Former First Lady Michelle Obama garnered a wave of online backlash after sharing a “Happy Holidays” post that addressed people feeling “anxious and uncertain” after the November election. In an Instagram video featuring her voiceover, she highlighted the work of the Obama Presidential Center while acknowledging that “it’s been a difficult few months for so many of us”: A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) “...folks are feeling a little bit anxious and uncertain. But even during these tough times, there are plenty of reasons to stay hopeful,” Obama added, before bringing up the foundation’s programs. While many commenters wished her a happy holiday as well, others criticized her for not-so-subtly bringing up the victory of President-elect Donald Trump when talking about how the last “few months” have been anxiety-inducing. “We are all excited for the future!!!! Only anxieties we had were what we went through in the last four years,” one Instagram user said. “Michelle, America is excited about what’s to come: a new horizon and prosperity for the nation. 2025-2029! No anxiety here,” another commenter wrote. “A difficult few years from the damage the Biden administration has caused!” replied another commenter. “Things have never looked better since Trump won the election! The people have the power! Not even all those celebrities could change that!” “We are certain it won’t be worse than your husband’s administration or the Biden administration,” another person said. “That we are CERTAIN.”WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter has spurred a broader discussion about what else he should be doing with the broad clemency powers of the presidency before he leaves office in January, including whether he should be pardoning Donald Trump. Biden on Tuesday ducked questions about his son, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola . He dismissed shouted questions about the matter with a laugh during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace, telling the Angolan delegation: “Welcome to America.” Biden was not scheduled to take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, and he has largely avoided interactions with reporters since President-elect Trump’s victory last month. Biden’s decision to offer his son a blanket pardon for actions over the past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington, after the president repeatedly had said he would not use his extraordinary powers for the benefit of his family. Biden claimed that the Justice Department had presided over a “miscarriage of justice” in prosecuting his son, using some of the same language that Trump uses to describe his own legal predicaments. Biden's reversal drew criticism from many Democrats , who are working to calibrate their approach to Trump as he prepares to take over the Oval Office in seven weeks. There is concern the pardon — and Biden's claims that his son was prosecuted for political reasons — will erode their ability to push back on the incoming president’s legal moves. And it has threatened to cloud Biden's legacy as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 20. Hunter Biden is the closest presidential relative ever to be granted clemency, but other leaders have pardoned family members and close friends. Bill Clinton pardoned his brother Roger for drug charges after Roger Clinton had served his sentence. By the time Trump left office after his first term, he had issued 144 pardons, which included Charles Kushner , the father of his son-in law, Jared Kushner. He also pardoned fervent supporters Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and other people convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. In the months after the 2020 election, Trump and his allies were trying to overturn his loss, a failed effort that culminated in the violent riot by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. There were discussions at the time over whether Trump would preemptively pardon some of those involved in the effort — and maybe even himself — before he left office. But that never happened. Now, Democrats are having similar discussions about preemptive pardons on their side because of Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail. He's made no secret of his desire to seek revenge on those who prosecuted him or crossed him. He talks about "enemies from within." He's circulated social media posts that call for the jailing of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President Mike Pence and Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer. He's also taken aim at Liz Cheney, a conservative Republican who campaigned for Harris, promoting a social media post that suggested he wanted military tribunals to punish her because she was guilty of treason. Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said last week on Boston Public Radio that Biden might consider broad pardons to protect people against whatever wrath Trump may seek, but also as a way to move the country past this acrimonious and divided time. “I think that without question, Trump is going to try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascistic way, in a revengeful first year at least of his administration toward individuals who he believes harmed him,” Markey said. Presidents enjoy expansive pardon powers when it comes to federal crimes . That includes granting clemency to people who have not yet been charged, as President Gerald Ford did in 1974 when he pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon, over the Watergate scandal. The decision at the time caused an uproar but has been seen in the ensuing decades as a move that helped restore order. Markey cited Ford's pardon as a way for the country “just to close that chapter and move on to a new era.” Biden could do the same, Markey said, to help the country move on “to an agenda that deals with the ordinary families.” Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat-turned-independent from West Virginia, took it a step further and suggested Biden should even pardon Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal charges that are now evaporating with Trump's upcoming return to the White House. “Why don't you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump for all his charges?" he said in an interview with CNN. “It would have gone down a lot more balanced. I'm just saying, wipe them out.” At the same time, Democratic lawmakers and criminal justice reformers are pushing Biden to grant pardons to broad groups of Americans. Democrats Ayanna Pressley, Jim Clyburn and Mary Gay Scanlon wrote to Biden on Nov. 20, asking him to use his clemency powers to "address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.” The letter, also signed by 61 others, suggested Biden could use his powers to send a powerful message of criminal justice reform and "rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges.” “We encourage you to use your clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers,” they wrote. So far, Biden has pardoned 25 people. Most presidents tend to grant a flurry of clemency requests at the end of their terms, and it's likely Biden will do the same. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said Biden is “thinking through that process very thoroughly.” Weissert reported from Luanda, Angola.(BPT) - Tech gifts are consistently some of the most popular presents to give and receive during the holidays. In fact, according to the annual Consumer Technology Holiday Purchase Patterns report , a record 233 million U.S. adults (89%) will buy tech products during the 2024 holiday season. But with so many devices out there, it can be hard to decide on the perfect option for the loved one on your list. A tablet like the new Fire HD 8 from Amazon offers the versatility of an all-in-one device, with access to streaming, gaming, video chatting, reading or writing all at your fingertips. Fire HD 8 also features a vibrant 8-inch HD display and lightweight, portable design, for high-quality entertainment on the go. Plus, Fire HD 8 comes with three new AI features that can help you get the most out of your tablet experience. Check them out below and learn how they can help you with daily tasks this holiday season and beyond. 