Sunday Brunch suffered an unexpected live TV mishap when a phone began causing a stir behind the scenes

The hit show Sunday Brunch suffered a major blunder.

The Channel 4 hit cooking chat show was thrown into chaos after a phone began causing a commotion behind the scenes during the live broadcast.

The awkward moment happened just before stand-in presenter Yinka Bokinni and Simon Rimmer were due to chat with Anita-Joy Uwajeh.

Yinka, who was filling in for regular host Tim Lovejoy, appeared to notice the noise coming from somewhere off-camera and could be heard receiving text alerts.

She turned to Anita and asked, “Before we get into speaking to you, what was happening? Because I could hear texts. What is going on?”

Anita then explained that there had been a technical issue while jokingly refusing to reveal exactly who was responsible.

“I don’t want to grass anybody, I don’t want to give anyone up, but we had a bit of a technical situation,” she said. Yinka then appeared to work out what was behind the disruption, asking: “Su, was on her phone?”

A clip then showed some of the celebrities laughing as Anita continued to explain what had happened. She said Grace, better known as GK Barry, was “really enjoying it” before revealing that Su Pollard had been trying to work out how to operate the device.

Anita joked: “It was Su trying to figure out this sort of… It’s more like a portable machine, that phone. It’s not really like a modern-day technology thing.”

The exchange left the studio in fits of laughter before Yinka turned her attention to the production team to find out whether the problem had finally been resolved.

“Can we just check in? Have we managed to silence the device?” she asked. After appearing to get confirmation that the noise had stopped, Yinka simply shrugged off the interruption. “Yeah? It’s the beauty of being live,” she said. Anita agreed, replying: “Exactly.”

The incident provided one of the more unexpected moments from Sunday’s edition of the Channel 4 favourite, with the presenters forced to deal with the problem in real time before getting on with the interview.

Yinka was standing in for Tim Lovejoy on the programme, joining Simon Rimmer at the helm for a packed edition featuring a host of familiar faces.

Among the guests was legendary singer Paul Heaton, while Su Pollard appeared to discuss her memoir. GK Barry was also on the show to talk about her new book, while Everlast, Gary Wilmot and Anita-Joy Uwajeh were also part of the line-up. Casualty star Elinor Lawless also joined the programme to discuss the soap’s 40th anniversary special.

Despite the unexpected phone drama, the show quickly returned to its usual mix of celebrity interviews, entertainment, music and conversation.

And with the programme being broadcast live, Yinka was able to turn an unplanned technical problem into another memorable Sunday Brunch moment before carrying on with the show.

Sunday Brunch airs every Sunday from 10am on Channel 4.

As August gives way to September, next week brings a tech-heavy earnings slate, with investors focused on AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise software, and semiconductor demand as the market heads into the final stretch of the third quarter. Broadcom (AVGO

New headlines this week are raising concerns for parents of high school football players.

According to a study published from researchers at Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation, one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 might have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). There were 338 brains donated to study, and 315 of them had evidence of CTE, a brain disorder that can happen because of repeated injuries to the head.

Allan Walsh, a sports agent and lawyer, said in a tweet: “This is a crisis.”

Parents have previously debated among themselves the risks and rewards in letting a son or daughter play a contact sport, but this new study regarding football head injuries is once again going to rattle, if not cause a retreat, from some allowing family members to participate in football.

“It causes concern,” said Mike Hamilton, a former high school football and basketball coach who has a son playing football at Chatsworth High. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Do I want him to play?’ I’m apprehensive. He has a passion for the game. He’s conscience about his health. What gives me relief is knowing that practices are going well. There are protocols parents should abide by. We didn’t let our son play football until he got to high school because of the hits.”

Tim Moscicki, an athletic trainer at Loyola High for 38 years, said much has changed for the better in protecting football players from concussions and other head injuries. He said new policies, improved equipment, a focus on tackling fundamentals and new protocols are all having an impact.

Loyola athletic trainer Tim Moscicki doing baselining of students in 2014 to help diagnose concussions.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

He remembers the days when coaches would say, “He got his bell rung.” The player would sit out a few plays, then get put back in. Now that term is barred from everyone’s vocabulary. New rules requiring players to sit out a minimum of seven days following a concussion while needing clearance from a doctor to return and tackling restrictions put in during weekly practices show the CIF is taking CTE concerns in a serious matter for high school sports.

“To me. football has gotten a lot safer,” Moscicki said. “Right now, given what’s in place, it’s safe to play football. Kids are being held out now when they develop any kind of symptom. Back in 1990, if a kid had a concussion and they were free of symptoms for 24 hours, we’d give them their helmet back, ‘You can play.’

“My thing it’s still up to parents if they want their sons to play football. My youngest played football, oldest played lacrosse. There’s always a risk. There’s a risk riding a bike. There’s risk playing baseball. It’s a just a little higher in the full-contact sports. The standards have changed so much. There really wasn’t a return to play protocol in the ‘70s ‘80s and ‘90s.”

Moscicki was one of the first high school athletic trainers to do baselining of all students, giving them tests of their balance and brain functions so it can be used and compared with a similar exam if the student is suspected of having a concussion. Loyola also started a return-to-school program because students with concussions have headaches that also affects their school work.

Parents must understand “you cannot prevent a concussion,” Moscicki said.

“If you get hit hard enough, there’s nothing out there that would 100% prevent a concussion,” he said. “A concussion happens as a result of your brain hitting the inside of your skull.”

The good news is everyone seems to be endorsing funding research into head injuries, including the NFL. It’s still too early to conclude where the research is headed.

That’s where parental choice comes into play.

“Football is a sport,” Moscicki said. “You don’t have to play it. You don’t have to watch it.”

And yet, the Super Bowl is the most watched annual television broadcast in the United States, with lots of monetary rewards for those who participate.

There are many challenges ahead. Pierce College and Orange Coast College paused their junior college football programs this year for lack of players. Junior varsity programs at lots of high schools have been discontinued for lack of players. A CIF participation survey for 2025-26 found 11-man football is the most popular boys sport with 87,718 participants, a drop of 4% from last school year.

“Anything that’s a contact sport runs a risk,” Hamilton said. “You want to protect your son.”

