Jessica Simpson Says Her First Marriage to Nick Lachey Was the ‘Biggest Money Mistake’

Lachey has said not having children with Simpson was 'probably the best thing'

Nearly a decade after Jessica Simpson and ex-husband Nick Lachey split, the fashion mogul is calling their three-year marriage a financial mistake.
“The biggest money mistakes? I don’t know. For some reason I thought of my first marriage,” Simpson said with a laugh when asked what were some of her biggest money mistakes – personal or business – that has helped her grow, during an appearance on CNBC’s Closing Bell on Thursday.
Host Kelly Evans replied, “That’s actually a common answer believe it or not.”
Since the pair called it quits, Simpson, 35, went on to have two children –daughter Maxwell Drew, 3, and son Ace Knute, 2 – with husband Eric Johnson.
Meanwhile, Lachey, 41, has two children – son Camden John, 2, and daughter Brooklyn Elisabeth, 8 months – with wife Vanessa Lachey.
In November, Lachey admitted it was “probably the best thing” that the former couple – whose lives at the time were also chronicled on their reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica – didn’t have kids together.
“There’s just no contact. We’ve both moved on with our lives, and I think we are very happy it went the way it went. It’s not animosity, it’s not friendship – it’s just kind of nothing,” Lachey explained on Dirty, Sexy, Funny with Jenny McCarthy on SiriusXM.
As for where Simpson sees herself in the next five to ten years?
“I always say I’m ready for another billion,” Simpson – whose clothing line, the Jessica Simpson Collection, is currently worth a cool $ 1 billion – shared.

How To Use Online Course Forums Effectively

Forums are often used in elearning as an easy way to allow learners to communicate with each other, discuss any questions they may have relating to the content, and interact with the instructor. Continue reading at.

Emilia Clarke Says Game of Thrones Isn’t Sexist

She says it "ultimately shows women are not only equal, but have a lot of strength"

Game of Thrones gets plenty of criticism for its depiction of women. But the most boss woman on the show—Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, or Khaleesi—says the hit HBO series isn’t sexist.
“Yet that’s what’s beautiful about Game of Thrones—its depiction of women in so many different stages of development,” Clarke told Entertainment Weekly. “So it pains me to hear people taking Thrones out of context with anti-feminist spin. It shows the range that happens to women, and ultimately shows women are not only equal, but have a lot of strength.”

Kasich Reassures Supporters as Aides Lay Out Convention Plans

Campaign plots convention upset

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and his top aides worked Monday evening to reassure supporters and potential delegates of the soundness of his position in the Republican race—and in a potential contested convention.
During an hour-long conference call after Kasich’s final town hall event in Wisconsin ahead of the state’s April 5 primary, the candidate addressed delegates and potential delegates to the GOP convention in Cleveland, as well as top donors and volunteers, to reassure them he has no intention of dropping out of the race. “I am going to continue to go forward,” Kasich said. He called reports that he’d be open to serving as anyone’s Vice President “the biggest joke in town.”
Kasich and his senior advisers maintain that the Republican race is heading for a contested convention—with no candidate having the 1,237 delegates required to win the nomination on the first ballot. They highlighted their efforts, led by veteran operatives Michael Biundo and Andrew Boucher, to woo delegates pledged to their rivals should that happen.
“Of the 10 Republican contested conventions, only three times did the front-runner become the Republican nominee,” Kasich said, adding that he hoped the delegates will consider who is the most electable candidate against Hillary Clinton in the fall if the convention vote goes to multiple ballots. “I am the only person who consistently beats Hillary Clinton,” he said. In surveys, Kasich is indeed consistently best-positioned in head-to-head match-ups with Clinton, while Donald Trump loses in reputable surveys and Ted Cruz polls significantly tighter with Clinton.
Former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu, a top Kasich adviser, added that a contested convention “is uncharted territory” in the modern era, and told supporters they would have a front row seat to history. “[Delegates] are going to be on television talking about how they are bound to Donald Trump on the first ballot, but why they don’t want to support him on a second or third ballot because Donald Trump loses in a general,” he said.
Sununu added that the campaign’s pitch to convention delegates wouldn’t just be about who could win the White House, but would also highlight the impact on down-ballot races if Trump or Cruz wins the nomination.
“This isn’t just about the presidency—it’s about controlling Congress as well,” he said.
“In New Hampshire… if Ted Cruz is at the top of the ticket, we will likely lose that Senate seat,” Sununu said, arguing that a Trump nomination would also imperil GOP-held Senate seats in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin. “If Ted Cruz or Donald Trump are at the top of the ticket, we will likely lose control of the U.S. Senate.” Other aides compared their rivals candidates to candidates who lost general elections by blowout margins, like Barry Goldwater and George McGovern.
Kasich strategist John Weaver argued that Cruz’s campaign, like Kasich’s, is unable to reach 1,237 delegates by the first ballot. Kasich would have to win all the remaining delegates and then some, while it’s mathematically possible for Cruz, but would require him winning about 90% of the remaining delegate—an improbable haul. “That’s only possible in fantasyland,” Sununu said.
Weaver said that with the race shifting toward the northeast, where Kasich is stronger, the media narrative will shift in his favor. “Give it another week-and-a-half or two weeks and it’ll change dramatically,” he said. Weaver added that the campaign is beginning advertising in New York state on Tuesday—three weeks out from the state’s April 19 primary, and would go up in Pennsylvania two weeks before its April 26 contest.
“We’re treating each of the campaigns coming up as if we were running for governor in those states,” Weaver said.
Fielding questions about Kasich’s tough path and plans to draw contrast with Cruz and Trump, Weaver noted that the GOP convention is set to take place in Cleveland—a city in Kasich’s home state in the midst of an urban renewal.
“The delegates will arrive to a fantastic city that’s on the rebound thanks in large part to the policies pushed through by Gov. Kasich over the last five years,” Weaver said. The campaign is planning to have “literally thousands and thousands of Kasich volunteers in the city” during the convention, he said.

