MUMBAI — Bhoja Poojari has handled baggage for Jet Airways Ltd since it began flying nearly 26 years ago. Now, like many other Jet employees, he fears for the future as the debt-laden airline descends into crisis.

“If this continues, I do not know what to do,” said the 53-year-old father of two, who has not been paid in nearly two months and may be forced to sell his house.

“I feel like my hands are tied and I can’t sleep at night,” Poojari told Reuters. “I haven’t told my children anything. They are very young, but they know something is wrong.”

Thousands of employees have been stung by the rapid unravelling of Jet Airways, which, saddled with more than $1.2 billion in bank debt, grounded all its planes on Wednesday after lenders rejected a plea for emergency funds.

The shutdown has deepened the crisis as dues to lessors, staff and suppliers pile up and lenders scramble to find a buyer for what was once India’s largest private airline.

Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube told employees on Wednesday that the sale would take time and could throw up more challenges, but he was confident the airline would fly again.

Failure would threaten more than 16,000 staff jobs and thousands more tied to the airline, which at its peak operated over 120 planes and more than 600 daily flights.

More than a dozen employees told Reuters they had gone two to four months without pay. Many grapple with unpaid bills, overdue home loans, school and tuition fees.

“We have stopped going out for movies, to restaurants or any other form of entertainment,” said a Jet engineer, who is self-tutoring his children after cancelling private tuitions.

He is listed as a defaulter in his community for failing to meet his building maintenance fee payments. “It’s a huge stigma for my family,” he said, declining to be named.

‘SAVE OUR FAMILY’

Hundreds of angry employees have protested in New Delhi and Mumbai, accusing management of leaving staff in the dark about the airline’s worsening crisis.

“Management never gives us a clear picture,” airline union leader Chaitanya Mainkar shouted during a protest at Mumbai’s international airport on Friday where employees chanted slogans and waved posters that read “Save Jet Airways, Save Our Family.”

Jet pilots appealed for intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is facing wider criticism over the scarcity of jobs as he campaigns for re-election in polls now underway.

Last month, Modi asked state-run banks to rescue Jet Airways without pushing it into bankruptcy, averting thousands of job losses. But the airline never received the agreed stop-gap loan of about $217 million.

“At least now we know the talks about caring for employment, creating jobs is all an eyewash,” Captain Asim Valiani, vice president of the National Aviator’s Guild representing Jet pilots, told Reuters after the shutdown.

“I’ve been with Jet for 23 years and am shattered today. I don’t know what I will tell our pilots,” he said, adding the guild would take the airline to court to seek unpaid wages.

MURKY FUTURE

Jet Airways has lost key employees as the crisis unfolded.

About 400 pilots have moved to other airlines, leaving Jet with about 1,300 pilots, said a senior Jet pilot. About 40 engineers have also left, a senior engineer said.

Some veteran employees remain loyal to the airline and hope it can be restored to its former glory.

“I have worked here from the beginning — first day, first show,” said Anil Sahu, a 50-year-old baggage handler with 25 years of service.

“Even after all of this, we have trust in Jet. It’s a tsunami that has come, but we hope everything will return to normal,” he said.

Other senior employees like Poojari say they will struggle to find work if the airline fails.

“If I had quit earlier there was still a chance of moving on, but after 26 years and having crossed 50 (years of age), where will I find a job?”

MOSCOW — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will travel to Russia in the second half of this month and meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

The announcement coincided with a moment of discord in efforts by US President Donald Trump’s administration to reach a deal with Kim to end nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea said on Thursday it no longer wanted to deal with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and called for him to be replaced in talks by somebody more mature. That demand came hours after Pyongyang announced its first weapons test since the last summit between Trump and Kim in Vietnam in February broke down with no agreement.

The pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper cited a diplomatic source on Wednesday as saying the Putin-Kim meeting would likely take place next week in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok before Putin flies on to an April 26-27 summit in China.

It added though that a sudden change of plan by the leader of the secretive North Korean state could not be ruled out.

The Kremlin gave no further details in a statement on its website, but Moscow has been saying for months that it was working on such a meeting.

It was not clear how Kim might travel to the summit.

A North Korean official, Kim Chang Son, traveled to Vladivostok this week and was seen on Wednesday inspecting the Pacific city’s train station and making security checks, Russia’s RIA news agency reported on Thursday.

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was due in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday to meet Russian officials to discuss ways to advance a “final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea”, Washington said on Tuesday.

The Trump-Kim meeting in Vietnam, the second summit between the two leaders, broke down over conflicting demands by North Korea for sanctions relief and by the United States for North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme. The following month Washington imposed a new round of sanctions on Pyongyang.

Trump administration officials have floated the possibility of a third summit.

Bran Stark’s creepy staring on Sunday’s Season 8 premiere of “Game of Thrones” set the internet alight.

But British actor Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays the Three-Eyed Raven in HBO’s epic fantasy drama, revealed the look is essentially down to him not wearing glasses or contact lenses during filming.

“I’m getting good at this kind of intense stare, but it’s actually aided by the fact that I’m completely blind when I’m on set,” Hempstead Wright told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night.

Hempstead Wright recalled the time that Sophie Turner, who plays his on-screen sibling Sansa Stark, told him that she felt as if he was staring into her soul.

He replied: “I can’t see you, that’s why.”

Hempstead Wright wouldn’t directly answer Kimmel’s question about the fan theory that his character is really the Night King, only cryptically telling the comedian that the Three-Eyed Raven was “definitely on the side of the living.”

He also shared stories about accidentally dropping “a massive spoiler” during a math lesson and receiving the talk about sex ahead of filming his first scenes.

Khal Drogo’s iconic beard is no more.

But it’s for an environmental (and not that dog fur germ-themed study) reason.

“Game of Thrones” star Jason Momoa said he shaved off the famous facial hair he’s sported since 2012 “to bring awareness that plastics are killing the planet.”

The 39-year-old Hawaii-born actor shared footage of himself shearing off his signature bristles to Instagram on Wednesday:

“Goodbye DROGO, AQUAMAN, DECLAN, BABA,” he captioned the post, in reference to the fictional characters he has portrayed while wearing the now-departed beard.

“I’m SHAVING this beast off, It’s time to make a change,” wrote Momoa. “A change for the better ... for my kids, your kids, the world. Let’s make a positive change for the health of our planet.”

The video is a promo for a new range of recyclable canned water.

Momoa says later in the clip that he hates going on an airplane with a small plastic water bottle and that “there’s only one thing that can really help our planet and save our planet, as long as we recycle … that’s aluminum.” 

His exact involvement with the range, reportedly produced by the Ball Corporation, is not clear from the video. HuffPost has reached out for further information.

The actor’s call for action comes amid growing awareness of the negative impact that plastics, and in particular single-use plastics, are having on the world.

Some 19 billion pounds of plastic waste enter the world’s oceans annually, threatening wildlife, and researchers warn that disturbing tally will double within the next six years if drastic measures are not implemented.

Despite the well-meaning intentions behind Momoa’s new look (which likely also came during filming for his new movie “Dune,”) it was met with a mixed reaction online:

Ivanka Trump, the US president’s daughter and a White House senior adviser, said Wednesday that her father had asked her if she was interested in leading the World Bank but that she passed.

Ivanka Trump made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press during a visit to Ivory Coast. President Donald Trump told The Atlantic in an interview last week that he considered naming his daughter to spearhead the institution because “she’s very good with numbers.” 

