• I lived in Yellowstone National Park for three months alongside wolves, grizzly bears, and geysers.
• I often saw travelers make the same mistakes, putting themselves, others, and wildlife at risk.
• Don't stop in the middle of the road to look at animals and try to see more than just Old Faithful. 

Yellowstone National Park isn't a theme park, and it's a mistake to treat it like one.

My husband and I spent a year living out of a pickup truck driving cross-country. During that time, he took a seasonal job in Yellowstone National Park, and we ended up living there for three months.

I'd spent a lot of time in national parks prior to this, but the mistakes that I saw travelers consistently making here were shocking.

Things were especially rough during the busy summer season when most people treated the park more like a shopping mall on Black Friday than a shared space in nature.

If you're going to Yellowstone — especially if you're visiting this summer — don't make these mistakes.

Stopping in the middle of the road

I saw many near accidents caused by travelers suddenly stopping in the middle of the road to look at animals in the distance.

Instead of braking without warning, find a safe spot to pull over and then walk back to see wildlife. Taking the time to find a place to park off-road may jeopardize your chance to see certain animals, but it can keep you from getting rear-ended.

Only sticking to the classic tourist spots

There's more to Yellowstone than Old Faithful.

Yellowstone National Park is 2.2 million acres — don't make the mistake of spending your whole trip only seeing a series of popular spots that wouldn't even cover a single acre.

Looking off the beaten path allowed me to see boiling mud pots, soaring eagles, and herds of pronghorns without crowds. Before your trip, look up more than just the most popular attractions to find other spots and trails to explore.

Thinking you can see the whole park in a day

You can't see all of Yellowstone in a day. I didn't even see all of it during my three months living there.

If your time is limited, put just a few things on your itinerary and take the time to see, enjoy, and learn from them.

Don't spend the majority of your days driving all over the park just to check things off of a must-see list or to post photos to the internet of attractions. There are plenty of those already.

Treating wildlife like pets

Unfortunately, I saw travelers harass animals often. They aren't there for your entertainment — respect them and their homes.

Just because animals in Yellowstone don't run away from you doesn't mean that you should head toward them, either.

Bison look cute until they gore you. Elk are just giant deer until they swing their antlers like a sword. Feeding prairie dogs your lunch can expose you to disease while potentially making them sick.

Being unprepared

As someone who has been freezing cold in Yellowstone in August, I recommend being prepared for temperature swings as big as 40 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few hours.

Wear hiking boots and layers you can add and subtract from throughout the day to stay comfortable. Pack snacks and plenty of water so that you can stay hydrated and fueled.

Having what you need can help you comfortably stay out in the parks even longer.

• The Education Department announced it plans to finalize its broader student-loan forgiveness plan in October.
• This means millions of borrowers could get relief weeks before the election.
• The department also plans to propose a separate debt relief rule for borrowers facing hardship.

Millions of student-loan borrowers could benefit from President Joe Biden's broader debt relief plan just weeks before the election.

Biden's administration published its Spring 2024 Unified Agenda in early July, which outlines deadlines for federal agencies to finalize ongoing rules and priorities.

With regards to the Education Department's ongoing student-debt relief proposals, borrowers now have a clearer timeline to expect implementation. The department's broader plan to cancel student debt — proposed after the Supreme Court struck down Biden's first attempt — is expected to be finalized in October. This timing is in accordance with the department's previously stated timeline to implement the relief this fall.

Additionally, the department has been working toward a separate student-debt relief proposal for borrowers experiencing financial hardship. The proposed rule is expected to be published in September and would be separate from the department's broader debt relief plan.

Education Department officials have repeatedly said they were working toward implementing its student-loan forgiveness plan as soon as possible, which it expects would benefit over 30 million borrowers. Specifically, the plan would cancel unpaid interest for 23 million borrowers, fully cancel balances for 4 million borrowers, and give over 10 million borrowers at least $5,000 in debt relief.

At the same time, advocates and some Democratic lawmakers have been pushing the Education Department to make its plan more robust by including an additional relief category for borrowers experiencing hardship, which could include borrowers who have made good faith efforts to repay their debt but financial or medical circumstances prevented them from doing so.

