Month: April 2025

Stacey Solomon is said to be a target for BBC bosses for the next series of Strictly Come Dancing, with the Loose Women star admitting she is obsessed with the show

Stacey Solomon has reportedly been lined up for a Strictly Come Dancing stint. The presenter, 35, is thought to be high on the list of BBC bosses for the next edition of the hit dance competition.

And it comes after the Loose Women panellist previously declared her love for the show. She said in the past she is “obsessed” with the series and hinted she would love to be involved. In 2022, Stacey admitted she would love to learn a new skill, but insisted she has “two left feet”.

She said at the time: “I would never say never but I am a terrible dancer, an absolutely terrible dancer.”

READ MORE: ‘Youth potion’ that makes ‘face and neck feel firmer’ hailed by shoppers for reducing wrinkles

She added: “I don’t know why but I have no rhythm when it comes to movement. I have rhythm with singing or listening to music but when it comes to moving my feet I am left-footed, I have two left feet!”

However, she did admit she was “obsessed” with the show and its costumes. “I’d be one of those people who would go out in week one and they’d be like: ‘Well that was a waste of time!,” she joked.

Now, a source has told The Sun: “Stacey is a hit with viewers thanks to her lovable personality. The BBC always want to showcase their own talent on Strictly and Stacey’s show has already bagged them an NTA.

“Fans will also love watching her husband Joe Swash in the audience cheering her on every week.”

Stacey is well versed with reality TV, having had stints on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here as well as rising to fame through the X Factor. She is also involved in fly-on-the-wall series Stacey & Joe as cameras follow their family.

In one of the most recent episodes of the show, former EastEnders star Joe was overcome with emotion, sharing a poignant personal struggle, while Stacey Solomon provided support and solace. Cameras followed as Stacey busied herself crafting eerie decorations for her upcoming Halloween bash.

Meanwhile, Joe set off to explore a glamping expo. It was there that he was confronted with the stark financial reality of his ambition to construct a fishing lake. Then, the episode took an intimate turn as Joe confided in Stacey about his lifelong battle with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and reflected on how it has shaped him.

“Being a kid, I don’t think ADHD back then was even recognised, so I had ADHD and a touch of dyslexia, so I really got tarred with the brush of being a naughty kid,” Joe said.

He went on: “I feel like I sort of invented this character to sort of protect myself a little bit, just making people laugh.”

As part of the episode’s journey, Joe went to a psychiatrist to “try and get a grip” on managing his ADHD amidst a hectic work schedule. After his consultation, the actor considered giving medication another chance. He was then seen returning home to Pickle Cottage where he opened up to Stacey.

In a raw moment, he confided: “It’s opened up a box of worms for me, where it goes a little bit deeper than I thought it was going to.”

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Former Los Angeles Councilmember Kevin de León is facing an $18,750 ethics fine for voting on city council decisions in which he had a financial interest and for failing to disclose income.

De León has admitted to four counts of “making or participating in a decision in which a financial interest is held” and one count of failing to disclose income, according to a report prepared by the enforcement arm of the L.A. City Ethics Commission.

The ethics report says that in 2020-21 De León voted on three city council issues that benefited the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and one that helped USC — all decisions that were made less than a year after he received more than $500 income from each. According to state law, elected officials must disclose each source of gross income of $500 or more received in the 12 months before taking office.

Less than 12 months after receiving income from AIDS Healthcare Foundation, De León participated in three separate city decisions that affected the foundation in which he knew or had reason to know he had a financial interest, the ethics commission report said. But according to the ethics commission report, De León failed to disclose $109,231 in income he had received from the foundation before he took office.

On Nov. 25, 2020, he voted for the foundation’s application for historical designation of the foundation-owned King Edward Hotel. On April 22, 2021, he voted for an item regarding a city lease of the foundation-owned Retan Hotel. On May 4, 2021, he voted again for a city lease of the Retan Hotel.

De León’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but The Times received a statement from a spokesperson for De León: “This matter centers on disclosure — not personal gain. The items in question provided homeless housing during a pandemic and health services to vulnerable Angelenos,” the statement said. “They passed unanimously, and had Councilmember De León been advised that he should recuse himself, he would have done so without hesitation — the outcomes would have been the same.”

USC paid him $155,000 as an independent contractor from July 2019 to June 2020.

Less than 12 months later, De León participated in a city decision that benefited USC, according to the ethics commission. In June 2021, De León voted to approve the Housing and Community Development Consolidated Plan proposed budget, which included a $1-million allocation to the USC Keck School of Medicine.

In March 2020, De León was elected to represent Council District 14 on the L.A. City Council. In May 2020, while still a council member-elect, De León entered into a consulting agreement with the Healthy Housing Foundation, a division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and began providing services as a strategic policy advisor.

The agreement said that De León was to “advise and strengthen strategy regarding partnerships and policy insights on behalf of HHF’s programs and portfolio,” and “[e]ngage with policymakers and regulators on all areas related to overall strategic goals of HHF,” according to the ethics commission.

De León took office in October 2020. He filed a financial disclosure form the next month, but did not disclose the AIDS Healthcare Foundation or its Healthy Housing Foundation as sources of income. In December 2020, he filed an amended financial form but did not disclose income from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which was “the true source of the income that he received under the consulting agreement,” according to the ethics commission report.

