An ex-FBI informant accused of lying about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter has high-level ties with Russian intelligence‚ US prosecutors say. The allegations against Alexander Smirnov‚ 43‚ were outlined in new Department of Justice filings in the case on Tuesday. Mr Smirnov is accused of lying when he claimed bribes were paid to the Bidens via a Ukrainian energy firm‚ Burisma. He was charged last week with giving false statements to the FBI. Mr Smirnov's claims were part of...

A former FBI informant charged with lying about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme between a Ukrainian energy company and the Bidens had contacts with Russian intelligence officials‚ prosecutors said Tuesday.  In court filings‚ prosecutors said Alexander Smirnov admitted during an interview before his arrest last week that "officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story" about the president’s son‚ Hunter Biden. They said Smirnov's...

A FORMER FBI informant charged with fabricating accusations of corruption against President Joe Biden and his son‚ Hunter Biden‚ told law enforcement that he has been in contact with high-level Russian intelligence officials who were “involved in passing [along] a story” about Hunter Biden. According to a Justice Department filing released Tuesday‚ Alexander Smirnov — who was arrested last Thursday in Las Vegas — told authorities who...

In a landmark decision‚ the Alabama Supreme Court ruled Friday in favor of protecting embryonic human life from wrongful death. Embryos are created routinely through in vitro fertilization‚ a process by which ova are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory rather than in a woman’s body. The process of creating and cryopreserving embryos can be dangerous for embryonic children‚ who often are destroyed intentionally or through neglect. In the case heard by the Alabama Supreme Court‚ three...

An Alabama Supreme Court decision legally recognizing frozen embryos as children has reignited concerns and confusion about the future of fertility treatments including in vitro fertilization‚ with both sides recognizing the broader impact of the case. The court on Friday ruled that frozen embryos — which are used in IVF — are considered unborn children. Alabama voters amended their state constitution in 2018 to give personhood rights to fetuses‚ and the court decision clarified that that...

The moment the US Supreme Court released its decision overruling Roe v. Wade‚ pretty much everyone who closely follows constitutional law wondered which rights would be next on the chopping block. Justice Clarence Thomas stoked these fears with a concurring opinion calling for the Court to “reconsider” the rights to contraception‚ marriage for same-sex couples‚ and the right to choose who you have sex with (and whether those sexual partners share your gender). Justice Brett Kavanaugh‚ meanwhile...

Participating in paternity leave offers fathers so much more than an opportunity to bond with their new kids. It also allows them to help around the house and take on domestic responsibilities that many new mothers have to face alone…while also tending to a newborn. All in all‚ it enables couples to handle the daunting new chapter as a team‚ making it less stressful on both parties. Or at least equally stressful on both parties. Democracy! TikTok creator and dad Caleb Remington‚ from the popular account @ustheremingtons‚ confesses that for baby number one‚ he wasn’t able to take a “single day of paternity leave.” This time around‚ for baby number two‚ Remington had the privilege of taking seven weeks off (to be clear—his employer offered four weeks‚ and he used an additional three weeks of PTO). The time off changed Remington’s entire outlook on parenting‚ and his insights are something all parents could probably use. “It's unfortunately the end of my maternity —ahem— paternity leave‚” Remington quips at the beginning of his video‚ via voiceover. “I only joke because my wife is truly the man of the house. And call me what you want‚ but I am totally okay with that.” He then shares that after getting to spend quality time with his family to create precious memories—losing track of time to “watch ants cross the sidewalk‚” for instance—he feels “guilty” about not doing so with their firstborn.“[It] made me realize how many of those small moments I missed out the first time‚ but I'm looking past that guilt and grateful that I had some time to make it up‚” he says. You’ll notice that during this entire video‚ Remington is also doing chores. Sweeping‚ mopping‚ vacuuming‚ washing dishes‚ wiping the countertops…you get the picture. @ustheremingtons I (caleb) am getting ready to go back into work and i am not ready. Grateful for my four weeks plus 3 weeks of PTO‚ but i feel like we were just getting into a groove and i was finally getting to have some 1 on 1 time with my son. Picking up the house today because we all function better with a clean space and we haven’t had time to do much of it while surviving these past 7 weeks. I do work from home and find that I have a little more flexibility in helping out here and there but i am also pretty glued and have to be zoned in during work hours. I do however have some pretty awesome and understanding coworkers and company!Shout out to @SAMBAZON Açaí 👊 Tiff is an all star: working and stay at home mom. I am dedicated in doing better to help balance more of the domestic responsibilities. #paternityleave #dadtok #dadsover30 #dadlife #fyp #foryoupage #ditl #ditlvlog #maternityleave #newbornlife #newbornbaby #secondbaby #2under2 #toddlerlife ♬ original sound - Tiffany + Caleb Why is he doing this? His wife‚ aka “the lady with the milk bags‚” has been so stressed with the house being messy that Remington decided to focus on doing all the housecleaning so that she could spend time with the kids.Doing a fair share of the domestic labor is something Remington admits to failing at their first time around. Spending seven weeks taking on more responsibilities‚ however‚ opened his eyes to the fact that what he previously saw as doing his “fair share” was actually doing “the bare minimum.” “It has taken multiple conversations — and many ongoing ones — to truly master how to take on more of the mental load of raising children‚ growing our marriage and taking care of our investments like our home.”Proof that having difficult conversations can lead to better understanding!Lastly‚ Remington reflects on how the emotional turbulence of being new parents challenged his relationship‚ even though he and his wife were good communicators and aware of how much effort would be required. “I honestly hated how much we fought‚ how much I felt misunderstood‚ and how much I misunderstood her…so now as second-time parents‚ I feel like we're a little bit more prepared. Prepared in how we talk to each other‚ prepared in how I balance work‚ life‚ and personal life‚ and prepared to just let things go‚” he says. Definitely valuable insights for anyone navigating baby number one. Or number five‚ for that matter.Remington’s story stands as a great example of just how beneficial paternity leave can be. It offers priceless bonding time‚ an equal balance of responsibilities‚ and more time for much needed reflection as parents begin a pivotal new chapter in their lives. This article originally appeared on 9.7.23