KNVB invites associations and confederations to a summit to discuss the overhaul of FIFA and how it runs football.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino must be replaced by 2027, along with an overhaul of football’s global governing body, the Dutch football association (KNVB) has said.

The KNVB, one of FIFA’s ⁠⁠founding members in 1904, issued a scathing statement on Sunday, saying it had lost confidence in Infantino and wanted to reshape the body rather than just change leadership at the top.

The Dutch body wants to host ⁠⁠an international summit in Amsterdam and has invited football associations and confederations from around the world to participate.

Infantino is expected to run for re-election to the FIFA presidency in March, but world regional football bodies have considered a vote of ‌‌no confidence after his aborted proposal to sell a stake in FIFA events like the World Cup to private equity investors.

“The KNVB no longer has confidence in the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. We believe FIFA needs new leadership from 2027 onwards,” it said in the statement.

“But a new president alone is not enough. The way FIFA is governed must change as well.

“The KNVB supported Infantino in the most recent presidential election. That support was never ⁠⁠unconditional.”

The KNVB proposed an “International Summit on the Future of FIFA”, ⁠⁠emphasising it should determine “what kind of FIFA we want” before identifying new leadership.

“We see too much power concentrated around the FIFA president and insufficient separation between the President and the FIFA administration,” they added.

FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for a comment on KNVB’s statement and proposed plans for a summit.

Calls to revamp FIFA’s power structure

Among KNVB’s key demands was a revamp of the decision-making process in the organisation. It called for FIFA’s congress to take the call on key decisions under the governance and supervision of its council.

It proposed a shift of power, whereby the organisation’s secretary-general leads and the president plays the role of representing FIFA globally.

The Dutch body outlined three reform priorities: better governance with stronger checks and balances, putting human rights and sustainability at the heart of ⁠⁠decision-making and stronger international cooperation.

It also wants FIFA to work towards ⁠⁠reinvesting up to 90 percent of its distributable revenue in football development.

Infantino said last week it was FIFA’s job to close the gap between its wealthy members and those that have few financial resources.

“This should not be a European plan for the ‌‌rest of the world,” the KNVB said.

“We want to develop this new direction together with FIFA’s 211 Member Associations and the confederations from all parts of the world.”

The KNVB is part of ‌‌UEFA, ‌‌which asked a United States federal court for permission to obtain testimony and documents from FIFA entities in Florida for use in a planned criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino.

I’M walking down the M1 in my flip flops, the trilling of birdsong above me as a cheeky monkey throws fruit skins from the trees.

The only motors on this brick-lined path winding through the jungle of the Rayavadee Resort in Krabi are those powering the sunset chorus.

And while the bright lights of Thailand’s big cities may mean chaotic tuk tuks, the only traffic jam I see is a family of spectacled langur monkeys running from one tree to another before scampering across the beachfront.

“It’s 5pm, it’s their home time,” a staff member tells me. In the slow lane is the water monitor lizard, lazily crossing the path before slinking into the pond to cool down.

This beautiful resort in the heart of Krabi’s Phra Nang Peninsula on the border of the marine national park delivers laid-back luxury with not one but three stunning beaches lapped by the warm waters of the Andaman Sea.

My home off the M1 pathway was a circular, two-storey, dome-roofed wooden pavilion designed to echo the unique rounded cliff rock formations that pepper the surrounding landscapes.

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Downstairs, there’s a living room with plush seating and garden views.

Up an open, spiral staircase is the spacious bedroom, with the pavilion’s curved glass windows welcoming the jungle indoors.

Those naughty monkeys are just as keen on the luxury digs — make sure to keep your terrace doors locked otherwise you might have a visitor raiding your minibar.

And as tempting as it would be to simply pull up a lounger on one of the three stunning beaches it sits on — Railay West, Phra Nang and Nam Mao — part of the hotel’s ethos is to get you out there and interacting with the local community.

We set off bright and early in a truly unique transfer — a giant sea tractor to counteract the challenges of the low tide.

I hung on for dear life in the metal carriage contraption the tractor pulls along, before swapping to a longboat for part two of the journey as the savvy captain manoeuvred along narrow channels.

I’d survived, jelly-legged, but not for long.

A short drive away were the waterfalls of Khao Phanom Bencha National Park, a primary filming location for Jurassic World: Rebirth featuring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey.

Our guide warned us it was a “bit of a challenge” to get there.

And, just like Thai people have a different definition of “spicy” compared to us Brits, what they call a slight challenge is an understatement.

I clambered up what felt like sheer rock faces, stretching my knees almost to my ears as I attempted to reach the summit. But it was worth it.

The steep path cleared and ahead was a beautiful, crashing waterfall and lagoon surrounded by trees.

I threw off my sweat-soaked T-shirt and slid into the pool (water monitor lizard style) to cool off in the 30C heat.

My only disappointment was the lack of Jonathan Bailey in it. No matter.

My afternoon took me to Klong Root, a haven for kayakers.

Paddling through mirror waters, the shade of the mangrove trees was welcome, with the splashing of my oars being the only sound.

This was followed by a local cooking class in the rural community Baan Nong Talay, the pounding of the chilli plant making my eyes water from the heat.

But the delights of the Rayavadee Resort were calling and I made it back in time to grab a table at the most sought-after spot to watch the sunset, The Grotto, nestled on the edge of Phra Nang Beach.

As a riot of bright pink and orange burst across the skyline, my lychee martini went down just as easily as the sun before a meal of freshly grilled steak and Andaman lobster straight off the coals.

After the luxe lifestyle at Rayavadee I was not ready to take on the buzzing streets of Bangkok after our flight there.

Bang Kachao is just 45 minutes from the centre but couldn’t be a bigger contrast.

This lush green oasis where the Chao Phraya River bends in a sharp U-turn is known as Bangkok’s “Green Lung”.

For just £1 you can rent a bike to cycle along the forest paths — the perfect pause before a whirlwind 24 hours in the most happening city neighbourhoods.

I braved the crowds of Song Wat — named one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods — for copious amounts of coffee, photobooth snaps and funky souvenirs.

I mooched over to the historical Talat Noi, where honking scooters screeched past while I browsed local street art, devoured tiny coconut pancakes for 20p and Chang beers for £1.80.