In determining the fine amount, the ethics commission said that De León cooperated with staff and that he has no prior enforcement history. However, the ethics commission noted the violations in this case are serious and that “the violations appear to indicate a pattern of conduct.”

Similar issues were highlighted in a 2023 Times story that found De León helped organized a meeting in summer 2020 with a group of city department heads and high-ranking mayoral staffers to address issues facing the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. At the time, De León had been elected but not yet taken office.

In the months before the meeting, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation was pursuing a lawsuit alleging the city illegally denied funding for an affordable housing project that the foundation was proposing. An email from the mayor’s then-deputy chief of staff to colleagues said De León “wants to engage and come up with a solution.”

Five city officials who attended the briefing or were involved in organizing it told The Times in 2023 they were unaware that De León was employed as a consultant for the foundation at the time — or of the more than $100,000 it was paying him in the six months before his taking office.

Political ethics experts, meanwhile, told The Times that De León’s relationship with the foundation and failure to disclose his financial ties raised a potential conflict-of-interest concern. They believed his actions could have left city staffers with uncertainty about whose interests he was serving — the city’s or his then-employer’s.

April 19 (UPI) — Trials started in İstanbul for 189 people, including students, journalists and lawyers, for their involvement in protests in March against the Turkish government spurred on by the arrest of the city’s mayor.

The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said it plans to put 819 people on trial in 20 criminal investigations after police detained nearly 2,000 people in the protests between March 19 to 26, with the first mass trials starting Friday.

The opposition Republican People’s Party, which organized the events, said than 2.2 million people demonstrated in support of the mayor of Turkey’s largest city, the BBC reported.

Ekrem İmamoglu, İstanbul’s mayor and opposition candidate to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested on March 19 of corruption charges. İmamoglu wants to run for president in 2028 against Erdoğan.

Imamoglu and his party said the charges against him are politically motivated, as the ruling Justice and Development Party has governed Turkey since 2002, with Erdogan as prime minister and then president since 2003.

Of the arrests, 650 were accused of attending peaceful protests on March 27 after the ban ended. Protests have continued this month.

Arrested protesters have been accused of taking part in illegal protests and failing to obey orders to disperse. Video footage verified by Human Rights Watch shows the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to control the demonstrators.

Among the arrests, 107 are charged only with participating in unauthorized demonstrations and failure to disperse. Other offenses include carrying a weapon, covering their faces to hide their identity and incitement to commit a crime. There are also eight journalists on trial.

All but about 50 students remain in detention, according to information provided by Parents Solidarity Network to BBC Turkish.

The government has banned public gatherings and penalties for doing so range from six months to five years in prison, according to Human Rights Watch.

“Given the glaring absence of evidence, it is hard not to conclude that the intended purpose of these rushed trials is to send a warning against exercising the rights to peaceful protest or free expression,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The prosecutor should be calling for these cases to be dropped unless there is direct and substantive evidence that particular individuals committed specific crimes.”

Supporters, including family members, journalists, university lecturers and lawmakers from the opposition party, appeared in two courtrooms in the mass hearings.

“We have no fear, we are not the ones who should be afraid,” a second-year student from Mimar Sinan University in Instanbul told the BBC.

COCA-COLA fans are raving over the company’s version of one of the world’s most recognisable drinks as it lands in UK stores for the first time.

The drinks giant has brought one of its most popular mixed drinks, described as a “game-changer”, from the US to Britain.

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Its Bacardi & Coca-Cola ready-to-drink beverage, which is a take on the famed Cuba Libre cocktail, is available now across major supermarkets.

One keen-eyed shopper had spotted the new product online, sharing the good news in a Facebook group.

Cuba Libres are usually made with Bacardi Rum, Coca-Cola, and lime, and the beverage maker hopes its pre-mixed drink will achieve the same taste as a freshly made cocktail.

The 250ml cans have an RRP of £2.30 and are 5 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Elaine Maher, associate director, Alcohol Ready-to-Drink at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) GB, said the drink would help bring together the two iconic brands of Bacardi and Coca-Cola to create a trusted product, reports Better Retailing.

She added: “Bacardí & Coca-Cola builds on the natural synergy between two globally iconic brands – Cola-Cola is the world’s most popular Cola, while Bacardí holds a quarter share of the growing global rum market.

“With over a century of heritage, this serve is already one of the world’s most recognisable bar calls – bringing it into the ready-to-drink space meets strong consumer demand for trusted, convenient choices without compromising on quality.

“It also marks the next step in our strategy to premiumise the category by bringing world-class brands together, building on the success of Coca-Cola with Jack Daniel’s and Sprite with Absolut Vodka.”

This wasn’t the only new drink to be launched in the UK market by Coca-Cola, as the beverage giant began selling its pre-mixed 330ml cans of Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Cherry in Tesco stores earlier this month.

The classic JD and Coke drink has been available in supermarkets for some time – but this is a new cherry-flavoured twist.

For Coke fans, the new product will be available in more stores nationwide from April.