"Failing to finalize a proposal to provide relief for borrowers experiencing hardship would result in millions of borrowers — including most recent graduates, many low-income borrowers, borrowers of color, and borrowers with disabilities — being left out of the necessary debt relief," advocacy organizations wrote in a January letter to the Education Department. "This cannot be an option."

Still, even if the department finalizes the relief by October, it's highly likely to encounter legal challenges that could delay or block the plan. The election also poses additional challenges — should former President Donald Trump win the election, any relief Biden's administration is working to implement will likely be thrown out.

"These historic steps reflect President Biden's determination that we cannot allow student debt to leave students worse off than before they went to college," Undersecretary of Education James Kvaal previously said in a statement. "The President directed us to complete these programs as quickly as possible, and we are going to do just that."

• Kevin Bacon said he didn't turn down the role of Sam Wheat in the 1990 movie "Ghost."
• The part was played by Patrick Swayze.
• "I don't think I would've turned it down," Bacon told Business Insider. "I have no memory of that."

Kevin Bacon's acting career has included standout performances and roles that got away, but there's one bit of film trivia he wants to set the record straight on. Asked if he really did turn down the role of Sam Wheat in "Ghost" — which ultimately went to Patrick Swayze — he shook his head.

"No, I wish," Bacon told Business Insider's Caralynn Matassa in the latest installment of our Role Play interview series. "I don't think I would've turned it down. I mean, I have no memory of that."

Bacon also heaped praise on Swayze as the right choice. "And by the way, the other piece of that is 'Ghost' without Patrick Swayze — I don't know. It could have gone nowhere," he added.

"Ghost," directed by Jerry Zucker and released in 1990, starred Swayze as Sam, a banker who was murdered. After his death, Sam's ghost tries to save his girlfriend, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), from danger through the help of a psychic named Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg).

In Swayze's 2009 memoir "The Time of My Life," cowritten by his wife Lisa Niemi, the actor said that he felt he was perfect for the role of Sam after reading the script, but Zucker wasn't keen on him. Instead, Swayze said that a number of notable actors in Hollywood were "under consideration" for the part, including Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, and Tom Hanks.

Swayze was granted an audition, where he acted out six scenes and convinced Zucker that he was right for the role.

The film went on to become a box office slam dunk, grossing $505.7 million on a $22 million budget. "Ghost" was also nominated for five Academy Awards; Goldberg, who Swayze fought to get cast, took home the award for best supporting actress.

Despite not turning down a role in "Ghost," Bacon said that there are still roles that he wanted but missed out on. But he's made his peace with it because it's part of the territory.

"Being an actor is a lifetime of rejection. It's a lifetime of getting just close. I think the only one that pops into my head is 'Raising Arizona,'" Bacon said, referencing Joel and Ethan Coen's 1997 film that starred Nicolas Cage.

"Part of the reason is because I love the Coen brothers so much," he said. "They went on to make just so many incredible movies, and I had a meeting with them and completely fucked it up. So that's the one that resonates with me."

• NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spoke about flying aboard Boeing's glitchy spaceship.
• In a call from the International Space Station, they recounted taking manual control of Starliner.
• The astronauts are waiting for NASA to finish troubleshooting the wonky thrusters and helium leaks.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been on the International Space Station way longer than they'd planned.

The duo flew into space aboard Boeing's Starliner spaceship, testing it out as its first-ever human passengers, on June 5. They were supposed to stay on the station for eight days, then return home so NASA could certify the spaceship and start using it regularly.

Shortly after they reached space, though, the Boeing spacecraft started glitching. They've been on the ISS ever since, while NASA and Boeing troubleshoot and insist the astronauts are "not stranded."

In a brief call with journalists on Wednesday, Williams and Wilmore finally shared their take on the situation and described what it was like to realize something was wrong with their spaceship.

What astronauts experienced flying on a glitchy spaceship

"Launch was spectacular. I mean, truly amazing," Wilmore said.

The astronauts were pressed back into their seats as the rocket roared through the atmosphere, then experienced the relief of microgravity as Starliner slid into orbit.

