Looker groups, the document said. Bloomberg earlier reported some details on the Cloud layoffs.

Within Google, employees have often crowdsourced documents to share information, such as which teams got hit with job cuts or how much money employees of different levels and locations make. Employees at other tech companies like Amazon have also circulated similar crowdsourced documents to share information about job cuts.

Last month Google offered voluntary buyouts for staff in its Pixel hardware and Android division, BI previously reported.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected] or Signal at 628-228-1836. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Last year, I traveled to Belize for two nights at the all-inclusive Thatch Caye resort.
• The resort sits on its own private island, and we stayed in a premier overwater bungalow.
• The stay exceeded expectations — we sipped endless piña coladas and went diving in clear waters.

Belize's coarse sand dug into the back of my legs as I sat on a beach and considered the four days behind me.

My friend and I had just spent the last few days in a budget hotel, hopping around Caye Caulker, Belize. We spent our mornings tracking down affordable scuba-diving excursions and our evenings looking for cheap happy-hour deals.

It was paradise, but it was paradise on a budget.

Ahead of us was the exact opposite: a luxury private island escape.

Planted on the beach, we were waiting for a boat to take us to Thatch Caye — an all-inclusive resort on a private island.

Hundreds of islands and resorts dot the coast of Belize, but Thatch Caye enticed me with its overwater bungalows.

I've slept in tiny homes in Australia's rainforest and plastic domes in New Zealand. I've stayed in traditional ryokans in Japan and five-star resorts in Colorado.

But I haven't fallen asleep to ocean waves lapping beneath me in an overwater bungalow. I mistakenly assumed that experience could only happen thousands of miles away in places such as the Maldives or Bora Bora.

Thatch Caye proved me wrong. Part of the Muy'Ono Resorts, a grouping of 10 resorts across Belize, Thatch Caye is home to a handful of overwater bungalows.

I was thrilled to learn I could have the bungalow experience much closer to Colorado than I initially dreamed.

Shortly before sunset, a boat owned by Thatch Caye picked up me, my friend, and six other guests. Squinting in the distance, all we could see was a blur of green in the middle of the ocean.

Thatch Caye is an all-inclusive resort for just 30 guests. A private boat ride to and from the island to Dangriga, Belize, is included.

About 25 minutes later, thatched roofs came into view. We had arrived.

The island's workers welcomed us with fresh watermelon juice and a shot of cherry-soaked rum.

With watermelon juice in hand, we were given a short tour of the island and handed a key to our overwater bungalow.

The staff gave a quick overview of the island, and then we all split off and headed to our accommodations.

For two nights, we were staying in a premier overwater bungalow with its own private deck.

The island has five premier overwater bungalows. Thatch Caye requires a minimum stay of two nights. After the nightly bungalow rate, all-inclusive fees, taxes, and a resort fee, a stay this February would cost about $1,010 a night for two people.

Business Insider received a media rate for a two-night stay.

The island is also home to bungalows with shared decks and cabanas.

For slightly less, guests can sleep in oceanfront cabanas and standard overwater bungalows.

Beyond interior design choices, the private deck was the main difference between the premier and regular overwater bungalows, which have a shared deck. Meanwhile, the inland cabanas seem to offer a bit more space.

A worker carted our luggage and led the way down a sandy path to our temporary home.

After our tour, one of the island's workers escorted us to our bungalow.

A quick walk took us to a long, narrow walkway leading to the ocean and our bungalow.

A wooden walkway led to the front door of the bungalow.

We opened the door and stepped in. Greeting us were two comfy beds — a major upgrade from the basic full-sized bed we had spent the past four nights in.

Guests can choose between two twin beds or a king-size bed in their room.

Below each bed was storage for our luggage, which allowed our room to stay decluttered for the two nights.

The room lacked a closet, so we used the storage underneath our beds for our belongings.

The room had air conditioning and two lounge chairs. Three windows gave us direct views of the ocean.

Our room also had drinkable water, a safe, and two reusable water bottles.

Attached to the room was a small bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink.

The bathroom shower had shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

While the room was cool and spacious, the bungalow's main appeal was outside.

The wooden walkway continued out to a deck.

Surrounding the majority of the building was a private deck.

The deck provided 180-degree views of the ocean.

We had a hammock, where we spent each night stargazing, and two chairs for lounging.

The deck had plenty of space to stretch out and relax.

While our bungalow didn't have direct access to the water, we could gaze down at Belize's aquatic life swimming below.

The shallow waters below let us view aquatic plants and animals.

Between the breeze blowing through the thatched roof and the ocean below, it was as if we were immersed in our own little sound machine.

The palm fronds blew in the wind and drowned out any nearby noises.

While leaving our little bungalow was hard, Thatch Caye had more to offer than a good night's rest.

The small island was filled with activities such as snorkeling, drinking, volleyball, and other lawn games.

There was a beach where guests could use complimentary snorkel gear, paddleboards, kayaks, and a sailboat.

Our resort fee allowed us to access a handful of paddleboards and kayaks.

The small island had a dive shop, where guests could embark on daily diving and snorkeling excursions, and its own spa.

Guests can book excursions such as scuba diving and spa treatments for an additional cost.

Sprinkled across the island are other outdoor activities, such as a volleyball court and cornhole.

The island also had a giant Jenga set.

In the island's main lounge, guests can access a bar, WiFi, and a small shop stocked with sunscreen, snacks, and shirts.

The only place with a phone and WiFi is inside the Coco Lounge. However, I did have cell service across the entire island.

At the epicenter of the resort is a large thatched canopy.

Underneath the pavilion was seating and a bar.

Here, bartenders mix piña coladas, mojitos, and other tropical drinks while guests relax on hammocks over the water.

Island visitors can also snorkel around the area and spot aquatic life, including stingrays, starfish, and nurse sharks.

Guests can also hop on a water trampoline and swing over crystal-clear waters.

We spent our afternoons snorkeling, looking for starfish and stingrays.

For each meal, guests dine at a communal table.

Thirty place mats line the table, and everyone eats together each night at 7 p.m.

The on-site chef cooked our dinners, which featured steak, lobster, snapper, and chicken.

The island had an ideal balance of relaxation and adventure. We spent our mornings scuba diving, afternoons snorkeling and paddleboarding, and evenings relaxing with tropical cocktails.

The all-inclusive fee also covered drinks and food during our stay.

I left Thatch Caye with my bungalow dreams fulfilled.

If anything, my stay at Thatch Caye only stoked my interest in overwater bungalows.

• Major companies have been relocating their headquarters to Texas.
• Since 2020, 200 companies, including Tesla and Chevron, have moved HQs to Texas, state data say.
• Gov. Greg Abbott has cited a good regulatory environment, drawing firms from states like California.

Texas has become a hot spot for the corporate operations of major companies across the US.

Since 2020, a growing number of major businesses have moved their headquarters or reincorporated in Texas, flocking from pricier states like California. Many cite the lower cost of living and benefits for corporations as reasons they chose the Lone Star State.

KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, announced in February that it would move its US headquarters from Louisville, Kentucky, to dual HQs in Plano, Texas, and Irvine, California. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, has announced that all three companies will be headquartered in Texas.

HQ relocations were in an "acceleration period" in 2020 and 2021, the office of Gov. Greg Abbott said, with a total of 121 companies moving to Texas during that time. The number of those that moved from California made up more than half of the relocations.

Since then, the rate has leveled out to be consistent with historical data. A total of 200 companies have moved to Texas since 2020, according to the data from Gov. Abbott. In 2024, 24 companies, including Chevron and SpaceX, announced they would establish an HQ there.

The moves are fueled by the "reasonable regulatory environment," "exceptional quality of life," and the lower cost of operating a business in Texas, Abbott's office said in its report.

Here's a list of companies that have shifted their business operations to Texas.

KFC

Yum! Brands announced in February that it would establish two HQ locations in Texas and California to "foster greater collaboration among brands and employees."

About 100 KFC corporate workers will have to relocate from Louisville, Kentucky, to Texas over six months. The company said it will also ask 90 US-based remote workers to return to the office and relocate to "the campus where their work happens."

Yum! Brands is the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger & Grill. The KFC Foundation and Yum! Brands are expected to maintain corporate offices in Kentucky.

The New York Stock Exchange Chicago

On February 12, the New York Stock Exchange announced it would move its Chicago branch to Dallas. NYSE Chicago will be reincorporated to NYSE Texas, "offering companies the opportunity to list their securities" there.

"As the state with the largest number of NYSE listings, representing over $3.7 trillion in market value for our community, Texas is a market leader in fostering a pro-business atmosphere," Lynn Martin, NYSE Group president, said in a press release.

Chevron

Chevron announced in August 2024 that its headquarters would move from San Ramon, California, to Houston before the end of the year.