“He did ask me about that, but I love the work that I’m doing,” she told AP. When pressed about what form the offer took, the president’s daughter said simply: “It was a question. I’m very happy doing the work that I’m doing.”

Trump said she ultimately helped oversee the selection of David Malpass to be the organization’s next president alongside Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Malpass, who had served as the undersecretary for international affairs at the Treasury Department, was approved unanimously by the World Bank’s board earlier this month.

The World Bank is an international financial group collectively owned by most nations. It works to combat extreme global poverty.

AP also asked Trump if she had any comment amid statements by the president that her name had been floated to be the next ambassador to the United Nations. She demurred.

“I’ll keep that between us,” she said.

The White House’s previous nominee, Heather Nauert, withdrew her name from consideration in February.

WASHINGTON ― Special counsel Robert Mueller’s report did not exonerate US President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice for Trump’s reactions to Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

A redacted version of the report, which US Attorney General William Barr made public Thursday, describes 10 instances in which Trump may have obstructed justice by using his authority to interfere with the special counsel investigation. Mueller declined to make a determination about whether the president obstructed justice.

Mueller also found extensive ties between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials — but he ultimately did not find that any Trump affiliate illegally participated in Moscow’s efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

“Because we determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment, we did not draw ultimate conclusions about the President’s conduct,” the report states. “The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that would need to be resolved if we were making a traditional prosecutorial judgement.”

“At the same time, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” it says.

Ahead of the report’s release, Barr went to bat for Trump during a press conference at the Justice Department, where he discussed executive privilege, the DOJ’s interactions with the White House in the past few weeks, and the process for redacting the special counsel’s nearly 400-page report. Barr held the press conference before reporters, Congress or the public could read the report.

The disclosure of the nearly 400-page report brings an end to Mueller’s special counsel probe, which began in May 2017 after Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey. 

The redacted version of Mueller’s report leaves out grand jury material; intelligence information that might reveal sources and methods; information that may affect ongoing investigations; and information that would “infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.”

Barr previously released a four-page letter that summarized the “principal conclusions” of Mueller’s investigation. Mueller’s report, Barr wrote, “did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.” 

Mueller’s investigation found two main Russian efforts to boost Trump’s candidacy: a social media operation that disparaged Hillary Clinton and boosted Trump, and a hacking campaign to obtain emails from the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party. In his letter, Barr said Mueller uncovered “multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign,” but did not find any conspiracy or coordination.

In his letter, Barr also said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ― the Trump appointee who became a target of Trump’s ire because he authorized Mueller’s special counsel probe ― concluded that “the evidence developed during the Special Counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction of justice offense.”

Before he became attorney general, Barr wrote an unsolicited memo that all but ruled out an obstruction of justice charge against Trump. 

The attorney general previously told Congress that he had “no plans” to submit the Mueller report to the White House for review before releasing it to Congress and the public.

House Democrats demanded to see a full, unredacted copy of the Mueller report, setting up a court battle over the document. Barr previously said he would testify about the report before the House and Senate judiciary committees in early May.

NEW DELHI―On Thursday morning, Milind Deora, the Congress candidate from Mumbai South constituency, tweeted a short video clip with a cross-section of people endorsing his candidature. On any other election day, this would have been a routine development with limited popular interest.

However, Deora’s name soon started trending on Twitter—his video, it turned out, included an open and unrestrained endorsement from India’s richest man and Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani.

“Milind is the man for South Mumbai. Having represented South Mumbai for 10 years, I believe that Milind has in-depth knowledge of social, economic, and cultural ecosystem of the South Mumbai constituency. Both micro-enterprises and large businesses can thrive in Mumbai so that attractive, new employment opportunities can be created for our talented young women and men,” Ambani says in the video.

While Ambani is known to be close to most politicians, he has never openly taken a stand for or against any individual. The timing also struck many as significant, since the Congress has based its ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ campaign against Narendra Modi on the alleged kickbacks a company owned by Anil Ambani, brother of Mukesh, received from the Rafale deal with France’s Dassault Aviation.

Another prominent businessman in the video is billionaire banker and promoter of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Uday Kotak, who also gives a thumbs-up to Deora. “Milind truly represents Mumbai ka connection,” he says.

HuffPost India reached out to Reliance Industries Limited and Kotak Mahindra Bank to understand why their leaders decided to take a rare political stand for an opposition politician. A spokesperson for Kotak Mahindra Bank said Uday Kotak’s participation in the video reflected his personal endorsement of Deora and did not affect the bank at all. This person also added that this should not be seen as an endorsement of the Congress. RIL did not respond to an email questionnaire and Deora himself did not respond to calls and messages.

We also spoke to a cross-section of voices who, for a number of reasons, have their pulse on the close relations between politics and business in India to understand how they perceive today’s development.

1) Prashant Bhushan, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court:

People are beginning to sense which way the wind is blowing. Usually, these big industrialists like to cover their bets. Mukesh Ambani had old connections with Milind Deora’s father. So, otherwise it is not surprising. But in this climate, it is significant.

2) Hemindra Hazari, Independent Analyst:

It is unusual. It introduces a political dimension and political risk. Business, especially for banks which are highly leveraged and manage public monies, tend to get identified with parties if their promoters publicly support one party or another, so I feel they should publicly remain apolitical. Uday Kotak publicly backed Modi during demonetisation and now that BJP’s electoral prospects are looking doubtful, he is backing the Congress party.  

3) Prof. Jagdeep Chhokar, founder member of the Association For Democratic Reforms:

I am happy that it has come out in the open. This shows that corporate influence in electoral process is increasing. I don’t think it is good. If the outcome of the elections are going to be determined by corporate influence, the government, regardless of the party in power, will follow priorities of corporates in making policy decisions. This is usually the case in free market economies where corporates dominate. It is undesirable in a society as diverse as India.

4) Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, writer, independent journalist and political commentator:

I see Mukesh Ambani try to kill more than one bird with one stone. He sees a good chance of Deora in becoming an MP. His father served as an MP three times. Deora family is an important political player in that part of the country. So he is backing the right horse.

The richest man in India is seen as closer to those in power. He is a smart and savvy businessman. The question is: is this an indicator that India’s richest man is hedging his bets?

A redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report on Russian interference in the 2016 election was released Thursday, allowing Congress and the American public to read the findings for themselves.

Attorney General William Barr went to bat for Trump at a press conference on Mueller’s report early Thursday — minutes before the report’s public release ― in which he repeatedly echoed the the president’s refrain that there was “no collusion” during the 2016 election. The Trump-picked attorney general’s decision to speak on the redacted reportbefore it was sent to Congress drew fiercecriticism from Democratic lawmakers, who then requested that Mueller testify about his findings before the House Judiciary Committee by next month.

Throughout the special counsel’s nearly two-year investigation, six Trump campaign associates and dozens of Russian operatives were charged with various crimes.

Here are some key takeaways from the redacted report released to the public:

1. Mueller looked at 10 instances of possible obstruction by Trump.

The report details multiple instances in which Trump may have obstructed justice by using his authority to interfere with the special counsel’s investigation. Mueller declined to make a determination about whether the president obstructed justice.

“Our investigation found multiple acts by the President that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations, including the Russian-interference and obstruction investigations,” the report states. “These incidents were often carried out through on-on-one meetings in which the President sought to use his official power outside of usual channels.”