Then, in space, they began checking the spaceship's operational capabilities and it "performed unbelievably well," Wilmore said.

Astronauts use a scale of 1 (best) to 10 (worst) to rate spacecraft handling qualities. Wilmore said he's never given a 1 rating before, "but I was tempted."

He added, "It was truly amazing, the precision that this spacecraft held" — until day two of the mission.

As they approached the space station, one of Starliner's 28 Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters unexpectedly shut down. Then another went offline.

"You could tell the thrust, the control, the capability was degraded. The handling qualities were not the same," Wilmore said.

The astronauts took manual control for over an hour while ground teams were troubleshooting. Ultimately, five RCS thrusters unexpectedly shut down. They got a few thrusters back, Wilmore said, but things weren't the same.

"From that point on, you could tell that the thrust was degraded," though they didn't know why at the time, Wilmore said.

Still, when it came time to dock to the space station, where there were only a few inches of room for error, the spaceship did the job.

"Starliner came right down — in automatic mode at this point — right down the middle, even with the degraded thrusters, which was truly impressive knowing what we know now," Wilmore said.

What's wrong with Boeing's spaceship

NASA has also discovered five leaks in Starliner's helium supply, which is used to pressurize its propulsion system.

NASA is working to understand all the issues on the spacecraft and get more data to ensure the return trip will be safe. Engineers are testing an RCS thruster at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, trying to replicate the unexpected issues that arose mid-flight and ensure the thrusters will perform well on the return journey.

In the meantime, Wilmore and Williams have been busy working on experiments and station maintenance with the other astronauts on the space station.

"We've been thoroughly busy up here integrated right into the crew," Williams said. "About once a week we get to jump into Starliner and talk to our control team there and work through all the nuances that they're working very hard on the ground."

Boeing keeps falling behind

NASA requires Boeing to put Starliner through extensive testing to uncover issues like these. In addition to ground testing, the spaceship had to fly an uncrewed mission to the space station.

The first attempt never reached the space station and experienced multiple failures, but eventually, in a later uncrewed attempt, Starliner reached the ISS.

This crewed mission with Williams and Wilmore is supposed to be the final test to certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut missions, and the astronauts expected to uncover some imperfections.

The leaks and thruster failures are the latest of many issues Boeing has faced with its spacecraft over the years, which has set it far behind competitor SpaceX.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon was developed on a similar timeline through the same NASA program as Starliner, but it finished testing and NASA certification in 2020. It's been flying people to and from the space station ever since.

It's not yet clear how the new issues will affect Boeing's ability to get its spacecraft into the regular space station rotation. Still, Wilmore and Williams expressed confidence.

"We are really satisfied with putting more people in the spacecraft once we get back and we work through all the issues that we've found already," Williams said.

• Samsung unveiled new wearables at its Unpacked event.
• Both the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro show clear design similarities to Apple's products.
• Samsung did reveal some innovative devices, however, debuting the new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 phones.

Samsung made major product announcements at its Unpacked event on Wednesday — and two of its new wearable gadgets will look familiar to Apple fans.

The tech company wasn't subtle about the similarities between the soon-to-be-released Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

And it's more than just the (literally same) "Ultra" name or the orange band. The Apple Watch Ultra 2, which debuted in September 2023, features an orange-accented action button, a titanium case, and a breathable band style called "ocean."

The Galaxy Watch Ultra, set to be released on July 24, is also made of titanium, boasts its own orange "Quick Button," and a "marine" band option. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 retails for $800, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra will cost $650.

While tech companies have been copying each other for decades, Samsung's approach here appears to be targeting Android fans who like the look of the Apple Watch Ultra. Apple's smartwatches don't play nicely with Android, so Samsung could attract customers who like the Apple aesthetic.

But the strategy has its downsides. If you spot someone wearing Galaxy Watch Ultra, there's a good chance you'd mistake it for Apple's model — which doesn't help Samsung differentiate itself.

In a statement to Business Insider, Samsung said that the design choices for its new smartwatch were "made to ensure comfort, usability, and durability in a variety of use cases." It didn't mention what went into naming the device.

