Elon Musk endorsed the German far-right party Alternative for Germany ahead of the country’s snap election, sparking criticism as the tech billionaire continues to throw support behind far-right leaders. “Only the AfD can save Germany,” Musk wrote on X. While mainstream German leaders warn of giving power to an extremist right-wing party, Musk has previously expressed support. “Why is there such a negative reaction from some about AfD?” he wrote on X in June. “They keep saying ‘far right,’ but the policies of AfD that I’ve read about don’t sound extremist. Maybe I’m missing something.” While the conservative alliance is expected to handily win the election with 31 percent of the vote, AfD is currently polling in second place at 19 percent, setting it up to potentially be the largest opposition party in parliament. Musk, who gave Trump around a quarter-billion dollars to support his campaign, is reportedly expected to give the U.K.’s Reform Party leader Nigel Farage $100 million. He wouldn’t be able to do the same for AfD because of EU limits on what non-EU residents can donate, but leaders still worry about his possible influence.

Party City will soon be no more. The iconic party store’s CEO announced Friday it was going out of business and is closing its approximately 850 stores that are dotted across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The executive, Barry Litwin, told corporate staffers their jobs were being axed immediately and that Friday was their final day of employment. “That is without question the most difficult message that I’ve ever had to deliver,” he said, according to a CNN report. Litwin, who has been in the job for four months, said he did “everything possible” to save the company but his efforts ultimately fell short. Party City has been in financial peril for years, having declared bankruptcy in Jan. 2023 as it struggled to pay off its $1.7 billion debt load. CNN reported the company struggled to contend with e-commerce competitors like Amazon and was “hurt” by a recent helium shortage that impacted its crucial balloon business. Party City is the largest party supply store in the states, having employed 6,400 full-time and 10,100 part-time workers as of 2021.

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Bissell is known for its grime-busting devices, and the Steam Shot OmniReach delivers more unbelievable portable cleaning power just in time for holiday hosting. This handheld device blasts steam to break down even tough stains. Think stovetops, bathroom soap scum, outdoor furniture: wherever your toughest stains live, your Bissell will ensure cleaning is the easiest thing to check off your holiday list.

The 16-foot cord means you’ll have maneuverability without worrying about battery life. The tank holds over six ounces of water, minimizing the number of times you’ll need to refill. The ten included specialty cleaning tools–multiple included brush heads and scrapers–will help you bust stains of any size, depth, and (nearly any) surface. And that’s everything you need! The steam-powered cleaning doesn’t require any additional soaps or solvents to sanitize–perfect for households with pets or infants. With just the 100-watt steam power, up to 99.9 percent* of germs are killed.

Steam Shot™ OmniReach™

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If you’re the type of person who loves watching grout deep-cleaning videos on Instagram, but hasn’t touched your own on tiles in a decade, this product will bring out your inner cleanfluencer. The fabric steamer, window cleaner tool, and extension wand will have you looking around your home thinking, “What else can I steam?”

*Kills 99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella aerogenes, and Aspergillus niger when used as directed. Testing conducted in a third-party laboratory under controlled conditions. Results may vary.

Soul singer Joss Stone announced she’s expecting her fourth child, just weeks after adopting. “Honestly. Shocked was an understatement,” she captioned her announcement post on Instagram. “Nothing and no one can take our joy now. We are so chuffed!!!!” She added that she should rename her upcoming tour “the preggo tour.” Stone and husband Cody DaLuz adopted their son, Bear, in late November. “This is what happened to us last Monday,” Stone shared on Instagram on Dec. 2. “We can not quite believe it. We are in love big time with this little guy.” Stone has previously spoken out about how she and her husband “have wanted to adopt for so long.” The Masked Singer UK winner and DaLuz married in 2022 and are also parents to Violet, 3, and Shackleton, 2. Stone, 37, first rose to prominence in the early 2000s with successful R&B and soul albums.

