• We asked chefs from around the country to tell us about their favorite store-bought cookie doughs, and they definitely didn't disappoint.
• The hands-down winner? Nestlé Toll House Cookie Dough, which is also the most easily-accessible dough on this list.
• Other top contenders include Trader Joe's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Whole Foods 365 Sugar Cookie Dough, and Sweet Loren's Cookie Dough.

There's nothing better than a fresh batch of cookies pulled straight out of the oven ... but making cookie dough from scratch can feel like a massive struggle for those of us who lack keen pastry skills. And honestly, even the folks with these elusive talents sometimes want a quick and easy solution to their sudden cookie cravings. That's where store-bought cookie dough comes in.

Of course, taking a shortcut doesn't mean that you should skimp on quality. To set you on a righteous path toward delicious cookies, we asked a group of chefs to name the best pre-made cookie doughs out there. To our surprise, one brand stood out as the overwhelming favorite ... and it's probably the easiest dough to find at any grocery store you visit. First, check out the runners-up:

Trader Joe's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough delivers close-to-homemade flavors without any artificial preservatives.

An NYC-based chef, food stylist, and culinary producer of "Scraps" on A&E, Clare Langan knows a thing or two about prepping delicious and attractive dishes under a tight time crunch. When she needs to whip up a batch of cookies in a hurry, Langan grabs a package of Trader Joe's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

"I've used [this dough] on photo shoots I've styled in a pinch — [the cookies] come out looking homemade and taste pretty close, too! I also appreciate that there are no artificial preservatives, and of course, you can't beat the price. To jazz up store-bought dough, try adding a handful or two of unexpected mix-ins: chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans, toasted hazelnuts or even crushed potato chips for a sweet and salty vibe," Langan told INSIDER.

Whole Foods 365 Sugar Cookie Dough makes a great canvas for fun cookie experimentation

As the pastry chef for the acclaimed Gotham Bar & Grill in NYC, Ron Paprocki vastly prefers to make his own doughs from scratch. But if he's relaxing at home and wants something quick and easy to customize, Whole Foods 365 Sugar Cookie Dough is his go-to. These classic sugar cookies are ideal for Paprocki's creative embellishments:

"What I really like to do is make a simple cream cheese frosting, spread it on a cooled baked cookie, and decorate it with rainbow sprinkles, an almost exact replica of the Schmackary's famous Funfetti sugar cookie. Cookies should be fun."

For an all-natural, health-conscious spin on pre-made cookie dough, try Sweet Loren's

Chef and nutritionist Julie Harrington recommends a relatively-virtuous store-bought cookie dough: Sweet Loren's, whose doughs are vegan, gluten-free, and made with whole grains:

"From both a chef and RD standpoint, I would recommend Sweet Loren's store-bought cookie dough. With a simple ingredient list, these cookies are delicious right out of the oven. Sweet Loren's cookies are gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, plant-based, dairy free, nut free, 100% whole grain, and kosher pareve making them enjoyable for everyone. Plus, now they even have an edible cookie dough. I mean, who doesn't love cookie dough?"

And now, the all-around favorite store-bought cookie dough: Nestlé Toll House

The vast majority of chefs we consulted opted for a childhood classic, a cookie dough so ubiquitous that you'd be hard-pressed to name a grocery store that doesn't carry it. Yes, according to chefs we asked, Nestlé Toll House cookie dough is, in fact, the best of the bunch.

Chef Matt Ward of NICO in Charleston, Sout Carolina said he loves the simplicity of the pre-cut Nestlé cookie doughs, which he can jazz up to his heart's content: "I have a soft spot for all of Nestlé's Pre-Cut cookie doughs. The classic chocolate chip dough is a great base, and sometimes I like to press Reese's Pieces or M&Ms into them before baking.  

"The pre-cut ones literally take no time at all and can curb any sweet tooth [craving] in about 15 minutes, start to finish. Not to mention, when baked, they're pretty solid cookies.  The best thing to pair these cookies with is a cold glass of whole milk."

As a culinary student, Alex Levin, the culinary director of pastry for Alta Strada in Washington, DC, conducted an experiment to find the finest store-bought cookie dough, and Nestlé emerged triumphant:

"In culinary school, I did a project evaluating a number of different store-bought cookie doughs. I looked at Trader Joe's, Nestlé, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker. Before any baking at all, the one that tasted the best raw was the Nestlé dough. The Nestlé chocolate chip was the most flavorful, and the dough had a very buttery [taste]. The color of the Nestlé dough is also a bit darker - either from molasses in the recipe or from the dark brown sugar. The dark brown sugar, butter, and good chocolate chips are the three key things [needed] for a great cookie ... and [thanks to] the millions of dollars of research used to perfect the Nestlé recipe, they nailed it on all fronts."

Culinary director Amanda Rockman of New Waterloo Restaurants in Austin, Texas thinks that Nestlé dough achieves the Platonic ideal of cookiedom, especially with some special touches added in:

"[Cookies made from Nestlé dough]have the perfect crunchy outside and gooey soft inside texture that you want from a cookie. [For the best baking experience,] let the dough rest in the fridge for one to two hours before scooping and baking. The easiest way to upgrade your cookie is to sprinkle Maldon sea salt right before you bake them.

Also, I don't follow the baking times on the instructions; I bake till they are barely set in the middle and then let them carry-over bake to perfection."

Executive chef Steven Lona of Waterbar in San Diego, California likes to add some spice to his Nestlé dough:

"[Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Dough is] consistent and yields the perfect cookie every time. I do have ways that I typically jazz up my pre-made dough. I usually like to add some salt and spice to the cookies.

"I portion out the cookie dough, sprinkle them with some almonds and dust them with sea salt, plus a mixture of cinnamon, clove and cayenne pepper, to give them a more complexity."

Pastry chef Alisha Ivey of Il Solito in Portland, Oregon said she especially likes the Nestlé sugar cookie dough, which she uses to make pretty epic "dessert pizzas":

"The sugar cookie dough is so versatile if you are in a time crunch. I think one of my favorite uses, though, would be to make it into a 'dessert pizza.' My mom used to make these for birthdays [when I was] growing up," Ivey said. "It's a sugar cookie base rolled out into the shape of a pizza, baked, then topped with a layer of cream cheese icing and a layer of homemade strawberry jam."

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• Amazon will reportedly split its second headquarters project, known as HQ2, among two cities, both the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported on Monday.
• The two locations that Amazon is reportedly nearing a deal with are New York City's Long Island City and Northern Virginia's Crystal City, according to The New York Times. 
• Splitting the headquarters into two cities breaks the whole idea of what HQ2 was intended for in the first place, which was to eventually create a second headquarters that equaled the company's operations in Seattle.

Amazon has finally found its HQ2 — and its HQ3.

The company will split its second headquarters project among two cities, both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported on Monday.

Those lucky cities will apparently be New York and Arlington, Virginia, according to The Times. The report centers on Long Island City in Queens and Crystal City in Arlington, specifically. 

This is a bit of curveball. On the website it created when it first announced the project, Amazon stated that the purpose of HQ2 was to create "a full equal to our current campus in Seattle."

Read more:Amazon is reportedly splitting HQ2 into 2 cities, which would prove the whole contest was a massive sham

With two locations now reportedly splitting the promised $5 billion investment and 50,000 jobs, Amazon's initial promise rings hollow. Neither location will be anywhere close to equal to Seattle, where Amazon says it now has more than 40,000 employees and has made $3.7 billion in capital investment.

Effectively, it means Amazon won't really have a true second headquarters, which is what some critics have been claiming all along.

This may have something to do with Amazon being sensitive to criticisms that no one municipality could absorb the large impact of Amazon's HQ2 as it had been proposed. Splitting it into two could remove some objections from local leaders, but it also takes some of the luster away from the project.