The report pointed to instances like Trump telling former White House Counsel Donald McGahn to fire Mueller as special counsel, and asking political operative Corey Lewandowski to tell then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to limit the scope of the investigation to future elections.

However, an obstruction of justice charge would require the special counsel to determine that Trump’s actions, which may have impeded the Russia probe, were done with that intent, Mueller said in the report. “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” the special counsel wrote.

2. Trump’s attempts to obstruct justice were foiled by his own staff.

Trump may have been saved from an obstruction of justice charge by his own aides’ refusal to follow his orders.

“The President’s efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surround the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests,” Mueller wrote.

Then-FBI Director James Comey, for instance, ignored Trump’s request to stop investigating the president’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was later convicted of lying to the FBI; McGahn didn’t help fire Mueller, and Lewandowski didn’t pass along Trump’s message to Sessions saying Mueller’s investigation was unfair to the president and to limit its scope.

3. Mueller’s report detailed Russia’s extensive interference in the 2016 election.

“The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in a sweeping and systematic fashion,” Mueller wrote in the report.

The report goes into two main operations through which Russians interfered in the election: First a Russian group carried out a social media campaign designed to “sow discord” in the U.S. political system, supporting then-candidate Trump and disparaging Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton; second, Russian intelligence hacked the Clinton campaign volunteers and employees and released stolen documents, infamously through WikiLeaks. 

4. Mueller did not find that Trump’s campaign illegally conspired to aid Russia’s interference in the election.

Mueller’s investigation found extensive links between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials. “The links included Russian offers of assistance to the campaign,” he wrote. “In some instances, the Campaign was receptive to the offer, while in other instances the Campaign officials shied away.”

Despite establishing election interference by the Russian government, Mueller wrote that “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

The special counsel report specifically said that it was looking at “conspiracy” and not “collusion” (though Barr in his press conference on Mueller’s report echoed the president’s refrain that there was “no collusion”).

5. The special counsel found plenty of other criminal leads that were forwarded on to other investigators.

The special counsel found evidence of crimes outside its scope and made 14 criminal referrals to other jurisdictions.

Only two of the referrals are publicly known to date. Mueller found evidence of potential wire fraud and Federal Employees’ Compensation Act violations related to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal fixer, and referred that evidence to federal prosecutors in New York and the FBI’s New York Field Office. Cohen received three years in prison on charges including campaign finance violation and lying to Congress, and gave testimony in February that revealed the inner workings of the Trump campaign.

The second public criminal referral includes potential Foreign Agent Registration Act violations related to Gregory Craig and his former litigation firm, Skadden. A federal grand jury recently indicted Craig on charges of making false statements and hiding information from the Justice Department related to he and his firm’s work on behalf of Ukraine. The charges stemmed from investigating former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his work on behalf of a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

6. When told about the special counsel’s appointment, Trump responded, “I’m fucked.”

“Oh my God,” Trump said. “This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.”

That’s how the president reacted in May 2017 to the news that Mueller had been appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to the report. Trump was apparently livid at then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions when he broke the news of Mueller’s appointment to the president, saying, “How could you let this happen, Jeff?” 

“Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won’t be able to do anything,” Trump said, according to notes taken by Sessions’ chief of staff Jody Hunt. “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Trump later told The New York Times that he would never have appointed Sessions if he knew the attorney general would recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

7. The Mueller team chose not to subpoena Trump because it wasn’t worth it.

Mueller’s report addresses why Trump was never subpoenaed, which would have forced him to testify as part of the investigation into his campaign and Russian interference in the election.

Essentially, after the president “would not be interviewed voluntarily,” per the report, the special counsel’s office “weighed the costs” of a potentially long legal battle to obtain an interview with Trump versus the value of completing the investigation sooner. Mueller’s team ultimately decided it had gathered enough information from other sources for its investigation.  

Throughout Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation, the special counsel repeatedly sought to interview Trump. Ultimately, Trump ended up submitting written answers to some of Mueller’s questions in November 2018 ― which the report called “inadequate.” The president reportedly only answered questions related to Russia’s interference in the election, and not about whether he tried to obstruct the investigation into his campaign’s potential links with Russian meddling.

8. Sarah Huckabee Sanders lied to the press about circumstances surrounding James Comey’s firing.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed that the president only fired FBI Director James Comey because Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had recommended it. Mueller’s report, however, indicates that Sanders’ May 2017 explanation for the president’s actions was not true; Trump wanted Comey gone because the director wouldn’t publicly state that the president was not under investigation.

“In the immediate aftermath of the firing, the President dictated a press statement suggesting that he had acted based on the [Department of Justice] recommendations, and White House press officials repeated that story,” Mueller wrote in his report. “But the President had decided to fire Comey before the White House solicited those recommendations.”

Sanders also admitted that when she told reporters the “rank-and-file of the FBI had lost confidence in their director,” her statement had no basis in fact, as was reported at the time.

9. Yes, Donald Trump did try to cover up the real reason for that Trump Tower meeting.

Donald Trump Jr. eventually ended up tweeting out screenshots of emails setting up the now-infamous June 2016 meeting between himself, senior Trump campaign officials and a Kremlin-linked lawyer said to be offering information that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Before that, though, his father had attempted to cover up the true reason for the meeting, held at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

Trump never wanted his son’s correspondence to become public. In the summer of 2017, the president repeatedly told Hope Hicks, then serving as a communications adviser, that he did not even want to speak about the emails, which she believed would be inevitably leaked. Trump did not believe her.

Later, however, the president ended up “edit[ing] a press statement for Trump Jr. by deleting a line that acknowledged that the meeting was with ‘an individual who [Trump Jr.] was told might have information helpful to the campaign’” ― instead, he stated only that the meeting was about adoption. Michael Cohen, at the time still serving as Trump’s personal lawyer, repeatedly denied that the president had helped craft the story given to reporters.

If you haven’t been living under a rock then you know special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election conducted was released on Thursday.

While the report was published with many redactions, it included a treasure trove of fascinating tidbits such as information that may indicate the pee tape’s existence and 10 instances in which Trump may have obstructed justice by using his authority to interfere with Mueller’s investigation.

President Donald Trump has long wished for an attorney general who would act as his own private lawyer, protecting him from any potential legal damage. He finally found his man in William Barr.

Barr could have released special counsel Robert Mueller’s report from the beginning. Instead, the attorney general chose to twice present his own interpretation of the special counsel’s findings on foreign interference in the 2016 U.S. election ― before allowing members of the public to see the report and decide for themselves whether Trump and his associates did anything improper. 

The report, which finally came out on Thursday, paints a much more complicated picture of whether Trump obstructed justice than Barr let on. 

The first time the public received a glimpse of what was in the Mueller report was on March 24, when Barr sent a four-page letter to congressional leaders summarizing his conclusions from the report the special counsel team had submitted to Barr two days earlier.

The second time the public heard about the report’s content was in a Thursday morning press conference when Barr went out of his way to echo Trump talking points, attacking the media and the president’s “political opponents.”

To the Justice Department’s credit, the redactions in the Mueller report were relatively light ― allowing the public to see a substantial amount of the content. 

But still, in his public comments, Barr made sure to paint as positive a picture of Trump before the report became widely available.

Here’s how the attorney general misled the public: 

He left out the Trump campaign’s expectation of benefiting from hacked material.

In his letter to Congress on March 24, Barr wrote: 

The Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. As the report states: ”[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election inference activities.”

