In an act of solidarity and symbolism to the Muslim community inside participating in Friday prayer, New Zealanders gathered by the hundreds to create a human chain outside a mosque.

In Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday, people gathered outside the Kilbirnie Mosque in a quiet and moving show of support for the Wellington Islamic Community. The gathering took place one week after mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, left at least 50 people dead.

Images and videos of the human chain circulated on social media, showing how far it reached: 

“The atmosphere was sad, quiet, but determined,” Sue Teodoro, who was at the vigil, told CNN. “Many women wore headscarves. Many people cried openly. It was incredibly moving. People were determined that the community should pray without fear today.”

Teodoro later told the publication that “the message from the community was clear: Terrorists will not break New Zealand’s spirit.”

Earlier this week, Christchurch locals also formed a human chain in support of Muslim worshippers in front of the Al Noor mosque.

The human chains appear to be part of a larger movement organized by NZ Stand Together. On Facebook, the organization created an event to support the Muslim community in New Zealand and encouraged followers to form human chains of “love and support” around local mosques.

“Let’s form a human chain of love and support around your local Mosques on Friday at noon so they can pray in peace. We have set the event to start at midday and prayers commence at 1.30pm,” reads the event’s Facebook page. “We need to show our Muslim brothers and sisters that we are here for them. We will peacefully stand together #theyareus#standtogether.” 

In light of the horrific attacks, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday that the country would be banning military-style semiautomatic weapons.

The Muslim call to prayer was broadcast across New Zealand on Friday afternoon, a week after a horrific terrorist attack left 50 people dead at two mosques in Christchurch.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gathered with local religious officials and hundreds of worshippers at Christchurch’s Hagley Park shortly after noon. Last week, a gunman opened fire at the Al Noor mosque just steps away from where people gathered Friday to honor their fallen citizens.

“New Zealand mourns with you,” Ardern, wearing a black headscarf, said before the prayer began. “We are one.”

The call to prayer is delivered five times a day, reminding Muslims that it is time to pray. Thousands across New Zealand were expected to be listening in on Friday, and the event was followed by two minutes of silence to honor the victims of the attack.

Gamal Fouda, the imam of the Al Noor mosque, spoke after the call to prayer was completed, saying a terrorist had sought “to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology.” A 28-year-old Australian man arrested after the attack allegedly shared a 74-page manifesto before it took place that included well-known white supremacist tropes and ideology.

“We have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable and that the world can see in us an example of love and unity,” Fouda said. “We are brokenhearted, but we are not broken. We are alive, we are together, we are determined to not let anyone divide us.”

New Zealand has taken dramatic action following the attack. Ardern announced Thursday that the country would ban the military-style semiautomatic weapons that had been used in the attack. The legislation is expected to easily pass and already has the support of New Zealand’s opposition party.

Ardern has been praised around the world for her empathy after the massacre. The prime minister has moved to end xenophobia throughout the country and championed religious freedom, often wearing a hijab as a sign of respect when meeting with grieving Muslim families. Ardern has a vowed to never mention the name of the attacker.

“He is a terrorist; he is a criminal; he is an extremist,” she said. “But he will, when I speak, be nameless.”

Fouda said Friday that he hoped unity throughout New Zealand after the attack would showcase the “beauty of Islam” and said honoring the victims of the massacre had “watered the seeds of hope.”

“We are here in our hundreds and thousands, unified for one purpose,” he said. “That hate will be undone, and love will redeem us.”

Schumer has previously talked about sharing her pregnancy spotlight with the former “Suits” actress, whom she has jokingly dubbed her “nemesis.”

“Why is she my nemesis? Because she’s pregnant at the same time as me and I’m not letting her get away with that,” the comedian said in a December InStyle segment titled “How To Not Give A Shit What Anybody Thinks.”

The 37-year-old (who is also the same age as the duchess) tied the knot with Chris Fischer in February 2018. She later announced that the two were expecting their first child, just days after Prince Harry and Meghan shared their own pregnancy news with the world.

Fittingly, Schumer pasted photos of her and Fischer’s heads over pictures of Harry and Meghan to help make the big announcement:

Now the race is on to see who gives birth first. Meghan is due around the end of April or beginning of May. Your move, Amy! 

Royal news doesn’t stop at the wedding. Subscribe to HuffPost’s Watching the Royals newsletter for all things Windsor (and beyond).

EU leaders have agreed to delay Brexit until May 22 – but only if Theresa May can win the backing of MPs for her Brexit deal. 

If the prime minister is once again defeated in a third meaningful vote, Article 50 will instead be extended to April 12, a summit of the EU 27 decided in Brussels on Thursday. 

The UK will be expected to “indicate a way forward” ahead of this date, they said. 

Reacting to the decision, May said the plan outlined “the importance of the House of Commons passing the Brexit deal next week so we can put an end to the uncertainty”.

But the PM refused to be drawn in on what the she would do if MPs once again voted down her plans on how to leave the EU, saying only that Article 50 should not be revoked. 

Meanwhile, she appeared to use her moment behind the podium to apologise for a speech in Number 10 on Wednesday night in which she seemingly blamed MPs for the Brexit deadlock. 

“I know MPs on all sides of the debate have passionate views and I respect those different positions,” May said on Thursday. 

“Last night I expressed my frustrations and I know that MPs are frustrated too – they have difficult jobs to do.

“I hope we can all agree that we are now at the moment of decision and I will make every effort to make sure we can leave with a deal and move our country forward.” 

Also speaking after the agreement was announced, European Council president Donald Tusk said the decision the EU had come to meant “all options would remain open” to Britain. 

“The UK government will still have the choice of a deal, no deal, a long extension or revoking Article 50,” he told a press conference on Thursday night.

But if the UK refuses to participate in European elections, the possibility of a long delay to Brexit would become “impossible”, he added. 

However, May said it would be “wrong to ask people in the UK to participate in these elections three years after voting to leave the EU”. 

Meanwhile, Jean-Claude Juncker said that the EU’s decision to allow the UK to delay Brexit “closes and completes the full package”, saying leaders had done “everything we could” to get the withdrawal agreement over the finishing line. 

“We were asked for clarifications in December, we gave it to them. We were asked for assurances in January, we gave it to them,” the European Commission president said. 

“I was asked for further reassurances last Monday in Strasbourg, notably with regard to the backstop, I gave it to them.

“So I have to welcome that today, the 27 leaders endorsed the legally binding clarifications and assurances that Prime Minister May and I agreed in Strasbourg.” 

Asked how long the “long extension” eventually on offer to the UK could be,  Juncker replied: “Until the very end.”

The news about the delay followed hours of debate by EU leaders, with France and Belgium reportedly pushing for the UK to be allowed to delay Brexit until May 7 – regardless of whether May managed to get her Brexit deal through parliament. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.

President Donald Trump continued his attacks on John McCain on Wednesday, complaining to a crowd in Lima, Ohio, that he was not thanked for approving the senator’s state funeral arrangements.

Trump was giving a speech focused on the economy at a military tank plant in Lima when he launched into a lengthy criticism of the late war hero. The crowd included members of the military, who remained largely quiet during the comments, according to USA Today.

“I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve,” Trump told the crowd. “I don’t care about this, I didn’t get ‘thank you,’ but that’s OK. We sent him on the way. But I wasn’t a fan of John McCain.”

Trump did not attend McCain’s funeral — a request that reportedly came from the senator’s family. The Washington Post reported that Washington National Cathedral likely approved the senator’s state funeral arrangements, that congressional authorization is needed for lying in state at the Capitol and that Trump had to approve only the military transportation.

The president signed a proclamation ordering that the flags at the White House be lowered to half-staff to honor McCain after his death. Customarily, they remain lowered until a person’s interment, but Trump had the flags raised to full staff after only one day, then returned them to half-staff after a public outcry.

During the speech, the president harped on McCain’s defiance in opposing Trump’s and other Republicans’ attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act and strip health care coverage from millions of Americans. Trump also bashed McCain for turning over to the FBI a copy of the infamous dossier that Christopher Steele compiled on Trump and Russia.

“That’s not the nicest thing to do,” Trump added.

He has long criticized McCain ― even after his death ― and renewed those attacks over the weekend with a series of tweets. McCain’s family, including his daughter Meghan McCain, hit back at the president. Some Republicans reiterated their admiration and respect for McCain but stopped short of calling out the president directly. 

Rep. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) broke with his Republican colleagues and criticized Trump, saying in an interview published Wednesday that the country “deserved better” than the president attacking a war hero. 

Theresa May has been told by a senior EU politician her request to delay Brexit until June 30 is “impossible”.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator, said the EU would only accept an Article 50 extension until May 23.

The prime minister is meeting EU leaders at a summit in Brussels today to request a three-month delay, to give her time to break the deadlock in parliament and win support from MPs for her beleaguered exit deal. 

But as politicians began to arrive for the crucial talks on Thursday afternoon, French president Emmanuel Macron reportedly warned that if parliament rejects May’s agreement with the EU for a third time, “we are heading towards no-deal”.

According to Downing Street, due to changes in arrival times, the PM’s meeting with Macron is now likely to take place “on the margins of the summit.”

French leaders had already warned they were considering blocking the UK’s request for a three-month Article 50 extension – which can only be granted if EU member states agree,.

Speaking before the summit meeting, Verhofstadt said: “This is an impossible thing to have an extension that goes further than May 23 because that would create an enormous problem.

“We don’t want in the coming months and coming years to be busy with Brexit. We want to be busy with the renewal of the EU.”

Elections to the European Parliament are due to begin on May 23. If the UK is still a member state, it would be required to take part.

May herself has said it would be “unacceptable” for British voters to have to participate in the elections three years after voting to leave the EU.

The PM had previously indicated she would seek a long delay after her deal went down to a 149-vote defeat in last week’s second “meaningful vote”.

However, she backed down after the threat of cabinet resignations by Brexiteer ministers, who feared it could spell the end of their hopes of leaving the EU.

Ahead of today’s summit, European Council president Donald Tusk said a “short” delay should be possible – but only if MPs finally back her deal before the deadline day on March 29.

With fears in Brussels growing that the UK is heading for a no-deal break, he said he would not hesitate to call an emergency summit next week if that proved necessary.

Back home, May is facing a backlash from MPs after she used a speech in Downing Street to blame MPs for failing to implement the referendum. 

Lisa Nandy, who had been seen as one of the Labour MPs most likely to vote for May’s deal, said the PM’s speech was an “attack on liberal democracy itself”.

Pro-EU Tory Sam Gyimah, who quit as a minister over May’s deal, described the PM’s remarks as “toxic”.

President Donald Trump was called out on Wednesday for complaining that he wasn’t thanked after he “gave” the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) “the kind of funeral that he wanted.”

Trump also griped about approving those final arrangements. The president ― who was not invited to the funeral and went golfing instead ― authorized the military arrangements, such as the transport of McCain’s body, pallbearers, a band and a horse and caisson. However, different parts of the funeral were handled by other organizations. Congress, for example, authorized McCain lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda. 

Trump’s funeral comments came amid days of renewed attacks on the late senator. 

“I was never a fan of John McCain and never will be,” Trump said on Tuesday.

On Sunday, he called McCain “last in his class” and accused him of sharing the Russian dossier.

Trump’s critics slammed him on social media for his continued attacks on the late senator as well as his complaint that he wasn’t shown enough gratitude over the funeral:

“Empire” creator Lee Daniels took some time to explain how the cast of the hit Fox show was dealing with the fallout over Jussie Smollett on Wednesday, one week after the actor pleaded not guilty to 16 charges in what police say was a hate-crime hoax.

Daniels posted the unofficial statement to his personal Instagram page, apparently so eager to address fans that he didn’t even pause to finish brushing his teeth before hitting record.

“Oh my god. These past couple of weeks have been a freakin’ roller coaster,” he said. “We have ― me and my cast ― have experienced pain, anger, sadness and frustration, and really don’t know how to deal with it.”

Smollett, who is black and gay, grabbed headlines in late January when he reported being attacked on the sidewalk outside his Chicago home by two men who shouted racist and homophobic slurs. He said the men also wrapped a rope around his neck and threw a chemical substance at him. 

Both Chicago police and the FBI investigated the actor’s claims. In a bizarre twist, their findings led them to doubt Smollett’s version of events. Authorities arrested Smollett and accused him of paying two men $3,500 to help him stage the attack because he wanted a salary bump. He appeared in court last week to plead not guilty and has maintained his innocence.

“I was so in my feelings last week that I forgot to post about [his two Fox shows, ‘Empire’ and ‘Star,’]” Daniels wrote alongside his video. “I guess y’all know why,” he added.

Smollett’s character, Jamal, was cut from the final two Season 5 episodes of “Empire” to “avoid further disruption on set,” the show’s executive producers said in a statement last month. He will appear in episodes filmed earlier through the end of March, according to available episode summaries. 

“Everything has happened ― what you are seeing tonight ― prior to the incident. And this is not what the show is made for,” Daniels explained. “The show is made to bring America together, to talk about the atrocities that are happening right now in the streets.”

Smollett has starred in “Empire,” which follows a hip-hop mogul and his wealthy yet dysfunctional family, since its first season in 2015. 

Last week, showrunner Brett Mahoney said it was “too early” to say whether the actor would be allowed back on the show the following season ― if it doesn’t get canceled. 

The show has seen a drop in ratings since the allegedly made-up hate crime.

WASHINGTON ― Late Tuesday night, far-right Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and his staff departed the Blair House, the estate that hosts foreign dignitaries and heads of state on their visits to the United States, en route to Andrews Air Force Base and a long flight south.

In the rearview mirror, Bolsonaro had left a new best friend.

Earlier in the day, Bolsonaro met with President Donald Trump at the White House, for talks that covered everything from their approach to the crisis in Venezuela to U.S. desires to launch satellites in Brazil. But the meetings, more than anything else, turned into a love fest between the leader known as “Brazil’s Trump” and the real thing.

Finally together in person, the men in charge of two of the world’s four largest democracies spent most of Tuesday afternoon showering each other with the kind of doting praise that has become a regular feature of Trump’s time with foreign leaders who share his authoritarian impulses.

“He has done a very outstanding job ― ran one of the incredible campaigns,” Trump said with Bolsonaro by his side. “I think Brazil’s relationship with the United States, because of our friendship, is probably better than it’s ever been by far.”

“I have always admired the United States of America,” Bolsonaro said an hour later, at a joint news conference in the Rose Garden, his eyes wandering to his left, where Trump was standing. “And this sense of admiration has increased since you took office.”

Bolsonaro and Trump have many things in common ― they are anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ, they share a history of making deeply racist and sexist remarks, and neither can quite hide their disdain for the basic tenets of democracy as they rail against “fake news,” praise authoritarian leaders and, in Bolsonaro’s case, openly pine for the return of military rule to Brazil.

What connects it all, though, and what has fostered the sort of bromance that took root last year and fully bloomed this week in Washington, is the sense of masculine, tough-guy aggrievement that fuels them both ― the defiant but insecure machismo that flows through everything they do.

It was on full display throughout Bolsonaro’s time in Washington.

“May I say that Brazil and the United States stand side-by-side in their efforts to ensure liberties and traditional family lifestyles and God, our creator,” Bolsonaro said during the White House press conference.

“And against gender ideology or politically correct attitudes,” he added, jamming his deep-rooted opposition to efforts to promote equality for women and LGBTQ people into one of the biggest moments of his visit.

Trump, who once proclaimed himself “a real friend” to the LGBTQ community, didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he praised Bolsonaro for lumping a distaste for “fake news” into the group of things both countries detest.

That both Trump and Bolsonaro are thrice married apparently does not contradict their version of what constitutes “traditional family lifestyles” ― instead it seems to reinforce it. In an impromptu press gathering after the White House visit had concluded, Bolsonaro told reporters that he and Trump had joked about the relatively young ages of their current wives (first lady Melania Trump is nearly 25 years younger than her husband; Jair Bolsonaro is 30 years older than his wife Michelle).

“I called him a young man and I spoke to a translator ― careful what you’re going to say now ― why I’m calling him a young man: We’re the age of the woman we love,” Bolsonaro said.

It wasn’t his first effort at humor of the week.

During a Monday speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Bolsonaro told the American business community that his initial meeting with his economic minister, the University of Chicago-trained economist Paulo Guedes, resulted in “love at first sight.”

“Economically, I mean,” Bolsonaro cracked, drawing laughter from the crowd.

“I’m not a homophobe, by the way,” Bolsonaro, who has said he would rather have a dead son than a gay one, added. He later insisted the same during an interview on Fox News, adding there that he is not racist or xenophobic, either.

Guedes got in on the act, too: The reason Brazil is suffering from high rates of violence and a sluggish economy, he said at the Chamber event, is that “nobody had balls” enough to fix the problems.

“So, we got a guy who has balls,” Guedes said. (When it comes to violence, Bolsonaro’s main balls-informed plan has been to give one of the world’s deadliest police forces even more power to kill on sight.)

That tough-guy image is central to both Bolsonaro and Trump’s appeal ― to each other and their most hardcore supporters.

Trump’s campaign and subsequent presidency have been defined by his appeals to aggrieved white men who feel like their America has been taken from them by immigrants, black people, LGBTQ communities, women and the political leaders who seek to advance the rights of all of them.

Bolsonaro, meanwhile, ran for office promising to restore Brazil “for the Brazilians” ― by which he primarily meant those Brazilians who felt their own grip on their Brazil had been loosened by years of leftist governments that pushed affirmative action quotas and other policies aimed at improving life for some of Brazil’s most marginalized peoples. (“Bolsonaro’s campaign slogan could well be ‘It’s not your fault,’” Harvard professor Bruno Carvalho wrote last July. “As if to say, ’If they weren’t ruining everything, this country would be great.’”)

That’s not just conjecture: Researchers found in 2016 that the more people believed in “masculine honor beliefs” ― supporting male aggression, physicality and bravery ― “the more positive they felt about Trump.” Others have suggested that Trump support rose in areas that showed higher levels of “fragile masculinity.”

The appeal of figures like Trump and Bolsonaro as mythical, comically masculine figures is evident in the sort of artwork and memes that each has inspired, and that circulated again around their meeting. In them, they are painted as muscle-bound, G.I. Joe-like superheroes, ready to save the world from the perceived scourge of LGBTQ people, feminism, immigrants and the “political correctness” that has eroded the world in which men can just be men.

Comic relief aside, that machismo has directly informed the way Trump and Bolsonaro have governed.

Both have stacked their governments with military officials that project the sort of strong, honorable image neither Bolsonaro nor Trump is capable of pulling off themselves. Bolsonaro’s 23-member cabinet includes just two women, and one of them ― Minister of Human Rights, Family and Women Damares Alves ― has embraced Bolsonaro’s fight against “gender ideology” with a rigid traditionalism: “Attention, attention! It’s a new era in Brazil: Boys wear blue and girls wear pink!” Alves tweeted in January.

Trump has routinely targeted women and minority groups not just with rhetoric but with policy decisions too, and Bolsonaro has followed a similar path. His first actions as president were aimed at reducing rights and protections for LGBTQ people, black Brazilians and indigenous communities, all of which are already subject to high rates of violence across Brazil. 

Government-by-machismo also tends to lead to more hardline policies, and more aggressive support for them, when it comes to public security and foreign policy. In Brazil, Bolsonaro has supported shoot-to-kill policing in order to address violence, while Trump’s approaches to immigration and, right now, his efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ― potentially with military force ― give off the same tough-man vibe both leaders try so hard to project. (During his visit, Bolsonaro said he supported Trump’s border wall with Mexico and criticized immigrants; he also refused to take military support for the U.S. in Venezuela off the table.)

Trump and Bolsonaro’s meeting came at an important time for each, with both of the leaders in need of each other’s validation. Their governments are both flailing thanks to allegations of corruption, and their approval ratings and confidence in them to lead their respective countries have plummeted ― in Trump’s case to near its lowest point and in Bolsonaro’s from the heights he enjoyed the day he took office just two months ago.