Less potential downside in this case also means less potential upside. New York and Arlington will reportedly get Amazon, but they won't get HQ2. Nobody will.

Read more about Amazon's HQ2 project:

• Amazon made an important investment in Seattle, and it highlights a key issue for HQ2
• Amazon HQ2 candidates are going to great lengths to keep their plans secret
• HQ2 is making cities consider projects they've been ignoring for years — and it shows the power of Amazon
• 7 horrible things that could happen to cities if they win Amazon's HQ2 bid
• The cities where homeowners will benefit the most if Amazon's second headquarters lands there

SEE ALSO: People are furious about Amazon's reported decision to split its HQ2 between New York City and Virginia after months of deliberation

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• People are bringing their dogs to polling places while voting in the 2018 midterm elections.
• The dogs are living their best lives.
• Here are photos of dogs getting excited about democracy.

Voting is a right reserved for humans, but dogs can still get in on the fun.

As polls opened for the 2018 midterm elections, people began bringing their dogs along with them to vote.

Read more: The polls are open in dozens of states for the midterm elections — see what time they close

The patriotic pups are getting excited about democracy.

They look especially cute sporting "I voted" stickers.

Some dogs are even getting in on the "Me voting in 2016 vs. me voting in 2018" meme.

Dogs make great companions while waiting in line to vote.

Service dogs are also welcome at the polls.

Former President George H. W. Bush was accompanied by his service dog Sully to cast his vote.

As if fulfilling your civic duty on Election Day wasn't exciting enough.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Read more of Business Insider's 2018 Midterm Election coverage:

• All the dates, deadlines, and rules you need to know before voting in the 2018 Midterm Elections
• SENATE BATTLEGROUND MAP: The race for control of the Senate is as tight as it can be
• You can take time off work to vote in 30 US states — but you're out of luck in the rest
• See if you need to bring an ID to vote in this handy map breaking down all the state rules
• You can't take a 'ballot selfie' in 27 states — see where it's illegal to take a photo in the voting booth
• The evolution of American voting rights in 242 years shows how far we've come — and how far we still have to go

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Five years ago, in 2013, Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One were on the verge of launch.

Now, in 2018, the two consoles have come into their own — and they're more distinct from each other than ever before.

They're also more affordable than ever before. But which to buy?

The answer isn't so clear.

SEE ALSO: Here are the 16 biggest video games launching this holiday, from an all-new ‘Fallout’ to the hotly-anticipated ‘Red Dead Redemption 2'

1. Price.

The Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 cost approximately the same amount of money: The base level for each is $250 to $300 in North America.

The ranges in price come from bundle offerings, in which the consoles come with various games or extra controllers or services at a discount that still raise the overall cost. You're also likely to find sales that put the prices below $250.

That's all before we start talking about the more powerful, more expensive versions of the consoles: the $400 PlayStation 4 Pro and the $500 Xbox One X.

If you're looking for the best-looking games running on the most powerful console hardware, then you're looking at buying one of these step-up versions of the PS4 and the Xbox One. Both do everything the normal PS4 and Xbox One consoles do but have the added benefit of making games look ever better than usual.

In the case of the Xbox One X, games are able to natively run with 4K/HDR visuals; the PlayStation 4 Pro offers a similar visual boost, though a slightly less impressive one. If you just bought a super-high-end 4K/HDR television and want to see what it can do, the Xbox One X is your best option when it comes to gaming.

In general, though, for the average buyer, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are evenly matched when it comes to price.

2. Games.

This is where things start to divide pretty sharply: Sony's PlayStation 4 simply has more games you can only play on the PlayStation 4.

From the "Uncharted" series to "The Last of Us,""Bloodborne,""Spider-Man" and "God of War," Sony has a far richer lineup of exclusive games on the PlayStation 4. Coming heavies like "Death Stranding" loom large on the horizon. And major third-party games like "Call of Duty,""Assassin's Creed,""Madden," and "FIFA" all show up on the PlayStation 4 as well as the Xbox One.

It has been Microsoft's biggest problem with the Xbox One in recent years: Not enough great games that can be played on only the Xbox One. There's "Halo" and "Forza," and the occasional new exclusive like "Sea of Thieves" and "State of Decay 2," but nothing of the scale that Sony's PS4 has.

For many, understandably, the game-library comparison is enough to tip the scale in favor of Sony's PlayStation 4. But look deeper and you'll find the competition is more complicated.

3. Services.

Sony and Microsoft offer nearly identical services, which serve as a means of accessing online multiplayer gaming as well as offering "free" games (as long as you remain a paying subscriber).

In Sony's case, the service is PlayStation Network; in Microsoft's case, it's Xbox Live. They cost about the same amount of money ($60 a year) and offer access to online gaming on their respective platforms. Both dole out a handful of free games to paying subscribers every month, yours to play as long as you continue to subscribe.

PlayStation Network and Xbox Live are industry-standard services at this point. What makes each console stand out in the services department is its Netflix-like gaming services: PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass.

With PlayStation Now, users can play more than 650 playable PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 games on a PlayStation 4 or a PC. The games are running elsewhere — you just start playing — though some are able to be downloaded to the PS4 for local play. It costs $20 a month, or $100 a year.

With Game Pass, users can download and play more than 100 original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games on the Xbox One. It costs $10 a month. Better yet: Any games Microsoft publishes show up on Game Pass at launch, including the next major "Halo" and "Forza" games. It's one of the best deals available in gaming for this alone.

Xbox Game Pass is a strong argument for owning an Xbox One and offers a glimpse into the future of video game consoles. Instead of dropping $60 a game, for $10 a month you have access to a massive library that includes new, major games. That's huge.

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

One of the biggest unanswered questions remaining on AMC's "The Walking Dead" concerns Anne's classification of survivors into one of two groups: Are you an "A" or a "B"? 

Rick's final episode of the show took us one step closer to solving the mystery when Anne referred to him as a "B," instead of the "A" we believed him to be. The finding led INSIDER to believe an "A" might refer to someone "after" they turned into a walker or were bit and "B" referred to someone "before" they were turned. 

"That is not it, although that's a great theory," showrunner Angela Kang told INSIDER. "What I will say is if fans will remember back to when Rick was taken, the container he was in was marked with an 'A' so Rick is clearly an 'A.'"

Kang is referring to season eight, episode seven, "Time for After," when Rick is trapped inside a container at the Heapster junkyard. 

"And then I guess the other big clue is that she [Anne] thought Gabriel was a 'B,' but in the moment after that conversation, that assessment changes, so I'll just leave it with that," Kang continued, referring to when Anne offered Gabriel the chance to fly away with her earlier on season nine.

It sounds like we may need to wait a while to find out the real meaning of those two letters though. 

"That's part of the fun mythology of the movies," added Kang. 

There was just one problem with this entire assessment. I reminded Kang that while Rick was originally an "A," Anne referred to him as a "B" to the helicopter at the end of Sunday's episode before the two were taken away. 

"So, I will say that that is perhaps a lie," said Kang, regarding what Anne tells the helicopter man about Rick.

Interesting!

"'A's and 'B's get a different kind of treatment," Kang continued. "And you saw that both Rick and Gabriel, and also Negan, were going to get zombie bites applied to them."

All three of them are considered to be an "A" in Anne's book. 

So, let's recap. Rick is still an "A" at heart, but Anne wants him to be treated as a "B." And those who are labeled as an "A" appear to get bitten by the undead before they're handed over to the helicopter crew. 

Anne may be repaying Rick for a favor by saving his life and referring to him as a "B."

Read more: 'The Walking Dead' showrunner explains how they came up with Rick's surprising exit on the show

According to Kang, it sounds like we won't receive many more answers about the "A"/"B" mystery on "The Walking Dead." We'll have to wait for Rick Grimes' movies for an explanation. The first Grimes movie for AMC will start production in 2019.

