“The bread was dipped in blood.” A Palestinian child mourns his mother who was killed when Israeli forces opened fire at an aid distribution point in Rafah, Gaza. More than 100 people have been killed in days of attacks at aid hubs run by the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Amorim was adamant in Hong Kong that United could work around Fernandes staying at Old Trafford from a financial point of view.
However, the situation is not straightforward.
With no European football of any sort next season, finances will be tight. Amorim has already said he can operate with a smaller squad given there are fewer matches, so sales are inevitable.
Broadly speaking, there are three categories.
Players Amorim just does not want – so the likes of Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
Players who have struggled and it would make sense to sell – Hojlund and Zirkzee fit into this group, as does Casemiro.
Then, the bulk are players who have something to offer and United would be open to keeping but would let go if the right bid came in.
Yet the major issue around all of this is how long would it take to do a deal and how much would it cost?
Take Sancho for example.
It has been established Chelsea would have signed him on reduced terms, which he was not prepared to accept.
If a Premier League club that has just qualified for the Champions League are baulking at Sancho’s wages, it is fair to assume most other clubs will reach the same conclusion.
If Sancho refuses to drop his demands and Amorim wants him out, United will have to negotiate some kind of compromise.
This puts them back in the uncomfortable position of paying a player to play for a rival. It is the kind of situation minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe finds so irritating and wants to end.
Yet, when you take a realistic approach to Sancho, Antony and Rashford in particular, it is hard to see how that situation is avoided. The same could also be said of many United players who remained at the club last season.
The matches may have finished but for United technical director Jason Wilcox and chief negotiator Matt Hargreaves, the hard work is just beginning.
It is how well they do, getting players in and out, that will determine how much progress Amorim can be expected to make.
What’s in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ budget bill?
Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro breaks down the bill that Donald Trump claims will usher in an economic golden age, whilst others warn it could add significantly to the national debt.
The London-based airport shared some crucial advice on X, formerly Twitter, earlier today
14:34, 03 Jun 2025Updated 15:39, 03 Jun 2025
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Heathrow airport issued some crucial advice on X(Image: Peter Fleming/Getty Images)
Heathrow Airport has shared some key guidance for anyone planning to fly with them soon. Travellers are encouraged to follow four key steps before going through security to save time and hassle.
“Flying soon?” the London-based airport asked in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Here are some useful tips to help prepare you when going through security at Heathrow:
“Liquids under 100ml and in a clear bag, Place electronic devices in a separate tray, Limit your hand luggage, Keep security trays to a minimum.”
If you’re wondering what ‘counts’ as a liquid, electronic device and how luggage can be kept to a minimum, fear not. The Mirror has further delved into these tips, highlighting some crucial dos and don’ts.
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1. The 100ml rule
Grasping the criteria for liquids in aeroplane carry-on luggage might appear straightforward, but specific rules could surprise you. When bringing liquids in hand luggage, most UK airports – including Heathrow – require that each container hold a maximum of 100ml.
All containers must also fit into a single transparent plastic bag, approximately 20cm x 20cm in size. The Government’s website clarifies that all items should fit ‘comfortably inside the bag’ so that it can be sealed.
To avoid complications, do not attempt to seal it by tying a knot at the top, as it will not be accepted.
The UK Government’s complete list of what’s considered hand luggage liquid is below:
Pastes, including toothpaste
Gels, including hair and shower gel
All drinks, including water
Cosmetics and toiletries, including creams, lotions, oils, perfumes, mascara and lip gloss
Liquid or semi-liquid foods, for example, soup, jam, honey and syrups
Any other solutions and items of similar consistency
Sprays, including shaving foam, hairspray and spray deodorants
Contact lens solution
Products such as solid deodorant sticks, bars of soap, wet wipes, and lip balms are typically classified as non-liquids. As a result, they generally do not need to be stored in the bag.
Advice from Heathrow Airport adds: “Only limited quantities of liquids may be carried through airport security into the departure lounge. This includes bottled drinks, suntan lotion, fragrances, cosmetics, toiletries and all frozen liquids.
“…Liquids in containers over 100ml will not be permitted through security – please pack them in your hold baggage instead.”
It’s important to be aware of Heathrow’s luggage rules before travelling(Image: BrasilNut1/Getty Images)
2. Heathrow’s two-bag policy
Heathrow Airport enforces a ‘two-bag policy’ at its security point to avoid delays. Only two hand baggage items must be taken through the control area.
Any items larger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 18in x 10in) must be checked in as hold luggage, according to the airport’s guidance. It also stresses: “Handbags and laptop bags count as a piece of hand baggage.”
By adhering to the two-bag rule, passengers are better positioned to keep the security trays they use to a minimum, too.
3. Electronic devices
Guidance from the UK Government highlights that only specific electronic devices are allowed on flights and within hand luggage when travelling from the UK.
While some airlines might have different restrictions, these are nine key items you can take in both your hand luggage and hold luggage:
Mobile phones
Laptops
Tablet devices
MP3 players
Hairdryers
Straighteners
Travel iron
Electric shaver
Most cameras
Crucially, any passengers who use e-cigarettes should transport these in their hand luggage, not hold luggage. Placing electronic devices in a specific tray during security checks ensures that staff can easily see and confirm that no prohibited items are concealed.
Heathrow Airport’s advice also adds: “Please ensure your electronic devices are charged. If they don’t switch on, you may not be allowed to take them on to the aircraft. Charging points are available throughout the airport.”
The US prides itself on freedom of speech, but does that only apply to some and not to others?
In a country that prides itself on democracy, freedom of speech, and the right to protest, a chilling question is emerging: Who gets to speak, and who is being silenced?
More than 1,000 international students and recent graduates across the United States have reportedly had their visas revoked or their legal status altered. Meanwhile, American citizens have faced detentions at airports and border crossings, been interrogated about their political beliefs, and had their phones searched for content against President Donald Trump. Are we witnessing a quiet erosion of First Amendment rights?
