Oasis’s second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful records of all time
It’s the gig that fans have been waiting 5,795 days for, as Oasis kick off their reunion tour at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday night.
The venue has been hosting soundchecks and rehearsals all week, with passersby treated to snatches of songs such as Cigarettes & Alcohol, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernnova.
“It’s sounding huge,” Noel Gallagher told talkSPORT radio. “This is it, there’s no going back now.”
The Oasis Live ’25 tour was the biggest concert launch ever seen in the UK and Ireland, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries queuing to buy tickets last summer.
Around 900,000 tickets were sold, but many fans complained when standard standing tickets advertised at £135 plus fees were re-labelled “in demand” and changed on Ticketmaster to £355 plus fees.
The sale prompted an investigation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which said Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law by selling “platinum” tickets for almost 2.5 times the standard price, without explaining they came with no additional benefits.
The CMA ordered Ticketmaster to change the way it labels tickets and reveals prices to fans in the future. Ticketmaster said it “welcomed” the advice.
Still, the debacle has done nothing to dampen the excitement in Cardiff, where fans have arrived from Spain, Peru, Japan, America and elsewhere for the opening night.
“For me, Oasis represents an overwhelming optimism about being young and loving music,” says Jeff Gachini, a fan from Kenya who’s making his first visit to the UK for the show.
“To write simple music that relays the simple truth of life is very difficult. For me, they do that better than anyone.”
Kenyan fan Jeff Gachini is among the lucky 74,000 fans who got tickets for the opening night
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A mural of Liam and Noel, made entirely of bucket hats, has been unveiled in Cardiff’s city centre
Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher will be joined on stage by Gem Archer, Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Andy Bell, all former members of Oasis, alongside drummer Joey Waronker, who has previously recorded with Beck and REM; and toured with Liam.
The band will also be augmented by a brass section, and backing singer Jess Greenfield, who is part of Noel’s side project the High Flying Birds.
Meanwhile, rumours about the setlist have been swirling all week, as Oasis songs echoed around the Principality Stadium.
One purported running order that was leaked to Reddit suggested the band would open with Hello and finish with Champagne Supernova, with other highlights including Acquiesece, Roll With It, Live Forever and Supersonic.
Noel is also expected to take lead vocals twice during the show, on short sets including songs such as Half The World Away and The Masterplan.
Britain’s biggest band
Oasis were the biggest band in Britain from 1994 to 1997, selling tens of millions of copies of their first three albums Definitely Maybe, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory and Be Here Now.
Liam’s sneering vocals and Noel’s distorted guitars brought a rock and roll swagger back to the charts, revitalising British guitar music after an influx of self-serious Seattle grunge.
Born and raised in Manchester, they formed the band to escape the dead-end mundanity of their working class backgrounds.
“In Manchester you either became a musician, a footballer, a drugs dealer or work in a factory. And there aren’t a lot of factories left, you know?” Noel Gallagher once said.
“We didn’t start in university or anything like this. We’re not a collection of friends that kind of come together and discuss things musically.
“We started the group… because we were all on the dole and we were unemployed and we rehearsed and we thought we were pretty good.”
Reuters
The 2025 line-up includes Gem Archer (far left) and Andy Bell (third from left), who originally joined the band in 1999 after founder members Guigsy and Bonehead left
Oasis was originally Liam’s band, performing under the name The Rain. But after watching them live, Noel offered to join – on the condition that he became chief songwriter and de facto leader.
That fait accompli brought them worldwide fame, culminating in two open-air gigs at Knebworth House in summer 1996.
Nearly five per cent of the UK population applied for tickets, with a then-record 125,000 people watching the band top a line-up that also included The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene, The Chemical Brothers, The Charlatans and a Beatles tribute.
But festering tension between the Gallagher brothers often spilled over into verbal and physical violence.
Backstage at a gig in Barcelona in 2000, for example, Noel attacked Liam after he questioned the legitimacy of his eldest daughter. The guitarist walked out for the rest of the European tour, leaving the band to continue with a stand-in.
