“See the pink roses?” Mariska Hargitay says as she shuffles outside her home.
We’re on a video call, and when asked whether she feels the presence of her late mother Jayne Mansfield any more vividly since directing the documentary that explores her life and legacy, Hargitay swings her laptop around to give me a peek at the lush greenery of her New York home. Hargitay points to blooms a shade of pink that her mother — who famously lived in the Pink Palace, a Mediterranean-style L.A. mansion — would surely appreciate.
“I call it my Snow White balcony. I sit here and squirrels and butterflies and birds come up,” she says. “I was talking to somebody this morning, my friend, who told me the most beautiful analogy for the movie. And as she said, ‘Your mother would be so proud of you,’ these roses, right at that moment — a whole bloom fell off. It can’t be a coincidence. It’s just not.”
The “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor also mentions visiting a spa recently and noticing the robes were by the Mansfield brand. “Crazy stuff is happening all the time to me … She’s with me in a new way. I’ve never felt her presence more.”
“Oh, look at this! You want to cry?” Hargitay jolts up, this time lugging the laptop into an en suite bathroom. “This was a whole scene. It’s not in the movie — I wanted it to be. But there are my mother’s sinks.” She pans down to show double sinks that feature a cherub motif.
“I just redid this bathroom because my brother, when they were tearing down the pink house, he got the sinks,” she says. “He gave them to me. I just ripped out our whole bathroom and had them put in with that pink marble. I’m living with her now, with pink roses and her sinks and my pink quartz hearts. She’s with me now.”
Mariska Hargitay in HBO’s “My Mom Jayne,” when she visits the storage unit filled with her mother’s belongings. “Why now? Because I was finally ready … I had so much internal work to do.”
(HBO)
It can all be felt in “My Mom Jayne,” the emotional and revealing documentary about Mansfield, an actor who epitomized the blond bombshell archetype of the 1950s, that premieres at 8 p.m. Friday on HBO and Max.
Hargitay was 3 years old and asleep in the back seat of a car with two of her siblings when their vehicle collided with a truck in 1967, killing Mansfield, who was born Vera Jayne Palmer. In Hargitay’s debut as a documentary director — a role she sometimes juggled while portraying Capt. Olivia Benson on NBC’s long-running crime procedural — she confronts and heals her complicated relationship with a mother she barely knew. As part of the journey, Hargitay reveals a family secret she’s been keeping for more than 30 years: Her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her, but rather Nelson Sardelli, a former Las Vegas entertainer.
From her home, wearing a pastel blue hoodie that said “New York or Nowhere,” Hargitay discussed what it was like unpacking her mother’s story. Here are edited excerpts of the conversation.
How did you come to the decision that you wanted to share this story and this journey as a documentary rather than as a book? And why now?
I think I’m a better filmmaker than writer. I’m very passionate about documentaries. It’s a very visceral way of grokking a story for me, and I’ve had such powerful experiences with them. One of the things that was so important to me in this was to have everyone’s own words in the story because it’s their story as much as it is mine. It just felt like the most authentic way to approach the storytelling.
Why now? Because I was finally ready. Over the years, there’ve been so many times when various people asked me if I was going to do a doc about my mom, especially after my first one, “I Am Evidence” [the 2017 documentary Hargitay produced about sexual assault survivors whose rape kits went untested for years]. I don’t know if you know this, but I was obsessed with “Hamilton”; I saw it probably 27 times. One night, somebody said, “Oh, I’m friends with Ron Chernow [the author whose biography of Alexander Hamilton served as the inspiration for the musical] and I would love you to meet him.” We went to this dinner, and Ron and I ended up alone in a corner talking because he had seen “I Am Evidence.” He said, “Why haven’t you done a documentary, Mariska, about your mother? I think you should do a documentary.” I said to him, “Well, Ron, I don’t think I could. Everyone’s dead.” He said to me, without irony, “I think I could help you with that.”
In this moment, I realized who I was talking to — this historian, this titan of books. [He was] one of the people who just gently urged me, eased me off the the cliff. But I had so much internal work to do. I had to really shore myself up and and heal myself to make sure that I could come at it in an open, curious and objective way. It was during the pandemic that I was out in my house in Long Island, and I just had time to sit and think and go through things that I hadn’t [before]. I’d found boxes of letters that I’d received from people over the years while I was on “SVU” that I actually couldn’t even take in. If it was a letter, and it started with, “I knew your mother…,” “I knew Jayne Mansfield…,” I’d sort of go, “Ahhhh,” and put it in a box — literally, put it in a box. This is a story of opening boxes, physically and metaphorically.
Mariska Hargitay is reconnecting with her late mother in “My Mom Jayne”: “Crazy stuff is happening all the time to me. … She’s with me in a new way. I’ve never felt her presence more.”(Victoria Will / For The Times)
You were in the early years of your career when you found out this secret about your father. What do you remember about that period, trying to navigate this career while maybe feeling disconnected or untethered to an identity?
It was so disorienting. If I think about it, I can feel it in my body. It felt like the melting of my identity. It felt like I didn’t have footing anymore to stand on. The one thing that I did identify with — being my father’s daughter — was erased. And on top of it, the layers of it being secret, I couldn’t even process. I was so alone in it — because of shame, because of loyalty; I didn’t want to betray him. I remember it being the moment that I became an adult. Obviously, your life is irrevocably changed when we lose that connection with mother, as mother is everything to a child. But also because so much of it was at a time of being pre-verbal, I had all these feelings in me that I couldn’t process, couldn’t metabolize, couldn’t speak about. I was just this child of locked-in pain.
One thing I didn’t say in the movie that I wish I did, which is such a beautiful metaphor — when I left Sabin’s [Sabin Gray operated the Jayne Mansfield Fan Club and alluded to the secret during a meeting with Hargitay] and I went up to see my dad, my father was literally building me a house. How about that for a metaphor? I walked in and I was hysterically crying. He’s like, “What’s the matter?” I said, “Why didn’t you tell me? You lied to me! How could you lie to me?” To see this superhero, strong man, my mentor, my everything be undone and to see him go into such extraordinary denial that even me, as a 25-year-old, went, “Oh, I can handle this. He’s in too much pain. I don’t want to hurt him” — that was the moment that I remember going, “I’ll shoulder this myself. I can handle it.”
Hargitay, who was 3 years old when Mansfield was killed in a car crash, confronts and heals her complicated relationship with a mother she barely knew: “The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me,” she says.(Walter Fischer / HBO, HBO, courtesy of Hargitay family / HBO)
Something that fascinated me as I entered adulthood was how curious I became about my parents as I became the age they were when they had me. You talk about feeling motherly about your mom now and giving her grace. Tell me more about that.