While it’s true that the Mueller report did reach that conclusion, that quote is incomplete. Barr left out the first part, which was less complimentary to the Trump campaign.

Below is the full quote from the Mueller report, with the part Barr omitted in bold:

Although the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. 

He said it was up to him to make a decision on obstruction of justice.

In his March 24 letter, Barr said Mueller’s team did not come to a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice in the course of the investigation. Therefore, Barr claimed, it was now up to him to make that determination.

“The Special Counsel’s decision to describe the facts of his obstruction investigation without reaching any legal conclusions leaves it to the Attorney General to determine whether the conduct described in the report constitutes a crime,” he wrote. 

Barr said he concluded that the evidence “is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.”

But Barr never had to make that legal conclusion, as Matt Miller, a spokesman for the Justice Department under President Barack Obama, pointed out. And Mueller never asked Barr to so.

Indeed, the report said the special counsel’s team couldn’t come to such a conclusion: 

[I]f we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment.

The report also said that ultimately, the obstruction call wasn’t for Mueller to make. The special counsel decided not to make a decision on whether to prosecute Trump because the Justice Department’s position, according to an Office of Legal Counsel memo, is that a sitting president cannot be indicted. 

“Given the role of the Special Counsel as an attorney in the Department of Justice and the framework of the Special Counsel regulations ... this Office accepted OLC’s legal conclusion for the purpose of exercising prosecutorial jurisdiction,” the report states.

Furthermore, it seems clear that Mueller and his team expected that ultimately, Congress would make the decision on obstruction of justice.

NBC News reported earlier that some in Mueller’s office had said “their intent was to leave the legal question open for Congress and the public to examine the evidence.” 

“[W]e concluded that Congress can validly regulate the President’s exercise of official duties to prohibit actions motivated by a corrupt intent to obstruct justice,” the report says.

In other words, Congress can impeach the president if it wants to do so.

He gave an incomplete picture of Trump’s actions that could be construed as obstruction of justice.

“In cataloguing the President’s actions, many of which took place in public view, the report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct,” Barr wrote in his March 24 letter. 

The report doesn’t let Trump off the hook quite so easily. It says Trump tried to obstruct justice ― but he didn’t succeed because his staff refused to follow his orders.

“The President’s efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests,” the report reads. 

The report detailed 10 acts by Trump that could amount to obstruction of justice.

He said Mueller found “no collusion.”

One of Trump’s favorite phrases is that there was “no collusion” between his campaign and the Russian government in the 2016 elections. He has tweeted it 84 times.

Barr used the phrase four times in his 18-minute remarks in Thursday’s press conference: 

• “Put another way, the special counsel found no ‘collusion’ by any Americans in the IRA’s illegal activity.”

• “But again, the special counsel’s report did not find any evidence that members of the Trump campaign or anyone associated with the campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its hacking operations. In other words, there was no evidence of Trump campaign ‘collusion’ with the Russian government’s hacking.” 

• “After finding no underlying collusion with Russia, the special counsel’s report goes on to consider whether certain actions of the president could amount to obstruction of the special counsel’s investigation.”

• “At the same time, there was relentless speculation in the news media about the president’s personal culpability. Yet, as he said from the beginning, there was, in fact, no collusion.”  

But the Mueller report never actually said the investigation found no collusion. In fact, the report explains specifically why it doesn’t use the term “collusion.” The word only appears in the report as part of this explanation or in quoting someone else. 

Therefore, Barr repeatedly saying Mueller found “no collusion” was simply the attorney general adopting a Trump talking point.

He said Trump fully cooperated with the investigation.

Barr was extremely sympathetic to Trump in Thursday’s press conference. He tried to paint a picture of a president under extreme ― and unfair ― pressure, telling reporters, “As he entered into office, and sought to perform his responsibilities as president, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office, and the conduct of some of his associates.” 

He said Trump was “frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fueled by illegal leaks,” so it’s not surprising if he may have lashed out a bit. And, he added, Trump deserved credit for “fully cooperat[ing]” with the special counsel at all: 

Nonetheless, the White House fully cooperated with the special counsel’s investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely, and asserting no privilege claims. 

Trump, however, didn’t fully cooperate. He refused repeated requests to give an interview to Mueller and his team. The report said the special counsel’s team considered issuing a subpoena for Trump to testify but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth it: 

Bran Stark’s creepy staring in Monday’s Season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones set the internet alight.

But actor Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays the Three-Eyed Raven in HBO’s epic fantasy drama, revealed the look is essentially down to him not wearing glasses or contact lenses during filming.

“I’m getting good at this kind of intense stare, but it’s actually aided by the fact that I’m completely blind when I’m on set,” Hempstead Wright told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night.

Hempstead Wright recalled the time that Sophie Turner, who plays his on-screen sibling Sansa Stark, told him that she felt as if he was staring into her soul.

He replied: “I can’t see you, that’s why.”

Isaaac wouldn’t directly answer Kimmel’s question about the fan theory that his character is really the Night King, only cryptically telling the comedian that the Three-Eyed Raven was “definitely on the side of the living”.

He also shared stories about accidentally dropping “a massive spoiler” during a math lesson and receiving the talk about sex ahead of filming his first scenes.

Check out the interview above.

This article originally appeared in HuffPost US. 

WASHINGTON ― “Oh my God,” President Donald Trump said. “This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.”

That was how Trump reacted to the news that special counsel Robert Mueller had been appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to Mueller’s report, which the Justice Department made public with several redactions Thursday morning.

The scene, which took place in May 2017, is one of several damning episodes detailed in Mueller’s nearly 400-page report.

The redacted document describes 10 instances in which Trump may have obstructed justice by using his authority to interfere with the special counsel’s investigation. Mueller declined to make a determination about whether the president obstructed justice.

“The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in a sweeping and systematic fashion,” Mueller wrote. He found extensive ties between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials. “The links included Russian offers of assistance to the campaign,” he wrote. “In some instances, the Campaign was receptive to the offer, while in other instances the Campaign officials shied away.”

But ultimately, Mueller wrote, his probe did not find that Trump campaign officials participated in an illegal conspiracy to aid Moscow’s efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

‘The Worst Thing That Ever Happened To Me’

Trump and his allies have tried to spin Mueller’s findings as a win for the White House, which has long smeared the special counsel’s investigation as a politically motivated “witch hunt.” Yet the report includes plenty of damaging information about the president and his team.

“How could you let this happen, Jeff?” Trump said to his then-attorney general, Jeff Sessions, when Sessions gave him the Mueller news, according to notes taken by Sessions’ former chief of staff Jody Hunt. Sessions told investigators that Trump told him “you were supposed to protect me,” or words to that effect. “Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won’t be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me,” Trump told Sessions.

A month later, the president called White House counsel Don McGahn at his home and ordered him to tell the acting attorney general that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be fired, Mueller wrote in his report. McGahn refused, fearing a situation similar to the Nixon-era Saturday Night Massacre. The New York Times reported last year on Trump’s effort to fire Mueller.

Two days after his failed effort to fire Mueller, Trump told political operative Corey Lewandowski to tell Sessions that Mueller’s investigation was unfair to the president and should be limited to future election meddling, the special counsel wrote. Lewandowski didn’t want to deliver the message to Sessions, so he asked senior White House official Rick Dearborn to do it instead. Dearborn also declined.

Trump went on to trash Sessions publicly, telling The New York Times in an interview he never would have appointed Sessions if he knew the attorney general would recuse himself from the Russia probe.