Presenter: Stefanie Dekker
Guests:
Nora Benavidez – Civil rights lawyer
Conor Fitzpatrick – Senior lawyer at Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
Bobby Knutt’s jumper went under the hammer for a good cause years after the the actor died in 2017
A colourful pullover late Benidorm star Bobby Knutt wore on the ITV show sold for £487 at auction(Image: Jam Press/Derren Litten)
A colourful jumper worn by late Benidorm star Bobby Knutt has sold for nearly £500 at auction eight years after the actor’s sudden death. The pullover, which featured in the hit ITV sitcom, fetched £487 as part of a special costume auction organised by Benidorm creator Derren Litten.
The sale saw several fan-favourite pieces from the show go under the hammer, with proceeds going towards medical treatment for a close friend of Litten’s. Bobby Knutt starred as cheeky pensioner Eddie Dawson between series eight and ten of the popular comedy, which aired from 2007 to 2018. Benidorm became a cult favourite with British audiences thanks to its outrageous humour and funny depictions of holiday chaos at the fictional Solana resort.
A colourful pullover late Benidorm star Bobby Knutt wore on the ITV show sold for £487 at auction(Image: Jam Press/Derren Litten)
Fans also snapped up other memorabilia from the show, including the Solana hotel-branded staff tabard, which sold for £422. A darts shirt worn by Johnny Vegas as Geoff ‘The Oracle’ Maltby sparked a bidding frenzy, reaching over £1,000 before being withdrawn.
Darren explained: “Sadly it was withdrawn as someone was bidding and retracting bids 30 or 40 times a day which, although I don’t understand eBay, is a method of bumping other bidders off the auction item. I will have to find another method of auctioning it. The vast majority sold to very happy buyers.”
The auction, which ran from May 25 to June 2, was set up to raise funds for Litten’s friend Leonard, who is battling Facial Fibrous Dysplasia. This is a rare and serious condition that can lead to blindness and severe disfigurement if left untreated.
Fans and castmates were shocked when they received the news that Bobby Knutt had died suddenly from heart failure in 2017 at the age of 71 while on holiday in France. At the time, Benidorm creator Derren Litten tweeted: “Very sad Benidorm news guys. The wonderful Bobby Knutt has passed away suddenly aged 71. Sending our Beni love to his family.”
Bobby Knutt played cheeky pensioner Eddie Dawson on the sitcom(Image: Jam Press/Derren Litten)
Co-star Tony Maudsley, who played Kenneth in the series, added: “Take a bow Grandad Dawson. Your Benidorm family will miss you. RIP Bobby Knutt x.”
Knutt’s had a long and successful career, as he found fame early in life on The Comedians and went on to bag roles in Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and Last of the Summer Wine. In Emmerdale he played Albert Dingle for a decade, and later appeared in Corrie as garage boss Ron Sykes.
Off-screen he was also known for stage work, a stint doing comedy shows on cruise ships, and his role as the voice of Gaffer in the Tetley Tea adverts.
After his death, it was revealed that Knutt left much of his £350,000 estate to friends and his sister, while his four children received little or no inheritance. He asked to be buried with his third wife Donna Hartley-Wass, a former Olympian and champion bodybuilder who passed away in 2013.
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) plans to lift its 10-year ban on issuing new banking licenses on July 1.
This change will open the market to fintechs and digital banks, which is expected to increase market competition and, possibly, bank consolidations as small banks are forced to merge or exit the industry.
“Fintechs will drive innovation in the sector, prompting traditional banks to adopt new technologies to stay competitive,” says Anne Kibisu, a banking analyst at Deloitte Kenya.
New and existing banks will face new capital requirements enacted in December 2024 under the Business Laws (Amendment) Act 2024. By 2026, banks will be required to maintain KES10 billion ($77 million) in capital.
This development follows a similar capital increase in 2009, when the requirement was raised from KES250 million to KES1 billion. That change prompted mergers, including KCB’s acquisition of National Bank in 2019. Analysts predict a similar wave of consolidation as smaller banks struggle to meet the new capital targets.
The central bank reports that 12 banks face a combined capital shortfall of KES11.8 billion. To comply with the new requirements, these banks needed to raise KES3 billion by December 2024, KES6 billion this year, and eventually KES10 billion by 2026.
“These increased capital thresholds are designed to help banks absorb economic shocks and continue supporting sustainable growth,” said CBK Governor Kamau Thugge.
Since December 2023, 27 of Kenya’s 39 licensed banks have met the new capital requirement. The remaining 12, primarily smaller banks with limited branch networks, now face significant pressure to recapitalize or merge with larger institutions.
“We are actively exploring strategic partnerships to meet the new capital requirements,” said an executive from an affected bank. “Mergers are also being considered.”
The CBK is expected to guide the consolidation process, as it did during the 2015-2016 banking crisis, which saw the collapse of Imperial Bank and Chase Bank. By 2027, Kenya’s banking sector is expected to be more robust and consolidated.
From Shotgun Spratling: There’s levels to a proper program build. Baby steps have to sometimes be taken, even if everyone involved would like to jump past several of those. Lessons have to be learned. Experiences, both positive and negative, have to be endured.
USC suffered through one of those difficult experiences, getting manhandled by national championship contender Oregon State for the second day in a row in the Corvallis Regional final. The No. 8 national seed shut down USC’s offensive attack in the winner-take-all regional final, eliminating the Trojans from the NCAA tournament with a 9-0 victory.
“Frustrating finish for sure,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said after being outscored 23-1 in back-to-back losses to the Beavers. “Proud of our boys and our coaching staff. Proud to wear this jersey. We’ve gotten better. Obviously, this weekend shows us that we’ve got to get better and be more competitive.”
Oregon State freshman James DeCremer, making just his second start of the season, held USC (37-23) to two hits in five scoreless innings. Then sophomore Eric Segura, who was pulled in the first inning of his start Friday after getting knocked around by Saint Mary’s, fired three scoreless innings.
Sophomore Laif Palmer entered after just USC’s third hit of the game. He induced the fifth double play of the day and got another groundout to close out the game. All three Oregon State pitchers fired mid-90s fastballs, something rare among USC pitchers and too much for the Trojan hitters to handle.