The energy giant said the relocation would "enable better collaboration and engagement with executives, employees, and business partners."

The oil company had been sued by California, which accused Chevron and other energy giants of downplaying the risks of fossil fuels.

But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, "WELCOME HOME Chevron! Texas is your true home."

Before the move, Chevron had about 7,000 employees in the Houston area and 2,000 in San Ramon. It said it expects all corporation functions to move to Texas by 2029.

X

Musk announced X's relocation from California to Texas at the same time as SpaceX in July 2024, citing living costs, safety, and political reasons.

He said California laws are "attacking both families and companies" and expressed concerns over the safety of San Francisco. Court filings from September 2024 showed that Musk requested to change X's HQ address from San Francisco to Bastrop, Texas, Forbes reported.

Tesla

Tesla was the first of Musk's companies to move from Silicon Valley to Texas. Musk officially moved Tesla's headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin in 2021, citing the lack of affordable housing in the Bay Area.

"There's a limit to how big you can scale in the Bay Area," Musk said at the time.

Oracle

Oracle moved its corporate HQ to Austin in 2020, ending its four-decade tenure in Silicon Valley.

The move offered employees "more flexibility about where and how they work," a spokesperson told Business Insider at the time.

Though it's been years since the move, Oracle's California offices employ nearly triple the number of workers than its Texas HQ, Bloomberg reported in 2024.

CBRE

Brokerage giant CBRE moved its HQ from Los Angeles to Dallas in 2020.

It was established in San Francisco over a century ago, though CBRE said it had large operations in North Texas before the official move to Dallas.

According to data from CBRE, Texas led the pack in net gains of Fortune 500 companies relocating between 2018 and 2023.

AECOM

AECOM, a Fortune 500 construction firm, said it would relocate its headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas in 2021.

The company called Texas a "talent magnet" for consulting and engineering, and CEO Troy Rudd participated in the move to AECOM's existing Texas offices from California.

SpaceX

Musk announced his plans to relocate SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas, on X in July 2024.

The move is Musk's response to Gov. Gavin Newsom signing AB 1955, prohibiting schools from enforcing policies that would require parents to be notified about students who may identify as transgender.

"Because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas," Musk said in an X post.

Charles Schwab

Financial services company Charles Schwab moved its HQ to Westlake, Texas, in 2021, citing California's high taxes. It was formerly based in San Francisco.

"The costs of doing business here are so much higher than some other place," Chairman and founder Charles Schwab told Forbes.

McKesson

McKesson announced that it'd move its HQ from San Francisco to Las Colinas, Texas, in 2018, with plans to move most jobs from Silicon Valley to Texas and other hub locations by 2021.

Four years after the move, CEO Brian Tyler said the city "was absolutely the right community for McKesson to call home."

"Since making the move to Irving, McKesson has quickly benefited from the deep, diverse talent pool in the Dallas area, the ease of travel, and the very engaged business community," he said.

• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is engaged to Lauren Sánchez, a former news anchor.
• Sánchez, 55, is a helicopter pilot and entrepreneur as well as a former actor.
• She's also the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos went to space with his rocket company, Blue Origin, four years ago. Now, it's his fiancée's turn.

Lauren Sánchez, a former journalist and licensed pilot herself, will head to space this spring to lead Blue Origin's all-woman crew that also includes "CBS Mornings" cohost Gayle King, pop star Katy Perry, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

Here's a look at Sánchez's life and career:

Lauren Sánchez had a long career as a reporter and news anchor.

Sánchez grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and studied broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California. She started her journalistic career as an intern on the Los Angeles station Channel 13 during college, according to a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

She began anchoring UPN News 13 on Los Angeles' KCOP in 1999, winning a Los Angeles Area Emmy award for her work on the show in 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sánchez went on to work as a host at various news channels before landing at Fox 11's "Good Day LA" in 2003, where she worked for six years. She then became a weekend anchor and special correspondent on "Extra" in 2009.

She's even played a news anchor in several movies and TV shows.

In addition to once being an anchor in real life, Sánchez has starred as a news anchor in movies including "Fight Club," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "The Fantastic Four."

She's a licensed plane and helicopter pilot.

Sánchez learned how to fly while working as a news anchor and she started flying planes in 2011 before getting her helicopter pilot's license in 2016.

Her interest in aviation seems to have been sparked at an early age, as her father was a flight instructor and mechanic who rebuilt planes.

"I was always in the hangar growing up but knew nothing about flying," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

She founded her own aerial filming company.

Sánchez founded Black Ops Aviation in 2016, a "female owned and operated" aerial filming company, which has shot footage for Amazon, Netflix, and Fox, among others.

Sánchez also lent her aerial-filming knowledge to Christopher Nolan as a consultant on "Dunkirk."

She used to host a dancing reality show.

Sánchez was a host on the first season of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" in 2005, but she left the show after one season.

Sánchez was married to Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell for 13 years.

Whitesell is co-CEO of the Hollywood agency WME, and his clients include Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and Hugh Jackman. Whitesell and Sánchez married in 2005 and separated in the fall of 2018.

They finalized their divorce in October 2019 with shared custody of their two children, People magazine reported.

Sánchez also has a son from her previous relationship with NFL star Tony Gonzalez.

Sánchez and Bezos got engaged four years after going public with their relationship.

Bezos and Sánchez first connected at a 2016 Amazon Studios party for the film "Manchester by the Sea," according to Brad Stone's book, "Amazon Unbound."

Their relationship "blossomed" during helicopter rides in 2018, when Bezos hired Sánchez's company to film footage for his rocket company, Blue Origin, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Their relationship came to light in a 2019 tabloid scandal, and the couple went public shortly after Bezos and his now-ex-wife, author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, announced their divorce in 2019 following 25 years of marriage.

In May 2023, CNN reported that Sánchez and Bezos had gotten engaged, citing a source close to the couple. Sanchez was also photographed with a large diamond ring on her left ring finger while onboard Bezos' $500 million megayacht.

In Vogue's December 2023 issue, Sánchez revealed that Bezos proposed on his yacht, Koru.

"When he opened the box, I think I blacked out a bit," she said.

While Sánchez and Bezos have often been spotted cruising on his yacht or attending high-profile events, including President Trump's inauguration, Sánchez says they also have more mundane days at home.

"On a typical Saturday, we hang out, we have dinner with the kids, which is always fun because you never know where the conversation is going to go with this many kids," Sanchez told The Wall Street Journal in 2023. "We are the Brady Bunch!"

She's the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.

In 2020, Bezos announced that he would commit $10 billion — about 7.7% of his net worth at the time — to fighting the climate crisis as part of an initiative called the Bezos Earth Fund. Sánchez serves as the organization's vice chair.

She's a children's book author.

Sánchez's first picture book, "The Fly Who Flew to Space,"is scheduled for a September release.

She's talked about how her own struggles with dyslexia were part of the inspiration for her writing the book. Celebrities such as Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, and Karlie Kloss have endorsed the book, with Kloss writing that the "story sparks curiosity and imagination while introducing young minds to the magic of STEM!"

Next up for Sánchez is a trip to space.

She's leading a six-person all-woman crew on a Blue Origin spaceflight in 2025.

The 11-minute journey will take them past the Kármán line, which is the internationally recognized boundary of space. Blue Origin says this will be the first all-female flight crew since Valentina Tereshkova's flight to space in 1963.

• Boycotters are planning an economic blackout on February 28 to protest corporate corruption.
• The People's Union USA wants people to avoid major retailers and call out from work if possible.
• It remains unclear how many are engaged in boycotting and what the impacts may be.

On February 28, protestors aligned with a grassroots organization called the People's Union USA plan to hold an economic blackout targeted at corporations.

"Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line," the People's Union USA website said. "If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message."

For the whole day on February 28, the organization calls on people to refuse to make purchases online or in-store from major retailers or spend money on gas or fast food. If spending is necessary, the People's Union suggests buying from small businesses only and using cash.

"For one day," the website said," we show them who really holds the power."

The effort is spearheaded by John Schwarz, who described himself on the website as "just a man who has lived through struggle, seen the truth, and decided to do something about it."

"The system is designed to keep all of us trapped," Schwarz wrote. "That is why I started this organization. Because I believe we deserve better. Because I believe it is possible to break free from a system built to exploit us."

Schwarz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The People's Union USA also plans longer and more focused boycotts down the road, including a weeklong boycotts against Amazon, Nestle, and Walmart in March and April. The organization also called on people to take Friday off from work, if they are able to do so without risking their jobs.

It remains unclear how many people are committed to boycotting the economy on Friday and what kind of impact it may have.

