• In unprecedented comments, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said President Donald Trump would often ask him to violate US law.
• Trump's former cabinet member called the president "undisciplined" in an interview at a fundraiser in Houston, Texas.
• The former ExxonMobile Corporation executive also said "there's no question" that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

At his first public appearance in almost nine months, Rex Tillerson, former secretary of state under President Donald Trump, said the president often asked Tillerson to violate US law.

The surprising comments were made to Bob Schieffer of CBS News at a fundraiser for the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. The former cabinet member's remarks about the president, including his assertions that the president frequently wanted to violate US law, are unprecedented.

Tillerson also took a strong stance against "very opportunistic" Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said "there's no question" that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Regarding his relationship with Trump, Tillerson said he and the president did not have a "common value system." 

"When the president would say, 'Here's what I want to do and here's how I want to do it,' I'd have to say to him, 'Mr. President, I understand what you want to do, but you can't do it that way. It violates the law. It violates a treaty,'" Tillerson said in the interview. "I think he grew tired of me being the guy every day that told him, 'You can't do that.'"

Trump would often grow frustrated at those conversations, the former secretary said. Tillerson's experience at what he described as "highly disciplined, highly process-oriented" ExxonMobil Corporation made it difficult to transition to the Trump White House, he said.

"It's challenging ... to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined," he said.

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NOW WATCH: What serving in the military taught beauty YouTuber Jackie Aina

Singer-songwriter Victoria Canal performs at IGNITION 2018. "There's a need for social change and a voice for young people and all people to feel okay in their skin and that's what I'm here to encourage," said Canal.

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• Today only (December 7), you can save 25% sitewide at L.L.Bean by using the promo code "SAVEBIG" at checkout.
• The sale isn't openly advertised so don't be alarmed if you don't see it on the homepage.
• While apparel and gear are included in the promotion, the best items on sale right now are the iconic Bean Boots.
• As an item that typically sells out before the height of winter, you can get your Bean Boots now at a lower price.

Winter will be here before you know it. When it comes to footwear, you should already have a nice pair of fall boots, so now is the time to shift your focus to a pair of winter boots.

The iconic L.L.Bean Boots are known for selling out every year well before the height of winter, and right now they're on sale for 25% off — along with the rest of L.L.Bean's apparel and gear.

Created in 1912 by avid fisherman and hunter Leon Leonwood Bean to keep feet warm and dry, the boots were handmade in Maine and single-handedly launched the company to success.

To this day, the L.L.Bean Boot is made in Maine by expert craftspeople, never by a machine, using the same design and manufacturing processes. With immense popularity, the demand for Bean Boots always far exceeds what the factory can produce by hand. 

While the classic 8-inch boot is still available, there are many new options for men, women, and kids. Whether you're going for a higher 10-inch boot, a warm insulated boot, a stylish moccasin, or a unique color, you can find it here.

Now through December 7, L.L.Bean is having an amazing sitewide sale that puts Bean Boots at the lowest price they've been since Black Friday last year. You can save 25% by simply using the promo code "SAVEBIG" at checkout. 

Don't wait until there's snow on the ground to order your Bean Boots. With how quickly orders pile up, you might not get a chance to wear them until next winter.

Shop all items at L.L.Bean now and save.

Check out the best L.L.Bean Boots for men, women, and kids below:

Men's L.L.Bean Original 8-Inch Boot

L.L.Bean Original 8-Inch Boot, $101.25 (Originally $135) [You save $33.75]

Men's L.L.Bean Shearling-Lined 10-Inch Boot

L.L.Bean Shearling-Lined 10-Inch Boot, $172.50 (Originally $230) [You save $57.50]

Men's L.L.Bean Limited-Edition Luxe Padded Collar 8-Inch Boot

L.L.Bean Limited-Edition Luxe Padded Collar 8-Inch Boot, $116.25 (Originally $155) [You save $38.75]

• Peloton has revolutionized home fitness with its high-tech indoor bike, which enables users to stream live classes from home. The company launched in 2012 and is now valued at about $4 billion.
• SoulCycle is an indoor cycling workout brand that launched in 2006 and now has 90 studios across the United States and Canada. It's known for inspiring a cult-like following of fans. 
• We compared the experience of taking a class with each brand, and there was a clear winner. 

Indoor cycling is becoming the most competitive space in the fitness market. Until 2012, SoulCycle seemed to be invincible with its cult following of fans who were prepared to pay as much as $36 a class.

Then Peloton came along. The high-tech fitness company, which launched in 2012, enables users to stream live classes from anywhere, making it possible to get a SoulCycle-style experience without ever leaving your bedroom. 

And it seems to be paying off. Peloton was valued at $4 billion after it closed a $550 million financing round in August.

New data released by analytics firm Second Measure,which tracks the credit and debit purchases from a pool of four million US customers, showed that for the first time ever Peloton overtook SoulCycle with 4% more customers during the third quarter of 2018. 

A spokesperson for SoulCycle disputed the data in a statement to Business Insider. 

"The data is not only incomplete, it's wrong. SoulCycle is highly profitable. Studio revenue has increased year over year, paid rides are up, total rides are up and our active ridership has not decreased. We're also seeing an increase in the number of classes our active riders take each month," the spokesperson said.

Peloton said that its user base has doubled in the past year. 

Earlier this year, we put these two cult-favorite brands to the test to see which offered a superior experience: 

SEE ALSO: We tested the $1,500 mirror that streams exercise classes into your home and saw how it could upend the fitness world

We headed over to the Westin Hotel near Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan to trial a Peloton bike, which is available for hotel guests to use.

The first thing that struck us is how much better the size of the bike is compared to its newest product, the Tread.

This bike could easily occupy a corner of your apartment without being too intrusive. 

Each bike has a touchscreen from which you can stream live and on-demand classes. It costs $39 a month to stream these classes.

Peloton has a cycling studio in Manhattan, where you can attend these classes in person if you'd like. There are between 11 and 13 classes a day, and you can also stream these classes from home.

The touchscreen was user-friendly, and at 22 inches in size, it's easy to see.