Although they repaired the relationship, the insults and in-fighting continued until 28 August, 2009, when Oasis split up minutes before they took the stage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.
“People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,” Noel wrote in a statement at the time.
He would later recount a backstage argument in which his younger brother grabbed his guitar and started “wielding it like an axe”, adding, “he nearly took my face off with it”.
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The band’s biggest hits include Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger and Live Forever
Since then, they’ve pursued successful solo careers, while constantly fielding questions about an Oasis reunion.
Liam called the idea “inevitable” in 2020, and said the band should reform to support NHS workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he said his brother had spurned the idea, despite a lucrative offer from promoters.
“There was a lot of money knocking about,” he told ITV’s Jonathan Ross Show. “It was £100 million to do a tour.
“But [Noel] isn’t into it. He’s after a knighthood, isn’t he?”
The reconciliation took another five years and, with neither of the Gallaghers consenting to an interview, it’s hard to know what informed their decision to get back together.
Tabloid newspapers suggested that Noel’s divorce from Sara McDonald in 2022 led to a thaw in relations. Others have suggested the brothers simply wanted the Oasis story to have a more satisfactory conclusion than a dressing room bust-up.
“I’ve heard everything is honky dory and they’re getting on great,” says Tim Abbott, former managing director of Oasis’s record label, Creation.
“I’ve worked with bands in the past that had separate limos, separate walkways onto the stage. I don’t think they’ll get to that. They’re grown men.”
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According to analysis by Birmingham City University, the Oasis tour could bring in £400 million in tickets sales and merchandise.
Whatever sparked the reunion, the sold-out tour will see the band play 41 shows between July and November, spanning the UK & Ireland, North America, Oceania and South America.
“Probably the biggest and most pleasing surprise of the reunion announcement is how huge it was internationally,” said Oasis’s co-manager Alec McKinlay in an interview with Music Week.
“Honestly, we knew it would be big here, and that doesn’t take much intuition. But looking outside the UK, we knew they had a strong fanbase, we did all the stats.
“We were quite cautious about what that would mean when it came to people actually buying tickets but we were just bowled over by how huge it was.”
McKinlay added that the band had no plans for new music, and described the tour as their “last time around”.
They take to the stage for the first time in 16 years at 20:15 UK time on Friday night.
The version of “Elio” that hit theaters on June 20 is not the same movie that Adrian Molina, the film’s original director, intended to put out.
Pixar removed LGBTQ+ elements from the animated feature after receiving negative feedback from test screenings with audience members and executives, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The film follows an 11-year-old boy named Elio who is mistaken for Earth’s ambassador by aliens and is beamed up to the Communiverse — an intergalactic organization — to represent the planet.
Trouble began in the summer of 2023 during a test screening in Arizona. After the film was over, audience members were asked to raise their hand if the movies was something they’d pay to see in theaters. No one did, causing Pixar executives to worry.
According to THR, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter informed Molina after a separate screening for company executives that storyboard artist Madeline Sharafian would be promoted to co-director. Molina, who is gay, was given the option to co-direct the film with Sharafian but chose to exit the project instead after his original vision was changed. Shortly after, Docter announced internally that “Turning Red” director and co-writer Domee Shi would join “Elio” as co-director.
Changes to the film included getting rid of a scene in which Elio shows off a pink tank top made out of beach litter to a hermit crab, as well as removing picture frames from Elio’s bedroom wall that displayed a male crush. Executives also asked him to make the main character more “masculine.”
“I was deeply saddened and aggrieved by the changes that were made,” former Pixar assistant editor Sarah Ligatich, who was a member of the company’s internal LGBTQ+ group and provided feedback during the production of “Elio,” told THR.
Ligatich added that a number of creatives working behind the scenes left after the new directors went in a different direction.
“The exodus of talent after that cut was really indicative of how unhappy a lot of people were that they had changed and destroyed this beautiful work,” she said.