There is an arms race amongst parents these days to choose the most original name for their children possible. While it’s important to instill individuality into a child‚ studies show that people given unusual names at birth are more likely to suffer setbacks in their social and professional lives.It can even make it harder for them to find a date.Knowing that his daughter was setting her child up for a hard life by giving him a very unusual name‚ a dad staged an intervention—in person and online—to get her to realize what she was doing.The father‚ known as MulledMarmite on Reddit‚ shared his dramatic story on the AITAH forum. He says this daughter’s interest in selecting such an unusual name comes from influencer culture.“She is obsessed with this influencing thing‚ everything being about the numbers. Her husband has been evicted to the attic‚ because he ‘ruins her aesthetic’ that is for the videos. He isn't allowed to bring his items or clothes outside of it‚ and whenever he as much as forgets a cup on the table‚ she will scream‚” the father wrote.“And now she is pregnant‚ which means it isn't just her and my son in law's problem‚ it is also a problem for my grandson‚” he continued. “She wants no toys in the house for similar reasons‚ and has banned us from buying any. She doesn't want colourful baby clothes‚ because the baby will stand out on her videos too much. And then... Then there is the name. Rawbhynne Marveigh Lynter.”He later explained that Rawbhynne is pronounced “robin‚” like the bird and the two middle names were composed of the names of both grandparents. He didn’t disclose the surname. She added that she wanted the non-traditional spelling for Robin because he won’t be a “sidekick” like the Boy Wonder in the Batman comics.In another post‚ the father admitted that if his daughter was having a girl‚ she’d be named Jewleighaynnah‚ pronounced like “Juliana.”"She doesn't care that he will get bullied‚ that his name will be mispronounced‚ misspelled‚ and a nightmare on any official capacity. That he will grow to be an adult with the name‚ instead of staying as a baby‚" the father added.The daughter’s reluctance to change her son’s name and obsessive commitment to being an influencer caused the dad to stage an intervention involving “everyone we both know.” He also showed her his Reddit posts to let her know what the general public thinks about the name.The commenters on Reddit were explicit that Rawbhynne Marveigh Lynter was a lousy choice for a name."Her kids are PEOPLE. They’re going to apply for college and jobs and official documentation with those names. She’s treating them like props or dolls for her amusement‚" biwaterbender wrote. "It’s not about the NAME being unique‚ it’s about the PERSON. If she cares about how easily her kids navigate through life‚ then she should at least try to spell it more normally‚ even if it’s a weird bastard amalgamation name."The good news is that the father’s online and in-person interventions were successful and the daughter decided to choose a name from her husband’s culture. “One of my sons suggested the name Adler‚ as well as Arne‚ Arvid and Ari from my SIL's culture. And she agreed to one of them‚” the dad wrote.The daughter and her husband also had a special Valentine’s Day ceremony where they recommitted to one another and she decided to return to therapy. She has also chosen to put her influencer career on the sidelines and focus on creating art.