But their bromance was comforting, a chance to look in the mirror and see a version of themselves in a position of power elsewhere. People in both countries have feared that the sort of validation Trump and Bolsonaro derive from each other could only lead to even more backlash against their most marginalized communities.

“When we see two far-right, neo-fascist people like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro meeting, we know it can only signal something bad for the oppressed people of their respective nations,” Sean Blackmon, a D.C.-based activist, said after a Sunday afternoon protest outside the White House, where nearly 100 people demonstrated against Bolsonaro’s visit.

Trump’s aggressive macho politics have helped amplify fringe “men’s rights movements” and emboldened white nationalists in the U.S. and elsewhere, with deadly consequences. Brazil is already one of the deadliest countries in the world for LGBTQ people, black people, and women ― in 2019 so far, four women a day have died due to femicide ― and there are fears across those communities that Bolsonaro’s brand of politics will only make it worse.

“These are two people who are both racist, sexist, bigoted against the LGBTQ community, and who support police terror,” Blackmon said. “We may even see an intensification of oppression. This kind of tacit seal of approval from the United States has a lot of meaning across the world. When we see Donald Trump basically giving his seal of approval to Bolsonaro, it’s a signal to him that nothing is going to stop him.”

Trump and Bolsonaro’s machismo has made them friends ― at least in the context of their presidencies. But the consequences of their approach to politics and the friendship it has fostered will likely linger well after both leave office.

“Both President Trump and President Bolsonaro, their attitudes, their views, their styles, have authorized in the public this resurfacing of some views, attitudes and behaviors that we thought had been put to sleep,” said Paulo Barrozo, a Brazilian political expert and Boston College professor. “What worries me most: This dark energy of prejudice, discrimination and irrationality that both administrations are authorizing will last way past the end of their administrations.”

Channing Tatum is now starring in a hue-dunit.

The “Magic Mike” actor dyed his hair blond, revealing the change on his Instagram story Tuesday.

“Bad idea?” he asked in the caption with a “yes or no” polling section.

Tatum, sporting a buzz cut, didn’t divulge the results but he did later comment: “Well, bad ideas are sort of my thing. So ...”

A Tatum rep didn’t immediately respond to a HuffPost inquiry as to whether the 38-year-old was preparing for a movie or just making a change.

But he’s got company in the leading-man-goes-blond department ― Zac Efron, for one. “It’s just for life, bro,” Efron explained.

Some of Tatum’s fans thought the new ’do was to dye for:

But not everyone.

Kit Harington isn’t just upset about the looming end of “Game of Thrones.”

The British actor who plays Jon Snow said he’s also “deeply sad of the state of the world” as HBO’s epic fantasy drama draws to what will likely be its gruesome conclusion. Its eighth and final season begins April 14.

Harington said in an interview published by Variety on Tuesday that he feels “like we are living in a more ‘Thrones’-like world.”

And “unfortunately, we’re leaving ‘Thrones’ with a Joffrey as the President of the United States of America,” he added.

It was a direct comparison of Trump to the show’s brutal boy-king, Joffrey Baratheon:

Author George R. R. Martin, whose Song of Ice and Fire book series is the basis of “Thrones,” made a similar observation about Trump and Joffrey in 2017.

Harington, the cover star of Variety’s latest issue, echoed the point in the cover shoot video as he lamented how “the world has changed since we started the show and yeah, we’ve found a Joffrey at the head of one of the most powerful countries in the world.”

Check out the clip here:

Earlier this month, he told “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert that “Thrones” may have inspired politicians like Trump.

“I’ve got this theory we kind of screwed the political landscape,” he said. “I just felt that certain political figures tried to emulate Joffrey, and things went a little bit wrong.”

Check out the clip here:

And in a 2017 interview with Esquire, Harington dubbed Trump a “con artist.”

Beto O’Rourke’s campaign said it raised a whopping $6.1 million in the first 24 hours after his 2020 presidential announcement, beating out the other Democratic contenders who have released their fundraising figures.

Donations totaling $6,136,763 were made online by people ― not political action committees or corporations ― and poured in from every state and territory, his campaign announced in a statement Monday. 

A representative for the campaign did not respond to a request for information about the total number of donors and the average amount contributed by each person.

“In just 24 hours, Americans across this country came together to prove that it is possible to run a true grassroots campaign for president ― a campaign by all of us for all of us that answers not to the PACs, corporations, and special interests but to the people,” O’Rourke said in the statement.

The former U.S. House representative from Texas outpaced Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who raised $5.9 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his 2020 Democratic bid last month. Sanders went on to raise $10 million by the end of his first week.

Other Democratic candidates who have disclosed fundraising figures include California Sen. Kamala Harris with $1.5 million in the first 24 hours, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper with $1 million in the first 48 hours, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee with $1 million in the first 72 hours. 

O’Rourke, who lost his race to unseat incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in November, kicked off his presidential campaign on Thursday in Iowa. He will continue his campaign tour this week with stops in Michigan, Ohio and other states.

This story has been updated to include additional information about O’Rourke’s campaign.

New Zealand will announce sweeping reforms to its gun laws within days following the mosque shooting attacks in Christchurch that killed 50 and injured scores more.

The country’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said senior ministers had met and agreed to a tightening of gun ownership rules, with further details set to be thrashed out over the next 10 days.

Ardern also announced an inquiry into the country’s intelligence services.

The news came as a Christchurch gun shop acknowledged selling guns online to the alleged gunman.

At a news conference, David Tipple, the owner of the Gun City shop, said the store sold four guns and ammunition through a “police-verified online mail order process”.

The store “detected nothing extraordinary,” about the buyer, he said.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police are certain a lone gunman was responsible for the shootings.

“I would like to state that we believe absolutely there was only one attacker responsible for this,” he told a news conference.

“That doesn’t mean there weren’t possibly other people in support and that continues to form a very, very important part of our investigation.”

None of the guns sold were military-style, semi-automatic weapons, according to Tipple.

In vowing to tighten gun laws, Ardern has said the attacker used five guns, two of them semi-automatic, which were purchased with an ordinary gun licence and modified.

Three days after the attack, New Zealand’s deadliest shooting in modern history, relatives were anxiously waiting for word on when they can bury their loved ones.

Islamic tradition calls for bodies to be cleansed and buried as soon as possible after death, usually within 24 hours.

Aya Al-Umari, whose older brother Hussien Al-Umari died at the Al Noor mosque, wept as she talked about a kind man.

On Monday, the family was still waiting for the release of Hussein’s body.

“It’s very unsettling not knowing what’s going on,” Aya said.

“I understand the police need to do their job because it’s a crime scene, but you need to communicate with the families.”

Members of the Muslim community and police were at a cemetery which has been fenced off and obscured with white netting.

Kawthar Abulaban, 54, who survived the shooting at the Al Noor Mosque, came to the burial site to see the preparations.

“I will not change my opinion about New Zealand. It’s my country,” said Ms Abulaban who emigrated to New Zealand from Jordan 17 years ago.

“You know I have lots of support, lots of love, lots of kindness from all of the New Zealand people.”

Ardern has said authorities hoped to release all the bodies by Wednesday and police said authorities were working with pathologists and coroners to complete the task as soon as they could.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, an Australian citizen who lived in New Zealand, appeared in court on Saturday where the judge read one murder charge and said more charges would likely follow.

A survivor of last week’s New Zealand mosque shootings whose wife was among those killed said he forgives the attacker.

“I don’t have any grudge against him,” said Farid Ahmed, according to the BBC. His spouse, Hosne Ahmed, was shot dead as she ran into a Christchurch mosque to save him. “I have forgiven him and I’m praying for him that God will guide him and then one day, he will be a savior.”

Ahmed vowed that the Muslim community would not retaliate, and cautioned against fear. He also attempted to show understanding toward the gunman.

“I lost my wife, but I don’t hate the killer,” he said. “As a person, I love him. But I’m sorry I cannot support what he did, but I think somewhere along in his life maybe he was hurt but he could not translate that hurt in a positive manner.”

The gunman targeted two mosques, killing at least 50 people and injuring dozens more. He appears to have embraced white supremacy and a hatred for Muslim immigrants, expressed by a 74-page manifesto posted online before the attacks.

Muslims, echoing Ahmed’s message of strength after the shootings, posted photos of mosques packed with worshippers who refused to be deterred from expressing their faith.

Oh, that we had a Time Turner so we could return to a moment when J.K. Rowling wasn’t retconning the “Harry Potter” universe into oblivion and we knew nothing of wizard pooping, unexplained siblings, and, yes, even Dumbledore’s much contested sexuality. 

Rowling revealed that Hogwarts headmaster was gay only after publishing the final installment in the series, which included no explicit mention of his sexuality across thousands of pages. 

Fans were initially excited about the after-the-fact detail, but felt cheated when the spinoff film series “Fantastic Beasts” featuring Dumbledore as a young man (played by Jude Law) largely skirted the issue of his storied boyhood relationship with Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

Now, Rowling is reiterating that there was indeed a “sexual dimension” to their romance in her commentary in a special feature on the “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” Blu-ray edition, according to Radio Times. 

“It was passionate, and it was a love relationship,” the author reportedly said. “But as happens in any relationship, gay or straight or whatever label we want to put on it, one never knows really what the other person is feeling. You can’t know, you can believe you know.”

But while there are a reported three more “Fantastic Beasts” films to be made, Rowling doesn’t seem too keen on highlighting what really went down between the two men, adding that she’s “less interested in the sexual side.” 

The author said she chooses to explore the “sense of the emotions they felt for each other,” which, if “The Crimes of Grindelwald” is any indication, means more longing glances and talk of how they were “closer than brothers.”

Mischief managed and then some, everyone. 

Leaked chat logs have connected seven current members of the U.S. armed forces to a white nationalist group, according to a HuffPost investigation.

Two Marines, two Army ROTC cadets, an Army physician, a member of the Texas National Guard and one member of the Air Force all belong to an organization called Identity Evropa, which is listed by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center as an extremist group.

For years, Identity Evropa members have used a server on Discord, a group chat app popular among the alt-right, to send messages to one another. Last week the independent media collective Unicorn Riot published the contents of that Discord server in its entirety.

A largely anonymous network of anti-fascist activists reviewed the Discord logs, using biographical details mentioned by Identity Evropa members, most of whom posted under pseudonyms, to uncover their offline identities.

Building off that research, HuffPost verified the identities of seven men currently serving in the military. Their messages on the Discord server indicate that they hold deeply racist and anti-Semitic views and participate in Identity Evropa propaganda campaigns, posting stickers and flyers in cities and on college campuses.  

The Marine Corps, the Army, the Air Force and the Texas National Guard confirmed to HuffPost that the identified men were active members in those services. After HuffPost’s inquiries, the military is investigating some of the men’s possible ties to Identity Evropa; some servicemen were already under investigation as a result of previous tips. The military is determining whether they violated rules regarding discrimination and extremist activity.

News of Identity Evropa’s presence in the military comes at a time of heightened awareness of white nationalist violence. On Friday, a white nationalist gunman opened fire on two mosques in New Zealand, killing at least 49 worshipers. Asked Friday if he sees a rise in white nationalism around the world, President Donald Trump responded, “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess.”

In February, federal authorities arrested Coast Guard Lt. Christopher Hasson, a white nationalist who prosecutors allege was stockpiling weapons to massacre leftists and reporters in a violent plot to establish a “white homeland.”

Last year, a series of investigative reports by ProPublica and “Frontline” found multiple members of violent neo-Nazi groups among the ranks of the military.

And a 2017 poll conducted by the Military Times found that nearly 25 percent of service members surveyed said they encountered white nationalists within their ranks. That poll found that 30 percent of troops said they saw white nationalism as a bigger threat to national security than the wars in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kathleen Belew, the author of Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America, told HuffPost that white nationalists in our armed forces pose a clear danger.

Veterans and active-duty personnel, she said, have “played an instrumental role in moving weapons, training and tactics from military to civilian spaces” and “dramatically escalated the impact of white power violence on civilian populations.”

Daryle Jenkins, the founder of the anti-racist group One People’s Project and an Air Force veteran, expressed concern over the safety of nonwhite and non-Christian members of the services who have to work alongside white nationalists in uniform who could “undermine and threaten their fellow soldier,” he said.

Identity Evropa itself was founded by an ex-Marine. The group — distinctive for its blue-and-white dragon eye logo — was instrumental in organizing 2017’s Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as HuffPost reported from the ground. The group claims to promote white European pride but is decidedly racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-immigrant in nature.  

Members of the group marched through Charlottesville chanting, “You will not replace us!” One of Identity Evropa’s leaders at the time, Eli Mosley — mere hours after a neo-Nazi drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer — told HuffPost, “Our people are feeling good right now.”

The group’s former leaders are named in a lawsuit for their role in the violence there.

Since then, Identity Evropa — which claims to have hundreds of members — has tried to shake its public association with the violence of the so-called alt-right and to appeal to Trump’s supporters.

The group has been working to infiltrate the GOP — one member won an uncontested seat on his local Republican Party committee — and recruit members on college campuses. A recent report from the Anti-Defamation League found that Identity Evropa’s campus flyer campaigns were partly responsible for record-setting levels of white supremacist propaganda spotted across America last year.

Days after the chat logs were published, Identity Evropa’s leader, 29-year-old Patrick Casey, a resident of Virginia who rose to a leadership role after producing videos for a white nationalist site, announced a rebrand: Identity Evropa is now the American Identity Movement.

A list of the servicemen in Identity Evropa identified by HuffPost is below.

Members In The U.S. Marine Corps

Stephen T. Farrea, 29, is a corporal in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve, a spokesperson for the military branch confirmed. In the chatlog, Farrea used the username SuperTomPerry-RI and often noted that he was in the military.

“I have the Marine Corps Ball during the November meetup sorry gents,” he wrote in August 2018.

Photos posted by SuperTomPerry-RI match photos posted on Instagram by his wife; public records show the couple as having lived at an address in Rhode Island. She separately posted a photo of her and her husband at the Marine Corps Ball last November.

In the chat logs, Farrea made racist comments. He wrote, “Portsmouth my town 95 percent white very nice” and said he couldn’t wait to post “It’s okay to be white” flyers in Rhode Island.

Last week, he attended an Identity Evropa gathering in Kentucky. HuffPost called the hotel where members were staying. A hotel employee confirmed that he was a guest there. Later, his wife posted a photo to Instagram from near the hotel.

Farrea did not respond to requests for comment.

Also at the gathering in Kentucky was another Marine, Jason Laguardia, who the Marine Corps confirmed is a lance corporal in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve.

On Identity Evropa’s Discord server, he goes by the name Jason-CT.

Jason-CT regularly posted pictures of Identity Evropa flyers and stickers he placed throughout Connecticut and New York City. He often targeted college campuses with the propaganda, posting photos from Yale University, New York University and Baruch College.

Working from anonymous activists’ research, HuffPost identified Laguardia by linking photos of him from the Discord to pictures on other sites.

In October 2018, Jason-CT posted photos of a trip he took to Fort Nathan Hale on the Connecticut coast near New Haven. The photo shows two men, one of them holding up an American flag and the other with an Identity Evropa flag.

The man with the Identity Evropa flag can also be seen in an unrelated photo posted to a Greenwich news article. The caption of that photo names him as Jason LaGuardia.

In yet another photo, posted by a New Haven TV host, Laguardia can be seen in a Marine uniform.

Laguardia was also pictured at the Kentucky gathering. He hung up on a HuffPost reporter who reached out to him for comment.

Col. Ted Wong, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marine Corps, told HuffPost in a statement that the branch is investigating Farrea’s and Laguardia’s connections to Identity Evuropa.

“There is no place for racial hatred or extremism in the Marine Corps. Our strength is derived from the individual excellence of every Marine regardless of background,” Wong said. “Bigotry and racial extremism run contrary to our core values. The Marine Corps will investigate the allegations and take the appropriate disciplinary actions if warranted.”

Two ROTC Cadets

One of the most active posters in the chat logs was Lawrence of Eurabia.

Lawrence of Eurabia referred to biographical information in his chats. He said he is a member of the ROTC program at Montana State University in Bozeman and is in the Army National Guard. He also said that he was a wrestler in high school from a town in Montana and that his dad worked as a stonemason there.

Those details match publicly available information about Jay C. Harrison, 20, who the Army confirmed is in the ROTC program at Montana State University at Bozeman and is a member of the Army National Guard.  

His posts in the chat logs, as well as those on another white nationalist server published by Unicorn Riot, are often racist and anti-Semitic.

“Go play niggerball if you aren’t tough enough for wrestling,” Harrison wrote in one post. “God I hate basketball so much.”

“I wish the holocaust had been real,” he wrote in another. “Not one kike was ever gassed.”

In December 2018 he wrote he was holding off on posting racist flyers until he could join Identity Evropa. By March 1, it appeared Harrison had become a member. He posted a photo of an Identity Evropa sticker he placed on a concrete bollard. “Montana State University Bozeman,” he wrote in the caption. “Heavy foot traffic area between classes, good spot for my one sticker left.”

HuffPost attempted to relay a message to Harrison via an official at the Montana State ROTC program. He hasn’t responded to that request for comment. HuffPost was unable to contact Harrison directly.

Last fall, Identity Evropa flyers and stickers were posted across Brighton, New York, a town just south of Rochester. Police investigated, pulling fingerprints from the stickers, and this month announced they found a match: a 23-year-old University of Rochester student named Christopher Hodgman, who the Army confirmed is an ROTC cadet and a member of the Army Reserve.

It’s possible that Hodgman also posted on Discord under the name Alex Kolchak-NY.

Alex Kolchak-NY wrote often about Russian politics and history. Since-deleted information on Hodgman’s Linkedin profile notes that he is a Russian studies major.

In September, Alex Kolchak-NY posted photos of stickers he said he placed in Brighton — around the same time Hodgman has admitted he did the same.

A lawyer for Hodgman said in an email to HuffPost that just because his client posted Identity Evropa posters doesn’t necessarily mean he belongs to the group. The lawyer did not confirm or deny that Alex Kochak-NY is Hodgman or that Hodgman belongs to Identity Evropa.

An Army spokesperson told HuffPost that both ROTC cadets were under investigation. 

The spokesperson said in a statement that the Army prohibits “personnel from actively advocating supremacist, extremist, or criminal gang doctrine, ideology, or causes” and that “soldiers who choose to engage in such acts will be held accountable for their actions.”

A Doctor In The Army

Christopher Cummins, 44, is a lieutenant colonel physician in the Army Reserve. The website of the Military Order of Stars and Bars, a neo-Confederate organization, lists Cummins’ email address as giuseppe398@*****.com.

A giuseppe398 in the Identity Evropa chat logs refers to many biographical details that match Cummins’: He has four kids, is originally from Mississippi and currently lives in Jackson, Tennessee.

In the chat messages, giuseppe398 bragged about posting Identity Evropa flyers in Mississippi and Jackson and told the Identity Evropa members that he likes Tennessee because it is “conservative & Christian - implicitly white.”

In December 2018, he posted a message to Patrick Casey, the Identity Evropa leader. “If a member is not living very close to other members, what is the best thing or things to do to be active/help?” he wrote.

Cummins — who the Army said has served in the Army Reserve and the Mississippi Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 — did not respond to multiple requests for comment.  

In The Texas Army National Guard

A user going by Kane in the chat logs described himself as married and residing in Texas. He wrote he was in Houston during Hurricane Harvey and that his dad was from a town in Montana.

That biographical information matches details about 25-year-old Joseph Kane, a resident of Denton, Texas, who joined the Texas Army National Guard in 2016 and is currently assigned to the 636th Military Intelligence Battalion, a National Guard spokesperson confirmed.  

Before joining the Texas National Guard, Kane served in the Army for four years as an intelligence specialist and was at one point deployed to Kosovo.

On Facebook, Kane liked a Facebook post by a known Identity Evropa member and has shared the “It’s okay to be white” meme, popular among white supremacists.