I filled my bag with local Thai designer clothes in Siam before a late-night massage for a quarter of the price of in the UK.

My days of relaxation threatening to be forgotten about, the beautiful Park Hyatt welcomed me with air-conditioned arms.

It came in the form of rooftop infinity pools, rooms with just-as-amazing views from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and one of the best breakfast buffets I’ve ever had.

Fresh pork congee, mango sticky rice and Thai tea waffles — I’d be coming back with more weight than just my suitcase.

But after some of the best food, people and sunsets of my life? Who could be Krabi about that . . . 

Lulu performed her own James Bond song, The Man with the Golden Gun, at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall

Lulu appeared to be moved to tears following her showstopping performance at the BBC Proms.

Host Nick Mohammed set the tone from the very start of the evening, joking that his appearance at the concert was doubling up as an audition for the next James Bond.

“I will say, while a decision hasn’t yet been made about who’s going to be the next James Bond, I am kind of seeing this as my audition,” he told the audience.

“I know it’s a bit unconventional. I’d usually just do a self-tape on my phone, but I thought, why not hire out the Royal Albert Hall with the full support of an orchestra?”

Introducing conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Mohammed joked: “Tonight, we provided the illustrious leader of our special operation with a short wooden stick, but when aimed in a particular direction, is able to do this. May I present the man with the golden baton.”

The Royal Albert Hall played host to the beloved and instantly recognisable theme tunes from the Bond franchise, alongside memorable soundtracks from other spy films, with Mohammed describing their mission as a celebration of “more than 60 years of 007 soundtracks and songs, arguably some of the most iconic film music ever created.”

The BBC Concert Orchestra, led by Bartholomew-Poyser, delivered the music alongside a lineup of special guest vocalists.

Yet it was Lulu who truly stole the show. The legendary Scottish singer took centre stage to perform her very own James Bond number, The Man with the Golden Gun.

Fans flocked to X to share their reactions, with one writing, “Ahhh! The eternally delicious LuLu x x x,” reports the Daily Record.

Another praised, “I was so looking forward to this…best thing? Lulu.” Lulu looks and sounds fabulous,” a third chimed in, while another gushed, “Lulu looks and sounds phenomenal.”

One fan noted that Lulu “Seemed emotional at the end there,” while another enthused, “Best singer so far…go on Lulu!”

The audience erupted in cheers and applause for Lulu, who stood on stage, visibly tearful, following her breathtaking set.

The BBC Proms is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

WASHINGTON — Natalie Harp has never been in the spotlight quite like this.

Before the 35-year-old White House aide made headlines for her close access to President Trump, much of her early life was spent in Southern California, where she was home-schooled and attended a mega-church on Sundays — a quiet upbringing that, her brother says, was defined by conservative values and Christian teachings.

Their mother taught them at home using educational materials written from a biblical worldview. The family would attend services regularly at Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon, where pastors would deliver sermons like the one from a recent Sunday, calling on God to use its thousands of congregants “in a way that turns this world upside down.”

“We were raised with the idea that America was God’s gift to the world and it’s the only place that people really live in freedom,” Preston Harp, her brother, told The Times.

Years later, in 2019, Harp’s ascent into Trump’s orbit began, when she went on Fox News to credit a healthcare bill Trump signed into law with saving her from a rare form of cancer — a story that later caught the president’s attention.

As that relationship took hold, the California family bubble she’d been raised in was bursting behind the scenes, culminating with her father’s suicide in July 2020. A month later, Harp emerged on the national stage, introducing herself as a “formerly forgotten American from California” at the Republican National Convention, where she declared her devotion to Trump.

“I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you,” she said.

Natalie Harp speaks after being called onstage by President Trump during the Faith & Freedom Coalition 2019 Road To Majority Policy Conference in Washington on June 26, 2019.

(Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

Now, she spends her days working as a special assistant to Trump, a man she has described, in highly personal letters, as her “guardian and protector.” In those letters, published by the Daily Beast, she has thanked the president for “always being there” for her and alluded to a “promise” Trump made to her after she lost her dad.

Harp’s taxpayer-funded job, with its unmatched access to the president, mostly happens away from the public eye. She has been called the “human printer” because she follows Trump with a portable printer to provide Trump with hard copies of flattering news coverage or information the computer-averse president requires.

She also stays up late drafting social media posts with the president, the New York Times reported. Several of Trump’s Truth Social posts have generated controversy in recent months, including an AI-generated image showing him as Jesus in a white robe laying his hands on a sick man.

Those who know her describe her as detail-oriented and a “devoted staffer to the cause” whose tight-knit circle includes those closest to Trump, such as Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, and Karoline Leavitt, the White House’s former press secretary.

“Just like many of the administration officials, you become friends with your co-workers,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican who talks to Harp on a weekly basis, said in an interview.

Harp is “almost always” with Wiles, Luna said. The congresswoman added that her relationship with the president is “100% professional,” and that any suggestion otherwise is an attempt to smear her.

“She’s been nothing but professional and an absolute killer when it comes to getting her job done,” Luna said. “I would kill to have someone like her on my team.”

To her brother, Harp’s integration in Trump’s inner circle is in line with her upbringing.

“My mom raised us as super conservative, and he’s everything that she taught us to respect,” he said.

The White House declined to comment.

A California native in Trump world

As a kid in the San Diego neighborhood of Carmel Valley, Harp played with old-fashioned dolls and spent a lot of time reading, her brother said. For school, their mother used a curriculum from Bob Jones University Press, whose material focused on “biblical worldview shaping,” according to its website.

The home in which Natalie Harp, an aide to President Trump, grew up in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego.

(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)

“We start with God’s truth as the standard,” the website states. “Scripture serves as the blueprint for how we put together our textbooks so that every lesson begins with truth.”

Growing up, Harp spent most of her time with adults, especially her mother, and would rarely socialize with her peers, her brother recalled. Even at church, she would opt to sit with the adults instead of spending time with the youth group.

“There would be like skateboarding demos, there would be cool stuff going on, but my sister was just with all the grown-ups, and she preferred it,” he said.

Harp and her brother were close as young children but drifted apart as they got older. Preston Harp found an outlet skateboarding and surfing with friends, and Harp opted to stay close to home, he said.

At some point, their mother began policing their discussions, particularly as he started espousing more progressive beliefs, her brother recalled.