Actor America Ferrera was originally attached to the project as the voice of Elio’s mother, Olga. Following Molina’s departure, the “Barbie” actor left the production because the film lacked “Latinx representation in the leadership.” The character was later changed to be Elio’s aunt and was voiced by Zoe Saldaña.
In March 2025, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger announced Molina would return as co-director for “Coco 2,” a follow-up to the 2017 film he co-wrote and co-directed.
“Elio” earned Pixar its worst domestic opening after it premiered on June 20. he film made $21 million at the box office and currently holds a “fresh” 83% critics rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes.
“The Elio that is in theaters right now is far worse than Adrian’s best version of the original,” a former Pixar staffer who worked on the film told THR.
“[The character] Elio was just so cute and so much fun and had so much personality, and now he feels much more generic to me,” added another Pixar staffer.
In a 2018 interview with the Huffington Post, Molina said he was “all for it” when asked what it would take for an animated studio to green light a story with a queer protagonist.
The Times reached out to Pixar for comment, but the studio did not respond.
Already a ripe target for Democrats in the next election, Central Valley Rep. David Valadao put his political future in deeper peril this week by voting in favor of legislation that slashes the Medicaid coverage essential to roughly two-thirds of his constituents.
The Republican dairy farmer from Hanford said that despite his concerns about President Trump’s megabill, he voted to support it because of concessions he helped negotiate that will help his district, such as an additional $25 billion for rural hospitals, $1 billion for Western water infrastructure and agricultural investments.
More than a half-million residents in Valadao’s district are covered by the program known in California as Medi-Cal — the most of any district in the state — according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center. While preserving tax breaks benefiting the wealthy, the bill passed by a narrow Republican majorities in both the House and Senate would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $1.04 trillion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates.
Valadao said his constituents would directly benefit from several provisions in the legislation, including the extension of the tax breaks, the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime, and the expansion of the child tax credit.
“These are real wins that will put more money back in the pockets of hardworking families throughout the Valley,” he said. “No piece of legislation is perfect, but this bill ultimately reflects the priorities of [my district] — lower taxes, stronger farms, better infrastructure, and a commitment to protecting access to healthcare for Valley residents.”
Democrats vowed to use Valadao’s vote to oust him from office in the 2026 election. His district, which includes swaths of Kern, Kings and Tulare counties, is among the most competitive in the nation.
Valadao has repeatedly vowed to oppose legislation that would cut healthcare for his constituents, most recently on Monday, when he posted on the social media platform X: “I’ve been clear from the start that I will not support a final reconciliation bill that makes harmful cuts to Medicaid, puts critical funding at risk, or threatens the stability of healthcare providers across” his district.
After his vote on Thursday, Valadao said that he voted for the bill because it preserves Medicaid “for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly.”
“David Valadao just sealed his fate by voting for a bill that will rip health care away from tens of thousands in his district, where more than two-thirds of his constituents rely on the very program he’s gutting,” said Anna Elsasser, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in a statement. “He lied to their faces, and then tried to sweep it under the rug. We all knew he’d fold when it mattered most. It’s spineless, it’s dishonest, and next November, it will cost him his seat.”
A billboard proclaiming “David Valadao Lied. He voted to gut Medi-Cal, giving CEOs a tax break. We’ll pay with our lives” was erected Thursday near the 99 Freeway in Valadao’s district by Fight for Our Health, a nonprofit coalition of health, labor, senior, disability and other groups.
Democrats also plan on targeting Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) and Rep. Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) for their support of the bill. Hundreds of protesters descended on Kim’s Anaheim field office on Tuesday to urge the congresswoman to oppose the legislation.
Trump’s proposal narrowly passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting a tie-breaking vote because of the defection of three GOP senators who joined every Democrat in voting against it.
