db 777 ATLANTA — Already reeling from their November defeats, Democrats grappled Monday with President Joe Biden's pardoning of his son for federal crimes, with some calling the move misguided and unwise after the party spent years slamming Donald Trump as a threat to democracy who disregarded the law. The president pardoned Hunter Biden late Sunday evening, reversing his previous pledges with a grant of clemency that covers more than a decade of federal crimes his son might have committed. The president said in a statement his son's prosecution on charges of tax evasion and falsifying a federal weapons purchase form were politically motivated. “He believes in the justice system, but he also believes that politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. She, along with Biden and other White House officials, insisted for months that Hunter Biden would not get a pardon. That explanation did not satisfy some Democrats, angry that Biden's reversal could make it harder to take on Trump, who argues that multiple indictments and a conviction against him were a matter of Biden and Democrats turning the justice system against him. "This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wrote of Biden on social media. "Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President's son." Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said on social media: "This wasn't a politically motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies and was convicted by a jury of his peers." Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet said Biden "put personal interest ahead of duty" with a decision that "further erodes Americans' faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all." Michigan Sen. Gary Peters said the pardon was "an improper use of power" that erodes faith in government and "emboldens others to bend justice to suit their interests." Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., called the pardon "understandable" if viewed only as the "action of a loving father." But Biden's status as "our nation's Chief Executive," the senator said, rendered the move "unwise." Certainly, the president has Democratic defenders who note Trump's use of presidential power to pardon a slew of his convicted aides, associates and friends, several for activities tied to Trump's campaign and first administration. "Trump pardoned Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, as well as his son-in-law's father, Charles Kushner — who he just appointed US ambassador to France," wrote prominent Democratic fundraiser Jon Cooper on social media. Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said there "is no standard for Donald Trump, and the highest standard for Democrats and Joe Biden." Harrison pointed to Trump's apparent plans to oust FBI Director Christopher Wray and replace him with loyalist Kash Patel and suggested the GOP's pursuit of Hunter Biden would not have ended without clemency. "Most people will see that Joe Biden did what was right," Harrison said. First lady Jill Biden said Monday from the White House, "Of course I support the pardon of my son." But Biden’s decision to go back on his word and issue a categorical pardon for his son was a surprise that wasn't all that surprising. Not to those who had witnessed the president’s shared anguish over his two sons after the boys survived a car crash that killed Biden's first wife and a daughter more than a half-century ago. Or to those who heard the president regularly lament the death of his older son, Beau, from cancer or voice concerns — largely in private — about Hunter’s sobriety and health after years of deep addiction. But by choosing to put his family first, the 82-year-old president — who had pledged to restore a fractured public’s trust in the nation’s institutions and respect for the rule of law — raised new questions about his already teetering legacy. Biden aides and allies were already resigned to the prospect of the president using his extraordinary power in the waning days of his presidency to ensure his son wouldn't see time behind bars, especially after Donald Trump's win. The president's supporters have long viewed Biden's commitment to his family as an asset overall, even if Hunter's personal conduct and tangled business dealings were seen as a persistent liability. Democrats already are facing the prospects of a Republican trifecta in Washington, with voters returning Trump to the White House and giving the GOP control of the House and Senate. Part of their argument against Trump and Republican leaders is expected to be that the president-elect is violating norms with his talk of taking retribution against his enemies. Before beating Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump faced his own legal troubles, including two cases that stemmed from his efforts to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Those cases, including Trump's sentencing after being convicted on New York state business fraud charges, have either been dismissed or indefinitely delayed since Trump's win on Nov. 5, forcing Democrats to recalibrate their approach to the president-elect. In June, President Biden firmly ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son, telling reporters as his son faced trial in the Delaware gun case: "I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him." As recently as Nov. 8, days after Trump's win, Jean-Pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for the younger Biden, saying: "We've been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no." Get local news delivered to your inbox!Topline President Joe Biden will issue more pardons before he leaves office, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday, a day after Biden’s surprise pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, as lawmakers and advocates make a final push for pardon requests as Biden’s term winds down—though Biden has remained mum about who could get clemency. Key Facts What To Watch For Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday they can expect more pardons before the end of Biden’s term on Jan. 20. Big Number 26. That’s the number of pardons Biden has issued since 2021, including his son Hunter Biden. In