“I wasn’t really allowed to be in her life,” he said. “If we ever talked on the phone my mom was listening to everything we’d say, and they were talking on the phone together with me on speakerphone.”

Harp declined to comment for this story through a request sent to the White House. Her mother did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.

An aerial view of Natalie Harp’s family’s home in the private gated community of Woodbridge Cove, in Irvine.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

In her mid-20s, Harp moved with her parents to Irvine to be closer to their father’s work at Biola University, a private Christian institution in La Mirada, southeast of Los Angeles. He worked as a professor at the school of business and later served as the executive director of the Office of Innovation, according to the university.

The family lived in a home adjacent to a man-made lake in Irvine’s Woodbridge neighborhood, a master-planned community known for its peaceful, family-friendly atmosphere.

Both Irvine and Carmel Valley are silos from the problems of the outside world, places where everything might seem perfect, even when it isn’t, her brother said.

“My mom likes living in bubbles,” he said.

Within a few years of the family’s move, in July 2020, Harp’s father, 61, died by suicide at their home. When Preston Harp arrived at the house, he said his mother wanted him to go along with the story that their father had died in his sleep. Preston refused, he said, not wanting to downplay his dad’s pain to keep up appearances. It was the start of a massive rift in the family.

“That was the last time I ever talked to my sister,” he said.

Entering the national stage

Harp has shared little about her upbringing publicly. However, she has spoken at length about medical issues she experienced starting in her mid-20s.

In 2020, she said during remarks at the Republican National Convention that five years earlier she was “the victim of a notoriously deadly medical error.”

“I survived, but only to be diagnosed with a rare and terminal bone cancer,” she said.

She said she was diagnosed with Stage 2 bone cancer. It was that experience that sparked her interest in entering the political arena.

“I just wanted to get better,” she said on the program. “I started tuning in for the first time into politics because I had never had a representative before. All my representatives were Democrats, so I thought, why should I care about politics?”

Two rounds of chemotherapy did not help and she was rejected from clinical trials, she said. But in 2018 Trump signed the Right to Try Act, which allows terminally ill patients to access certain experimental drugs and immunotherapy treatments that have not received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

“I am not dying from cancer anymore thanks to President Trump, I am living with cancer,” Harp said on the program.

The White House did not respond to a request seeking comment on the treatment she received.

Natalie Harp follows former President Trump as he boards his airplane after speaking at an event in Manchester, N.H., on April 27, 2023.

(Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

During Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, Harp’s role was to talk about the Right to Try Act, said Sarah Matthews, a former deputy press secretary for Trump.

“I remember we would correspond over Twitter DMs, and she just seemed very excited to be helpful in any way,” Matthews said. At the time, it seemed Harp was trying to make inroads with staffers, she said.

“My role would not necessarily interact with her, but … I could tell that she was trying to initiate a connection,” she said.

Although it’s not clear who on the team found Harp, Matthews said she was “very eager” to help the campaign.

“They found this woman who was eloquent and well-spoken and all the things, but it did just come off to me like she really wanted to be part of Trump world,” Matthews said.

In intimate letters, Harp has explained her devotion to the 80-year-old president.

Natalie Harp listens as former President Trump speaks outside the courtroom during his trial on charges of covering up hush money payments, on April 30, 2024 in New York City.

(Curtis Means / Pool Photo)

In one letter, she writes that she is “unworthy” of Trump and reminisces about the times Trump called during her “Talkshow days,” a reference to her stint in 2021 hosting “The Real Story with Natalie Harp” on the right-wing One America News channel.

“We’d talk about everything and nothing,” she writes. “I want to get back to that synergy. We shouldn’t have to talk about work all the time!!”

She adds: “I always felt like an in-betweener, somewhere between Staff and those you enjoy talking to on the Plane or at Dinner, because that’s who I used to be to you when I was a ‘Talkshow Host’ (as much as I hated that actual job!)”

Ossoff’s ‘Natalie’ reference brings attention

The public attention on Harp sharpened this month when Jon Ossoff, a Democratic senator from Georgia, told supporters in Atlanta that Trump wanted to “build his ballroom and travel with Natalie” rather than do the work of the presidency. The remarks came after it became public that Harp had been one of a select few who joined Trump on an alternate plane flying out of Turkey as a precaution amid a threat of attack by Iran.

President Trump and Natalie Harp, right, attend a dignified transfer for service members killed during operations in the Middle East, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., on July 22.

(Lau Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)

Ossoff’s comment drew the ire of Trump allies, from Capitol Hill lawmakers to conservative influencers, with many of them blasting the comment as sexist and inappropriate.

Although the White House and Trump allies have fiercely defended Harp in public forums, and dismissed suggestions of an improper relationship, Trump has sidestepped questions about his aide.

“People can be very mean to successful, pretty women,” Luna said. “And that is what is happening to Natalie.”

In their book “Regime Change,” New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan write that Trump has told staff that Harp is the only one who loves him as much as his wife and kids.

“All of you will go off and make money,” Trump would say. “She’ll never leave me.”

Although Trump worked closely with other executive assistants during his first administration, Matthews said his relationship with Harp appears to be “a different level of closeness.”

President Trump,right, accompanied by Tiffany Trump’s husband, Michael Boulos, left, and aide Natalie Harp, center, looks out the window of Marine One as it lands on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 18, 2025.

(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

“I think it’s because of the way she fawns all over him and the love notes,” she said. “I think he just really trusts her. So she’s been able to, I think, develop an even closer bond.”

Despite the recent controversy, Harp remained by the president’s side during public appearances last week.

At the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington on Aug. 23, Harp sat a few rows behind Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, chatting with the president’s son Eric. Days before that, she reportedly traveled with Trump to South Carolina for a campaign rally and to his northern Virginia golf club.

“She’s just all work,” Luna said. “She is one of the hardest workers and it is hard to find people who are like that.”

Natalie Harp looks on as President Trump visits the Mission Control Center at NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday.

(Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images)

Ceballos reported from Washington, Fry from Irvine.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional or call 988. The nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Or text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.

Giff Smith addressed the issue head-on.

On the first night of training camp, the Rams’ defensive line coach sat down with each of his charges individually and, among other topics, talked about Aaron Donald.