The legislation will dramatically overhaul the nation’s tax code by making tax cuts approved during the president’s first term permanent, a major benefit to corporations and the nation’s wealthy, while slashing funding for historic federal safety-net programs including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps provide food to low-income Americans.
The legislation created a rift among Republicans, with some opposing the amount of money it would add to the deficit while others expressing concerns about how it would impact their constituents. But ultimately, GOP members of Congress put aside their differences to get the bill on the president’s desk by Independence Day, as Trump desired.
In a marathon session that ended early Thursday morning, members of the House of Representatives voted 220-212 largely along party lines to approve a procedural rule that allows the legislation to be considered by the full body Thursday, a victory for Trump and GOP legislative leaders.
Valadao’s vote in support of the procedural vote before midnight Wednesday raised eyebrows, given the number of his constituents who rely on Medicaid, his previous willingness to oppose Trump and GOP concerns about holding onto control of his seat.
More than 40% of the district’s voters are Democrats, while 28.3% are Republicans and 23.3% registered as having no party preference, according to the nonpartisan California Target Book, which handicaps congressional races.
Valadao, 48, served one term in the state Assembly prior to being elected to Congress in 2012. He was reelected twice before narrowly losing reelection in 2018. He retook the seat in 2020.
He drew the ire of fellow Republicans as one of 10 GOP members of congress who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 after a violent mob of the president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in the aftermath of the president’s loss in the 2020 presidential election. However, Valadao did not face the same retribution from Trump that the others did, reportedly because of the congressman’s long-standing relationship with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday told reporters that Valadao should leave office if he votes for the bill.
“It’s the ultimate betrayal,” he said during a news conference in Burbank. “This is one of the most calamitous and devastating bills of our lifetime.”
Newsom predicted that if the bill passes, hospitals will close, Californians will lose access to healthcare and food stamps, and student loans will increase.
Valadao “might as well resign early and I can call a special election, if he supports it,” Newsom said. “What basis do you have of trust in your own district if you would betray your own constituency to such an extraordinary, extraordinary degree. It’s one of the poorest districts in the country.”
Rinky Hijikata saves three match points against Ben Shelton before the match is suspended for bad light, causing the American 10th seed to argue with the umpire.
After nearly 29 hours of debate, the United States House of Representativeshave passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, an enormous tax cut and spending package that represents a pillar of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The lower house of the US Congress voted by a margin of 218 to 214 in favour of the bill on Thursday.
All 212 Democratic members of the House opposed the bill. They were joined by Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who broke from the Republican majority.
After the bill’s passage, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, the top Republican, applauded his fellow party members.
“I believed in this vision. I believed in the group. I believe in America,” Johnson said to applause.
The bill now heads to the White House for Trump to sign it into law. The Republican president had called on his fellow party members to pass the legislation before July 4, the country’s Independence Day.
As a result of the new legislation, the US will lift its debt ceiling — the amount the federal government is allowed to borrow — by $5 trillion.
The bill also pours tens of billions of dollars into immigration enforcement, one of Trump’s top priorities, and it will also cement the 2017 tax cuts that Trump championed during his first term as president.
To pay for those expenditures, the bill scales back social initiatives like Medicaid — government health insurance for low-income households — and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the bill will increase the number of people without health insurance by 17 million over the next 10 years.
It also projected that the country’s deficit — the amount of money the US owes — would climb by about $3.3 trillion over the same period.
Democratic lawmakers had slammed the bill as a massive redistribution of wealth from the poor to the rich, noting that the tax cuts will mainly benefit the wealthiest earners.
Republican supporters like Trump have countered that the bill will fuel growth and cut waste and fraud in programmes like Medicaid.
Yet, not all conservatives initially backed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” as it wound its way through the chambers of Congress. There were several Republican holdouts who feared how the Medicaid cuts would impact low-income and rural communities, and some fiscal conservatives objected to the increase in the national debt.
“FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE,” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday night. “RIDICULOUS!!!”
Even Trump’s erstwhile ally, billionaire Elon Musk, has publicly opposed the bill over provisions he described as “pork”.