I think that as little girls, we all want our parents to be this certain way. For me, I wanted a normal mom that stayed home and baked cookies and didn’t run around in heels, in a bikini. I was like, “Why can’t you be normal?” So not understanding and having that myopic view or wish now, being 61 — I have three children, I have a career, I have a foundation, I have a husband. There is so much to manage, and it is hard to do it all with grace and elegance and love. I don’t know how I do it sometimes, other than I have a lot of help and an amazing husband. I got married at 40. I had my first child at 42. I was cooked; I was an adult. I had learned so much. I had so much life experience.
As I say in the film, she [Mansfield] was a baby. She was 16 years old when she got pregnant, and I will never know the story of how she got pregnant. But what she had to navigate alone with a child — I’ll tell you this, if I was pregnant and living in Dallas, Texas, I don’t know that I would have gone to L.A. by myself. I wanted to go to New York for 10 years before I left, and the reason I left is because I had a job. And this girl got in the car with her 3-year-old [Hargitay’s sister, Jayne Marie Mansfield] and said, “We’re going to California.” And the husband said, “I’m out.” But she said, “I’m doing this.” I look at her a little bit like a superhero and go, “I don’t think I could have done that.” The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me. I was wrong to go into this film feeling one way about Nelson and thinking he abandoned me, he left my mother, he knew she was pregnant. And after all of that, to be left with: He did the right thing. He made the ultimate sacrifice for me.
How did you talk about this experience and this journey with your own kids?
First of all, they watched the whole journey. They also watched me go from being hazy — like, they’d say, “Who’s Nelson?” I’d be like, “Well, he’s like family. He’s like a second father.” And they’re like, “What do you mean?” But it was quite extraordinary for them, I think, to see this journey and to see their mother go, “Hey, guys, there are a lot of secrets in my life. I don’t want you to have secrets.” I felt like I deserved to know the truth, and I felt very betrayed finding out at 25 that my life, this person I wanted to emulate, was not my biological father. Now that also has changed because now I go, “It doesn’t matter, and nothing can change the fact that Mickey Hargitay is my father.” But I wanted my children to know that I don’t want secrets to hold them back.
“The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me,” Mariska Hargitay says.
(Victoria Will / For The Times)
There’s the moment where you speak with your mother’s press secretary, Raymond “Rusty” Strait. He had written a book that revealed the truth about your father. You ask him whether he thought it was his story to tell, and he said yes. What was that experience like for you?
It was a very difficult interview compared to the rest of the film. I felt a lot of feelings, a lot of anger. I wanted to protect her [Mansfield] from him because he did not protect her. He said that he loved her, then right after she died, he wrote this book [“The Tragic Secret Life of Jayne Mansfield”]. Those were two very difficult things for me to reconcile still. What’s hard for me is that there are many things in the book that are not true that I know for a fact. I think if you’re going to write a biography about somebody, do your work. That [interview] was very painful to me because I never really got the response I was hoping for. It’s my job to give people the benefit of the doubt and to try to understand, and that’s what I did. But he betrayed my mother and he betrayed my family.
Yet the beauty of this is that even though it was in the world, somehow the story was protected and I got to tell it. That is extraordinary. I can’t believe that this was written in a book and that I found out when I was 25; I met him [Nelson] when I was 30. All the people — his family that knew, my sisters that knew, my friends that knew, Jayne Marie and Tony — my older sister and my younger brother — and it still never got out. And to me, that is divine intervention.
I was very concerned when I saw the crane hauling your mother’s piano into your Manhattan home. What’s it been like to have that piano in your possession?
It was the happiest day of of my life. It felt like I was reclaiming something. I was actually getting a piece of my mother back. Then there was another part of me that was like, “Who did I marry? What kind of awesome human being did I sign up for? I can’t even comprehend that I was first in line when God was handing out the husbands.”
Then I’m like, “You guys, this cannot be good, just on a physics level.” I kept saying, “Marish. Marish. People do this all the time. This is not their first barbecue.” I’ve never been on edge that much, but it was absolutely glorious.
Do you think you’ll see your mother again?
When I go to heaven? Assuming I get in?
Wherever.
Yes. I didn’t put this in the movie, and my editor wanted to kill me because I told him too late — you never know when memories come. I had this beautiful dream. I never dreamt about her, except one time. I was still living in my house that my dad built for me on Warbler Way. I dreamt that she came to my house, and I was like, “What? Hi!” I said, “I’m so happy you’re here. I can’t believe I get to meet you.” Then I said, “Listen, I need you to come downstairs so you can see [the photos],” because I had a whole wall of photos of her in my house. But she never came downstairs. And I just remember going, “Please, I really want to show you.” She’s like, “I can’t, I have to go.” I just remember how happy I was that she came over and then I got to meet her. But it’s also very telling that she didn’t come downstairs. Maybe I’ll start to dream about her again. I hope.
Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
(NBC/Ralph Bavaro/NBC)
I’m curious what all this means, if anything, for Olivia Benson. Do you feel like you’re bringing a renewed Mariska to that role?
Yes. I do. I’ve been saying that. Kelli Giddish is one of my closest friends, and she was so moved. The “SVU” people lived it with me because I was shooting while I was [working on the documentary]. The last two years, I’ve been flying back and forth and editing at night and on the weekends. Kelli said, “I can’t wait to act with this Mariska.” What I feel is that I have more internal space because I’ve been carrying [this] — I can’t express to you how heavy the load was to carry everyone’s story and my own. There’s a huge sense of deep and profound peace and renewal.
Your closing remarks in the film feel like a letter to your mother. What do you remember about writing those words? Did they come easily?
They did because it was the truth. It was about giving myself space and permission to have those feelings. I just went in the [recording] room by myself, started talking. I didn’t know what I was going to say. It wasn’t something that I wrote. The movie is very much like that.
One of my favorite documentarians is Davis Guggenheim. I was feeling different people out, like, would they want to direct it? I was so taken with “Still” [which chronicled the life of actor Michael J. Fox]. He had shared with me that he had Michael J. Fox’s book and that he thought I should write the book first. I was like, “Thanks so much. It’s not happening.” I said, “Mariska, you’re on your own on this one. You’re doing it your way.” It wasn’t a book to be written, which is interesting because I think I am going to write a book. In telling this story, so much has begun to bubble up about other stories where I’m starting to … connect thoughts of, like, “Oh, that’s what that is. Oh, this is why that happened.” There’s so much stuff that didn’t make it. I could make five more movies. I might make some shorts.