No Clear Answer On Obstruction

Trump may have been saved from an obstruction of justice charge by his own aides’ refusal to follow his orders. “The President’s efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surround the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests,” Mueller wrote. Then-FBI Director James Comey ignored Trump’s request to stop investigating the president’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was later convicted of lying to the FBI; McGahn didn’t help fire Mueller, and later refused to lie about Trump’s demand that he do so; and Lewandowski and Dearborn didn’t pass along Trump’s message to Sessions.

The events described by Mueller suggest that Trump used his authority to try to kill the investigation.

“Our investigation found multiple acts by the President that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations, including the Russian-interference and obstruction investigations,” the report states. “These incidents were often carried out through on-on-one meetings in which the President sought to use his official power outside official channels.”

But proving that the president obstructed justice would require the special counsel to determine whether Trump’s actions — which may have had the effect of impeding the Russia probe — were done with that intent, Mueller explained in the report.

“If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment,” the special counsel wrote. “Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

The (Maybe Fake) Pee Tape

Mueller’s report shows that Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime fixer, received a text message from Russian businessman Giorgi Rtskhiladze during the election campaign saying that Rtskhiladze had “stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there’s anything else.” Cohen told the special counsel’s team he briefed Trump on Rtskhiladze’s texts.

Rtskhiladze said the tapes referred to compromising recordings of Trump, which were rumored to be held by people associated with the real estate group that helped host Trump’s 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Russia. The description of the tapes appeared to match an unverified allegation from a dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who was hired by a private firm during the 2016 campaign to collect information about Trump.

The Trump Campaign’s Russian Contacts

Mueller found that the Russian government worked to help Trump win the 2016 election, and that the Trump campaign believed it would benefit from information stolen and disseminated by Moscow. Throughout 2016, members of the campaign expressed interest in obtaining emails stolen by Russian government operatives — but Mueller’s investigation did not conclude that the Trump campaign conspired with Moscow in stealing or disseminating information to damage the Democrats.

The report includes detailed descriptions of several Trump affiliates who developed ties to Russian operatives — including Sessions, Flynn, Cohen, George Papadopoulos, Carter Page, Rick Gates, Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. — much of which has already been made public in press reports and court filings over the past several years.

The report verifies press reports that Trump Jr. helped arrange a June 2016 meeting between senior members of the campaign and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in Trump Tower. Trump Jr. expected to receive damaging information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government. The meeting was ultimately a letdown for the Trump associates; Kushner texted Manafort during the meeting that it was a “waste of time,” and left before the meeting ended.

Mueller considered charging Trump campaign officials with crimes in connection to the Trump Tower meeting, he wrote in his report. It is against campaign finance law to solicit or accept something of value from a foreign national or government. But Mueller decided against it, in part because of challenges in proving the violation was “knowing” and “willful.”

Campaign finance law expert Richard Hasen argued in Slate that Mueller made a mistake in not pursuing Trump Jr. more aggressively. The special counsel should have called Trump Jr. before the grand jury after he declined to be interviewed voluntarily, Hasen wrote. Forcing Trump Jr. to testify under oath could have helped answer whether he knew about the campaign finance law and willfully broke it.

Mueller’s report also confirms that Russian intelligence officials targeted Clinton’s email system in 2016, about five hours after Trump said at a news conference, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails we are missing” ― a reference to emails Clinton said she had deleted from her private server.

The Attorney General And The Trump Team’s Response To Mueller’s Probe

Since Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017, Trump and his allies have made a concerted effort to undermine the special counsel’s investigation. In recent weeks, Attorney General William Barr has assisted in the effort.

When Mueller’s team completed their report in March, Barr initially declined to make the document public. Instead he drafted a four-page letter to Congress that he said summarized the special counsel’s principal findings. But in the letter, Barr and Rosenstein took it upon themselves to go further than Mueller on the obstruction of justice question. The DOJ officials claimed that the special counsel’s report did not include enough evidence to establish Trump’s guilt.

Before Trump nominated Barr as attorney general, Barr sent Rosenstein an unsolicited memo arguing that the special counsel had no basis for the obstruction of justice investigation. According to Barr, Trump was acting within his presidential authority when he pressured Comey to drop part of the FBI’s Russia probe and when he later fired the FBI director.

Barr’s decision to weigh in on the obstruction matter in March, without making Mueller’s report public, infuriated Democrats, who viewed it as an effort from a Trump appointee to downplay the special counsel’s findings.

The version of the report released on Thursday included redactions from Barr that he said concealed grand jury material, intelligence information that could reveal sources and methods, information related to ongoing investigations, and information that would infringe on the privacy and reputations of “peripheral third parties.”

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Thursday afternoon that he plans to issue a subpoena for the full unredacted report and the underlying evidence. He also requested that Mueller appear before the committee to testify by May 23.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) organized a meeting with House Democrats scheduled after the Easter weekend to discuss what to do next in response to the release of Robert Mueller’s long-awaited redacted report.

Pelosi asked for the conference call to take place on Monday in a letter to Democrats. In her letter, Pelosi described the special counsel’s findings as a “grave matter.”

The speaker also said the nature in which the Justice Department released the findings was “disrespectfully late” and “selectively redacted.”

“The Caucus is scheduling a conference call for Monday to discuss this grave matter, which is as soon as our analysis and this Holy Season’s religious traditions allow,” Pelosi said. 

“Congress will not be silent,” she concluded.

Pelosi was in Ireland on Thursday as part of a trip to the U.K.

Attorney General William Barr held a news conference Thursday morning to discuss Mueller’s finding before delivering the report to Congress, denying lawmakers a chance to review the report for themselves first.

While Mueller declined to make a determination on whether Trump obstructed justice, the special counsel did not exonerate him on that allegation. According to the redacted report, the special counsel looked into 10 instances of possible obstruction in which Trump used his authority to interfere with the federal investigation.

In the letter, Pelosi noted that the redacted report “appears to directly undercut” Barr’s previous conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice.

The speaker also noted that the report had “several alarming findings,” some of which “explicitly state that the President’s campaign took actions with an expectation that ‘it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.’”

After reviewing the report, Democrats criticized the Justice Department for censoring much of the 400-page document and called on Barr to release to Congress an unredacted version, which House Democrats plan to subpoena.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler on Thursday shared a photo of Mueller’s report with a highlighted passage on the special counsel explaining why his investigation cannot explicitly exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice.

“This is exactly why we need to hear directly from Special Counsel Mueller and receive the full, unredacted report with the underlying evidence,” Nadler tweeted.

Dear straight men: It’s time to step up your oral sex game. Going down on a woman isn’t rocket science, but far too many men shy away from reciprocating oral sex, leaving their partners to suffer the sad, orgasm-less consequences.  

Research shows that straight women statistically have fewer orgasms than any other demographic, including lesbians. That might be because their partners aren’t putting enough effort into pleasing them, particularly when it comes to oral sex. (And then there are fools like this who think making a woman come runs counter to their masculinity. If The Rock can do it, so can you, DJ Khaled.) 

To help you out ― and hopefully close the orgasm gap a bit ― we turned to the experts: lesbians and queer women! After all, who better to dole out advice on eating a woman out than someone with ladybits who’s both given and received it? 

Please read this, reread it, then bookmark it. Thank you very much. 