You can follow along with our "Walking Dead" show coverage here. 

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• Democrats have gone from being optimistic to confident that they will take back the House of Representatives following the midterm elections.
• They plan to launch an investigative blitz against the White House and Russian interests if they regain control of the House.
• They also plan to focus significant resources on examining the administration's healthcare and economic agenda.

As Democrats gear up to potentially regain control of the House of Representatives, it has stirred speculation about whether the party will move to impeach President Donald Trump.

But few Democrats want to actively talk about impeaching Trump, whether it's on Capitol Hill or on the campaign trail. For many, the issue is a nuisance and a distraction from more serious matters. Senior leadership has also repeatedly cautioned against impeachment, warning that it would only deepen partisan squabbling in Congress.

Instead of impeachment, Democrats plan to tighten the screws by mounting an investigative blitz against the White House and Russian interests.

"I am not looking for headlines," Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told The New York Times. "I am going to be defending the truth. We want to look at what is happening under this administration because all of us can agree this is not normal."

According to two sources close to the House Intelligence Committee, who requested anonymity to speak freely about post-election plans, Democrats plan to focus a significant amount of energy on reopening the panel's now-shuttered investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the race in his favor.

"On a whole host of investigative threads, our work is fundamentally incomplete, some issues partially investigated, others, like that involving credible allegations of Russian money laundering, remain barely touched," Rep. Adam Schiff, the panel's ranking member, said after chairman Devin Nunes, a Republican, shut down the investigation earlier this year.

"If the Russians do have leverage over the president of the United States, the majority has simply decided it would rather not know," Schiff said.

Democrats also plan to reintroduce legislation safeguarding the integrity of the FBI's ongoing Russia investigation by protecting key figures like special counsel Robert Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Moreover, they want to bring legislation protecting future elections from foreign influence by countering nation-state sponsored cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.

Read more:A string of recent revelations paints a stark picture of Russia's ongoing campaign to meddle in the 2018 midterms

Where the White House is concerned, one source close to the House Oversight Committee said Democrats want to pressure the president to beef up surveillance bodies that are tasked with overseeing the intelligence community, like the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

The source said Democrats also plan to scrutinize the White House's process of granting security clearances. The issue took center stage this year after the White House raised red flags by granting high level clearances to White House staffers like former staff secretary Rob Porter. In February, the White House downgraded the clearances of more than 30 aides, revoking their top-secret level access.

The president also attracted sharp criticism when he revoked former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance in August and announced he would be revoking the clearance of several other current and former law enforcement and intelligence officials. All the names on the list were people who have been critical of the president in the past and were involved in the Russia investigation.

Reviewing Trump's process in granting and revoking clearances will be a "top priority" for Democrats, the source close to the House Oversight Committee said, adding that lawmakers would also subpoena documents related to the revocation of Brennan's clearance.

Trump could face dozens of nightmare scenarios

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer outlined several other areas Democrats will prioritize if they take back the House, most of which involved the administration's economic and health care agendas.

The committees on the budget, ways and means, and financial services would probe Trump's handling of the US economy and budgetary process, while others would look into botched natural disaster responses.

Among the highest priorities for Democrats would be the Trump administration's dismantling of former President Barack Obama's signature policy, the Affordable Care Act.

"In terms of oversight, we'll be looking at what they're doing administratively to undermine the operations of the Affordable Care Act and what consequences they may have caused to literally millions of people," Hoyer said in a meeting with reporters in September.

An area that could be particularly stressful for Trump is the probing of his personal finances and benefits his properties and companies may or may not be receiving during his presidency.

"I think we'll try to focus on issues which undermine the American people," Hoyer added. "Also I think we want to focus on the integrity of the interests of the president in terms of what interests he has and is he pursuing policies that are in the public's interest or in the Trump investment interest."

The pledge by Democrats to pursue countless investigations into the Trump administration could put a serious hindrance on Republicans' agenda — and create dozens of nightmare scenarios for the president.

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• Pimples that live under the skin, or cystic acne, is incredibly hard to treat because it doesn't respond to topical treatments. 
• Cystic acne is usually related to hormone fluctuations. 
• Dermatologists recommend oral medications and cortisone injections to treat cystic acne.

There is nothing worse than waking up to discover you have a giant, red, and painful pimple deep under the skin. When we talk about pimples, we often talk about a thing that can be "popped," but a lot of pimples that live deep under the skin cannot be popped and take days (or even weeks) to disappear.

These under-the-skin pimples are sometimes called "blind pimples," but their correct term is a cyst or cystic acne.

Cysts are painful, annoying, and difficult (but not impossible) to treat. Here's what you need to know about cystic acne.

Cysts develop and exist under the skin

A blind pimple/cyst/under-the-skin pimple is "essentially a large, oil filled balloon under the skin with no connection to the surface," said Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Debra Jaliman, MD an American Academy of Dermatology's spokesperson added, "A blind pimple develops from a combination of oil, bacteria, and dirt that gets trapped in the pore. It will look like a lump under the skin."

Because of the cysts size, inflammation, and proximity to the nerves — they are usually more tender and painful than traditional pimples.

Some cysts are visible, meaning, you can see the red "lump" on the surface of the skin, while others are so deep that although you can feel it, you can't "see" anything.

The biggest difference between cysts and a whitehead, blackhead, or a pustule (what we consider "traditional pimples"), is that they don't come to the surface and cannot be extracted.

"Sometimes they can develop a surface pustule that you can drain, but the majority of them often stay deep," said Dr. Julia Tzu, founder and medical director of Wall Street Dermatology. Or as Dr. Jaliman put it, "Blind pimples don't have an exit to the skin" and added that attempting to coax a cyst to the surface can "lead to even more irritation and infection."

Because of the depth and the inflammation surrounding the cysts, Dr. Zeichner said that this kind of acne has a greater chance of leaving a scar "because of damage to collagen under the skin."

Cystic acne is linked with hormonal acne

Androgen, like testosterone, is the hormone that contributes to the formulation of cysts, said Dr. Jaliman. Everyone is affected by cystic acne equally, and people usually see an increase in cystic acne around hormonal fluctuations like menstruation, during perimenopause, or after starting or discontinuing birth-control pills.

Dr. Tzu added that most hormonal acne manifests as cystic acne, especially around the jawline.

Topical acne treatments rarely work on cysts

When we think of acne treatments, we often think of over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide spot treatments and salicylic based cleansers, but these aren't that effective on cysts. In fact, anything you put on top of the skin is probably not going to have much effect on the cyst and might just dry your skin out, further exasperating the cyst.

Read more: 5 acne spot treatments that actually work, according to experts

"Because these types of pimples are so deep in the skin, unfortunately, topical medications often cannot penetrate as far as they would need to in order to be effective," Dr. Zeichner explained, while Dr. Tzu added that "topical medications are mostly anti-inflammatory and have no specific antiandrogenic effects," which would be necessary to quell a cyst, considering how much hormones play into the development of these kinds of pimples.

Although the doctors agree that topical treatments are not as effective as oral medication, they do prescribe topical antibiotics (like Dapsone) or topical retinoids for patients with cysts.

Cysts respond best to oral medication and cortisone injections

"If your acne is not improving after two to four weeks of over-the-counter treatments, visit a board-certified dermatologist for a prescription regimen," Dr. Zeichner advised.

The doctors generally prescribe one or more of the following treatments for patients who continually struggle with deep, painful, under the skin cysts:

Oral antibiotics: This helps treat and prevent bacterial growth from an inside-out approach.

Oral Spironolactone: People can be prescribed this oral medication that blocks the effects of acne-causing androgens.