“We had a hard time controlling their arms,” Stankiewicz said. “The fastball was pretty hot.”
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NBA PLAYOFFS RESULTS
All Times Pacific
NBA FINALS
West No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. Indiana
Thursday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ABC Sunday at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ABC Wed., June 11 at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABC Friday, June 13 at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday, June 16 at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ABC* Thursday, June 19 at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABC* Sunday, June 22 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ABC*
*if necessary
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: It took the Dodgers until the ninth inning Monday night to erase their first two-run deficit.
But when Tanner Scott surrendered a pair of scores in the top of the 10th, they couldn’t do it again.
In a 4-3 extra-innings loss to the New York Mets on Monday, a night that started with frustration — then crescendoed with a late-game rally — ultimately ended in a familiar fizzle.
Despite tying it behind a seventh-inning home run and a ninth-inning sacrifice fly from Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers (36-24) once again stumbled beneath the weight of their slumping closer.
In the top of the 10th, Scott gave up an RBI double to Francisco Alvarez to lead off the inning. Francisco Lindor followed with a down-the-line single to bring another run for the Mets (38-22). The left-hander, who signed for four years and $72 million this offseason, has a 4.73 earned-run average in his first 28 outings.
And after coming back once on Monday night, the Dodgers’ magic ran out in the bottom of the 10th.
Mike Trout had three hits, including a three-run, 454-foot homer off the left-center field light stanchion in the Angels’ six-run first inning on Monday night, in a 7-6 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Zach Neto homered to lead off the game, and the Angels opened a 5-0 lead before before Red Sox starter Richard Fitts (0-3) recorded his first out. Jo Adell also homered in the first and added another solo shot in the sixth after Boston cut the lead to 6-5.
Jarren Duran had three hits for Boston, including a double to start the four-run fifth inning. Ceddanne Rafaela homered to make it 7-6 in the eighth.
Ryan Zeferjahn (3-1) was credited with the win, pitching a scoreless seventh inning and striking out two. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 11th save, getting Romy Gonzalez on a line drive to the warning track in right to end it.
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LA28 announced Honda as its automotive partner for the L.A. Olympics on Monday, securing a major founding-level partnership that will help the private organizing committee cover its estimated $7-billion budget.
Honda, which opened its U.S. headquarters in L.A. in 1959 and is now based in Torrance, will work with LA28 on an accessible vehicle fleet that maximizes electric vehicles for the Games to help move athletes and officials around Southern California. The partnership will support U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and the Summer Games in 2028.
Financial terms of the top-tier partnership were not announced. Honda joins Delta and Comcast as LA28’s founding partners expected to lead the way in covering the estimated $2.5 billion in corporate sponsorship needed to stage the first Summer Games held in the United States since 1996.
P3 Edmonton vs. A3 Florida Wednesday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT Friday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT Monday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT Thursday, June 12 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT Saturday, June 14 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT* Tuesday, June 17 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT* Friday, June 20 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1944 — Bounding Home, ridden by G.L. Smith, wins the Belmont Stakes by one-half length over Pensive, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
1959 — European Cup Final, Stuttgart: Real Madrid beats Stade de Reims, 2-0; 4th consecutive title for Los Blancos.
1961 — Sherluck, ridden by Braulio Baeza, wins the Belmont Stakes. Carry Beck, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, finishes seventh.
1972 — French Open Women’s Tennis: American icon Billie Jean King wins her only French singles title; beats Evonne Goolagong of Australia 6-3, 6-3.
1984 — Patty Sheehan wins the LPGA championship by a record 10 strokes over Beth Daniel and Pat Bradley.
1991 — Thomas Hearns becomes a world champion for the sixth time, capturing the World Boxing Association’s light-heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Virgil Hill.
1992 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan scores a record 35 points, including a record six 3-pointers, in the first half as the Bulls beat Portland 122-89 in the opening game of the NBA Finals. Jordan finishes with 39 points and Chicago is only two points shy of the largest victory margin in the finals.
1999 — Four days after her first LPGA Tour victory, Kelli Kuehne ties the Women’s U.S. Open record with an 8-under 64 in the first round to take a one-stroke lead over Juli Inkster.
2001 — Karrie Webb wins the U.S. Women’s Open in a runaway for the second year in a row. Webb shoots a 1-under 69 for an eight-stroke victory, the largest margin at a Women’s Open in 21 years.
2004 — Calgary ties an NHL record with its 10th road win of the playoffs with a 3-2 overtime victory over Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. The New Jersey Devils also won 10 road playoff games during their championship seasons of 1995 and 2000.
2006 — Jeff Burton has the biggest come-from-behind win ever in a Busch race, overcoming a 36th-place starting position in the Dover 200 for his second victory of the season.
2006 — Russia’s Nikolai Valuev retains his WBA heavyweight title in Hanover, Germany, stopping Jamaican challenger Owen Beck with a right uppercut in the third round.
2011 — Roger Federer ends Novak Djokovic’s perfect season and 43-match winning streak, beating him 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the French Open semifinals. Federer advances to the title match against five-time champion Rafael Nadal. Nadal reaches his sixth final in seven years at Roland Garros by defeating Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
2012 — Tiger Woods won his 73rd PGA tour victory with a two-stoke win over Andres Romero and Rory Sabbatini in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Course.
2017 — UEFA Champions League Final, Cardiff: Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice as defending champions Real Madrid thrash Juventus, 4-1 for 12th title; Juventus loses 5th consecutive final.
2018 — Stephen Curry, Golden State, broke Ray Allen’s NBA Finals record for the most 3-pointers with nine in the Warriors 122-103 Game 2 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1918 — Dutch Leonard of the Boston Red Sox pitched his second no-hitter, blanking the Detroit Tigers 5-0.
1932 — Lou Gehrig became the first American League player to hit four home runs in a game, helping the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia A’s 20-13. The event was overshadowed by the resignation of John McGraw as manager of the New York Giants.
1954 — Henry Thompson of the New York Giants hit three home runs and drove in eight runs in a 13-8 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. Willie Mays drove in the other five runs with two homers.