• "The Bodyguard" had some fine performances, but its tone-deaf Islamophobia is way over the top.

• "Dirty John" didn't show Connie Britton at her best. 
• Nominating "The Alienist" could perhaps be a make-up nomination for snubbing far superior serial killer series "Mindhunter" in 2017.
• Multiple nominations for outstanding actors in the same series — when it's deserved — should absolutely be a thing.

The Golden Globe nominations always pack a few surprises, either in what's nominated or what isn't. Of particular frustration is always a show or movie with a strong ensemble cast: How do you nominate only one actor or actress when they're all fantastic?

Here are some of the TV, limited series, and "motion picture made for television"nominations that left us with questions.

BBC drama "Bodyguard" made a big splash on Netflix, but it promotes some extremely harmful Islamophobic stereotypes.

Many felt that the portrayal of Muslim women as terrorists, victims, or both is cliched, exhausting, and maybe even dangerous in our current cultural climate. For that reason alone, "The Bodyguard" doesn't need to be celebrated.

"I am exhausted by how Muslim women are continually misrepresented like this in the media. As a victim of an Islamophobic verbal attack after the 9/11 terrorist attack, I don’t appreciate depictions that can fuel Islamophobia," Tasnim Nazeer wrote in the Guardian. "There are many communities in Britain that may not have had much interaction with Muslims, or only ever hear or see Muslims on TV. I believe the media needs to be accountable in some way for the content they produce, especially when levels of anti-Muslim hate crime are soaring. Instead, we need more powerful narratives and stories that bring about a better understanding of Muslims."

Speaking of which, if you're ever wondering if a piece of media you're watching is promoting harmful Muslim stereotypes, check it against the Riz Test, which is based on a powerful speech given by Riz Ahmed in 2017 in the UK House of Commons.

Jason Bateman in "Ozark" did a perfectly acceptable job, but it's not exactly a standout performance.

The single actor from "Ozark" who most deserved a nom and didn't get it is Julia Garner. Watching her character Ruth Langmore evolve over the course of the series has been an absolute revelation.

Part of that is down to writing, but Bateman just didn't measure up. In fact, many felt that way, as the second season was plagued with mixed reviews. 

Debra Messing got yet another nomination for the reboot of "Will and Grace," but it's just cruel to nominate the show again if they aren't going to ever win.

Both Messing and the show have now been nominated 30 separate times for Golden Globes and have yet to win a single one. Debra Messing even told the LA Times that she slept in for the nominations because she didn't expect to get nominated this year.

With the weight of all that in mind, the competition in the best actress in a musical or comedy category is fierce. Kristen Bell, Alison Brie, and Rachel Brosnahan are all considerable competition for Messing. It seems pointless to keep stringing her along unless she'll finally clinch the win. 

• It turns out, being conventionally beautiful has its benefits. 
• According to science, people who are perceived as attractive are more likely to get hired for jobs and seem trustworthy. 
• They are also thought to be healthier and lead a happier life. 

It's no secret that people who are conventionally attractive generally make for more desirable romantic partners. No matter your individual preferences, you're probably more likely to have a crush on your good looking neighbor than someone you don't find physically alluring.

However, there may actually be perks to being seen as pretty that extend beyond the dating scene. Here are a few benefits to being beautiful that are backed up by science.

Beautiful people might be smarter.

Researchers at the University of New Mexico found thatthere may be a link between general intelligence and body symmetry.

Physical symmetry is thought by some scientists to indicate developmental stability, or an organism's ability to turn its genetic blueprint into a strong body despite the influence of harmful stuff like toxins, genetic mutations, injuries, parasites, and inbreeding. Developmental stability has also been positively linked to body symmetry.

After administering an intellectual test to a group of study participants, researchers found that participantswho exhibited greater body symmetry received higher scores.

Companies with attractive CEOs might make more money.

A study out of the University of Wisconsin found that S&P 500 companies with more attractive CEOs weremore likely to have higher revenue than companies with less attractive leaders.

The researchers found that companies with CEOs who rated higher on a Facial Attractiveness Indexexperienced high stock returns immediately following a TV appearance of that CEO. When the same CEO featured in a news article without images, stock returns didn't see the same boost.

It's possible that attractive people are more likely to be hired for a job.

The perks of being pretty extend into the working world, according to several studies.

In researching the effect of attractiveness on hiring decisions, one study found that both male and female applicantswere more likely to be given a job by potential employers than unattractive applicants with the same credentials and resume.

However, one study from the 1970s found that attractive femalesonly had an advantage when applying for non-managerial positions. When attractive female participants applied for a "traditionally masculine" role, they were less likely to be hired than both males and unattractive females.

Since 1959, the Grammy Awards have honored the biggest names in the music industry, from singers and songwriters to producers and engineers.

Iconic musicians like Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, and Tony Bennett are among the artists who have accumulated the most Grammys of all time.

Others have received recognition plenty of times, but have yet to score the coveted award, like Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and Blake Shelton. 

From Jay-Z and Kanye West to Quincy Jones and Bruce Springsteen, here are the most Grammy-nominated artists of all time. 

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NOW WATCH: Why Harvard scientists think this interstellar object might be an alien spacecraft

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase

• Sonos is running a holiday sale now through December 25.
• The sale includes a $20 discount the Sonos One speaker, $50 discount on a pair of Sonos Ones, and $100 off the Sonos Amp.
• It also includes a $20 discount on the colorful Sonos Ones from Sonos' limited-edition collaboration with Hay.
• Some of the discounts match the ones Sonos ran on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so now's your chance to save if you missed out in November.

If you're on the hunt for a great deal on a Sonos speaker this December, you're in luck.

Sonos has kicked off its holiday sale that's running now through December 25. The sale includes a $20 discount on the Sonos One speaker, a $50 discount on a pair of Sonos Ones, and $100 off the Sonos Amp. The Sonos One deal may not seem all that exciting, but Sonos rarely discounts its speakers. It offered a $25 discount on the Sonos One on Black Friday, which it's matching if you pick up a pair.