April, he pardoned 11 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses he said had shown a commitment to improving their lives. Key Background Biden announced Sunday he pardoned his son Hunter Biden for his felony convictions, claiming the Justice Department was politically motivated when it prosecuted him for a set of tax and gun charges. Biden announced the decision despite saying previously he would not pardon his son. Hunter Biden was set to be sentenced later this month on charges of lying on the federal paperwork required to purchase a gun by saying he was not a drug user and for failing to pay over $1 million in taxes on time. In announcing the decision, Biden said it is extremely rare for the Justice Department to bring charges for lying on the gun form. The president also claimed the DOJ doesn’t typically prosecute people who “were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties,” referencing Hunter Biden’s well-documented addiction to crack cocaine at the time. The pardon prohibits the federal government from prosecuting the younger Biden for any alleged offenses that have occurred since the start of 2014, in addition to clearing his record of the felony tax and gun charges. The decision drew bipartisan blowback , including from Trump, who called it “an abuse and miscarriage of Justice” in a Truth Social post. Further Reading Democrats Blast Hunter Biden’s Pardon: Here’s How Both Sides—And Trump—Are Reacting (Forbes) Joe Biden Pardons His Son Hunter For Felonies (Forbes) Trump Teases Jan. 6 Rioter Pardons After Biden Pardons His Son—Here’s Who Else Trump Might Pardon (Forbes)

The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Related video above: Matt Gaetz withdraws attorney general nomination The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers only have a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison.House Republicans Reject Release Of Matt Gaetz's Ethics Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's dedication to democratic principles and non-expansionism, emphasizing cooperation over conflict during a parliamentary address in Guyana. With growing global concerns, especially regarding China's territorial ambitions, Modi highlighted the importance of tackling issues like terrorism, drugs, and cybercrime collectively. He championed for the Global South's unified voice, emphasizing that India's foreign policy is rooted in trust and transparency, and urged for cooperation in tackling climate change impacts. (With inputs from agencies.)LL Cool J isn't waiting until he passes to smell the roses -- he's ordered himself a bouquet of Hip Hop flowers and the little card reads, "HE'S THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!" That was the DEFinitive statement when LL recently sat with Apple Music's "Le Code" podcast where he put his legacy in stone ... "I’m going to say this humbly, but I really mean this ... I think one day people are going to wake up and realize that LL Cool J is the most important rapper that ever existed. I truly believe one day people are going to say that." He colorfully continued to make his case using an array of bejeweled metaphors, but LL spit his brightest gems reminding fans of the game-changers he contributed to Hip Hop culture. “They’re gonna say when it comes to the love songs, they’re gonna say, ‘This is the guy that introduced the love songs and all the love sh*t.’ "When it comes to the G.O.A.T terminology, they gon’ say, ‘This is the guy who came up with all the G.O.A.T stuff,’ I could go on and on and on." Before everyone goes all scorched earth on LL, just know he's probably been rocking the bells before most of today's streaming audience was even born. His first album, 1985's "Radio," was Def Jam's first LP ... and his 2000 album, "G.O.A.T. featuring James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time" pretty much speaks for itself on where he's long seen his place in the game. We spoke to him in August after the release of his ( fourteenth!!! ) album "The Force" and he fiercely defended the work ethic it takes to be a successful rapper. Is LL Cool J The Greatest Rapper Ever? Most Definitely The G.O.A.T. Nope, He's Sniffin' Those Pink Cookies So we gotta ask ... is LL the 🐐 or nah?

SEOUL, Nov 22 — If you’ve ever binge-watched an entire season of a K-drama like “Squid Game” or “Crash Landing On You”, one Korean-American expert has good news: it’s likely improved your mental health. High production values, top-notch acting and attractive stars have helped propel South Korean TV shows to the top of global viewership charts, but therapist Jeanie Chang, says there are deeper reasons so many people are hooked. With soap-like plotlines that tackle everything from earth-shattering grief to the joy of new love, watching K-dramas can help people reconnect with their own emotions or process trauma, she says, giving the shows a healing power that transcends their cultural context. “We all have family pressures and expectations, conflict, trauma, hope,” she said, adding that watching heavy topics being successfully managed on screen can change people’s ability to navigate real-world challenges. For Chang, who was born in Seoul but raised in the United States, K-drama was particularly helpful in allowing her to reconnect with her roots—which she rejected as a child desperate to assimilate. But “the messages in Korean dramas are universal,” Chang said. “Mental health is how you’re feeling, how you relate to others, psychologically, how your brain has been impacted by things. That’s mental health. We see that in a Korean drama.” ‘Soften my heart’ Global K-drama viewership has exploded in the last few years, industry data shows, with many overseas viewers, especially in major markets like the United States, turning to Korean content during the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2022, viewership of Korean television and movies increased six-fold on Netflix, its data showed, and Korean series are now the most watched non-English content on the platform. American schoolteacher Jeanie Barry discovered K-drama via a family funeral, when a friend recommended a series — 2020’s “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”—she