From the moment the Rams traded for end Myles Garrett, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year, the talk of the offseason was that Donald, a three-time defensive player of the year, might come out of retirement and join a Rams team favored to win the Super Bowl.

The Rams of course would welcome the return of the future Hall of Famer. But if it happens, it also could have ramifications for other players’ playing time and, possibly, future contracts.

So Smith welcomed players’ questions.

“I’m a very open and honest guy,” Smith said, “and they deserve the respect to be able to voice whatever concerns or answers they’re looking for.

“And the answers I have, I give. The ones I don’t, I don’t. But let’s clear the air. What’s your concerns? Let’s get some clarity and make sure we’re on the same page.”

As the Rams worked to trim their roster to 53 players by Sunday’s NFL deadline, they still were waiting on Donald’s decision.

Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead have said Donald can take all the time he needs. And McVay indicated it would not be problematic if Donald decides after the initial roster is set.

“Whenever a decision is made, if that is the direction that he goes where he wants to play, then we have plans accordingly,” McVay said.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner, a team captain, is in a contract year. Ostensibly, the attention teams would devote to Garrett and Donald might provide Turner with more opportunities for splash plays.

But Donald’s playing time and contract — whether it be for the $30 million he was owed had he not retired, or a more cap-friendly, incentive-laden deal possibly coupled with other contract restructures — could affect the Rams’ ability and timing to extend Turner and other members of the 2023 draft class.

Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner stands on the field during a win over the Detroit Lions in December.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Turner played with Donald as a rookie in 2023 and soaked up as much as he could from the eight-time All-Pro before ascending to become a team leader.

Throughout the Rams’ wait on Donald, Turner said it has been “cool” to continue building culture and cohesiveness among the defensive front.

“And then knowing if Aaron does take the opportunity to come back, then he’s just going to be able to add to our group,” Turner said.

Braden Fiske, a third-year pro whose playing time also could be affected if Donald returns, echoed Turner. The opportunity to play with Donald and Garrett, who have a combined 236½ sacks, would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Fiske said.

“That’s Hall of Fame talent,” he said. “It’s not every day you get to play next to one, let alone two. So just the opportunity to learn and grow from whatever [Donald’s] able to bring to the table would be awesome.”

Fiske got an up-close look when he went through a speed and agility workout with Donald.

“Clearly, he hasn’t lost much of a step,” Fiske said, laughing.

Smith noted the same after watching Donald go through an on-field workout during training camp. Because Smith and team trainers were present, the session was listed as a “tryout” on the NFL’s transaction wire.

Donald’s natural ability, his attention to detail and fundamental technique remain “off the charts,” Smith said.

“Like I told him, ‘Selfishly, I want you back. I mean want to coach you, the all-time greatest one,’” Smith said. “But he’s going to make the right decision when the time’s right. And I’m all in with AD on whatever.

“If he decides to play, no doubt, he makes us better. If he doesn’t decide to play, come hang out, be a part of the family, help us get better.

“And he’ll make the right decision.”

Khamenei urges Gulf rulers to confront their ‘real enemy’ as Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz restricted amid stalled diplomacy.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has urged Gulf leaders to identify their “real enemy” and confront it, as Tehran maintains its hard line over the Strait of Hormuz, while regional mediators push for renewed diplomacy.

“My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it,” Khamenei said in a message published on Sunday to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

Khamenei has not appeared publicly since the US-Israeli attacks on February 28 that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The message comes as the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed before the war, remains unresolved.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday that Iran had reached an understanding with Oman on a temporary maritime route, but that its implementation would depend on the United States fulfilling its commitments under the memorandum of understanding the countries signed in mid-June, which has since lapsed.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” Gharibabadi said, adding that any vessel seeking to cross would have to coordinate with Iran.

“Implementing this understanding requires the other side, particularly the US, to fulfil its commitments. Whenever these commitments are implemented, Iran will also take its measures,” he said.

Iran and Oman have been discussing a temporary joint shipping corridor and mine clearance, while Qatar and Pakistan have intensified mediation efforts. Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani visited Tehran on Thursday, where talks included de-escalation and restoring shipping through Hormuz.

Recorded transits through the strait remain low. The Reuters news agency, citing Kpler data, said seven commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, down from 17 a day earlier and below the 10-day average of 15.

The International Maritime Organization said on Friday that up to 400 ships carrying about 6,000 seafarers have been unable to leave the Gulf safely since the US-Israel war on Iran began.

“Renewed political will and cooperation is needed,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, calling for practical measures to restore freedom of navigation through the strait.

The diplomatic push is unfolding alongside mounting economic pressure on Tehran. Iran’s annual inflation reached 66 percent last month, while President Masoud Pezeshkian said imports and exports had fallen nearly 35 percent because of US sanctions and the naval blockade.

Washington has also widened its sanctions campaign, targeting Iran-linked individuals and entities and moving to restrict the branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr bank in the United Arab Emirates from dollar transactions over alleged dealings with Tehran.

Despite the pressure, Tehran has shown no sign of yielding on Hormuz. Pezeshkian has instead called for reviving the June interim agreement with Washington.

“We can solve our problems and gain our privileges with the memorandum of understanding,” he said.

OLIVIA Attwood has sent fans into a spin after she shared a sweet snap of Pete Wicks wearing an “I love my girlfriend” t-shirt.

The documentary stars have finally been giving followers the relationship content they want to see after months of keeping their romance under wraps.

In a round-up of her week, Olivia posted a picture of her beau Pete donning the top while they played a game of pool.

The candid snap saw Pete, 37, chalking up his cue stick with quite the serious look on his face.

Olivia has been giving fans more of glimpse into their dynamic after hard-launching him on Instagram earlier this week and opening up during her Cosmopolitan interview.

“Love this round up and Pete’s t-shirt,” wrote one fan.

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Another fan penned: “The T-SHIRT, absolutely no notes.”

A third person said: “Love the t-shirt Pete xxx”

Meanwhile, a fourth fan added: “Can’t wait to hear Sam Thompson’s take on the t-shirt.”

Reality TV personality Pete made his intentions clear as he took matters into his own hands and hard-launched his romance with Olivia a whole month before she did.

Olivia recently revealed it was Pete who made the first move and since then their relationship has moved very quickly.