He was once before accused of being a white nationalist. In 2017, when he was a precinct chair for the Denton County Republican Party, anti-fascist activists noticed that he often posted white nationalist material to Twitter and that his account followed dozens of racists and neo-Nazis.

A local news channel asked Kane if he was a white nationalist. “No, no,” he responded. “This country was made for all people. If you accept the Constitution, you’re willing to live by our values, you’re willing to be a citizen in all that entails, you’re welcome.”

But by July 2018, he appeared to be a member of a white nationalist group.

“I mean, my wife isn’t in IE but she comes to the events same as most our guys wives,” he wrote in one message.

Kane didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. A spokesperson for the National Guard would not say whether he was under investigation.

In The Air Force

In an August 2018 message posted in the chats, a user named DannionP introduced himself as Dannion Phillips of Oklahoma. He then made arrangements to pay his membership dues.

“The Air Force has an Airman First Class (E-3) Dannion A. Phillips,” a spokesperson for the military branch confirmed to HuffPost. He is currently stationed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

Before going overseas, Phillips was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. A military newspaper affiliated with the base profiled him in an article last month.

“Phillips is an excellent role model,” the article states. “His impeccable military appearance and bearing sets the example for other Airmen to emulate.”

In October, he posted photos of Identity Evropa stickers that he put up around Oklahoma City.

Phillips couldn’t be reached for comment.

Andy Campbell contributed reporting. 

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to the U.S. servicemen as all being “active-duty.” They are currently serving in the military. 

Nothing ― not spoilers, Easter eggs or even mistakes ― gets past eagle-eyed Marvel fans.

When the new trailer and poster for the highly anticipated “Avengers: Endgame” arrived on Thursday, superhero devotees pored over every last detail only to discover a glaring omission. 

The top credits feature every actor on the poster, including Josh Brolin who plays big bad Thanos and Bradley Cooper who voices a souped-up raccoon, except actress Danai Gurira.

Gurira made her much-celebrated Marvel franchise debut in 2018′s “Black Panther” as Okoye, who is a key member of Wakanda’s Dora Milaje, a group of female warriors tasked with protecting the king. 

She was one of only a handful of “Black Panther” stars to return for “Avengers: Infinity War” and appeared to have an even bigger role in the sequel given how (spoiler alert!) Black Panther/King T’Challa turned to ash after Thanos’ devastating snap. 

And Gurira’s other credits like her role on “The Walking Dead” and work as a Tony-award nominated playwright certainly add to her star power.

Gurira does, however, appear in the poster’s bottom roster alongside other cast members that didn’t receive top billing, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Benedict Wong and Jon Favreau. 

Fans, nevertheless, were quick to point out the omission, with many asking Marvel to release a new poster and others creating versions of their own. 

Thankfully, Marvel heard fans’ cries and corrected the error. The studio released a new version of the poster Thursday afternoon, admitting Gurira “should have been up there all this time.”

Representatives for Marvel did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. 

“Avengers: Endgame” opens in theaters nationwide April 26.

Felicite Tomlinson - sister of One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson - has died at the age of 18.

The Instagram star and aspiring fashion designer, who had 1.3 million followers on the social media platform, died at her flat in Earls Court, London.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “Police were called by London Ambulance Service at 12.52 on Wednesday, March 13 to a residential address... following reports of a female in cardiac arrest.

“A female believed to be aged 18 was pronounced dead at the scene.”

It added: “Police are in the process of informing her next of kin. At this stage the death is being treated as unexplained.

“A post-mortem examination will take place in due course. Enquiries continue.”

According to reports, a person who was with Felicite - known as Fizzy - called emergency services.

Louis was reportedly told of her death on Wednesday.

The former One Direction star has cancelled an appearance on tonight’s Comic Relief.

He was due to perform his new single as one of the headline performers on the BBC1 charity show.

It is the second family tragedy to hit Louis after his mum Johannah died from leukaemia in 2016, at the age of 43.

Last weekend, Felicite was asked if she would be different if her mum had not died, she replied: “Very different, in both good and bad ways, there is collateralized beauty in everything.”

She was also asked about Louis’ new song Two of Us, which he wrote in tribute to their late mum.

She said: “I cried my eyes out in the back of my Uber, but I loved the song filled me with hope.”

Felicite was one of six children. She is survived by Louis, older sister Lottie, twin sisters Daisy and Phoebe and twins Ernest and Doris. She was also an aunt to Louis’ son Freddie. 

The UK is due to leave the EU in 15 days time. But MPs have voted to delay exit day. So, what on earth happens now? 

How long is the delay?

The vote authorises Theresa May to ask the EU to extend Article 50 until June 30 – that is, if MPs vote in favour of her Brexit deal when it is put to a vote for a third time next week. The short delay would be to allow the necessary legislation to be passed.

But, if MPs once again reject the PM’s deal, May has warned a longer extension will be necessary to work out what to do instead.

This would also mean the UK having to take part in the European parliament elections (and re-electing MEPs).

The prospect of a lengthy 21-month delay will pile pressure on eurosceptic Tory MPs to vote for May’s deal to ensure Brexit happens this year.

Will the EU agree?

To extend Article 50, the Brussels has to say yes. It probably will. But EU leaders have said the UK must provide a “credible justification” for extending. Brussels wants to know what the UK wants, not just what it does not want. 

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said this morning he would appeal for EU leaders to agree to a “long” extension if the UK needs one to come up with a new Brexit plan. Simon Coveney, Ireland’s deputy prime minister, said a long extension would give the UK a “reflection period” about what it wants. It takes only one EU member state to veto an extension. 

What do MPs want?

It’s still very unclear.

So what next?

All this has to be agreed very soon. A decision by Brussels to grant an extension would be made at the EU summit on Thursday March 21.

Could there still be a no-deal?

Yes.

MPs voting against no-deal on Wednesday evening was an expression of opinion. But it did not change the law. No-deal remains the default outcome if an agreement between the UK and EU is not signed by exit day – whenever that is, delay or not. 

Will there be another general election?

Downing Street has said it is “not preparing for and we do not want a general election”.

But that does not mean one will not happen.

Charles Walker, a senior Tory backbencher, has said May will have to hold one. “It is not sustainable, the current situation in parliament,” he warned. 

Labour has already tried and failed once to force a general election by tabling a vote of no confidence in the government.

But Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said this week the party would “take every opportunity” to do it again if it looked like it could win. And one Tory backbencher said today he would “seriously consider” backing a fresh bid by Jeremy Corbyn to get rid of May as PM. 

Another referendum?

A significant number of MPs want a second referendum. But at the moment, not a majority of them. 

On Thursday evening MPs voted on an amendment to consider a people’s vote, but it was rejected, which makes it very unlikely unless Brexit is delayed by much longer – 21 months for example.

This is partly because there is not enough time for parliament to legislate for a public vote before March 29, or June 30 (after the delay).

A long extension however, could provide enough breathing space for a so-called people’s vote.

Will Article 50 be revoked?

Technically the British government can unilaterally decide to cancel Brexit by revoking Article 50. It does not have to get the EU to agree. But this seems the least likely of all options.

Will Theresa May resign?

Theresa May survived an attempt by some Tory backbenchers to oust her in December. Under party rules that means she is safe from another challenge for 12 months. 

But another defeat for her deal, a third in a row, could lead May to decide the game is up and that it is time to quit. The Conservatives would then have to pick a new leader to replace her as prime minister. 

Tory MP George Freeman piled on the pressure today by suggesting the Commons would be more likely to vote for her deal on the condition she promised to quit after it was ratified.

A man accused of opening fire Friday at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing dozens of worshippers, appears to have been motivated by white supremacy and extremism that he saw in the United States.

During a news conference, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison characterized the alleged shooter as an “extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist.” Four suspects were taken into custody Friday in connection with the shooting. The alleged gunman was later charged with murder.

The suspect, whose identity has not been confirmed, appears to have publicly posted a 74-page manifesto to Twitter and the online forum 8chan in which he declared his hatred for Muslim immigrants in Europe and idolized U.S. extremist movements. He also appears to have live-streamed part of the horrific attack in a now-deleted video on Facebook.

HuffPost has chosen not to provide a link to either piece of media. The author at times wrote in an over-the-top, possibly sarcastic voice, making specific passages difficult to discern, but an obsession with white supremacist ideas persists throughout the manifesto. He also repeatedly stated that he intended to use the media to give a platform to his views.

In the rambling manifesto, he claimed that he donated to white supremacist groups and said he idolized American mass shooters. He also recited the “14 words,” a popular white supremacist slogan that has been repeated by other white supremacists: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”

An image posted to the author’s Twitter account showed rifle magazines with numerous names written on them, including Alexandre Bissonnette, who is serving a life sentence for shooting and killing six people at a Quebec City, Canada, mosque in 2017. Also named was Luca Traini, a far-right extremist suspected of shooting six Africans in Italy in February 2018. The magazines also referenced multiplebattles in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated.

The magazines resembled those seen in the extremely graphic live video of the shooting that was posted to Facebook. In the footage, various guns appear to be emblazoned with the names of other mass shooters, as well as the number “14.” Body armor he wore featured a black sun wheel, a prominent white nationalist symbol ― the same symbol used by extremist movements and neo-Nazis who marched during the deadly rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. 

A post on the anonymous message board 8chan thought to be authored by the alleged shooter provided a link to the shooting live-stream before it happened and stated, “Well lads, it’s time to stop shitposting and time to make a real-life effort post.” 8chan hosts many messages peddling white supremacist ideology and conspiracy theories.

Facebook released a statement after the attack, noting that it was removing any post that “praised” the suspected shooter or any crime he committed.

Twitter also released a statement noting that the apparent attacker’s profile had been taken down.

Mass shootings are uncommon in New Zealand, especially those fueled by hate and occurring at places of worship, as NBC News reported. Given the rarity of such a hate crime, the suspect’s movements online and his attention to American politics is particularly striking.

A mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday left at least 49 people dead and the city on lockdown for hours.

“It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference. “From what we know, it does appear to have been well planned. ...These are people who I would describe as having extremist views that have absolutely no place in New Zealand and in fact have no place in the world.”

Ardern said that the country had raised its threat level to high following the incident, which began just before 3 p.m. local time.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said at a press conference at 9 p.m. local time that 40 people had been treated at Christchurch hospital following the incident and one of those people had passed away.

Four people were taken into custody following the shooting. Bush said one man in his late 20s has been charged with murder and will appear in Christchurch court tomorrow morning. The police were still working to determine if and how the other three were involved.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said one of the people in custody was an Australian citizen.

Bush, who called the shooting a “very serious and grave situation,” said authorities had also safely disarmed one of two IEDs placed on a vehicle. 

He praised local police for “some absolute acts of bravery” to help apprehend the suspects.

Radio NZ reported that hundreds of people were praying at one of the mosques when the shooting took place. Local hospital officials confirmed 48 patients were being treated in Christchurch with gunshot wounds.

Len Peneha, who witnessed one of the shootings, told The Associated Press that she saw a man dressed in black enter the Masjid Al Noor mosque and heard dozens of shots, which sent people running.

“I saw dead people everywhere,” Peneha said.

Ardern said it “was clear that this is one of New Zealand’s darkest days.” She issued “the strongest possible condemnation of the ideology of the people who did this” and praised New Zealand’s diversity and compassion on Friday evening.

“You may have chosen us, but we utterly reject and condemn you,” she said.

“Clearly what has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence,” she said at a news conference, noting that many of those affected by the shooting may have been migrants to the country. “It has occurred in a place where people should have been expressing their religious freedom, where they should have been safe. They were not today.” 

“They are us,” Ardern continued, referring to immigrants. “The person who perpetrated this violence against us is not. They have no place in New Zealand.”

Fridays are the busiest day of the week for Muslims, who attend Friday prayers, also known as Jummah. Similar to Sunday Mass, worshippers gather around noontime for the midday prayer, which is composed of a sermon followed by a congregational prayer.

One gunman appears to have live-streamed the attack. The video, filmed from a first-person view and viewed by a HuffPost editor, begins with a man saying, “Let’s get this party started.” He then drives for nearly six minutes before leaving his car.

The shooter enters what appears to be a mosque and fires at a large number of people, sometimes at close range. After about six minutes, he begins driving to another location. “There wasn’t even time to aim, there were so many targets,” he said.

A man appearing to be the gunman also posted a lengthy manifesto on Twitter and the online forum 8chan shortly before the attack began. In the document, he repeatedly indulges Islamophobic tropes and frequently references white nationalist talking points. He identified himself as a 28-year-old national of Australia.

Because of its disturbing and graphic content, HuffPost will not publish or link to the video. The footage quickly spread on social media, and New Zealand officials said they were working with technology companies to remove the videos from the internet.

Bush said the footage “shouldn’t be in the public domain and we’re doing everything we can to remove it.”

Several social media platforms said they had already or were planning to take down any video or accounts related to an alleged shooter.

“We have taken down the account of the alleged perpetrator and are working to actively remove all versions of the video from Twitter,” a Twitter spokesman told BuzzFeed.

Mia Garlick, a spokesperson at Facebook New Zealand, told BuzzFeed that the social network had also removed the suspected shooter’s account and video. The platform is “removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we are aware,” she said.

Reddit and YouTube took similar action.

“Shocking, violent and graphic content has no place on our platforms and is removed as soon as we become aware of it,” a YouTube spokesperson told BuzzFeed, adding they will “work cooperatively with authorities.”

Reddit said it was working to remove links related to the video as it became aware of them.

While New Zealand officials continued to investigate the shootings, many others — both in the community and across the globe — began posting their reactions of shock and disappointment.

“I could never believe that something like this would happen in the city of Christchurch, but actually I would never believe that this would happen in New Zealand,” Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said in a video message posted to the Christchurch City Council’s Facebook page. It was the first mass shooting in New Zealand in more than a decade. “It looks as if simply the worst has happened. We need to pull together and get through this situation.”

Scott Brown, the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand & Samoa, also tweeted:

This article has been updated with reports on the number of people killed and injured.

Rowaida Abdelaziz, Whitney Snyder, Carla Baranauckas and Liza Hearon contributed to this report.

Political figures, business leaders, celebrities and others used social media to share their grief for the victims of the mass shootings in New Zealand on Friday.  

At least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in the attacks at two Christchurch mosques. In one of the mosques, hundreds of worshippers were in the middle of Friday prayers when the gunman opened fire, according to Radio New Zealand. 

Four people have been arrested. 

On social media, people from all over the world came together to send their sympathies to New Zealand and to express rage at the perpetrators: 

Theresa May has seen off a dramatic attempt by parliament to seize control of the Brexit process and won breathing space to get her EU deal finally passed next week.

MPs voted by 314 to 312 to reject a cross-party bid to force a series of ‘indicative votes’ on alternatives to the prime minister’s EU divorce deal, including a softer exit and a second referendum.

But Brexit is still set to be delayed by three months to June 30, to give the government time to win support for May’s plans and to pass sufficient legislation.

The ‘plan b’ votes could yet go ahead, but only after the PM is given a final chance to win round the Commons behind her deal early next week.

Fresh moves began on Thursday to woo Tory Brexiteers and her DUP partners who have twice inflicted crushing defeats on the PM’s proposals.

The defeat of the amendment by Labour’s Hilary Benn offered some brief respite to her battered premiership following days of bitter division within the Tory party.

In an olive branch, May’s de facto deputy David Lidington offered to give MPs more of a say, pledging that parliament could get two weeks of extra debate on the alternatives if the PM’s deal failed a third time ahead of the next EU summit next week.

In a hastily convened emergency cabinet meeting, one Whitehall source said that May “read the riot act” to those ministers who had defied a three-line whip on Wednesday on a Commons motion to permanently rule out a no-deal exit.

Amber Rudd, David Gauke, Greg Clark, David Mundell and Claire Perry all abstained on the key vote and May sparked anger among Brexiteers by refusing to sack them.

Earlier, Lidington warned MPs that if May’s withdrawal agreement is rejected for a third time – following two crushing defeats by 230 votes and 149 votes – any pause in the process would have to involve the UK taking part in European parliament elections in May.

Benn, the chairman of the Brexit Select Committee, said that he was not personally backing one option or another but simply seeking to “book a slot” next Wednesday to allow MPs to take control of the process themselves.

European Council president Donald Tusk signalled on Thursday morning that the EU may be ready to offer a lengthy extension to negotiations if the UK wants to “rethink its Brexit strategy and build consensus around it”.

Earlier, Chancellor Philip Hammond again made clear he would back an alternative to the PM’s own plans, telling Sky News: “It is clear the House of Commons has to find a consensus around something, and if it is not the Prime Minister’s deal, I think it will be something that is much less to the taste of those of the hard Brexit wing of my party.

“I would be delighted if a consensus emerges behind the Prime Minister’s deal over the next day or two. But I think we also have to explore other options for parliament to express a view about how we resolve this impasse.”

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke joined the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, seeking to capitalize on an underdog U.S. Senate race that ended in defeat but catapulted him to the national stage.

“The challenges that we face right now, the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy, and our climate have never been greater. And they will either consume us or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America,” he said in a campaign video. 

O’Rourke’s candidacy adds a new dimension to a race among a growing list of Democrats vying for the opportunity to dislodge President Donald Trump from the White House. The 46-year-old El Pasoan is benefiting from the buzz he generated through his hyperactive campaigning across all 254 Texas counties last year, delivering a relentlessly upbeat message and singing the praises of bipartisanship.

He also brings a demonstrated ability to raise money independently and drive voter turnout. Without accepting PAC money, O’Rourke out-fundraised U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) by more than 2 to 1, hauling in a whopping $80 million. And the maverick candidate, who speaks Spanish fluently, played the lead role in nearly doubling voter turnout in several heavily Hispanic border counties.

Those achievements helped O’Rourke come within 2.7 percentage points of toppling Cruz in a state where Democrats typically lose bids for statewide office by 20 percentage points or more.

O’Rourke appeared to struggle for months over the decision of whether to run, even as a supporters created an organization to “draft Beto” into the race. Instead, he largely stayed out of the public eye, reviewing his options, including a possible challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in 2020.

But Trump himself foisted the Texas Democrat back to the national stage last month, by holding a campaign rally in El Paso to drum up support for his border wall ahead of declaring a national emergency to secure partial funding for it.

The president has remained in campaign mode since winning the White House, but rarely holds such events in solidly Democratic territory like El Paso. A coalition of more than 50 community and immigrant rights organizations put together a counter-march that featured O’Rourke as the closing speaker, where he directly challenged Trump’s dystopic image of the border as a region besieged by drugs and violence.

“In El Paso, we are secure because we treat one another with dignity and respect. That is the way that we make our communities and our country safe,” O’Rourke said at the Feb. 11 event. “We know that walls do not save lives. Walls end lives.”

That conflict offered a likely preview of how O’Rourke will position himself as a champion of the border. A week later, he released a 10-point immigration reform plan that called for legalizing the status of undocumented immigrants, liberalizing the asylum system to guarantee protections for women fleeing abusive relationships and ending the global war on drugs.

O’Rourke faces stiff competition for the chance to challenge Trump. And the field promises to keep growing.

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), two of the country’s leading economic populists, have already announced they will seek the nomination. Fellow Texan Julián Castro also launched his campaign striking a progressive tone and criticizing racial injustice. Multiple other Democrats have already jumped into the race as well.

As an avowed free trader with a long history of criticizing the drug war and championing the virtues of the U.S.-Mexico border, O’Rourke doesn’t fit neatly in the party’s economic populist wing or its establishment. He’s also one of the few potential contenders to have run a competitive statewide campaign in a solidly red state.

That unique positioning could give him an advantage, allowing him to bridge the chasm that divides the party.

But it could also turn out to be a liability. Immediately after Election Day last year, O’Rourke began to face criticism from both left-wing and moderate Democrats, in stark contrast to the liberal love fest that fueled his Senate candidacy.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel scoffed at the possibility of an O’Rourke presidential run on the back of a losing campaign. And progressives saw little to love in his moderate voting record in Congress and his lack of fury against Wall Street.

