The CEO of Overstock has resigned after divulging having been in a romantic relationship with convicted unregistered Russian agent Maria Butina and in a strange press release commenting on the "deep state."

Patrick Byrne in a letter to shareholders on Thursday said that he is in the "sad position of having to sever ties" with the company effective today, although he contends that "I did what was necessary for the good of the country," The New York Times reports.

Byrne referring to the fact that earlier this month, he said in a press release with the title "Overstock.com CEO Comments on Deep State, Withholds Further Comment" that he "assisted in what are now known as the 'Clinton Investigation' and the 'Russian Investigation,'" which "turned out to be ... political espionage conducted against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump." In the bizarre statement, he also refers to FBI agents as the "Men in Black."

Byrne and his lawyer later spoke to The New York Times and clarified that he was talking about the fact that he dated Butina and spoke with the FBI during its investigation. He alleged in this interview that the investigation was mishandled and said that he is still "quite fond" of Butina, who pled guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent and is serving 18 months in prison. "Maria should go home and be president of Russia one day," Byrne told the Times.

In his Thursday announcement, Byrne says he spoke about this publicly after "I was reminded of the damage done to our nation for three years and felt my duty as a citizen precluded me from staying silent any longer." Now, he plans on "disappearing for some time." Following Byrne's announcement, CNN reports Overstock stock surged more than 10 percent. Brendan Morrow

If you can't thank a veteran today, do the next best thing and donate to a non-veteran!

President Trump's campaign fundraising team didn't miss a beat this Veterans Day, running a Facebook ad on Monday encouraging people to say "THANK YOU, VETERANS" by donating to the president's metaphorical war chest.

Trump, who is not a veteran, famously deferred the Vietnam War draft several times.

The ad, which includes a can't-miss 25 percent off coupon, provoked criticism of the president, with veteran Mark Hertling pointing out the somewhat bizarre timing of the Trump campaign's message. A judge ordered Trump to pay $2 million last week over his alleged mishandling of funds for veterans, which were instead used for political purposes, CBS News reports.

The president also celebrated the day by attending New York City's Veterans Day parade, where he took the time to honor Gold Star families, despite his history of feuding with several of them.

Although if Trump really is burying the hatchet this Veterans Day, he should be sure to get the date right in next year's Facebook ad. Marianne Dodson

It's safe to say the Game of Thrones ending proved a little polarizing for anyone whose favorite character wasn't Bran. (Yes, we see you! All 12 of you!)

But if you were a little let down by the finale of the HBO series, take solace in the wisdom of the Mother of Dragons herself, who says expectations were so high that there's no ending that "would have made everyone happy." Emilia Clarke also says she doesn't plan to act alongside dragons again anytime soon, so temper your expectations for Last Christmas accordingly. Read more at Indiewire. Scott Meslow

For 12 seasons, Kaley Cuoco starred on The Big Bang Theory as Penny, the sunny heroine who tolerated her weird neighbors rambling endlessly about Star Trek or Magic: The Gathering.

But according to Cuoco, the character of Penny was originally conceived very differently, as a "dark, brooding unhappy woman," which — while an admittedly unconventional choice for a breezy sitcom — makes a lot more sense for a woman stuck hanging out with those guys for 12 years. Read more at Yahoo Entertainment. Scott Meslow

Endings don't come much more definitive than Avengers: Endgame, which saw most of the original Avengers lineup dead or retired by the time the credits rolled.

But diehard fans might have a glimmer of hope that they'll get to spend a little more time with Captain America, who is elderly but still alive at the end of the movie. "You never say never. I love the character. I don't know," said Evans in a recent interview — so I guess we can all look forward to Captain America: Getting Mad At Teens Who Tweet "OK Boomer" sometime on the horizon.

Read more at Variety. Scott Meslow

Over the weekend, the People's Choice Award for Best Reality Series went to Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which topped fellow must-see TV shows like Bachelor in Paradise and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. But while the whole Kardashian clan took the stage to accept the award, Khloé didn't realize she had also won a separate award for Best Reality Star — because come on, she deserves at least two separate trophies for her work on the 17th season of the reality series.

On Twitter, Khloé apologized to fans for not acknowledging the second award on stage, revealing that she hadn't even realized she won it. Don't worry, Khloé: Most of us didn't know the People's Choice Awards were happening either. Read more at People. Scott Meslow

What to do when a pop star takes a show that was scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and pushes it back to 10:30 p.m.? You could chug an extra thermos of coffee, or sleep in so you'll have extra energy later in the day, or you could sue the singer for this incredibly trivial inconvenience.

That's the strategy being pursued by one Florida man, who filed a lawsuit against Madonna alleging that her decision to push back a December concert by two hours constituted a breach of contract. The lawsuit adds that the time change decreased the value of the $1,024.95 he spent on tickets — but come on, at least 40 percent of that is probably Ticketmaster fees. Read more at Page Six. Scott Meslow