Kootenai County Sheriff says law enforcement officials are taking sniper fire as they hunt for the killer.
At least two people have been killed in the United States after a gunman shot at firefighters responding to a blaze in the state of Idaho, according to officials.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said that crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain, just north of the city of Coeur d’Alene, at about 1:30pm (19:30 GMT) on Sunday, and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
Sheriff Bob Norris said officials believe the two people killed were fire personnel. He did not know if anyone else was shot.
The sheriff said it was not immediately clear if there was one gunman or more, and urged the public to stay clear of the area.
“We don’t know how many suspects are up there, and we don’t know how many casualties there are,” Norris told reporters. “We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”
The Canfield Mountain, an area popular with hikers, is located near Coeur d’Alene, a city of 57,000 people about 260 miles (420 km) east of Seattle in Washington state.
Norris said the shooter or shooters were using high-powered sporting rifles to fire rapidly at first responders, and that the perpetrators “are not, at this time, showing any evidence of wanting to surrender”.
The sheriff said it appeared the attacker was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he has instructed deputies to fire back.
“If these individuals are not neutralised quickly, this is going to be likely a multi-day operation,” he added.
Idaho Governor Brad Little said “multiple” firefighters were attacked.
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” he said on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”
Little did not give further details on any casualties or how the incident unfolded.
“As this situation is still developing, please stay clear from the area to allow law enforcement and firefighters to do their jobs,” Little added.
Law enforcement is investigating whether the fire could have been intentionally set to lure first responders to the scene, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Jeff Howard told ABC News.
The broadcaster reported that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been briefed on the shooting.
The FBI said it has sent technical teams and tactical support to the scene.
“It remains an active, and very dangerous scene,” the agency’s deputy director, Dan Bongino, wrote in a post on X.
Gun ownership is widespread in the US, where the country’s Constitution protects the rights of Americans to “keep and bear arms”.
Deaths related to gun violence are common. At least 17,927 people were murdered by a gun in 2023 in the US, according to the most recent available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams has been ruled out of the rest of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia with Scotland’s Ben White called up.
Williams was forced off the field with a hamstring injury after scoring a try in their 54-7 win over Western Force in Perth on Saturday.
”This is desperately sad news for Tomos,” said Lions tour manager Ieuan Evans. ”He is an exemplary Lion who had a brilliant season having joined the Tour as Premiership player-of-the-season. He lit up this Lions tour with both his personality and his talent.”
Williams’ departure means there is now only one Welshman remaining in the 38-strong squad in flanker Jac Morgan.
June 29 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Barry was nearing the eastern Gulf Coast of Mexico on Sunday evening, and was expected to bring heavy rains and flash flooding to the North American nation over the next few days.
Barry was located about 60 miles southeast of Tampico, on Mexico’s eastern coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 7 p.m. CDT update.
It was moving northwest at 8 mph and was on track to make landfall in the next few hours, before moving inland over eastern Mexico Sunday night.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast of Mexico from Boca de Catan southward to Tecolutla.
It is not expected to intensify much more before making landfall, and weakening is forecast to begin shortly after it moves inland, according to a NHC discussion on the storm.
“The primary impact with Barry remains heavy rainfall and flash flooding for the upslope areas of eastern Mexico,” the NHC said.
Between 3 and 6 inches of rainfall are expected with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches across the Mexican states of Veracruz, San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas through Monday, the forecasters said.
“This rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” it said.
Tropical Storm Barry is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting between 13 and 19 total named storms for this year.
Another 28 people injured in the accident between a bus and a minibus in the Kilimanjaro region.
Nearly 40 people have been killed after a bus and a minibus collided in Tanzania, sparking a fire that engulfed both vehicles.
The crash occurred on Saturday evening in Sabasaba in the Kilimanjaro region after one of the bus’s tyres was punctured, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
“A total of 38 people died in the crash, including two women,” a statement by the presidency said on Sunday. “Due to the extent of the burns, 36 bodies remain unidentified.”
The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known.
Twenty-eight people were injured, six of whom were still in hospital for treatment, the presidency added.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the bereaved families and wished a “quick recovery” to those injured.
She also called for stricter adherence to road safety as deadly vehicle crashes are frequent on Tanzania’s roads.
In recent years, the government has made repeated calls to curb road accidents, which continue to plague the country despite various road safety campaigns.
In a 2018 report by the World Health Organization, an estimated 13,000 to 19,000 people in the country were killed in traffic accidents in 2016, significantly higher than the government’s official toll of 3,256 people.
Coronation Street’s Maria Connor will be left devastated to learn her husband Gary Windass has been attacked, and now actress Samia Longchambon has teased who did it
21:00, 29 Jun 2025Updated 21:59, 29 Jun 2025
There could be a revenge twist looming on Coronation Street as the identity of who attacked Gary Windass is set to come to light(Image: ITV)
There could be a revenge twist looming on Coronation Street as the identity of who attacked Gary Windass is set to come to light.
Maria Connor will be left concerned over her husband’s disappearance in upcoming scenes when she realises something bad has happened. What she doesn’t know though is Gary is in a coma in hospital after being attacked.
While we know Nina Lucas and Summer Spellman are linked to the crime, we have no clue yet as to who committed the assault. That said, spoilers have confirmed Gary’s attacker is covering their tracks, even pretending to be his next of kin as he remains in a coma.
The mystery person has given the hospital a fake identity for Gary too, so Maria and his loved ones have not been informed. Ahead of their identity being revealed to viewers, Maria actress Samia Longchambon has teased what’s really happened to the character.
Ahead of Maria hunting for her missing husband and then eventually finding out he’s been in hospital, the actress teased who could be behind it. She shared: “Maria’s mind is spiralling now but she doesn’t stop for a second to think who actually attacked him and put him in a coma.
Coronation Street’s Maria Connor will be left devastated to learn her husband Gary Windass has been attacked(Image: ITV)
“She’s aware Gary has got a lot of enemies from over the years who could have potentially wanted to take revenge on him.” So could Gary’s attack be a mystery revenge plot, and is it someone from his past?
Maria will turn to detective Kit Green in upcoming episodes, sure something is terribly wrong. Determined to find him, Samia teased Maria could take matters into her own hands to figure out what has happened.
After an unknown coma patient is found, Maria will be told by Kit that it isn’t Gary. On what’s ahead, Samia spilled: “I think she feels comfort that Kit has assured her that he’ll do everything he can to find Gary, but that absolutely wouldn’t stop Maria from doing everything she can to find him.”