1. Meet your personal writing assistant Do you struggle with writing a heartfelt message or finessing a tricky email? Fear not! Writing Assist is here to help. Writing Assist works as part of your Fire tablet's device keyboard and compatible apps, including email, Word documents and social media. In just a few taps, you can transform your writing from good to great. Try Writing Assist's pre-set styles to turn a simple email into a professionally written note. Or, you can ask Writing Assist for grammar suggestions to make your writing more concise, or elaborate on your ideas. You can even "emojify" your writing to add more fun and personality. 2. Learn more in less time Say goodbye to scrolling through pages of information. The new Webpage Summaries feature allows you to learn pertinent information as quickly as possible. Available on the Silk browser on Fire tablets, Webpage Summaries provides quick insights on web articles. In a matter of seconds, this feature will distill the key points in an article or on a webpage into a clear, concise summary of what you need to know. 3. Get creative with your device wallpaper With Wallpaper Creator, you can easily add a touch of creative flair and customization to your tablet's home screen. You can choose from one of the curated prompts to get started on creating a unique background. Or, if you're ready to let your imagination run wild, type a description of what you'd like to see. For example, you can ask for an image of a tiger swimming underwater or a watercolor-style image of a desert landscape in space. Wallpaper Creator will then turn your vision into a reality, delivering a high-resolution image that you can use as your tablet's wallpaper. Celebrate an AI-powered holiday season Writing Assist, Webpage Summaries, and Wallpaper Creator are now available on Amazon's new Fire HD 8 and other compatible Fire tablet devices, including the latest Fire HD 10 and Fire Max 11 tablets. To learn more, or to order a new Fire tablet this gift-giving season, visit Amazon.com .
Brendan Rodgers praises Celtic and Cameron Carter-Vickers’ mentalityNoneEUGENE, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- ODR.com , the leading provider of online dispute resolution services, today announces the launch of their ODR.com for family disputes platform , designed to help couples resolve their divorce and separation cases efficiently and effectively, enabling courts to alleviate bottlenecks and direct more attention to the most complex cases. This technology simplifies the separation process by providing a straightforward and affordable do-it-yourself solution for couples by addressing parenting, property, and money matters in a highly intuitive way. The technology leverages artificial intelligence to suggest appropriate divisions and support levels. It also enables mediators to engage with couples online to offer support whenever they’re needed. ODR.com for family disputes is mobile-optimized, generates formal documentation for settlement agreements and parenting plans, and offers seamless integration into most court case management systems. This new platform leverages cutting-edge technology originally developed over five years in Australia by National Legal Aid as part of amica.gov.au . International award-winning user experience design firm Portable built and scaled this technology, which has handled more than 11,000 cases in Australia (including 4,000 couples dividing their assets and 1,400 couples creating parenting plans), saving courts more than $80 million. The new ODR.com Family Dispute Resolution platform combines the proven power of that system with ODR.com ’s cutting-edge case management and online workspaces to deliver a best-in-class solution fully updated for North American courts. Most family courts remain primarily offline, resulting in too much friction for court staff and the parties. More than 95% of divorcing couples use mobile devices each day in their personal and professional lives, but when they get to the courts they often encounter paper-based processes, legacy systems, and long delays waiting for in-person hearings. ODR.com for family disputes helps family courts modernize their services with intuitive technology, reducing costs and time to closure while improving litigant satisfaction. “ODR.com for family disputes leverages the great work done in Australia to bring the most scaled, proven online divorce and separation system ever built into North America,” said Colin Rule, CEO of ODR.com . “We believe the power of the ODR.com back end and tools that facilitate amicable resolutions, combined with the mobile-optimized self-service features designed by Portable, will dramatically improve resolution rates for family courts across the United States and Canada.” ODR.com (a wholly owned for-profit division of the American Arbitration Association, the largest provider of dispute resolution services in the world) offers cutting-edge functionalities like 24x7 accessibility, integrated video-conferencing, artificial intelligence, and a nationwide panel of top dispute resolution experts. ODR.com ’s management team has led the development of family ODR for more than a decade, including the launch of the first online divorce and separation platform ever built (the Dutch Legal Aid Board’s Rechtwijzer ) in 2013. “Portable is excited to work with ODR.com to bring our platform to North America,” said Simon Goodrich, co-founder of Portable. “Now divorcing couples in the United States and Canada will be able to leverage the same powerful front end tools we’ve scaled in Australia. Partnering with ODR.com means we can deliver even more functionality by integrating world-class mediation services and smooth integration into courts.” To learn more about family dispute resolution and ODR 2.0 (next generation online dispute resolution), visit ODR.com/family . About ODR.com ODR.com is the global leader in online dispute resolution. It serves courts, universities, businesses of all sizes, and governmental agencies at all levels. ODR.com offers a proven, secure and scalable online dispute resolution platform which is used by more than 200 dispute resolution partner organizations worldwide, including the International Monetary Fund, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and NASA. Learn more at www.odr.com . About Portable With more than 1,000 successful projects alongside Australia's leading government agencies and purpose-driven organizations, Portable understands the critical role that effective collaboration plays when working to solve complex challenges impacting the lives of people in communities around the world. Portable is a world leader in legal design and digital tool development, focusing on service design, AI and improving Access to Justice. amica.gov.au won a 2024 Anthem Award for world leading impact across its service and innovation categories. Learn more about Portable at www.portable.com.au . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121543825/en/ CONTACT: Colin Rule crule@odr.com (541) 345-1629 KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA CANADA OREGON INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LEGAL SOFTWARE INTERNET ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FAMILY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY CONSUMER SOURCE: ODR.com Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 06:03 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 06:02 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121543825/en
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