Birth Control: People are also often prescribed certain brands of birth control to manage the hormonal effects of cystic acne.

Cortisone injections: Dermatologist can inject the cyst with cortisone to help reduce inflammation, and cysts generally reduce in size within a day after the injection.

Isotretinoin: Often referred to by its former brand name, Accutane, Isotretinoin is a prescription oral medication for severe acne and is often the last resort after other options fail to work.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead."

Fans said goodbye to Andrew Lincoln on Rick's final episode of the AMC's "The Walking Dead," but it was also the start of a new beginning on the zombie drama. The end of the episode jumped ahead six years, culminating on a now 10-year-old Judith Grimes, played by Cailey Fleming.

If Fleming looked familiar, it's because you've seen her in the new "Star Wars" movies playing young Rey. But it wasn't her role in another popular franchise that helped the young actress take on the coveted role of Judith on "TWD."

"We did a very wide-ranging search for Judith. We had so many amazing little girls audition, just so much talent regionally," showrunner Angela Kang told INSIDER. "Cailey just had the most amazing read. Me, and the other executive producers, we all just sparked to her. She just had this kind of liveliness and light and such intelligence in her eyes, and just made such great choices."

Read more: 'The Walking Dead' showrunner confirms what happened to long-missing character Heath on the show

When it came time to narrow the selection down to a handful of finalists, Kang said it was easily Fleming's part to win. 

"She came in and she had so much personality and life and was a great person. We just knew she'd be a perfect fit for the cast," added Kang, who said it was a bonus that she very much looked the part. 

"We were looking for the best actress and it just happens that she looks so much like Sarah Wayne Callies, who played her mother, and also bears a striking resemblance to Chandler [Riggs], her brother," said Kang. "It felt like all the pieces fell in place."

When it was finally time for Fleming to head to set, Kang said some of the veterans of the show were taken to her immediately. 

"She's such a professional actress at 11 years old," said Kang of Fleming. "Her first two days on set, the actors, Danai [Gurira], Jeffrey [Dean Morgan], they're all like, 'Oh my God, she's out-acting all of us.' They really love the work that she's doing and love working with her. She's just absolutely fantastic for us."

Kang additionally told us that the writers were excited to explore some things that they weren't able to with Carl Grimes on the show, like having Judith share some of his comic-book scenes with Negan. 

You won't have to wait too long to see those on screen. "The Walking Dead" airs Sundays on AMC at 9 p.m. You can follow along with our show coverage here. 

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• The 2018 midterm elections are upon us, and the country is anxiously awaiting to hear the results of an array of consequential elections nationwide.
• Most polling places open between 6 and 8 a.m. and close between 6 and 9 p.m. local time. Times vary based on location.
• It can take hours, days, and sometimes even weeks for results to come in based on numerous factors.
• Given polling will start to close in many states between 8 and 9 p.m. ET, we may have an idea of whether Democrats have a chance of flipping the House by sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight ET.

The 2018 midterm elections are upon us, and the country is anxiously awaiting to hear the results of an array of consequential elections nationwide.

There's a lot at stake on Tuesday, November 6. If Democrats are able to retake either the House or Senate, it has major implications for President Donald Trump's agenda over the next two years.

When polls close

Most polling places open between 6 and 8 a.m. and close between 6 and 9 p.m. local time. Times vary based on location.

If you're not sure where your local polling place is or what time it opens and closes, Vote.org and Google offer easy ways to search for more info (click the links here or search "where is my polling place" on Google).

If you're not sure if you're registered to vote, you can also easily search for this information via Vote.org.

When we're likely to know the outcome of races

It could take hours, days, and sometimes even weeks for outcomes of races to become official. This is affected by factors such as the size of states and time zones, the total number of absentee ballots, and various state rules that can lead to runoff elections if candidates don't get at least 50% of the vote.

There are also a number of tight races this year, which can also play a big role in terms of final results. 

A number of key races are occurring in eastern states like Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Given that polling will start to close in these states and many others between 8 and 9 p.m. ET, we may have an idea of whether Democrats have a chance of flipping the House by sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight ET.

But there are some competitive races in California as well, where polls won't close until 11 p.m. ET. With that said, the results of many races may not be available until the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Read more: 9 Senate races that are shaping up to be nail biters and will determine which party controls the Senate

California has a notoriously long ballot-counting process and a large number of mail-in ballots. In 2014, it took two weeks for the state to announce the results of two House elections. 

Many polls predict Democrats will take the House.

The Associated Press called the Senate for Republicans at 11:25 pm ET in 2014, so it's possible we'll know results in that regard before midnight.

Republicans are expected to maintain control of the Senate.

The gubernatorial races in Georgia and Florida are among the most closely-watched this election cycle with Democratic candidates — Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum — poised to make history in either state if they win. Polls begin to close in both states as early as 7 p.m. ET, meaning we may know the results of these races fairly early into the night. 

It's true that exit polls come in quite quickly, but as we learned in 2016 they can be misleading and it's better to wait for full results. 

Read more of Business Insider's 2018 Midterm Election coverage:

• Trump strikes an oddly regretful tone after hammering Democrats with 'racist' campaigning
• Google data show the 5 issues dominating voter searches, and it could mean Trump's message is failing
• 9 Senate races that are shaping up to be nail-biters and will determine which party controls the Senate
• All the times, deadlines, and rules you need to know before voting in the 2018 midterm elections

SEE ALSO: Early voter turnout is surging across the country, including in key battleground states

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NOW WATCH: This top economist has a radical plan to change the way Americans vote

• Americans went to the polls Tuesday, with two states voting on legalizing recreational marijuana and another two more deciding the fate of medical marijuana.
• Weed stocks are gaining around on Tuesday.
• So far in the US, 10 states allow recreational marijuana and 32 states allow medical marijuana, but marijuana is not allowed at a federal level.
• In October, Canada became the second country after Uruguay to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

Weed stocks were surging Tuesday as Americans in four states will determine the fate of marijuana use at a state level.

Voters in Michigan and North Dakota are considering the full recreational use of marijuana for individuals over the age of 21. Meanwhile, citizens in Missouri and Utah are voting for medical use of marijuana.

As a result, weed stocks were rising across the board. Here's the scoreboard at 10:32 a.m. ET:

• Cronos Group (CRON): +8.10%
• Canopy Growth (CGC): +6.15%
• Tilray (TLRY): +4.58%
• Aphria (APHA): +4.48%
• Aurora Cannabis (ACB): +3.27%

High-flying cannabis stocks have caught the attention of both Main Street and Wall Street this year. In October, Canada became the second country after Uruguay to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

At the time, Jon Trauben, managing partner at the cannabis-focused Altitude Investment Management, said, "We believe that the legalization in Canada offers a road map to invest in the companies that will form the basis of the legal cannabis industry in the coming years." 

In the two months before Canada's recreational legalization, the biggest cannabis stocks all more than doubled in value. But after the legalization, they've been hard hit.

While marijuana is not allowed at the federal level in the US, some states have already opened the door for the market. This year, Vermont became the 10th state to allow the sale and full use of marijuana. Medical marijuana is allowed in 32 states so far. 

Read more stories on weed stocks:

• The weed-killing chemical involved in a Monsanto lawsuit was found in Cheerios and Quaker Oats products. Here's how worried you should be.
• The CEO of a $1.3 trillion brokerage warns buyers to beware weed stocks and explains how the market's recent turbulence is good for business
• Weed stocks are tumbling as Canada becomes the 2nd country to legalize marijuana

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NOW WATCH: 7 places you can't find on Google Maps

• In a recent report, UN Special Rapporteur Leilani Farha said San Francisco's homelessness crisis was a "cruel" violation of human rights. 
• The city is set to vote on Tuesday on a controversial ballot measure that would tax the city's largest corporations to fund services for the homeless. 
• Many billionaires, including Square CEO Jack Dorsey and Zynga co-founder Marc Pincus, have come out against the measure, arguing that it unfairly targets their companies. 
• Farha praised Salesforce chairman Marc Benioff's decision to support the tax, arguing that more CEOs should be willing to surrender their wealth to help the homeless. 