The news about the coma patient not being Gary leaves Maria with mixed emotions as she fears her husband could be dead. Samia explained: “When Maria learns that Gary isn’t the coma patient, she is with Kit and confides in him that she knows it’s awful but she actually wishes it was him just so she knew where he was.
Maria Connor will be left concerned over her husband’s disappearance(Image: ITV)
“It’s bittersweet for Maria because she’s of course glad Gary isn’t in a coma, although little does she know he actually is, but at the same time she’s worried even more now because her fear is he could be in a worse condition or even dead.” The disappearance came after Maria and Gary rowed over Lou, while Maria is yet to discover how Lou tried to kiss him before blackmailing him before he left to visit his mother Anna Windass.
But amid her initial thoughts on Gary staying away because of their drama, something leads to Maria panicking. Samia said: “It was definitely when Gary misses Liam’s birthday that Maria starts getting really panicked and nervous.
“She was obviously worried before where he was because he had been gone a long time and was ignoring her messages and phone calls and thought they would have sorted it out long before that. But as soon as he misses Liam’s birthday she absolutely has a gut feeling that something isn’t right and thinks something awful might have happened to him.”
She went on: “She’s really upset that he’s gone but it’s not until he’s been gone too long that she realises something is really wrong and is even more worried. Her emotions turn from being upset about the fact that they’ve fallen out to being worried about his safety.”
Some breakdown policies have limits on the amount they will pay out if a car cannot be fixed at the roadside, meaning drivers could be left out of pocket if it needs to be recovered to a garage
Make sure you have your paperwork in order (Image: Oscar Wong via Getty Images)
Motorists planning a continental jaunt are being cautioned that they might end up dipping into their own pockets if they don’t review any restrictions on their breakdown assurance.
Upon examining 291 policies, financial guru Defaqto has found that almost a third (31%) of them set a ceiling for individual claims at less than £3,500.
Should the cost of getting a car back on the road or mended surpass this figure, policyholders may need to shell out the excess themselves. Defaqto highlights the importance of checking whether there’s also an aggregate cap for all claims under the policy.
In instances where a vehicle fails before leaving and can’t be fixed promptly, hiring a substitute motor is essential.
Alas, Defaqto’s findings report that merely over a third (34%) of plans actually accommodate for the costs of hiring a car prior to departure, potentially leaving some travellers with hefty bills even before they hit the road.
Breakdown cover is key(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
This analysis, which was conducted in early June, included various European breakdown cover options such as separately sold “standalone” policies, those bundled with comprehensive car insurance, “short-term” covers specific to particular journeys, and perks offered with certain bank accounts.
Travellers caught unawares overseas might encounter local law enforcement or authorities calling upon an approved vehicle retrieval service.
Defaqto’s research reveals that a notable 16% of these breakdown covers do not compensate for such recoveries, cornering drivers into unforeseen expenses.
If your motor conks out while you’re on holiday and can’t be fixed within a day, many policies will offer “journey continuation” cover to help with the cost of alternative transport like public transport or hiring a car.
Defaqto’s research found that just over a third (35%) of policies cap these costs between £500 and £999.
Close to two-fifths (38%) of policies put a limit on the number of breakdowns you can claim for during the policy term.
Motor insurance guru at Defaqto, Mike Powell, commented: “If you are going on holiday in Europe this summer, buying motor breakdown insurance may not be the first thing you think about. But if you are taking your own car, it is essential to understand what the policy covers so you are not hit with a large bill if things go wrong.”
He added, “While price is often a major factor in choosing a policy, it is even more important to look closely at the cover provided and the limits that apply. The cheapest policy may end up costing you more in the long run.”
Mike Powell also offers some savvy advice for those planning to drive around Europe:.
Double-check your breakdown cover before setting off. Ensure your policy includes European cover and pore over the fine print to grasp what’s covered and what’s not.
Get clued up on local driving regulations. Each country has its own set of driving laws and requirements. Jot down essential contact numbers, including your insurer and local emergency services, and know the drill for motorway mishaps.
Factor in additional costs. If your cover limit is insufficient, you may find yourself footing the bill for services like towing, car hire or onward travel.
Keep your documents at the ready. This might encompass your driving licence, insurance certificate, logbook, passport and any pertinent health cards or visas.
Ponder having the car serviced prior to the holiday. A pre-holiday check-up could help prevent motor breakdowns from occurring in the first place.
Clippers executives were serious when they said they had not soured on James Harden’s future with the franchise after an underwhelming postseason performance.
Harden declined his player option for $36 million with the Clippers on Sunday and intends to sign a two-year deal with the team for $81.5 million, league sources with knowledge of the deal not authorized to discuss it publicly said. The second year is a player option and is partially guaranteed.
The deal gave Harden a raise and the Clippers some salary flexibility going forward.
“He’s our No. 1 priority,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, told the media after the first round of the draft Wednesday night. “We’re super hopeful that James is here and he’s here for a long time. He has a player-option, so he can opt-in … or he can opt-out and hopefully we can do a deal that makes sense for both sides. But James, as you guys know, was phenomenal and we hope to continue to see his play.”
Though the Clippers drafted a center in the first round with the 30th pick, getting Yanic Konan Niederhauser of Penn State, Frank said his team “probably will have at least three centers.”
The Clippers can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception that’s projected to be about $14.1 million on a player or two, and perhaps even find a center.
Harden played in 79 games this past season, played the fifth-most total minutes in the NBA (2,789), was fifth in the league in assists (8.7), averaged 22.8 points per game and was the only player with 1,500 points, 500 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.
Harden, however, struggled during the postseason, averaging 18.7 points per game in the series the Clippers lost to the Nuggets. He scored just 33 points combined in Games 4, 5 and 7 losses, including seven points in Game 7.
Clippers guard James Harden looks to shoot during the team’s win over San Antonio Spurs on April 8 at Intuit Dome.
(Carrie Giordano / Associated Press)
Harden turns 36 in August and was not made available to speak with media during traditional exit interviews every team typically hosts to close out a season.
“When it was James this year with no Kawhi, with Norm [Powell] and [Ivica] Zubac and the rest of the group, we really asked James to do a lot,” Frank said shortly after the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs.
“And at his age to deliver what he did…[He played in] 79 games, and he does that time and time and time again. We have a deep appreciation for that sort of availability and to be able to deliver and do what he did…We have a great level of appreciation for what James did this year.”
Russia launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion overnight on Sunday, firing a total of 537 aerial weapons, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force.
Ukrainian forces intercepted 475 of the weapons, but the military said F-16 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko was killed “while repelling” the “massive enemy air attack”.
