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7 card poker game President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US ambassador to France, in the latest of several controversial picks. Kushner "is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests," Trump said on his Truth Social website, adding that Jared "worked closely with me in the White House." The choice is in keeping with Trump's pattern, so far, of selecting people, often wealthy, who are close to his family or of proven loyalty. Kushner is a multimillionaire real estate executive and former attorney; his son was a senior adviser during Trump's first term. Trump did not mention, however, that the elder Kushner once served jail time -- a two-year sentence, most of it served in a federal prison. Kushner, who is now 70, pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions. The case, which was prosecuted by then US attorney Chris Christie, included sordid details, to which Kushner admitted: that he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, a man cooperating in a campaign finance inquiry, and then videotaped the encounter and sent it to the man's wife, Kushner's sister, to dissuade her from testifying against him. Christie, who worked on Trump's first presidential transition team and then opposed him in this year's Republican primary contests, later said Kushner had committed a "loathsome" and "disgusting crime." In 2020, Trump issued a pardon to Kushner, whose conviction had resulted in him being disbarred in three states. Nominees for key ambassadorships are often business associates of a president-elect, or major political donors. But it is rare, if not unprecedented, to name a convicted felon. The first two men to fill the prestigious Paris post were famed inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin and a future president, Thomas Jefferson. If confirmed, Kushner would succeed Denise Bauer, a former ambassador to Belgium who was a major Democratic fundraiser and donor. md/bbk/md

With December upon us, Brits up and down the country are getting into the Christmas spirit. While the vast majority of us look forward to the festive period, a survey once found that one UK city was a lot less enthusiastic. The nationwide poll found that the people of Norwich hate Christmas more than any other city in the UK despite being one of the best places to visit during festivities. Nottingham was second with 10% saying they don't enjoy Christmas. Next was Leeds in third. Edinburgh, Manchester, and Canterbury were the next three cities with a negative view of the festive period. At the other end of the spectrum, Peterborough was found to be the most enthusiastic about Christmas , with 60% saying they love it. The survey was carried out in 2017, but it appears Norwich is now embracing the Christmas spirit. This year, a three-day Christmas market is being held at The Shoe Factory Social Club at St Mary's Works in the city. There are more than 50 stalls each day selling handmade gifts, homewares, prints, art, fashion, ceramics, woodwork, candles, skincare, cards and wrapping paper. Rosie Nolan, the event organiser, said: "We love The Shoe Factory for its history and industrial feel. "Some of our traders have parents or grandparents who used to work at the factory when it was still producing shoes. "Now they come here to sell the things that they make. "Once the space is filled with all of the makers, music and people it has such a great vibe." Which says that the best cities in the UK to visit for Christma markets are: Bath, Chester, Durham, Winchester, Wells, Liverpool, Edinburgh, York, and Belfast.Green is poised to help scale Mechanized AI's revolutionary technology and drive operational excellence as the company enters a phase of rapid growth. ATLANTA , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mechanized AI , a pioneer in the enterprise AI and application modernization space, proudly announces the designation of Amy Green as its new Chief Operating Officer. With over 15 years of industry experience, Green brings a wealth of expertise in operations, professional services and technology product marketing to the trailblazing enterprise AI and application transformation startup. Her appointment underscores Mechanized AI's commitment to combining groundbreaking technology with top-tier leadership to maintain its competitive edge in the marketplace. Based in Dallas , Green joins the team with an extensive background in operational management and strategic execution at Deloitte Consulting, where she built and grew the Product Engineering group within their Application Modernization & Innovation practice with Charles Wright , CEO of Mechanized AI. Prior to this, Green served on Deloitte's Global Strategy & Innovation team, where she advised teams across the global network on bringing technology products to market and driving scalable growth. A former Executive Search Consultant with Russell Reynolds Associates, Green has advised Fortune 100 clients on complex leadership challenges and recruited top executives to lead transformation at public and private organizations. Previously, Green also served as Strategic Engagement Director at AIG within the Office of the Chief Technology Officer. Green obtained her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her MBA from UC San Diego's Rady School of Management. "Amy's deep expertise in managing world-class organizations