The similarities extend to Samsung's new earbuds.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and the Galaxy Buds 3 — also announced at Unpacked — got a revamp that steps away from previous designs to make Samsung's Bluetooth earbuds shaped more like Apple AirPods.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are stemless and come in light purple, but their successor only comes in silver or white. Similar to the AirPods Pro, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro owners will be able to control their earbuds with gestures.

The second-generation AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro cost about $250.

Samsung said the new look of the earbuds is "based on statistical data Samsung collected to ensure the most comfortable fit for the broadest userbase."

While the company didn't exactly go in a new direction for its Ultra and Galaxy Buds, it's still not afraid to experiment and has demonstrated real innovation in the past. Look no further than Samsung's foldable phones, a product type that Apple is reportedly exploring. At Unpacked, Samsung debuted new iterations of the foldable Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip.

And to be clear, Apple has also borrowed heavily from rivals in the past, introducing iOS features at WWDC 2024 that Android user have enjoyed for years.

But still, it's hard not to look at Samsung's new watch and earbuds and not see two Apple products staring back.

• Katy Perry announced her new album, "143," will arrive on September 20.
• The album's lead single, "Woman's World," will be released Thursday.
• Perry worked with pop producers like Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Stargate, and more.

Katy Perry has officially opened the portal to her new musical era.

Perry announced on Tuesday that her new album, "143," will be released on September 20.

"I set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message," Perry said in a press release distributed by her label, Capitol Records.

The press release also bills "143" as a "sexy, fearless return to form" for Perry, who hasn't released a full-length project since 2020. That album, "Smile," was met with largely negative reviews and lackluster sales; it debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and its top-charting single, "Daisies," peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. (Her previous three albums, "Teenage Dream," "Prism," and "Witness," all went to No. 1.)

Since then, Perry has delivered a small handful of duets and commercial singles, including a cover of "All You Need Is Love" for a Gap holiday campaign and the pop song "Electric" for a Pokémon soundtrack album.

"143" will be Perry's sixth major-label release — seventh overall, including her sparsely heard debut "Katy Hudson," a Christian music album released in 2001.

The new album's lead single, "Woman's World," is set to arrive on Thursday after more than a month of teasers.

The upbeat track will contain themes of freedom and female empowerment, with Perry belting in the chorus, "Celebrate / We ain't going away / It's a woman's world and you're lucky to be living in it."

Although teasers for "Woman's World" were initially met with disappointment online (and a clip of the music video has received similarly mixed reactions), it does offer a peek into the tone of Perry's hopeful pop comeback.

"'143' IS A PARTY AND THE WORLD IS INVITED!" reads the album description in Perry's online store. "Get ready for Singalong, Heart Opening, Empowering, Sexy, Provocative Pop Anthems!"

Perry worked with major pop producers like Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Stargate

Perry reunited with familiar faces to create "143," a label source told Rolling Stone.

Perry previously worked with Dr. Luke, Martin, and Stargate to craft No. 1 hits like "I Kissed a Girl" (2008), "Teenage Dream" (2010), "Firework" (2010), and "Roar" (2013).

However, Perry has not worked with Dr. Luke since he was sued by Kesha, his former teen protégé, in 2014.

Kesha accused Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. He denied all of Kesha's claims and countersued for defamation.

"The abuse I suffered from Luke was a decade long, every day, every moment of every day," Kesha said during sworn questioning in 2017.

Kesha's battle to escape her contract with Dr. Luke's label, Kemosabe Records, earned her support from fellow pop stars like Adele, Halsey, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift, who donated $250,000 to help cover Kesha's legal fees.

The parties reached an undisclosed settlement last year. Shortly after, Kesha announced that she had fulfilled her contractual obligation to Kemosabe and released her first song as an independent artist, "Joyride," earlier this month.

Given Dr. Luke's embattled reputation among artists and fans alike, Perry's decision to reunite with him sparked backlash. However, the Capitol Records source told Rolling Stone that Perry personally assembled her team for the album.

"Katy knew exactly the album she wanted to make and put together the team to make it happen," the source said.

