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Former attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz is now selling $500 videos on Cameo . The disgraced politician’s new business venture comes a day after he withdrew his candidacy to become the Trump Administration’s chief law enforcement official. His withdrawal followed congressional and law enforcement investigations that reportedly concluded he paid for sex with a minor on more than one occasion . “I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history,” Gaetz said in a statement ending his candidacy . The 42-year-old right-wing firebrand also said Friday that he wouldn’t try to return to Congress where he’d served as a representative from Florida from 2017 until just last week. That will seemingly leave Gaetz more time to record personalized videos for supporters looking for advice, pep talks or birthday wishes, according to his newly created Cameo page. “Don’t be afraid to get creative with your request, especially for celebrations like weddings, retirements, or bachelor and bachelorette parties that call for a good laugh,” his listing says. Gaetz is following in the footsteps of fellow Republican politicians George Santos and Rudy Giuliani in joining Cameo to cash in on newfound infamy. Santos was expelled from Congress last December when it was learned he lied about almost every aspect of his life to get elected to New York’s 3rd Congressional District. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft charges in August, and is scheduled to be sentenced in February. Santos’ videos , which average 44 seconds in length, start at $250. Giuliani — New York City’s former two-term mayor — was indicted on election crimes in May. That case hasn’t gone to trial, though a civil court ordered him to pay $148 million to two election workers he defamed after the 2020 presidential election. He charged $375 per video after joining Cameo in August 2021. Gaetz has not been charged with any crimes and maintains he did nothing wrong.By HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. “House of Flame and Shadow,” by Sarah J. Maas Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” “The Anxious Generation,” by Jonathan Haidt If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. “War,” by Bob Woodward Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. “Melania,” by Melania Trump Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. “The Eras Tour Book,” by Taylor Swift Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. “Intermezzo,” by Sally Rooney Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” “From Here to the Great Unknown,” by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. “Cher: The Memoir, Part One,” by Cher Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” “James,” by Percival Everett A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. “Knife,” by Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”baccarat casino game

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DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ETWO), the connected supply chain SaaS platform with the largest multi-enterprise network, today announced that it will report its fiscal third quarter 2025 financial results after the U.S. financial markets close on Thursday, January 9, 2025. E2open management will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on that day to discuss the financial results and other business highlights. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 888-506-0062 (domestic) or 973-528-0011 (international). The conference ID is 588291. Additionally, a live webcast of the conference call will be available in the "Investor Relations" section of the company's website at www.e2open.com . Following the conference call, a replay will be available through January 23, 2025, at 877-481-4010 (domestic) or 919-882-2331 (international). The replay passcode is 51733. An archived webcast of this conference call will also be available after the completion of the call in the "Investor Relations" section of the company's website at www.e2open.com . About e2open E2open is the connected supply chain software platform that enables the world’s largest companies to transform the way they make, move, and sell goods and services. With the broadest cloud-native global platform purpose-built for modern supply chains, e2open connects more than 480,000 manufacturing, logistics, channel, and distribution partners as one multi-enterprise network tracking over 16 billion transactions annually. Our SaaS platform anticipates disruptions and opportunities to help companies improve efficiency, reduce waste, and operate sustainably. Moving as one.TM Learn More: www.e2open.com . E2open and “Moving as one.” are the registered trademarks of E2open, LLC. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212282105/en/ CONTACT: Investor Contact Russell Johnson russell.johnson@e2open.com investor.relations@e2open.comMedia Contact 5W PR for e2open e2open@5wpr.com 408-504-7707Corporate Contact Kristin Seigworth VP Communications, e2open kristin.seigworth@e2open.com pr@e2open.com KEYWORD: TEXAS UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY TRANSPORT LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT SOURCE: E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 04:17 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 04:17 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212282105/enDevelopers' profits set to plunge this yearEx-Colorado footballer Bloom dedicates time to fulfilling wishes for older adults