San Francisco billionaires are warring over a controversial ballot measure that would tax the city's largest corporations to fund services for the homeless. 

In late October, Salesforce chairman Marc Benioff came out in support of the measure, known as Proposition C, claiming that homelessness was an even bigger threat to his business than a "small tax."

"This crisis reminds us that business does not exist in a bubble," Benioff wrote in a New York Times editorial. "Companies can truly thrive only when our communities succeed as well."

If Prop C is passed on Tuesday, it would raise taxes on gross annual receipts — or total income, before subtracting costs or expenses — for the top 1% of large corporations in San Francisco. These taxes could garner an additional $300 million for programs like mental health services or shelter beds for the homeless. Half of the funds will also go toward the construction and renovation of 4,000 affordable homes. 

Both Square CEO Jack Dorsey and Stripe CEO Patrick Collison worry that the proposition unfairly targets businesses that are much smaller than Salesforce. 

"Prop C is the dumbest, least thought out prop ever," Zynga co-founder Marc Pincus tweeted in early November. "Please get the facts and vote no."

According to United Nations Special Rapporteur Leilani Farha, the city's lack of taxation is "part of the problem."

In January, Farha went on an unofficial mission to explore homeless encampments in San Francisco and Oakland. There, she encountered disturbing sights of rats digging through mud and streets littered with trash, feces, and discarded needles. The conditions prompted her to label San Francisco's crisis a "human rights violation," equal to some of the poorest parts of Delhi and Mumbai. 

"Since I've been rapporteur for the last four years, I've had three experiences that shook me to my core,"Farha told Business Insider. "One of them was in San Francisco."

Because Farha sees housing as a human right, not a commodity, she said it's up to the government to solve the problem. Under international human rights law, governments are required to take reasonable steps to address human rights' need using the "maximum available resources." That includes proper taxation, Farha said. 

"Cities and states and national governments have less money than they used to," she said. "They need more money, and the only way they can get more money is through taxation."  

"People always say, 'Oh we're going to build our way out of the housing problem,'" she adds. "But it's not always that there isn't [housing] stock. It's that the stock that's available is being eaten up by investors right, left, and center."

Though Farha doesn't point the finger exclusively at tech firms, she does feel they should be willing to surrender a small portion of their wealth. 

Benioff's editorial in the Times, she said, was an example of that. "I find it very helpful that he's come out [in support of a homelessness tax]," she said. 

While some have criticized the tax as an attempt to throw money at a structural problem, Farha said money is critical to identifying and addressing the root causes of homelessness — namely, a lack of affordable homes. 

"Money is part of the equation here," she said. "Political will is part of the equation, too."

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NOW WATCH: What if the most powerful nuclear bomb exploded in space

Being single has plenty of positives. For starters, it gives you the space and opportunity to work on yourself in the way that you need. Additionally, it helps you to see what you don't want out of a partner and likewise, what you do. 

But it can also be tough to know when you're ready to move on and be in a new relationship. We've rounded up 13 signs that you're likely emotionally ready to be in a relationship.

You've met someone great and didn't push them away.

Meeting someone new with good intentions can make you think that they are "too good to be true," but going forward with dating them can be a good thing. Relationship expert and matchmaker Eileen Fisher told INSIDER that if you choose to still see where things go – even if it's someone you never thought could be "the one," you're likely ready for a relationship.

"The most common yet shocking way is that you allow someone in your life as your partner that you never thought you would meet," she said. "Like someone you talk to at work or someone you meet at the gym. Really, just someone in your mind you never thought could be the one and you open your eye to them."

You've stopped questioning things.

If you've ever been hurt in a relationship, chances are you've started to question and compare those that you're dating. Though that's not a good thing to do in any instance, Fisher said that once you've let go of the need to do that, you're moving more toward settling down.

"If you realize you've had enough with the comparing each person to another, you could be ready," she said. "You've also stopped asking your friends' opinion on each of those you decide to start dating."

Your rigorous checklist no longer exists.

Regardless if you're 18 or 28, almost everyone has had some sort of checklist when it comes to their ideal partner. The moment you realize that those checklists won't give you the perfect person, however, you've opened yourself up to a relationship.

"Ahh, the "checklist," Fisher began. "When you start to realize that no one, and I mean no one, is going to be exactly who you thought you were going to be with, that's a sign. From their height and weight down to their job, you've stopped making assumptions on what they should be."

• Tuesday's Google Doodle is a reminder to vote on Election Day. 
• Clicking on the Doodle brings you to a Google search that shows them where your polling place is after you provide your address.
• Google also provides information on how to register to vote and how to cast a ballot. 

If you're still scrambling last minute to find out where to vote, you won't need to look much further than the Google homepage.

Today's Google Doodle, located front and center on the homepage, is a reminder to vote in the US midterm elections. Clicking on the Doodle leads to the Google search "Where do I vote #ElectionDay."

After providing the address at which you are registered to vote, Google will display your polling place on a Google Maps card, like this one:

Google also provides some additional info at the bottom of the card, like how to register to vote and how to cast a ballot. 

Since every state has different requirements and deadlines, it's worth checking out to make sure you won't be blindsided by things like unexpected poll closing hours on Election Day.

If Google doesn't have all the answers you're looking for, Business Insider has created a comprehensive guide to all the times, deadlines, and rules you need to know before voting in the 2018 midterm elections.

SEE ALSO: All the times, deadlines, and rules you need to know before voting in the 2018 midterm elections

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NOW WATCH: A cybersecurity expert showed us how hackers can tap into an office phone and listen to everything you're saying

After years of rumors and speculation, it looks like Samsung is ready to unveil — or at least offer a few details — about its foldable smartphone at its November developers' conference taking place on November 7.

So far, Samsung's foldable phone has been nicknamed "Galaxy F" and "Galaxy X." We have no idea what it'll be called, but we'll find out soon enough. We'll just call it "Galaxy X" for now.

Not only has Samsung's head of mobile, DJ Koh, suggested that we should expect an unveiling at the company November event, but Samsung's Mobile Facebook account has updated its profile image to a Samsung logo that's folded over. The timing of Samsung's profile image update isn't likely to be a coincidence.

Here's what we know about the rumored Galaxy X smartphone:

SEE ALSO: 2 incredible smartphone innovations in the works and their likelihood of becoming real

The Galaxy X will have a 7-inch display when unfolded made up of two 3.5-inch displays. It'll also have a third display on the outside for quick access.

When the screen is folded in half "like a wallet," there's a smaller display screen on the front and cameras on the back, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

It's also suggested that the Galaxy X will have a third display on the outside, according to The Bell. That's potentially for quick access so you don't have to unfold the phone for casual tasks, like checking a notification.

Samsung's patents and prototypes show a device that either opens and closes from side to side like a book, or horizontally like a notepad. Either way, the fold will make it possible to incorporate bigger display options. It might also give users the option to split the screen into two panels that show different things or show one big picture, similar to what Samsung accomplished with its 48-inch ultrawide computer monitor — but that's still speculation. 

The Galaxy X will have a "snap" feeling when it's opened, like the Motorola Razr fliphone.

According to SamMobile, the Galaxy X will give a "snap" tactile feel when it reaches its full unfolded state, much like the Motorola Razr fliphone did.

It might not have some of the latest smartphone features that the Galaxy S10 is rumored to have.

One of the biggest rumors surrounding the Galaxy S10 is an in-display fingerprint sensor that's hidden underneath the display. It doesn't seem that this specific feature will make it to the Galaxy X due to technological constraints, according to SamMobile.