1971 — Ken Holtzman of the Chicago Cubs pitched his second no-hitter, beating the Cincinnati Reds 1-0.
1978 — Dave Johnson became the first major leaguer to hit two pinch-hit grand slams in a season. His grand slam in the ninth inning gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-1 victory over the Dodgers.
1989 — The Dodgers and Houston played 22 innings at the Astrodome in the longest night game in National League history — 7 hours and 14 minutes. The Astros won the game on Rafael Ramirez’s RBI single off Jeff Hamilton, normally the Dodgers’ third baseman. When the game ended, Fernando Valenzuela was playing first and Eddie Murray was at third.
1989 — Nolan Ryan pitched his 11th career one-hitter and struck out 11 as Texas beat Seattle 6-1. It was Ryan’s 16th low-hit game (no-hitter or one-hitter), breaking Bob Feller’s record of 15.
1995 — Pedro Martinez of Montreal pitched nine perfect innings against San Diego before giving up a leadoff double to Bip Roberts in the 10th inning of the Expos 1-0 win.
2003 — Sammy Sosa was ejected in the first inning of Chicago’s 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after umpires found cork in his shattered bat.
2006 — Damion Easley hit three homers and had seven RBIs in Arizona’s 13-9 victory over Atlanta.
2008 — Randy Johnson took sole possession of second place on baseball’s career strikeout list after getting the Milwaukee Brewers’ Mike Cameron to go down swinging in the first inning. It was Johnson’s 4,673rd career strikeout, breaking a tie with Roger Clemens and leaving the Arizona Diamondbacks’ veteran ace behind only Nolan Ryan, who had 5,714 strikeouts in his career.
2017 — Albert Pujols hits his 600th home run of his career, the historic blast being a 4th-inning grand slam off Ervin Santana of the Twins in a 7-2 Angels win. He is the ninth player to join the exclusive fraternity.
2017 — Endinson Volquez of the Mets throws the first no-hiitter of the year, defeating the Diamonbacks 3-0.
2018 — Blake Snell ties an American League record by striking out the first 7 batters he faces for the Rays against the Mariners.
2022 — With a disappointing 22-29 record after splurging on free agents over the past few years, the Phillies fire manager Joe Girardi, who has failed to take them to the postseason in his two-plus seasons at the helm. Bench coach Rob Thomson is named manager on an interim basis to finish the season.
2024 —Padres player Tucupita Marcano faces a lifetime ban from baseball after an investigation by MLB found that he has placed bets on a large number of major league games, in contravention of very clear rule. He is suspected of having bet on Pirates games while injured last season; he has not played this season, also due to injury. The lifetime ban will be confirmed tomorrow and four other players will receive one-year suspensions for placing bets while they were in the minor leagues: Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, José Rodríguez and Andrew Saalfrank.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
June 3 (UPI) — Constellation Energy Corporation announced Tuesday it has made a deal to provide the Meta technology company with clean energy for a couple of decades.
Constellation said it signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Meta for the output of the Clinton Clean Energy Center, located in Clinton, Ill., to help Meta meet its clean energy goals and operations in central and southern Illinois with more than 1,100 megawatts of emissions-free nuclear energy.
“We are excited to partner with Constellation and the Clinton community to ensure the long-term operations of the nuclear plant, add new capacity, and help preserve over 1,000 jobs,” Meta’s Head of Global Energy Urvi Parekh said.
The agreement will launch in June of 2027, and supports the relicensing and continued operations of Constellation’s high-performing nuclear facility in Clinton once the state’s ratepayer-funded zero-emission credit program has expired. The deal will allow the facility to expand its energy output by 30 megawatts and preserve 1,100 local jobs. The pact is also expected to bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, and to provide $1 million to area nonprofits over a period of five years.
Constellation CEO and president Joe Dominguez said the company was proud to partner with Meta as it “figured out that supporting the relicensing and expansion of existing plants is just as impactful as finding new sources of energy.”
“Sometimes the most important part of our journey forward is to stop taking steps backwards,” Dominguez said.
The Clinton Clean Energy Center, which employs more than 530 people, contributes around $13.5 million in annual taxes and generates enough electricity to power over 800,000 homes, was scheduled to close in 2017 due to several years of financial losses. However, it was saved by the Future Energy Jobs Act, which created a Zero Emission Credit program that provided the plant enough financial support to support it into 2027.
The deal with Meta will replace that program and keep the plant operational without ratepayer support.
Meta’s deal with the plant also fits its pledge signed in March to join other major corporate energy users to support the tripling of nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
Both companies have apparently already benefited financially following the agreement, as Constellation shares were up 2.38% by 7:45 a.m. in pre-market trading, while Meta jumped 3.62%.
Oleksiy Goncharenko analyses Ukraine’s AI drone attack on Russian airfields and how potential US sanctions could end the war.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament, analyses Ukraine’s AI drone attack on Russian airfields and discusses what he sees as a path towards ending hostilities.
A study of 2,000 UK holidaymakers found health emergencies are the top worry when in a different country, with theft also being a big concern.
Travellers regularly use unsecure networks when abroad(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
Holidaymakers are more concerned about misplacing luggage and missing flights than they are about being pickpocketed or losing their passport. A survey of 2,000 travellers revealed that health emergencies top the list of worries when abroad, with theft also a significant concern. Meanwhile, a third are apprehensive about getting lost, and a quarter worry about their accommodation not being safe.
However, only 8% are anxious about falling victim to online threats while overseas – a risk that is particularly prevalent on unsecured networks in foreign countries. With the most frequent activities carried out by those who connect to Wi-Fi when abroad include online banking, shopping with a credit card, streaming TV or music, and checking work emails.
Some have even been scammed when booking their trip(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
Melissa Voeller, a cyber safety advocate for Norton, which conducted the study, stated: “When we travel, we often focus on physical safety, like guarding our belongings or catching our flight, but digital threats don’t take a holiday.
“From public Wi-Fi risks to phishing scams disguised as hotel confirmations, cybercriminals target travellers when their guard is down. That’s why it’s just as important to secure your digital life as it is to secure important documents like your passport.”