Surprisingly, the sale also includes a $20 discount on the five limited-edition Sonos Ones that Sonos released last month in collaboration with Danish design company HAY.

The Sonos One is the company's newest speaker, and the first that integrated Amazon Alexa into its design (the Sonos Beam, which is unfortunately not included in the sale, also has Alexa voice control) — in essence, it's an Amazon Echo with much better sound quality. The Sonos One also supports the new Apple AirPlay 2 standard, and the company says Google Assistant support is coming via a free software update in 2019. 

The Sonos Connect: Amp is also well worth a look at $100 off. The Amp acts like a stereo receiver to make your old, analog speakers smart. You connect speakers to it using a speaker wire, and the Amp allows you to wirelessly stream music to them through the Sonos app. The Connect: Amp also has a pair of RCA (red and white) inputs, so you can use it as a preamp for a record player. Older record players require a preamp, or a stereo receiver with a "phono" input, to amplify its signal so you can hear your music. The Connect: Amp has a preamp inside of it, and it's significantly smaller than older stereo equipment. If you have an older pair of speakers, the Connect: Amp allows you to repurpose rather than replace them.

Both the Sonos Connect:Amp and Sonos One are fantastic gifts for audiophiles this holiday season, and there's a good chance they'll sell out before the sale ends. That's especially true for the limited-edition Sonos One speakers since they're only available in limited quantities.

Sonos One, $179.99 (originally $199.99), available at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Sonos [You save $20] (Get the limited-edition Sonos One for $209 at Sonos]

Sonos One (Pair), $348 (originally $399) at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Sonos [You save $51]

Sonos Connect:Amp, $399 (originally $499), available at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Sonos [You save $100]

DON'T MISS: All of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides, in one place

SEE ALSO: 31 cool tech gifts for the home that suit every kind of budget

Join the conversation about this story »

• 2018 was a busy year for the aviation industry, with nearly four billion people from around the world estimated to have used airplanes to travel.
• While the vast majority of worldwide flights departed and landed without incident, several surprising stories featuring bad behavior by either passengers or crew members made headlines. 
• Here were some of the most shocking airline stories of 2018.

It was a busy year for the aviation industry, with nearly four billion people from around the world estimated to have used airplanes to travel. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that 43,000 flights are operated into and out of the United States each day. 

While the vast majority of worldwide flights departed and landed without incident, there were several times when shocking stories made headlines for the airline industry.

Perhaps no aviation incident gathered more headlines in 2018 than the engine explosion onboard Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, which led to the death of Jennifer Riordan, a mother of two from New Mexico. 

Read more:These are the 15 best airports in America

But other airline stories made headlines this year for other, less tragic reasons. They include the Delta Air Lines passenger who stepped in the leftover feces of an emotional support dog, the United Airlines flight attendant who was said to be "drunk and disorderly" while onboard the plane, the monkey who escaped an American Airlines flight at San Antonio International Airport, the man who hopped the fence at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and ran onto the tarmac in his underwear, and, of course, the emotional-support squirrel.

Here were some of the most shocking airline stories of 2018: 

SEE ALSO: The 15 worst airports in America, ranked

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A bomb cyclone snowstorm shut down John F. Kennedy International Airport (January)

Shortly after New Year's, an epic snowstorm known as a "bomb cyclone"hit New York City, shutting down John F. Kennedy International Airport and setting up a four-day ordeal in which hundreds of flights were canceled and thousands of passengers were stranded, some for days on end. Passengers described themselves as "rationing blankets" and "looking like refugees." 

An American Airlines passenger reportedly had to be duct-taped and zip-tied after allegedly biting and kicking flight attendants (February)

After allegedly becoming irrational and violent on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Charlotte in February, an American Airlines passenger had to be zip-tied and duct-taped in order to protect fellow passengers. 

That the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force stated in its criminal complaint that the passenger "knowingly and intentionally" interfered with the operating of the flight by "intimidating and assaulting" the flight crew. 

A puppy reportedly died in an overhead bin on a United Airlines flight (March)

In a story that led to major changes in airline policy, a 10-month old French bulldog reportedly died on a United Airlines flight after its owners said they were forced to store it in an overhead bin by a flight attendant.

After experiencing outrage from customers, United announced a new pet policy, and two senators proposed a bill to ban animals from being placed in overhead bins. 

• Federal prosecutors recommended Michael Cohen receive "a substantial term of imprisonment" for crimes to which he's pleaded guilty despite his efforts to be cooperative.
• They recommended Cohen receive a 3.5-year sentence and that he pay a $100,000 fine. 
• The prosecutors in their recommendation emphasized that Cohen "deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election."
• Prosecutors suggested the "deceptive" nature of Cohen's conduct outweighs his more recent efforts to cooperate with prosecutors, including special counsel Robert Mueller.

President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer was delivered some tough news by federal prosecutors on Friday. 

Prosecutors issued a sentencing memorandum that recommended Michael Cohen receive "a substantial term of imprisonment" for crimes to which he's pleaded guilty, despite his efforts to be cooperative. More specifically, they recommended a 3.5 year sentence and that Cohen pay a $100,000 fine.

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty in the Southern District of New York to eight federal crimes, including tax fraud, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations.  

Read more: Federal prosecutors recommend a 3.5 year sentence for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen

The prosecutors in their recommendation emphasized that Cohen "deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election."

This was a reference to Cohen's hush payments to women who have alleged they had affairs with the president. Cohen said he carried out those payments at Trump's direction to help his campaign.

"While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows. He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs with Individual 1," the sentencing memo filed on Friday said.

"Individual 1" is Trump.

The prosecutors said "taken alone," each of Cohen's "serious crimes" merits "meaningful punishment." And "taken together., they said, his offenses "reveal a man who knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy." They contended Cohen's nefarious activities were not a product of naivete or motivated by a political ideology, but were "calculated acts" he executed in order to "profit personally, build his own power, and enhance his level of influence." 

Read more: Trump says he wants Michael Cohen to receive a 'full and complete sentence' and goes on raging tweetstorm about Mueller

Last week, Cohen asked a federal judge to spare him prison time after pleading guilty to lying to Congress about his involvement in a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. He cited his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller, who's investigating Russian election interference, as he requested leniency.

