■ Jared Kushner, the sonin-law of former President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers during his administration, has a book deal. Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced that Kushner’s book will come out early next year. Kushner has begun working on the memoir, currently untitled, and is expected to write about everything from the Middle East to criminal justice reform to the pandemic. “His book will be the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration — and the truth about what happened behind closed doors,” Broadside said. Financial terms were not disclosed. Kushner was often at the center of the Trump administration’s policies — whether brokering the normalization of relations between Israel and several other nations or playing a key role in a criminal justice bill passed in 2018. He has also been the subject of numerous controversies, whether for his financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest or the administration’s widely criticized handling of covid-19. The signing of Kushner comes during a debate in the book industry over which Trump officials, notably Trump himself, can be taken on without starting a revolt at the publishing house. Hundreds of Simon & Schuster employees and thousands from outside the company signed a petition this spring condemning the publisher’s decision to sign former Vice President Mike Pence. As for Trump, he issued a statement last week saying he was “writing like crazy” and had turned down two offers “from the most unlikely of publishers.”

■ Britney Spears took to Instagram to respond to fans’ questions, including whether she thinks she’ll ever perform again, as she awaits a conservatorship hearing Wednesday. She posted a brief video fielding inquiries such as what was her favorite business trip — “A trip to Italy; Donatella Versace, she flew me there to stay in her beautiful villa; she fine and dined us, huge fashion shows, it was really, really fun” — and what is her shoe size — “size 7”. After a jump cut, she said, “The question is, ‘Am I ready to take the stage again, am I gonna take the stage again, will I ever take the stage again?’ I have no idea. I’m having fun right now. I’m in a transition in my life and I’m enjoying myself.” She smiled. “So. That’s it.” The video garnered 3.2 million views in its first 18 hours. Spears, 39, has not performed since 2018 as her conservatorship saga has drawn out. The pop star is scheduled to appear virtually at this week’s court hearing in Los Angeles, the latest battle in the legal war over who has control over her personal affairs. She has been fighting for years to have her father, Jamie Spears, removed from her conservatorship. Her lawyer last year said: “My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father. She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”