will be critical to ensure we have the people, processes and technology in the right places to drive our operations forward," says Wright. "Her mastery of leading companies through transformation journeys and category creations will be invaluable as we roll out new products and strengthen our collaboration with strategic partners. Amy has already hit the ground running as COO and she will be a crucial asset in building a client-centric business as we position ourselves for sustainable growth." As COO, Green will oversee delivery and customer success, human resources, operations and marketing—key areas vital to Mechanized AI's ongoing success and ambitious growth objectives. She joins a veteran team of startup and consulting executives, including Aditya Muralidhar (Chief AI Officer), Matias Kreder (CTO), Ian Easton (CCO) and recently, Jenny Allen (CMO). "I'm honored to join Mechanized AI as COO and to collaborate with such a talented, passionate team in the rapidly evolving AI space," Green remarked. "Having had the privilege of working with Charles in the past, I'm confident in his ability to drive the company's vision and direction. Mechanized AI is uniquely positioned for growth and innovation, so I'm excited to help scale the organization and deliver impactful solutions that drive transformation for our clients." Launched in 2023, Mechanized AI has grown its team of experts by over 50 percent in 2024 and has locations throughout the U.S. and South America . Green's appointment comes at a pivotal moment as Mechanized AI expands its global operations and scales its enterprise AI and application modernization solutions across industries. About Mechanized AI: Mechanized AI was launched in 2023 to help companies unlock the power of enterprise AI and accelerate their application modernization journeys. Built and backed by a team with over four decades of combined AI/ML experience, the product suite enables end-to-end AI development and deployment and transforms traditional modernization workflows by automating complex, manual processes. The AI Factory platform is a turnkey solution to build Fortune 500-quality production AI for both enterprise and mid-market businesses. The mAI Modernize suite of products provides AI-powered code modernization for any tech stack, empowering clients to understand and modernize legacy code in hours versus months. For more information, set up a demo at Mechanized.ai , follow us on LinkedIn and X , and view open positions on our Careers page . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mechanized-ai-announces-expansion-of-executive-team-with-appointment-of-amy-green-as-coo-302330807.html SOURCE Mechanized AI

LAURA Woods looked radiant as ever as she showed of her blossoming baby bump at Wembley. The stunning ITV host, 37, was on duty to present England's Lionesses' clash with the USA. FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS She is expected her first child with Love Island alumni Adam Collard. Woods announced she was pregnant back in July. She managed to keep her pregnancy a secret throughout the entirety of Euro 2024, before making the announcement before she jetted to Paris to cover the Olympics. But ever since the cat's been out the bag, Woods has been confidently giving fans a glimpse of her growing bump. read more on Laura Woods As always, Woods looked elegant as she reported pitchside. She wore a long black dress that hugged her figure, as well as a long camel coat. Woods matched her black dress with a pair of sturdy black boots. Earlier this month , the TNT Sports host showed off her baby bump on Instagram, where she has over 760,000 followers. Most read in Football Taking to social media she posted an image of her bump alongside the caption: "Bloody hellllll". Woods and Collard announced they were engaged in September. The happy couple started dating last year and the reality TV personality got down on one knee on the beach in Cornwall to pop the big question. Woods then showed off her dazzling ring on live TV while presenting TNT's Champions League coverage. She is yet to announce when she and Collard are set to tie the knot, while she hasn't given a due date for her baby either.Unamused 49ers GM: Cool it with Kyle Shanahan 'hot seat' talkSam Hicks, defense lead Abilene Christian over Northern Arizona 24-0 to extend 1st trip to playoffs

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BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s GOP-dominated legislature passed tax cuts on personal and corporate income on Friday in exchange for a statewide sales tax increase, giving Gov. Jeff Landry much of what he wanted after his original tax reform package faced mounting resistance from lawmakers and lobbyists. The final passage of the tax measures wrapped up a special legislative session launched Nov. 6 by the governor and his allies. They said their purpose was to make the state’s tax code more business friendly, create jobs and reverse trends of outward migration from the state. It was the third special legislative session called by Landry, a Republican, since he assumed office in January. Recommended Videos Critics warned the tax reforms would primarily benefit corporate shareholders and wealthy taxpayers while the sales tax increase would exacerbate Louisiana's regressive tax system where poorer households pay a higher percentage of their income on taxes. Landry called the tax reforms “historic” and