The Biden administration is reportedly discussing precautionary pardons for several public officials and political adversaries as Donald Trump gears up for a potential return to the White House. The move, driven by concerns over Trump's rhetoric and actions, aims to shield key individuals from potential prosecution under a Trump-led administration. Names on the Potential Pardon List Among those being considered for these pre-emptive pardons are high-profile figures such as Senator Adam Schiff, former Representative Liz Cheney, and Dr. Anthony Fauci. These individuals have been the frequent targets of Trump's criticism with the former president openly calling for their prosecution during his rallies and on social media. Trump’s repeated claims that Schiff and Cheney committed acts warranting imprisonment, along with his previous comments on Fauci, highlight why these individuals might need such protections. Politico reports that senior aides, including Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, are involved in these discussions, though President Joe Biden himself has not directly engaged with the broader pardon strategy yet. Also Read : Experts in awe of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killer's meticulous planning, but say he may be arrested soon; here's why Hunter Biden’s Pardon Consideration Hunter Biden’s case also looms large in these discussions. The president’s son faces legal troubles that Republicans have used to criticize the Biden administration. 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His administration rejected others like John Eastman, who had proposed dubious legal theories related to the 2020 election. This precedent has heightened concerns about how a Trump administration might approach legal cases against his political adversaries. Democrats Divided on Pre-Emptive Pardons The discussions around blanket pardons have sparked debate within Democratic circles. While some see it as a necessary defensive measure, others, like Adam Schiff, view it as premature and potentially counterproductive. “I would urge the president not to do that,” Schiff told Politico, emphasizing the need for careful consideration. Also Read : Black Doves Season 2: When will new episodes release? Expected plot FAQs: Why is Biden considering pre-emptive pardons? The administration is reportedly concerned about potential legal actions against political opponents by Donald Trump if he returns to the presidency. Who is being considered for these pardons? Reports suggest figures like Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, and Anthony Fauci are under consideration, along with President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Minutes after the University of North Carolina announced it had hired Bill Belichick as its next head football coach, the Tar Heels’ Instagram account posted a photo of the legendary NFL coach — at no more than 3 years old — sitting in the UNC bleachers. “Welcome home, Coach,” the post reads , dredging up the memory of when the young Belichick shadowed his father, Steve, who was a UNC assistant from 1953 to 1955. As news of his hiring spread around the NFL world, the reaction ranged from excitement at seeing him back on the sideline to disbelief. The most decorated coach in NFL history after earning six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, and two more as the defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, Belichick is officially making his next challenge college football after agreeing to a five-year deal with UNC. “I will have to see him on the sideline to believe that’s happening,” Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury joked Thursday. “We’ll see how the NFL job search goes and all that. I will have to see him on the sideline coaching in Chapel Hill to believe that’s happening." While Belichick’s knowledge of the sport, and his success, are unquestioned, there has been debate among those who have played for the 72-year-old coach during his 40-plus years in football about how well his style will translate to the college game. Some of his former players believe his skill set will work at any level. That list apparently includes Tom Brady, the quarterback during all six of Belichick’s Super Bowl wins with New England. “Congrats, coach. The Tar Heel way is about to become a thing,” Brady posted on Instagram on Thursday, referencing “The Patriot Way” that he popularized in New England. Some cautioned that the players he brings into the UNC program should prepare to have their limits tested like never before. “I think he’s going to do good,” said Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne, who played under Belichick during his final three years in New England. “Bill does a good job of developing players, developing young men. I think it will be a challenge for the young man. He’s a tough coach, which we all know. But I think it will be good for certain players that have the right mindset.” Bourne's advice? Always stay locked in mentally. “Just stay tough,” Bourne said. “Have a gritty mindset because it’s not going to be easy, but in the end, it’s going to be worth it." Though some have questioned why the Tar Heels would even consider hiring Belichick after parting ways with 73-year-old Mack Brown this season, current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said good coaching is ageless. “To me, it doesn’t matter if you’re a young man or a 10-year vet in the league, he’s a great teacher,” said Mayo, who played eight seasons under Belichick, winning a Super Bowl during the 2014 season, and then succeeded him as head coach after last season. "I wish him nothing but the best. It doesn’t really matter what level, I think he’ll be successful.” NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is a relative newcomer to the college game himself. He spent