Historically, some boycotts have had short-lived or even counterintuitive effects. When there were calls to boycott Goya after the company's CEO praised President Donald Trump in 2020, the company later said sales actually increased thanks to Trump supporters initiating a counter-movement called a "buycott" that encouraged people to buy from Goya.

An analysis from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University found that the "buycott effect overwhelmed the boycott effect," temporarily raising the company's sales.

That said, other boycotts may have been more effective depending on the cause that mobilized people to boycott. In 2023, Bud Light faced fierce conservative backlash after a brief branding stint with a transgender influencer. Well over one year later, sales for Anheuser-Busch, which makes Bud Light, remained down.

• "The Traitors" Experience costs about $41 a person and can have up to 12 players.
• In it, players compete in challenges, Traitors commit murders, and Faithfuls try to catch them.
• The hourlong experience was a blast even though I lost — and everyone left with prizes.

I'm a huge fan of "The Traitors" — so much so that the Peacock reality show was the theme of my last birthday party.

Now in its third season, the series brings fabulously dressed host Alan Cumming and stars from franchises like "The Real Housewives," "Survivor," and "Big Brother" to a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

There, the stars compete in challenges to build up the cash prize pot, murder each other in secret, and banish suspected Traitors from the castle during dramatic round-table debates.

To celebrate its current season, Peacock teamed up with Just Fix It Productions to put on "The Traitors" Experience, which runs in Los Angeles until March 2 and is set to travel to London this summer.

Each hourlong experience consists of up to 12 people playing for exclusive swag. Recently, I was invited to try the sold-out experience as an independent journalist, though tickets typically cost about $41 a person.

Here's what it was like.

The event took place in a Hollywood mansion

I didn't know what to expect as I drove up to the Beckett Mansion in the West Adams neighborhood. All I'd really been told was to wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes. (Plaid attire was also suggested — a nod to the show's backdrop in the Scottish Highlands).

When I arrived, my ticket was scanned and I was led to a table with large gold coins and small shields. The props looked like replicas from the show, which made me more excited to enter the experience.

A woman with a thick Scottish accent and a tam o' shanter handed me a waiver to sign and a glass of bubbly. Then, I joined the other players.

We were served small bites, like French macarons and cucumber sandwiches, before officially entering the mansion.

This pregame mixer was important for replicating the show's nervous anticipation on episode one. No one was assigned a Traitor or Faithful role yet.

After a few minutes, the 12 of us entered the mansion's darkly lit foyer and were greeted by a woman in a kilt who would be our guide for the experience.

The Traitor selection and challenges felt pretty similar to what I've seen on TV

Our guide had us put on eye masks and began circling us as she chose the Traitors of the evening. Soon, I felt her hand on my shoulder: I had picked.

In this experience, being a Traitor meant I had to also sabotage challenges. That's directly at odds with my competitive spirit, but a good Traitor always plays the long game.

We were quickly ushered into the next room, a bar decorated with cozy chairs and portraits of season-three contestants.

Our first challenge involved putting together outfits for Alan Cumming.

The room was cluttered with the host's wardrobe, accessories, and styling mood boards. In the middle was a stack of locked suitcases.

We had to solve math problems to figure out the combinations, and then dress a mannequin correctly before time ran out.

The first murder caused chaos in the mansion

We successfully completed the challenge, but our celebrations were cut short when our guide announced it was time for the first murder. We circled up, and the Faithfuls put their eye masks back on.

There was one other Traitor, and our guide asked us to point to who we wanted to kill. Without a private turret like the TV show, our sudden decision couldn't be strategized or discussed. We pointed toward another player at random.

I felt terrible because I was worried that our murdered player would be removed from the experience. It turned out that he could continue participating, just with some disadvantages. My guilty conscience was wiped clean.

The game continued with more challenges and a recruitment

When we entered the next room and saw "priceless" artifacts on pedestals, I knew we'd be replicating season two's heist challenge.

Green laser lights shot from the ceiling, and we had to contort our bodies around them, "Mission:Impossible"-style, to collect puzzle pieces without setting them off. We didn't succeed.

After, the Traitors got the chance to recruit another person before the next challenge, which took place in a messy kitchen.

Here, two challenges would occur simultaneously: we could either answer riddles or solve a complex logic puzzle. Our group wasn't totally successful.

Once it ended, we gathered around a well and donned our blindfolds to kill another player. The player I've clocked as my biggest threat won a shield during the kitchen challenge, so he could not be killed.

I pointed to the person standing next to him, and the other Traitors (now three of us) followed suit.

Our last challenge was a game of trivia with a gothic twist, complete with wooden coffins and daggers.

I was banished, but I still had a lot of fun

At last, we reached the round table for our dramatic finale.

Before the final round table, we played one last game. Everyone stood up and, one by one, would point to the player we believed most faithful. Once chosen, that person was safe from banishment and could sit.

As I'd suspected, the Faithfuls had discovered my true nature a while ago, and I was the last one standing.

Banished, I uttered my exit speech with the flair of a Real Housewife. "I truly am … oblivious and bad at these games." Loud sighs. "And I truly am…" Dramatic pause. "A Traitor."

The room erupted into cheers, just like on the television show. I found myself smiling, too, even though I had just lost.

The group still had the chance to banish a Traitor by writing a name on a slate, but I couldn't vote because I'd been eliminated.

The Faithfuls ended up banishing one of their own, and the Traitors won. My teammates received their very own Traitor cloaks that looked like the ones from the show, whereas I got a ball cap that said "Traitor" as a consolation prize. The Faithfuls got mugs.

The hourlong experience was a blast, and I'm already hoping another version of it returns for season four. It feels like the perfect night out for a "Traitors" superfan or anyone who loves escape rooms, puzzles, and elaborate sets.

• I moved from the US to Europe in 2019 and eventually began living in Barcelona in February 2020.
• Shortly after, Spain went into lockdown amid to the coronavirus pandemic. I felt lonely for months.
• I struggled to adjust and wanted to give up on living abroad, but falling in love changed my mind.

After years of traveling to Europe and dreaming of living there full time, I finally made the jump in the summer of 2019.

I was excited but also terrified to leave everyone and everything I knew and loved behind in Los Angeles.

Still, I made the jump. I started my life abroad in Bordeaux, France, but after a few months, I knew it wasn't the right home for me. My time there helped me realize I wanted to live somewhere that has more sunshine year-round.

So, in February 2020, I headed to the sunny beachy city of Barcelona next.

My move to Spain got off to a rough start, and I almost went back home

Unfortunately, the excitement of my move to Spain was short-lived.

A few weeks after I arrived, the coronavirus pandemic sent the country into lockdown, and I was stuck isolating in my Airbnb for months.

As lockdown restrictions were lifted, I started to enjoy daily life in Barcelona, from morning walks on the beach to afternoon strolls to get tapas and sangria.

However, I struggled to build my social life and make friends. As my feelings of loneliness deepened, I began second-guessing my decision to move to Europe in the first place.

Before packing my bags and heading back to the US, I visited a friend from home who was living nearby in Madrid. Over drinks, I told him I wasn't happy and that I'd had enough of living abroad.

He reminded me that I wasn't so happy back home, either. When I lived in Los Angeles, I was looking for love and failing and constantly complaining about the high rents and the outrageously high price for a glass of wine.

He had a point. I still wasn't sure about staying in Spain, but maybe the place I was living wasn't my problem. Perhaps I was giving up too quickly.

He insisted I just hadn't yet found my people in Barcelona and offered to connect me with a friend of his who lived there named Tomi.

I'm so grateful I gave Barcelona one last shot

Within days I received a message from Tomi inviting me to a concert.

I was hesitant to go, but once I arrived, I felt like I was finally walking toward the dreams of a life in Europe I'd always had for myself.

The small venue had brick walls filled with abstract artwork, a lively crowd of international people mingling, and a handsome Argentine man waiting by the bar waving at me — Tomi.

We felt an instant connection as we were both musicians who were far from home and new to Barcelona.

By the time I left the concert, I couldn't have been happier or more excited. The music was incredible, the venue and crowd of artists were inspiring, and my new connection was really charming.

From there, Tomi and I began spending more time together. Before I knew it, I had completely forgotten about wanting to go back to Los Angeles. I was in love and finally really living in Barcelona.

We got married four years later and still live in the Spanish city.

Looking back, I'm grateful that I stuck things out despite struggling to feel at home for the first few months. If I had left, I wonder if I'd ever have met the love of my life.

It also may have taken me longer to realize that the place you live can't always make you happy — and that finding love and connection with the right people can help anywhere feel like home.

• The Upright Go is a smart device that reminds you when you're slouching.
• I wore it during work and found it helpful most of the time.
• Doctors said I still need to work out and build up my core for better posture.

After hearing friends in their 30s complain about back pain over the years, it finally happened to me at age 33: my lower back was stiff. Every time I knelt down, rising up took a moment, as if my body was buffering.