thought could help her after a difficult time. “There was something about it, the way that this culture deal with trauma, mental depression, just really struck a chord for me,” Barry, who had travelled to South Korea as part of a K-drama tour organised by therapist Chang, told AFP. “I started to grieve when I had not been. It was a lot of tears during that drama, but it also made me see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. Immediately hooked, Barry said she had watched 114 K-dramas since discovering the genre, and effectively given up watching English-language television. “They let me soften my heart,” she said. Fellow tour member and American Erin McCoy said she had struggled with depression since she was a teenager, but K-drama helped her manage her symptoms. With depression, “when you live with it that long, you’re just numb and so you don’t really feel bad necessarily but you don’t ever feel good either,” she said. “You just don’t feel anything,” she said, adding that K-drama allowed her to experience emotions again. “There’re so many highs and lows in every one of them, and as I felt the characters’ emotions, it just helped me relate to my own more,” she said. “I feel like I was able to express and experience emotion again.” Art therapy? The idea that a K-drama binge can help with mental health may seem far-fetched, but it chimes with decades-old psychotherapy ideas, one expert said. “Watching Korean dramas can be beneficial for anxiety and depression from the viewpoint of art therapy,” Im Su-geun, head of a psychiatry clinic in Seoul, told AFP. First used in the 1940s, art therapy initially involved patients drawing, but evolved to incorporate other artistic activities. “Visual media like Korean dramas have significant strengths that align well with psychotherapy,” he said. K-drama—or television and cinema generally—can help viewers “gain insights into situations from a new perspective, fostering healthy values and providing solutions to their issues,” he said. It is unlikely to be prescribed by a doctor, he said, but if a therapist were to recommend a specific drama that related to the patient’s case, it could be helpful. For example, it can provide a roadmap for patients “facing specific situations, such as breakups or loss,” he said. — AFPEl Dorado Hills tech company Blaize's SPAC merger comes to shareholder votes

PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FS KKR Capital Corp. (NYSE: FSK) today announced that it has completed its previously announced offering of an additional $100 million in aggregate principal amount of its 6.125% notes due 2030 (the "Notes"). The Notes will be a further issuance of, and form a single series with, the $600 million aggregate principal amount of 6.125% Notes due 2030 that FSK issued on November 20, 2024 , increasing the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the series to $700 million . BofA Securities, Inc., BMO Capital Markets Corp., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, KKR Capital Markets LLC, SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., and Truist Securities, Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers for this offering. FSK intends to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate purposes, including potentially repaying outstanding indebtedness under credit facilities and certain notes. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Notes, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About FS KKR Capital Corp. FSK is a leading publicly traded business development company (BDC) focused on providing customized credit solutions to private middle market U.S. companies. FSK seeks to invest primarily in the senior secured debt and, to a lesser extent, the subordinated debt of private middle market companies. FSK is advised by FS/KKR Advisor, LLC. About FS/KKR Advisor, LLC FS/KKR Advisor, LLC (FS/KKR) is a partnership between FS Investments and KKR Credit that serves as the investment adviser to FSK and other business development companies. FS Investments is a global alternative asset manager dedicated to delivering superior performance and innovative investment and capital solutions. The firm manages over $83 billion in assets for a wide range of clients, including institutional investors, financial professionals and individual investors. FS Investments provides access to a broad suite of alternative asset classes and strategies through its best-in-class investment teams and partners. With its diversified platform and flexible capital solutions, the firm is a valued partner to general partners, asset owners and portfolio companies. FS Investments is grounded in its high-performance culture and guided by its commitment to building value for its clients, investing in its colleagues and giving back to its communities. The firm has more than 500 employees across offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia and is headquartered in Philadelphia . KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. Forward-Looking Statements and Important Disclosure Notice This announcement may contain certain forward-looking statements, including statements with regard to future events or future performance or operations of FSK. Words such as "believes," "expects," "projects," and "future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Certain factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the economy, risks associated with possible disruption in FSK's operations or the economy generally due to terrorism, geo-political risks, natural disasters or pandemics such as COVID-19, future changes in laws or regulations and conditions in FSK's operating area and the price at which shares of FSK's common stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Some of these factors are enumerated in the filings FSK makes with the SEC. FSK undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Information: Investor Relations Contact Anna Kleinhenn Anna.Kleinhenn@fsinvestments.com FS Investments Media Team Melanie Hemmert Melanie.Hemmert@fsinvestments.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fsk-completes-public-offering-of-100-million-6-125-unsecured-notes-due-2030--302339667.html SOURCE FS Investments