three seasons at Jackson State before going to Colorado in 2023. In a message posted to the X social media platform, he welcomed Belichick as a competitor. “Coach Bill Belichick is a coaches coach to all us Coaches along with my man coach (NIck) Saban,” Sanders posted. “They’re game changers and they know how to move people forward. I know this is a great thing for College Football & for North Carolina. God bless u Coach, if you’re happy I am 2.” But former Patriots defensive back Je’Rod Cherry wonders how well Belichick’s old-school coaching style will be received in an era in which in-your-face methods don't always fly as well as they did when Belichick began his career. “You can’t coach hard anymore,” Cherry said during an appearance on ESPN GameNight. “You can’t yell at guys, curse at guys and that’s what he does. You are going to have to find guys who are going to accept that brand of coaching and will accept someone constantly getting on them." New York Jets safety Jalen Mills, who played for Belichick with the Patriots from 2021 to 2023, said he was surprised by the news. “I thought he definitely was going to try to wait it out until after the season and come back to the NFL,” Mills said. "But I think it’s gonna be a good thing for him because now you get a guy who has won and, of course, he’s going to try to turn that program around. But he also gets to connect with the younger generation and kind of modify and adjust to this younger generation of football on top of what he already knows. So I think that’ll just help him as far as coaching. And then, of course, he’ll give those guys, those young guys, structure as far as what the NFL looks like, too.” Just how much the Belichick on the college sidelines will resemble the one in the cutoff hooded sweatshirt who patrolled NFL sidelines is unclear. Belichick hinted they will be one and the same. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN prior to agreeing to the UNC job, Belichick laid out what his approach at the college level would be. “The program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players than have the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques — that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level.” AP National Writer Howard Fendrich and Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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Browns restructure Deshaun Watson deal, againFor the past 17 years Alison and Mike Battle have mastered what the perfect should look like. One where children can lose themselves in their imagination and connect with values that really matter. It is a return to a pre-1930s Christmas, before Coca Cola took over. The south London couple founded Lapland UK in 2007, inspired by their own experiences of raising four boys and trying to retain their childlike wonder. That each year tickets sell-out in March, earning the event, held in a forest near Ascot, the reputation for being the Glastonbury for children, shows that they’ve tapped into something that all parents desire. “This is something extremely important,” explains Mike. “For children who believe and for their parents, we feel a responsibility to get this right.” It was a duty they felt with their own four boys, now grown up; Michael, a screenwriter, is 31, Matt, 29 works at Lapland UK and twins Christian, who also works with his parents and Joseph, a solicitor, are 26. Alison created a sense of wonder in the boys, but they struggled to find it outside the home. “We would go to a garden centre to visit Father Christmas and it wouldn’t live up to it,” says Matt. “He wouldn’t know any information about us.” Mike recalls queuing up at Harrods for hours, only for Alison to start twitching as they neared the front of the queue. “She started scribbling bits of information about the children on pieces of paper and trying to sneak them to the elves. They were a bit confused, although some got it.” Today, Alison still is the eyes and voice of the children, tapping into what they will find believable, while Mike makes her vision happen for tens of thousands of children each year. Here are the Battle’s tips for creating a truly magical Christmas for you and your family: The Christmas that inspires the Battle family is one filled with nature and old traditions: “A time from before the 1930s when we got Santa and commercialisation,” says Alison. “For us it’s all about the charm and the dream of Christmas.” They prefer the name “Father Christmas” and the storytelling is inspired by northern Europe. As a young woman Alison studied in Heidelberg in Germany and so she has a love of all things Grimm. “We come at it with a European flavour. We’re not about the candy cane Santa; we’re not American at all. That old world charm is something that people can recreate in their own homes.” They want people to move away from “Santa stops here” signs and go back to nature more. It is the way they have built Lapland UK too, sourcing Latvian log cabins 18 years ago that they still use. Mike and Alison scour antique fairs across Europe looking for props; everything from copper pans for Mother Christmas’s kitchen, stained glass windows, old suitcases and chairs, lanterns and globes. “There’s a big warehouse we go to in Frankfurt, where we source things like original sleighs. It’s a lot of fun,” says Mike. There are also leather bound books on old dressers. Alison thanks her own Mother for giving her the perspective that you should treasure old things. “She’s always had a huge passion for children and childhood. For her 40th birthday, for example, I clearly remember she requested a set of leather bound .” Details like stenciling on dressers and cupboards evoke the feeling of a Scandinavian