US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries delivers a marathon speech on July 3 [House TV/Handout via Reuters]
A record-breaking speech
In the lead-up to Thursday’s vote, Democrats attempted to stall, with the stated aim of allowing voters more time to contact their local representatives in protest.
The face of that effort was Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who exercised a privilege known as the “magic minute” that allows party leaders to speak as long as they want from the House floor.
Jeffries stretched that privilege into an hours-long appeal to Republicans to stand up against what he described as Trump’s harmful policies. He started at around 4:53am local time (8:53 GMT) and ended past 1:39pm (17:39 GMT).
It was the longest speech ever delivered on the House floor, approximately eight hours and 44 minutes.
“I’m here to take my sweet time on behalf of the American people,” Jeffries told the House, his voice wavering at points during the speech.
He directed his remarks to the speaker of the House, a leadership role normally occupied by Johnson.
“Donald Trump’s deadline may be Independence Day. That ain’t my deadline,” Jeffries said. “You know why, Mr Speaker? We don’t work for Donald Trump. We work for the American people.”
Jeffries warned that the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which he dubbed the “One Big Ugly Bill”, “hurts everyday Americans and rewards billionaires with massive tax breaks”. The legislation, he added, was simply reckless.
He called his colleagues across the aisle to “show John McCain-level courage”, dropping a reference to the late Republican senator from Arizona, known for standing up to Trump on the question of healthcare.
McCain has often been cited as a symbol of bipartisanship in Congress, and Jeffries urged his Republican colleagues to reach across the aisle.
“We acknowledged the election of President Donald Trump, offered to work with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle whenever and wherever possible in order to make life better for the American people,” Jeffries said.
“But the route, Mr Speaker, that has been taken by House Republicans is to go it alone and to try to jam this One Big Ugly Bill — filled with extreme right-wing policy priorities — down the throats of the American people.”
In a poll last week from Quinnipiac University, for example, just 29 percent of respondents indicated they were in favour of the legislation, while 55 percent were against it.
Jeffries later added, “We’re not here to bend the knee to any wannabe king,” comparing resistance to Trump to the US’s revolutionary war era. When he finally said he would yield back the floor, Democrats exploded into applause, chanting his name: “Hakeem! Hakeem! Hakeem!”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson successfully rallied Republicans for the bill’s passage [J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo]
Republicans rally in final stretch
In order to reach Thursday’s vote, the House had remained in session overnight, as part of a marathon session.
But in the minutes before the dramatic vote took place, Speaker Johnson himself briefly spoke to the House, rallying Republicans to show a unified front.
He also took a jab at Jeffries’s record-breaking speech, “It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the simple truth.”
“We’ve waited long enough. Some of us have literally been up for days now,” Johnson continued. “With this One Big Beautiful Bill, we are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before, and every American is going to benefit from that.”
He added that the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would make programmes like Medicaid “stronger with our reforms”.
Trump himself celebrated the victory as he left for an appearance in Iowa. “Biggest tax cut in history, great for security, great on the southern border, immigration is covered. We covered just about everything,” he said. “It’s the biggest bill ever signed of its kind.”
Still, at the final hurdle, two Republicans did break away from their party caucus to vote against the “One Big Beautiful Bill”.
One of the nay-votes, Representative Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, released a statement saying he had previously voted to “strengthen Medicaid”. The Senate version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, he argued, did the opposite.
“The original House language was written in a way that protected our community; the Senate amendments fell short of our standard,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
“I believe in, and will always fight for, policies that are thoughtful, compassionate, and good for our community.”
Massie, meanwhile, had been a consistent holdout from the start. His sticking point, he said on social media, was the increase to the national debt.
“I voted No on final passage because it will significantly increase U.S. budget deficits in the near term, negatively impacting all Americans through sustained inflation and high interest rates,” he wrote.
A months-long process
It has been a long road for Republicans to reach Thursday’s vote, stretching back months. The House first passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” on May 22, in another overnight vote.