1. Never go straight to the clitoris.

“Take your time when going down on a woman. Don’t rush straight to the clit. You have to build up the anticipation and get the juices flowing. Foreplay is so important. You really need to read her body language.” ― Addicchun Sabra, a Lifestyle YouTuber

2.  Enlist more than just your tongue for the job.  

“Forget what you see in porn, where they show men like hummingbirds, hovering over the clitoris and flicking at it with tense tongues. Open your mouth, take a deep breath and dive all the way in. Get your face wet, nose to chin. Use the pressure and contours of your face to grind into her and allow your mouth to melt into her, like an amazing open-mouth kiss. Don’t stop till you come up looking like a frosted doughnut with a big grin on your face and she is basking in the afterglow. Also: Learn how to use your hands! Many women will respond very well to adding a finger or two during oral sex, and it helps if those fingers are skilled and confident.” ―Chris Maxwell Rose, sex educator and host of “Speaking of Sex with The Pleasure Mechanics”

3. Assume the position. 

“If your partner’s on their back, hook your arms under their legs to pull them in close, include some self-stimulation or masturbation, which is hot for you but can also ramp things up for your partner, or simply use your hands to change sensation or make certain areas of the vulva more available to your mouth.” ―Yana Tallon-Hicks, a sex educator and therapist in Northampton, Massachusetts

4. Let her know you’re enjoying it, too.

“In my experience, I’ve felt that women can be self-conscious when it comes to letting you go down on them (at least in the beginning), so let her know that you aren’t doing her a ‘favor’ and that you’re just as into it as she is. There’s nothing hotter than when you can tell your partner is so ridiculously turned on by what they’re doing to you.” ―Kristen McKenzie, a YouTuber and an “Amazing Race Canada” winner

5. Think of cunnilingus a little like a blowjob. 

“It can feel really good for a lot of folks with vulvas to put your lips gently around the shaft and hood of the clitoris, take as much of the hood and vulvar lips into your mouth as you can, and move your mouth in and then away from the vulva in a way we typically think of as a blowjob for a penis. The in-and-out motion paired with taking a lot of the vulva into your mouth creates a sensation that stimulates more of the clitoral structure than just the tongue. Pro tip: Keep that tongue away from the head of the clitoris during this move.” ―Rae McDaniel, a gender and sex therapist in Chicago 

6. Don’t make assumptions about what she’s comfortable with you doing. (Some women don’t even like oral sex.) 

“Enjoying oral sex and being comfortable with someone going down on you are two different things for many women. Ask your partner what you can do to make the experience more comfortable for them.” ― Anna

7. If you’ve found her sweet spot, for the love of God, staythere. 

“Once you find the sweet spot or perfect movement they like, keep doing it. I think many people are afraid that repetition gets boring or that they need to switch it up a lot to prove their skill, but that isn’t true. And when in doubt, use suction!” ―Skyler Ryan, a tattoo artist in New Jersey 

8. Be mindful of where she’s most sensitive — and swallow excess spit, please. 

“Know where she’s most sensitive and where you should focus more attention and maybe more or less pressure in certain places. Having a conversation about it with her would be ideal; you don’t want to waste time fumbling around trying to figure it out on your own. And make sure you’re swallowing so that she doesn’t feel saliva dripping down her backside, which will cause her to feel wet and cooler, not in a good way.” ― Frankie Bashan, a lesbian and bi dating and relationship coach

9. Don’t assume what worked in the past with other women will work with your current partner. 

“There are many different routes to reach orgasm. Healthy communication and your partner knowing her own body are key. All bodies are different. All women don’t have the same genitalia, and they don’t respond to the same stimuli. Asking which types of touch are preferred is vital to having engaging and exciting sex.” ―Amber Butts, a writer from Oakland, California

10. Never go into it thinking you’re a sex god. 

“Even if you believe yourself to be a sex god (which you could be!), don’t assume you know exactly what she wants. Confidence in what you’re doing is obviously hot, but being rigid and unwilling to take direction is decidedly not hot! Every woman is built differently, so while you’re undressing her and teasing her, ask her what she likes. While your tongue is on her clit and she’s getting wet, ask if she wants to be fingered at the same time. Women love to answer questions! Also, remember there are multiple positions to eat someone out in.” ―Brittany Ashley, a writer in Los Angeles 

President Donald Trumpspent Thursday morning running through his greatest hits over Twitter: “no collusion,” “no obstruction” and “Hillary Clinton is a criminal.”

As the American public was just about to get its first look at special counsel Robert Mueller’s full (albeit redacted) report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, Trump launched into a Twitter campaign in an attempt to vindicate himself for the two years of investigation that cast a dark cloud over his presidency.

While Attorney General William Barr wrapped up a press conference addressing Mueller’s findings, Trump posted an image-only tweet showing himself, in a black overcoat, turning away into a plume of dusty smoke that strangely mirrored imagery used to promote “Game of Thrones.”

“NO COLLUSION. NO OBSTRUCTION. FOR THE HATERS AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS ― GAME OVER,” the graphic read, in “Game of Thrones” –styled font.

Once again, the president of the United States had appeared to co-opt HBO’s hit drama to market himself. Once again, the network is not terribly pleased.

Oddly, the president has chosen to place himself in “Game of Thrones” promos that appear to most closely resemble those featuring the Night King, the show’s undead villain.

Trump previously used the “Thrones”–style imagery back in November, when he announced he would reimpose sanctions on Iran. That image similarly used a cutout of Trump over billowing grey smoke but was adorned with the words, “SANCTIONS ARE COMING.” 

At the time, HBO responded pithily over Twitter, writing, “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” (There are several mythical languages in “Game of Thrones,” including Dothraki.)

The sanctions image later appeared in a January Cabinet meeting, lying on a table in actual, printed form while no one talked about it.

Shortly afterward, the president tweeted another image, twisting the “Game of Thrones” House Stark mantra “winter is coming” into a reference to his biggest campaign promise: “THE WALL IS COMING.”

The Mueller report did not conclude that Trump or anyone in his campaign colluded with Russians during the 2016 presidential election or obstructed federal investigators’ work, but it did describe in detail a long series troubling actions by the president and those around him. 

Nevertheless, Trump says he’s been having “a good day.”

George R.R. Martin has said the ending of his book series “A Song of Fire And Ice,” which the show “Game of Thrones” is based on, will be bittersweet.

And in a now-viral story about Martin that Dan Fogelman, creator of “This is Us,” recently shared on Twitter, it seems that life imitates art.

In honor of the HBO hit show’s eighth and final season on Sunday, Fogelman shared a story on Sunday about his friend Alex Hanan, whom he described as “larger than life. Handsome and charming as hell, with the best head of hair you’ve ever seen.”

He also called Hanan “obsessed w Game of Thrones like no one you’ve ever known.”

Fogelman begins his story by explaining that he and Hanan were meeting up to see Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway show about a year ago. Hanan got to the show early and called Fogelman while he was on his way over in a cab.

“…[Hanan] never listens to anyone so I just KNOW he’s going to go accost George R. Martin,” Fogelman wrote.

Ends up, Hanan did exactly that.

During the entire show, Fogelman said, Hanan fretted about whether to text Martin. Fogelman said he tried to discourage his friend because he didn’t think Martin would text back and Hanan would be disappointed.

Despite Fogelman’s best efforts, he said, Hanan did exactly what he wanted to do.

Fogelman said they showed up at the pizza place and that he was convinced Martin would ghost them, but thought, “At least it will be a funny story.” Plus, the pizza was bound to be good, since Martin is a huge NYC pizza fan.