Getting a new mattress pad and starting yoga classes improved my symptoms, but it wasn't until I looked at photos of me running a marathon that I saw the bigger picture. My poor posture was out of control. As the race wore on, my back bent more into a "C." I couldn't unsee how bad my "tech neck" had gotten.

An internet search convinced me to buy the Upright Go posture corrector, a wearable smart device that you can stick to your back or attach to a necklace. The device gently buzzes to remind you when you're slouching. For $60, it seemed worth trying. It was more affordable than the popular $190 Forme posture-correcting bra and seemed less clunky than a back belt or brace.

After using the device for two weeks, I quickly changed some poor posture habits. I plan to keep wearing it, even though fixing my back issues will take more than a posture corrector.

I learned I was slouching even more than I realized

The Upright was easy to charge and set up. After downloading the app, I was prompted to calibrate the device to my upright posture to establish a baseline.

I thought I would get a reminder a few times an hour, but it was more like a few times every five minutes. The moment I started getting remotely engrossed in my work, the soft buzz along my spine brought me back.

It wasn't until I readjusted the height of my desk that it became easier to stay straighter — my default position was hunched over to begin with. For getting me to notice and make that tiny adjustment alone, the Upright was worth it. My lower back also felt a little sore, which seemed promising.

It's harder to use during deep work

The more focused I get on a work assignment, the more my spine curls like a shrimp in a hot pan.

I got into an annoyingly vicious cycle: I'd fixate on writing or editing a story and start to slouch, setting off the device. I'd lose my train of thought, straighten up, and start over. Then, I'd get another buzz.

It got to the point where I had to remove the necklace to work on anything that required my sustained attention. I found it easiest to keep the Upright on when I didn't have to actively type, such as during work calls or doing errands around the apartment.

Kevin Lees, director of chiropractic operations at The Joint Chiropractic in New York, recommended wearing the device six to eight hours a day to properly form a habit. I was averaging, at most, two to three. I also didn't wear it out socializing because I wanted a break.

It demonstrates an issue that Dr. Arun Hariharan, a board-certified pediatric orthopedic and spine surgeon specializing in scoliosis, told me: smart devices are only as good as your commitment to them. "Those are great tools to understand what's going on, but they're not the fix," he said of other health devices like fitness rings and sleep trackers.

The Upright revealed how often I slouch, but solving the issue is more complicated than wearing a device.

The science behind smart posture correctors isn't substantive, said Hariharan.

"It plays almost no role in our medical treatment because the evidence hasn't been strong enough to recommend it," he said. While some people credit the devices for helping them improve their habits, the long-term impact is unknown.

Doctors say I can do more for my spine

The good news is that outside medical conditions like scoliosis, "you can reverse a lot of poor posture in six to 12 months," Lees said.

In addition to using the Upright, Lees recommended wearing posture-correcting sports bras or braces for short intervals, such as when I'm exercising, to form better habits while moving. The goal is for me to eventually not need them at all.

To avoid stiffness, Lees suggested stretching my chest, pec, and shoulder muscles while also doing balance exercises to stimulate my postural muscles.

In the long run, Hariharan said that strengthening my core muscles is crucial for better posture. Making sure my hamstrings aren't tight is also important. Otherwise, my entire lower back pulls forward and experiences more strain.

I still plan to use the Upright to help with my posture every day for the near future, but I'll also keep strength training and stretching as much as possible.

• Colorado police arrested a woman on suspicion of vandalizing a Tesla dealership.
• The incidents involved Molotov cocktails and messages that seemed to target Elon Musk, AP reported.
• A federal investigation is underway amid nationwide 'Tesla Takedown' protests.

Colorado police arrested a woman on suspicion of being involved in a recent vandalism incident at a Tesla car dealership.

The vandalism is the latest incident amid widespread public protests against Tesla CEO Elon Musk over his work with the Trump administration and DOGE to downsize the federal government.

Law enforcement said they apprehended 40-year-old Lucy Grace Nelson on Monday at the Loveland, Colorado, Tesla dealership after a weekslong investigation of several vandalism incidents on the property.

Nelson is charged with criminal intent to commit a felony, criminal mischief, and using explosives or incendiary devices during a felony, police records say.

Loveland Police Department spokesperson Chris Padgett told Business Insider that local police are working "very closely" with the United States Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to investigate possible federal charges.

The string of incidents involved graffiti with the words "Nazi cars" painted onto the dealership building, Molotov cocktails thrown at the vehicles, and a message that seemed to be in reference to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to court documents viewed by the Associated Press.

Security footage showed a person throwing Molotov cocktails at cars on the dealership's property, targeting at least four cars with a combined worth of $220,000, the AP reported. Police discovered bottles, gasoline, and cloth pieces, which are typically used to create the cocktails, in Nelson's car, according to the report.

Padgett told BI that officials have been investigating the vandalism since January 29. Nelson didn't immediately respond to voicemail request for comment. USAO official Melissa Brand declined to comment on the potential federal charges related to the incident.

In recent days, "Tesla Takedown" protests have taken place across the country, with demonstrators calling for a boycott and gathering in front of Tesla dealerships in various cities. Multiple protests have happened in San Francisco outside of showrooms and locations in the area.

Some protestors chanted, "No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here."

Law enforcement is still investigating a motive in the Loveland dealership incident and whether or not another person may have been involved in the vandalism.

• Kate Hudson and Brenda Song star in Netflix's new comedy series "Running Point."
• The season one finale ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the door open for more episodes.
• Netflix hasn't announced a second season yet.

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for season one of "Running Point."

Netflix's new comedy "Running Point" is a slam-dunk.

The 10-episode series stars Kate Hudson as Isla Gordon, an executive who becomes the president of the fictional basketball team the Los Angeles Waves after her older brother Cameron (Justin Theroux) steps down to attend rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. (In case the premise sounds vaguely familiar, it's because the Mindy Kaling-created comedy is loosely inspired by the life of Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.)

Going from the coordinator of the Waves' charitable endeavors to the boss of the family business is a big adjustment for Isla. Although she makes some mistakes, by the end of the season, Isla is confident that she knows how to run the team — until an unexpected visitor drops by her office, setting up a potential second season.

Here's what we know so far about if "Running Point" will return for a season two.

The 'Running Point' finale ends with a surprise visit from Isla's brother Cam Gordon

After an eventful season for the Waves, the basketball team makes it to the playoffs. In the finale, the Waves participate in Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals against a Portland team.

The game is the Waves' biggest and most important one in five years, and despite playing well, they narrowly lose the game, cutting their victory run short.

The loss is devastating for the everyone, but especially Isla, who fought all season to prove herself capable of running the team. She also prioritized the team at the expense of her relationship with her fiancé Lev (Max Greenfield). After a month of separation, Isla learns that Lev is planning on taking a job in Minneapolis and makes one final plea to him. Lev is last seen telling Isla that he needs some time to think things through.

Things get a little complicated in Isla's love life, though.

After losing the semifinals, LA Waves coach Jay Brown (Jay Ellis) comforts Isla and says the team wouldn't have gotten this far without her. Then Jay, who was released from his Waves contract early so he could take a job in Boston and be closer to his kids, kisses Isla.

The following day, Isla shows up to work in high spirits and a newfound self-assuredness, despite the team's crushing loss.

"Last night was kind of weird. A lot of stuff I didn't see coming. I don't know where I stand with Lev," Isla says in a voiceover, referring to her and Lev's relationship being in limbo. "But in life, as in sports, the minute one season ends, the next one begins. You know, I got this. This is mine now. I can do it."

A confident Isla walks into her office and sees a cleaned-up Cam comfortably sitting in her chair, feet propped up on her desk.

"Hey, what's up sis? I'm back," he tells Isla, smiling.

The finale concludes with a flabbergasted Isla at a loss for words.

"What the…?" she says in the voiceover.

Netflix hasn't announced a season two of 'Running Point' yet

Since the show was just released on Netflix Thursday, there's no word yet on whether "Running Point" will be back for more.

If renewed, there's plenty of fodder for a second season given the final episode's cliffhanger involving Isla and Cam.

Cam's return to the office may have taken Isla by surprise, but for audiences, it was clear that he was quietly working in the shadows to regain to his Waves job.

It seems that while in rehab, Cam became jealous of Isla's ability to turn the Waves' season around and wanted to swoop back in.

At the end of episode six, it's revealed that Cam is the person who leaked a tip that Isla might trade Waves player Marcus Winfield (Toby Sandeman), which sends her into a frenzy because it's untrue. In the following episode, Cam is seen angrily shutting off the TV at rehab after seeing a news anchor praise Isla for leading the team on a winning streak.