Jack Daniel‘s and Coca-Cola first collaborated to make pre-mixed cans in March 2023.

However, this is the first time a new flavour has been released.

The drink is being described as the “ultimate fusion of boldness and refreshment”.

Its description states: “This premium crafted ready-to-drink cocktail brings together the robust flavour of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey with the radiant, tart notes of Coca-Cola Cherry, creating an experience that’s both unmistakably delicious and refreshingly unique.”

This comes just weeks after Coca-Cola confirmed it would bring back its “legendary” bottles 12 years after they were discontinued.

The iconic bottles came out in 2013 and this year the beloved brand is putting a fresh twist on them for Gen Z.

Coke fans all remember the “Share a Coke” campaign which brought out a range of personalised coke cans.

The launch offered a classic bottle of Coca-Cola with the customer’s name on the logo where the name usually is printed.

On May 1, the new and improved launch will offer even more names to choose from, including nicknames, surname and pet names.

With 72 per cent of Gen Z seeking authenticity, Coke has brought back the personalised campaign for the younger generation.

You can even create your own personal touch by scanning the QR code to create a truly unique Coca-Cola pack.

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VATICAN CITY — Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with the Vatican’s No. 2 official amid tensions over the U.S. crackdown on migrants, with the Holy See reaffirming good relations but noting “an exchange of opinions” over international conflicts, migrants and prisoners.

Vance, a Catholic convert, met with the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, in the Apostolic Palace. There was no indication he met with Pope Francis, who has sharply curtailed official duties as he recovers from pneumonia.

Vance’s office said in a statement that he and Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”

The Holy See has responded cautiously to the Trump administration while seeking to continue productive relations in keeping with its tradition of diplomatic neutrality.

It has expressed alarm over the administration’s crackdown on migrants and cuts in international aid while insisting on peaceful resolutions to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Those concerns were reflected in the Vatican statement, which said that the talks were cordial and that the Vatican expressed satisfaction with the administration’s commitment to protecting freedom of religion and conscience.

“There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners,” the statement said. “Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.”

The reference to “serene collaboration” appeared to refer to Vance’s assertion that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was resettling “illegal immigrants” in order to get federal funding. Top U.S. cardinals have adamantly rejected the claim.

“It is clear that the approach of the current U.S. administration is very different from what we are used to and, especially in the West, from what we have relied on for many years,” Parolin told the Italian daily La Repubblica on the eve of Vance’s visit.

As the U.S. pushes to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, Parolin reaffirmed Kyiv’s right to its territorial integrity and insisted that any peace deal must not be “imposed” on Ukraine but “is built patiently, day by day, with dialogue and mutual respect.”

Vance was spending Easter weekend in Rome with his family and attended Good Friday services in St. Peter’s Basilica after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Saturday, after introducing his family to Parolin, the Vances got a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and later visited Rome’s botanic garden, where one of his sons was seen in a plastic gladiator costume that is popular among Italian kids.

It wasn’t immediately clear where they would celebrate Easter. Francis, meanwhile, indicated he hoped to attend Easter Mass, which usually draws thousands to St. Peter’s Square, according to the official Mass booklet and liturgical plans released Saturday.

Papal rebuke on migration, appeal for prisoners

The pope and Vance have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse. Francis has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy, and his progressive views on social justice issues have often put him at odds with members of the more conservative U.S. Catholic Church.

The pontiff also changed church teaching to say that capital punishment is inadmissible in all cases. After a public appeal from Francis weeks before Trump took office, President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row. Trump is an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment.

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, identifies with a small Catholic intellectual movement, viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings, that is often called “postliberal.”

Postliberals share some long-standing Catholic conservative views, such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. They envision a counterrevolution in which they take over government bureaucracy and institutions such as universities from within, replacing entrenched “elites” with their own and acting upon their vision of the “common good.”

Days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis denounced the Trump administration’s deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. In a letter to U.S. bishops, Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having claimed that Catholic doctrine justified such policies.

A Latin concept of love

Vance has defended the administration’s “America first” crackdown by citing a concept from medieval Catholic theology known as ordo amoris. He has said the concept delineates a hierarchy of care — to family first, followed by neighbor, community, fellow citizens and lastly those elsewhere.

In his Feb. 10 letter, Francis appeared to correct Vance’s understanding of the concept.

“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extends to other persons and groups,” he wrote. “The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”

Vance has acknowledged Francis’ criticism but has said he would continue to defend his views. During a Feb. 28 appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance didn’t address the issue specifically but called himself a “baby Catholic” and acknowledged there are “things about the faith that I don’t know.”

While he had criticized Francis on social media in the past, Vance recently has posted prayers for Francis’ recovery.

Winfield writes for the Associated Press.

DENVER — The Clippers dropped a 112-110 overtime game to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at Ball Arena to open the playoffs.

They are down 1-0 in the best-of-seven series because Russell Westbrook was as a menace against his former team and supplied the Nuggets with the energy and big plays they needed to get the win.

Westbrook’s last big play was knocking the ball off of James Harden’s hand with 9.6 seconds left in the overtime.

Nikola Jokic made two free throws for a 112-107 lead with 6.5 seconds remaining that sealed the victory.