Perry also reconnected with Sarah Hudson, who cowrote Perry's diamond-certified hit "Dark Horse," as well as several tracks from her 2017 album "Witness."

Newcomers to Perry's orbit include Vaughn Oliver, Rocco Valdes, and Theron Thomas, according to the label source.

Oliver is an up-and-coming pop producer who has teamed up with Gottwald multiple times, coproducing hits like Latto's "Big Energy" and Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl."

Valdes — better known by his stage name Rocco Did It Again! — is another member of Gottwald's inner circle. The two share production credits on songs by Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Minaj, and more.

Thomas is a Grammy-winning songwriter who signed with Kemosabe in 2014. More recently, he has written songs with Beyoncé ("All Night"), Lizzo ("Juice," "Tempo," "About Damn Time"), and Usher ("No Limit," "Bad Habits").

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

• A Manhattan federal grand jury is weighing sex-trafficking allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
• The rap mogul hired top NYC defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo to fight a possible indictment.
• Agnifilo has repped Harvey Weinstein, 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli, and NXIVM leader Keith Raniere.

Sean "Diddy" Combs has lawyered up as a federal grand jury in Manhattan continues a months-long investigation into sex-trafficking allegations involving multiple accusers, Business Insider has learned.

The rap mogul has hired Marc Agnifilo, a veteran criminal attorney whose high-profile clients include producer Harvey Weinstein, 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli, and NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere.

Agnifilo told BI that sex-trafficking allegations by R&B singer and Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura were the spark for the now sprawling investigation by prosecutors for the Southern District of New York.

When Ventura's bombshell Manhattan lawsuit settled only one day after it was filed last November — for a sum assumed to be in the millions — additional Combs accusers "came out of the woodwork," Agnifilo said.

Since then, "There's been subpoenas out for months, and I don't get the sense anything is imminent," Agnifilo said of potential charges.

Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami were subjected to federal searches and the seizure of phones and computers in March as part of that probe, he said.

Agnifilo, a former state and federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said he and co-counsel Teny Geragos are in regular communication with federal prosecutors.

"I think that the Southern District is appropriately taking its time and considering many different factors," the lawyer said.

"But we are firmly convinced that he did not violate any federal laws, and we hope we can work with prosecutors in reaching that conclusion."

Combs has not spoken with prosecutors, added Agnifilo, a former state and federal prosecutor in Manhattan now at Agnifilo Intrater.

The Manhattan grand jury is the latest, and potentially most serious, legal trouble plaguing Combs as women from the rapper's past step forward with accusations of violence and coerced sex.

In May, CNN published 2016 video of Combs shoving, dragging, and kicking Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel.

The video corroborated allegations of violence in the R&B singer's lawsuit against Combs and Bad Boy Entertainment.

"I'm disgusted," Combs said in an apology after the video went public, calling his behavior "inexcusable."

The lawsuit alleged that Combs seduced her into a "drug-fueled lifestyle" and repeatedly forced her to engage in sex with male prostitutes so that he could watch and film the encounters.

Combs has fought nine sex-assault lawsuits since November, the most recent filed in federal court in New York by porn star Adria English, who also accuses him of sexual assault and harassment.

English says that in 2004 to 2009, Combs "demanded" she engage in sex with guests at his high-profile "white parties" at his homes in New York and Florida, charges Combs denies.

The last time Combs was in serious legal peril in New York was more than 20 years ago, when he and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were arrested after a shootout at a Times Square nightclub.

Combs was repped then by longtime celebrity defense attorney Benjamin Brafman, who in 2001 won the rapper a high-profile acquittal after a six-week trial on gun and bribery charges — "Uncle Benny," a grateful Combs called him at the time.

Brafman repped Combs again in the leadup to the Ventura lawsuit. Reached Wednesday, Brafman declined to comment on Combs' switch to Agnifilo, who was senior trial counsel at Brafman & Associates before the two men parted ways in March after 17 years.

"I've always viewed Ben as a mentor," Agnifilo said when asked of the split. "He fought Puffy's battle 25 years ago, and I get to fight it now."

An attorney for Ventura did not respond to a request for comment on this story.