This culminates in Cam meeting with the rehab facility director during episode eight and negotiating a deal to get him out early. In exchange for releasing Cam months ahead of schedule, he promises to upgrade the facility using his wealth and make the place more luxurious, which will bring in high-end clientele.

The facility director seemingly agrees, resulting in Cam's appearance in the final scene.

If "Running Point" continues, Isla will have another huge challenge ahead.

"Running Point" is now streaming on Netflix.

• Trump's new executive order expands DOGE's power across federal agencies.
• The order lists out what tasks DOGE Team Leads are expected to accomplish as they embed in federal agencies.
• The tasks include tracking federal staffers' travel requests and reporting contract and grant payments.

President Donald Trump details in a new executive order just how much power DOGE staff will have as they embed in federal agencies to tighten the reins of government spending.

The new order, issued on Wednesday, lists the duties and responsibilities that officials from DOGE will have at the federal agencies they're assigned to.

It expands on Trump's executive order from his first day in office that established the DOGE task force and mandated that every federal agency set up a DOGE team. That team, the order said, should typically include one DOGE Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney, who will all work with the head of their agency to implement Trump's cost-cutting agenda.

Wednesday's order asks agency heads to work with their assigned DOGE Team Lead to accomplish the following tasks:

• Build out a system to track "every payment" related to the agency's contracts and grants, and record a "written justification for each payment."
• Review all the agency's current contracts and grants with a goal to terminate or modify them "where appropriate" to reduce or reallocate spending. Contracts and grants to educational institutions and foreign entities should be prioritized.
• Conduct a review of the agency's contracting policies, procedures, and personnel.
• Issue guidance on signing new contracts or modifying existing contracts to "promote government efficiency" and the policies of the Trump administration.
• The DOGE Team lead at each agency will give a monthly report to the DOGE Administrator detailing the agency's contracting activities.
• Set up a system to track agency employees' travel requests that will require written justification for non-essential travel and travel to conferences. The DOGE Team Lead will then report all travel justifications to the DOGE Administrator every month.
• Freeze all employee credit card activity for the next 30 days, except for charges related to "disaster relief or natural disaster response benefits or operations or other critical services."
• Create an inventory of the agency's federal property and submit a plan to get rid of property that is "no longer needed."

There are a few exceptions to the order, which does not apply to law enforcement officers, US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Department of Homeland Security, or the Uniformed Services. Classified information, as well as contracts or grants related to the enforcement of federal criminal or immigration law, are also excluded. Agency heads can submit additional requests for exemption, according to the order.

The order is part of Trump's larger agenda to reduce the federal workforce and cut government spending across the board — an endeavor that, with the help of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has caused mass chaos and confusion among federal staffers, and spawned over 85 lawsuits challenging his and DOGE's authority.

While Musk is largely seen as the leader of DOGE, the White House said Wednesday that task force's official administrator, who will oversee much of the above tasks, is Amy Gleason.

The order, which had been posted to the White House webpage that shares Trump's executive orders, was removed by Thursday afternoon.

The White House didn't immediately return a request for comment about the removal.

• From scripts to costumes and set designs, it takes a lot to make a movie.
• James Cameron's "Avatar" (2009) took two decades to make.
• Jon M. Chu's screen adaptation of "Wicked" was 20-some years in the making.

They say good things come to those who wait. "Wicked" director Jon M. Chu knows this well.

"I've been chasing 'Wicked' for 20 years," he told The New York Times in November 2024.

Chatter about turning the beloved Broadway musical (which premiered in 2003) into a screen adaptation had circulated since 2010; but Chu wasn't officially offered the project until 2021.

"I thought, oh, they don't think we're going to make this movie!" Chu told the Times. "But that's what they don't know about me. I make movies. I know how to get a movie made. It's like a superpower of mine."

Despite production delays and the SAG-AFTRA strike in July 2023, part one of "Wicked" was released in November 2024 and grossed more than $728 million worldwide.

It is nominated for 10 Oscars on Sunday, March 2, including best picture, best actress (Cynthia Erivo), best supporting actress (Ariana Grande), and best costume design.

As the world waits to see if Chu's patience will yield the ultimate awards season prize, here's a look back at 10 movies that took a long time to make.

"The Thief and the Cobbler" (1995)

Director and animator Richard Williams spent about three decades working on the animated movie "The Thief and the Cobbler," but the finished product never lived up to his vision.

In 2021, Collider reported that in the 1960s, Williams was commissioned to illustrate books for author Idries Shah about the folklore character Nasruddin. In addition to the illustrations, Williams was working on preproduction for a film about the character, too. When deals between Paramount Pictures and Shah fell through, Williams was allowed to keep the characters he'd created for the film.

Still, production delays and increasing budgets made it difficult to find and secure investors throughout the '70s and '80s. However, Williams' two Oscar wins for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988) earned him the confidence of Warner Bros.

The studio agreed to help him finish the project with the stipulation that if Williams was unable to do so, the film would be given to The Completion Bond Company to complete for him. Ultimately, Williams and his team were unsuccessful in finishing their version on time, so in 1993, "The Princess and the Cobbler" was released by Allied Filmmakers internationally and in 1995, two more cuts — "The Thief and the Cobbler" and "Arabian Knight" — were released by Miramax.

"A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001)

Legendary director Stanley Kubrick spent decades developing "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" as an adaptation of Brian Aldiss' 1969 short story, "Supertoys Last All Summer Long," before his death in 1999.

The Ringer reported that Kubrick shared the narrative for his "Supertoys" adaptation with another famed director, Steven Spielberg, in 1984.

Over the years, Kubrick reportedly employed a slew of writers, including Aldiss, Bob Shaw, Ian Watson, Arthur C. Clarke, and Sara Maitland, to tackle the screenplay, but to no avail.

Still, in 1993, Warner Bros. announced Kubrick's next film would be "A.I.," but he set it aside again in 1995 and pursued what would be his final film, "Eyes Wide Shut."

Spielberg, who'd been privy to Kubrick's creative struggles over the years, took over the film after his death, writing the screenplay in a matter of weeks and hiring actor Haley Joel Osment.

"A.I. Artificial Intelligence" was released in 2001. It was nominated for best visual effects and best original score at the Oscars.

"Avatar" (2009)

James Cameron famously wrote the first treatment for "Avatar" in the '90s, but shelved the project for years when he realized that the available technology wouldn't live up to his expectations.

Cameron told Entertainment Weekly in 2007 that he and the studio, Fox, decided to push forward with "Avatar" in August or September 2005, citing inspirations like Peter Jackson's Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings," "King Kong," and even Davy Jones from "Pirates of the Caribbean."

"I wrote an 80-page treatment 11 years ago," he told EW. "We were working from the treatment in designing the world and the creatures and so on. I wrote the script the first four months of 2006."

"Avatar" was released in 2009 and nominated for nine Oscars, winning best director, best cinematography, and best visual effects.

Of course, this wasn't the only "Avatar" film to spend years in production — fans waited another 13 years for its sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022).

"Boyhood" (2014)

Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" was shot from May 2002 to August 2013, with its same principal cast, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, and Lorelei Linklater, reuniting every year.

Richard Linklater told Time in 2014, "I was trying to tell a memory, of what it was like to grow up. Things you would remember from your past. There was no one thing. It was more of a tone, just a series of moments."

Coltrane was 6 years old when he won the role and 18 when the movie wrapped.

"It's a totally bizarre experience to have worked on it, and even more so to watch it now," he told Time. "Watching myself age, watching myself change like that, it's indescribable. It causes a lot of catharsis and a lot of intense emotion. It's a very elusive part of life, the way we change over time."

"Boyhood" was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture, best supporting actor and actress, best director, best original screenplay, and best film editing.

"Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)

There was a 30-year gap between the third and fourth installments in George Miller's "Mad Max" saga.

Screen Rant reported that the reasons for production delays for "Mad Max: Fury Road" included everything from the economic impacts of the September 11 terrorist attacks to recasting lead actor Mel Gibson and issues with filming locations.

Pre-production for "Fury Road" began in 2009, and Tom Hardy was cast in 2010. Filming finally began in 2012, and the movie was released in 2015.

It was nominated for 10 Oscars, including best costume design, best production design, best director, and best picture.

"The Other Side of the Wind" (2018)

Orson Welles' final movie, "The Other Side of the Wind" was posthumously released in 2018 by Netflix after 48 years in development.

Welles began shooting the film in 1970, but after six years, Welles only had a 40-minute cut to show for it, Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio reported in 2018.

After his death in 1985, there was confusion about who the film belonged to. Producer Filip Jan Rymsza told BI, "Everyone wanted the film to be completed, they just wanted it done on their own terms. It was a minefield. And if you made an enemy with this group you made an enemy for life, so that was the tricky part."

After decades in limbo, Netflix announced it would fund the movie's completion and it was released in November 2018.