Some Texans criticized only O’Rourke’s outsized ambitions, urging him to challenge someone closer to home in 2020, like Cornyn. 

Chrissy Teigen’s kids are way too young for her to worry about their higher education, but it was still the perfect time for her to joke about the college admissions bribery scandal.

A federal probe snared actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman and other prominent parents for allegedly scamming to get their kids into top colleges. In perhaps a nod to “Full House” star Loughlin, who with her husband is accused of shelling out $500,000 so their daughters could falsely be presented as crew recruits to get into USC, Teigen went to work on Wednesday.

While Loughlin was not accused of Photoshopping their daughters’ heads on action photos of real athletes, some parents allegedly did just that.

So give Teigen props for a multi-reference mocking, with the help of husband John Legend (the shirtless soccer star) and celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin and her husband, Mike Rosenthal, in the photos to the left.

“Does this look real? We are trying to get into harvard,” she wrote.

Why show your love with a box of chocolates when you can buy a Maybach? Such is the question that only the rich and famous like Nick Jonas can ask.

The youngest member of the Jonas Brothers bought his wife, Priyanka Chopra, a Maybach in celebration of the band’s song “Sucker” reaching No. 1 on the charts.

“When the hubby goes number one.. the wifey gets a @maybach !!” wrote Chopra on Instagram, revealing that the car’s name is Extra Chopra Jonas and that Jonas is the “best husband ever.” 

Chopra appears in the video for “Sucker” alongside Danielle Jonas and Sophie Turner, the partners of Kevin and Joe Jonas, respectively. It features the three women bopping around England’s decadent Hatfield House, Queen Elizabeth I’s childhood home, while wearing extravagant clothing and offers viewers some sexy shots of the couples. 

Nick Jonas and Chopra have shown plenty of love for “Sucker,” with each featuring the song prominently on their Instagram highlights.

One can only imagine that the pair will cruise around town in Chopra’s new Maybach with “Sucker” blasting on the speakers. Oh, what a world.

WASHINGTON ― A federal judge sentenced former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort to additional prison time on Wednesday, bringing his total prison sentence in the cases against him to about seven and a half years.

“This defendant is not public enemy No. 1, but he’s not a victim either,” U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the District of Columbia said before imposing her sentence, which came to just over six years. Some of the sentence will be served concurrently with the sentence imposed against Manafort in Virginia last week.

Manafort, Jackson said, engaged in wrongdoing not just to support his family but to sustain an “opulent” lifestyle, including more homes than one family could enjoy and “more suits than one man can wear.”

The former campaign chair had reached a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team in September and pleaded guilty to two counts, one of conspiracy against the U.S. and another of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Manafort had agreed to cooperate with the government, but Mueller’s team later said Manafort lied to the special counsel team several times, and Jackson agreed.

Jackson imposed Wednesday’s sentence after Manafort said he was “sorry” for what he had done and that he had “already begun to change.” He said he was a different person from when he first appeared in court in autumn 2017.

“I can see that I have behaved in ways that did not always support my personal code of values,” Manafort said. Noting that he would soon turn 70, he asked the judge not to keep him away from his wife for any longer than necessary.

Jackson said Manafort displayed a “disregard for facts” in his court filings that indicated his “ongoing contempt for, and the belief that he had the right to manipulate,” the court proceedings. She also said his frequent protestations that there was no collusion with Russia had no bearing on the actual court case against him.

“The ‘no collusion’ mantra is simply a non sequitur,” she said.

The maximum sentence Jackson could have imposed in the case was 10 years. Wednesday was Manafort’s second sentencing in as many weeks: U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis of the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Manafort to less than four years in prison last week, a term far below the sentencing guidelines.

Manafort has been jailed since June, when Jackson found he had broken the terms of his bail when he was charged with an additional crime.

Kevin Downing, Manafort’s attorney, on Wednesday asked Jackson to factor in the press coverage of his client’s case, saying the surrounding “media frenzy” resulted in “a very harsh process” for Manafort.

Andrew Weissmann, a prosecutor for Mueller, told Jackson that “something is wrong” with Manafort’s moral compass. He argued that Manafort’s upbringing, education and opportunities could have put him in a position to set an example for the country, but that Manafort chose a different path.

“He served to undermine, not promote, American ideals,” Weissmann said.

Moments after Wednesday’s sentencing, state prosecutors in New York indicted Manafort on multiple counts, including mortgage fraud and conspiracy. The indictment, which had been expected since last month, is understood to be an effort to prevent President Donald Trump from potentially using his pardon power to save Manafort from jail time. While the president can issue pardons for federal crimes, state criminal cases are outside his reach.

Trump has expressed sympathy for his former campaign chairman while distancing himself from Manafort’s crimes. The president has floated the idea of a pardon for Manafort, and the two men’s legal teams had an unusual cooperation agreement that continued even after Manafort agreed to cooperate with the government.

Manafort is one of six Trump associates who have been charged as a result of the Mueller probe. George Papadopoulos served prison time; Michael Cohen has been sentenced; Michael Flynn and Richard Gates are awaiting sentencing; and Roger Stone is awaiting trial.

Nick Robins-Early contributed to this report.

This story has been updated throughout.

Trump’s announcement came just hours after Canadian Transportation Minister Marc Garneau made a similar announcement following Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people, including 18 Canadians.

Just five months earlier, a Lion Air crash in Indonesia, involving the same model of plane, killed 187 people.

The U.S. was one of the last countries to ban the aircraft. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg assured Trump about the plane’s safety in a phone call Tuesday. The FAA also said it had found no reason to ground the planes.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Garneau said Canada’s decision to ground the planes came after aviation experts reviewed new satellite tracking data that found similar vertical fluctuations by both the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air planes just before they crashed. He cited possible issues with the model’s autopilot.

In the October crash involving the Lion Air flight in Indonesia, Garneau said the plane’s software appeared to go haywire and force the plane’s nose to tilt downward after erroneously receiving data that it was too high following takeoff. The pilot attempted to stop the software and correct the plane, but ultimately, “the pilot lost that fight with the software.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Britain has suspended flights of the Boeing 737 MAX in UK airspace following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that it had “closely monitored” the situation in the east African country and had decided to stop airlines using the US-made jet for flights to, from or over Britain.

At least nine Britons and eight Americans were among the 157 people who died when Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed minutes after departing Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, Kenya.

Last year another of the aircraft, flown by Lion Air, crashed shortly after take-off in Indonesia, killing 189 people.

One British airline, holiday firm TUI, has five 737 MAX planes based in the UK. A sixth was due to be delivered this week. It has confirmed that all its MAX aircraft are grounded following the CAA’s decision. 

One of its MAX planes was still en route to the UK when the suspension was announced, but landed as planned.

TUI said in a statement: “Any customers due to fly home today on a 737 MAX 8 from their holiday will be flown back on another aircraft.”

“Customers due to travel in the coming days will also travel on holiday as planned on other aircraft. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff has remained our primary concern.”

Meanwhile, two Turkish Airlines flights to London’s Gatwick airport and Birmingham, in central England, appeared to turn around mid-way through their journeys to the UK, according to FlightRadar 24 data.

The CAA said it had taken the decision as it did not have sufficient information from the flight data recorder, so had taken the “precautionary measure” to halt flights.

“The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s safety directive will be in place until further notice,” it said. “We remain in close contact with the European Aviation Safety Agency and industry regulators globally.”

Britain’s decision saw the country join a growing list of nations and airlines to ground 737 MAX planes.

Ireland, Australia and Singapore moved to stop flights using the type following the Ethiopia crash while South African airline Comair, Oman and South Korean airline Eastar Jet, and airlines in China, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and India have also temporarily grounded their 737 MAX 8s.

The American aviation authority, the FAA, issued a statement on Monday evening which said that, while others have drawn similarities between the Indonesia and Ethiopia crashes, it would not be doing so. 

US airlines, including Southwest and American, repeated their belief that the aircraft is safe.

The Boeing 737 MAX was billed as a more economical version of the manufacturer’s long-standing 737 short-haul aircraft series and performed its first flight in January 2016.

Boeing has taken more than 5,000 orders for the various MAX versions, and they constitute the largest share of the company’s production orders of nearly 5,900 planes. They carry list prices from $100 million to $135m (£76m to £102m), although airlines routinely get discounts.

Analysis of the black box flight recorder of the Lion Air plane revealed automatic software responded to false sensor readings prompting a “tug-of-war” between the pilots and the plane, the New York Times reported.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that “airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly”. He wrote on Twitter: “Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT... I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!”

Boeing said in a statement: “We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets.

“We’ll continue to engage with them to ensure they have the information needed to have confidence in operating their fleets.”

Soccer superstar David Beckham couldn’t believe his eyes.

The former LA Galaxy star showed up to his old team’s Dignity Health Sports Park stadium earlier this month for the unveiling of a new statue in his honor.

Little did the ex-England captain know that “Late Late Show” host James Corden had swapped the actual statue for a spoof version — and Beckham was less than impressed with his preview of the fake sculpture ahead of its public unveiling.

“You know what, the only thing that’s good is the hair and that’s about it,” said a clearly frustrated Beckham, as Corden watched his reaction on a television screen in a nearby location. “I honestly look like Stretch Armstrong.”

But Beckham couldn’t help smiling when a forklift driver “accidentally” crashed into the statue ― and Corden emerged to reveal the prank and demand, “What’s happened?”

Check out the clip here:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addressed a group of women as “bitch” on Monday during an award ceremony highlighting the work of female military and police.

The president referred to the largely female audience as “puta,” which translates to “bitch,” during a Monday ceremony for Outstanding Women in Law Enforcement and National Security, The Guardian reports. Duterte, who is infamous for his misogynistic and controversial remarks, later called the group of female security personnel “crazy women” during the ceremony, which took place at the Malacañang Palace in Manila. 

“You criticize every sentence or word I say,” he bemoaned to the female audience.

Duterte later tried to show how much he loved women by boasting about having multiple wives.

“I love women,” he said, according to The Guardian. “That’s why you see I have two wives. That means I like women.”

The president of the Philippines has been criticized repeatedly for his outlandish and crude remarks about women. Last year, he told soldiers to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina, adding that “if there is no vagina, it would be useless,” suggesting that without genitals, women are useless. In 2017, Duterte joked about taking personal responsibility for soldiers who rape up to three women. He’s also come under fire for pressuring a woman to kiss him on stage at an event in Seoul, South Korea.

During his presidential campaign in 2016, Duterte was discussing the 1989 gang rape and murder of an Australian missionary in Davao City when he lamented that he should have been “first” in line to rape her as the city’s mayor at the time.

First lady Melania Trump once mistakenly assumed Australia’s then-foreign minister Julie Bishop was actually the foreign minister’s wife. 

Bishop, the first woman to serve as Australian foreign minister, told a crowd during the Adelaide Film Festival on Saturday that the U.S. first lady assumed her husband, David Panton, held the post after a United Nations event in 2017.

Bishop said she and Panton were introduced to President Donald Trump and Melania Trump at a cocktail session after General Assembly leaders’ week. The president began chatting with Panton, she said, and Melania Trump started speaking with Bishop. 

“Melania, standing by, assumed David was the foreign minister and she said to me: ‘Julie, will you be coming to my ladies’ lunch tomorrow?’” Bishop said, according to ABC Australia.  

“And I said ‘No, David’s going to the partners’ lunch.’ She thought about that for a while, thinking: ‘Why would Australia’s foreign minister come to the partners’ lunch?’” Bishop added. “So this went on for a while until the president explained that I was the foreign minister.”

Bishop, who served as foreign minister from 2013 to 2018, was the only female member of Australia’s 19-person cabinet in 2013.

One of the UK’s largest airlines, TUI, will not ground its Boeing 737 MAX planes after the Ethiopia crash which killed seven Britons.

The decision is in contrast to China’s civilian aviation authority which has ordered all Chinese airlines have been ordered to ground the planes in light of the tragedy.

Cayman Airways, which also flies the new aircraft, also said it would ground the planes while an investigation took place. 

Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement on Monday that both the voice and data recorders have been recovered from the flight.

The cause of the crash, which killed a total of 157 people, has not yet been determined, but it is the second disaster involving the new aircraft in the past four months after a Lion Air plane crashed off the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, killing all 189 people onboard in October.

TUI, which in December became the first UK airline to welcome the new 737 MAX planes, said it had been given no indication by manufacturers that it couldn’t operate them.

A spokesperson for the British airline, which currently has 15 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet, said: “We do not comment on any speculation and we are, as always, in close contact with the manufacturer.

“We have no indication that we can’t operate our 737 MAX in a safe way like we do with all other planes in our network.”

A spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines, which has also grounded its other 737 Max planes, confirmed the incident had occurred while the plane was heading from the the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia’s prime minister’s office said the Boeing 737 was on a regularly scheduled flight to Nairobi at the time.

The state-owned airline calls itself Africa’s largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.

The airline said 149 passengers and eight crew members were on board the plane which crashed around 31 miles south of the capital six minutes after taking off.

“Search and rescue operations are in progress and we have no confirmed information about survivors or any possible casualties,” the statement read.

In a video message posted on Twitter, British ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti Alastair McPhail said he and his team have been working hard in response to the “tragic crash”, and are in “close contact with the Ethiopian authorities”.

“Ethiopian Airlines have confirmed that there were seven British nationals among the dead, and my consular staff are working hard to establish the details,” he said.

“My condolences go out to the families and friends of those involved.

“If you are worried about a loved one please follow our social media channels for further updates and telephone numbers which you can call.” 

Here is what we know so far about the victims:

– Anton Hrnko, an MP for the nationalist Slovak National Party, said he was “in deep grief” to announce that his wife Blanka, daughter Michala and son Martin were among the dead.

– Hospitality company Tamarind Group announced “with immense shock and grief” that its chief executive Jonathan Seex was among the fatalities.

– Paolo Dieci, a founder of an aid group that works with Unicef in Africa, was also reported as among the dead.

The International Committee for the Development of Peoples group said: “The world of international cooperation has lost one of its most brilliant advocates and Italian civil society has lost a precious point of reference.”

– The mayor of the northern Italian city of Bergamo said three members of humanitarian organisation Africa Tremila were on board.

Giorgio Gori said on Facebook that the aid group’s president Carlo Spini, his wife, and treasurer Matteo Ravasio were among the eight Italians killed.

– Sicilian regional culture ministry assessor Sebastiano Tusa was also reportedly on the plane.

– The African Diaspora Youth Forum in Europe said co-chairman Karim Saafihad been a passenger on the flight and had been due to represent them at a meeting with the African Union in Nairobi.

“Karim’s smile, his charming and generous personality, eternal positivity, and his noble contribution to youth employment, diaspora engagement and Africa’s socio-economic development will never be forgotten,” a statement said.

– Hussein Swaleh, the former secretary general of the Football Kenya Federation, was named as being among the dead by Sofapaka Football Club.

He was due to return home on the flight after working as the match commissioner in an African Champions League game in Egypt on Friday.

– Austrian media reported that three doctors who were aged between 30 and 40 and worked at hospitals in Linz had died.

– Save the Children said its child protection in emergencies adviser Tamirat Mulu Demessie was among the dead.

He “worked tirelessly to ensure that vulnerable children are safe during humanitarian crises”, the charity said.

– Three of the Russians on board were tourists Yekaterina Polyakova, Alexander Polyakov and Sergei Vyalikov, the Russian Embassy in Ethiopia said. The first two were reportedly married.

Nicki Minaj canceled a concert in Bordeaux, France, just hours before its scheduled start on Saturday, prompting some fans to angrily chant, “Cardi B, Cardi B!” USA Today reported.

The rapper explained on Instagram that Arkea Arena did not have the electrical power to support her show, and that she was informed of that just hours before it was to kick off. The “No Frauds” performer emphasized it was not in her best interest to lose money and aggravate her fans.

But the announcement at the venue didn’t go over well. Concertgoers repeated the name of her rival, the Grammy-winning hiphop star Cardi B, before exiting, TMZ noted. A few Twitter clips captured the backlash.

Arkea Arena wrote in a tweet that Minaj refused to follow French regulations regarding electrical safety and chose to cancel. (Minaj also canceled a Feb. 22 gig in Bratislava, Slovakia, for technical reasons.)

USA Today reported that Minaj and boyfriend Kenneth Petty visited a carnival instead. One fan wrote in French on Minaj’s Instagram clip of their date that it wasn’t necessary to pay a lot of money to see Minaj at the concert ― all you had to do was go to the fair.

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B had a blowout at a fashion show party in 2018 and appeared to later call a truce of sorts. But Minaj still doesn’t appreciate Cardi B references.

When BET tweeted last month that Cardi B’s Grammy victory had Nicki Minaj “being dragged by her lacefront,” Minaj dropped out of BET’s June music festival.

Ethiopian Airlines said 157 passengers and crew members were killed when one of its jets crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning.

Seven Britons and one Irish citizen were among the dead, as were scientists, doctors, aid workers and three members of a Slovakian MP’s family.

Here is what we know so far about the victims:

Joanna Toole 

Joanna Toole, a 36-year-old from Exmouth, Devon, was heading to Nairobi to attend the UN Environment Assembly when she was killed.

Her father, Adrian, described her as a “very soft and loving” woman whose “work was not a job – it was her vocation”.

“It’s just tragic that she couldn’t carry on to further her career and achieve more,” he told the BBC.

“She was very well known in her own line of business and we’ve had many tributes already paid to her.”

He also said she used to keep homing pigeons and pet rats and travelled to the remote Faroe Islands to prevent whaling.

Joseph Waithaka 

Joseph Waithaka, who lived in Hull for a decade before moving back to his native Kenya, also died in the crash, his son Ben Kuria said.

Polar expert Sarah Auffret died on the flight as she made her way to Nairobi to talk about a Clean Seas project, her Norway-based employers Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) said.

Norwegian media reported that the University of Plymouth graduate was a French-British dual national.

“Sarah was on her way to Nairobi to talk about the Clean Seas project in connection with the UN Environment Assembly this week,” an AECO statement said.

“Words cannot describe the sorrow and despair we feel. We have lost a true friend and beloved colleague.”

Foreign nationals who lost their lives in the crash: 

• Michael (Mick) Ryan, from Ireland, was also killed in the crash. The UN aid worker and engineer was employed by the UN’s World Food Programme, a leading humanitarian organisation delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with impoverished communities to improve nutrition. 

• Anton Hrnko, an MP for the nationalist Slovak National Party, said he was “in deep grief” to announce that his wife Blanka, daughter Michala and son Martin were among the dead.

• Hospitality company Tamarind Group announced “with immense shock and grief” that its chief executive Jonathan Seex was among the fatalities.

• German national Anne-Katrin Feigl was named as a crash victim by the International Organisation for Migration. She was en route to a training course in Nairobi as part of her role as a junior professional officer at the organisation.

• Paolo Dieci, a founder of an aid group that works with Unicef in Africa, was also reported as among the dead.

  The International Committee for the Development of Peoples group said: “The world of international cooperation has lost one of its most brilliant advocates and Italian civil society has lost a precious point of reference.”

• Three members of humanitarian organisation Africa Tremila, based in Bergamo, Italy, were on board. The aid group’s president Carlo Spini, his wife Gabriella Viggiani, and treasurer Matteo Ravasio were among the eight Italians killed.

• Sicilian regional culture ministry assessor Sebastiano Tusa, an underwater archaeologist, was also reportedly on the plane.

• Also among those killed from the WFP were Virginia Chimenti and Maria Pilar Buzzetti.

• The African Diaspora Youth Forum in Europe said co-chairman Karim Saafi had been a passenger on the flight and had been due to represent them at a meeting with the African Union in Nairobi.

• Professor Pius Adesamni was named as a victim by Benoit-Antoine Bacon, the president and vice-chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

• Hussein Swaleh, the former secretary general of the Football Kenya Federation, was named as being among the dead by Sofapaka Football Club.