We’re in good shape,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We just got to do what we’re supposed to do and what we talked about. We can’t turn the ball over 20 times…We just got to be better with our execution. I think defensively understanding what we’re doing and then offensively understanding how we want to attack them.”

Jokic finished with 29 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.

Harden led the Clippers with 32 points and 11 assists.

Westbrook had 15 points, including two big threes, and eight rebounds and two steals.

The Clippers turned the ball over 20 times.

Jokic not only picked up his fourth foul by getting a double-foul with Ben Simmons in the fourth, he was also hit with a technical foul with 6:41 left.

Jokic felt he was struck in the face by Derrick Jones Jr., knocking him to the court. But no foul was called, drawing the ire of Jokic toward an official who issued the technical foul in a game that was getting tense and tighter as it went along.

Then with 1:27 left and the Nuggets leading by one, Jokic got an offensive rebound and was fouled but he missed both free throws, leaving the Clippers down 95-94.

The Clippers took advantage when Ivica Zubac scored on a goaltending call on Aaron Gordon, giving the Clippers a 96-95 lead with 1:11 left.

But the Clippers turned the ball over after Kawhi Leonard had it bounce off his hip with 33.5 seconds left and the Clippers still up by one.

The Nuggets called a timeout to call an important play after the Clippers’ challenge was unsuccessful.

Jokic, unafraid to make the right pass, and Westbrook, unafraid to take the big shot, combined to make the play. Jokic hit Westbrook in the corner for a three-pointer and a 98-96 Nuggets lead with 23.4 seconds left.

But Harden drove inside for a floater to tie the score at 98-98 with 18.7 seconds left.

That left the ball in Denver’s hands for the final shot.

But the Clippers played great defense and eventually Westbrook intended to put up the ball but could not get off a shot, sending the game into OT tied 98-98.

Harden picked up his fourth foul with 9 minutes and 10 seconds left in the third quarter, but played all 12 minutes in the quarter. Harden didn’t pick up another one before it was over.

Along the way in this game, Harden established himself as one of the NBA’s playoff greats.

He has scored (3,796) career points in the postseason, pushing him past John Havlicek for sole possession of 14th place on the NBA’s all-time playoff points list. Harden has (1,072) assists in the postseason, pushing him past Larry Bird for sole possession of eighth place on the all-time playoff assists list.

When Harden picked up his second foul with 4:55 left in the first quarter, the Clippers had a decision to make. They left him in the game and he immediately attacked with three consecutive drives to the basket — one turning into a three-point play — resulting in an early 12-point lead for the Clippers.

Harden didn’t waver in his play, staying aggressive the rest of the way in playing all 12 minutes in the first, finishing it off with a three-pointer at the buzzer that gave him 15 points on six-for-11 shooting.

Harden’s play seemed to ignite the Clippers, as they built a 15-point lead in the second quarter.

But the Clippers got sloppy with the basketball as the quarter continued, turning it over eight times in the second, leading to the Nuggets trimming L.A.’s lead to 53-49 at the half.

By the end of the third quarter, the game was still close.

But the Clippers still had the lead at 75-72.

April 19 (UPI) — Three Department of Defense officials were fired on Friday and another was reassigned following an internal investigation to identify alleged leakers of sensitive information.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s former senior adviser Dan Caldwell and deputy chief of staff Dan Selnick were fired on Friday following an internal investigation to identify alleged leakers, Politico, CBS News and Fox News reported.

Colin Carroll, who was chief of staff for Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, also was put on administrative leave.

Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kaspar also is leaving his position but will be reassigned.

DOD officials are discussing more potential firings, although all staffing changes will not be official until Hegseth okays them.

Kaspar in March ordered an internal investigation to identify the sources of sensitive information leaked to media. The investigation included polygraph tests.

He announced the investigation on the same date that Pentagon officials denied media reports claiming entrepreneur and Department of Government Efficiency Director Elon Musk would visit the Pentagon to attend a classified meeting to discuss plans in the event of a war with China.

Other alleged media leaks include military plans regarding the Panama Canal, another aircraft carrier to be deployed to the Red Sea and halting intelligence collection on behalf of Ukraine.

The internal investigation continues and is looking at other potential leaks to news media, CBS News reported.

At least two of those whose firings were announced have hired legal representation to file claims of wrongful termination, Politico reported.

A source told Politico Hegseth named advisers who don’t support him as the Defense Department’s secretary and more firings are possible.

Friday’s firings came after the Department of Defense fired former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.

Former Biden administration Assistant Defense Secretary Chris Meagher said the firings are indicative of Hegseth’s lack of experience despite his confirmation as Defense Secretary.

“Everything we’ve seen since then … has only confirmed he doesn’t have what it takes to lead,” Meagher told Politico.

On page 167, about halfway through Laurie Woolever’s memoir “Care and Feeding,” she’s describing the hours after her son Eli was born. A nurse helps her attempt breastfeeding, unsuccessfully, and tells her she can try again in a little while.

“While I held him and scrutinized his red face,” Woolever writes, “she topped up my beautiful, perfect drug I.V. and put Eli back in his plastic box on wheels.”