"The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" (2018)

Terry Gilliam's "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" took so long to make that a documentary was made about his first attempt at the film, "Lost in La Mancha" (2002).

In 2021, the British Film Institute (BFI) reported that Gilliam had first decided to create "Don Quixote" in 1989, but when he finally started shooting in 2000, production lasted just five days.

"Rotating casts, illness and financial woes," including actor Jean Rochefort suffering a double herniated disc, delayed the film, Forbes and the BFI reported.

In 2013, Gilliam told The Hollywood Reporter that the film had "been around too long and it's like a tumor," adding, "I just want to get rid of it."

Five years later, in 2018, "Don Quixote" finally premiered, starring Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Olga Kurylenko, Stellan Skargård, and Joana Ribeiro.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" (2023)

When Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio first signed on to "Killers of the Flower Moon" in 2017, they were ready to tell a completely different story.

DiCaprio was originally slated to play FBI agent Tom White, but at an early table read, he proposed he play Ernest Burkhart instead to better show the love story between Burkhart and his wife, Mollie.

Scorsese told IndieWire in 2023, "And then finally Leo said, 'If I play Ernest, we could turn it upside down and go in from the ground level.' And I said, 'Absolutely.'"

But then came the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing the shooting start from early 2020 to April 2021, and causing Paramount Pictures to team up with Apple Studios to finance and distribute the film.

The film was originally slated for a November 2022 release, but in an effort to make it more competitive for the Oscars, it was delayed to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023 and released theatrically in October, Screen Rant reported.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" went on to receive 10 Oscar nominations, including best actress, best director, best supporting actor, and best picture, but was shut out completely at the 2024 ceremony.

"Megalopolis" (2024)

Collider reported that famed director Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now") started developing "Megalopolis" in the 1980s, but studios in Hollywood wouldn't fund it after his box-office failure, "One from the Heart" (1982).

After directing more commercial successes in the '90s, the outlet reported that Coppola hosted table reads for the project with actors like Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Uma Thurman, but the September 11 terrorist attacks placed it on hold indefinitely.

In 2019, "Megalopolis" was reintroduced, but Coppola had to finance the more than $100 million movie on his own.

Despite its star-studded cast (Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza), the timing didn't pay off and the film received poor reviews from audiences and critics when it was released widely in September 2024.

"Wicked" (2024)

More than 20 years ago, when producer Marc Platt first optioned Gregory Maguire's novel, "Wicked," he envisioned its material as a film — a phone call from composer Stephen Schwartz changed everything.

"And the lightbulb went off in my head. I thought, 'That's what's been missing from these screenplays. I don't feel the magic because it's a story that wants to sing,'" Platt told NBC Universal in 2024.

"Wicked," of course, went on to become one of the most beloved Broadway musicals of all time after premiering in 2003 with Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel in the lead roles, but the idea of a film was never too far away.

In 2010, Deadline reported that Platt, Schwartz, and Winnie Holzman (who wrote the book for Broadway's adaptation) were meeting with filmmakers; and in 2016, Collider reported that Stephen Daldry was selected to direct the film.

However, "Wicked" was put on hold in favor of another movie musical adaptation, "Cats," which was released by Universal in 2019, and then because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Daldry was forced to drop out of the project, Platt brought on Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians," "In The Heights") in 2021.

Filming — of parts one and two— finally commenced in December 2022, but was halted in July 2023 with 10 days left because of the SAG-AFTRA strike. They later wrapped in January 2024, and part one of the movie was released in November 2024 to critical and box-office success.

It is nominated for 10 awards at the Oscars, including best actress (Cynthia Erivo), best supporting actress (Ariana Grande), best picture, best costume design, and best makeup and hairstyling.

• Billy McFarland founded the infamous Fyre Festival, which stranded attendees in the Bahamas in 2017.
• In 2018, he pleaded guilty to fraud charges, one of which was connected to the festival.
• McFarland was released from prison in 2022 and is now planning for Fyre Festival 2.

It's been eight years since the original Fyre Festival left attendees stranded in the Bahamas in far-from luxurious accommodations, but founder Billy McFarland is ready to try again.

"My dream is finally becoming a reality," McFarland told TODAY on February 24. Fyre Festival 2 is planned for May 30 to June 2 in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

It remains to be seen whether this version goes more smoothly than the last.

During the 2017 event, people who'd paid thousands of dollars for tickets, expecting a luxury experience, received cheese sandwiches and disaster relief tents instead.

After pleading guilty to wire fraud charges, one of which was related to the festival, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison and served four. Here's how McFarland got started and what he's up to now.

McFarland started his first business at age 13

McFarland grew up in New Jersey, the son of two real estate developers, according to The New York Times. Though some may see a resemblance, there's no evidence he's related to "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane.

From a young age, McFarland was interested in becoming an entrepreneur.

"I started my first business in seventh grade and had three full time employees," he said in an interview on the "Just B with Bethenny Frankel" podcast in 2024. One of his employees invited the middle schooler to his wedding.

McFarland was more interested in business than school

After dropping out of Bucknell University during his first year, he started an online ad platform called Spling.

Then, in 2013, at age 22, McFarland started a now-defunct company, Magnises.

The social club's members paid $250 for Magnises' black card — modeled on the exclusive American Express Black Card — to gain access to cocktail parties, art shows, and other events. The card also gave members discounts at restaurants and clubs.

"One thing that everyone carries with them at all times is their debit or credit card," McFarland told Business Insider in 2015. "So we tied it to that."

Then members started complaining about canceled trips, missing tickets, and lengthy wait times for refunds, Business Insider reported in 2017.

McFarland used his connections with Ja Rule to build hype around the first Fyre Festival in 2017

Another perk Magnises promoted was private concerts by rapper Ja Rule. By 2017, Rule was involved in another venture with McFarland, the Fyre Festival.

Scheduled to take place over two weekends in April and May 2017, the festival was located on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas.

Ticket prices ranged from $450 to $75,000, BBC News reported in 2019.

The food was supposed to be gourmet and the accommodations were described as luxurious villas. Celebrities including Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid promoted the event. Blink-182 was set to play.

The pop-punk band and other acts pulled out before the event began, and the organizers canceled the festival shortly after people arrived. Stranded attendees were served box lunches and some stayed in disaster relief tents from FEMA.

Two documentaries, Netflix's "FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened" and Hulu's "Fyre Fraud," chronicled the disastrous festival. Bahamian locals who worked for the event said they were never paid for their services.

In May 2017, attendees sued McFarland and Ja Rule in a $100 million class-action lawsuit, which was later dismissed against the musician, The Guardian reported in 2019. Some of the concert-goers involved in the lawsuit received around $7,000, NPR reported in 2021.

In 2018, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison

In June 2017, federal agents arrested McFarland on a charge of wire fraud related to the festival. A year later, he was arrested again in a separate fraud case.

At the time of his first arrest, he was living in a Manhattan penthouse that cost $21,000 a month, The New York Times reported.

A 2018 SEC filing stated that McFarland had inflated his net worth to secure bank loans, claiming on his loan applications that he owned $2.56 million worth of Facebook stock when he actually owned $1,499 in shares.

McFarland pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to six years in prison in October 2018.

He was also ordered to forfeit $26 million to help pay back investors, attendees, and vendors. Before McFarland's sentencing, his attorney requested a lighter sentence, saying a psychiatrist had diagnosed him with a bipolar-related disorder.

As part of his plea deal, he agreed not to serve as the director of a public company again.

In March 2022, McFarland was released from federal prison.

Billy McFarland's girlfriend, Anastasia Eremenko, appeared in the Hulu Fyre Festival documentary

Anastasia Eremenko is a Russian model, according to Los Angeles Magazine. The couple met after the festival but before he went to prison.

"We broke up for a little bit" but got back together, McFarland said during the 2024 interview with Bethenny Frankel.

"When Billy and I met, it was destiny. It was love. I don't know how to explain it," she said in Hulu's "Fyre Fraud" documentary. It's unclear if they're still dating.

Where is Billy McFarland now?

After his prison sentence, McFarland told The New York Times he was hoping to get a job in the tech industry because people there are "more apt at taking risk."

He announced his next startup, PYRT, in 2022. The company, pronounced "pirate," would host events like "treasure hunts" at a hotel in The Bahamas, McFarlands said on the "Full Send" podcast that year.

"PYRT is all about taking people to places that they think are impossible," he said. He also planned on hosting a "PYRT fest."

Since McFarland still has about $26 million to pay in restitution, part of the money from the PYRT merch sold went to reimbursing unpaid workers in the Bahamas and to others who invested in or attended the Fyre Festival.

Now he's hoping to launch a second Fyre Festival.