• "The Girl in the Spider's Web" director Fede Alvarez talked to Business Insider about why he decided to take over the franchise after David Fincher walked away following "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
• He explained why he recast the role of Lisbeth Salander with Claire Foy. It was previously played by Rooney Mara.
• Alvarez, who previously made the "Evil Dead" remake and the box office hit "Don't Breathe," also touched on why he thinks he's a failure if everyone likes his movies.

On paper, it seems almost like career suicide to take over a franchise that was once overseen by an auteur like David Fincher. But in a short time, Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez has proven he’s never looked to play it safe. 

You only have to go back to his feature debut to see that. In 2013, he remade one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, Sam Rami’s “Evil Dead,” and didn’t get kicked out of town for doing it.

Now following his 2016 hit horror, “Don’t Breathe,” he returns to the pressure of taking on a well-known property. With Fincher walking away from making a sequel to his 2011 thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” — the first American adaptation of the popular Millennium book series from the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson — Sony has enlisted Alvarez to give the franchise a reboot. “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” (opening in theaters Friday) skips to the fourth book in the franchise and replaces Fincher’s moody dark thriller vibe for an action suspense story and a new lead. Claire Foy, known best for her Emmy-winning performance as Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix’s “The Crown,” takes over playing the franchise star Lisbeth Salander from Rooney Mara, who played the role in Fincher’s movie.

In “Spider’s Web” Foy still plays Salander as a computer-hacking renegade who avenges abused women, but unlike “Dragon Tattoo,” she's now the center of the story with journalist Mikael Blomkvist (played by Daniel Craig in the Fincher movie, though he didn’t come back for this one either) in the background. And this time, the stakes are higher, as Salander must retrieve a program that can access the world’s nuclear codes before her evil twin sister, Camilla (Sylvia Hoeks), gets it.

Business Insider talked to Alvarez about making a soft reboot for a franchise that barely got off the ground, why he never met with Rooney Mara to see if she wanted to continue playing the Salander role, and the reason he’ll feel like a failure if everyone likes the movie.


Jason Guerrasio: What fascinated you about the project when it came to you?

Fede Alvarez: It was the character of Lisbeth Salander above all things. Obviously, it's a very special character. It's one that when I saw it for the first time, probably the first Swedish movie, you fall in love right away. She confronts you with all your prejudice in a way because when you see her you never expect to really encounter the character you will eventually in the story. It's someone that's as three dimensional as they get. That's one part and I think the other part is it wasn't the second book or third book, it wasn't a continuation of the last American movie. It was the fourth book by a different author (David Lagercrantz took over the series following the death of Larsson) and it's been eight years since the last movie. It was the right moment to say I can just do whatever I want to do with it and I can make it my own film. 

Guerrasio: So when they came to you they said they wanted to focus on the fourth book? That's how it was pitched to you?

Alvarez: Yeah. If they'd said they wanted to make the second book, I would have said no. No way. I would never have even tried to continue Fincher's story with my eye because we make different movies. I make pulpier movies. If someone wants a very dark classic thriller then they should go and rewatch his movie. 

Guerrasio: In regards to Lisbeth, what were you walking into? Was Rooney still going to be involved?

Alvarez: Sony deferred to me, in a way. If I remember correctly, if they brought back Rooney they would basically bring back the whole cast. If you bring one you bring back the whole universe. And casting is a big part of the director's job and I never make a movie where I don't write it. I write all my films. So with that approach I also have to cast the movie. I cannot take someone else's cast. It would be wrong for me to just use actors that are someone else's vision of the characters. In some franchises it's totally necessary but for this I didn't believe it was. 

Read more:The highest-paid TV stars make over $1 million per episode

Guerrasio: That all being said, Rooney commented in the past that she was still interested in playing the character, did you talk to her and get a sense if you two could work together?

Alvarez: No. I never had that conversation. I think she would not have done it without Fincher. That's my feeling.

Guerrasio: Tell me how you came to casting Claire as your Lisbeth.

Alvarez: Normally the process is to start auditioning people. Have them come in for readings. At least that's how I do it. To really open it up to anybody. Even looking at the young actors who just landed in Hollywood. And I think we did some of that in the beginning of this. But then I saw Claire in "The Crown" and I felt right away that this is the actor to play this role. 

Guerrasio: That's interesting, even her playing the Queen of England, all prim and proper, you could see that she could play Lisbeth Slander?

Alvarez: Yeah. Because a director should not look at the superficial. You don't look at the clothes or how they speak or move. You look beyond that, you have to. And what I saw is this is someone that is really trying to keep feelings to her own and trying to be secretive of how she really feels because as the Queen she's not allowed often to express how she really feels. I felt the person to play Lisbeth Slander, a character that doesn't open up and doesn't share feelings, you need an actor who has a technique and has a craft that is so good that you're able to have a window into her soul. 

Guerrasio: I will be honest, the casting of Mikael was very strange for me. I would assume you would want a known actor for that part. Can you explain why you went with lesser-known Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason for the role?

Alvarez: In the first movies, both the American and Swedish, although Lisbeth Salander is the most interesting character in them she's not the lead, the lead is Mikael Blomkvist. He's your way in, he's the character you love and know and understand everything. Lisbeth is a muse, is someone that he's following. But those movies are not about her. So for such a feminist icon as Lisbeth I felt like we cannot do that to her again, this has to be her movie. She has to be in the front. Do we need Mikael in the movie? Yes. You can't adapt a Millennium book without him, but I wanted to make sure he would not overshadow her. And that's when you write off any big star. The star would not just take that screen attention but the star will usually demand more screen time and perhaps even ask to change the story so he's more present in the movie. And that's not what I wanted. I wanted Mikael Blomkvist to be what many female co-leads have been for too long, the damsel in distress. I wanted him to be that. He's the one stuck with the kid in the end while she goes out and saves the world. [laughs]

Guerrasio: A conscious decision, but did you have to sell that to Sony?

Alvarez: Not really. No. I've been lucky that all the movies I've made I managed to make them with total independence and creative freedom. I just work with studios and producers that trust me and my decisions and support what I do. I don't go to those other Hollywood movies that you are just hired to do your part and it's more studio control. I don't do that. I've never done those and I'm going to keep trying to avoid those. 

Guerrasio: This is not the first soft reboot you've done. You also directed the 2013 “Evil Dead.” Did you take anything from that experience and put it into making “The Girl in the Spider's Web”?

Alvarez: With “Evil Dead,” people loved it or hated it and that's something I do with my movies. I never try to please the whole theater. If I do I think I've failed, that I played it too safe. I always expect some portion of the theater to walk out pissed. Either feeling offended or the movie did something that rubbed them the wrong way. I always look for that. What I learned from that was if I'm faithful to the spirit of the material then eventually it would be okay. The perception of “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” at the moment because of the comparisons, you always start on the wrong foot. That's what it was for “Evil Dead.” You start on the wrong foot because of people's expectations. I feel if my heart is in the right place people will eventually appreciate it. 

Guerrasio: Did the aura of Fincher hang over you at all while making this? Meaning, you didn't write something a certain way or shoot something a certain way because you felt Fincher would do it that way.

Alvarez: No. Now, he is an executive producer on this film, but I have never met him or had any conversation with him. That's unfortunate, because I'm a big fan of his work. But no. Directors tend to have a singular vision of how things should be, at least I am. I feel there's only one way to do it and I try to capture that. So there's really no time to think like that. I knew that the tone would be so different and the style and plot that I didn't have to worry about that. So even if a shot is similar accidentally, or even on purpose a shot looks like a Fincher shot, hey, that's a good problem to have. [laughs] He's a master of the craft. But in the context of the movie, it's not a Fincher movie. 