said that they allowed all Louisianans to keep more money in their pockets and would spur business investment. “Today we have made generational change in this state,” Landry said. “We now stand at the threshold of a new era for Louisiana.” A flat 3% income tax Lawmakers approved a flat 3% individual income tax rate, leading to a $1.3 billion cut. Previously, the personal income tax rate had stood at 4.25% for people earning $50,000 or more. Louisiana Republicans said the measure advanced their goal of ultimately eliminating the income tax in the future. “Income tax is a mandate; you have to pay it. You get punished for making more money,” said Republican Rep. Julie Emerson, who spearheaded the legislation. She argued consumption-based taxes were fairer: “Sales tax is a choice,” Emerson said. Lawmakers also noted that other Southern states like Arkansas , Mississippi and North Carolina have recently reduced their income taxes. “We’re on the same trajectory as other states around us to be competitive,” Republican Sen. Franklin Foil said. As part of the legislative package, lawmakers doubled the standard deduction for seniors and nearly tripled the standard deduction for individuals, effectively eliminating income tax on the lowest income households. Lawmakers also redirected $280 million in vehicle sales tax funds from several major infrastructure projects for the next two years in order to help offset the income tax cut. Corporate tax cuts The state’s new corporate income tax rate will be a flat 5.5%, reducing the highest tier from 7.5%. Landry had wanted a 3.5% flat rate. Louisiana's corporate income tax rate had been the highest in the South according to the Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank. Lawmakers repealed the 0.275% corporate franchise tax, a levy on businesses operating on the state worth more than $500 million in annual revenue that went to a state savings account. Republican lawmakers had decried the tax as an arbitrary penalty on business. Landry and other Republican lawmakers had touted these tax cuts as crucial to removing obstacles to attract job-generating companies to the state and to improve Louisiana's place on Tax Foundation's rankings for business climate. “Louisiana just became a much more attractive place to do business,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said. Sales tax hike With the personal income tax reductions reducing annual revenue by $1.3 billion, Landry’s original plan had called for applying sales taxes to dozens of services like car-washing, dog-grooming and lobbying. He also sought to eliminate large tax incentives for the restoration of historic buildings and the film industry. Those proposals were defeated — except for a new sales tax on digital goods and services — following stiff opposition from Republicans and special interest groups, leading to a bigger sales tax hike than Landry initially proposed. Lawmakers raised the state sales tax to 5%, equivalent to an increase of one cent on every dollar spent. In 2030, the state sales tax will be reduced to 4.75%. The state's current sales tax stood at 4%, along with a temporary 0.45% sales tax that had been set to expire next year. Louisiana already had the highest combined state and average local sales tax in the country at 9.56%, according to the Tax Foundation. Louisiana has the 10th most regressive tax system in the country, according to the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Jan Moller, executive director of the liberal think tank Invest in Louisiana, said the sales tax hike and other changes take the state “in the wrong direction.” “I think it will ensure that low- and moderate-income families continue to pay a higher effective tax rate in Louisiana than those at the very top,” he said. Republican leaders said they did not believe the increased sales tax would cancel out the benefits of the income tax cut for lower- and middle-income families. Sen. Minority Leader Gerald Boudreaux said the Democratic Caucus had supported the bills — only one Democratic Senator dissented — in order to have a seat at the table in shaping the process, such as pushing to preserve the film industry tax credit. “All of those changes represent what's best for the state, and they're now in a document — that was not previously there,” Boudreaux said on the Senate floor. House Democrats were more fractured than their Senate counterparts, but many still voted in support of the overall tax package. Constitutional changes The tax reform package included a significant rewrite to a notoriously convoluted section of the state's constitution, Article 7. The amendment, which will go before voters on March 29, removes large amounts of tax exemptions from constitutional protection and intends to give lawmakers more latitude to end these exemptions in the future. The constitutional amendment also enables a permanent $2,000 raise for teachers, made possible by liquidating several education trust funds to pay off early nearly $2 billion in school district debt. And it inserts a “growth limit” on the amount of money lawmakers can direct to recurring expenses each year based on calculations of economic growth in the state — a measure proposed by conservative lawmakers. ___ Associated Press writer Kevin McGill contributed to this report. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96Could Chiefs bring Eric Bieniemy back around team like last year?