Last week, Olivia dropped a huge hint that things are getting serious with Pete as she leaked a telling WhatsApp message.

Olivia carefully omitted who sent the text which read: “You are the love of my life.”

She then finally went social media official with Pete, sharing a slew of steamy snaps of the pair looking loved-up in Ibiza.

The couple were seen heading out on a date night to the Broadwick hotel in Soho just days ago – the same venue where they were first spotted locking lips.

Loose Women panelist Olivia has reached new career heights this year and she’s certainly been busy as she shared some exciting moments alongside the picture of Pete.

The 35-year-old could be seen at multiple different shoots, her Savano cocktail party, at the gym and she of course showed fans the huge poster she had made for her magazine cover.

Today we discuss political forecasting, death and taxes.

Goodness! We’re just 65 days from election day.

Time flies when you’re watching American democracy teeter.

Still think Republicans will lose the House?

Your friendly political columnist makes no predictions. It’s hard to know the future, seeing as how it hasn’t happened yet. But our best guide — historical trends — suggest Democrats are exceedingly likely to seize control on Nov. 3.

They need only flip three seats and, going back well over half a century, the average midterm gain for a party out of the White House is more than two dozen. Even with the advantage the GOP engineered through aggressive gerrymandering, the deadweight of a deeply unpopular president threatens to drag down a number of Republicans in competitive and some otherwise-not-so-competitive races.

Right now, the biggest question seems to be whether November brings a blue wave, a big blue wave or merely a ripple.

What about the fight for control of the Senate?

That’s where things have gotten interesting.

Oh?

At the start of this election cycle, it looked like winning control was all but out of Democratic reach.

There are 35 contests on the ballot in November. Of those, nearly two dozen are effectively over before they’ve even started, given the advantage one party holds over the other. Of the remainder, most are being held in states Trump won in 2024, which makes them, broadly speaking, much friendlier terrain for Republicans.

Democrats need to flip four Senate seats and until fairly recently that inhospitable political map made it seem like an all-but insurmountable challenge.

And now?

Now smart handicappers, like the folks at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, say control of the Senate is a toss-up.

“Republicans still retain a structural advantage given the partisan challenges of the map, and Democrats still need almost every key race to break their way,” Jessica Taylor, who tracks Senate races for the Cook Report, wrote in a recent analysis. But, she went on, “in a wave election akin to 2006” — when Democrats gained six Senate seats — “even states that President Donald Trump won by double digits could move within Democrats’ reach.”

That’s exactly what’s happened as inflation festers, the war with Iran drags on and Trump’s political standing steadily deteriorates.

Democratic jubilee!

Not so fast. A toss-up means it’s just as likely Republicans will retain their Senate majority.

Understood. So break it down.

Let’s start with those things Democrats have going for them, with the usual caveats …

… There are no certainties but death and taxes. Got it. Go on.

At one time, Georgia looked to be a toss-up as Democrat Jon Ossoff sought reelection in one of those battleground states Trump carried. But Ossoff has raised a boatload of money and drawn a less-than-world-beating opponent in Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Lately, the buzz around Ossoff has been focused more on a potential 2028 run for president than his November reelection.

Meantime, in North Carolina, where former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is running against former national GOP Chairman Michael Whatley, a Cooper victory seems much more likely than not. A win there would give Democrats one of the four seats they need to flip.

Then there’s a handful of red-state seats that Republicans are fighting to hang on to, in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas.

Do tell.

In Alaska, former Rep. Mary Portola managed to win nearly 50% of the vote in the Aug. 18 primary, which is noteworthy given she ran on the same ballot as the GOP incumbent, Dan Sullivan, who finished second. (Another Dan Sullivan also appeared on the ballot; under Alaska’s top-four system both Sullivans will advance to a November runoff, along with Portola. The fourth slot is pending.

In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who was elected three times before losing his 2024 reelection bid amid a Trump landslide, faces Republican Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated when JD Vance became vice president. Husted has proved a less-than sure-footed candidate while Brown is waging a strong comeback campaign.

Supporters applaud as Democratic Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown speaks at a campaign event in Akron

(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)

In Iowa, Rep. Ashley Hinson (a USC grad and former KABC-TV intern!) is running against state Rep. Josh Turek in a state that’s been hammered by Trump’s tariffs and the surging price of gas — especially the diesel fuel that sustains Iowa’s all-important agricultural economy. Turek could also benefit from the strong campaign being waged by gubernatorial front-runner Rob Sand, who tops the Democratic ticket.

Then there’s Texas.

The land of dashed Democratic dreams!

Obviously, you know your political history.

Democrats haven’t won a statewide contest in Texas since 1994, despite no end of hype and hope. This time, they’re pinning their dreams on state Rep. James Talarico, a seminarian and viral sensation. But what’s made the race highly competitive is the singularly defective GOP nominee, Ken Paxton, whose splotchy resume includes indictment, impeachment and alleged adultery. On top of all that, he’s been a pretty lousy fundraiser and has yet to bind the wounds left by a savage GOP primary.

So everything is coming up Democratic roses?

Not necessarily.

Two states they’re counting on to flip the Senate, Maine and Michigan, have grown problematic.

Maine once looked to be Democrats’ best pickup opportunity. Incumbent Susan Collins is the lone Republican running in a state Kamala Harris carried in 2024. Then came Graham Platner, along with his inflammatory social media postings, Nazi tattoo and allegations of sexual assault. He stepped aside in July and was replaced by Troy Jackson, a former logger and state Senate president, who has considerable ground to make up after his late start.

Collins, who’s been reelected four times, has a history of winning tough races. The Platner debacle certainly hasn’t helped Jackson or Democrats.

Meanwhile, in Michigan, the progressive Abdul El-Sayed inched past a more centrist alternative to win the Democratic nomination. The question is whether he’s too far left (and, frankly, whether there’s too much anti-Muslim sentiment) for El-Sayed to prevail in that purple state. The Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, ran two years ago and lost by less than half a percentage point.

Good to know. A lot can happen in the next 65 days.

Exactly.

Which is why we stick to columnizing. If you want predictions, ask a mystic or consult your Magic 8 Ball.

For a player who has been so improbable, the Dodgers must now do the impossible.