SEE ALSO: Disney is reportedly developing a Marvel TV series that raises questions about Captain America's fate in "Avengers 4"

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NOW WATCH: How 'The Price Is Right' is made

• With the Dallas Cowboys up seven late in the first quarter of their Monday night matchup, Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard picked off Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to keep the game within one score.
• Byard celebrated with a nod to Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens by running to midfield and standing on the Dallas star.
• Owens took to Twitter to express his approval of Byard's antics.

The Tennessee Titans took down the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium Monday night, but early on it looked as though the Cowboys could run away with the game.

With a 7-0 lead and the ball on Tennessee's 6-yard line, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott dropped back and lofted a pass for newly-minted Cowboy wide receiver Amari Cooper into the back of the end zone. Instead, Titans safety Kevin Byard came away with the interception to keep the game within one score.

The former Middle Tennessee star — who led the NFL with eight interceptions last season — then invoked Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens in his celebration. Byard ran to the 50-yard line, stood at the center of the Dallas star, and stretched out his arms before dancing on the Cowboys emblem with his teammates.

Read more: Seahawks' synchronized touchdown dance might be the best celebration of the NFL season

The six-time Pro Bowl selection — who spent three years of his career playing in Dallas — took to Twitter to express his approval of Byard's antics.

This isn't the first time this week that a current star paid homage to NFL players of yore. After breaking the New Orleans Saints' single-game receiving yards record against the then-undefeated Los Angeles Rams, wide receiver Michael Thomas pulled a flip phone out from under the field goal post in an ode to former Saints wide receiver Joe Horn. Horn was fined $30,000 for the same celebration in 2003.

In both cases, the announcers were not fond of the celebrations. Troy Aikman reprimanded Thomas multiple times for his cell phone bit while calling the game for FOX. Then, former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who is now a broadcaster for ESPN on "Monday Night Football," complained that Byard's move was disrespectful.

"Yeah, that's a little bit of disrespect," Witten said, per Jon Machota of SportsDay. "They're driving the ball down the field. Nice play by Byard, but I don't know that you want to do that... He's in his third year, okay? Do it about five more years, and then, you know, get seven or eight interceptions a year, maybe you can do it at that point. But until then, I'd probably stay away from the star."

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NOW WATCH: Inside an intense training session where aspiring WWE wrestlers learn how to fight

• "Navigate on Autopilot" enables a properly equipped Tesla vehicle to follow a GPS navigation route on a highway.
• The system can also merge onto highways, exit, and pass slower-moving traffic.
• The system requires a relatively high level of driver engagement.

Tesla recently rolled out a software update for its Autopilot semi-self-driving technology. Called "Navigate on Autopilot," it enables a Tesla vehicle that's equipped with the requisite set of sensors, cameras, and radars — and that's had "Enhanced Autopilot" enabled for $5,000 — to drive the car through a greater range of situations than before and to follow a route in the GPS navigation system.

I met up with several Tesla representatives and their brand-new Model 3 sedan in New Jersey and sampled the upgrade. 

I'll cut to the chase. For years now, I've argued that Tesla Autopilot should be a hands-on-the-wheel-at-all-times technology, and that Tesla shouldn't let a new owner or lessee leave the store without an "Autopilot 101" tutorial. In practice, Autopilot does prompt drivers to periodically engage in steering-wheel inputs when Autopilot is active. But drivers can release the wheel for brief stretches.

(Read more:I drove a $57,500 Tesla Model 3 for a week to see if it's practical for everyday driving — here's the verdict)

I'll get into how Navigate on Autopilot works in a second. For now, the best thing about the new technology is that it raises the level of engagement required of the driver. The biggest risk of Autopilot and other semi-self-driving systems is that they reduce situational awareness, quickly removing drivers from the act of full controlling their vehicles. Navigate on Autopilot brings situational awareness back.

So how does it work?

Well, it has to be enabled, for starters (by the way, I sampled the tech in New Jersey, but these images are from a drive in California and were provided by Tesla).

That's achieved via (in my case) the Model 3's central touchscreen. Once you give it the OK and input a route through the navigation system, Navigate on Autopilot will become active when Autopilot itself is in operation, and it's only available for highway operation. You have to touch the blue "Navigate on Autopilot" button on the turn-by-turn directions to make it work.

At a basic level, Navigate on Autopilot can drive a Tesla up a highway on-ramp, suggest lane changes and passing maneuvers while it follows a plotted route, and it can exit a highway prior to returning control to the driver. This makes Autopilot somewhat more "point-to-point" than it was before, and as CEO Elon Musk has noted, is a needed step toward full self-driving capability. 

NOAP, as I'll refer to it, benefits from a high level of fleet learning, as anything a Tesla will the right sensor set has encountered, across many Teslas on the road, can be used to manage merging speeds and take a more intelligent approach to things like pre-exit lane changes.

NOAP will also suggest or deny passing maneuvers, and the boldness with which it approaches those moves can be set anywhere from Mild to "Mad Max," for impatient drivers (Average in between.)

A double-pull-down of the transmission stalk on the right side of the Model 3's steering wheel brings Autopilot online, and we're off. Pretty quickly, the systems take over steering for an on-ramp, modulating speed to keep everything safe. I then have to increase the pre-set adaptive cruise control speed to a highway velocity — and respond to the Autopilot prompts when it's time to provide a bit of steering-wheel engagement. 

The Autopilot screen, on the far left side of the central touchscreen, draws a blue line in front of the vehicle, mimicking the route guidance on the nav system. When a slow-moving truck appears in front of us, NOAP suggest a passing maneuver and draws it in gray. It's then up to me to confirm that it's safe to pass and use the turn signal to execute.

If an obstacle shows up the Tesla's sensor range — such another vehicle off our starboard side — NOAP creates a red line that prohibits the pass.

Then, when it's time to line up in a lane for existing, NOAP also offers that indication. When it hits the exit, it slows for the curve, then returns control for slower driving (it gives the driver a distance countdown).

On balance, I can do all of this more seamlessly myself, but it's early days for this type of semi-autonomous technology. For now, NOAP is fairly impressive for what it can do, and more importantly, for how much safety it brings to the process.

What it can't do

What it can't do is mainly apply old-fashioned driving habits, learned by me decades ago. Such as changing lanes to the left around on-ramp merges, to allow new traffic onto the highway. Or to shift to the left when stopped cars or emergency vehicles are on the shoulder. Those are very, very human situations, however. I wouldn't expect a self-driving car with far more advanced aspirations that a Tesla using NOAP to be able to handle them.

A human situation that NOAP goes a long way toward improving is simply dealing with following a route. Even with modern GPS, it's easy to screw up, miss a turn, and end up frustrated. NOAP alleviates some of that stress. Add this to Autopilot's already noted ability to deal with slow, stop-and-go traffic and you have a helpful, stress-reducing technology that will likely alleviate mishaps.

I'm not really a heavy duty Autopilot user, mainly because I like actually driving Teslas too much (to be fair, I don't make much use of old-school cruise control unless I'm on long highway jaunts). For Autopilot enthusiasts, I can easily see how NOAP will initially demand a learning curve, but over the long term will prevent the temptation to let the system take over too much of the driving act. 

That's a big deal. NOAP definitely improved Autopilot, but is also fixes what I think is the technology's main drawback.

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NOW WATCH: We drove a brand-new Tesla Model X from San Francisco to New York — here's what happened

• The midterm elections are taking place across the US on Tuesday, but bad weather threatens to keep less committed-voters from the polls.
• Every state east of the Mississippi River is expected to see rain at some point today while polls are open.
• More severe weather is forecast in several states with contentious races, including Georgia, New Jersey, and Florida.

Polls opened across the country Tuesday morning as the nation votes in the midterm elections, but bad weather is threatening to impact several key races in the eastern United States.