But then … Martin and his “lovely wife” arrived, Fogelman recalled.

This is when Fogelman’s story took a somber turn.

Fogelman stressed how much the dinner meant to his friend.

Fogelman said he learned an important lesson from that experience.

He ended his thread on a beautifully affecting note that honored his dear friend.

A mutual friend also provided photographic evidence of the encounter, which Fogelman retweeted.

Now, excuse us while we grab some tissues.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes conflicting schedules, changing priorities and a laundry list of other reasons (including actual laundry) that just seem to get in the way of having sex.  

What really happens between the sheets for couples who are 5, 10, 15, 20 or more years past the initial hot-and-heavy phase of a relationship?

They say you don’t know what really happens between two people until you share a bed with them, so we hopped right in. And it turns out, even though kids and life can get in the way, in many cases there is plenty to look forward to when it comes to sex in the long term. 

We chatted with 11 couples about how often they get down, how sex has changed and how to keep the romance alive.

Bobbi and Chris, married five years

“Since we’ve had our second child, who is 4 months old and still sleeps in our room, it’s maybe every couple of months? Definitely missing the connection sex brings to our marriage. Not happy with the amount at the moment but hoping it improves once baby two moves into her new room and our toddler stays in her toddler bed more often than she is currently.

“We’ve had one miscarriage and two babies since we’ve been married. Trying for babies was a lot of sex. It even took the fun out of it for a bit. Keeping the romance alive is a work in progress with our new normal, for sure. I don’t think it will ever be as wild as it once was. But hopefully we can at least get back to once a week! Take advantage of your freedom while you can!” [Laughs] — Bobbi

Marantina and Ro, married five years 

“Once a week. We do it when the kiddo’s asleep and in a different room (we co-sleep). We’re planning to make the kid sleep in his own room next year. Cross your fingers for more sexy time for us. 

“When I was still working, we rarely had sex, maybe a few times a month. I used to refuse politely and said that I was tired from working. Then I got pregnant, so less sex. And we didn’t have sex until the kiddo turned 6 months, because I didn’t have the desire. When we moved to Medan from Jakarta, my husband was so involved taking care of our kid and doing house chores, I started to feel the need to have sex again.” — Marantina 

Jenna and Eric, married 8½ years 

“Three or four times a week. I’m happy with that amount because I’m too exhausted to do anything more. We always choose each other first. A lot of people put their kids in front of their partners, and we really choose each other first.” — Jenna

“Having two kids back to back was pretty intense for us, and I ended up taking work out of town to keep up with everything, so we didn’t see each other as often as we’d wanted. Now we’re in a place where I’m back home, our kids are getting older, we’ve decided on no more, so I got snipped. This has been exciting for us, since we’ve finally been connecting more often. I feel like we can experiment more than ever, even though I think I’m a bit boring in that department.” — Eric 

Tom and his partner, together for nine years 

“I enjoy Tom’s creativity, and it’s fun to try new things together and both be open to new ideas. A lot has come up around Tom’s transition that has also been fun, but it’s a very personal subject for Tom, so I’ll let him speak to that.” ― Tom’s partner

“I think 5 to 10 times per month. A lot has changed, especially with transitioning ― I am a transgender man. About four years in, our sex life really dropped off, and we had to figure out how to adjust to having busy schedules and making more effort to have sex. All of a sudden the romantic first couple years dropped off, and we were like, ‘Oh, my God, where did our sex life go?’

“I always had these discomforts, this dysphoria with my body that made it really difficult to have sex. When I started to explore what was kind of going on in my mind, basically most of my fantasies were about being a man while having sex, which made it really difficult.

“I ended up going to therapy and was talking about this idea, and the idea got shared that it was totally OK to want to have sex as a man, and the man that I am. So I started to bring this up with my partner and asked if we could try these things, and he was like, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ Very quickly from there it opened up this whole other realm of sex that I had never had with him. This sexual revolution was a big source of empowerment that allowed me to come out as trans in other areas of my life, too.” — Tom 

Alyssa and Justin, married 10 years 

“It’s probably around three or four times a week. Sometimes a bit more often, sometimes less. We were both each other’s first real sexual partners, and we didn’t have sex until after we were married. So things evolved slowly for us in terms of what we were comfortable with.

“My advice for newlyweds might seem intuitive for most people, but where I was always scared or ashamed of my body, it was really helpful to get a vibrator. Sexual enjoyment seems to come more easily for men, and if you’re a woman who doesn’t feel very satisfied, it can be the missing ingredient to a great sex life. Make sure your needs are taken care of first!” — Alyssa 

Kate and John, married 11 years 

“We average two to three times a week. With trying to manage both of us working full time and his swing overnight shifts and having two kids, I think we do pretty well. 

“There’s not a whole lot of spontaneity at this point, but you have to make it a priority. There’s no shame in doing that.” — Kate 

Andrea and Dan, married 15 years

“We average about two times a week, but that’s the lowest it’s been in our 15 years. Of course, we have four kids, so there are periods of time when we won’t be having sex very often, but it seems to ebb and flow in a way that works.” — Andrea 

“It seems we’ve synced up with our frequency and out habits in a healthy way. We feel like we may be an anomaly, and we’re each kind of surprised ourselves.” — Dan 

“There’s six of us, and we have a teen who is up later than we are, so how are we gonna sprinkle rose petals in the living room when she’s in there doing her homework? [Laughs] But we get away from the children whenever possible. It’s easy to fall into the habit of ‘We’re just co-coordinators’ or ‘We’re just co-babysitters,’ so it’s like, no, we have to get away from them. I wish I could say we’ve been to Mexico for a week without them, but that’s not the case, but literally even saying we’re going to Costco and they’re not going with us ― just turning that into a date.” — Andrea 

 Julie and Martin, married 22 years 

“We average about once a week. We have been married for 22 years and have been swingers for almost 17. So, as far as libido goes, we score pretty high. Right now we have some pressure from work, which has always had an impact on my husband’s libido, so I’m not worried about our happiness but prefer when that number goes up to maybe two times a week. 

“At first it was strictly swinging, but in the past seven or eight years, we’ve also had solo flights. Sometimes I’ll have a hookup or he will, and we’ll both be fine with that. We only engage in swinging activities when we are both at ease with our relationship and frequency, not as a way to seek pleasure elsewhere. Just as you don’t have a child to strengthen your relationship, you don’t engage in swinging in order to strengthen your sex life. If your relationship isn’t strong and healthy, the swinging will likely drive the wedge further than make the relationship stronger.

“Swinging has also shaped the way we engage with each other. You don’t engage with a body you haven’t known for years the same way you engage with a body who you haven’t known for years. It’s refreshing in the moment, but when you come to the body you know, you will have a tendency to bring that excitement into the way you engage with it.” — Julie 

Trudie, married 26 years 

“Not enough, to be frank. Maybe once a month. And I think there’s a stigma that it’s always the female, but that’s not the case. My husband is older, and I think that has a lot to do with it.

“It’s really frustrating for me. I have a lot of empathy toward him because I’ve known him so long, but as a female, it doesn’t make me feel attractive or womanly. I’ve explained that to him, and he assures me it has nothing to do with me. I’ve even asked if he wants to have sex with someone else, and he assures me it’s nothing like that. I just feel neutral, like I’m just one of the guys. 