Prosecutors acknowledged Cohen's efforts and said he should receive "credit," but contended he's "overstated" how helpful he's been. 

Cohen was "motivated by personal greed" and "repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends," prosecutors said. 

"Now he seeks extraordinary leniency — a sentence of no jail time — based principally on his rose-colored view of the seriousness of the crimes; his claims to a sympathetic personal history; and his provision of certain information to law enforcement. But the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life," the memo said. 

In short, prosecutors suggested the "deceptive" nature of Cohen's conduct outweighed his more recent efforts to cooperate with Mueller.

"Cohen’s years-long pattern of deception, and his attempts to minimize certain of that conduct even now, make it evident that a lengthy custodial sentence is necessary to specifically deter him from further fraudulent conduct, whether out of greed or for power, in the future," the prosecutors said in Friday's memo. 

A separate memo filed by Mueller's team on Friday used gentler language than the memo from federal prosecutors in New York, but still called for a sentence that reflects lying to federal prosecutors has "real consequences." The memo also said, however, that "due consideration" should be given regarding Cohen's efforts to cooperate. 

Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12. 

SEE ALSO: A new INSIDER poll shows most conservatives are OK with Trump pursuing a Trump Tower Moscow deal during election

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NOW WATCH: Lindsey Graham once warned there would be 'holy hell to pay' if Trump fired Jeff Sessions

• NASA's InSight lander touched down on Mars on November 26.
• Two instruments on the robot recently recorded the sounds of blowing winds and "felt" tornado-like dust devils tearing across the Martian surface.
• Scientists and engineers are scouting for a site to drop a device that will start listening for "Mars quakes."
• Mars-quake recordings should reveal new information about the internal structure and ancient history of Mars.

Mars has air about 1% as thick as Earth's. That's so feeble, you might not hear someone talking to you from a few feet away.

Nevertheless, wind and tornado-like dust devils do blow across the Martian surface, and recording the sounds of these phenomena is essential to the success of NASA's newest mission at the red planet.

NASA landed its InSight spacecraft on a flat Martian plain on November 26. The probe is surveying its landing site with a robotic arm and a suite of instruments to help managers of the $830 million robot plan their next moves.

One of the lander's biggest goals is to listen for seismic rumbles called "Mars quakes." But NASA researchers said Friday during a press briefing that InSight's vibration-sensing seismometer tool is so sensitive that winds can affect its readings. That can happen if wind blows against the instrument itself or if it causes the lander's solar panels to move ever-so-slightly.

InSight's robotic arm will eventually place the seismometer — a dome-shaped instrument called SEIS— onto the Martian surface. But right now, it's still on top of the car-sized spacecraft's upper deck.

"It's a little like a flag waving in the wind,"Thomas Pike, the lead scientist behind the SEIS instrument and an engineer at Imperial College London, said during the briefing.

NASA converted the SEIS readings into audio, which a press release described as "a haunting low rumble" caused by 10-15 mph Martian breezes. An air pressure sensor on the spacecraft's deck also recorded the sounds of blowing winds on Mars.

Though the air pressure sensor's raw data is inaudible, it can be heard if sped up about 100 times.

"Listening to the sound from the pressure sensor reminds me of sitting outside on a windy summer afternoon,"Don Banfield, a planetary scientist and InSight team member at Cornell University, said during the briefing. "In some sense, this is what it'd sound like if you were sitting on the InSight lander on Mars."

You can hear the original rumbling sounds in the video below. If you don't have a subwoofer or high-fidelity headphones, NASA also created a higher-pitch version.

Pike said images of Mars remind him of deserts on Earth, but hearing Mars is wholly different.

"Our ear is just not attuned to recognizing what we are listening to," Pike said during the briefing. "It really sounds otherworldly."

More importantly, though, Pike said InSight scientists need to record as many of these sounds as possible, so they can cancel them out and ensure the future success of the mission.

"At the moment, there could be a Mars quake happening on the other side of the planet, and we would not hear it above the chatter of the wind," he said. "So we really want to be able to hear the inside of Mars above that chatter."

Collecting good data about Mars' ground vibrations could allow scientists to figure out the internal structure of Mars. That information, by extension, would give them clues about how the world turned into a desert planet instead of a fecund blue-green marble like Earth.

Read more: We may be overlooking a critical factor in our quest to find alien life

Hearing dust devils from miles away?

Another apparent discovery scientists have already made by listening to Mars via InSight's instruments — all of which have not yet been fully deployed — is the nearby passing of dust devils.

Dust devils are tornado-like whirlwinds that tear across Mars at about 60 mph. They're not very powerful, given the low air density, but they're strong enough to clean dust off the solar panels of plucky human spacecraft.

Read more: These pictures show the exact hill NASA's longest-lived Mars robot may die upon

Such dust devils leave zigzags across the red planet's surface, which spacecraft can see from Mars' orbit.

Pike, Banfield, and other InSight team members think some of the very low-frequency vibrations picked up by SEIS revealed where dust devils recently blew through the area.

NASA was even able to pinpoint the paths the dust devils took across the surface, as shown below by thin lines of dots stretching from northwest to southeast.

"I think this is going to end up being the most-studied point on Mars,"Bruce Banerdt, a planetary geologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who's leading the InSight mission, said during Friday's briefing. He added that the spacecraft is effectively "the best weather station ever placed on the Martian surface."

NASA will spend a few more weeks recording blowing winds (to learn how to best cancel out those sounds) and surveying InSight's landing area. Then it will decide where to drop the seismometer and a hammer-like "mole" heat probe, and begin the two-Earth-year-long mission in earnest.