The research discovered that 86% of travellers believe they are cautious when arranging travel. However, 29% have been scammed or targeted, either during the trip or while planning it, with 23% confessing they’re not particularly knowledge about online safety.
It was revealed that 14% are uncertain about the risks associated with connecting to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, which commonly include malware distribution; where unsecured networks can be used to distribute malicious software to your device.
Holidaymakers regularly use their bank apps (Image: undefined via Getty Images)
To gain access to this Wi-Fi whilst travelling, 45% have provided their email address, 30% have entered their first and last name – and 28% even revealed their hotel room number. After connecting many encountered suspicious pop-ups, data breach alerts and even online scams.
Melissa commented: “Public Wi-Fi might be convenient for checking maps or posting on social media, but it can be a hotspot for cybercriminals, too. Logging into banking apps or entering personal information on an unsecured connection abroad can be just as risky as losing your wallet.”
She cautioned: “A few clicks in the wrong place could give hackers access to everything from your email to your banking details, making you more vulnerable to threats.” It was revealed that only 26% say they have used a VPN while travelling, yet Melissa says it’s a key way to safeguard privacy whilst away.
Travel expert Simon Calder said: “Staying connected while travelling is second nature these days, whether it’s checking flight details, finding directions or booking last-minute tickets. But public Wi-Fi, especially in places like airports or hotels, isn’t always as safe as it seems.
“That’s why using a VPN is a smart move. It gives you added peace of mind that your online activity stays private and for your eyes only, no matter where your travels take you.”
Some reports suggested the pair refused to travel to Asia for the money-spinning trip.
The Dane playmaker stayed to tie the knot with long-time partnerSabrina Kvist Jensen. Whilst, Lindelof’s wife Majais currently heavily pregnant with the pair’s third child.
He added: “When I moved from Tottenham to Inter, it wasn’t my plan to go back to England either.
“After that I’ve been there for three and a half years again, so you should never say never.
“But my priority is that I have to leave.”
Danish bookies installed home-country club Odense as favourites to be Eriksen’s next employer. He spent three years in their youth ranks.
But the midfielder insisted: “It’s football’s rumour mill. I hope no-one has put money on it being now, because then they will lose.
“Right now there is nothing. There is interest all around, but there is nothing where I am close to signing.
Eriksen’s move to Manchester United was brought about after his cardiac arrest in the 2021 European Championship prevented him from playing football in Italy due to the implantable defibrillator inserted in his chest.
His Inter contract was subsequently terminated following the ruling from of the Italian Football Association and he joined Brentford on a short-term deal before signing for United.
The installed defibrillator means that Eriksen is still unable to play football in Italy therefore sign for an Italian club.
“My focus is on playing international matches, and then go on a good summer holiday,” he concluded.
Los Angeles County is poised to pay nearly $2.7 million to a teenager whose violent beating at a juvenile hall launched a sprawling criminal investigation into so-called “gladiator fights” inside the troubled facility.
Video of the December 2023 beating, captured on CCTV, showed Jose Rivas Barillas, then 16, being pummeled by six juveniles at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall as probation officers stood idly by. Each youth attacked Rivas Barillas for a few seconds before returning to breakfast. Two officers, later identified as longtime probation officials Taneha Brooks and Shawn Smyles, laughed and shook hands, encouraging the brawl.
“What made this unique is the video,” said Rivas Barillas’ attorney, Jamal Tooson, who said his client suffered a broken nose and traumatic brain injury. “The entire world got to witness the brutality that’s taking place with our children at the hands of the Los Angeles County Probation Department.”
The video, first reported by The Times, prompted a criminal investigation by the state attorney general’s office, which later charged 30 probation officers — including Brooks and Smyles — with allowing and encouraging fights among teens inside county juvenile halls. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta referred to the coordinated brawls as “gladiator fights” and said his office’s CCTV review had turned up 69 such fights during the chaotic first six months after the hall opened in July 2023.
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Footage obtained by the L.A. Times shows a December 2023 incident in which staffers can be seen allowing at least six youths to hit and kick a 17-year-old.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to approve the $2.67-million settlement to Rivas Barillas and his mother, Heidi Barillas Lemus.
According to a public summary of the “corrective action plan” that the Probation Department must produce before a large settlement, officials failed to review CCTV video of the fight and waited too long to transport the teen to a hospital and notify his family.
CCTV monitors are now “staffed routinely,” and officials are working on conducting random audits of the recordings, according to the plan. A spokesperson for the Probation Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Immediately after Rivas Barillas arrived at the Downey juvenile hall, Brooks demanded to know his gang affiliation, according to the claim filed with the county. Brooks said she had heard that Rivas Barillas, who is Latino, was from the “Canoga” gang and that she “hoped he could fight” before directing the other juveniles, all of whom were Black, to attack him in the day room, the claim stated.
After the video made headlines, accounts of teens forced by probation officers to fight have trickled out of Los Padrinos. A teen told The Times in March that officers at Los Padrinos rewarded him with a fast-food “bounty” — In-N-Out, Jack in the Box, McDonald’s — if he beat up kids who misbehaved. The teenager, who had previously been housed in the same unit as Rivas Barillas, said staffers would also organize fights when someone arrived who was thought to be affiliated with a gang that didn’t get along with the youths inside.
“We get a new kid, he’s from the hood. We have other hoods in here. We’re going to get all the fights out of the way,” he said at the time. “They were just setting it up to control the situation.”
Another teenager, identified in court filings as John (Lohjk) Doe, alleged in a lawsuit filed in February that soon after arriving at Los Padrinos in 2024, he was escorted by an officer to the day room. The officer, identified only by the surname Santos, told a youth inside the day room that “you have eleven (11) seconds” and watched as the youth attacked Doe, according to the lawsuit.
On another occasion, the same officer threatened to pepper-spray Doe if he didn’t fight another youth for 20 seconds. The teens who fought were rewarded with extra television and more time out of their cells, the suit alleged.
After the teen told a female officer about the two coordinated brawls, he was transferred to solitary confinement, the suit alleged.
Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka edged a tight encounter against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen to reach the French Open semi-finals.
Sabalenka, bidding for a first Paris title, won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 against China’s Zheng on a blustery Court Phillippe Chatrier.
The Belarusian – arguably the favourite for the title – had to come back from a break down in the first set but showed all her fighting quality to advance.
“That was a true battle – I have no idea how I was able to get back into that first set,” Sabalenka said.
“I was ready to leave everything I have on court to win.”
Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros, with her improved serve and movement reaping rewards.
A potential mouth-watering meeting with three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek could await if the Pole beats Elina Svitolina in the second semi-final.
June 3 (UPI) — At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured early Tuesday near an aid hub run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in southern Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
The Hamas-run ministry said in a social media update that the people were waiting at an area designated as an aid distribution point in Rafah and that 27 bodies and 90 injured had been brought to hospitals, “some of them in a critical condition.”
The statement did not say how the victims were killed and injured, but the incident follows the deaths of at least 31 Palestinians and injuring of more than 200 after Israel Defense Forces allegedly opened fire on a crowd at the same location Sunday.
The IDF said on its official account on X on Tuesday that troops fired warning shots to deter “several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated routes” leading to the aid site. When the suspects failed to turn back, the soldiers directed additional fire toward individuals continuing to advance toward their positions.
The IDF said it was aware of Tuesday’s reports of casualties and was looking into the details.
“The IDF allows the American Civil Organization (GHF) to operate independently in order to enable the distribution of aid to the Gazan residents — and not to Hamas. IDF troops are not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites. The warning shots were fired approximately half a kilometer away from the humanitarian aid distribution site toward several suspects who advanced toward the troops in such a way that posed a threat to them,” the military’s statement read.
However, an overseas volunteer doctor working in a nearby hospital told the BBC it had been “total carnage” since just before 4 a.m. local time and that they had been deluged with injured people.
“I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday. It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” he said.
The IDF has categorically denied any involvement in Sunday’s incident, insisting an initial investigation had found “the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site.”
The Gaza Health Foundation, set up to run the new U.S.-Israeli mechanism for delivering humanitarian assistance into Gaza, which bypasses the United Nations and other aid agencies, also denied the reports of Sunday’s violence, saying aid had been distributed without incident and that there had been no injuries or fatalities.
However, GHF has been plagued by problems since it began operations in Gaza a week ago with thousands of hungry Gazans swamping its Tel al-Sultan Secure Distribution Site One from day one.
The scheme aims to prevent aid from allegedly being stolen and resold by Hamas to fund its military operations against Israel, but the U.N. and legacy aid agencies have roundly condemned it as being in breach of humanitarian ethics and “weaponizing” the issue of aid.
GHF’s two top officials, Executive Director and former U.S. Marine Jake Wood and Chief Operating Officer David Burke, both resigned in the days before the scheme began operating.
Burke has not publicly commented on his decision, but Wood said he resigned because the scheme was out of step with the key humanitarian principles of “humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”
Home affairs correspondent in the Algarve, Portugal
Watch: The BBC’s Daniel Sandford at the scene of the new search operation
Portuguese and German authorities have started a new search for Madeleine McCann in Portugal, nearly two decades after her disappearance.
Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from an apartment complex in Praia da Luz in the Algarve during a family holiday on 3 May 2007.
The British toddler’s disappearance sparked a Europe-wide police investigation, and is one of the world’s highest-profile unsolved missing person cases.
On Monday, Portuguese police confirmed the search, carried out on warrants by German prosecutors, was across 21 different plots of land – between the resort Madeleine went missing from and where the prime suspect in her disappearance had been staying.
The search – which covers the municipality of Lagos near Praia da Luz – is due to continue until Friday.
On Tuesday morning, a Portuguese fire engine andfour vehicles carrying German police arrived on the search site – located around 3.5 miles from the resort where Madeleine was last seen.
Roads leading up to the site – which is sizable and mostly scrubland – have been closed off since Monday, while the day’s focus appears to be on disused buildings near the coast. A large, blue tent has also been erected in the same area.
Around 30 German police officers are expected to participate in the search.
Madeleine’s case was initially handled by the Portuguese authorities with the aid of the Metropolitan Police. In 2019, the British government said it would fund the Met Police inquiry, which began in 2011, until March 2020.
AFP via Getty Images
Authorities are one day into their search which they say will continue until Friday
Reuters
A blue tent has been set up on the search site
A year later, German investigators took the lead in the case when they identified German national Christian Brückner as the prime suspect.
The 48-year-old is currently serving a sentence in Germany for a separate crime – the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005. He was due to be released in September, but this could be pushed back to early 2026 if he does not pay a fine he owes.
German authorities fear that if Brückner is not charged with anything, he will disappear after his release.
They suspect him of murder but have not found enough evidence to bring charges, while Brückner repeatedly denies any involvement.
Portuguese authorities have also named Brückner as a formal suspect, or “arguido”. They said they would hand over any evidence seized in the latest search to German authorities.
Met Police, which this week said it was aware of the searches being carried out by German police in Portugal, continues its investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.
The case, known as Operation Grange, has been ongoing since 2011.
Officials have not disclosed if they are conducting this latest search in Portugal based on any new information, making it appear as if they are taking one last look in places where evidence or a body could have been hidden.
German police have a European warrant, which has been approved by Portuguese prosecutors, to allow them to conduct searches on private land.
The team of German and Portuguese investigators have been given permission to search 21 plots of land between the Ocean Club resort Madeleine disappeared from and where Brückner had been staying at the time.
The previous search was two years ago, focused around a reservoir where Madeleine was last seen.
Brückner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, was found to have photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.
On the night Madeleine disappeared, her parents had been at dinner with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while their three-year-old daughter and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor apartment.
Her mother, Kate, discovered she was missing at around 22:00 local time.
A German documentary in 2022 found evidence that Brückner occasionally worked at the Ocean Club as a handyman, while German prosecutors have also linked his mobile phone data and a car sale to their case against him.