A memoir about untangling a self-knotted life

We know by this point in the book that, duration of her pregnancy aside, Woolever often drinks to the point of blacking out, gets stoned upon wakening many mornings, has dabbled in heavier drugs and made one terrible decision after another in her personal relationships. The reader, then, can easily imagine how she savors the floating drift from the morphine dripping from its suspended bag, and how surreal it is to see this being for whom she is now responsible transported here and there in a sterile hospital vessel.

The humor is dark, and the confessions are unflinching, and Woolever has a gift for turning them into propulsive storytelling.

If you’ve heard about “Care and Feeding,” published by Ecco last month, you know this isn’t only a memoir about addiction and early motherhood. In 1999, Woolever became the first assistant to Mario Batali. It was a year after the opening of Babbo, the New York restaurant that propelled him to fame. In 2009 — after three years working for Batali, followed by stints as a freelance food writer and an editor at Art Culinaire and Wine Spectator, and less than a year after her son was born — Anthony Bourdain hired her as his assistant. She worked for him until his death by suicide in 2018.

The book’s triumphant feat is in how Woolever balances recounting her food-world experiences with these globally famous men while centering the professional ambitions and personal failings in her own life.

Generational rites of passage

Woolever and I are close in age, so I’ll admit a Gen-X empathy in the timeline of her becoming. There’s the misery pit of a first New York apartment in the ’90s, when Manhattan felt less shiny and shut off by wealth. And the restaurant-adjacent gigs (catering, cooking for a moneyed couple) in which work meant facilitating someone else’s daily routines or celebrations, leaving little time for either in your own life. And the transitioning age of journalism, when the internet is killing print ads, and thus print, and the opportunities are shrinking and the corporatization feels strangling.

She escapes, and makes things worse, via booze and drugs and sex, all of which were intrinsic to her proximity to restaurant culture at the turn of the millennium.

I particularly admire how she relays her Batali era. He’s messy, and she’s messy in step in her own ways. During an early outing to Atlantic City, he rebuffs her attempt to order only a spinach salad in a restaurant. There will instead be many courses, and equal amounts of expensive wine. “His demand was oppressive,” she writes, “but there was also a glimmer of something appealing about his commanding me to overindulge. It wasn’t my choice to overeat and get —faced; it was my job.”

That might be her 20-something self’s stance on her agency in the moment, but the woman looking back in her late 40s surveys the landscape with clear-eyed ownership. She benefited from the affiliation; part of her work with Batali included collaborating on a book, and he introduced her to Bourdain. She also talked with reporters in 2017 when publications were breaking the story of his sexual misconduct allegations. Her details about Batali tell their own damning story; she wisely forgoes miring the narrative in too much hindsight analysis.

Bourdain in Woolever’s memoir comes across as complicated, real, occasionally infuriating, ultimately heartbreaking. She previously authored “Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography” in 2021, so in this book his presence rightly serves her story: his initial skepticism to her quitting drinking as she’s entering sobriety (she sticks with it), her feelings of guilt after his death.

These later events happen while she implodes her marriage through adultery, and grapples with who she is as a writer. The pages fly because Woolever is funny, and blunt, and maybe honest to the point of oversharing as a karmic corrective to the many lies she told her intimates for so long. I finished the book excited for more, for what’s next for her, for the stories that are hers without the proximity to others’ stardom.

Spring cookbooks, all-time favorite cookbooks and the L.A. Times Festival of Books

This week the Food team included “Care and Feeding” in a roundup of the 21 best spring releases that otherwise featured cookbooks. Among these standout titles: Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings From a St. Lucian Chef’s Journey by Nina Compton and Osayi Endolyn; Mother Sauce: Italian American Recipes and the Story of the Women Who Created Them by Lucinda Scala Quinn; and Margarita Time: 60+ Tequila and Mezcal Cocktails, Served Up, Over and Blended by Caroline Pardilla.

Thinking about the season’s newly published arrivals also had us considering the larger role of cookbooks in our lives, particularly after the individual and collective losses from the Palisades and Eaton fires.

“[Hearing peoples’ stories] got us thinking about our emotional connection to cookbooks even at a time when just about any recipe we want can be pulled up on our phones in seconds,” Laurie Ochoa wrote on the subject. “What makes an essential cookbook? Is it a collectible with a vintage-cool cover or beautiful photography? Is it a teaching book that led you to find your own cooking style? A book full of go-to recipes that you rely on for entertaining or everyday dinners? Maybe it’s a book with a narrative — a memoir with recipes. Or a book with some other sentimental meaning.”

Her words were part of the introduction to a compilation of 62 personally essential cookbooks — the ones we can’t live without — named by Los Angeles chefs as well as the Food team’s editors and writers. Check it out.

Back to Woolever: She’s appearing next weekend at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. She’ll be part of a panel at noon on April 26 at the Norris Theatre with E.A. Hanks, Elizabeth Crane, Sloane Crosley and Kareem Rosser. Their topic: “Finding the Words: Loss, Grief, and Memoir.”

Here’s a rundown of the festival’s full schedule.

Also …

RUTH Langsford has posted about her ‘special’ first Easter celebration without her estranged husband, Eamonn Holmes.