SEE ALSO: 2019 will be an extraordinary year in space — here's what NASA, SpaceX, and the night sky have in store for Earth

DON'T MISS: Astronaut says a neglected telescope is NASA's best chance of defending Earth from 'city killer' asteroids — 'for God's sake, fund it'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: NASA sent an $850 million hammer to Mars and it could uncover clues to an outstanding mystery in our solar system

• The special counsel Robert Mueller's office said in a new court filing that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort breached his plea deal by telling "discernible lies" after agreeing to cooperate in the Russia probe.
• Prosecutors said Manafort lied in statements he made about his association with a Russian-Ukrainian political operative, wire transfers to a firm of which he was a client, and his communications with Trump administration officials, among other things.
• They also said Manafort lied about "information pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation."
• White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sought to minimize the revelations, saying in a statement that the government's filing in the Manafort case "says absolutely nothing about the President. It says even less about collusion and is devoted almost entirely to lobbying-related issues."

The special counsel Robert Mueller said in a new court filing Friday that Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign, told "discernible lies" after agreeing to cooperate with the ongoing Russia investigation.

Prosecutors said Manafort lied about several topics, including:

• His interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a former Russian intelligence operative who was charged, along with Manafort, with obstruction of justice and attempted witness tampering earlier this year.
• Kilimnik's role in the alleged conspiracy to obstruct justice by trying to influence the testimony of two witnesses in February.
• A $125,000 payment made to a firm in 2017 related to a debt that Manafort had incurred.
• His communications with Trump administration officials. According to prosecutors, Manafort told them that he only spoke with certain individuals before they joined the administration or after they left, but those statements were inconsistent with the truth.
  • In fact, prosecutors said, Manafort authorized someone on May 26 to speak with an administration official on his behalf.
  • The filing also pointed out that Manafort said in February that he had been in touch with a senior administration official until that month.
  • And a review of the former Trump campaign chief's electronic documents revealed additional contacts with administration officials, prosecutors said.
• Information that was "pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation." Prosecutors said Manafort first gave them information relevant to the investigation when he met with Mueller's team prior to pleading guilty. But they said he gave a "different and exculpatory version of events" after agreeing to cooperate.

Many of the details in Mueller's filing are redacted, but it reveals that federal investigators collected evidence of Manafort's alleged series of lies via "electronic communications" and "travel records."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sought to minimize the revelations, saying in a statement that the government's filing in the Manafort case "says absolutely nothing about the President. It says even less about collusion and is devoted almost entirely to lobbying-related issues."

Sanders accused the news media of "trying to create a story where there isn't one."

A late November court filing from Mueller's office had accused Manafort of lying to investigators from the special counsel's office and the FBI "on a variety of subject matters" in the two months he was nominally a formal cooperating witness in the Mueller probe.

The filing said Manafort "thus relieves the government of any obligations it has under the agreement," since the terms of the plea deal required Manafort to agree not to commit crimes during the course of his cooperation.

Manafort has been charged twice in the Mueller probe for offenses relating to his years of work lobbying for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party in the US.

Manafort was first charged in December 2017 in Washington, DC, on 12 offenses, including money laundering, failing to register as a foreign agent, and obstruction of justice. He and his deputy Rick Gates were charged again in the Eastern District of Virginia on 18 counts of tax fraud, bank fraud, and hiding foreign bank accounts in February 2018.

Read more:Here's everyone who has been charged and convicted in Mueller's Russia probe so far

While Gates immediately chose to take a plea deal and testify against his former mentor, Manafort went to trial. In August, a jury in Arlington, Virginia, convicted him on eight counts of tax and bank fraud, with a mistrial declared on the other 10 counts to which jurors could not come to a consensus.

Manafort was scheduled to go to trial again in September, but instead struck a deal with the special counsel's office to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of obstruction of justice in exchange for his cooperation.

Now that Manafort's plea deal has fallen apart, his last hope to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison is a presidential pardon.

Read more:While Michael Cohen cooperates with Mueller probe, Paul Manafort appears to be betting on a presidential pardon

Trump has spent months publicly signaling he could pardon Manafort, saying that he believed Manafort's treatment was "unfair" and calling him "brave" for not flipping, in contrast to Cohen.

SEE ALSO: While Michael Cohen cooperates with Mueller probe, Paul Manafort appears to be betting on a presidential pardon

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NOW WATCH: Lindsey Graham once warned there would be 'holy hell to pay' if Trump fired Jeff Sessions

Music is easily one of the most subjective topics to debate — which places the Grammy Awards' Academy members in a constant crossfire.

Major award shows are bound to make mistakes. It's unavoidable. Our challenge, then, is to sort through the uproar and find nominations that future generations will look back on with either rage or confusion.

Here are seven artists whose nominations seem at least somewhat undeserving, in no particular order.

Cardi B had a monumental year, but "Invasion of Privacy" isn't "Album of the Year" material.

It's certainly encouraging to see the Grammys hand five nominations to Cardi B, an unapologetic, unconventional firecracker — whose success reflects the significant shift towards rap and hip hop for modern music fans.

But that doesn't mean her debut studio album, "Invasion of Privacy," necessarily deserves the high praise.

While the project hits some very high points — "I Like It," for example, is perfectly at home in the "Record of the Year" category — it was inconsistent as a whole. "Invasion of Privacy" shows great promise for the young, chart-topping rapper, and proves she's here to stay. But popularity and easy listening doesn't always equate to "Album of the Year" potential.

"The Middle" is more annoying than award-winning.

"The Middle"— the earworm collaboration between DJ Zedd and singer Maren Morris, which you've probably heard in a Target commercial — secured three nominations for the 2019 Grammys.

While the song's commercial success somewhat excuses this lapse in judgment, it would have made more sense to stop at the nod for "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance"— without letting it slither into two of the most prestigious categories: "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year."

Post Malone didn't need an "Album of the Year" nomination.

To be sure, Post Malone has a talent for hit-making. Giving "Rockstar" a "Record of the Year" nomination makes perfect sense; it's a perfect song.

But Post Malone doesn't offer the kind of nuanced, relevant, boundary-pushing music that we've come to expect from rappers at the top of their game — and he doesn't want to. He has explicitly warned his fans not to expect "real s---" from him.

"If you're looking for lyrics, if you're looking to cry, if you're looking to think about life, don't listen to hip-hop," he said last year, which is something a person would only say if they're benefiting from a layered, historically significant genre that they fundamentally don't understand, a person who's ignorant about black music and culture.