In that May vote, the legislation passed by the narrowest of margins, with 215 voting in favour and 214 against. Representatives Massie and Warren Davidson of Ohio joined a unified Democratic front in voting against the bill at that time, and Maryland’s Andy Harris voted “present”. Two more Republicans missed the vote entirely.
That propelled the bill to the Senate, where it faced another uphill battle. The 100-seat chamber has 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats and left-leaning independents.
To avoid facing a Democratic filibuster, Republicans subjected the “One Big Beautiful Bill” to the Byrd Rule, which allows legislation to pass with a simple majority.
But in order to comply with the Byrd Rule, Republicans had to strike provisions that had little to no budget impact or increased the deficit outside of a 10-year window.
Still, the revised Senate version of the bill faced a nail-biter of a vote. On July 1, after another all-nighter, the vote was 50 to 50, with three Republicans siding with the Democrats. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaker to advance the bill.
Democrats did, however, notch a small symbolic victory, with Senator Chuck Schumer knocking the name “One Big Beautiful Bill” off the final piece of legislation.
It was the Senate’s version of the bill that the House voted on Thursday. At least one Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, has expressed distaste for the legislation since voting for its passage.
“It is the people of Alaska that I worry about the most, especially when it comes to the potential loss of social safety net programs — Medicaid coverage and SNAP benefits — that our most vulnerable populations rely on,” she wrote in a statement earlier this week.
“Let’s not kid ourselves. This has been an awful process — a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution.”
The bill is expected to be signed into law on July 4 at 5pm US Eastern time (21:00 GMT) at a White House ceremony.
The football world has paid tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother, who died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday. Liverpool FC fans gathered outside Anfield to mourn his death. The 28-year-old had recently married and was the father of three children.
Channel 4 hit show Taskmaster has announced the comic line-up for its upcoming 20th series, with stars of Unforgotten, Doctor Who and A League of Their Own set to take part
22:00, 03 Jul 2025Updated 22:22, 03 Jul 2025
Taskmaster has announced the next comedians taking on the Channel 4 show(Image: Rob Parfitt / Channel 4)
Taskmaster has revealed its comedian cast for its 20th series, with ITV and BBC stars joining the upcoming line-up. Tonight’s finale of the Channel 4 show saw hosts Greg Davies and Alex Horne crown their latest winner after a nail-biting semi-final with Fatiha El-Ghorri, Jason Mantzoukas, Mathew Baynton, Rosie Ramsey and Stevie Martin.
Now, Channel 4 has revealed that Inside No. 9 star Reece Shearsmith and Unforgotten’s Sanjeev Bhaskar are among those taking part in the next series. They will be trying their best to impress Taskmaster Greg and faithful sidekick Alex in a bid to become the next champion.
The two TV stars will be joining stand-up comic Ania Magliano, A League of Their Own’s Maisie Adam and BBC Radio 4 star Phil Ellis in the series 20 line-up.
Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam, Phil Ellis, Reece Shearsmith and Sanjeev Bhaskar will be taking part in the next series of Taskmaster
Ania is best known for her appearances on Live at the Apollo, Off Menu, The Stand Up Sketch Show and for writing on Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date. She recently took on a role in the Prime Video comedy Deep Cover alongside Bryce Dallas Howard.
Meanwhile, Maisie has appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, Outsiders, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year and several series of A League of Their Own. Stand-up comic Phil hosted his own BBC Radio 4 show Phil Ellis is Trying and has appeared on The Russell Howard Hour, Drunk History UK and Roast Battle.
Reece is the star of BAFTA-winning dark comedy Inside No. 9 and has taken on roles in Good Omens, Doctor Who, Peter Kay’s Car Share and Saltburn, while Sanjeev rose to fame in sketch show Goodness Gracious Me and his sitcom The Kumars at No. 42.
