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I went to the Miss USA 2025 pageant. Here's everything you missed.

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Miss Nebraska Audrey Eckert was crowned Miss USA 2025 on Friday night. RezaMedia Nation The Miss USA 2025 pageant was held in Reno, Nevada, on Friday night. Miss Nebraska won the crown. I attended the finals for both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. There were surprise scholarships, history-making contestants, and a sweet moment with the winner's dad. If you woke up on Saturday to the news that a new Miss USA had been crowned the night before and wondered how you missed it, don't worry — I have all the details. The 2025 pageant wasn't televised this year due to leadership turmoil behind the scenes, which left new CEO Thom Brodeur to plan the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions in just a few weeks. Instead, it was available to stream online through the Queen Beauty Network. I went to the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, to catch both pageants live. There were sparkles, there were tears, there was a very excited dad running to the stage after his daughter was...

After-school care is so expensive. Still, I don't regret paying for it.

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Courtesy of the author When we divorced in 2020, my ex and I agreed we would split the cost of after-school activities. At first, my kids were at home because they were little, but as they got older, I had sticker shock. I don't regret paying thousands of dollars for their after-school activities. While going through a divorce in 2020, the topic of after-school care for our two children came up, along with the associated cost. My son was in third grade, and my daughter was starting kindergarten. The thought of my kids being home alone after school gave me so much anxiety. I was insistent about adding after-school care details to the divorce decree, and I agreed that my ex and I would split the cost. Because we divorced during the pandemic, I had forgotten about after-school care for about six months, as my kids were doing virtual learning at home. However, when their school reopened, the cost of care hit me hard. I was starting to get my life in order I had just start...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Trump's 100% tariff threat on China is 'effectively off the table'

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned government shutdown could hamper US economic growth. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Trump is scheduled to meet with China's President Xi in South Korea this week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US and China have reached a "framework" for trade talks. Bessent also said Trump could finalize the TikTok deal. President Donald Trump is expected to make headway on two pressing issues this week while meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea: tariffs and TikTok. During a Sunday interview on CBS News' "Face the Nation," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said trade talks between the US and China were progressing. He said the additional 100% tariff on China that President Donald Trump threatened earlier this month, and which was supposed to take effect on November 1, is now "effectively off the table." Bessent is traveling with Trump during a nearly weeklong tour in Asia, which also i...

Ads might be coming to Apple Maps next year

This could be part of a larger strategy to introduce more advertising in iOS. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Kyd0iZ1 via IFTTT

OpenAI reportedly developing new generative music tool

OpenAI is working on a new tool that would generate music based on text and audio prompts, according to a report in The Information. Such a tool could be used to add music to existing videos, or to add guitar accompaniment to an existing vocal track, sources said. It’s not clear when OpenAI plans to […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/hsoRkrF via IFTTT

We moved to Spain before having kids. It was the best thing we did for our marriage.

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The author and her husband moved to Spain after getting married. Courtesy of the author After getting married and before having four kids, my husband and I lived in Spain for a year. Being away from everyone we knew pushed us to lean on each other. I'm thankful we got to explore the world a little bit before becoming parents. Every Wednesday, I pedaled downtown Madrid to my Spanish immersion class, pulling out my travel coffee mug as I sat next to friends from Russia and Thailand to practice our mediocre "¿Cuánto cuesta?" together. On Sundays, we traipsed through the booths at El Rastro , a flea market filled with colorful scarves and discount underwear. After our wedding (and before we had four kids), my husband and I quit our jobs and moved to Spain for a year. He took a contract teaching position at a local middle school, allowing us to get a visa and a flat. I wrote remotely for companies in the US and Australia. During that year, I enjoyed churros in piazz...

High school’s AI security system confuses Doritos bag for a possible firearm

A high school student in Baltimore County, Maryland was reportedly handcuffed and searched after an AI security system flagged his bag of chips as a possible firearm. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Khj4vDH via IFTTT