Every state east of the Mississippi River is likely to see rain at some point while polls are open today, CNN reported, and there are several areas where more severe weather — including thunderstorms and gusting winds — could keep less-committed voters from the polls.

Democrats are hoping Tuesday's elections win them back control of Congress, but at least one study has shown that Republicans have an advantage on rainy election days.

Read more:See what time the polls open and close in every state

Thunderstorms up and down the East Coast, snow in the Rockies, and rain in the Midwest

Weather.com predicts rain and thunderstorms to drench areas of New England down to the northern Gulf Coast.

"A windy, raw day is in store in the Great Lakes, which may keep some from venturing out to the polls," Weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman said. "Some light snow in parts of the northern Rockies shouldn't be too much of an impediment for voters in those areas."

In Georgia and Florida, where two of the most contested governors' races are taking place today, scattered showers and storms are expected.

A storm system that killed one in Tennessee last night is moving east and will bring severe thunderstorms and heavy winds from Charlotte, North Carolina to Philadelphia.

Accuweather suggests that voters in the Greensboro, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania areas vote in the afternoon, since the morning is expected to be wet.

Washington, DC and Philadelphia are likely to be stormy in the morning and the middle of the day, so voters there should aim to go to the polls in the afternoon and evening if they want to stay dry.

Meanwhile, Norfolk, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Dover, Delaware; Atlantic City, New Jersey and New York City are expected to have the best voting conditions in the morning, before rain hits in the evening.

Jim Geraghty, senior political correspondent for the conservative National Review, tweeted Tuesday morning that the rain was "coming down in buckets" in northern Virginia, where close House elections are taking place in the state's 7th and 10th districts.

"Get ready for weather-scapegoating," he said.

Could rain be good for Republicans?

Rain certainly will have an impact on the election, but to what extent is unknown.

"Drizzle drives a few people away from the polls; a heavy downpour keeps a whole bunch of them away," Larry Powell, pollster and professor of political communications at the University of Alabama Birmingham, told Weather.com.

Powell says campaign organizers pay close attention to weather in races, and will often organize transportation to take voters to the polls if they're hesitant to drive themselves.

He went on to say that inclement weather tends to favor the incumbent.

"Sunny days benefit the challengers more than the incumbents," he said. "The incumbent voters are going to get to the polls regardless."

Some scientific research also suggests that Republicans have an edge in bad weather.

A study first conducted in 2015 and revised last month from researchers at Dartmouth College and the Australian National University showed that at least 1% of voting-age adults who would have voted blue if the weather had been good, voted Republican instead on rainy election days.

"Our study suggests that weather conditions may affect people's decisions on not only whether to vote but also who they vote for," Dartmouth government Professor Yusaku Horiuchi, a co-author of the study, said in a news release.

A separate study from 2007, conducted by Florida State University, also found a Republican advantage on rainy election days.

But the lead author of the study, political scientist Greg Gomez, said that the correlation is more pronounced in presidential elections.

Gomez told Weather.com that the midterms are different since they are disproportionately composed of "core voters" who are usually more partisan and less susceptible to changing their mind.

"We would expect that bad weather is a bigger deterrent to voting in presidential elections than in midterm elections; midterm electorates simply are composed of a larger percentage of core voters who are determined to vote rain or shine," Gomez said.

He also says that more states now hold early voting, which wasn't the case when his study was conducted.

But this year's elections are looking more like a presidential election with possible record turnout for a midterm year, so it remains to be seen how the weather will affect the results.

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• Questions during a job interview don't always have to do with the job itself.
• At Beeswax, an ad-tech startup in New York, potential hires are often grilled on the last thing they "geeked out" over and where friends and family would consider them an expert.
• The questions are used to assess a potential hire's curiosity, one of the company's four core values.

Smart hiring managers know to ask all the right questions during job interviews. 

Sometimes that means asking questions that seemingly have nothing to do with the job itself.

At Beeswax, an ad-tech startup in New York run by three former Googlers, no job interview is complete without a few questions that dive into the personal interests of potential hires.

One of the most notable questions, the company's founders Shamim Samadi, Ari Paparo, and Ram Rengaswamy told Business Insider, goes as follows: "If I asked your friends and family, what would they say you are their go-to guru for?"

Another one asks, "What was the last thing you geeked out over?"

A third: "Tell me something you have taught yourself and how you went about it."

Read more:9 puzzling interview questions from real execs that seem to have nothing to do with the job

The questions, while not as extreme as ones that ask what you want written on your tombstone or what you would do during a zombie apocalypse, help Beeswax measure the curiosity of potential hires. "Be curious" is one of Beeswax's four core values, the founders said, along with "be open,""be customer-driven," and "be effective."

"We realize that those are the values that we think are necessary for someone to be successful here," Samadi, Beeswax's chief product officer, told Business Insider. "Like, I haven't stopped working, making decisions, being open, being a learner. And it's equally important to evaluate people on their functional skills as well as their values."

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• Amazon employees have openly and publicly criticized the company for selling its facial recognition software, called Rekognition, to police.
• Amazon employees are urging their colleagues to ramp up the pressure on the company at an all-staff meeting Thursday by inundating CEO Jeff Bezos with questions about the company's dealings with law enforcement, Recode reports.
• Since June, hundreds of Amazon employees have petitioned the company to stop sales of Rekognition and cut ties with Palantir, a company whose software is used by ICE for its deportation and tracking program.

At an all-staff meeting later this week, Amazon employees will reportedly take further steps to confront CEO Jeff Bezos over the company's controversial sales of its facial recognition software to police and immigration authorities.

Recode reports that Amazon workers are planning to flood Amazon executives with enough questions about its dealings with law enforcement that leadership won't be able to ignore the issue. The meeting, which will be livestreamed to employees globally, is scheduled for Thursday. 

(Read more: An Amazon staffer says over 450 employees wrote to Jeff Bezos demanding Amazon stop selling facial-recognition software to police)

"We think that if enough people submit questions, there is a greater chance we can hold leadership accountable,” an Amazon employee wrote in an email to colleagues obtained by Recode.

This organized movement is being headed by a group of Amazon employees who have been outspoken in criticizing the company's artificial intelligence software called Rekognition, according to internal emails obtained by Recode. 

Amazon has prided Rekognition as a facial recognition tool that can make IDs for the purposes of "preventing human trafficking" and "inhibiting child exploitation." However, the ACLU revealed in May that Amazon had sold Rekognition to government and police agencies for the purpose of public surveillance and to identify "people of interest."

Hundreds of employees have petitioned Bezos in the past to stop the practice. In a letter from June, workers demanded Amazon stop selling Rekognition to the police, and to take measures toward further accountability and transparency. Employees also urged the company to cut ties with Palantir, a data company who is known to provide software to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for its deportation and tracking program.

Amazon isn't the only company to see its employees protest dealings with the U.S. government. After workers at Google condemned its employer for participating in a government program called Project Maven, the company said in June it would not renew its contract with the military. Similar movements have taken place at other tech companies, like Microsoft and Salesforce.

Recode reports that Amazon has yet to issue a formal reply to employees who petitioned the company back in June. However, Bezos has defended the dealings of Amazon, and other tech companies, with federal authorities. At a conference last month, Bezos said Amazon would "continue to support" the U.S. government.

"One of the jobs of the senior leadership team is to make the right decision even when it's unpopular," Bezos said. "If big tech companies are going to turn their back on the US Department of Defense, this country is going to be in trouble."

The protest internally at Amazon comes a week after nearly 17,000 employees at Google staged a company-wide walkout to show their discontent with the tech giant's history of sexual misconduct.

SEE ALSO: Amazon is breaking a central promise of HQ2 by reportedly placing it in 2 different cities

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