At least 35 children were killed and six others critically injured when a stampede broke out at a Christmas fair on Wednesday in southwest Nigeria. What was supposed to be a fun occasion turned tragic after thousands of children and their parents showed for a chance to receive N5,000 (around $3.20) promised to the first 5,000 kids by the event’s organizers. According to the Africa Report, a local radio station urged more people not to attend the event out of safety concerns. “The organizers of the event also did all they [could] to ensure that the tragedy was curtailed by deploying security apparatus, medical officials, and other relevant agencies to come to the aid of those affected by this tragic event,” the radio station said in a statement. State governor Seyi Makinde added in a statement that the event’s organizers were arrested on the scene when security forces arrived. “We have taken steps to ensure no further deaths are recorded at this venue by deploying security agents to restore order at the venue,” the governor said on X. One parent added, “I shouldn’t have come. My child is dead.”

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved smoothies, but they were something I only enjoyed once in a while. So, five years ago, I asked for a Nutribullet blender for the holidays, and I’ve probably averaged 350 smoothies a year ever since. They’ve become part of my morning routine, and starting my day with fruit, veggies, and protein feels fantastic. What I don’t love is the clean-up. Plus, when I travel, I have to give up my smoothie fix (which is why I’m at 350 smoothies a year and not 365). Enter the Nutribullet Flip, an insulated portable blender. The size is just right for making my morning smoothie—wherever I am.

Nutribullet Flip Insulated Portable Blender

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The portable blender is incredible for mornings when I’m in a time crunch and just need to get out the door. Plus, I can easily pack it on road trips. Best of all, I just put a little soap and water in it and press the blend button to clean it. Viola! Charging the Flip is easy, as it uses a USB-C port, and the insulated, stainless steel tumbler can keep smoothies cold for 24 hours, making it easy to blend and go (or go and blend later). I didn’t really think my smoothie habit could get much more efficient, but the simplicity of this mini blender has saved me some serious time during my morning routine. Now, I can have smoothies 365 days out of the year.

Veteran tech reporter Kara Swisher is trying to put together a team of wealthy investors to buy The Washington Post from billionaire Jeff Bezos, Axios reports. Bezos hasn’t indicated any interest in or willingness to sell, but Swisher is apparently hoping the storied paper has become enough of a headache that he will entertain offers. The Amazon founder and chief executive has come under fire recently for attempting to curry favor with President-elect Donald Trump. During the presidential election, he killed the Post editorial board’s planned endorsement of Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. After Trump won re-election, Bezos donated $1 million to his inaugural fund and joined him for dinner at his private Mar-a-Lago club. Critics say it’s all part of an attempt to bolster Bezos’ other business interests, including his space tech company, creating a conflict of interest with the paper. Budgetary and management issues have also reportedly led to turmoil at the Post. “The Post can do better,” Swisher told Axios. “It’s so maddening to see what’s happening.” A banker has been helping her come up with a plan to recruit a board of civic-minded investors who want to help increase revenues and re-energize the newsroom.

Spotify addressed Drake’s allegations that it “artificially inflated” streaming numbers for Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” in a statement Friday. Last month, the Canadian rapper accused Spotify and Universal Music Group, both his and Lamar’s label, of inflating streaming numbers for the hit song. He also accused UMG of defamation. “Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream ‘Not Like Us’ over any of Drake’s tracks,” the streaming giant said in a statement. It added that Spotify paid €500 to promote the song in France, which was disclosed in the ad. After filing a petition accusing UMG of conspiring with Spotify to boost the song, he filed a petition claiming that UMG was aware that the song “falsely” labeled him as a pedophile. A UMG spokesperson then slammed the accusations, saying: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue.” While Drake has not filed a lawsuit, his petitions are meant to elicit depositions from key executives to gather evidence for a future suit.

A flight attendant fell out of a plane while preparing for takeoff in the U.K. after the steps were taken away from the door, according to reports. The employee, working a TUI Airways flight at East Midlands Airport on Monday, opened the door to the plane and stepped out without realizing the steps were gone, according to Nottinghamshire Live. The attendant, who was identified as a woman by the outlet, “stepped into a void and fell.” Emergency services were called to the scene, and she was taken to the hospital, a spokesperson for the ambulance company said. Now, the incident is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigations Branch. “An accident which occurred at East Midlands Airport on Monday 16th December was notified to the AAIB,” a spokesperson told Nottinghamshire Live. “An investigation has been launched and inspectors have visited the airport to gather evidence and make enquiries to understand more about the circumstances.”