Last month, Madeleine’s parents marked the 18th year anniversary of her disappearance, saying their “determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering”.
By Maria Reva Doubleday: 352 pages, $28 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.
Maria Reva creates beautiful, purposeful chaos. Informed by deep personal loss, her startling metafictional debut novel, “Endling,” is a forceful mashup of storytelling modes that call attention to its interplay of reality and fiction — a Ukrainian tragicomedy of errors colliding with social commentary about the Russian invasion.
A poorly planned crime serves as the anchor. “Endling” throws three strangers involved with Ukraine’s for-profit international matchmaking market together for a quixotic kidnapping caper in a nation on the brink of war. There’s a twisted, postmodern “Canterbury Tales”-like quality to these proceedings: Like medieval pilgrims, its central characters are each on a journey they hope will change their lives. And everyone is suffering some level of delusion.
If “Endling” has a main character, it’s the woman whose mission is to save the nation’s endangered snails; another key player is a lone wolf terrorist who hopes her political orchestrations will spark a family reunion. Then there’s the lonely, disaffected expatriate bachelor on the hunt for a quiet, traditional wife. Through their perspectives, black humor flows freely, as the motivations and experiences that brought this motley crew together rise to the surface.
Context is crucial in “Endling.” These characters cross paths early in 2022, when mass violence threatens to overwhelm every other concern. But despite the amassing of Russian troops on the border, the military invasion of Ukraine seems so surreal that no one knows what to believe or how much to fear. So these quests march on even as the crack of explosions grows louder.
The stories that emerge about our three key players are evocative, provocative and absurd — a contrast to looming darkness. Between those narratives, there are commentaries about the history and politics of Ukraine and on publishing and writing about Ukraine, plus the author’s family and its plight at the time of the book’s writing. As Reva, a native of Ukraine, writes in an early, epistolary section, in response to a magazine editor’s critique of the irreverence of her solicited essay about the war: “You’d asked for the type of reporting/response that would differ from that of a non-Ukrainian. In Ukraine, dark humor dates back to the Soviet days, giving people who live in uncontrollable circumstances a sense of power. If you can laugh about a dark reality, you rise above it, etc.”
No story better exemplifies that ethos than that of the teenage fake bride turned kidnapper who aches for her mother. Young, beautiful Nastia (a.k.a. Anastasia) — just 18 years old and six months past high school graduation — brings the group together. Ostensibly to stop the exploitation of women, this daughter of a fierce feminist activist who has long protested the tourist marriage market resolves to make an unforgettable public statement by kidnapping 100 male clients of the matchmaking service “Romeo and Yulia” at the start of one of its romance tours. Though the stunt is nominally aimed at exposing and ending degrading matchmaking practices, what Nastia really yearns for is her missing parent’s attention. When Nastia decides that a mobile trailer van in the guise of an escape room would be the perfect means of the men’s abduction, she begs Yeva, a fellow bride in possession of an RV, to rent it to her.
Like Nastia, Yeva is a “bride” with an agenda. A scientist who’s lost her grant funding, Yeva uses the marriage mart grift to sustain her life’s work. Her story exemplifies the mercenary nature of the international marriage market. While Romeo and Yulia’s “brides,” as the women are called, aren’t paid a salary, they regularly receive gifts from suitors. In exchange for allowing the agency to use her as “shimmering bait” on the website, women like Yeva “could also return tour after tour and, without bending any rules, make decent money. In fact, the agency endorsed the practice: any gifts ordered by bachelors through the agency — gym membership, cooking class, customizable charm bracelet — could be redeemed by the brides for cash from the agency office.”
Yeva’s story gives the novel a melancholy moral center. And it’s from Yeva’s quest that the book derives its title: An “endling” is the last individual in a dying species, the kind she is dedicated to protecting. After losing access to institutional support, Yeva equipped the trailer as a roaming laboratory and storage site where (at the peak) she sustained over 270 species of rare gastropods. Though she prefers mollusks to men, it’s Yeva who insists on reducing the kidnapping target from 100 to 12, a number that the trailer could humanely accommodate.
Pasha, one of the men Nastia lures to the trailer, has his own ambitions. Born in Ukraine and raised in Canada, Pasha’s secret is that he doesn’t plan to return to the West with his bride like the other clients. Instead, he fantasizes about resettling in the Ukraine and forging a life that might command the respect he craves from his parents. Pasha is the sympathetic face of Western men beguiled by nostalgia for “traditional” wives unsullied by feminism and high expectations. His motives are sincere even if his relationship with women and his family might be better served through therapy.
“Endling” isn’t an easy read, but it is brilliant and heart-stopping. Authorial interludes can feel like interruptions, but by breaking the fourth wall, Reva forces us to pay attention to the ongoing devastation behind the narrative while unpacking the compromises of storytelling. Plus, Yeva, Nastia and Pasha and the merchants of romance spin their own fictions: They have trouble telling the difference between truth and make-believe even as the sounds of war grow near and even when bullets penetrate flesh.
This building up and breaking down of artifice forces reflection on how we use fiction to explore and bend reality while undermining the comforts of distance. As the author confesses, “I need to keep fact and fiction straight, but they keep blurring together.”
Bell is a critic and media researcher exploring culture, politics and identity in art.
Israeli forces have killed at least 27 Palestinians and injured 90 more as they opened fire close to an aid distribution site in Rafah, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The latest killings came early on Tuesday at the Flag Roundabout, near an aid hub operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
It was the third such incident around the Rafah hub in as many days. Gaza’s authorities report that more than 100 aid seekers have been killed since the United States- and Israel-backed GHF started operating in the enclave on May 27, with reports of violence, looting and chaos rife.
The Israeli military said it had fired shots as “a number of suspects” deviated from the regulated routes, on which a crowd was making its way to the GHF distribution complex.
The “suspects” were about 500 metres (approximately 550 yards) from the site, the military said in a statement on Telegram, adding that it was looking into reports of casualties.
The death toll was confirmed by Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.
A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Hisham Mhanna, said 184 wounded people had been taken to its field hospital in Rafah, 19 of whom were found dead on arrival, and eight others died later of their wounds.