At least four others were also killed in the air raids, in Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kostiantynivka regions, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing local officials.
The aerial attacks were also far-reaching, targeting regions as far away as Lviv, in the far west, where a drone attack caused a large fire at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych, and cut electricity to parts of the area.
Poland said it scrambled aircraft, together with other NATO countries, to ensure the safety of Polish airspace during the attack. None of the Russian missiles entered Poland’s airspace, the command said.
In addition, two people were killed by Russian shelling, including a 70-year-old woman who was found under the rubble of a nine-storey building in the Zaporizhia region, AP reported.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted three Ukrainian drones overnight, and claimed control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region.
The RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, while the acting governor of Russia’s Kursk said that two people were injured in a Ukrainian attack on the border region.
Weapons
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the air attacks highlight the need for further support from the United States and Western allies to strengthen the country’s air defences.
He also signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines, saying Russia has never been a party to the treaty “and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism”.
Roman Kostenko, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. He said legislators will hold a vote on the move.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said the country has “made the difficult but necessary political decision to stop the implementation of irrelevant obligations under the Ottawa Convention” because it has led to an “asymmetric advantage” for Russia.
Politics and diplomacy
US Senator Lindsey Graham told ABC News that the country’s Congress will begin voting on new Russian sanctions after President Donald Trump told him, “It’s time to move your bill.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television that European countries would feel the consequences of imposing harsher sanctions on Russia. “The more serious the package of sanctions, which, I repeat, we consider illegal, the more serious will be the recoil from a gun to the shoulder. This is a double-edged sword,” he said.
Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin said in remarks published on Sunday that he had spoken to the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, and that they had agreed to call each other at any time.
Parts of the UK could see one of the hottest June days ever as a heatwave, now in its fourth day, peaks on Monday.
Temperatures of 34C are possible in central and eastern parts of England according to the Met Office. UK temperatures in June have only exceeded this level three times since 1960.
Glastonbury Festival has advised people to leave before 06:00 BST to avoid the head while Wimbledon could see its hottest opening day ever.
An amber alert, in place since Friday, persists for five regions meaning weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service. There is also a “severe” risk of wildfires according to the London Fire Brigade.
The East Midlands, South East, South West, London and the East of England all fall under the amber heat-health alert and are likely to be subject to travel delays.
Meanwhile, Yorkshire and Humber and the West Midlands are under a less serious yellow alert.
The high temperatures mean all of these areas are likely to experience a rise in deaths particularly among the vulnerable, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
However it won’t be hot everywhere. “Cloud and some heavy rain will affect Northern Ireland and western parts of Scotland through Monday and temperatures will be suppressed to the mid to high teens,” Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lenhert said.
Night-time lows are only predicted to fall to 20C in some areas heading into Tuesday.
This is the second heatwave of the year. London Fire Brigade assistant Thomas Goodall explained that this is why the risk of wildfires is “severe” as well as due to low rainfall in recent months.
Guidance from the UKHSA recommends keeping out of the sun in the hottest part of the day between 11:00 and 15:00, wearing hats, sunglasses and suncream.
Emmy nominations voting ends tonight at 10 p.m. PT. Still need help with your ballot?
I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Still time to bite into a “Jaws” doughnut and peruse my picks for this year’s Emmy races. (An ordinary bagel will do.)
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My personal picks in 15 Emmy categories
There are more than 100 Emmy categories, and if you scrolled through each and every one of them on the Television Academy’s website, you are probably one of those people who read the terms and conditions on a document before signing your name.
For me, simply filling out the following 15 categories — five each for comedy, drama and limited series — left me exhausted and in need of a sweet treat. And I already finished my “Jaws” doughnut. Maybe this cherries jubilee? Paul Giamatti would approve.
Without further ado, here are my picks and a brief line of reasoning for each. And if it’s predictions you’re after, you can find our full BuzzMeter panel’s choices here.
Bridget Everett in “Somebody Somewhere.”
(Sandy Morris / HBO)
COMEDY SERIES “Abbott Elementary” “The Bear” “Hacks” “A Man on the Inside” “Only Murders in the Building” “The Rehearsal” “Somebody Somewhere” “The Studio”
Last call on nominating Everett (and her magical series), which has won a Peabody.
COMEDY ACTOR Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside” Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building” Seth Rogen, “The Studio” Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building” Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
Best Netflix comedy: “A Man on the Inside,” anchored by Danson, still a master of light laughs.
COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear” Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks” Kathryn Hahn, “The Studio” Linda Lavin, “Mid-Century Modern” Jane Lynch, “Only Murders in the Building” Catherine O’Hara, “The Studio” Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio” Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons” Paul Downs, “Hacks” Harrison Ford, “Shrinking” Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear” Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary” Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”
DRAMA ACTRESS Kathy Bates, “Matlock” Britt Lower, “Severance” Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale” Kaitlin Olson, “High Potential” Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”
Moss won this Emmy eight years ago. With the show ending, she has earned a parting gift.
DRAMA ACTOR Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise” Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses” Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us” Adam Scott, “Severance” Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”
“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with.” Godspeed, old friend. Also: Joel’s parting words should flash onscreen any time an Emmy winner goes long at the podium.
DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus” Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt” Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt” Tracy Ifeachor, “The Pitt” Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt” Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise” Parker Posey, “The White Lotus”
Women of “The Pitt” > Women of “The White Lotus”
DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR Patrick Ball, “The Pitt” Gerran Howell, “The Pitt” Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus” Damian Lewis, “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses” Tramell Tillman, “Severance” John Turturro, “Severance”
I don’t know. Tillman might deserve the Emmy for this alone.
Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham in “Adolescence.”
(Netflix )
LIMITED SERIES “Adolescence” “Dope Thief” “Dying for Sex” “The Penguin” “Say Nothing”
“Adolescence” should win everything.
LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS Kaitlyn Dever, “Apple Cider Vinegar” Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin” Lola Petticrew, “Say Nothing” Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex” Renée Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
OK, maybe not everything, as “Adolescence” doesn’t have a submission here. Zellweger probably won’t win because comic acting rarely does, even though it most definitely should.
LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR Colin Farrell, “The Penguin” Stephen Graham, “Adolescence” Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief” Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer” Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
Farrell has already won so many awards for “The Penguin,” it feels like either A) he must have won the Emmy too or B) he hasn’t, and good God, let somebody else have a prize. (Like Graham.)
LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTRESS Erin Doherty, “Adolescence” Ruth Negga, “Presumed Innocent” Deirde O’Connell, “The Penguin” Imogen Faith Reid, “Good American Family” Jenny Slate, “Dying for Sex” Christine Tremarco, “Adolescence”
Doherty will likely win for the series’ third episode, the taut two-hander with Owen Cooper. But the fourth episode is just as good — maybe even better — featuring a heart-rending turn from Tremarco as the mom trying to hold it together.
LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTOR Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” Owen Cooper, “Adolescence” Rob Delaney, “Dying for Sex” Rhenzy Feliz, “The Penguin” Hugh Grant, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” Ashley Walters, “Adolescence”
FlixBus has rolled out its biggest-ever expansion, which will see significantly more cities and towns connected up by the green goliaths – including tourist hotspot Brighton
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Brighton and the Palace Pier on a sunny day, now easily reached for under £5.(Image: Getty)
Forget the idea that coaches are just for seniors and students – travelling across the UK by coach is about to get a significant boost this summer with the introduction of more affordable fares.
FlixBus, with its distinctive green buses, is expanding its UK network, which already spans over 80 destinations, including Brighton. As of June 13, new coach services will connect Cambridge, London, Gatwick Airport, and Brighton, operating twice daily.
Prices are extremely competitive, with tickets between London and Brighton starting at £4.49 and those between Gatwick and Brighton available from £3.49. The journey from London to Brighton takes approximately two and a half hours – an hour longer than the train – but at a fraction of the cost.
FlixBus is also introducing a direct service between Cambridge and London, running four times a day, to cater to the growing demand for tourism.
Andreas Schorling, Senior Managing Director of FlixBus UK, expressed his enthusiasm for the new services: “Brighton is such a vibrant, inclusive city, especially during the summer, and we can’t wait to offer passengers the chance to visit for the first time on our network.”
“The people of Brighton will now have a fantastic service to central London, Cambridge and Gatwick. Known for its dedication to sustainability, it’s a perfect match for FlixBus.
“Londoners now have even more affordable, sustainable, and reliable travel options for weekend getaways, airport connections, and visiting friends and family this summer.”
Brighton has been named as one of Time Out’s top 50 cities in the world to visit in 2025, boasting attractions such as the iconic pier, the Royal Pavilion and its beach.
FlixBus has been busy throughout spring 2025, rolling out its largest expansion yet, adding new destinations including popular holiday spots like Bournemouth, Newquay and Truro.
The company now operates over 200 coaches across England, Scotland and Wales, providing nationwide travel that is sustainable, reliable and affordable. Tickets can be purchased at www.flixbus.co.uk or via the FlixBus app.
With a fleet of 200 coaches, FlixBus’ business is thriving, generating a turnover of £1.7 billion from 81 million passengers worldwide each year.
“This feels like a new golden age for coach travel”, says Schorling. “Over five million UK passengers have travelled with us since we launched three years ago and they keep coming back. By next summer, we’ll have over 200 vehicles on the road, more than twice the size of the Megabus network at their peak.”
According to TimeOut, FlixBus has managed to achieve something that Megabus couldn’t. It writes: “It’s made getting a coach – dare we say it – chic?”.
“It would seem unlikely that a bus could build and sustain a place in pop-culture” says Eglantina Becheru, Director of Brand & Creative at FlixBus. “But against the odds, Flix has created one.”
In 1960, CAR gained its independence from France and shook off its colonial yoke. Since them, the country has lurched from one bad government to another with short periods of stability overshadowed by longer periods of conflict.
Today, as one of the ten poorest countries in the world, CAR holds some unwanted records as the unhealthiest country and the worst country to be young in. Despite this, the people are noted for their good nature, warmth, and generosity.
In the face of such adversity, it is no surprise that religion is an important part of life. Nearly 90% of the population is Christian, with just over half being Protestant.
Prayer Day was instigated to harness this strong religious aspect. There are a few Prayer Days on the holiday calendar of several African nations. Many exist to give thanks for peaceful and prosperous times and perhaps in future years, CAR can look back and consider Prayer Day as thanksgiving and not a cry for help.
WASHINGTON — Two-term Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said Sunday that he will not seek reelection next year, an abrupt announcement that came one day after he staked out his opposition to President Trump’s tax and spending package because of its reductions to healthcare programs.
His decision creates a political opportunity for Democrats seeking to bolster their numbers in the 2026 midterm elections, creating a wide-open Senate race in a state that has long been a contested battleground. It could also make Tillis a wild card in a party where few lawmakers are willing to risk Trump’s retribution by opposing his agenda or actions. Trump had already been threatening him with a primary challenge.
“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis said in a lengthy statement Sunday.
Tillis, who would have been up for a third term in 2026, said he was proud of his career in public service but acknowledged the difficult political environment for those who buck their party and go it alone.
“I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability,” Tillis said in a statement.
Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate.
Trump, in social media posts, had berated Tillis for being one of two Republican senators who voted Saturday night against advancing the massive bill.
The Republican president accused Tillis of seeking publicity with his “no” vote and threatened to campaign against him next year. Trump also accused Tillis of doing nothing to help his constituents after last year’s devastating floods.
“Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER,” Trump wrote.
The North Carolina Republican Party chairman, Jason Simmons, said the party wishes Tillis well and “will hold this seat for Republicans in 2026.”
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chairman of the campaign arm for Senate Republicans, did not mention Tillis in a statement but said the party’s winning streak in North Carolina will continue. Scott noted that Trump won the state three times.
Democrats expressed confidence about their prospects.
Former Rep. Wiley Nickel, who announced his candidacy for the Senate seat in April, said he was ready for any Republican challenger.
“I’ve flipped a tough seat before and we’re going to do it again,” Nickel said in a statement.
Some said Tillis’ decision is another sign of the dramatic transformation of the Republican Party under Trump, with few lawmakers critical of the president or his agenda remaining in office.
It “proves there is no space within the Republican Party to dissent over taking healthcare away from 11.8 million people,” said Lauren French, spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, a political committee aligned with the chamber’s Democratic members.
Tillis rose to prominence in North Carolina when, as a second-term state House member, he quit his IBM consultant job and led the GOP’s recruitment and fundraising efforts in the chamber for the 2010 elections. Republicans won majorities in the House and Senate for the first time in 140 years.
Tillis was later elected as state House speaker and helped enact conservative policies on taxes, gun rights, regulations and abortion while serving in the role for four years. He also helped push a state constitutional referendum to ban same-sex marriage, which was approved by voters in 2012 but was ultimately struck down by the courts as unconstitutional.
In 2014, Tillis helped flip control of the U.S. Senate to the GOP after narrowly defeating Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan. During his more than a decade in office, he championed issues such as mental health and substance abuse recovery, Medicaid expansion and support for veterans.