Authorities are looking into why a Boeing 737 flight overshot the runway upon landing at a Norwegian airport, leaving passengers terrified as the aircraft trundled toward a nearby shoreline and came to a stop less than 50 feet from the icy waves. A spokesperson for Norwegian Airlines has said there were roughly 165 passengers and six crew members on board the Oslo to Molde flight at the time, none of whom appear to have been injured when the incident took place on Thursday night. They added there had been strong winds in the area, and that the runway had likely been slippery due to icy conditions. It’s not the only time a hair-raising 737 flight has made headlines in recent weeks, with a Southwest Airlines aircraft hit by a bullet while taking off from Dallas Love Field Airport earlier in November.

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A new year offers a clean slate to make positive changes. For many, that change is re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol and taking part in the Dry January movement, which is no easy task. From work events to gatherings with friends, alcohol is a constant. The relaxation and social buzz a glass of wine or cocktail provides is hard to beat, but comes with consequences like headaches, anxiety, and upset stomach the next day. If you’re looking for a zero-proof alternative, you can have the best of both worlds with Happi.

This collection of THC seltzers provides a light buzz without the hangover. Happi’s beverages are all-natural, organic, non-GMO, alcohol-free, and only 20-50 calories a can. The THC used in Happi is Delta-9. Delta 9 is naturally derived from hemp and is known for its soothing and uplifting buzz.

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Happi designed its drinks to mimic the onset of a glass of wine or a beer, so you feel the effects right away—around 15 minutes and last about two hours.

There are many drinks to choose from, but the Raspberry Honeysuckle is a clear fan favorite. It’s bursting with a sweet-tart berry flavor and a hint of honeysuckle. With over 140 reviews, Raspberry Honeysuckle holds a 4.9 rating on Happi’s website. Plus, in 2024, it won Gold at the L.A. Spirits Awards. If you’re ready to enjoy a new type of Happi hour this season, look no further than these THC-powered seltzers.

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones on Friday sought to reassure viewers that Donald Trump’s feelings haven’t been hurt by Democrats’ taunts referring to Elon Musk as the real president-elect. Jones said he’d spoken to Trump at around 10 p.m. Thursday as Trump’s plan to avoid a government shutdown went up in flames—a failure which Trump blamed on members of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus who opposed raising the debt ceiling, according to Jones. “A lot of people are coming out there and saying that Elon Musk is the president-elect,” Jones added, referring to barbs made by Democrats who criticized Musk’s leading role in the death of an earlier bipartisan deal which would have avoided the shutdown threat. “The Democrats have to pick a talking point. Either Donald Trump is going to be a dictator on day one and run everything and ruin the infrastructure of the country, or he ceded his power to Elon Musk, it can’t be both.” Jones’ co-host Brian Kilmeade then asked: “The Musk thing didn’t bother the president right?” “No, it did not bother the president,” Jones answered, adding that Musk and his DOGE co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy are only “doing what the president wants them to do.”

Billy Bob Thornton isn’t interested in villain roles and he’s turned down two huge jobs to prove it, he revealed on a new episode of The Playlist’s “Bingeworthy” podcast. “I don’t have much interest in those kinds of roles,” Thornton said, before divulging two films in which he declined to be the “bad guy”— Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) and Mission: Impossible III (2006). “If you’re the bad guy in a big movie like that, audiences remember it forever,” he said on the podcast. But he also had other reasons. “With the Green Goblin, I didn’t feel like getting up at 4 a.m. for five or six hours of makeup,” he said, of the role that was ultimately played by Willem Dafoe. “And with Mission: Impossible III, I didn’t want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise,” he added, referencing the role of Owen Davian, which was played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Makeup and Tom Cruise aside, the veteran actor said he mostly wanted to avoid being typecast, saying on the show, “I prefer to keep things looser and less predictable.”