• Abiodun Oluremi Bashua – a retired envoy who served in Iran, Austria and Ivory Coast – was killed, Nigeria’s foreign affairs ministry said.

• Austrian media reported that three doctors who were aged between 30 and 40 and worked at hospitals in Linz had died.

• Save the Children said its child protection in emergencies adviser Tamirat Mulu Demessie was among the dead.

• Three of the Russians on board were tourists Yekaterina Polyakova, Alexander Polyakov and Sergei Vyalikov, the Russian Embassy in Ethiopia said. The first two were reportedly married.

In a not-so-subtle dig at the president, Cook changed his Twitter name to “Tim .”

Trump did call Cook by his correct name at another point during the meeting.

One donor at Mar-a-Lago told Axios he was surprised by the president’s denial.

“I just thought, why would you lie about that?” the donor said. “It doesn’t even matter.”

What Women Want Now is a program by HuffPost and her sister sites dedicated to creating content about the issues and stories that matter most to women. Read more here. Join the conversation with #WhatWomenWantNow.

***

I think about self-care more than the average person. I’ve been a wellness writer and editor for more than half a decade, and in that time I’ve published probably hundreds of stories on managing burnout, stress, self-esteem and anxiety. I can recite data on mental health more easily than I can recall my mom’s cellphone number. I’ve tried my best to help people live better, happier lives. However, I’ve also noticed ― as a journalist in this space and as a consumer in general ― how oversimplified self-care guidance really is.

Self-care isn’t some new concept (although Americans have Googled the term more in the last three years than ever before). Hell, it was discussed long before I was even born ― first medically, and then, during the civil rights movement, more politically. But the concept of self-care has shifted toward the notion that improving our well-being is only a product away. Take one look at Goop, with its suggestion that adding moon dust to your morning smoothie can help boost “your spirit.”

That’s not nearly adequate to help us survive in the world today.

A bubble bath may help my muscles relax but isn’t going to wash away the dirtiness I feel after a man brazenly gazes at my breasts on the subway. A face mask may remove my blackheads but it isn’t going to extract the shame I carry over my student loan debt. Going for a jog may take my mind off my to-do list for a little while but it isn’t going to help me outrun the emotional labor I have waiting for me at home.

Self-care shouldn’t be reduced to a fleeting activity or dispensable product. It shouldn’t even just be considered a wellness phenomenon. For women, it’s a difficult but necessary act that helps us survive in a world with work demands, family pressures, duties at home, rampant incidents of sexual harassment, a relentless news cycle, financial worries and more. Inner reflection takes time and energy ― resources we’re already lacking. Self-care is hard work.

This is rarely acknowledged. There’s something missing when we talk about self-care, both in the media and on our own. So I asked several women what they find problematic with our collective discussion about the concept ― and what taking care of yourself actually means to them. Below is their advice. Consider it a real guide to real self-care (no purchases necessary).

Self-care is... ‘not attending some extravagant spa day with the girls, but rather being able to identify when I need to slow down and perhaps cancel that spa day.’

That means ignoring alluring ads and articles promising a better mentality could come from an expensive product or day out. 

“In my opinion, self-care is not attending some extravagant spa day with the girls, but rather being able to identify when I need to slow down and perhaps cancel that spa day,” she said. 

McCartney also said an hour of mindfulness meditation and getting adequate sleep each night is critical for her.

“I’ve never needed these skills more than I have currently with global morale seemingly hitting an all-time low,” she said.

McCartney said she hopes women ― especially those with a public platform ― continue to discuss what self-care habits work for them as a way to normalize the subject. She pointed to the discourse around women in politics and how they publicly talk about what eases their stress.

“I don’t want to see our president make fun of Elizabeth Warren for being herself and putting out a video where we see her genuinely happy at home with her husband,” McCartney said. “I want Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to be validated by the media for being able to recognize that she needed a break.”

“Life is hard,” she added. “It is high time we drop the glittery facade and accept that, while happiness very much is a choice, it is dependent on our individual understanding of ourselves.”

Self-care is... ‘based on age, demographics and lifestyle.’

S. Angelique Mingo is tired of reading the same narrative. 

“I find mainstream media doesn’t speak to women of color about self-care,” said Mingo, a 40-year-old from New Jersey. “Self-care is a broader conversation based on age, demographics and lifestyle. ... Our stressors are different and we are constantly burning the candle at both ends like, ‘You can do it all, #BlackGirlMagic.’ So finding ways to take care of ourselves when we’re usually taking care and putting others before us doesn’t feel very realistic.”

It wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that Mingo realized she was burning out. She said she had adopted unhealthy habits due to a busy schedule, which included working on new projects as the creative director at a lifestyle and communications agency as well as serving as a part-time caretaker for her grandmother. 

“My mom had been nagging me to take care of myself for a long, long time. ... She sat me down for a frank conversation where she said, ‘Where is my daughter? I no longer recognize you,’” Mingo said. “That evening, I looked at myself in the mirror and did not recognize myself either. It was at that moment I had to re-elevate how I was treating myself and do something about it.”

Mingo started by examining her relationship with food.

“I was always eating on-the-go, having something delivered or dining out,” she said. “When I looked at myself in the mirror, I could physically see the problems with living that way.”

She began cooking more regularly, which became a self-care ritual she can no longer live without.

“I spoil myself by indulging in my flavor cravings or trying a new recipe I see on my social media feed,” Mingo said. “It is my time to pay attention to what type of fuel I am giving my body to nourish my insides and satisfy my tastebuds.”

Mingo hopes there’s more diverse public information on what it means to take care of yourself, including advice on “how to squeeze in self-care as parents, caregivers, entrepreneurs and as we age in our retirement years.”

“More importantly, [we need] a more inclusive conversation so black and brown people no longer feel like the media does not speak to them,” she said.

Self-care is... ‘about mitigating what harm cannot be avoided.’

For Stella Sacco, self-care is a taxing act that requires being aware of ugliness ― both in personal habits and in society.

“It’s being cognizant of feelings or behavior that harm you in some way ― overwork, self-hate, conflict avoidance, etc.,” said Sacco, a 33-year-old American now living in Denmark. “Of course, in everyday life, some degree of harm is unavoidable. I will always be tired after a week of work, for example. Self-care is about mitigating what harm cannot be avoided. As a trans woman, I recognize that I will never be free of the psychic harm that transphobia causes. I cannot avoid it, so through self-care, I have to try to mitigate it.”

She does this by tapping into a supportive community and reframing damaging thoughts when they pop up.

“If transphobia has made my dysphoria particularly bad one day and I start zeroing in on things that are ‘masculine’ about my appearance, I recontextualize it [by reminding myself] almost anything I could hate about my body, a cis woman somewhere is feeling too,” Sacco said. “If I see the government using its power to diminish and frighten me, I recontextualize it [by thinking about how] black folks have been dealing with these kinds of monstrous laws for centuries. ... History tells us there is power in solidarity, so finding it and taking it seriously is my self-care.”

Sacco said the concept of self-care “has been co-opted and marketed mostly to well-off white women” and she detests the idea that it implies avoidance ― especially when that can be more harmful in the long run.

“I hate that it tends to be portrayed as just doing whatever you feel like doing,” she said. “Part of self-care is understanding your own patterns of behavior and trying not to do things that will feed into negative patterns.”

“For example, opting not to wash the sink full of dishes today might feel like self-care when you’ve had a long week and feel like you need a break. But will those dishes sitting there contribute to you feeling bad tomorrow?” she said. “Sometimes, self-care means doing the dishes.” 

Self-care is... ‘typically more difficult and less glamorous than treating yourself.’

Emily Bilek is on a mission to have her patients ― and herself ― view self-care as something greater than the “treat yo’ self” mentality on social media.

Bilek, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s Depression Center, said the Instagram version of self-care and what it actually means to take care of yourself are two very different things.

“Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with treating yourself, and it has an important place in the priorities I set for my own time and money. However, conflating self-care and ‘treating yourself’ is misguided and potentially harmful,” Bilek, 34, said. “When self-care becomes a competitive and performative ritual on social media, it defeats its purpose.”

Bilek, who is also responsible for helping others come up with strategies to protect their mental health, personally chooses self-care in the form of enforcing healthy lifestyle habits. (And then breaking or adjusting as necessary.)

“Good self-care is typically more difficult and less glamorous than treating yourself,” she said. “It means doing things like having good sleep hygiene, getting a little more exercise, staying hydrated, taking medication as prescribed, eating at regular intervals, creating healthy boundaries and taking a break from social media.”

Ultimately, Bilek has to remind herself and the people she treats that self-care is hard work that’s only going to be rewarding in the end. No clever status, flattering photo filter or hashtag is going to enhance it.

“Self-care isn’t glamorous. It’s the everyday work you do for yourself to make you a little bit happier and healthy,” she said. “If I had a self-care Instagram account, it probably wouldn’t be very popular ― there are only so many creative ways to take pictures of a water bottle or broccoli ― but self-care isn’t for other people, it’s just for you.”

Iceland is often celebrated for its geothermal pools, breathtaking glaciers and amazing views of the northern lights. But it has another claim to fame: It is apparently the best place in the world to be a woman.

For the last decade, the nation of roughly 350,000 people has topped the World Economic Forum’s annual gender gap report, which ranks countries’ progress toward gender equality across areas including economic participation, political representation, education and health. For comparison, the United States came in 51st last year, sandwiched between Mexico and Peru. Iceland also consistently performs well in The Economist’s “glass ceiling index,” which rates the best countries for working women. It placed first in the index in 2016 and third in 2018 (the U.S. came in 19th).

The Nordic nation’s progressive attitudes toward women have given it much to boast about. It was the first country to democratically elect a female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who came to power in 1980. The current prime minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who was elected in 2017, is the second woman in that position in Iceland’s history. Iceland has also passed a raft of legislation aimed at reducing pay inequality, ensuring women are better represented at the highest levels in business and guaranteeing shared paid parental leave. 

Yet while it forges ahead of the rest of the world, some leaders in Iceland’s push for gender equality point out that their country is still no paradise for women and argue that all the accolades show how low the global bar is for women’s rights.

Much of the progress that Iceland has made can be credited to a strong women’s movement, which has propelled the demand for gender equality into the mainstream in a nation where ideas of male dominance and set gender roles have deep roots. “Grassroots activism is absolutely key. Nothing would happen without grassroots activism,” said Brynhildur Heidar- og Ómarsdóttir, managing director of the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association.

Perhaps the greatest demonstration of this came in 1975, when Icelandic women took to the streets, angry at not being paid enough for their work ― both in and outside the home ― and frustrated at the dearth of political representation.

“We needed to do something big and we needed to do something bold because our situation was dire,” said Ómarsdóttir, who credits the international women’s movement, including the women who marched for equality in New York City in 1970, for inspiring Icelandic women. 

A staggering 90 percent of Iceland’s female population turned out for the 1975 protest. Instead of calling it a strike, which might have alienated the country’s more conservative women (“because to go on a strike was a very leftie thing to do,” said Ómarsdóttir), the day was called Kvennafrídagurinn, meaning “women’s day off,” a concept all women could get behind.

“That solidarity was absolutely fundamental in creating a tradition in Iceland of all women, no matter their political persuasion, coming together,” said Ómarsdóttir.

From there Iceland has seen waves of change. A Gender Equality Act was signed in 1976 and, following Finnbogadóttir’s election as president, the Women’s Alliance was launched with the aim of propelling more women into politics and won its first parliamentary seats in 1983.

Today Iceland has one of the best records in the world for female political representation. At its peak in 2016, nearly 48 percent of the elected members of Iceland’s Parliament were women. That figure now sits at around 38 percent, but it’s still far above countries like the U.S. where women make up 23.7 percent of Congress.

When it comes to equality in the workplace, Iceland has not been afraid to legislate progress ― something many other countries have shied away from, preferring softer voluntary approaches to reducing gender inequality. Despite the initial pushback from business, Iceland implemented mandatory gender quotas for company boards. Women must make up at least 40 percent of board members. And that law has worked. Today women constitute 43 percent of the boards of the largest publicly listed companies (that figure is 21.7 percent in the U.S.).

“The last thing that we wanted to do was put quotas out there,” said Bergljót Thrastardóttir of the Icelandic government’s Equality Directorate, “but we had to because we had been talking to the businesses for a long time and nothing was happening.” 

Though women now have seats at the corporate decision-making table, there is still some way to go. The hope that the quotas would lead to more women becoming CEOs hasn’t been realized yet, said Thrastardóttir.

Iceland is also the only country in the world to require companies to prove that they are not paying women less than men, through a landmark equal pay law that went into effect in 2018. While paying women and men differently for the same work is technically illegal in multiple countries, many companies flout those laws without consequence. Iceland has a gender pay gap of around 16 percent (it’s around 20 percent in the U.S.), according to figures from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“What has always been the problem with equal pay legislation is the fact that it put it on the employee to actually prove discrimination,” said Ómarsdóttir. That means scraping together the financial and mental resources to put up a legal fight. And even if the employee gets justice for herself, it may not help her co-workers.

Iceland’s legislation shifts that burden onto companies to demonstrate they are not discriminating against women. Any company with 25 or more employees will have salaries independently audited every three years. Those who fail the audit will face fines and open themselves up to being publicly shamed.

Iceland has been looking to bring equality into domestic life, too, by providing subsidized childcare and encouraging shared parental leave. 

Since 2000, parents have been entitled to nine months’ shared leave paid at 80 percent of their average salaries (up to a set amount). Mothers get three months and fathers get three months, and the remaining three months can be shared between the two. A bill currently making its way through Parliament could extend that leave further, giving men and women five months each with two months to share. 

The policy has had a huge impact. Around 90 percent of fathers in Iceland take parental leave. “Research shows that the connection children have with their fathers in Iceland is among the best,” said Thrastardóttir. Meanwhile, women have been able to work longer hours and enter higher-paying jobs while facing less discrimination from employers, according to one study of the law’s impact.

“Many female politicians in Iceland would never have got where we are today if it wasn’t for childcare and parental leave,” Prime Minister Jakobsdóttir wrote on the World Economic Forum’s website last year. “I am an excellent example of that.”

Iceland’s advances in gender equality show the power of grassroots activism to push for better representation and the impact of legislation to ensure commitments are met. But they’re also reflective of the country’s very particular political and social culture. It’s part of and competitive within the Nordic block of countries, which are all very committed to gender equality.

It’s also a tiny society. “It really only takes one person with a great idea and society is changed in a decade,” said Ómarsdóttir, pointing to the example of a high school teacher in Reykjavik, the nation’s capital, who started to offer gender studies as an elective.

“It worked really well,” Ómarsdóttir said. “Her students came out motivated. They really had their eyes open, their blinkers removed.”

The teacher began training other teachers across Iceland. Just over a decade later, gender studies courses are being offered in around half of high schools and are mandatory for students in three high schools (which may not sound much, but that’s nearly 10 percent of all Icelandic high schools).

Of course, Iceland is far from perfect. “Basically, this impression of Iceland being the best in the world says more about how bad things are in the rest of the world than about how good things are here in Iceland,” said Ómarsdóttir. Thrastardóttir agreed: “We are not the gender paradise that everybody is talking about.” 

Violence and sexual harassment against women ― a factor not measured in the World Economic Forum’s gender gap report ― is still a big problem. A closed Facebook group, titled “Beauty Tips,” was set up in 2014 and swiftly became a forum for members to swap their experiences of rape and harassment. It has around 30,000 members, roughly 20 percent of the country’s women. 

A recent scandal also highlighted how far there is to go in ridding Iceland of entrenched gender stereotypes. In late November, a group of politicians ― including former Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíd Gunnlaugsson ― were recorded in a bar spewing misogynistic rhetoric and criticizing the Me Too movement. Gunnlaugsson had previously styled himself as a champion of women’s rights and even been voted one of the world’s top feminist men. 

The incident dubbed Klausturfokk (after Klaustur, the bar in which it took place) reveals something important about Icelandic society, said Janet Johnson, a political science professor at Brooklyn College.

“On the surface, there’s a lot of great stuff and there’s a very strong women’s movement and the feminists in Iceland have worked really hard,” Johnson said, but she added, “On the other hand, the way I see it, it’s a kind of bait and switch.” She said formal achievements are undermined by informal political networks, which are still dominated by men ― men who went to the same schools and meet in bars and backyards to make decisions.

Hope for attacking these stubborn areas of inequality lies in the generation coming of age now, said Thrastardóttir. “There has been a small revolution here among young people that’s very promising for the future.” She added, “When it comes to gender equality, it’s a slow change but it’s happening. We who work in this sector always want things to go faster and we always have to be on our toes.”

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Over the past year, straight-talking Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg has risen to fame as the face of the flourishing youth climate movement. “I don’t want your hope,” she told world leaders at Davos in January. “I want you to panic … And then I want you to act.” Since August 2018, Thunberg has staged school strikes every Friday outside the Swedish parliament, inspiring tens of thousands of students around the world to follow suit.

Saru Jayaraman

This American attorneyhas spent the last 20 years fighting for workers’ rights, including co-founding Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a national advocacy group to improve wages and working conditions for U.S. restaurant workers. “Fundamentally it’s an issue of fairness,” Jayaraman told HuffPost. “No one should be working full time – or more than full time – in this country and not be able to make ends meet.”

Much of Jayaraman’s work focuses on women and people of color, groups she says suffer the most when it comes to exploitation and economic inequality.

“When women’s wages are so low that they’re living off tips, they’ve got to tolerate however their customers treat them, including harassment,” she said. “That makes it not just an issue of sub-minimum wage but one of a terrible lack of physical safety, dignity and self-worth.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is getting a lot of attention right now for her progressive politics (and her impressive dance moves). The congresswoman has been driving for action on climate change. While Trump champions coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, Ocasio-Cortez is pushing for the implementation of a Green New Deal to curb climate breakdown and address worsening inequality in the process.

She’s also not afraid to question the patriarchy.

“The idea that a woman can be as powerful as a man is something that our society can’t deal with,” Ocasio-Cortez told The New Yorker in an interview published Monday. “But I am as powerful as a man, and it drives them crazy.” 

Emma González  

“We are going to be the kids that you read about in textbooks. Not because we are going to be another statistic about mass shootings in America but because … we are going to be the last mass shooting … We are going to change the law.”

These were the powerful words of Emma González, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, speaking at an anti-gun rally just three days after one of the deadliest high school shootings in U.S. history. In the weeks that followed, González was one of a group of survivors who launched a grassroots gun-reform movement that helped catalyze new gun legislation. She continues to speak publicly about the system that perpetrates gun violence and the organizations which profit from it, such as the NRA. 

Jacinda Ardern

While the U.S. president is doing everything he can to build walls, New Zealand’s prime minister has announced she will increase her country’s refugee quota by 50 percent in 2020.

Ardern’s “anti-Trump” style of politics doesn’t stop there, from increases to paid parental leave to the implementation of a well-being budget that recognizes that measuring a country’s success requires more than just monitoring its GDP. Ardern’s government is also taking on climate change, banning new offshore oil and gas exploration while putting forward plans to move to 100 percent renewable energy. 

Peggy Shepard

As co-founder and executive director of WE ACT For Environmental Justice, Peggy Shepard has spent more than three decades fighting to improve the living conditions of those in low-income communities of color.

Testifying before a House of Representatives subcommittee last week, Shepard talked about groups on the frontline of poor environmental conditions, from New Yorkers living in deteriorating, moldy housing to farmworkers exposed to toxic chemicals. “These sacrifice zones are a moral outrage,” she said. “We must pledge to end this dichotomy of two Americas, of throwaway communities, of the acceptance that we will always have winners and losers.”

Maura Healey

The U.S. is in the grip of an opioid epidemic and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is on a mission to bring those responsible to justice. Last June, Healey filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma – owned by the wealthy Sackler family – for misleading prescribers and the public about the addiction and health risks of their opioids, including OxyContin “to increase the companies’ profits.”