FBI Unlocks San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone Without Apple’s Help

It's not clear how the FBI cracked the phone's security

(WASHINGTON) — The FBI said Monday it successfully used a mysterious technique without Apple Inc.’s help to hack into the iPhone used by a gunman in a mass shooting in California, effectively ending a pitched court battle between the Obama administration and one of the world’s leading technology companies.
The government asked a federal judge to vacate a disputed order forcing Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone, saying it was no longer necessary. The court filing in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California provided no details about how the FBI did it or who showed it how. Apple did not immediately comment on the development.
The brief court notice left important questions unanswered: Who showed the FBI how to break into iPhones? How did the government bypass the security features that Apple has invested millions of dollars to build into its flagship product? Are newer iPhones vulnerable to the same hacking technique? Will the FBI share its information with scores of state and local police agencies that said they also need to break into the iPhones of criminal suspects? Will the FBI reveal to Apple how it broke its security? Did the FBI find anything useful on the iPhone?
The surprise development also punctured the temporary perception that Apple’s security might have been good enough to keep consumers’ personal information safe even from the U.S. government — with the tremendous resources it can expend when it wants to uncover something.
The FBI used the technique to access data on an iPhone used by gunman Syed Farook, who died with his wife in a gun battle with police after they killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December. They’re currently reviewing the information on the phone, the Justice Department said in a statement.
U.S. magistrate Sheri Pym of California last month ordered Apple to provide the FBI with software to help it hack into Farook’s work-issued iPhone. The order touched off a debate pitting digital privacy rights against national security concerns.
Apple was headed for a courtroom showdown with the government last week, until federal prosecutors abruptly asked for a postponement so they could test a potential solution that was brought to them by a party outside of the U.S. government the previous weekend. Technical experts had said there might be a few ways an outsider could gain access to the phone, although the FBI had insisted repeatedly until then that only Apple had the ability to override the iPhone’s security. FBI Director James Comey said the bureau even went to the National Security Agency, which did not have the ability to get into the phone.
A law enforcement official said the FBI was successful in unlocking the iPhone over the weekend. The official spoke to reporters on a conference call on condition of anonymity because this person wasn’t authorized by the Justice Department to publicly comment. The official said federal law enforcement would continue to aid its local and state partners with gaining evidence in cases — implying that the method would be shared with them.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance testified before a U.S. House panel earlier this month that he has 205 iPhones his investigators can’t access data from in criminal investigations. And Apple is opposing requests to help extract information from 14 Apple devices in California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York.
The case drew international attention and highlighted a growing friction between governments and the tech industry. Government commissions have been formed to study the issue of encryption’s impact on law enforcement and lawmakers have also held hearings, discussing the issue, since the Feb. 16 order. Apple and other tech companies have said they feel increasing need to protect their customers’ data from hackers and unfriendly intruders, while police and other government authorities have warned that encryption and other data-protection measures are making it more difficult for investigators to track criminals and dangerous extremists.
The withdrawal of the court process also takes away Apple’s ability to legally request details on the method theFBI used in this case. Apple attorneys said last week that they hoped the government would share that information with them if it proved successful.
The encrypted phone was protected by a passcode that included security protocols: a time delay and self-destruct feature that erased the phone’s data after 10 tries. The two features made it impossible for the government to repeatedly and continuously test passcodes in what’s known as a brute-force attack. Comey said with those features removed, the FBI could break into the phone in 26 minutes.
The official said the method used to unlock the phone appears to work on the iPhone 5C operating a version of iOS 9. In late 2014, Apple updated its operating system so the passcode is linked to the phone’s overall encryption. The Cupertino-based company said that made it impossible for it to access data on the phone.
The Justice Department wouldn’t comment on any future disclosures of the method to Apple or the public.
Apple CEO Tim Cook had argued that helping the FBI hack the iPhone would set a dangerous precedent — and make other iPhones vulnerable — if Apple complied with a court order to create software that would help investigators bypass the phone’s security features.
It was a rare moment of public defiance by a major U.S. corporation. Other leading tech companies, including Facebook, Google and Twitter, soon voiced their support for Apple’s position, as did computer security experts and civil liberties groups. But Cook’s stance was denounced by top U.S. officials, including FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who accused Apple of trying to interfere with law enforcement.
In court filings, federal prosecutors also suggested Apple’s emphasis on privacy was a marketing strategy, which Apple heatedly deni