As Rolling Stone announced that Beyoncé just became the first Black woman artist to have a song hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart‚ let’s keep the celebration of Black women busting through barriers in the genre going‚ why not? Singer/songwriter and producer NYA‚ aka @nya.w0rld on TikTok‚ has given her followers all kinds of R&;B versions of well known songs from artists like Taylor Swift‚ Justin Bieber and Avril Lavine. She’s even R&;B-ified theme songs from popular television shows like “Friends.” But it’s her recent R&;B ballad of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” that’s so good‚ people are hoping it finds its way to the Queen of Country herself.At the start of the clip‚ NYA asks her viewers if they’re familiar with the 70s hit‚ leading into “what would it be like if it was an R&;B song?” NYA proceeds to effortlessly glides through a flurry of high and low notes and a percussive beat plays in the background. Suffice it to say‚ even in a sea of “Jolene” covers‚ NYA delivers a completely new version of the song. Listen: @nya.w0rld because not enough of you heard the first vrsn of JOLENE that i did #fypp #throwbacksongs #jolene #dollyparton ♬ original sound - NYA Over 5 million people have watched the video‚ and that’s not taking into account the other social media platforms that it's been shared to‚ and many began plotting how this cover could be shared with Parton. “Someone put this on a cassette player and send it to Dolly Parton‚” one fan said.Another joked “Does anyone have Dolly’s fax number?” referencing the country icon’s famous preference for old school communication. Perhaps‚ besides just being a bona fide banger‚ what makes NYA’s cover resonate so much with listeners is that we are beginning to have a more mainstream conversation about how country music‚ despite it being rooted in multiple cultures‚ has predominantly been catered to a white audience.Those lines are being rightfully blurred now‚ as more country songs by non-white artists make it into the spotlight‚ and through meaningful collaborations‚ such as the iconic Grammys duet of “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs.That’s one of the many great things about music‚ isn’t it? A song means so much more than the story its lyrics tell. It encapsulates a moment in time. And what this “Jolene” cover seems to contain within it is a merging of new and old in a way that’s oh so timely and important.

Some people fear heights or small spaces‚ some fear spiders or snakes‚ and some fear illness or death. When taken to an extreme‚ such fears can form of an anxiety disorder‚ but they are understandable fears to have because any one of those things could theoretically spell our demise. But what about fearing something that isn't physically dangerous at all‚ but rather psychologically uncomfortable‚ like…awkwardness?For people with social anxiety‚ the fear of awkwardness is as real as the fear of death. "I'd rather cross a glass bridge over a 1‚000-foot canyon than introduce myself to someone new" is a totally normal thought for a socially anxious person. The silences and pauses that mark most social interactions are magnified to painful degrees and the feelings of self-consciousness most of us experience in those moments are felt in extremes in the mind of a socially anxious person.No one likes feeling awkward‚ of course‚ but why is it even a thing in the first place? What makes some interactions feel so uncomfortable to our brains? And more importantly‚ how do we overcome the fear of awkwardness‚ especially those who find themselves completely paralyzed by it? The YouTube channel VSauce shared some of the science behind awkwardness‚ what's happening chemically and emotionally when we feel awkward and some of the perspective shifts that can help keep us from fixating on awkward feelings. First‚ the video explains that awkwardness is actually a social good because our feelings of self-consciousness prompt us to avoid certain actions in ways that actual laws and formal etiquette don't. "People who demonstrate self-consciousness when needed are communicating cooperative intentions‚ which helps them get along well with others‚" host Michael explains. "It's no coincidence that brains‚susceptible to feeling occasional awkwardness‚ would become so common.They're successful at cooperating‚at social life. Feeling awkward shows that you understand and are keen on smooth social exchanges.Now‚ too much or too little concern for social rules isn't healthy‚ but researchers found that just the right amount is great. When a person shows remorse or embarrassment or awkward discomfort‚ when appropriate‚others perceive them as being more trustworthy‚ and their actions as more forgivable."In other words‚ having the capacity to feel awkward actually makes us more likeable. So why does it feel so awful? Our brains actually respond to awkwardness similarly to how they react to pain or name-calling‚ flowing along the same neural pathways‚ resulting in similar physical sensations and triggering our fight-or-flight response. (Thanks‚ evolution!) But there are ways to tamp down our overreaction to awkward moments‚ which can be especially helpful for people who struggle with social anxiety. One reason awkwardness sticks with us so much is that we worry too much about what people are thinking about us‚ and social anxiety magnifies that worry. The more we realize that people aren't thinking about us nearly as much as we think they are‚ the more we can let awkward moments go. In fact‚ there's a word for the realization that we are just extras in other people's stories‚ and not the main character—sonder. We are only the protagonist in our own lives. Other people are focused on their own lives. "Acknowledging this makes your awkwardness look small‚" Michael says‚ adding‚ "But it also makes all of you look small. Tiny. A needle in a giant haystack." That's both a positive and a negative‚ but that perspective can help us in those moments when we're feeling the pain of awkwardness. Watch: You can follow VSauce for more insights on the human experience on YouTube here.