In response, Purdue accuses Healey of trying to publicly vilify the company. “Interestingly, I don’t hear a denial,” the attorney general told Boston’s NPR News Station in February. “Sure, companies are allowed to market their products, to sell their products and, in fact, to try to sell as much of their product as possible. What you cannot do is lie and mislead and deceive.”

Constance Wu

When she’s not starring in blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians, Constance Wu can be found criticizing the patriarchy and calling out the fetishization of Asian-American women.

In accepting an American Civil Liberties Union award in 2018, Wu saidshe agreed to make a speech at the ceremony because she was no longer willing to go along with “the systemic culture that birthed my reluctance to speak” – a culture, she said, that encourages Asian-Americans to fit in, keep their heads down and become invisible in the process.

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The two girlfriends of accused sexual abuser R. Kelly defended the R&B singer in an interview with CBS’s Gayle King that aired Thursday, one day after the network released King’s shocking interview with a belligerent Kelly.

Joycelyn Savage, 23, and Azriel Clary, 21, who both live with Kelly, 52, in his Chicago apartment, claimed they were in a “very strong relationship” with him. Clary, who said she met Kelly when she was 17, also denied having underage sex.

“We’re with him, that’s our relationship,” Clary said on “CBS This Morning.”

“Yeah, we’re with him. Yeah, that’s what it is,” Savage said.

Both women’s parents, who were featured in Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary series detailing the years of sexual abuse allegations against the singer, have repeatedly alleged Kelly “brainwashed” their daughters into joining a sex cult.

Clary and Savage claim their parents are trying to blackmail him for financial gain, something both sets of parents have denied.

“When I was 17, my parents were actually making me, trying to get me to take photos with him, take sexual videos with him, all kinds of stuff,” Clary said. “They said, because if they ever have to blackmail him, what they’re trying to do now, they can use it against him, which is exactly what they’re doing.”

Savage agreed. “Both our parents are basically out here trying to get money and scam,” she said. 

According to King, Kelly stood off-camera while Savage and Clary did their interview, interjecting with coughs and attempts to cut off the conversation.

Savage’s parents spoke out again Wednesday, calling Kelly’s explosive interview “disturbing.”

Kelly, who has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, was arrested Wednesday for not paying child support to his ex-wife Andrea.

In an additional portion of the interview that aired Thursday, Kelly again lashed out, crying and screaming when King asked about Andrea Kelly’s claims of domestic violence.

Kelly accused his ex-wife of lying and said “so many people” had stolen money from him.

“How can I pay child support? How? If my ex-wife is destroying my name and I can’t work? How can I work? How can I get paid? How can I take care of my kids? How?” he screamed. “Use your common sense!”

King said Wednesday that representatives for Kelly, whose publicist had to physically restrain him during the interview, told her “they were pleased with the interview.”

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.

Democrats will request copies of President Donald Trump’s tax returns in a matter of weeks, according to one senior member of the tax committee in the House of Representatives.

Federal law says the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee can request any American’s personal tax information from the Treasury Department. Democrats will use that power in about two weeks, according to committee member Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.).  

The Trump administration is “feeling the heat, there’s no question about it, because everybody’s talking about the tax returns now,” Pascrell said.

Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) has said it is necessary to build a public case for the need to obtain Trump’s tax information. But he has declined to commit to a deadline.

“I don’t think that we have a definitive timeline right now, but that could change based on the information as it’s provided,” Neal told HuffPost on Wednesday. 

Obtaining Trump’s tax returns is part of Democrats’ broader oversight of the Trump administration, which they began when they took control of the House this year. The House Judiciary Committee on Monday sent dozens of document requests to Trump affiliates who might have information about corruption within the Trump administration or Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Past presidential candidates have disclosed tax info while campaigning and divested from their businesses once taking office. Trump did neither.

Tax documents could show how much money Trump makes, where it comes from and how much he pays in taxes. Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, testified last week before the House oversight committee that Trump manipulated the value of his assets to get a break on his tax bill.

For Ways and Means, Trump’s tax returns could show whether the IRS is doing a good job of enforcing the tax laws written by members of Congress. The IRS has already reported that individuals who underreport business income are the biggest contributors to the gap between what Americans collectively owe and what the IRS ultimately collects.

In separate interviews over the past week, Pascrell and Neal have both said the other man supports his public statements, even though they seem to contradict each other. Pascrell complained last week that Neal was taking too long to request Trump’s tax info; Neal said Pascrell told him privately he was doing a good job. And Pascrell said Wednesday that Neal has had no complaint about his two-week prediction, which he first made on Tuesday.

“I’m sticking with it,” Pascrell said.

Neal has previously said he would wait until special counsel Robert Mueller had finished his investigation into the Trump campaign’s collusion with the Russian government in 2016. He has only ever committed to making the request sometime this year. 

The law says the chairs of congressional tax committees can ask for private citizens’ tax information and the treasury secretary “shall furnish such committee with any return or return information specified in such request.” Congress created the law in the 1920s specifically as a check on corruption in the executive branch.

Neal has said his staff has been drafting the request carefully because the Trump administration will probably not comply with the law. A spokesperson for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has said only that Mnuchin will review any requests “for legality.” Democrats expect to wind up in court once they do request Trump’s taxes. 

Ways and Means Republicans, for their part, say Democrats should just trust the IRS to audit the president, which the agency does every year by law.

“This is all about politics,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.). “I get it.”

Liam, Noah, Emma and Olivia may dominate the popular baby names list today, but 100 years ago, the top picks were quite different. 

The Social Security Administration keeps lists of the most popular names for every year and decade since the 1880s. Looking back to the 1910s list, there are many “old-fashioned” names like Mildred, Gladys and Clarence ― as well as timeless classics like Elizabeth, William and James. 

Keep scrolling to see the 50 most popular names for boys and girls born in the U.S. from 1910 to 1919. Maybe you’ll find some vintage inspiration. 

Girls

1. Mary
2. Helen
3. Dorothy
4. Margaret
5. Ruth
6. Mildred
7. Anna
8. Elizabeth
9. Frances
10. Virginia
11. Marie
12. Evelyn
13. Alice
14. Florence
15. Lillian
16. Rose
17. Irene
18. Louise
19. Edna
20. Catherine
21. Gladys
22. Ethel
23. Josephine
24. Ruby
25. Martha
26. Grace
27. Hazel
28. Thelma
29. Lucille
30. Edith
31. Eleanor
32. Doris
33. Annie
34. Pauline
35. Gertrude
36. Esther
37. Betty
38. Beatrice
39. Marjorie
40. Clara
41. Emma
42. Bernice
43. Bertha
44. Ann
45. Jean
46. Elsie
47. Julia
48. Agnes
49. Lois
50. Sarah

Boys

1. John
2. William
3. James
4. Robert
5. Joseph
6. George
7. Charles
8. Edward
9. Frank
10. Thomas
11. Walter
12. Harold
13. Henry
14. Paul
15. Richard
16. Raymond
17. Albert
18. Arthur
19. Harry
20. Donald
21. Ralph
22. Louis
23. Jack
24. Clarence
25. Carl
26. Willie
27. Howard
28. Fred
29. David
30. Kenneth
31. Francis
32. Roy
33. Earl
34. Joe
35. Ernest
36. Lawrence
37. Stanley
38. Anthony
39. Eugene
40. Samuel
41. Herbert
42. Alfred
43. Leonard
44. Michael
45. Elmer
46. Andrew
47. Leo
48. Bernard
49. Norman
50. Peter

Prince Harry did his best to motivate youth at a WE Day celebration in London on Wednesday, quoting Martin Luther King Jr. and urging the crowd to “inspire those who stand for nothing, to stand for something.”

In a surprise move, he then introduced a show-stopper to fire up the rally ― his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.

“I am now going to try to drag my wife on stage,” he said, as seen in the video above. He walked toward the wing of the stage and then appeared hand-in-hand with the former Meghan Markle. Cue the shrieks and applause.

The duchess, who’s expecting the royal couple’s first child in the spring, smiled and waved but did not speak.

“I am with you, and we are with you,” the prince said. “Get to work!”

Harry had given a moving speech at the rally that celebrates the efforts of the international WE children’s charity, touching on mental health, climate change and other subjects.

“To be amongst all of you progressive, motivated, open-minded, changemakers, is what gives me hope for the future,” he said, per E! News. “Your optimism is inspiring.”

But bringing out his spouse certainly provided extra spark.

The tweet also included a link to its full definition of “self-made,” which included “made by oneself.” 

Dictionary.com has previously challenged Forbes on its characterization of Jenner, who reportedly amassed a $900 million fortune by the summer of 2018, less than three years after launching her makeup empire, Kylie Cosmetics, according to Forbes’ estimations. 

The digital dictionary source responded to a Forbes report last July, that projected a then-20-year-old Jenner would become the “youngest self-made billionaire ever,” surpassing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who became a billionaire at 23. 

Dictionary.com tweeted its definition of “self-made” at the time and included a seemingly tongue-in-cheek example of how to use the term in a sentence: “Used in a sentence: Forbes says that Kylie Jenner is a self-made woman.”

Some people on social media have also challenged the notion that Jenner should be described as “self-made,” considering that the youngest sibling of the Kardashian-Jenner clan was born into a family of wealth and fame.

Jenner was 10 years old when her family’s massively successful reality show,  “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” premiered. 

“It is not shade to point out that Kylie Jenner isn’t self-made,” “Hunger” author Roxane Gay wrote on Twitter last year. “She grew up in a wealthy, famous family. Her success is commendable but it comes by virtue of her privilege. Words have meanings and it behooves a dictionary to remind us of that.”

Luisa Kroll of Forbes has previously explained how the publication defines the term “self-made.” 

“We consider any person who built her own fortune, and didn’t inherit the money, to be self-made,” she wrote. “So top executives at tech firms who are compensated for helping significantly grow companies make the ranks but not second generation women running family businesses.”

During an interview with Paper magazine last month, Jenner acknowledged her huge platform but said her parents “cut her off at the age of 15.”

“My parents told me I needed to make my own money, it’s time to learn how to save and spend your own money, stuff like that,” she said, adding, “What I’m trying to say is I did have a platform, but none of my money is inherited.”

A few years ago, at 34, I found myself being interviewed for the position of a dominatrix at a prominent New York City BDSM dungeon. I lied during that interview. A lot.

There was no way I’d reveal that I was there because I wanted to make a documentary about the women and men inhabiting the fascinating underground world of BDSM. For the record, we were not underground; we were on the second floor of an office building in midtown Manhattan ― a very convenient location for guys to come in for a quick domination session first thing in the morning, during their lunch breaks or right after work.

My brilliant master plan was to get access to the women who work as dominatrixes and their clients and learn about the everyday business of running a reputable BDSM dungeon (a legal business in New York state). I thought I’d do this job for a couple of weeks, then go on to make my documentary, which would premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and make me the toast of the town.

If someone had told me this 10-minute interview would instead change my life forever, I would have laughed at them.

I still remember how fast my heart was beating as I rang the bell and waited for the manager, a woman in her 50s, to open the door and let me in.

As I entered the space, I stopped to look around. The “dungeon” was an office just like any other office I had ever been to or worked in. Up to that point in my life, I had held about 15 different jobs including sales, working the register at a bakery, being a secretary at a PR firm and a few waitress gigs while I studied to be an actress. I had fully prepared myself to walk into a room with chains, whips and all sorts of torture devices, but there I was in an ordinary waiting room with cheap art hanging on its walls, a tiny locker room and a coffee machine.

The manager held my New York state ID in her hands and asked me about my accent, my height and my shoe size. Less than 10 minutes into the interview, I was offered a job and asked to pick a dominatrix name for myself.

Three days after that interview, I began transforming from Stavroula to Mistress Kassandra — much easier to remember and pronounce, right? My alter ego gave me permission to wear fierce red lipstick, high heels and clothes that made me feel like a million bucks ― from leather pencil skirts and corsets to vinyl dresses and catsuits, expensive nun and nurse costumes, even turtlenecks and tuxedo pants that covered my body completely and left everything to the imagination. The communal closet at my new job was like the FAO Schwarz of BDSM and I was in heaven!

More importantly, I felt in total control of my body. Mistress Kassandra was powerful, unapologetic, vicious, sweet, innocent, dirty. When I was her, I could be anything I wanted to be and didn’t have to explain myself to anyone. Not only that, but this newfound power and confidence in myself was celebrated, respected and very well-compensated.

What documentary? I was hooked on being a dominatrix and there was no going back.  

One of the first things I learned at my new job was that men of all ages, social classes, and religious and ethnic backgrounds found the dungeon to be the only place they felt safe enough to take off their mask, remove their armor and reveal their vulnerabilities, traumas and pain, in an effort to heal and become better men. The surrender of their minds and souls was, and still is, one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my life. And it was all happening at the hands of powerful women.

When we hear the word “dominatrix,” we tend to think of men being tortured by thin, beautiful white women with dark hair, dressed top to bottom in leather. Here’s the truth: The women at my new job came in all shapes, sizes, skin colors, ethnicities and ages. They were married, single, had children, went to school to get their master’s, etc.

Some of them were honest with their families about the work they did; most of them kept it a secret since people’s ignorance usually leads to judgment. Every single one of these women was spectacular in her own way and I realized soon enough that I was going to learn a lot from them. I was, and still am, in awe of any woman who does this job and knows how to do it well. 

Working at the dungeon was very much like any other job when it came to scheduling, showing up on time, signing off at the end of the day, keeping the space clean, treating the clients and co-workers with respect, hanging out in the break room when it wasn’t busy, etc.

We worked eight-hour shifts but we only made money when we booked a session. When a client booked one of us for a one-hour domination, the house would get $240 and the dominatrix would get $80 out of that plus whatever the client tipped, if he tipped at all. We had clients who would come in for a quick half-hour session ― the rate for that was $150 and the dominatrix would get $50. The manager would keep track of all the sessions and we got paid every Friday morning.

Making $80 in one hour or even $50 in 30 minutes was great for me, but for the women who had to pay their mortgages, kids’ tuitions or student loans, this money wasn’t enough. There were times when we had close to 20 dominatrixes working the same shift and most of them never really made any money. Some chose to stick around and see if something would change; others quit after a week or two. Then we had the ones who’d show up for a shift even on their days off because they had nothing better to do. The dungeon had become their comfort zone and something like a second family.

Privacy is the No. 1 priority when it comes to this job. I have yet to meet the man who is confident enough to admit that he sees a dominatrix. We also had some pretty powerful and well-known men who would frequent the dungeon for a good punishment session. So the doorbell had a legit company’s name written on it, and the manager on duty was the only person buzzing people in, checking the cameras and welcoming them at the main door. The rest of us knew to stay put and not exit whatever room we were in till the client was sitting nervously behind the closed door of an available room.

Some of the clients would call in advance to book their dominatrix, but others wanted to meet the new girls. I felt the most nervous as I was walking down the hallway and heading into the room; I never knew who was waiting to meet Mistress Kassandra behind that door ― and what if it happened to be someone I knew? Once I saw that it was a complete stranger, I was relieved and very interested to get to know them.

I always let them know that they could tell me anything they were feeling in the moment and I would listen and help them without judging them. Men are full of feelings, insecurities and sensitivities. And that’s OK. A big kudos to the men who are brave enough to deal with their own shit, even if that is inside the four walls of a dungeon!

In between sessions, I’d ask the other dominatrixes to show me how to use the electric chair and the humiliator, how to crack the whip or work the pizzle, how to set the tone for the session, how to do piercings (yikes at first, but then I loved it!), how to spank the right way and how to make these fancy knots you see in bondage-related images — single column tie, double column tie, zip snare!

I wanted to play with every toy and experience every type of play allowed while keeping in mind that safety and consent are the two most important things when it comes to being a great dominatrix.

Most of my clients were smart, kind, respectful, vulnerable, decent men looking for an experience they couldn’t have with their “other half.” Many of them were single men and, I have to admit, there were a couple of guys I fantasized about meeting outside of work.

Of those who were married, the majority didn’t see their visit to the dungeon as cheating since there is no actual sex involved. Still, this job is sexual by nature. Some clients would reach orgasm through masturbation at the end of the session but only after asking my permission to do so. At the same time, many men chose another type of release: speaking about their emotions without censoring themselves, crying or asking to be hugged. If they wanted a hug, or to kiss your hands and feet to show you their gratitude, they had to ask for permission to do so.

Some of the more popular sessions involved bondage and discipline (plenty of men need to be tied up in order to connect with their emotions and let it all out), brain fade (any type of psychological play that keeps the male in a submissive state), CBT (cock and ball torture), corporal punishment (caning, flogging, paddling), cross-dressing (so many men want to act and dress like women!), foot worship and/or worship of the feminine divine, animal play (some men identify with dogs and ponies and love being trained and treated like them), asphyxiation using gas masks, mummification (using a body bag or plastic wrap) and one of my most favorite ones ... complete surrender. These men are sick and tired of being in charge, but they can’t be anybody else in the outside world because they’d stand to lose everything. So, for one or two hours every week they’d come to me and surrender their egos, their pride, their bullshit, their beliefs and their wearable wealth from their Rolex watch to their Gucci leather loafers.

Seven out of 10 times they’d cry by the end of the session and, for me, that was when they were the most manly. I also loved this type of play because it taught me to trust my gut again, something I did as a little kid but was taken from me as I grew older and was conditioned to second-guess myself.

Inside the dark rooms of a BDSM dungeon, where all the noise is shut out, I’d get to silence the noise in my head. I’d forget about the clock ticking, the things people expected of me and all my obligations. I’d put away my phone, just like my clients did the second they walked into the room. I learned to be present in the moment where the only thing that mattered was the freedom to express myself and connect from an authentic place to the other person in the room.

And, for the first time in many, many years, I was listened to without being interrupted, without any objections and with genuine interest from my clients who wanted to know what I wanted, what I thought and why. I raised my voice and it was OK to do so. I released my anger and frustrations and guess what? Nothing. Terrible. Happened.  

Here I was, a 34-year-old woman who was rediscovering herself and healing the wounds she never knew she had, all while making close to $2,000 a week; many of my clients were very generous when it came to tipping for helping them experience something new and reach a whole other level of consciousness.

Meanwhile, they were the ones helping me.

At the end of my second week at work, I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed something different about me. I stood taller. I felt in control. I realized that I had started walking more slowly, apologizing less, breathing easier, sleeping better and smiling only when I truly felt like it.

The men I dominated helped me tap into my power source by simply reminding me that I had every right to do so. Hearing this day in and day out worked miracles on me.

My two weeks at the dungeon turned into two months, and then I went on to work as an independent dominatrix for a little over five years. Working as an independent dominatrix is a whole other ball game and it comes with many dangers and risks. It made me wiser and taught me how to protect myself.

I never made my documentary, but I am currently developing a reality series and writing a nonfiction book about my experiences.

As an actress, writer and director, I felt a tremendous need to share my story in my own terms in hopes that it would help people realize that we are all broken one way or another, and that we all have the same desires and needs — starting with the need to connect and to be accepted for who we truly are.

So I created a scripted series called “SWITCH,” along with an incredible team of professionals, with the ultimate goal to stay true to the story and tell it from a woman’s perspective. SWITCH follows a group of dominatrixes and their clients as they lead double lives and struggle for power, identity, love, family and ambition.

A couple of months ago, I realized I simply can’t keep up being a part-time dominatrix and a full-time writer, director and actor so I hung up my whip and paddles and gave away most of my clothes. I am still making time to meet with certain men, women and couples who need my help on a one-on-one basis. Doing this gives me great joy and it’s something I hope to continue doing for years to come.

Working as a dominatrix taught me how to have compassion and love myself unconditionally, to walk away from situations or people when they don’t value me, to stop waiting for permission to create the life I’ve always wanted. It taught me to go after everything I want fearlessly, because I have every right to do so. And here’s a little secret: so do you.

Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch!

NASA plans to conduct its first all-female spacewalk later in March during Women’s History Month. 