"I'm sure many people think I'm crazy for doing this again. But I feel I'd be crazy not to do it again," McFarland said in a statement posted on Instagram.

Details about who will be performing at the festival have not been announced yet.

• Before we had kids, my wife and I used to be punctual, but now we're late for everything.
• We struggle to get out of the house because we don't pack in a timely manner.
• Traffic doesn't help, and bathroom breaks slow us down, but we're making changes.

The decline in my punctuality started with parenthood.

My wife and I used to be punctual, arriving at the time we were supposed to for most events. But then we had kids — and despite our best efforts, punctuality continues to elude us.

We didn't notice the change at first; after all, we were on my two sons' schedule now, so it only seemed natural to alter our arrival times accordingly.

But now that my kids are getting older — ages 7 and 12 — punctuality has proved to be an ongoing challenge. My family is trying to fix it.

The problem starts before we even leave the house

The chief culprit working against our return to punctuality would be packing.

I excel at packing. It's my best event in the house husband decathlon, with lawn maintenance a close second. If packing were a collegiate sport, I'd have gone to college on a full-ride scholarship. I can pack for a weeklong trip in 10 minutes flat, everything coordinated and ready to go in one gym bag.

My wife, on the other hand, hates it. Sometimes, I think she views the chore of packing as an immoral act, like talking during a theater performance. But that's because she's usually packing the car for herself and the kids. (I'm not allowed to help her after accidentally packing the wrong pair of shoes for her once.)

Somehow, grabbing everything we need for an afternoon trip to grandma's house has even become a task. The kids need a lot of stuff every time we leave the house. They need jackets, water, snacks, and activities to do in the car.

My wife grabs all that while I lock the house doors, check that the cats are inside, and ensure the kids have used the bathroom. This divide-and-conquer approach should work in theory, but we meet obstacles at every turn.

Once the packing finally gets done, we struggle to get everyone in the car. My oldest tends to be the first one to get in the vehicle. Our youngest child, meanwhile, has very strong moral convictions against waking up early and moving quickly; he views both actions as wasteful and stupid. Getting him ready to go anywhere can be like getting an angry mountain lion into a cat carrier.

Despite these realities, our loss of punctuality cannot be blamed solely on the children. I know this because we have friends and family with children, and they somehow manage to show up on time.

We just can't seem to get in sync as a family when it's time to get out the door.

We still run into issues once we're in the car

Where we live in Florida, there is nearly always traffic. As such, getting from place to place requires a car and enough patience to deal with the inevitable congestion.

Of course, all families in my area are dealing with the traffic, too. But mine is already running behind, so the traffic is just an added nuisance for us.

Since we tend to be in the car for a long time, someone usually needs a bathroom break. My oldest son is almost always the first one to announce he needs to use the bathroom, which slows us down even more.

We're trying to make changes to be more punctual as a family

Despite all these challenges, my family has adopted multiple strategies to regain our punctuality.

For starters, we use multiple alarms when it's time to go — even the timers on the oven and microwave. When the timer goes off, the devices go down, and it's officially time to load up the car.

Earlier packing times have also been implemented. If we need to leave at 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, the bags should ideally be packed and loaded before 2 p.m.

We check traffic patterns on our way out the door, and I try to navigate a route in real time.

The strategies have been effective — even though we're still working on the bathroom breaks.

• In an Instagram video, Lauren Sánchez shared details about her Blue Origin flight to space.
• She said she'll fly with Katy Perry, Gayle King, and other women storytellers this spring.
• Sánchez, Jeff Bezos' fiancée, wore an $18,120 necklace meant to bring luck in the clip.

Flying to space is expensive, but so is Lauren Sánchez's fashion.

On Thursday, the helicopter pilot and former journalist shared details about Blue Origin's all-women space flight on Instagram while wearing a diamond necklace that cost more than $18,000.

The pricey piece wasn't just a fashion statement, though. It was also meant to bring her good luck.

In her new video, Sánchez is wearing an $18,120 necklace made by New York City brand Marlo Laz.

It features a gold, paperclip-style chain, a round pavé diamond clasp, and a statement charm embellished with a six-carat white diamond.

The latter piece is also decorated with the French phrase "porte-bonheur," which translates to "lucky charm."

Sánchez is set to fly to space this spring alongside women who are "extraordinary in all of their fields" and "incredible storytellers," she said in her video.

The crew will include musician Katy Perry, "CBS Mornings" cohost Gayle King, activist Amanda Nguyen, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

They'll travel via a rocket created by Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Sánchez's fiancé, Jeff Bezos. Their journey will last about 11 minutes and take them past the "internationally recognized boundary of space," called the Kármán line. The company said it will be the first all-female flight since Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission in 1963.

Bezos has described Blue Origin as his "most important work" and has discussed his desire to bring space travel to the masses.

Only time will tell if Sánchez brings her lucky pendant along on her flight.

• Harmeet Dhillon is Trump's nominee to be Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
• The prominent GOP lawyer made millions from her law firm — and $43,531 from X — last year.
• She's at least the third Trump nominee to make money as a content creator on Elon Musk's platform.

One of President Donald Trump's top law enforcement nominees made tens of thousands of dollars from posting online last year.

Harmeet Dhillon, a prominent Republican lawyer who has been nominated to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice, said in a financial disclosure made public on Thursday that she had made $43,531 from X's content-creator revenue program.

Dhillon has more than 1.1 million followers on X, and she frequently posts on the social media platform.

She's at least the third Trump nominee to have made money this way. National Institute of Health Director nominee Jay Bhattacharya made $11,995 from the program, while Sam Brown, a former Nevada GOP Senate candidate who's been nominated to be Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, made $5,169.

Under the revenue program, created by Elon Musk after he took over and renamed Twitter, premium users can earn payouts based on engagement from other premium users.

Bhattacharya, Brown, and Dhillon have all agreed to demonetize their accounts if confirmed to their roles.

Dhillon's main source of income was her work as a lawyer: She disclosed earning more than $2 million in income from her firm, Dhillon Law Group, last year. Her major clients, according to the disclosure, included President Trump and his campaign, Tucker Carlson, the Republican National Committee, Caitlyn Jenner, and X itself.

She also earned a $300,000 salary from the Center for American Liberty, a civil liberties-focused legal nonprofit she helped found in 2018, along with $50,000 from four paid speeches.

• Netflix's 'Running Point' is a fictional comedy about a woman who becomes the owner of a basketball team.
• The series is based on the life of Jeanie Buss, owner of the LA Lakers.
• Mindy Kaling, the show's creator, said Buss came up with the idea for a comedy show about her life.

Netflix's "Running Point," a sports comedy about a woman who becomes the owner of an LA-based basketball team, may seem familiar to fans of the Los Angeles Lakers.

That's because the show is loosely based on the life of Jeanie Buss, the team's president.

"Running Point" is the latest series to examine the legacy of the LA Lakers, the second-most successful team in the NBA.

In 2022, Max produced a biopic series about the lives of key players and executives at the NBA team in the 1980s, and Hulu released a 10-episode documentary about the team's rise.

Netflix takes a new approach to portraying the team's history, focusing on Buss' life and her journey to being taken seriously in a male-dominated sport.

Mindy Kaling, the show's creator, told ExtraTV in an interview published on Tuesday that Buss asked her to make a show about her life.

"She approached me like five years ago to want to do this show," Kaling said. "She loved 'The Office' and so she's someone who has a very serious job but doesn't take herself seriously.

"She could have said like, 'I want the show to be a drama, and I want my character to be like hugely important, and everyone admires them.' But she's like, 'No, I want it to be funny.'"

Kaling added that Buss gave her and the writing team full access to her life and allowed them to interview her at any point to make "Running Point."

"Running Point" is still a fictional show, so many elements of Buss' life have likely been changed.

In real life, Buss took over the LA Lakers from her father, not her brother

The character based on Buss, played by Kate Hudson, is called Isla Gordon and runs a team called the Los Angeles Waves. Isla has three brothers who are part of the team's executive branch, while Buss' has five brothers and a sister who work in multiple sectors within the Lakers.

Buss became the owner of the Lakers in 2013 after the death of her father, Jerry Buss, the former owner. But in the show, Gordon takes on the role after her older is in a car accident.

Gordon is not the only character directly inspired by a real-life person in the show.

Brenda Song plays Gordon's friend, Ali Lee, who is based on Linda Rambis, the manager of special projects at the Lakers and a long-term friend of Buss.

Both Buss and Rambis are executive producers on "Running Point."

"Some of the situations seem outlandish but nothing surprises me that happens in the world of professional basketball," Buss told The Associated Press at the series' premiere event in LA on February 13. "We've seen everything."

The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.

• My husband and I used to love having Premier status on United, but we don't qualify anymore.
• The airline offers one credit card that gives automatic Premier status, but it has a $525 annual fee.
• It has great perks, but I realized a United card with a lower annual fee was a better value for us.