When it comes to pitching, they must shut Shohei Ohtani down.

Despite suffering a knee ailment and biceps soreness this season, Ohtani is slowly trying to take the mound for the first time in more than two months.

Stop. Just stop.

The Dodgers have no business sticking Ohtani back on the mound. He belongs out there no more than Kiké Hernandez does.

There’s no two ways about it — the Dodgers should not plan on jamming Ohtani back into the starting rotation.

The Dodgers should thank him for his passion, applaud him for his 1.79 ERA in his first 14 starts, promise to return his resin bag next season, and ask him to go to work on that bat.

As much as the fans want to see all Ohtani, all of the time, the next couple of months are not about celebrating a novelty, they’re about winning a championship, and Ohtani can best get that done by avoiding another injury to himself on the mound and directing all of his efforts at the plate.

Recently, his hitting needs all the help it can get. After Saturday’s loss in Detroit, it had been a startling nine games since Ohtani homered or collected an RBI. During that span he had more than twice as many strikeouts as hits (13-5).

In this final month he needs to concentrate on getting his swing right and not worry about bullpens or openers or piggy-backs or any of the numerous machinations involved in getting him back on the mound.

Bottom line, the Dodgers need him more at the top of the order than in the middle of the diamond, and for now, he shouldn’t be in two places at once.

Bottom, bottom line, there is a sense that the Dodgers agree.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani follows through on a pitch during a game last month at Dodger Stadium.

(Harry How / Getty Images)

Ohtani threw about 20 pitches in a bullpen session Friday and wasn’t 100%, and that set off alarm bells with the Dodgers’ bosses.

While guessing that Ohtani’s balky left knee would not allow him to be 100% by October, manager Dave Roberts openly wondered Saturday whether a pitching comeback is worth the effort.

“Obviously, where we’re at right now with the pitching, the starting pitching certainly being a strength, his value offensively is hugely important, and so we can’t compromise that in any fashion,” Roberts told reporters in Detroit. “So, if throwing potentially cuts into that, that’s not worth the squeeze. So that’s something for me. Very, very bullish on making sure we don’t compromise the hitting.”

Did you hear that? Not worth the squeeze? Exactly.

Are you listening, Ohtani? He’s always been the ultimate team player, so if the Dodgers asked his permission to shut him down, he would agree, right? Right?

Keeping Ohtani off the mound for the rest of the season is a radical view, certainly — c’mon, you’re paying the dude $700 million to hit and pitch! — but it’s a view backed by common sense.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani prepares to bat during a game earlier this month as Dodger Stadium.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Point One: The Dodgers won a World Series in 2024 with Ohtani strictly hitting, so it can be done.

Point Two: Last postseason, even with his three-homer, 10-strikeout gem in the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ohtani had a playoff ERA of 4.43.

Playing in the postseason is hard. Pitching and hitting in the postseason is nearly impossible. That magical Brewers clincher was his only shining moment.

Point Three: They recently acquired Tarik Skubal specifically to reduce the need for Ohtani, and they now have a nearly unbeatable rotation without Ohtani.

With Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow having returned strong from injuries, they have four starters who easily can dominate a series.

Check out the current seven-game span of games started by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Skubal, Snell and Tyler Glasnow.

They gave up as many as three runs only twice. They pitched less than six innings only once. Their ERA was 2.38.

Point Four: The struggling Dodgers offense desperately needs Ohtani to get right at the top. Who is going to get the big hit if he doesn’t? Entering the last month, the candidates are few.

Not a slowing Mookie Betts. Not psyched-out Kyle Tucker. Not aging Teoscar Hernández. Maybe Freddie Freeman, but he hasn’t hit a home run since July 4. And maybe Max Muncy, if they pitch to him.

Will Smith will be returning this week after a prolonged absence, and that will help, but not enough.

If anything happens to sideline Ohtani the hitter, the Dodgers are sunk, period.

And if he pitches, lots could happen to him.

The knee. The elbow. Whatever it was that has kept him off the mound since July 3. So much can go wrong if he’s pitching, and any pitching injury could have the double whammy of sidelining him as a hitter.

“I think 100% for me as far as an offensive player, that’s very important,” Roberts said. “As a pitcher, for me, given the strength of our staff, our team, I don’t think that’s as important. I think it’s important for us not to compromise his health in any capacity. But for me, it’s just his presence in the batter’s box is hugely important to him.”

Yes, Ohtani wants to pitch. Yes, the Dodgers promised him he could pitch. But that was before the injuries and the acquisitions and the slump.

Everything is different now. The landscape has changed.

The Dodgers no longer need the arm so badly that they can risk the bat.

Barely 20 bullpen pitches at the end of August? He’s clearly not going to be 100% by October, so shut him down and let him swing.

Shohei Ohtani is 32 and finishing his ninth season. He’s not a kid anymore.

He’s not infallible anymore.

Having him pitch and hit for a second consecutive October indeed would be a great story.

But having him use his bat to lead the Dodgers to a three-peat would be a better one.

Yair Netanyahu, a podcaster and right-wing activist, had been living in the US for several years prior to his departure.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s eldest son was flown back to Israel from the United States after a threat to his life, according to Israel’s domestic intelligence agency.

The Shin Bet said in a statement on Saturday evening that, “there was a significant threat to harm Yair Netanyahu, and in light of this and after an assessment, a decision was made to urgently evacuate him along with his security team and return him to Israel”.

The agency did not specify the source of the threat.

US broadcaster Newsmax reported earlier this week that Yair Netanyahu was the target of an alleged Iranian assassination plot last December, while he was living in Florida.

Israeli intelligence informed US authorities after it had learned of the alleged plot, the broadcaster reported, citing a US law enforcement official.

The report surfaced after Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 14 that “Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill, to murder one of my sons”.

Yair Netanyahu, who was constantly accompanied by an Israeli security team, was ordered to leave the area immediately, Newsmax reported. He left without taking his personal belongings and returned directly to Israel.

Netanyahu’s eldest son has lived in Florida for several years, where his “reportedly luxurious lifestyle and the state-funded security provided to him repeatedly drew public attention in Israel”, reported The Times of Israel.

His continued residency in the US after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel provoked criticism from many Israelis. They questioned the double standard of Netanyahu’s son remaining overseas while hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists were called up, the Israeli newspaper reported.