The International Space Station spacewalk, part of Expedition 59, is scheduled for March 29, and will include astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch, as well as Jackie Kagey as the lead EVA, or spacewalk, flight controller, NASA told HuffPost on Wednesday. The spacewalk will last around seven hours, according to NASA’s website.

“The March 29 spacewalk will be the first with only women,” NASA spokeswoman Kathryn Hambleton said, hedging that “assignments and schedules could always change.” 

“It was not orchestrated to be this way; these spacewalks were originally scheduled to take place in the fall,” Hambleton added.

The on-the-ground flight control team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will include lead flight director Mary Lawrence and NASA engineer Kristen Facciol. 

Facciol tweeted her excitement last week, writing, “I just found out that I’ll be on console providing support for the FIRST ALL FEMALE SPACEWALK with @AstroAnnimal and @Astro_Christina and I can not contain my excitement!!!!”

Spacewalks are somewhat rare and are usually done for reasons that include exterior work on a spacecraft or satellite, or testing new equipment. 

McClain is currently on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 58. Koch is set to leave Earth on March 14 to join Expeditions 59 and 60. McClain, Koch and Kagey are all from the 2013 astronaut class, which NASA told HuffPost was 50-percent women.  

HuffPost’s “Her Stories” newsletter brings you even more reporting from around the world on the important issues affecting women. Sign up for it here.

The clapback was reminiscent of another notable Twitter moment between the two former campaign rivals. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump tweeted that former President Barack Obama had just endorsed Clinton because “he wants four more years of Obama.” 

“Delete your account,” Clinton’s account responded.

Clinton ended speculation that she may vie for the nation’s top office in an interview with a New York news station this week.

“I’m not running,” Clinton told News 12 Westchester. “But I’m going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe.”

The former secretary of state has called out Trump for obsessing over her in the past. During a discussion at a Wing workspace in New York City last year, Clinton joked that she wondered if he knew she had not been elected president.

“When he can’t think of anything to say, Trump starts chanting [“Lock her up”], and you sit there and you think, ‘Does he think I was elected?’”

The fab four reunited on Tuesday for a very royal reason ― honoring Prince Charles holding the title of Prince of Wales for 50 years.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William and Kate Middleton all attended the royal reception, thrown by Queen Elizabeth, at Buckingham Palace. 

The four have not all been at the same event together since they attended Christmas Day church services at Sandringham. 

For the occasion, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wore a metallic gold and silver sheath underneath a gorgeous white Amanda Wakeley coat, as identified by People. The coat is still available and retails for $1,190. 

She added suede, $695 Paul Andrew pumps and a Wilbur and Gussie clutch to complete her outfit. Harry wore his usual navy suit with a blue and white tie.  

The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a gorgeous ankle-length pale mint dress with a ruffled collar and front buttons that stopped at the waist. She wore her hair in her usual blowout. 

William nearly managed to evade all of the cameras, but from the looks of it, he was also wearing a suit with a blue tie.

While Meghan is expecting her first child with Prince Harry in late April or early May, the Duchess of Cambridge recently fueled baby rumors of her own during a recent trip to Northern Ireland. 

Kate stopped to chat with a father and his cute young son, who the duchess said made her “broody,” or wishing to have a child. 

“I think William would be a little worried,” the duchess said of having a fourth child, according to People. 

Royal news doesn’t stop at the wedding. Subscribe to HuffPost’s Watching the Royals newsletter for all things Windsor (and beyond).

Rankin told HuffPost he had been noticing people on social media retouching their own photos for the past few years. What was once a tool reserved for celebrities and models in magazines is now available to pretty much anyone with a smartphone. Rankin said he’d been aware of Photoshop since it was first introduced in photography, adding that he’s always been critical of its use to distort reality. So, he came up with the idea of using photography to show the ways individuals, particularly young people, use these tools to alter their appearances. 

“What I was particularly scared by on that was how much like a game it is to do it,” he said. “You take a picture of yourself and, as you’re changing it, you can look at a before and after very easily. It also makes you feel very inadequate about what you look like in this game-y way.”

Photo editing apps, Rankin noted, are increasingly easy to use. So easy, in fact, that he edited a selfie I sent him in under an hour.

“Anybody can do it,” he said. “That’s where the project came along.” 

The photographer, who’s photography subject have included David Bowie and Queen Elizabeth II, took portraits of 15 individuals wearing minimal makeup. Some of the girls were models, and others were scouted from a local school. The only real stipulation was that they didn’t use retouching apps regularly. 

“I didn’t want it to be about what people do personally but how you can use the app to change yourself even if you don’t know much about it,” Rankin said. 

As he witnessed the girls edit their photos, he realized that they all seemed to do the same things ― enlarge their eyes and plump their lips, for example ― which he felt was a reflection on how people see beauty at the moment. Interestingly, he said, the individuals didn’t really like the altered versions of themselves, but they did feel like the edited images would warrant more likes on social media. He clarified that he also photographed boys for the series, but he noted the changes were much more drastic with the girls. 

Rankin’s goal for the project wasn’t to blame apps like FaceTune or the people who created them. Instead, he wanted to raise awareness that these apps exist and people are using them to alter their faces to fit an ideal that has become extremely homogenous. We’ve explored this idea before, pointing out just how much Instagram influencers are starting to look like clones of each other. It’s a phenomenon of the social media age we’re living in.

“Why is that the ideal? What made that, the kind of homogenous aesthetic, the ideal? And why are we perpetuating that?” he asked. “When I grew up, at that age being an individual was what was important. Now it seems to be being the same as another person, and that to me feels really strange.” 

In his opinion, being the better version of yourself is about looking like yourself, not someone else. And being able to so easily “change the makeup of your face or the makeup on your face to look like somebody else or like a beauty norm or ideal, that seems like a really bad way of approaching who you are as a human being.”

The photographer said he never expected the project to get so much attention. For him, it was something he could do to start a conversation about how we all conceive imagery; he said he really adores photographing images that make people question what they’re seeing or excites them. 

When asked whether he believes these apps negatively affect confidence and self-esteem, he responded, “Oh, God, yeah. One hundred percent.” 

“Even if you put a blur effect on your image to smooth out your skin, it’s like, this isn’t you,” he said. “When you look at yourself in the mirror, you’re not seeing yourself.” 

This point brings to mind another phenomenon known as Snapchat dysmorphia, which really seems to have grown out of our tendencies to edit and filter our photos. Individuals are actually using edited images of themselves as a source of inspiration for potential cosmetic procedures. Some people have gone so far as to argue that filters could be making us forget what we really look like, and studies have shown that our current selfie culture can lead to body dysmorphic disorder.

The young people who use these retouching apps most likely aren’t thinking about how it might damage them in the future, Rankin said, noting that they’re more concerned with how they’ll look in their pictures now or how much somebody likes them. 

With the way people are using these retouching tools, Rankin said, he is seeing the art form of photography “being warped and manipulated to really create these images that I think are really dangerous.”

He added, “I’m just trying to get people to go, ‘Oh, that’s a good point.’ It’s important we’re aware of it.”

Winter is here, and so is the “Game of Thrones” Season 8 trailer.

Since late last year, HBO gifted fans with multiple teasers that didn’t feature new footage and a number of Season 8 photos and posters that revealed as little as possible. Finally, after all this time, the old gods and the new have answered our prayers. 

When Season 7 ended almost two years ago, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) was riding north, a pregnant Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) was deceiving everyone in King’s Landing, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) were getting intimate on their journey to Winterfell, and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) was looking very worried on a boat. 

Now, our watch begins ...

The trailer starts with Arya (Maisie Williams) wounded and, seemingly, running for her life:

A recent EW interview apparently described Williams’ look during the upcoming big battle at Winterfell as “ultra-grimy with dirt and mock blood on her face,” so these shots may be from that sequence. On filming the battle, Williams said, “there are moments you’re just broken as a human and just want to cry.” (That’s how Leigh and I feel after a short jog, so if Williams had to do that run over and over, yeah, we get it.)

The trailer also features quick shots of basically all the main characters, including a long-awaited confirmation that Beric (Richard Dormer) and Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) survived after the Night King broke through the Wall:

At one point, the footage becomes a “How to Train Your Dragon” sequel, starring Daenerys and Jon:

Headey recently told HuffPost she broke down in tears after wrapping on “Game of Thrones,” but there’s no sign of that here, as Cersei and Qyburn (Anton Lesser) seem pretty pleased they double-crossed everyone in the North:

Our boy Gendry (Joe Dempsie) finally makes an appearance, ending our #WheresGendry campaign:

And there are a ton of shots of everyone looking concerned, matching the emo aesthetic of the Season 8 photos:

Then, of course, winter arrives, and the White Walkers make it to Winterfell:

Season 8 drops on April 14. All fans must watch.

Royal denials are rare, with the palaces usually preferring to neither confirm nor deny rumors.

The last royal denial came from Buckingham Palace in November, after The Sun reported that the Duchess of Sussex "bitched out" the Duchess of Cambridge's staff.

"This never happened," the palace said.

Despite the new denial, we do know one thing: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex expect to welcome their little one at the end of April or beginning of May.

Prince Harry is already the king of dad jokes. He delivered a hilarious, slightly off-color routine (for a royal, that is) during the couple's recent royal trip to Morocco.

When a woman at an event congratulated the two on their pregnancy, Harry jokingly said, "What, you're pregnant?" to Meghan.

Royal news doesn't stop at the wedding. Subscribe to HuffPost's Watching the Royals newsletter for all things Windsor (and beyond).

They made out better than the Rangers, who lost 3-2 to the Washington Capitals in a shootout.

The two were also spotted holding hands at the "Saturday Night Live" after-party the night before.

Beckinsale, the 45-year-old star of the "Underworld" franchise, and Davidson, 25, first generated whispers of a romance when they flirted at a Golden Globes after-party in January. They were later spotted holding hands after Davidson's stand-up show in West Hollywood last month.

Beckinsale has continued to deflect speculation about their relationship with her wicked wit on Twitter. But an open-mouth lip-lock in a sports arena is a statement.

Beckinsale, who has a 20-year-old daughter with ex Michael Sheen and was married to director Len Wiseman, said recently of her ideal man, "I like funny."

So congrats, you two. Now get a room.

While the stars have since moved on to new relationships ― Affleck has recently rekindled a romance with ex-girlfriend Lindsay Shookus ― the two are spotted on regular family outings and celebrate holidays, as well as vacation, together with their children.

Affleck called fatherhood the "the focus of my life" and praised Garner in the interview for ensuring they co-parent successfully.

"I hope I'm a pretty good dad. I certainly try very hard," he told Kotb. "I'm lucky they've got a great mom, and she helps out a great deal with making sure that we co-parent in as good a way as possible."

He added: "It's what makes me happy and the rest of the stuff kind of follows."

But while Affleck has seemingly maintained a steady presence in his kids' lives, he's battled some personal demons as of late.

In October, the "Argo" director completed a 40-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction, his third rehab stint. Garner was photographed driving him to a rehabilitation facility in Malibu, California, in August after reportedly staging an intervention.

"It doesn't really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic. It's part of my life. It's something that I deal with," Affleck explained. "It doesn't have to sort of subsume my whole identity and be everything, but it is something that you know you have to work at."

After exiting the rehab facility, Affleck posted a candid, emotional note on Instagram, explaining he hopes that his own struggles might inspire somebody else to get help.

"I feel like I had a problem and I really want to address it, and I take some pride in that, " he continued. "It's about yourself, your life, your family, and you know people ― we encounter these kinds of hurdles and we have to deal with them."

Garner, meanwhile, has reportedly been dating businessman John Miller for months. The two were spotted on a romantic dinner date in Santa Monica just last month.

With his reckless “pre-emptive” airstrike on Balakot in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inadvertently undone what previous Indian governments almost miraculously, succeeded in doing for decades. Since 1947 the Indian Government has bristled at any suggestion that the conflict in Kashmir could be resolved by international arbitration, insisting that it is an “internal matter.” By goading Pakistan into a counter-strike, and so making India and Pakistan the only two nuclear powers in history to have bombed each other, Modi has internationalised the Kashmir dispute. He has demonstrated to the world that Kashmir is potentially the most dangerous place on earth, the flash-point for nuclear war. Every person, country, and organisation that worries about the prospect of nuclear war has the right to intervene and do everything in its power to prevent it.

On Feb. 14, 2019, a convoy of 2,500 paramilitary soldiers was attacked in Pulwama (Kashmir) by Adil Ahmad Dar, a 20-year-old Kashmiri suicide-bomber who, it has been declared, belonged to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad. The attack that killed at least 40 men was yet another hideous chapter in the unfolding tragedy of Kashmir. Since 1990, more than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict, thousands have “disappeared,” tens of thousands have been tortured and hundreds of young people maimed and blinded by pellet guns. The death toll over the last 12 months has been the highest since 2009. The Associated Press reports that almost 570 people have lost their lives, 260 of them militants, 160 civilians and 150 Indian armed personnel who died in the line of duty.

Depending on the lens through which this conflict is viewed, the rebel combatants are called “terrorists,” “militants,” “freedom fighters” or “mujahids.” Most Kashmiris call them “mujahids” and when they are killed, hundreds of thousands of people—whether they agree with their methods or not—turn out for their funerals, to mourn for them and bid them farewell. Indeed, most of the civilians who were killed this past year, are those who put their bodies in the way of harm to allow militants cornered by soldiers to escape.

In this long-drawn-out, blood-drenched saga, the Pulwama bombing is the deadliest, most gruesome attack of all. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of young men in the Kashmir Valley like Adil Ahmed Dar who have been born into war, who have seen such horror that they have become inured to fear and are willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom. Any day there could be another attack, worse, or less-worse than the Pulwama attack. Is the Government of India willing to allow the actions of these young men to control the fate of this country and the whole subcontinent? By reacting in the empty, theatrical way that he did, this is exactly what Narendra Modi has done. He has actually bestowed upon them the power to direct our future. The young Pulwama bomber could not have asked for more.

Indians who valorise their own struggle for Independence from British Rule and virtually worship those who led it are for the most part strangely opaque to Kashmiris who are fighting for the same thing. The armed struggle in Kashmir against what people think of as “Indian Rule” is almost thirty years old. That Pakistan has (at one time officially and now mostly through non-government actors) supported the struggle with arms, men and logistics is hardly a secret. Nor is it a secret that no militant can operate in the war-zone that is Kashmir if they did not have the overt support of local people. Who in their right mind could imagine that this hellishly complicated, hellishly cruel war would be solved or even mitigated in any way by a one-off, hastily executed, theatrical “surgical-strike,” which turns out to have been not-so-surgical after all? A similar “strike” that took place after the 2016 attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri achieved little more than inspiring a Bollywood action film. The Balakot strikes in turn seem to have been inspired by the film. And now the media reports that Bollywood producers are already lining up to copyright “Balakot” as the name of their next film project. On the whole, it has to be said, this absurd waltz looks and smells more “pre-election” than “pre-emptive.”

For the prime minister of this country to press its formidable Airforce into performing dangerous theatrics is deeply disrespectful. And what an irony it is, that while this irresponsible nuclear brinkmanship is being played out in our subcontinent, the mighty United States of America is in talks with the Taliban forces whom it has not managed to defeat or dislodge even after 17 years of straight-out war.

The spiraling conflict in the subcontinent is certainly as deadly as it appears to be. But is it as straightforward?

Kashmir is the most densely militarized zone in the world, with an estimated half a million Indian soldiers posted there. In addition to the Intelligence Bureau, the Research and Analysis Wing and the National Intelligence Agency, the uniformed forces  – the Army, the Border Security Force, the Central Reserve Police Force (and of course the Jammu and Kashmir Police) each does its own intelligence gathering. People live in terror of informers, double agents and triple agents who could be anybody from old school friends to family members. Under these circumstances, an attack on the scale of what happened in Pulwama is more than just shocking. As one pithy Twitter commentator put it, (she was referring to the increasingly popular Hindu vigilante practice in North India, of tracking down and lynching Muslims accused of killing cows), how is it that the BJP “can trace 3 kg of beef but cannot trace 350 kg of RDX”?

Who knows?

After the attack, the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir called it the result of “an intelligence failure”. A few intrepid media portals reported the fact that the Jammu and Kashmir Police had indeed raised an urgent alert about a possible attack. Nobody in the media seems overly worried about why the warning was ignored, and where, in the chain of command, the breach took place.

Tragic as it was, the Pulwama attack came as a perfect political opportunity for Narendra Modi to do what he does best—grandstand. Many of us who had predicted months ago that a BJP that was losing its political footing would call down a fireball from the skies just before elections, watched with horror as our prediction came true. And we watched the Ruling Party adroitly parley the Pulwama tragedy into petty, political advantage.

In the immediate aftermath of the Pulwama Attack, as enraged mobs attacked Kashmiris who worked and studied in mainland India, Modi kept dead quiet and reacted only after the Supreme Court said it was the Government’s duty to protect them. But after the air strikes he was quick to appear on TV to take credit, sounding for all the world as though he had personally flown the planes and dropped the bombs. Immediately India’s roughly four hundred 24/7 news channels, most of them unapologetically partisan, set about amplifying this performance with their own personal “inputs”. Using old videos and fake facts, their screaming anchors masquerading as frontline commandos, orchestrated an orgy of crazed, triumphalist nationalism, in which they claimed the air strikes had destroyed a Jaish-e-Mohammad “terror factory” and killed more than three hundred “terrorists”. The next morning, even the most sober national newspapers followed suit with ridiculous, embarrassing headlines. The IndianExpress said: “India Strikes Terror, Deep in Pakistan.” Meanwhile Reuters, which sent a journalist to the site in Pakistan where the bombs had actually fallen, reported only damage to trees and rocks and injuries sustained by one villager. The Associated Press reported something similar. The New York Timessaid “Analysts and diplomats in New Delhi said the targets of the Indian airstrikes were unclear, as any terrorist groups operating along the border would have cleared out in recent days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India vowed retaliation over the Kashmir attack.”

The mainstream Indian media did not carry the Reuters report. So, for the bulk of India’s voting people who don’t read the New York Times, their prime minister—with his famous 56” chest—had dismantled terrorism forever.

For the moment at least, it looked as though Modi had completely out-maneuvered his political opponents, who were reduced to tweeting in praise of India’s brave pilots. Meanwhile he and his men were out electioneering. Doubters and dissenters were terrorized by Hindutva trolls, charged with being anti-national, or just debilitated by the fear of the on-call lynch mob that seems to lurk at every street corner in North India.

But things can change in a day. The sheen of false victory faded quickly after Pakistan struck back, shot down a fighter plane and captured a pilot of the Indian Air Force—Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. Once again, the BJP’s see-sawing electoral prospects have begun to look distinctly less rosy.

Leaving aside the business of electoral politics and the question of who will win the next elections, Modi’s actions are unforgivable. He has jeopardized the lives of more than a billion people and brought the war in Kashmir to the doorsteps of ordinary Indians. The madness on television, fed to people like an IV drip morning, noon and night, asks people to lay aside their woes, their joblessness, their hunger, the closing down of their small businesses, the looming threat of eviction from their homes, their demands that there be an enquiry into the mysterious deaths of judges, as well as into what looks like the biggest, most corrupt Defense deal in the history of India, their worries that if they are Muslim, Dalit or Christian they could be attacked or killed—and instead vote, in the name of national pride, for the very people that have brought about this devastation.

This government has wounded India’s soul so very deeply. It will take years for us to heal. For that process to even begin, we must vote to remove these dangerous, spectacle-hungry charlatans from office.

We cannot afford to have a prime minister who, on a whim has broken the back of the economy of a country of a billion people by declaring overnight, without consulting anybody that 80 percent of a country’s currency is no longer legal tender. Who in history has ever, done this? We cannot have a prime minister of a nuclear power who continues to shoot for a movie about himself in a National Park while a huge crisis befalls the country and then airily declares that he has left the decision of what to do next to the “Sena”— the Army. Which democratically elected leader in history, has ever done this?