"Beerbongs & Bentleys" reflects this attitude. It's an album comprised of mediocre songwriting with catchy hooks and some well-placed, high-profile features. It's certainly not the "Album of the Year."

• Victorina Morales, who publicly came forward and told The New York Times she is an unauthorized immigrant working at one of President Donald Trump's properties, said she's unsure what will happen to her in the wake of the controversy.
• Morales did not report for work on Friday, and ignored a call from her supervisor.
• She told The Times she was frustrated with Trump's constant invectives against illegal immigration — despite the fact that he has hired them.
• "We are tired of the abuse, the insults, the way he talks about us when he knows that we are here helping him make money," she said.

The woman who revealed to The New York Times she is an unauthorized immigrant working as a housekeeper at President Donald Trump's New Jersey golf club says she has no idea what will happen to her in the wake of her explosive interview.

Victorina Morales, who told the newspaper she came to the US illegally from Guatemala in 1999 and has worked at Trump's Bedminster property since 2013, did not report for work on Friday.

She assumes she would be immediately fired if she shows up at the club, and told The Times in a second interview that she received a call from her supervisor but didn't pick up.

Read more: An unauthorized immigrant who makes Trump's bed at his Bedminster golf resort says 'we are tired of the abuse, the insults, the way he talks about us'

In her initial interview, she described her frustration with Trump's constant invectives against illegal immigration — despite the fact that he has hired them.

"We are tired of the abuse, the insults, the way he talks about us when he knows that we are here helping him make money," Morales said. "We sweat it out to attend to his every need and have to put up with his humiliation."

She also told The Times she knows she could be deported after publicly coming forward, though her lawyer has said her asylum case is pending.

"The truth is I'm sad, I feel bad," Morales told The Times. "Many people are pointing their finger at me. But I don't regret what I did."

But she has also received a groundswell of support, with readers lauding her bravery in speaking out despite having so much to lose.

"This is a five-foot Guatemalan woman who stood up to the most powerful man in the world," Frank Sharry, executive director of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice, told The Times. "She exposed the hypocrisy of a president who rails against undocumented workers and then has what appears to be a criminal operation to do that at Bedminster."

Morales wasn't the only one to speak out. Another woman who said she previously worked illegally at Trump's property also came forward to describe her experience working for Trump, though she is now a legal US resident.

Both women are being represented by a lawyer, Anibal Romero, who said in a statement that her clients were subjected to abuse, racial epithets, and threatened with deportation during their employment at the Bedminster golf club, and called for federal and state authorities to investigate.

"This toxic environment was designed to intimidate these women, leaving them fearful for their safety and the safety of their families," Romero said. "These women have shown tremendous bravery in bringing forth their allegations against such a powerful family."

• Read more of INSIDER's immigration coverage:
• This stunning visualization of US immigration over 226 years will make you rethink how America's population has evolved
• Denmark wants to isolate its 'unwanted' migrants on a remote island that once housed contagious animals
• 81 migrant children have been forcibly separated from their parents since June, despite Trump's executive order
• Nancy Pelosi says funding for Trump's 'immoral, ineffective, expensive' border wall is off the table

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Lindsey Graham once warned there would be 'holy hell to pay' if Trump fired Jeff Sessions

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

Emerging markets are going to be essential for e-commerce growth, as retailers in developed markets may soon reach saturation in terms of consumer growth.

For example, almost half of US households now have a Prime membership, diminishing Amazon's growth potential in the country. Meanwhile, in China, the world's largest e-commerce market, nearly half of the population is actively making online purchases, leaving little room for growth. 

However, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America are worth keeping an eye on. E-commerce penetration rates in these areas hover between 2-6%, presenting a huge opportunity for future growth as online sales gain traction. Moreover, these regions are expected to grow at compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 31%, 32%, and 16%, respectively, through 2021.

This report compiles several e-commerce snapshots, which together highlight the most notable emerging markets in various regions. Each provides an overview of the e-commerce industry in a particular country, discusses influential retailers, and provides insights into the opportunities and challenges for that specific domestic industry.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Emerging markets are going to be essential for e-commerce growth, as retailers in developed markets may soon reach saturation in terms of consumer growth.
• India is the clear overall leader in e-commerce potential, but countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America are also worth keeping an eye on. Within Southeast Asia, Indonesia shows the most promise for retailers, as the government is loosening restrictions on foreign investments, and its massive population is gaining spending power and more access to internet. Meanwhile, Mexico is a retailer's best bet for expansion in Latin America, due to its stable economy and rising middle class, but Brazil may be gearing up to steal the top spot.
• However, doing business in these regions can be difficult. In most of these emerging markets, infrastructure is underdeveloped and the population is largely unbanked, making digital payments a challenge.
• If retailers can build a brand presence in these markets while online shopping is still in its nascent stages, they may become market leaders as e-commerce takes off in the regions. Moreover, these markets could provide new sources of growth for companies that would otherwise stagnate in more mature e-commerce markets.

 In full, the report:

• Explores the e-commerce industry in India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
• Highlights the leading country in each region, as well as key e-commerce players there. 
• Outlines the challenges and opportunities each region faces.
• Gives insight into how these emerging markets may shape the future of e-commerce.

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It’s finally here.

After weeks of rumors and speculations, Marvel just released the first trailer for its upcoming epic, Avengers 4 (or, Avengers: Endgame). Here is an in-depth breakdown of what you could be seeing in the theater next year.

The Avengers 4 trailer doesn’t hint much about the plot. Instead, it focuses on the opening act of the film, setting up where and what our heroes have been doing since the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War.

Tony Stark and Nebula seemingly escape Titan in the Benatar, the ship that belongs to the Guardians of the Galaxy. The trailer begins with Tony leaving a message to his long-time girlfriend Pepper Potts. It was hinted several times throughout Spider-Man: Homecoming & Infinity War that these two were getting married or at least engaged.