EgyptAir Hijacker Arrested in Cyprus After Standoff

An EgyptAir flight bound from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and diverted to Cyprus on Tuesday, where the passengers and crew were released and one suspected hijacker arrested following a standoff that unfolded over nearly seven hours on the tarmac at Larnaca’s international airport.

Although no one was harmed in the incident, the hijacking underscores concerns about aviation security in Egypt, coming several months after the downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula that killed 224 people.

EgyptAir Flight 181, with 56 passengers and seven crew members on board, was hijacked after taking off from Alexandria on Tuesday morning, airline and government officials confirmed.

As of Tuesday afternoon, authorities in Egypt and Cyprus were still trying to confirm what motivated the hijacker. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the hijacking was not related to terrorism, according to the Associated Press, but Egyptian officials did not immediately rule it out. Egypt’s minister of civil aviation, Sherif Fathy, said there had been no clear demands from the hijacker. It was unclear whether the hijacker was wearing a belt rigged with explosives, as EgyptAir initially said.

“We had to deal with the situation as a security threat and operate as if he had a real bomb in order to keep all people on board safe,” Fathy told state television following the end of the standoff, in remarks reported by Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper.

“We don’t know whether the equipment is true or real or not,” Fathy said during a news conference in Cairo before the hijacker was arrested. “We cannot take any risks except dealing with it as a serious situation.”

The Airbus A320 took off from Alexandria’s Borg El Arab Airport at 6:36 a.m. local time. The jet soon strayed from its flight path, veering north toward Cyprus, and landed in Larnaca at 8:07 a.m., according to the flight-tracking site Flightaware.com. The plane was in the air for just 31 minutes.

After landing in Larnaca, the hijacker engaged in a standoff with security forces on the ground at the airport, which remained closed on Tuesday afternoon. By 10:46 a.m. local time, the hijacker had released the majority of the passengers, with only the flight crew and four foreign nationals still on board, according to EgyptAir.

The tension continued until mid-afternoon, when the remaining passengers and crew left the plane, including one who climbed threw a cockpit window and jumped to the ground. The hijacker was arrested around the same time, Cypriot officials said.

“Its over,” Cyprus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet announcing the hijacker’s arrest.

In the immediate aftermath, the hijacker’s motives remained unclear. State media in Cyprus reported that the hijacker might be motivated by a personal conflict and had asked to contact his ex-wife. However, a separate report attributed to Cyprus’ state media said the hijacker had issued a political demand for the release of prisoners in Egypt. The reports could not be immediately confirmed.

“It’s not something that has to do with terrorism,” said Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades. Speaking at a news conference in Cyprus, he chuckled as he responded to a reporter’s question about the incident. “Always there is a woman involved,” he said.

The hijacking is the second major aviation security breach in Egypt in the past several months. In October, a Russian airliner was brought down over the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people, mainly foreign tourists. Militants affiliated with ISIS said they downed the jet using an improvised bomb inside a beverage can smuggled on to the plane. The downing of the Russian jet prompted a national review of Egypt’s airport security conducted by the London-based consultancy Control Risks.

The attack on the airliner bound from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg was one of the deadliest attacks claimed by the Sinai-based franchise of the militant group ISIS. Egypt’s security forces have battled insurgents in Sinai for years, with the militants accelerating their following the military’s removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The bombing of the Russian jet also dealt a devastating blow to Egypt’s tourism industry which struggling to recover from years of political unrest following the 2011 popular uprising that ousted autocratic president Hosni Mubarak. The country’s tourism receipts fell 15 percent in 2015 compared to the previous year, according to the tourism ministry.