The former This Morning couple shocked fans when they announced their split last May after 14 years of marriage.

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Despite their break-up nearly a year ago, they are yet to finalise their divorce.

Presenter Ruth, 65, shared a snap of her fish and chips with fans to Instagram on Saturday, giving a glimpse into how she spent the holiday this year.

Posting a photo of a classic dish, Ruth captioned the Story:
“Should probably have been yesterday but finally got some fish for Easter!”

She tagged her location as The Oatlands Chaser pub in Weybridge, Surrey.

The Loose Women panellist later uploaded a mirror selfie where she modelled some clobber from the QVC range.

It was recently revealed how Ruth is “desperate to be free from their marriage” and WON’T start dating again before their divorce is finalised.

A source told The Mirror: “She’s still wearing her wedding ring because she’s coming to terms with a long relationship ending, and realising Eamonn maybe wasn’t the person she thought he was.

“And she’s also coming to terms with life being very, very different for her going forward.

“Ruth has been having fun going out with her girlfriends, and enjoying a little flirt, but that’s it.

“She really needs the Eamonn chapter to be fully closed before she can move on romantically, she needs her freedom.”

The Sun recently revealed how Eamonn is set to launch a podcast to focus on interviews with high-profile stars.

It came after it was reported he suffered poor ticket sales for An Audience With-type theatre show.

But instead of pouting about it, the TV star got back to work on his new project.

However, insiders revealed the “real reason” the one-off show was cancelled was because of the venue.

A source told The Sun: “There was a disagreement with the venue about last-minute logistics, which meant it was impossible for it to run.

“Eamonn pulled the plug on that particular show, but he knows there will be plenty of other opportunities in the future. Eamonn is just cracking on with his new project and throwing himself into it.

“Over the past couple of months, Eamonn has been recording episodes with some massive stars for a brand new podcast.

“It’s really conversational – heartfelt, emotional conversations with a different names with someone for everyone.

“Eamonn’s used to always having more than one job on the go, but it’s usually been with Ruth. This is going to be a the perfect way to turn a page on a new chapter.”

His new podcast, Things We Like with Eamonn & Paul Coyte is set to be released later this spring.

Eamonn will still present the breakfast show on GB News from Monday to Wednesday.

Ruth and Eamonn’s relationship timeline

Before the shock split announcement, Ruth and Eamonn seemed like one of the strongest couples on UK TV – even with their signature bickering style.

Here’s how their romance played out…

1997 – The couple first meet after being introduced by mutual friends, two years after Eamonn splits from his first wife, Gabrielle, with whom he has three children.

1997-2002 – To be respectful to Gabrielle, the couple kept their relationship out of the limelight. Ruth told Daily Mail: “I thought it spoke volumes about the sort of man he was, the sort of father he was and the integrity he had. It made me love him more, not less.”

2002 – Ruth and Eamonn welcome their son, Jack, to the family.

2005 – Eamonn finalises his divorce with Gabrielle.

2006 – The pair begin to host Friday episodes of This Morning together.

2010 – Eamonn proposes to Ruth while at the Cheltenham Races, after asking Ruth’s mother for her hand.

June 2010 – Eamonn and Ruth marry at Elvetham Hall, Hampshire.

2016 – Eamonn undergoes a double hip replacement in the first of many health battles.

June 2019 – On This Morning, Ruth and Eamonn say the secret to their happy marriage. Eamonn credits “compromise, consideration and lots of conjugal,” while Ruth said it was “laughter and an equal marriage”.

November 2020 – Ruth and Eamonn are replaced on their regular Friday slot by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in a ‘show shake-up’.

December 2021 – After a year of being moved to the bank holiday presenting slot, both Eamonn and Ruth left This Morning.

January 2022 – Eamonn debuted on GB News, while Ruth stayed with ITV in her long-standing role on Loose Women.

September 2022 – Eamonn undergoes spinal surgery after years of back issues including a trapped sciatic nerve.

November 2022 – Eamonn falls down the stairs of his Surrey home with Ruth and breaks his shoulder, requiring a new operation.

September 2023 – Eamonn has a spine and neck stretching procedure as part of his year-long recovery.

May 2024 – Ruth and Eamonn announce they have split after 14 years of marriage and a 27-year relationship.

September 2024 – Eamonn was spotted on a luxury holiday in Barcelona with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander. Ruth calls in a ‘fierce’ divorce lawyer.

4

BOSTON — A federal judge on Friday partially blocked the Trump administration from enacting a policy that bans the use of an “X” marker used by many nonbinary people on passports as well as the changing of gender markers.

U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick, who was appointed by President Biden, sided with the American Civil Liberties Union’s motion for a preliminary injunction, which stays the action while the lawsuit plays out. It requires the State Department to allow six transgender and nonbinary people who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit to obtain passports with sex designations consistent with their gender identity.

“The Executive Order and the Passport Policy on their face classify passport applicants on the basis of sex and thus must be reviewed under intermediate judicial scrutiny,” Kobick wrote. “That standard requires the government to demonstrate that its actions are substantially related to an important governmental interest. The government has failed to meet this standard.”