Iron Man’s armor is badly damaged after the epic battle against Thanos in Infinity War andTony and Nebula are stranded in space, nearly out of oxygen, food, and supplies. It doesn’t seem like they are going to make it out themselves. So who is going to rescue them? Will it be Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel who will debut in her own movie in March and the person Nick Fury used a pager to contact at the end of Infinity War? Or could it possibly be Pepper Potts herself? Tony Stark says in his message to Pepper, “being adrift in space with zero promise of rescue is more fun than it sounds.” Could this be a hint to the rescue armor in the comics, a suit designed by Stark that was made to be worn by Pepper? A leak recently did show Gwyneth Paltrow in an iron suit that closely resembled the rescue armor. We’ll just have to wait and see.

We also see a glimpse of Thanos in the trailer as well.A recent interview revealed that Thanos is not actually residing on a planet but is in fact, within the Soul Stone - one of the six stones he collected during Infinity War. The gauntlet still seems damaged from “the snap,” and it appears he is still carrying an injured arm. We also got this amazing shot of the armor scarecrow which we had a glimpse of at the end of Infinity War - a direct reference to Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet storyline.

Back on Earth, Captain America and Widow are back in their Avengers base, which looks suspiciously abandoned. We aren’t sure if the government has given up on them, yet, or if it’s the result of Thanos’ snap. But it seems like the Avengers won’t be getting a lot of help in defeating Thanos. We see Captain America without a beard, which could be proof that there might be a significant time gap between Infinity War and Avengers 4. We also see him in the same suit that he wore in Winter Soldier while talking to Black Widow about a mission that simply has to work

What’s really interesting is the appearance of Peggy’s photo. There have been countless rumors about Avengers 4 dealing heavily with time travel. Of course, Hayley Atwell, who played Cap’s love interest Peggy Carter in the previous movies, denied any rumors of her appearance in the movie. But could this be a hint that the Avengers will be traveling back in time to save the world from Thanos?

Hawkeye is back and he looks better than ever. It seems like the Black Widow travels all the way to Japan to find him. And from the voiceover cues, it looks like Hawkeye’s family has been snapped away by Thanos, leading him to take on the role of Ronin based on his costume. Ronin was a secret identity that Hawkeye briefly took on in the New Avengers comics,where he was seen using a blade instead of a bow for his mission in Japan. The Avengers will need all the help they can get to defeat the Mad Titan and hopefully, we’ll see Hawkeye pick up his bow one more time.

We only get one glimpse of both Hulk and Thor, looking severely distraught. But more importantly, from this hologram that Bruce is seeing - Shuri seems to have been the victim of Thanos’ snap as well. A surprising revelation given that Angela Bassett has said that both she and Shuri survived the snap. Maybe not too surprising given that another person they thought was dead would make a return.

Scott Lang disappeared into the Quantum Realm at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp. It’s not clear as to how but it seems like he found his way out. He’s seen asking Cap and Widow to open the door to what looks like the Avengers base. If the speculation about time travel is true, Scott and his knowledge of the realm could play a vital role in defeating Thanos. And also, it’s just good to have him back.

And finally, Marvel has revealed the title for the fourth film, “Endgame.” A direct reference to Dr. Strange’s line in Infinity war forming out of the same type of dust Thanos’ victims turned into. The title has been under wraps for a long time and Marvel didn’t even include it in the title of their video.

And even more good news the movie will be opening April 26th, a week before its initial May 4th release date.

Join the conversation about this story »

• President Donald Trump appeared optimistic after the release of several highly anticipated documents from the special counsel Robert Mueller's office and federal prosecutors on Friday.
• "Totally clears the President," Trump tweeted Friday afternoon. "Thank you!"
• Trump's praise comes amid the federal prosecutors' sentencing recommendation for the president's former attorney, Michael Cohen, and another filing detailing how his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, breached his plea agreement with Mueller and the FBI.
• Cohen said he was directed by "Individual-1," who is believed to be Trump, to make payments related to the rights of the stories from two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.
• Prosecutors argued Cohen's payments to silence the two women were made "with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election."

President Donald Trump's immediate reaction to the release of several highly anticipated documents from the special counsel Robert Mueller's office and federal prosecutors was that of gratitude and optimism.

"Totally clears the President," Trump tweeted Friday afternoon. "Thank you!"

Trump's praise came amid the federal prosecutors' sentencing recommendation for former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to financial crimes, campaign violations, and lying to Congress. Prosecutors recommended a 3 1/2-year sentence for Cohen and a $100,000 fine.

Prosecutors said Cohen "played a central role" in coordinating "his actions with one or more members of the campaign ... about the fact, nature, and timing" of payments related to the rights of stories from two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.

Cohen also said he coordinated the payments with, and was directed by, "Individual-1," who is believed to be Trump.

In a separate filing on Friday, Mueller outlined how Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, breached his plea agreement with Mueller and the FBI.

The special counsel Robert Mueller said in a new court filing Friday that Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Trump's campaign, told "discernible lies" after agreeing to cooperate with the ongoing Russia investigation.

Prosecutors said Manafort lied about a number of topics, including his communications with Trump administration officials. According to prosecutors, Manafort told them that he only spoke to certain individuals before they joined the administration or after they left, but those statements were inconsistent.

SEE ALSO: Prosecutors say Paul Manafort breached his plea deal by telling 'discernible lies' after agreeing to cooperate

DON'T MISS: Trump fires off late-night tweetstorm on the eve of a landmark moment in the Russia investigation

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

• Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday released a sentencing memo on Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump. 
• Mueller recommended Cohen receive a sentence that reflects lying to federal investigators has "real consequences."
• But the memo also emphasized Cohen's efforts to cooperate in the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign's alleged collusion
• Mueller said his office would not "take a position with respect to a particular sentence," stating Cohen had gone to "significant lengths" to assist in the Russia probe. 
• A separate memo released by federal prosecutors in New York recommended Cohen receive a sentence of 3.5 years in prison and pay a $100,000 fine.

Special counsel Robert Mueller released a sentencing memo on Michael Cohen on Friday, calling for the president's former personal lawyer to receive a sentence that reflects lying to federal investigators has "real consequences."