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As the finale of Drag Race Down Under Season Four fast approaches, this week the fifth queen was sent packing. Michael James had the pleasure of sitting down with the fabulous Max Drag Queen, a standout competitor who had all the queens running scared from day one. In a candid interview, Max reflected on her experiences, the challenges faced, and the community spirit that defined this season. “ I still wonder if it’s something that I should have done” Drag Race Down Under was a tough time for Max. Unbeknownst to viewers at the start of the show Max’s mother had passed away just over four weeks prior to her competing. While she tried not to let her emotions and that experience in her life define her time on the show, she still shared her vulnerability to the nation. When talking about the experience on the show she expressed immense pride in her performance throughout the competition. “I can’t be anything but proud of the work that I put forward. So I’m just feeling a sense of pride in everything that was shown, especially the emotions and the vulnerability that I think that I was able to showcase.” The decision to participate in the show after such an emotional time in her life was a tough one for Max and now nearly twelve months on it’s something she still reflects on. “Even to this day, I still wonder if it’s something that I should have done or should not have done” she reflects. “There would never be the right answer for something like this. I just kind of have to find peace with the decisions I have made and ultimately, I have to know, at the end of the day that my mum, she would have wanted me to do it. So. I’m just glad that she has been honoured in some capacity and kind of immortalised on this show.” Community and Competition Despite landing herself in the bottom and lip syncing for her life three times Max was an impressive competitor and ultimately the lip sync assassin of the season. In fact Max was such a strong competitor that nearly every queen that has exited the show has pointed to Max as the one they never wanted to go up against. “That’s very sweet” she said. “They’re very correct for saying that. But it’s very sweet!“ It’s a very confident statement to make about ones own talent but when quizzed on why she believes that was correct she calmly confident about her star power and confidence. “I think doing this experience and kind of having a year that I’ve had, I’m able to confidently and not with arrogance, I think I’m confidently able to recognise that I I do have a like a star power and a star quality within myself” she stated. “When I I go and step onto the stage, I think that transcends beyond just a performance or the three minutes of time that I get on stage to be doing my work. I think that like fundamentally at my core, I’ve worked really hard to be a good person. So I think when they walked in, they were like cool well, this is someone that isn’t going to be here to fuck around.” Part of what stood out in the narrative of this season was the strong sense of community among the queens. When discussing the relationships formed with the other queens, she confirmed the cast are a “happy family,” stating, “We do love each other very, very, very much.” But Max also pinpoints that part of this shift in dynamic on Drag Race Down Under came down to her emotional time on the show and how it bonded all of the queens together. “Sometimes I think, If I hadn’t been as highly emotional as I had been, and going through what I had been going through, if we would all be as tight knit as we were” she reflects. “I feel like my experiences of what I was going through prior to Drag Race and then what I inevitably kind of brought to the show in terms of my outside life gave kind of no room for us to like actually be mean or hate each other” she said looking back at her time with the girls. “I think that I genuinely carried in with me this wave of like ‘we’re going to be nice to each other because we don’t know what’s happening in in our like personal lives’.” It was this element of support for Max that seemed to shift the energy of the room, leaving the queens with no room for anything but uplifting and supporting each other. “I understand that this is a competition. I understand this is a reality TV show, but trust and believe if you want to say something like there was no room for it” she says. “I mean, we were like shady and catty with each other, but that was instantly from a place of love and understanding.” “I do love them. They’re all talented. And I hate it” she laughs. Memorable Moments With Michelle Visage This season also saw a shift in dynamics with the absence of RuPaul, replaced by Michelle Visage as a the host of Drag Race Down Under and a guiding voice for the queens there to Mother them and look after them. This was evident during the time Max first revealed her struggles with the death of her mother and Michelle comforted her on the main stage. When speaking of her time with Michelle, Max revealed there was so much more to their time together than viewers got to see. “I think the on camera and off camera Michelle were a little different” she revealed, but in a very positive way. Whilst it might have been her job to support the queens on the she show, she said it was much more than that. “I feel like, you know, people are there to do their job and they’re there to judge and keep the