As a more moderate Republican, Tillis became known for his willingness to work across the aisle on some issues. That got him into trouble with his party at times, notably in 2023 when North Carolina Republicans voted to censure him over several matters, including his challenges to certain immigration policies and his gun policy record.
“Sometimes those bipartisan initiatives got me into trouble with my own party,” Tillis said in his statement Sunday, “but I wouldn’t have changed a single one.”
Swenson writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti in Washington and Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report.
Patrick Reed beat three opponents in a play-off to claim his first win on the LIV Tour at the Dallas event.
The 34-year-old American had finished on six under alongside England’s Paul Casey, South African Louis Oosthuizen and Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma.
Reed, who switched to LIV from the PGA Tour three years ago, holed a testing putt for a birdie on the first play-off hole to seal victory.
He held a three-shot lead going into Sunday but was three over for his final round of 75.
England’s Tyrrell Hatton briefly held the lead on the back nine but a double bogey on the 12th hole scuppered his chances and he finished in a group one behind on five under.
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka withdrew from the event on Friday after hitting a tee box marker into the crowd.
He smashed his club into the ground then struck the marker on the left of the tee towards a small group of fans after a poor tee shot on the ninth hole.
Koepka pulled out, citing illness, after a bogey on that hole put him on seven over.
June 29 (UPI) — The Senate has started formal debate on the Trump administration’s budget reconciliation bill after lawmakers spent 16 hours reading the entire measure aloud on the Senate floor.
This Senate’s version of the budget measure would make deeper cuts to social service programs and lead to fewer people having insurance than previous versions, the Congressional Budget Office has reported.
According to the Congressional Budget office report, nearly 12 million Americans would lose coverage by 2034. Federal spending on Medicaid, SNAP and marketplace insurance benefits would drop by $1.1 trillion. At least $1 trillion would come from Medicaid alone.
With its changes, he Senate version of the bill would add nearly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over a decade, the CBO report said, while the House version would add $2.4 to the debt. These estimates are based on including the costs of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
Republicans in the House and Senate have asked CBO, as well as the Joint Committee on Taxation, to score the bill using a method called “current policy baseline,” which would not include the the cost of extending the cuts.
The fate of the bill in the Senate remains unclear as some high profile lawmakers have expressed skepticism of the measure in its current form.
Majority leader John Thune, R-D., has said the measure could lack key GOP support in a final vote, which could send it back to the House.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., were the only GOP senators who voted Saturday night against brining the bill to the Senate floor for debate.
When the cost of extending the tax cuts is excluded from estimates, both the House and Senate versions of the bill have been estimated to add between $400 billion and $600 billion to the debt over the next decade, according to the New York Times and Politico.
Medicaid cuts have been at the center of a high profile debate as social service agencies and rural hospitals have planned for spending reductions that could come at the expense of the nation’s hungry children and force some hospitals, especially in rural areas, to reduce services or close their doors.
The Senate voted Saturday to open debate on the bill and began a full reading of the measure on the floor.
The Trump administration has said it is reducing waste and fraud in social service programs, and that some of those responsibilities would be shifted to the states.
President Donald Trump has said he wants the budget bill passed by July 4th.
The cuts being considered to Medicaid would be the largest since it was launched in 1965.
Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip have killed dozens of Palestinians, including people seeking food at aid distribution hubs, as the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave deteriorates by the day.
Medical sources told Al Jazeera on Sunday that at least 72 people were killed since dawn in Israeli strikes targeting multiple locations across Gaza, including at least 47 in Gaza City and the north of the territory.
Al Jazeera’s Moath al-Kahlout, reporting from Gaza City, described “catastrophic” scenes at the al-Ahli Hospital in the northern city as dozens of wounded civilians sought help following Israeli strikes on the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods, as well as al-Zawiya market.
“There are too many wounded civilians here, including children. Many are lying on the ground because there are not enough beds or medical supplies to treat them. This facility is struggling to cope due to severe shortages,” he said.
“The Israeli military has dropped leaflets in eastern Gaza City, ordering civilians to move south. These leaflets are often followed by intense and repeated attacks, resulting in the large number of casualties we are witnessing now.”
The victims on Sunday also included at least five Palestinian aid seekers killed near food distribution centres run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) north of Rafah, according to medics.
Since the United States- and Israel-backed GHF took over limited aid deliveries in Gaza in late May amid a punishing Israeli blockade, Israeli soldiers have regularly shot at Palestinians near distribution centres, killing more than 580 people, and wounding more than 4,000, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.
A recent report by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers as saying they had received orders to fire at crowds of unarmed aid seekers to disperse them.
Geoffrey Nice, a human rights lawyer, told Al Jazeera that the killings going on around the GHF are “inexplicable”.
“What is absolutely astonishing to outsiders is that it is in the business of apparently providing aid where it is desperately needed, and those providing aid with you end up shooting dead hundreds of people,” said Nice, who also took part in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
‘Most vulnerable are dying’
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in the Strip is worsening, with babies and toddlers dying due to a lack of nutrients.
Christy Black, an Australian nurse volunteering in Gaza City, said the hospital she’s based in is short of medical supplies, including formula for pregnant women who require nasogastric feeding. That leaves many without the nutrients needed to lactate – as well as baby formula, she said.
“Our most vulnerable are dying,” Black told Al Jazeera. “We’ve seen a couple of babies die over the last couple of days in Gaza City. It’s really desperate here.”
Malnourishment also makes it difficult to heal from wounds, she said, adding that there is a significant uptick in respiratory illnesses due to the number of bombs being dropped on Gaza.
“We’re seeing children going through the rubbish trying to find something to eat … Children who might be nine or 10 years old that look like two-year-olds,” she added.
Ceasefire talks
With Israeli bombardment of the besieged enclave relentless, there are indications of a fresh impetus to end the war in the wake of the US and Israeli bombings of Iran’s nuclear facilities and the ensuing ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump seemed determined to seal a truce. “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!” he said in a Social Truth post. His comments came after he said he believed a ceasefire could be reached within a week. “I think it’s close. I just spoke to some of the people involved,” Trump said on Saturday.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment on the push for a truce, he said in the past week that behind-the-scenes talks have been taking place to try and secure a 60-day pause in fighting.
Negotiations revolve around a proposal put forward by the US back in March to extend phase one of a ceasefire that Israel violated by resuming its bombing of Gaza.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said, “Netanyahu is under a lot of pressure as Trump has been quite outspoken for some time that he wants to see a ceasefire in Gaza.”
“And prior to Israel’s attacks on Iran, just about two weeks ago, there was a lot of pressure from European allies because of the Israeli military’s conduct in the Gaza Strip,” she said.