"The defendant’s crime was serious, both in terms of the underlying conduct and its effect on multiple government investigations," the memo states. "The sentence imposed should reflect the fact that lying to federal investigators has real consequences, especially where the defendant lied to investigators about critical facts, in an investigation of national importance."

But the memo also emphasized Cohen's efforts to cooperate in the special counsel's investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign's alleged collusion, and said this should be given "due consideration." 

Mueller's memo said Cohen provided the special counsel's office with "useful information concerning certain discrete Russia-related matters core to its investigation." 

Mueller said his office would not "take a position with respect to a particular sentence," stating Cohen had gone to "significant lengths" to assist in the Russia probe. 

Read more: Federal prosecutors say 'Cohen deceived the voting public' and 'knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy,' explaining why he deserves prison time

Last week, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his involvement in a plan to build Trump Tower in Moscow, stating that discussions about the project lasted well into the 2016 presidential campaign season. Cohen also said he discussed the plan with then-candidate Donald Trump and his family members multiple times. 

Friday's filing states that Cohen "chose to accept responsibility for his false statements and admit to his conduct in open court. He also has gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsel’s investigation."

Mueller's memo also said Cohen's false statements to investigators about the ultimately failed real estate deal "obscured the fact that the Moscow Project was a lucrative business opportunity that sought, and likely required, the assistance of the Russian government."

Read more: Federal prosecutors recommend a 3.5 year sentence for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen

The memo also noted the discussions occurred "at a time of sustained efforts by the Russian government to interfere with the US presidential election."

Additionally, the filing noted Cohen "received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level.'"

Cohen told the special counsel's team this person "repeatedly" proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the memo, which is a detail that was not previously known publicly. 

"The person told Cohen that such a meeting could have a 'phenomenal' impact 'not only in political but in a business dimension as well,' referring to the Moscow Project, because there is 'no bigger warranty in any project than consent of [the President of Russia],'" the filing states. Cohen did not follow up on the invitation. 

A separate memo released by federal prosecutors in New York recommended Cohen receive a sentence of 3.5 years in prison and pay a $100,000 fine. Cohen is set to be sentenced on December 12. 

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty pleaded guilty in the Southern District of New York to eight federal crimes, including tax fraud, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations.

SEE ALSO: Trump says he wants Michael Cohen to receive a 'full and complete sentence' and goes on raging tweetstorm about Mueller

DON'T MISS: Here's a glimpse at Trump's decades-long history of business ties to Russia

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

Edge computing solutions are key tools that help companies grapple with rising data volumes across industries. These types of solutions are critical in allowing companies to gain more control over the data their IoT devices create and in reducing their reliance on (and the costs of) cloud computing.

These systems are becoming more sought-after — 40% of companies that provide IoT solutions reported that edge computing came up more in discussion with customers in 2017 than the year before, according to Business Insider Intelligence’s 2017 Global IoT Executive Survey. But companies need to know whether they should look into edge computing solutions, and what in particular they can hope to gain from shifting data processing and analysis from the cloud to the edge.

There are three particular types of problems that edge computing solutions are helping to combat across industries:

• Security issues. Edge computing can limit the exposure of critical data by minimizing how often it’s transmitted. Further, they pre-process data, so there’s less data to secure overall.
• Access issues. These systems help to provide live insights regardless of whether there’s a network connection available, greatly expanding where companies and organizations can use connected devices and the data they generate.
• Transmission efficiency. Edge computing solutions process data where it’s created so less needs to be sent to the cloud, leading to lower cloud storage requirements and reduced transmission cost.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence examines how edge computing is reducing companies' reliance on cloud computing in three key industries: healthcare, telecommunications, and the automotive space. We explore how these systems mitigate issues in each sector by helping to efficiently process growing troves of data, expanding the potential realms of IoT solutions a company can offer, and bringing enhanced computing capability to remote and mobile platforms.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• In healthcare, companies and organizations are using edge computing to improve telemedicine and remote monitoring capabilities.
• For telecommunications companies, edge computing is helping to reduce network congestion and enabling a shift toward the IoT platform market.
• And in the automotive space, edge computing systems are enabling companies to increase the capabilities of connected cars and trucks and approach autonomy.

In full, the report:

• Explores the key advantages edge computing solutions can provide.
• Highlights the circumstances when companies should look into edge systems.
• Identifies key vendors and partners in specific industries while showcasing case studies of successful edge computing programs.

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We've all been there — a holiday or event starts creeping closer and closer, your schedule starts getting more chaotic, and suddenly it hits you. "I forgot to find a gift!"

Whether it just slipped your mind to prepare ahead or time or you received a last-minute invite to an event for which you should probably have a present, we've got you covered. 

This list proves that last-minute gifts can still be thoughtful and unique — from clever subscriptions to useful gift cards and everything in between (all of which can be e-mailed to the recipient just in time). 

Check out our picks for last-minute gifts they'll think you pored over:

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.

SEE ALSO: All of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides, in one place

DON'T MISS: 22 unique gift ideas for everyone in the family — all from Amazon

An Amazon Prime membership to make their lives easier

Amazon Prime membership, $39 for three months or $119 for a year

The gift of Amazon Prime is always one that'll be met with extreme appreciation given that it is both practical and actually thoughtful. If the recipient already has a membership, the money will convert into a gift card that they can use on anything they want from the site. 

A Birchbox subscription for beauty and skincare lovers of any gender

Birchbox subscription, from three months for $30

There's a reason Birchbox is so popular — it's a super affordable way to find and learn about new beauty, skincare, and grooming products for men or women without the risk of spending too much on full-sized options you might not like. For $30, you'll be able to gift three months worth of boxes right to their door. For a more substantial option, you can gift six months for $60, or 12 months for $110.  

A box from Fanchest filled with their favorite team's gear

Fanchest team boxes, starting at $59

Chances are, if the person you're gifting is a serious fan, they'll love anything you get them with their team's logo emblazoned on it. Fanchest delivers boxes full of licensed memorabilia for NHL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and NFL teams at a great value, and even has an option for babies. They also offer overnight and two-day shipping.