Kobick also said plaintiffs have shown they would succeed in demonstrating that the new passport policy and executive order “are based on irrational prejudice toward transgender Americans and therefore offend our Nation’s constitutional commitment to equal protection for all Americans.”

“In addition, the plaintiffs have shown that they are likely to succeed on their claim that the Passport Policy is arbitrary and capricious, and that it was not adopted in compliance with the procedures required by the Paperwork Reduction Act and Administrative Procedure Act,” she added.

In an executive order signed in January, President Trump used a narrow definition of the sexes instead of a broader conception of gender. The order says a person is male or female and it rejects the idea that someone can transition from the sex assigned at birth to another gender. The framing is in line with many conservatives’ views but at odds with major medical groups and policies under the Biden administration.

The ACLU, which sued the Trump administration, said the new policy would essentially mean transgender, nonbinary and intersex Americans could not get an accurate passport.

“This decision is a critical victory against discrimination and for equal justice under the law,” said Li Nowlin-Sohl, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project. “But it’s also a historic win in the fight against this administration’s efforts to drive transgender people out of public life. The State Department’s policy is a baseless barrier for transgender and intersex Americans and denies them the dignity we all deserve.”

Nowlin-Sohl said it plans to file a motion requesting the ruling be applied to all transgender and nonbinary Americans.

In its lawsuit, the ACLU described how one woman had her passport returned with a male designation, and others are scared to submit their passports for fear that their applications might be suspended and their passports held by the State Department. Another mailed in their passport on Jan. 9 and requested a name change and to change their sex designation from male to female. That person is still waiting for their passport — meaning they can’t leave Canada, where they live, and could miss a family wedding in May and a botany conference in July.

Before he applied for his new passport, Ash Lazarus Orr was accused in early January by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration of using fake documents when traveling from West Virginia to New York — since he had a male designation on his driver’s license but a female one on his passport. That prompted him to request the updated passport with a sex designation of male — four days before Trump took office.

In response to the lawsuit, the Trump administration argued that the passport policy change “does not violate the equal protection guarantees of the Constitution.” It also contended that the president has broad discretion in setting passport policy and that the plaintiffs would not be harmed by the policy, since they are still free to travel abroad.

“Some Plaintiffs additionally allege that having inconsistent identification documents will heighten the risk that an official will discover that they are transgender,” the Justice Department wrote. “But the Department is not responsible for Plaintiffs’ choice to change their sex designation for state documents but not their passport.”

Casey writes for the Associated Press.

“I was terrified to be anywhere near a rugby pitch or a rugby ball.”

Following a second neck injury in February 2024, the thought of playing again was a huge ask for England wing Claudia MacDonald, who had already considered retirement.

A comeback that seemed nearly impossible, when MacDonald barely left her house after being told not to go in a car, is now at an unimageable point.

The 29-year-old picked up the player-of-the-match award after scoring two tries in a convincing win over Scotland in the Women’s Six Nations.

She has not just come back on the biggest stage, but is thriving and pushing for a starting spot against France in Saturday’s Grand Slam decider at Allianz Stadium.

“I’m just loving every second of being back,” a beaming MacDonald told the BBC. “We’re just surrounded by so many talents – amazing, incredible rugby players.

“It’s a privilege to put the shirt on. To be picked out today, player of the match? It makes me a bit emotional to be honest.

“The best is yet to come. Look at the skill we have throughout the squad. People say we need to be beaten but we beat each other up in training and push each other so hard.”

Having only returned in Exeter’s Premiership Women’s Rugby defeat by eventual champions Gloucester-Hartpury last December, John Mitchell decided to select MacDonald in his Six Nations squad.

After more than 12 months away from the Red Roses, she scored on her return against Italy in round one, but had to wait until the game against Scotland in Leicester to get a second shot.

Jess Breach’s form in MacDonald’s absence has made getting back into the side difficult, with the Saracens wing scoring four tries in last year’s Six Nations.

A brilliant take in the air and some nifty footwork helped MacDonald break through the Scotland defence early in the game, but her final pass failed to find full-back Ellie Kildunne.

However, her electric start continued throughout the game as she again showed her balanced running to slice through and this time round the final defender for England’s fourth try.

The Exeter Chief, who can also play at scrum-half, then grabbed another try in the second half, showing her punchy and deceptively quick running style to race clear down the left wing.

Having said she had to “learn to trust her body again”, MacDonald is back in the form that saw her start England’s World Cup semi-final win over Canada in 2022.

“Coming back from a double neck injury is all about whether you are going to be brave,” former England captain Katy Daley-McLean told the BBC.

“Can you still be brave and play in that same way? For me Claudia doesn’t look like she has been away.

“She looks fitter and stronger and really powerful. We know she is a balanced runner but she had some smart touches off the ball as well.”

April 19 (UPI) — The bodies of the pilot and two passengers were recovered from the Platte River in Nebraska following a private airplane crash Friday evening.

A privately owned single-engine Cessna 180 Skywagon aircraft crashed into the Platte River at 8:45 p.m. MDT Friday night near Fremont, Neb., the Federal Aviation Administration announced.

Fremont is located about 40 miles northwest of Omaha in eastern Nebraska.