Christmas, as do frames of pressed leaves and botanical drawings. Boughs of brown ferns and crimson leaves hang from the ceilings throughout Lapland UK. Look closely, however, and they are all actually high-quality faux foliage, made from plastic. For a production on Lapland UK’s scale it is the most dependable and sustainable way to decorate. “It’s sustainable because everything you see was here last year,” says Mike. He sought inspiration from how the Victorians would bring in nature to decorate their fireplaces and front doors. It is also linked to ancient indigenous practices, such as collecting mistletoe to bring luck. In this world, the elves are celebrating nature, not tinsel. The foundation of the Battle Christmas canvas is the palette; the colours they use create their world of Christmas. “It’s about making sure that nothing imposes and everything makes sense. You soon notice something if it doesn’t fit,” says Christian. “If there’s a bright yellow or green thing, then your attention would be taken there and the whole set breaks.” The perfect Lapland UK red is not a bright red, but a burgundy red. The basis for their muted colour board is that all the colours must look like they are derived from nature. “Anything that feels manufactured is rejected,” says Mike. When they were designing the toy factory the inspiration was real sawdust and rocking horses, rather than primary colours and clowns with googly eyes. What is the perfect Christmas green? “A sage. Not that far from Farrow and Ball, really,” laughs Mike. Silver and gold aren’t banned, but the tone and amount of it is to be considered. “If you have a hint of gold and silver, that’s fun. If you have all of it, that’s nuts,” says Mike. “It’s about elegance and balance. We want everything to be holistic, rather than shouty.” As you can imagine, this is a big moment in the Battle household; at home they have an 8ft tree. However, how it looks isn’t as important as how it feels. “It is a filled with memories,” says Christian. Rather than worrying too much about a matching bauble, every single decoration on the has to have a story. Something bought on holiday or made by the boys in primary school. After Matt played the Angel Gabriel in the school nativity they found an Angel Gabriel decoration. The family also love the of drying oranges and limes and putting them on the tree. “It’s sensory,” says Mike. There is no tinsel in the Battle household. Although in Alison’s family home there is one piece of tinsel. “It’s now 50 years old and my sister and I put it on the tree, even though it’s completely threadbare.” May your Christmas be warm and bright. Certainly your , anyway. When it comes to creating a warm and cosy atmosphere, Mike seeks inspiration from Salzburg. He remembers a trip to the Austrian town in December when everywhere was snowy. “And there were coffee shops lining the streets that were all glowing and warm. Every single one of them was so inviting and it was just beautiful.” He tries to make the same effect at Lapland UK by bringing the lighting down. “The amount of time I say ‘warm lighting’ during the building process!” he laughs. Old-fashioned filament bulbs are key to creating the Battle’s warm nostalgic dream of Christmas. “I don’t like the blue icicle lighting you see,” says Alison. Stir-up Sunday is another one of the rituals the family performs without fail each year. “We’d make our Christmas cake every year and one by one we had to ‘stir in the love’ and make a wish as you did it,” says Christian. “Making a Christmas cake one year isn’t that special, but the fact we’ve done it for nearly 30 years makes it feel different,” says Matt. As adults they now appreciate the ritualisation of their Christmas. “The things we did weren’t crazily unique, but by doing them every year it gave them significance, which made them more important each year,” says Matt. The Lapland UK Foundation aims to eventually put a stocking on the bed of every child in a UK hospital or hospice over Christmas. This year they are starting with Lewisham Hospital and Evelina Children’s Hospital. In the Battle household you are never too old for a stocking. Although now Alison usually has to wait for them to come back from the pub. “I still sneak in at 3 o’clock in the morning.” “You just have to let her do it,” says Mike. Alison does see the funny side of having never quite punctured the magic of Christmas for her sons, even if they are now well into adulthood. About three years ago, she remembers one of them running into our bedroom and saying: “Look what is in my stocking!” “I was like, ‘I know!” laughs Alison. Christmas is about creating a feeling, not about material things that you get on Christmas morning. The family feels strongly about that. It recalls the Christmases of Mike and Alison’s childhoods in the 1970s, growing up in working class families in south London. “They were very grounded, loving families,” says Alison. Her father was a carpenter and would make wooden gifts for her and her sister. As the youngest of five children from a migrant Irish family, Mike’s memories aren’t of things, but of an energy in the house. “I’d come down the stairs and feel that there was something special going on; that it was an unusual day,” he recalls. On Christmas Eve in Mike’s home, his father would have a half-day, “which was unusual. We used to all go to Littlewoods on Bromley High Street and have something to eat and that was great. Not because it was fancy, but because it was something unusual for us.” The essence of Christmas for him now? “Being at home and having all six of us together,” he says.Caroline Adejube set to release ‘The Debutante’

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