The right-wing activist and podcaster is active on social media, frequently commenting on Israeli politics and attacking his father’s political opponents, government critics and journalists.

HARRY Styles has made a cheeky joke about his ex Taylor Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce.

The One Direction star, 32, was performing at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night when he decided to give a subtle shout-out to his ex.

He expressed: “We’re at Madison Square Garden, home of the world champion New York Knicks.”

The singer added: “And they also do weddings.”

It was a nod to the fact that Taylor and Travis, 36, tied the knot at the iconic venue back in July.

It was transformed into an indoor-outdoor garden setting as the couple said their vows in front of 1,000 guests in a private ceremony.

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Harry was reportedly invited to the wedding on July 3 but allegedly declined the invitation.

He was unable to attend because he was performing in London that night for his Together, Together world tour.

However, his fiancee Zoë Kravitz was in attendance as she and Taylor are long-time friends.

The couple chose Hollywood icon Adam Sandler to officiate the wedding which was attended by guests including Ed Sheeran, Karlie Kloss, Graham Norton and Bradley Cooper.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom threw a fairytale-esque party on the lower level of MSG with the theme reportedly mixing Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz.

Soon after the couple exchanged vows, Dior revealed that the bride and groom’s looks were created by Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director of Dior Women’s, Men’s and Haute Couture Collections in close collaboration with the pair.

This was the designer’s first couture wedding dress for a world-renowned celebrity.

The newlyweds had custom shoes made by Christian Louboutin, and Taylor wore Cartier jewelry.

Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos, who was the first guest to speak out after the ceremony, revealed that the couple’s vows were “everything you would hope for – real, vulnerable, serious, silly.”

After two years of dating, Taylor and Travis announced their engagement in August last year.

The Love Story singer was romantically linked to Harry back in November 2012 to January 2013.

Despite only being together briefly, the two appear to be on good terms today.

Harry reportedly got engaged to actress Zoë in April this year after eight months of dating.

Both stars are yet to publicly confirm their engagement but she was spotted wearing an engagement ring in New York City.

Swedish club Djurgardens have agreed a National League record fee thought to be in excess of £1.5m to sign winger Abdul Abdulmalik from Boreham Wood.

The 23-year-old’s move breaks the record fee paid for a fifth-tier player in England, set in 2012 when Leicester City paid Fleetwood Town £1m for Jamie Vardy.

Abdulmalik is currently in Sweden completing a medical after the deal was agreed on Sunday morning.

The forward enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2025-26, scoring 17 goals and providing 10 assists as Boreham Wood reached the National League play-off final, where he scored and set up a goal at Wembley.

The agreement also brings to an end a long-running transfer saga, with the Hertfordshire club having rejected bids of £1m and £1.5m for the former Millwall academy player earlier this summer.

Abdulmalik said: “I’m ready for the next challenge. I’m ready to prove to myself and those around me that I’m capable of reaching the top.”

He scored in his final appearance for Boreham Wood in mid-August but subsequently made himself unavailable for selection in an attempt to secure a move.

Clubs in England, including Peterborough United, had also expressed an interest.

Abdulmalik was previously an England Under-17s international but was released by Millwall in 2024 and had an unsuccessful trial at Portsmouth.

Stockholm-based Djurgardens are currently fifth in the Allsvenskan – which runs from April to November – but have two games in hand on the majority of their rivals and remain in contention to qualify for Europe.

IT’S half nine at night on the summer solstice.

The light is doing the golden hour thing it only does in June, and my four-year-old is scattering dragonflies as she launches herself into the cold water.

“Can we go in the ‘cold pool’ again?” she asks the next morning. Again. She has asked roughly 200 times this week.

The pool in question is the natural swim pond at Tanylan Farm, on the coast road between Ferryside and Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire.

We stayed in Ty Llo (Calf House), one of a handful of holiday barns on site — and the pool was the single best thing that has ever happened to my daughter.

Rain or shine, morning or night, she was in it.

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There was a sauna next to it for the grown-ups, a private hot tub outside our holiday cottage, and the beach was 400 yards down the lane.

My wife and I, our daughter and baby son had travelled by train to Swansea then picked up a hire car and made our way to Carmarthenshire — that bit of Wales everyone drives past on the way to Pembrokeshire. Their loss.

On day one, the sun was out so we visited Pembrey Country Park — 500 acres of woodland backing on to Cefn Sidan, an eight-mile stretch of sand that was the first beach in Wales to win a Blue Flag.

The sand is absurdly fine and the water so shallow that by mid- afternoon it had warmed up like a paddling pool.

For small children, it is close to perfect.

The park itself is the showstopper, though.

There’s a dry ski slope, a toboggan run, crazy golf, a pirate adventure playground and miles of flat, traffic-free cycling on rental bikes.

We arrived planning to stay two hours and left after seven.

Next day, the National Botanic Garden of Wales, just over half an hour’s drive from the farm, was one of the most relaxing family days out we’ve ever done.

Monty Python fame

Think Eden Project but at a size you can easily get round with a buggy and a pre-schooler.

The Great Glasshouse, packed with plants of six Mediterranean climates, sits in the landscape like a dropped raindrop.

We ate our picnic sandwiches in the “Canary Islands”, with the smell of cedar and lavender.

Outside is 568 acres of restored Regency parkland, lakes, waterfalls — and a Gruffalo trail themed on the kids’ book character.

Kidwelly Castle, of Monty Python movie fame, is a 20-minute drive away.

“Let’s climb to the top, Daddy,” my daughter begged. So we did — and the views over the Gwendraeth estuary are worth the effort.

From on high, I told my princess-obsessed daughter about a real one, Gwenllian, who rode out from this castle to lead an army into battle against the Normans.

I left out how it ended (head lopped off) and she was suitably impressed.

Our final stop was the British Bird of Prey Centre which recently moved to a purpose-built site at Idole, near Carmarthen, after years at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

It flies golden eagles, red kites, owls and peregrines, with three shows a day and an indoor arena for when the Welsh rain sets in.

We did get four days of rain but it barely affected our week’s getaway.

There was always a glasshouse, a castle, an indoor flying arena — or that cold pool.

We’ll be going back for more — she’s already asked.