Last year, Taskmaster star and creator Alex Horne was revealed to be one of Channel 4’s highest earners. According to accounts posted by his company Shakey Productions, Taskmaster earns the comedian £7.5million a year.
Earlier this week, Channel 4 quietly added the gripping crime drama The Shadow to its online catalogue, based on Melanie Raabe’s 2021 novel. In the series, Deleila Piasko stars as journalist Norah, who hopes for a fresh start in Vienna but is haunted by a prophecy that she will murder a man.
Earlier this year, Sanjeev Bhaskar opened up to The Mirror about losing out on a film role after gaining weight for the character. “The main character was a Singapore-based sleuth who was really overweight, so I got fat by eating anything and everything for an appreciable period of time,” he explained.
“But the financing on Inspector Singh Investigates fell apart, it was no longer happening, leaving me to lose a stone and a half.”
The police said gunmen opened fire in the River North neighbourhood. At least three victims are in critical condition.
Four people in the United States have been killed and at least 14 others wounded when gunmen opened fire on a crowd outside a lounge in downtown Chicago, according to police.
According to authorities, the mass shooting took place around 11:00pm (04:00 GMT) on Wednesday, when shots were fired from a vehicle travelling along Chicago Avenue in the city’s River North neighbourhood.
Chicago police reported that 13 women and five men, all between the ages of 21 and 32, were struck by the gunfire. Among the dead were two men and two women.
As of Thursday, at least three victims remained in critical condition. The injured were transported to local hospitals.
Police said the driver fled the scene immediately, and no arrests have been made. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling urged the public to submit anonymous tips to help detectives identify the suspects.
Local media reported that rapper Mello Buckzz, also known as Melanie Doyle, was hosting a private event at the lounge Wednesday evening to celebrate the release of her new album.
Snelling said police were trying to determine a motive and that the venue, Artis Lounge, is closed “until we get to the bottom of this”. He did not identify the number of attackers involved in the incident but said police found two different calibres of casings and were still reviewing footage.
“Clearly, there was some target in some way,” Snelling said. “This wasn’t some random shooting.”
Artis Lounge confirmed they were working with authorities as the investigation continued.
‘I can only describe it as a warzone’
In the hours after the shooting, Buckzz asked for prayers and expressed her anger and sadness on social media.
“My heart broke into so many pieces,” the artist wrote on Instagram Stories.
In her posts, the rapper revealed that many of those injured were her friends, and that she had been in a relationship with one of the men who was killed.
“Prayers up for all my sisters god please wrap yo arms around every last one of them,” Buckzz wrote across several Instagram Story slides. “Feel like everything just weighing down on me … all I can do is talk to god and pray.”
Chicago pastor Donovan Price, who works with communities affected by violence, described the scene as a “warzone”.
“Just mayhem and blood and screaming and confusion as people tried to find their friends and phones. It was a horrendous, tragic, dramatic scene,” he told The Associated Press.
The shooting took place days before the Fourth of July weekend, when Chicago and other major cities often see a surge in gun crimes. In recent years, however, Chicago has seen an overall decrease in gun violence.
During the last Fourth of July weekend in Chicago, more than 100 people were shot, resulting in at least 19 deaths. Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the time that the violence “has left our city in a state of grief”.
It’s the 249th birthday of the United States. And as Americans begin to prepare for our nation’s grand semiquincentennial celebration next year, it is worth reengaging with the document whose enactment marks our national birthday: the Declaration of Independence.
The declaration is sometimes championed by right-libertarians and left-liberals alike as a paean to individualism and a refutation of communitarianism of any kind. As one X user put it on Thursday: “The 4th of July represents the triumph of American individualism over the tribalistic collectivism of Europe.”
But this is anything but the case.
We will turn to lead draftsman Thomas Jefferson’s famous words about “self-evident” truths in a moment. But first consider the majority of the text of the declaration: a stirring enumeration of specific grievances by the American colonists against the British crown. In the declaration’s own words: “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.”