Three were aboard the aircraft when it crashed for unknown reasons on Friday night, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the matter.

The airplane’s pilot was flying along the Platte River when it crashed and killed Daniel Williams, 43, of Moundridge, Kan., and Fremont residents Jeff Bittinger, 50, and Randy Amrein, 48, the Dodge County (Neb.) Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release posted on Facebook.

First responders from a dozen area organizations, plus citizens equipped with airboats, responded to the crash site to assist with recovery efforts.

A NTSB investigator initiated an investigation after arriving at the crash site on Saturday afternoon, ABC News reported.

Officials at the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office are asking people to avoid the crash site until further notice while the investigation is underway.

Demonstrators decry what they see as threats to the nation’s democratic ideals.

Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration have taken to the streets in droves across the United States to decry what they say are threats to the nation’s democratic ideals, including deportations of immigrants and mass firings of government workers.

The protests on Saturday ranged from rallies in midtown Manhattan and in front of the White House in Washington, DC, to a demonstration at a Massachusetts commemoration marking the start of the American Revolutionary War 250 years ago.

The protests come just two weeks after similar nationwide protests against the Trump administration drew thousands of participants.

Organisers said they’re protesting against what they view as Trump’s violations of civil rights and the US Constitution, including efforts to deport hundreds of immigrants and scale back the federal government by firing thousands of government workers and in effect shutter entire agencies.

In Manhattan, protesters rallied against continued deportations of immigrants from the steps of the New York Public Library.

“No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state,” they chanted, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Thomas Bassford drove from Maine to Massachusetts to witness the reenactment of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and “the shot heard ’round the world” on April 19, 1775, that heralded the start of the US war of independence from Britain.

The 80-year-old retiree said he believed Americans today are under attack from their own government and need to stand up against it. “This is a very perilous time in America for liberty,” he told The Associated Press news agency, adding: “I wanted the boys [his grandsons] to learn about the origins of this country and that sometimes we have to fight for freedom.”

Elsewhere, protests were planned outside Tesla car dealerships against billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and his role in downsizing the federal government while still others organised community-service events, such as food drives, teach-ins and volunteering at local shelters.

Some of the events drew on the spirit of the American Revolutionary War, calling for “no kings” and resistance to tyranny.

Boston resident George Bryant was among those who turned out in Concord. He told The Associated Press he was concerned Trump was creating a “police state” in America as he held up a sign saying, “Trump fascist regime must go now!”

The Trump administration, among other things, has moved to shut down Social Security Administration field offices, cut funding for government health programmes and scale back protections for transgender people.

In Washington, DC, Bob Fasick said he came out to the rally outside the White House out of concern about threats to constitutionally protected due process rights as well as Social Security and other federal safety-net programmes.

“I cannot sit still knowing that if I don’t do anything and everybody doesn’t do something to change this that the world that we collectively are leaving for the little children, for our neighbours is simply not one that I would want to live in,” said a 76-year-old retired federal employee from Springfield, Virginia.

As Jason Isaacs appears on the Jonathan Ross show tonight, we take a look at his daughter’s reaction to one of his most notable starring roles in his acting career

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for The White Lotus season 3*

As Jason Isaacs appears in the latest series of The White Lotus, the British icon’s daughters haven’t always been fans of some of their dad’s acting roles.

While he captivates audiences on The White Lotus, Jason is most notably known for his role as sinister Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter. However he confessed it “embarassed” his two daughters growing up.

The formidable father of Draco Malfoy, Jason played the patriarch of Slytherin house, and while it wasn’t a leading role, his long blonde locks made him quite the memorable character. However in a chat with Radio Times, he revealed his daughters Lily and Ruby weren’t keen.

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He shared: “They hated it. Always found it embarrassing. You want to be introduced as yourself, and not, ‘This is my friend. Oh, by the way, her dad’s Lucius Malfoy.'” Jason, who has been married to Emma Hewitt for 25 years, is a proud father to Lily, 22, and Ruby, 19.

In The White Lotus’s third season, he steps into the shoes of Timothy Ratliff, who travels to Thailand with his on-screen wife Victoria and their three kids, Saxon, Piper, and Lochlan.

The Ratliffs are in Thailand ostensibly for Piper to consult with a monk for her thesis, but their holiday takes a turn when Timothy learns he’s under investigation by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post for his dealings with Kenneth Nguyen and Sho-Kel.

He later finds out that the FBI has obtained evidence about Kenneth that could also incriminate him. After being overwhelmed with phone calls, Tim resorts to stealing Lorazepam from his wife Victoria in an attempt to distract himself from his mounting problems.

As he faces the possibility of jail time, viewers watch as Tim steals a gun and tries to take his own life, only to be stopped by Victoria. With just one episode left in the third season, it’s still uncertain how Tim’s story will conclude and whether his past will finally catch up with him.

In addition to the two roles mentioned, Jason has had a diverse career in both theatre and film, appearing in numerous TV shows, films, and stage productions.

He portrayed Georgy Zhukov in The Death of Stalin in 2017 and has featured in films such as Brotherhood, Awake, The OA and Star Trek: Discovery.

The full interview with Jason Isaacs is available to read in Radio Times.

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