For years, my husband and I regularly traveled for work enough to earn Premier status on United Airlines. We loved it — the Premier security lanes at some airports literally saved us hours of travel time.

However, to reach Premier status, you need to fly a minimum of four United flights a year and earn at least 6,000 Premier qualifying points. We've both been traveling less lately and sadly don't qualify anymore.

We miss it so much that I've been looking into getting a United credit card in hopes of replacing those Premier-status perks.

I found a few options: the $0-annual-fee United Gateway℠ Card, the $0 intro for the first year, then $95-annual-fee United℠ Explorer Card, the $250-annual-fee United Quest℠ Card, and the $525-annual-fee United Club℠ Infinite Card.

All of them offer bonus miles, extra points when making United and everyday purchases, and no foreign transaction fees. However, only the United Club℠ Infinite Card comes with automatic Premier status.

Before signing up for it, though, I wanted to see if the hefty annual fee would be worth it for me.

I felt confident we'd make up the fee by utilizing all the perks, but I still wasn't sold

Automatic Premier status is the card's big selling point for me.

Beyond Priority security lanes, one of the reasons I love the status is earlier boarding. The highest Premier 1K level automatically gets you pre-boarding, Premier Gold and Premier Platinum board in Group 1, and Premier Silver boards in Group 2.

The United Club Infinite Card itself also gives you access to priority boarding in Group 2.

In my experience, your carry-on bag isn't getting in the overhead bin if you're in any boarding group after Group 3 on a full United flight. The most basic priority boarding typically costs at least $24 a person per flight, so the savings can add up.

Some of the card's other big perks are the high earning rates for points and miles and United Club access.

The Club is an exclusive airport lounge where members can grab snacks, work before flights with free WiFi, and chat with customer service about flight delays or cancellations.

That membership alone usually costs about $650 a year — that's already higher than the card's annual fee.

With or without Premier status, the card also gives you two free checked bags on every flight. However, if I make it to Premier Platinum or Premier 1K, I could get up to three bags for free.

I recently checked two bags on a United flight from Vancouver to Chicago that cost me $70 each way, so it would only take a few flights to get to the card's annual fee amount.

Additionally, the card gives holders $120 toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS — which I think of as a bonus security-skipping credit.

Overall, the United Club℠ Infinite Card sounded great, but I was still hesitant.

Eventually, I realized the Quest and Explorer cards offer similar benefits

Despite the compelling case I just made for the United Club℠ Infinite Card, we aren't going to sign up for it.

I'm sure it's of excellent value for some frequent travelers, but we can't financially justify the upfront cost of the annual fee — even if we'd eventually "make all the money back."

Fancy perks, like the Club membership, distracted me a bit at first. However, that membership isn't something we would've otherwise purchased, so I can't say we'd actually be saving that money by getting it for free.

Instead, we sat down and really thought about our travel priorities: faster security, priority boarding, and free checked bags.

The United Quest Card has a $250 annual fee, which can be partially offset the first year by its perk of a $125 United purchase credit.

It doesn't come with Premier status, but I would get 500 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) for signing up and earn one additional point for every $20 spent. Premier Silver status — the lowest level — costs 6,000 PQPs. That's a lot of credit card purchases to get Premier status, but it's possible.

Even if I can't make it to Premier status, the United Quest℠ Card offers free priority boarding, two free checked bags, and many of the other smaller perks the United Club℠ Infinite Card offers — including the $120 security-skipping credit.

If I wanted an even less expensive card, I could try the United Explorer Card. Its annual fee is actually waived the first year — a great upfront win.

I'd earn fewer miles and could only earn up to 1,000 PQPs through spending on the card. But I'd still get priority boarding, one free checked bag, the $120 security-skipping credit, and other basic perks.

Additionally, the United Explorer Card comes with two free United Club passes a year, so my husband and I could have an annual luxurious airport experience.

Letting go of my obsession with Premier status saves me money

I was originally dead set on getting a United credit card that guaranteed us the Premier status we love so much.

Although the card that offers it isn't a perfect match for us, I'm glad I did more research before applying for the card.

This process helped me narrow down the perks that can actually save us money while still improving our travel experience.

By going with the United Quest℠ Card or United℠ Explorer Card cards, we can still access priority boarding in Group 2 — meaning we likely wouldn't have to worry about our carry-ons making it on the plane — and check one or two bags for free.

We could also use the $120 credit that comes with the cards to sign up for something like TSA PreCheck® to get through security faster.

Plus, we won't have to spend $525 every year to get those perks.

• The "Shrek" franchise is returning with another sequel starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Zendaya.
• "Shrek 5" will premiere in December 2026.
• Here's what to know about the long-awaited movie. 

"Shrek 5" is heading to theaters in 2026 with a new cast member — Zendaya.

On Thursday, DreamWorks shared the first teaser for the movie, with new designs for Shrek and the main characters.

The teaser said that Zendaya is starring in the film, seemingly playing one of Shrek's daughters.

It has been 15 years since the last sequel to "Shrek," the pop culture juggernaut that turned DreamWorks into a leading film studio.

The first film won an Oscar, and the franchise made nearly $3 billion across the first four films. The "Puss In Boots" spinoff movies, released in 2011 and 2022, also made an extra billion dollars.

A "Shrek" sequel has been rumored for years, but fans were beginning to lose hope after "Shrek Forever After" provided a neat finish to the story. The decision to restart the "Shrek" franchise may be due to the surprise success of "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish," which had a slow opening but eventually made $481 million.

"The Last Wish" arrived 11 years after "Shrek," proving that there is still an audience for the films.

Here's what we know so far about "Shrek 5."

Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz are returning for "Shrek 5."

Eddie Murphy, who plays Donkey, told Collider in June 2024 that he had started recording his lines for "Shrek 5" and said that DreamWorks plans to release a spinoff about his character.

A month later, DreamWorks Animation finally confirmed that "Shrek 5" is in the works. It also announced that Mike Myers will return as Shrek, with Cameron Diaz as Fiona.

No word yet on Antonio Banderas, who joined the franchise in "Shrek 2" as the outlaw Puss in Boots. Banderas voiced Puss in Boots in both of the spinoff movies (the first is set before "Shrek" and the second is set after "Shrek Forever After") and has made no announcement about stepping down from the role.

This could mean that the fan-favorite feline won't show up, or Banderas hasn't been able to finalize his deal with DreamWorks yet.

Walt Dohrn will co-direct "Shrek 5" with Brad Ableson, the director of "Minions: The Rise of Gru." Dohrn was a writer and artist on "Shrek 2" and "Shrek the Third," was the head of the story on "Shrek Forever After," and the voice of Rumpelstiltskin in the latter film.

The movie's producers are Gina Shay, who produced "Shrek Forever After," and Illumination founder Chris Meledandri.

"Shrek 5" will premiere in December 2026.

There are no details yet on the plot or how it will follow "Shrek Forever After."

The last movie ended with Shrek and Fiona happily raising their three triplets after Shrek learns to appreciate his life as a father.

DreamWorks initially announced that "Shrek 5" would premiere on July 1, 2026, but in their new teaser, the release date has changed to Christmas 2026.

• Elon Musk says it "might make sense" to increase pay for members of Congress.
• He said it could help safeguard against corruption — an argument Democrats like AOC have long made.
• It's a reversal from December, when he helped tank a funding bill over a modest lawmaker pay raise.

Elon Musk seems to be changing his mind about whether members of Congress should get a raise.

"It might make sense to increase compensation for Congress and senior government employees to reduce the forcing function for corruption," the Department of Government Efficiency head wrote on X on Thursday. "The latter might be as much as 1000 times more expensive to the public."

It's a far cry from December, when Musk helped tank a bipartisan government funding bill in part because it included a modest pay increase for members of Congress.

Musk's comment on congressional and government salaries came in response to a video claiming that members of Congress are enriching themselves by steering congressional funds toward non-government organizations that they're affiliated with.

Members of Congress are already prohibited by law from using their official positions for personal gain, and outside income often comes in the form of book proceeds.

Nonetheless, the argument Musk is making about corruption and salaries echoes those made by Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and good-government experts, who have warned that members of Congress may be tempted to trade stocks or be lured into employment in the private sector due to their stagnant salaries.

Rank-and-file members of the House and Senate currently make $174,000 — a figure that hasn't changed since 2009, since lawmakers have proactively blocked a cost of living adjustment every year since then.

If their salaries had kept pace with inflation since 2009, they would have been paid $217,900 last year, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Though that $174,000 salary is far higher than what most Americans make, lawmakers and experts have pointed to the cost of maintaining two residences, as well as the importance of the job, as a reason why the salary should be increased.