Modi has to go. The quarrelsome, divided, unstable Coalition government that might come in his place is not a problem. It is the very essence of democracy. It will be far more intelligent and far less foolhardy.

There remains the matter of the captured Wing Commander. Whatever anybody’s opinion of him, and whatever Pakistan’s role has been in the Kashmir conflict, Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan has acted with dignity and rectitude throughout this crisis. The Indian government was right to demand that Varthaman be accorded all the rights that the Geneva Convention accords a Prisoner of War. It was right to demand that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) be given access to him while he was in Pakistan’s custody. Today Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that, as a gesture of good will, the Wing Commander will be released.

Perhaps India can offer the same courtesy to its political prisoners in Kashmir and the rest of the country: protection of their rights under the Geneva Convention, and access to the ICRC?

The war that we are in the middle of, is not a war between India and Pakistan. It is a war that is being fought in Kashmir which expanded into the beginnings of yet another war between India and Pakistan. Kashmir is the real theatre of unspeakable violence and moral corrosion that can spin us into violence and nuclear war at any moment. To prevent that from happening, the conflict in Kashmir has to be addressed and resolved. That can only be done if Kashmiris are given a chance to freely and fearlessly tell the world what they are fighting for and what they really want.

Dear World, find a way.

In 2020, America might finally elect its first female commander in chief. And with her could come the nation’s first first gentleman. 

In an already crowded field of Democrats seeking to challenge President Donald Trump, several women are among the leading candidates: Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) ― each of whom would bring along a husband to run the East Wing of the White House.

When it comes to the role of first spouse ― or first lady until now ― there are no legal parameters, according to experts. But there are still certain expectations of the activities those in that role have taken on ― and much of these have fallen along traditional gender lines.

“The primary role is social hostess: decorating the White House, holding events when foreign diplomats are here, giving tours,” said Jean Wahl Harris, a political science professor at the University of Scranton, who has studied the role of the first lady for nearly two decades. “Many of the expectations are very gendered, not things we would expect men to do, like hostessing ― but I think the expectations for the [male] spouse are not going to be the same.”

First ladies in the past have orchestrated official events, working with the White House social secretary, chefs and florists to do so. As White House custodian, each first lady has also chosen a set of china and rearranged the interior decor. They’re expected to travel abroad to represent the presidency to foreign governments, and at home, to choose a cause ― usually something noncontroversial, such as nutrition and exercise in Michelle Obama’s case.

“That will be the change: If they [first gentlemen] choose to keep their career,” said Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush from 2005 to 2009 and now directs programming on the legacies of America’s first ladies at the Center for Presidential Studies at American University.

Until now, no first lady has kept her job once her husband reached the White House ― even when that meant leaving behind a hard-built career, like Obama who left a leadership position at the University of Chicago medical center to enter the White House. Any future first gentleman keeping their job would mean juggling work with first spouse duties, and could also pose a challenge to ensure there are no conflicts of interest with their private sector work.

HuffPost reached out to Harris, Gillibrand and Warren’s campaigns, which did not comment for this story. 

Another question is whether the first gentleman would bear the same intense scrutiny by the public and media, particularly of their fashion choices, as first ladies always have.

“That will be the most interesting thing,” McBride said. “That conversation will go away for the [male] spouse, but I bet it will not go away for the [female] president,” she guessed.

Exactly how America’s first male presidential spouse may adapt to the role remains to be seen.

“It has been a very gendered role, so will having a ‘first man’ really change the expectations?” wondered the professor, Jean Wahl Harris. “We may not expect as much from him ... but I hope I’m wrong.”

Here’s what you need to know about the men who may become America’s first first gentleman.

Bruce Mann, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Husband

His job: Mann, 68, is a law professor at Harvard Law School, teaching American legal history and property, according to his bio on Harvard’s website. This spring semester, he is teaching a legal U.S. history course covering 18th to 19th century America, including the impact of the American Revolution on the law and crime and changing legal definitions of slavery and freedom.

Where he lives: Mann and Warren live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with their golden retriever Bailey ― whom Mann convinced Warren to get last summer, saying, “The heart wants what the heart wants.”

Where he grew up: Mann is from Massachusetts.

How he and the senator first met: Mann and Warren met in the late 1970s at a law conference in Florida, the Boston Globe reported. At the time, Warren was a single mom with two kids who had divorced from her first husband. After she proposed to Mann in a classroom after seeing him teach, they got hitched in July 1980, and have been married for nearly 39 years.

How he’s supported his wife in her political career: Warren has called Mann her “best friend, biggest supporter” and love of her life. Early on, he supported Warren’s career as a professor, giving up a job in Connecticut to move in with her and her kids in Houston, Texas, and later commuting from Philadelphia to their home in Cambridge on weekends, when Warren got tenure at Harvard before he did. “He did it all,” Warren told the Globe. “Bruce flew back and forth and back and forth.”Since Warren’s been a senator, Mann has become a fixture in her Instagram, and lately he’s been on the campaign trail or sending her cute pics of their dog Bailey when she’s off stumping without him.

Fun fact: Warren calls Mann her “sweetie.”

Best guess at the cause he’d choose as first gentleman: As a decades-long professor, Mann could become a champion for U.S. education and improving access to higher education.

Most likely domestic household initiative he’ll take on: As someone who offered his wife a newly installed and organized hallway closet for their anniversary, Mann would likely be a good steward of the White House’s interior decor. Combined with his affinity for U.S. history, he may choose to switch up some of the busts and portraits in the storied halls, and may enjoy giving White House tours to visiting students.

How he might decorate the White House for Christmas: In black and white, matching one of their favorite films, Casablanca, which Mann and Warrenwatch every New Year’s Eve together.

What designer he should wear to the Inaugural Ball: While it may be hard to get Mann out of his apparent favorite fashion staple, the quarter-zipsweater, our bets are that for the inaugural ball he’d sport a traditional suit by a U.S.-based designer.

Score 1-10 as an Instagram husband: 8/10 ― Mann gets a high score for his regular appearances in Warren’s Instagram posts, including casually passing on her offer for a beer during an Instagram live video: “I’ll pass on a beer for now,” he said. “Enjoy your beer.” However, he gets docked a couple of points for not having an Instagram of his own dedicated to highlighting Warren’s accomplishments or their occasionallymatchingoutfits.

Douglas Emhoff, Sen. Kamala Harris’ Husband

His job: Emhoff, 54, is a “dad, hubby, lawyer, wannabe golfer,” according to his Twitter account. He is currently a partner at DLA Piper law firm focused on intellectual property litigation. According to his bio on the site, he’s passionate about legal aid, human rights, social justice and the well-being of children. He has two college-aged children, Cole and Ella, from a previous marriage, and when he’s not working on a case or supporting his wife on the campaign trail, he can be found golfing, maintaining his fantasy football team or helping his wife in the kitchen, Vogue reported.

Where he lives: Emhoff and Harris moved to Brentwood, California, shortly after they were married.  

Where he grew up: Emhoff was born in New York. He moved to California to study law at the University of Southern California ― a lucky move, as it was in the Golden State that he later met the woman who could become Madam President.

How he and the senator first met: Harris and her future hubby met on a blind date set up by one of her friends. They got engaged on March 27, 2014, with Emhoff dropping to one knee in Harris’ San Francisco apartment and presenting her with a diamond and platinum engagement ring. (Spoiler: she said yes). The couple had an intimate wedding that August at a Santa Barbara Courthouse, where Harris’ sister, Maya Harris West, officiated and they honored Emhoff’s Jewish heritage by breaking a glass after the “I do’s.” Mazel tov!

How he’s supported his wife in her political career: Though Emhoff is typically out of the public eye, he is his wife’s biggest fan and shows it with a social media presence largely comprised of tweets about and retweets of Harris’ platform and accolades. Emhoff will likely continue to be Harris’ main cheerleader as she takes on Trump and maybe takes the White House.

Fun fact: Emhoff’s aforementioned fantasy football team is named “Nirvana” after the band. Sounds like someone has a go-to karaoke song in his back pocket...

Best guess at the cause he’d choose as first gentleman: According to his bio for his law firm, Emhoff is passionate about many charitable causes, including those that impact the well-being of children. Emhoff may focus on education, the foster care system, children’s hospitals or any other area that would promote the well-being of America’s future generations.

Most likely domestic household initiative he’ll take on: Harris spends a great deal of time in the kitchen planning meals and menus, but as the potential leader of the free world, her plate is likely going to be too full to continue to be a master chef. So First Gentleman Emhoff will have to graduate from “sous chef” and make sure the White House kitchen is preparing all of Kamala’s favorite comfort foods exactly the way wifey would make it.

How he might decorate the White House for Christmas: Emhoff and Harris post holiday cards to her Instagram page every Christmas. His decor style is likely traditional and welcoming, just like the cards ― think classic golds, greens and reds on the tallest pine trees in every corner and crevice. Emhoff is Jewish, so it would make sense for him to use the holidays as an opportunity to pay homage to his heritage and holiday celebrations across cultures. The Harris White House in December would likely be a spot of multicultural celebration.

What designer he should wear to the Inaugural Ball: Emhoff tends to favor a simple blue button up and jacket in most photographs of the couple out and about, so he’d likely go for a designer who can keep things simple and comfortable, yet chic ― perhaps Chanel for a classic, sophisticated look. We’d have them know that the man also looks great in a bowtie.

Score 1-10 as an Instagram husband: Unfortunately, Emhoff doesn’t seem to have an Instagram account of his own, but his presence on his wife’s page is a 10 out of 10. Not only is he a perfect selfie partner, posing for date night pics and holiday photos that could be in a Hallmark card, but he’s also comfortable behind the camera, snapping pics of his wife on the road and on TV. He’s her personal paparazzi.

Jonathan Gillibrand, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s Husband

His job: Jonathan Gillibrand, 50, is a business consultant. Sen. Gillibrand told New York Family in 2013 that, over the course of their marriage, Jonathan has held “different jobs and [had] different levels of flexibility.”

Where he lives: In 2011, the Gillibrands purchased a house in Brunswick, New York near Sen. Gillibrand’s family, which remains their primary residence.

Where he grew up: Jonathan is a Brit! He grew up in the United Kingdom and came to the United States to study abroad at Columbia University and get his MBA. He only planned to stay for a year, but then he met Kirsten.

How he and the senator first met: The Gillibrands met on a blind date while Jonathan was studying in New York City at Columbia University. At the time, Sen. Gillibrand was a lawyer in the city. “I thought he was one of the nicest and kindest people I’d ever met,” the senator told Vogue in 2010, describing her first date with her future husband. “That’s what charmed me.” Their second date involved going to mass together at St. Ignatius, on the Upper East Side.

How he’s supported his wife in her political career: Sen. Gillibrand has long maintained that her husband is incredibly supportive of her political ambitions. She told New York Family that Jonathan “really believes in what [she’s] doing in Washington,” adding that he once told her: “As long as you’re making a difference, as long as you’re helping people, this is something we’re going to do. And the day that you’re not is the day we’re not going to do it!” However, the senator told Vogue that the one part of the job her husband has trouble with is when she gets publicly attacked. “He gets very upset,” she said.

Fun fact: Jonathan proposed using a snowball with a ring in it, which Sen. Gillibrand almost threw at a squirrel instead of opening it up.

Best guess at the cause he’d choose as first gentleman: As a business consultant, perhaps he could focus on pushing comprehensive financial education for young people.

Most likely domestic household initiative he’ll take on: As a British national, Jonathan could be instrumental in helping to host foreign events for dignitaries and build bridges between the U.S. and its allies. (Also… the china. He’s gotta pick out the White House china.)

How he might decorate the White House for Christmas: Unclear exactly what his decorating style would be ― maybe a simple red and white plaid motif? ― but we think he’d definitely want pints of Guinness served at the White House Christmas Party.  

What designer he should wear to the Inaugural Ball: Jonathan seems to favor simple button-ups and sweaters, but we’re sure he would dress it up for an inaugural ball. The real question is, would he favor a designer from his native U.K. or an American designer, like Tom Ford? It seems likely that he’d go full American patriot for the occasion, just as American Meghan Markle chose a British designer for her royal wedding gown.

Score 1-10 as an Instagram husband: 7/10 ― Jonathan is a fairly private person, but he seems pretty game to show up for photos with his wifeand kids (Theodore Ignatius and Henry Nelson). These Insta appearances are especially frequent during the holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween, or on special occasions, like Sen. Gillibrand’s birthday.

Israel’s attorney general on Thursday announced he will indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges, local mediareported.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said he planned to charge Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. All charges are subject to a hearing, which will likely take place after a snap election to be held in April. 

Police investigators recommended prosecuting Netanyahu on several counts last year, setting up months of public speculation over when Mandelblit would announce the charges. The indictment is now likely to be a focal point of the campaign as Netanyahu vies for a fifth term in office. 

Netanyahu’s Likud party unsuccessfully staged a last-ditch effort to protect him, petitioning the high court earlier Thursday to block Mandelblit’s announcement. 

“Don’t believe all the spin. I intend to serve you as a prime minister for many more years,” Netanyahu said at a news conference later on Thursday, imploring voters to head to the polls in April. “It’s up to you. It’s not up to the civil servants. It’s not up to the television studios. It’s not up to the pundits and journalists. It’s only up to you.”

Netanyahu has survived multiple scandals over his decades in Israeli politics ― ranging from publicly admitting to an extramarital affair on the evening news to dealing with graft and bribery allegations ― but has never before faced an official indictment. Although corruption and graft charges are not unusual in Israeli politics, the country has also never had a sitting prime minister convicted of a crime.

Police investigated Netanyahu in three separate cases. The first case accuses Netanyahu of improperly accepting about $270,000 in luxury gifts, such as cigars and jewelry, from billionaires James Packer and Arnon Milchan. Netanyahu allegedly helped Milchan with tax exemptions and other favors. In another case, police believe Netanyahu tried to make a deal to get favorable press coverage in one of Israel’s biggest newspapers in exchange for damaging a rival publication. The third case also concerns Netanyahu allegedly trying to engineer positive press ― this time pushing through regulatory decisions to benefit the country’s biggest telecommunications company, Bezeq, which owns a popular Israeli website.

The corruption investigation into Netanyahu’s suspected dealings began in 2016, but intensified when the prime minister’s former chief of staff Ari Harow began cooperating with investigators in the summer of 2017 in a bid to avoid jail time. Israeli police made multiple recommendations last year to indict Netanyahu, saying that there was sufficient evidence to charge him. Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, was also indicted on fraud charges last year for misusing $100,000 in state funds in a separate case.

Netanyahu has gone to great lengths to characterize the allegations against him as a “witch hunt” from “the left and the media” intended to force him out of office. He’s asked to publicly confront the state’s witnesses against him, called the allegations a “joke” and claimed that announcing the indictments before an election would be unfairly damaging to his campaign. Earlier this year, he gave a nationally televised address to dispute the allegations and again cast himself as the victim of a political plot.

Although Netanyahu dismissed the investigations, he also tried to bargain with the attorney general and requested in mid-January that any indictment announcement be delayed until after the election. Israeli law does not require a prime minister to step down even if they are indicted, however, and Netanyahu made it clear that he would attempt to remain in power even as he contested the charges against him.

Prior to the charges, Netanyahu was widely expected to win re-election in April’s vote, but fall far short of the numbers needed for majority rule. In previous months he was able to maintain a shaky coalition government between his Likud party and allies made up of far-right and religious parties. If Netanyahu does manage to win in April and successfully form a government, he stands to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

Netanyahu is one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest defenders abroad, touting the president’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in his campaign videos and offering support for Trump’s border wall with Mexico.

The story has been updated with comment from Netanyahu’s news conference.

Michael Cohen told a congressional committee on Wednesday that his former boss, President Donald Trump, is a con man and racist who regularly lied to the American people.

The attorney, who once served as Trump’s right-hand man, appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday in a widely publicized hearing. In his opening remarks, Cohen said Trump indirectly told him to lie about his involvement in a real estate project in Moscow

Read Cohen’s opening statement in full here.

“In conversations we had during the campaign, at the same time I was actively negotiating in Russia for him, he would look me in the eye and tell me there’s no business in Russia and then go out and lie to the American people by saying the same thing,” Cohen testified. “In his way, he was telling me to lie.”

Cohen noted that Trump asked “at least a half-dozen times” during the campaign, “‘How’s it going in Russia?’ — referring to the Moscow Tower project.”

Cohen pleaded guilty last year as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying he lied to Congress about the extent of his conversations with a Russian real estate company during the campaign as part of the Trump Tower project. He also pleaded guilty to using campaign funds to silence two women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Trump. He has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Cohen’s testimony, expected to continue through most of the day, represents a complete and dramatic break with his longtime employer, outlining a long history of dirty tactics used by Trump during his real estate career and in his bid to become president. Among other revelations, Cohen said Trump had been directly told by his longtime friend Roger Stone that WikiLeaks was preparing to release damaging information about Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic rival in the presidential race.

“Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that, within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign,” Cohen said in his opening statement. “Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect, ‘Wouldn’t that be great.’”

Stone has denied the conversation happened, but was recently indicted on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction of an official proceeding.

Cohen provided several documents to back up his remarks, including a copy of a check signed by Trump to reimburse him for the hush money payments. Cohen said the document was signed after Trump became president.

CNN reportedly obtained a copy of the check, made out to Cohen for the amount of $35,000. It’s dated Aug. 1, 2017, and appears to bear Trump’s signature.

“For those who question my motives for being here today, I understand,” Cohen testified. “I have lied, but I am not a liar. I have done bad things, but I am not a bad man. I have fixed things, but I am no longer your ‘fixer,’ Mr. Trump.”

Early Wednesday, from Vietnam, Trump posted a tweet to disparage his former fixer:

Wednesday’s testimony is taking place at the same time Trump is having dinner with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam. The pair are holding their second summit to discuss Pyongyang’s nuclear program, although it’s unclear what sort of compromises the White House would be able to wrangle.

Cohen’s testimony is proving divisive in Washington. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) drew fire after obliquely threatening Tuesday to reveal damaging information about the lawyer.

“Hey @MichaelCohen212 - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat,” Gaetz wrote on Twitter. “I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot.”

The comment sparked outrage, with former government ethics officials saying it amounted to witness tampering ahead of what’s sure to be an explosive hearing. Gaetz later deleted the tweet.

Hayley Miller contributed reporting.

This article has been updated with Cohen’s opening statement to the committee.

Cardinal George Pell, once one of the highest-ranking members of the Vatican, was convicted of multiple counts of child sexual abuse during a trial in Australia in December, becoming the most senior figure in the Catholic Church to be found guilty of such crimes.

Pell, 77, was found guilty of five counts of historical sexual offenses related to the sexual abuse of two choirboys in 1996 and 1997, shortly after he was made the archbishop of Melbourne. A jury reached the verdict in December, but the media was barred from reporting on the news because of a court-imposed gag order.

He will be sentenced on Wednesday and is expected to serve prison time. He faces a maximum sentence of 50 years, according to The Associated Press.

The cardinal was once the third-most-powerful figure in the Catholic Church, serving as the de facto finance chief, and was close with Pope Francis. Pell was removed from his role as one of the pope’s advisers in December after the verdict was reached.

The media has been prohibited from covering the trial because of a sweeping suppression order meant to maintain the integrity of criminal trials in Australia. The orders are relatively common in the country, and news organizations that break them can be subject to heavy fines and jail time.

The Washington Post was among the first to report the conviction in December but other American outlets, including HuffPost, could not do the same because they have staff in Australia. A similar story was first published by The Daily Beast, but the outlet geo-blocked the report in Australia in an attempt to comply with the gag order.

“We understood there could be legal, and even criminal, consequences if we ran this story,” Noah Shachtman, the editor of The Daily Beast, said at the time. “But ultimately, this was an easy call. You’ve got a top Vatican official convicted of a horrific crime. That’s major, major news. The public deserves to know about it.”

This is a developing story, check back for updates.