“I think that’s why a lot of couples split up. You hear their kids go to college and they have time together, and so many people split up. I was always like, ’That’s so weird. I’ll never do that. But I kind of get it now. Now, in this situation, I kind of get it.” ― Trudie 

Lara and Clark, married 30 years 

“We met when I was 16 and he was 17, got married a week and a half after my 18th birthday and I got pregnant with our first child about a month later [laughs]. We have a great sex life when we can have sex. I would say we probably only have sex about five times a month. If it’s a particularly good month, we’ll have it a few times a week. 

“We’re less inhibited now than I’d say even when we were a good 10-15 years into our marriage. I think we were both pretty insecure with ourselves and even somewhat within our relationship. Since we had kids so quickly after we got married, we didn’t really have that time to get to know each other. So I think for a lot of years we were still very insecure. Then there was a time a few years ago where we both were like, ‘You know what? Enough.’ We’ve been married a long time at this point; we can be open. So we started sharing a lot more of our desires and maybe our fantasies and that sort of stuff. I think it’s made our sex life much more comfortable.” — Lara 

Michael and Randall, together 41 years, married five

“Sexual activity is at least twice a week. Randy would prefer more; our joke is that Michael would prefer Christmas and birthdays. I think there is always one who wants sex more than the other. It can’t be a deterring factor, and since retirement, it’s more often now. We personally think we still have incredible sex, as good or better as in the beginning. 

“We do little things for each other. We live in a lush floral area in Portugal, so a simple flower from the garden, a little odd or end when out shopping. At a certain age, one realizes we have all we need. Just a little love and affection toward each other is the greatest gift. 

“If you truly love someone, you work it out. Randy had a terrible auto accident, took several years to recuperate, and with all the drugs, sex was pretty far and few between for Randy. But you work through it. Then a father with Parkinson’s, now a mother with dementia, building a new house, life’s stresses, work, life, family, you thank one of the 5,000 gods for the gift of finding each other. You support and love through thick and thin.” — Michael 

Sex Ed for Grown-Ups is a series tackling everything you didn’t learn about sex in school — beyond the birds and the bees. Keep checking back for more expert-based articles and personal stories.

George R.R. Martin has said the ending of his book series “A Song of Fire And Ice,” which the show “Game of Thrones” is based on, will be bittersweet.

And in a now-viral story about Martin that Dan Fogelman, creator of “This is Us,” recently shared on Twitter, it seems that life imitates art.

In honor of the HBO hit show’s eighth and final season on Sunday, Fogelman shared a story on Sunday about his friend Alex Hanan, whom he described as “larger than life. Handsome and charming as hell, with the best head of hair you’ve ever seen.”

He also called Hanan “obsessed w Game of Thrones like no one you’ve ever known.”

Fogelman begins his story by explaining that he and Hanan were meeting up to see Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway show about a year ago. Hanan got to the show early and called Fogelman while he was on his way over in a cab.

“…[Hanan] never listens to anyone so I just KNOW he’s going to go accost George R. Martin,” Fogelman wrote.

Ends up, Hanan did exactly that.

During the entire show, Fogelman said, Hanan fretted about whether to text Martin. Fogelman said he tried to discourage his friend because he didn’t think Martin would text back and Hanan would be disappointed.

Despite Fogelman’s best efforts, he said, Hanan did exactly what he wanted to do.

Fogelman said they showed up at the pizza place and that he was convinced Martin would ghost them, but thought, “At least it will be a funny story.” Plus, the pizza was bound to be good, since Martin is a huge NYC pizza fan.

But then … Martin and his “lovely wife” arrived, Fogelman recalled.

This is when Fogelman’s story took a somber turn.

Fogelman stressed how much the dinner meant to his friend.

Fogelman said he learned an important lesson from that experience.

He ended his thread on a beautifully affecting note that honored his dear friend.

A mutual friend also provided photographic evidence of the encounter, which Fogelman retweeted.

Now, excuse us while we grab some tissues.

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Dozens of same sex couples kissed simultaneously outside an upscale shopping mall in Colombia’s capital Wednesday, in the latest demonstration calling for LGBT rights in the South American country.

The “kiss-a-thon” was held just days after two gay men in their early 20s were harassed at the Andino shopping center by a man who pushed the couple, screamed profanities at them and accused them of fondling each other in front of a group of children.

Esteban Miranda and Nicolas Tellez denied doing that, saying they were only hugging and holding hands just like many heterosexual couples strolling the mall’s flashy corridors. They quickly called the police to seek protection from the enraged man but were instead fined for indecent exposure.

The incident was caught on video by bystanders and shared widely on social media, sparking a wave of support for the young gay couple.

On Wednesday night, hundreds of activists waving rainbow flags gathered around one of the mall’s entrances and screamed chants in support of gay rights.

Paola Gutierrez, 21, hugged her girlfriend and gave her a heartfelt kiss on the lips, after a protest organizer with a megaphone urged participants to express their “freedom” to love.

“Kissing someone is no crime,” said Gutierrez, who wore a pair of rainbow colored suspenders. “All we want is for there to be less divisions in this society, and no discrimination against people over their sexual preferences.”

Colombia is one of South America’s more liberal countries when it comes to LGBT legislation. Same-sex couples in the Andean nation can form civil unions and adopt children, something they are not allowed to do in neighboring countries like Venezuela and Peru.

But experts say homosexuality is still perceived negatively by much of Colombia’s population, leading to frequent cases of discrimination.

Gutierrez said that she and her girlfriend get cat-called by men when they hold hands in the street.

Another protester, Nicolas Lara, said he was once sent to a psychiatrist at a public hospital after he told a doctor there that he had relationships with other men.

“There’s no place for these incidents in the 21st century,” Lara said. “We need to work toward a more tolerant society.”

NEW DELHI — A 67.84% voter turnout was recorded in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Thursday in 95 seats spread in 11 states and a Union Territory, the Election Commission said.

Barring sporadic incidents of violence, the polling went off peacefully, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said.

Polling was held for 95 Lok Sabha seats in 11 states, with Tamil Nadu voting in 38 of its 39 constituencies, and the union territory of Puducherry.

While elections were cancelled in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore constituency over fear of abuse of money power, poll was postponed to 23 April in Tripura (East) seat as there were apprehensions that law and order could be disturbed by miscreants.

Two violence-related deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, including that of a woman polling personnel who was killed by suspected Maoists on Wednesday in Odisha. Another death was reported Thursday. Two other people, including a voter and a polling officer, died of apparent heart attack.

There was reports of the electronic voting machines being damaged in Manipur and Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal.

The interim voter turnout stood at 43.4% in Jammu and Kashmir, the lowest, and 78%, the highest, in Puducherry.

Udhampur and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir went for polls in this phase.

West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu reported a turnout above 70%.

Referring to the issue of ’glitches in EVMs, deputy election commissioner Sudip Jain said, a total of 1,000 ballot units, 769 control units 2,766 paper trail machines were replaced.

One control unit and at least one balot unit make up for an EVM.

He said if a ballot unit or control unit is replaced, the paper trail machines needs to be replaced along with it. “Hence the higher number of replacements.”

Fourteen seats in Karnataka also went to polls along with 10 in Maharashtra, eight in Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam, Bihar and Odisha, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat each in Manipur and Puducherry.

Elections were also held in 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha while bypolls are being held in 18 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu.

For 543 seats, Lok Sabha polls are being conducted in seven phases: 11 April, 18 April, 23 April, 29 April, 6 May, 12 May and 19 May. Counting will take place on 23 May.