In the meantime, the Jerusalem District Court cancelled this week’s hearings in Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial, accepting a request that the Israeli leader made, citing classified diplomatic and security grounds.
It was unclear whether a social media post by Trump – one suggesting the trial could interfere with Netanyahu’s ability to join negotiations with Hamas and Iran – influenced the court’s decision.
The ruling, seen by Reuters, said that new reasons provided by Netanyahu, the head of Israel’s spy agency Mossad and the military intelligence chief justified cancelling the hearings.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which he denies. He has cast the trial against him as an orchestrated left-wing witch-hunt meant to topple a democratically elected right-wing leader.
On Friday, the court rejected a request by Netanyahu to delay his testimony for the next two weeks because of diplomatic and security matters following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, which ended last Tuesday.
He was due to take the stand on Monday for cross-examination.
“It is INSANITY doing what the out-of-control prosecutors are doing to Bibi Netanyahu,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. He said Washington, having given billions of dollars worth of aid to Israel, was not going to “stand for this”.
A spokesperson for the Israeli prosecution declined to comment on Trump’s post. Netanyahu reposted Trump’s comments on X and added: “Thank you again, @realDonaldTrump. Together, we will make the Middle East Great Again!”
Trump said Netanyahu was “right now” negotiating a deal with Hamas, though neither leader provided details, and though officials from both sides have voiced scepticism over prospects for a ceasefire soon.
From the beginning of next week, soap fans will be able to watch Emmerdale and Coronation Street via a whole new service – leaving many fans rejoicing at the news
21:32, 29 Jun 2025Updated 23:26, 29 Jun 2025
ITV have announced a huge change to the way soap fans can watch their shows(Image: ITV)
Soap fans were both excited and confused when ITV announced a major change to their weekly output. For decades, fans have tuned in to watch new episodes of Emmerdale and Coronation Street on the channel when they air on week day evenings.
But as of Monday 30 June, fans will be able to watch new episodes from the beginning of the day as they will be available to view online hours before they transmit via traditional transmission avenues. Taking to social media on Sunday, social media channels connected to the soaps shared exciting news with fan.
The update revealed that new episodes will be available to watch via YouTube for the first time. The official Coronation StreetInstagram page announced: “Soap fans, rejoice!
“Starting tomorrow, full episodes will be available on YouTube from 7am — the same day they air on TV!” The update included an image showing Emmerdale and Corrie characters posing beneath logos of their respective soaps.
The update thus caused some confusion – as some fans thought that the cast of the soaps were being merged. One follower remarked: “I literally thought Debbie was joining Emmerdale for a moment there!”
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And others were excited to learn that they would be able to watch their favourite soaps via a new format – as many complained the ITV app is nigh on unusable.
One hopeful soap fan commented: “Nice I hate itvx with their [user interface] and 27 ads a ep.” And another commented: “This is awesome news! Yayyy!”
In recent months, ITV has announced a number of changes regarding the way Corrie and Emmerdale will be broadcast. In February it was revealed the schedule would be changed from the beginning of next year.
Emmerdale fans will also be able to watch the soap via YouTube(Image: ITV)
A statement from the broadcaster explained: “From January 2026, Coronation Street and Emmerdale will move to a new scheduling pattern on ITV1, introducing a soaps power hour from Monday-Friday, with 30 minute Emmerdale episodes at 8pm, and 30 minute Coronation Street episodes at 8.30pm. Episodes will continue to drop at 7am on ITVX, before transmission that evening.”
ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo said at the time:“The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led. We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX and we want to present their favourite soap to them, in the most digestible way.
“In a world where there is so much competition for viewers’ time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows.
“Research insights also show us that soap viewers are increasingly looking to the soaps for their pacey storytelling. Streaming-friendly, 30 minute episodes better provide the opportunity to meet viewer expectations for storyline pace, pay-off and resolution.
“Whilst viewing is growing on ITVX, we know a significant proportion of our soaps’ audience still watch us via the schedule. This new pattern is in the DNA of the soap genre – nobody else does 30 minute drama this successfully. It creates a soap power hour that’s consistent, and easy to find in the linear schedule, for the UK’s biggest soaps.
“This new commissioning pattern will mean five hours of soaps a week, rather than the current six. We are conscious this will have an impact for the people who work on the soaps team. We will support our colleagues in ITV Studios as they work through these changes, and will do what we can to mitigate the impact on our people.
“These changes are motivated by doing what we believe is best for the continuing success of these important programmes in the long term. They also create headroom in the overall programme budget for investment in programming that can help ITV grow reach in a very very competitive market.”
WASHINGTON — The changes made to President Trump’s big tax bill in the Senate would pile trillions onto the nation’s debt load while resulting in even steeper losses in healthcare coverage, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a new analysis, adding to the challenges for Republicans as they try to muscle the bill to passage.
The CBO estimates that the Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034, a nearly $1-trillion increase from the House-passed bill, which the CBO has projected would add $2.4 to the debt over a decade.
The analysis also found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law, an increase over the estimate for the House-passed version of the bill, which predicts that 10.9 million more people would be without health coverage.
The stark numbers are yet another obstacle for Republican leaders as they labor to pass Trump’s bill by his declared July 4 deadline.
Even before the CBO’s estimate, Republicans were at odds over the contours of the legislation, with some resisting the cost-saving proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid and food aid programs even as other Republicans say those proposals don’t go far enough. Republicans are slashing the programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks put in place during his first term.
The push-pull was on vivid display Saturday night as a routine procedural vote to take up the legislation in the Senate was held open for hours as Vice President JD Vance and Republican leaders met with several holdouts. The bill ultimately advanced in a 51-49 vote, but the path ahead is fraught, with voting on amendments still to come.
Still, many Republicans are disputing the CBO estimates and the reliability of the office’s work. To hoist the bill to passage, they are using a different budget baseline that assumes the Trump tax cuts expiring in December already have been extended, essentially making them cost-free in the budget.
The CBO on Saturday released a separate analysis of the GOP’s preferred approach that found the Senate bill would reduce deficits by about $500 billion.
Democrats and economists decry the GOP’s approach as “magic math” that obscures the true costs of the GOP tax breaks.
In addition, Democrats note that under the traditional estimation system, the Republican bill would violate the Senate’s “Byrd Rule” that forbids the legislation from increasing deficits after 10 years.
In a Sunday letter to Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, CBO Director Phillip Swagel said the office estimates that the Finance Committee’s portion of the bill, also known as Title VII, “increases the deficits in years after 2034” under traditional scoring.