Video verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency showed the arrival of dozens of injured people at the hospital.
Lured
Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel of “a horrific, intentionally repeated crime”, saying it has been luring starving Palestinians to the GHF centres – controversially opened following an 11-week total blockade to take over most aid distribution from the United Nations and other aid agencies – and then opening fire.
It said Tuesday’s death toll brought the number of aid seekers killed at aid sites in the Rafah governorate and the so-called Netzarim Corridor since GHF launched operations to 102, with 490 others injured.
“It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” said Secretary General Antonio Guterres. “I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”
“We heard from witnesses that there was chaos,” said Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting about Tuesday’s killings from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. “The Israeli forces just opened fire randomly, shooting Palestinians … using quadcopters and live ammunition.”
Health Ministry officials and doctors said most of the wounded have been hit in their chest and head, she added.
The bloodshed, she continued, had unfolded in the same way as on the previous two days, amid ongoing chaos around the aid distribution centres.
“There’s no process. There’s no system,” she said. “You just need to run first to be able to get the food.”
‘Either way, we will die’
Rasha al-Nahal told The Associated Press news agency that “there was gunfire from all directions”, and that she saw more than a dozen people dead and several wounded on the road.
When she finally made it to the distribution hub, there was no aid, al-Nahal said, adding that Israeli troops “fired at us as we were returning”.
Another witness, Neima al-Aaraj, from Khan Younis, described the shooting as “indiscriminate”.
“I won’t return,” she said. “Either way, we will die.”
Gaza rescuers said Israeli gunfire killed at least 10 Palestinians and wounded more than 100 early on June 1, as thousands of people headed towards a US-backed aid distribution site [AFP]
The Israeli military, in its statement on Telegram, said troops had fired warning shots as people deviated from “designated access routes” and “after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops”.
However, it denied firing on civilians or blocking them from accessing aid.
This account echoes statements around similar incidents on Sunday, when 31 aid seekers were reportedly killed, and on Monday, when three more were killed.
More laughable errors: Livingston, the first city in the Central Valley to declare itself a sanctuary for immigrants in 2017, isn’t on the list. Yet Santee in San Diego County, so notorious for its racism that people still call it “Klantee,” is.
There’s even Represa. Ever heard of it? Me, neither. Turns out it’s not a city but the name of the post office for two places not exactly known as sanctuaries: Folsom State Prison and California State Prison, Sacramento.
Within hours of his inauguration, Donald Trump signed an executive order tellingly titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” that, among other things, stated that sanctuary jurisdictions should no longer receive federal funds.
But the May 29 list laying out the jurisdictions that are supposedly subject to the penalty was so flawed that it was taken off the Homeland Security website within days. It’s still not back up. The effort seemed cobbled together by someone who typed “sanctuary” and a city’s name into Google and swallowed whatever the AI spat up without even bothering to cross-check with Wikipedia.
Trump’s opponents are already depicting this fiasco as emblematic of an administration that loves to shoot itself in the foot, then put the bloody foot in its mouth. But it’s even worse than that.
The list shows how blinded by fury the Trump administration is about illegal immigration. There is no mistake too big or too small for Trump to forgive, as long as it’s in the name of deportation and border walls. The president’s obsession with tying all of this country’s real and imagined ills to newcomers reminds me of Cato the Elder, the Roman Republic politician famous for allegedly saying “Carthage must be destroyed” at the end of all his speeches, no matter the topic.
That’s why the pushback by politicians against Homeland Security’s big, beautiful boo-boo has been quick — and hilarious.
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns listens to speakers discuss the city’s plan to make Huntington Beach “a non-sanctuary city for illegal immigration” during a City Council meeting in January
(James Carbone)
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns appeared on KCAL News to declare that Surf City’s inclusion was “pure negligence” while holding a small white bust of Donald Trump the way a toddler clings to its blankey.
Vista Mayor John Franklin, meanwhile, was on the city council that voted in 2018 to support the Trump administration’s unsuccessful lawsuit against California’s sanctuary state law. He told ABC 10News San Diego that he thought Vista made the list because “another city in the county that bears a similar name to ours … may have, and I haven’t confirmed it yet, adopted a sanctuary policy.”
Dude, say the city’s name: Chula Vista, a far cooler, muy Latino town closer to the U.S.-Mexico border than Vista is. It’s also on the list and isn’t a sanctuary city, either.
On the other end of the political spectrum, Rep. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) told the Voice of OC that he recently advised Santa Ana officials to “keep their head low” and not make a big deal about their sanctuary city status — as if hiding under a desk, like a “Scooby Doo” caper, will somehow save the city from the Trump administration’s haphazard hammer.
Immigration, more than any other part of Trump’s agenda, exemplifies the Silicon Valley cliché of moving fast and breaking things. His administration has deported people by mistake and given the middle finger to judges who order them brought back. Trump officials are now shipping immigrants to countries they have no ties to, and shrugging their shoulders. Immigration agents are trying to apprehend people in places long considered off-limits, like schools and places of worship.
And yet, this still isn’t enough for Trump.
Deportation rates are rising, but still not to the levels seen in some years of the Biden and Obama administrations, and not even close to Operation Wetback, the Eisenhower-era program that deported over a million Mexican nationals. Trump’s deportation dream team — Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, border czar Tom Homan and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller — has berated ICE officials for not doing more to comply with Trump’s wishes.
The sanctuary list embodies all of this. Who cares if the wreckage involves human lives, or the Constitution? The sloppiness is the point. The cruelty is the point.
Homeland Security didn’t answer my request to explain the flaws in its sanctuary jurisdiction list and why it was taken down. Instead, a spokesperson emailed a statement saying “the list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly.” The decision whether to include a place, the statement said, “is based on the evaluation of numerous factors.”
Except the truth, it seems.
Let’s laugh at the absurd mistakes while we can. Really, how pendejo can you be to think that Huntington Beach is friendly to undocumented immigrants but Santa Ana isn’t? Let’s laugh while we can, because things are going to get much worse before they get better.