show going, essentially. But the most I felt of a mothering figure from her was when the cameras weren’t rolling.” “She was very, very kind to me and very, very sweet and some of the things she said, I’m really I’m sad that they didn’t make it to camera, but I will forever cherish some of the things that she said to me.” While Max is keeping many of those memories for herself, she did reveal one of those conversations the pair shared. “One of the things that she said was that in all of the franchises that she’s been a part of and been able to watch that I was one of the best lip syncers, like I was one of the best performers she’d ever seen.” And it wasn’t a comment Max was taking lightly. “She’s seen a lot of fucking drag! So to have her say that and say it so genuinely and not for camera and not performatively it just felt like THAT was my win.” Another significant figure this season was Isis Avis Loren, the drag mother of Max, who also served as a rotating guest judge. Whilst she appreciated her presence ther Max definitely felt as though it may have changed her time on the show. “I think that everyone might have thought that Isis being there was going to mean that I had like a clean sweep or like an easier run or that the ‘nepotism’ of it all kind could come into play” she said. However Max it felt as though it was the opposite. “If anything, I do feel like I was being judged a lot harsher than the other contestants because ISIS was there” she said. “So if I ever happened to do this show again in any capacity, it’d be interesting to see what that would look like without Isis unless they did like an All Stars one sort of thing and we did teams.” ‘ Interesting’ Challenges and Changing Things Up Max tackled some of the season’s more unique challenges this year, including this weeks acting challenge which was delivered in a much more isolated format. However while it looked like the queens were separated from each other during the challenge Max points out that they all knew what was going on. “The walls are very thin at Drag Race so we knew, all of us knew Nikita was going to be in the bottom that week. We knew that Vybe was not feeling very good about her performance. Mandy’s was a big swing and a choice.” However despite their confidence in the outcome for Nikita and Vybe, the other queens all thought it was going differently for Max. “All the girls, all the way through to untucked, were convinced I was in the top this week.” Despite the confidence from the other queens Max was under no illusions as to her fate. “I was not, by the way” she continued. “I was very aware that I was being sent home. Because you know, three lip syncs and blah blah blah, but, yeah, it was a very interesting challenge that’s definitely a word I would use. Definitely interesting.” And Max certainly had some thoughts on the change to the challenge format.“I just wish that we changed it up in a way that was kind of like, good. It wasn’t a great challenge, like ultimately it was a weird one. It was very very weird.” Ultimately it was a change that did come at the expense of Max’s time on the show, however she was also there for other changes this season, including the changes to the iconic Snatch Game . Named instead this year as I’m A Celebrity Impersonator Snatch Me Out Of Here the queens were split into two groups to compete in the iconic challenge, something Max found interesting, but not necessary. “I again appreciate the swing to want to change up such a staple challenge but do I think this was necessary? No.” “Do I think that there was much reference to the fact that we were like in the Outback? No.” “Like it was kind of just the set change, like there was nothing actually different about it. Again, I think this was another really interesting challenge. It’s crazy how all the interesting challenges I seem to be lip syncing on. But you know that’s OK. That’s OK” she laughs. But the upside to lip syncing as a result of these challenges was the chance to perform songs in front of the artists who created them and Max revealed she’s had two big names slide into her DM’s. “I’ve had Ladyhawke and Peach PRC both message me and follow me and and just say nothing but really really kind things. So I I am counting my wins” she gushed. It’s a fantastic way for Max Drag Queen to close out her time on the show. After a stellar performance during an incredibly trying time in her life she still managed to shine and making a lasting impression on fans worldwide. Drag Race Down Under continues for just two more weeks with the second last episode airing on Friday December 14 and the Grand Finale on Friday December 21 on Stan Australia. Carols By Queerlight Popchops – SWEAT: A Cult Classic Queer Pop Party Queens of the Pool with Art Simone Harry K Takes Over Enigma Nightclub For Huge XXXMAS Bash Join The OUT On Top Summer Pool Club In Brisbane Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website related articles Grindr Have Unveiled 2024’s ‘Grindr Unwrapped’ Filled With Sexy Gay Data & It’s The BEST Everything You Need To Know About The Huge US Supreme Court Hearing On Trans Youth Why Is There Barely Any LGBTQ+ Representation In Spotify Wrapped Lists This Year? Mardi Gras Considering Making Parade Day A Public Holiday Perth Shortlisted As Only Australian City 2030 For Gay Games 77% Of Young LGBTQ People Report Workplace Sexual Harassment

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