One might read these words in a vacuum and conclude that the declaration indeed commenced a revolution in the true sense of the term: a seismic act of rebellion, however noble or righteous, to overthrow the established political order. And true enough, that may well have been the subjective intention of Jefferson, a political liberal and devotee of the European Enlightenment.
But the declaration also attracted many other signers. And some of those signers, such as the more conservative John Adams, took a more favorable view of the incipient America’s inherited traditions and customs. These men thought that King George III had vitiated their rights as Englishmen under the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the Bill of Rights that passed Parliament the following year.
It is for this reason that Edmund Burke, the famed conservative British statesman best known for his strident opposition to the French Revolution, was known to be sympathetic to the colonists’ cause. As my Edmund Burke Foundation colleague Ofir Haivry argued in a 2020 American Affairs essay, it is likely that these more conservative declaration signers, such as Adams, shared Burke’s own view that “the Americans had an established national character and political culture”; and “the Americans in 1776 rebelled in an attempt to defend and restore these traditions.”
The American founding is complex; the founders themselves were intellectually heterodox. But suffice it to say the founding was not a simplistic renouncement of the “tribalistic collectivism” of Britain. There is of course some truth to those who would emphasize the revolutionary nature of the minutemen and soldiers of George Washington’s Continental Army. But a more historically sound overall conception is that 1776 commenced a process to restore and improve upon the colonists’ inherited political order. The final result was the U.S. Constitution of 1787.
Let’s next consider the most famous line of the declaration: the proclamation that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We ought to take this claim at face value: Many of the declaration’s signers did hold such genuine, moral human equality to be self-evident.
But is such a claim self-evident to everyone — at all times, in all places and within all cultures?
The obvious answer is that it is not. Genuine, moral human equality is certainly not self-evident to Taliban-supporting Islamic extremist goat herders in Afghanistan. It has not been self-evident to any number of sub-Saharan African warlords of recent decades. Nor is it self-evident to the atheists of the Chinese Communist Party politburo, who brutally oppress non-Han Chinese ethnic minorities such as the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang.
Rather, the only reason that Jefferson — and Locke in England a century prior — could confidently assert such moral “self-evidence” is because they were living and thinking within a certain overarching milieu. And that milieu is Western civilization’s biblical inheritance — and, specifically, the world-transforming claim in Genesis 1:27, toward the very beginning of the Bible, that “God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him.”
It is very difficult — perhaps impossible — to see how the declaration of 1776, the 14th Amendment of 1868, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or any other American moral ode to or legal codification of equality, would have been possible absent the strong biblical undergird that has characterized our nation since the colonial era.
Political and biblical inheritance are thus far more responsible for the modern-day United States than revolution, liberal rationalism or hyper-individualism.
Adams famously said that Independence Day “ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” Indeed, each year we should all celebrate this great nation we are blessed to call home. But let’s also not mistake what it is we are actually celebrating.
Josh Hammer’s latest book is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.” This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer
United States immigration agents have detained prominent Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. and are working to deport him, with officials saying he has “an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested Chávez, 39, in Studio City on Wednesday and are processing him for expedited removal from the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.
A Homeland Security news release said Chávez had been flagged as a public safety threat, but “the Biden administration indicated in internal records he was not an immigration enforcement priority.”
Last year in January, officials said, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chávez and he was charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon and manufacture or import of a short barreled rifle. He was later convicted of the charges.
Chávez’s manager, Sean Gibbons, told The Times they are currently “working on a few issues” following the boxer’s arrest but had no further comment.
Michael A. Goldstein, a lawyer who has worked with Chávez in previous cases, said his client “was detained outside of his residence by 25 or more ICE and other law enforcement agents.”
“They blocked off his street and took him into custody leaving his family without any knowledge of his whereabouts,” Goldstein said. “The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorize the community. Mr. Chavez is not a threat to the community.”
The son of Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez, widely regarded as the greatest boxer in his country’s history, Chávez Jr. faced off on Saturday against influencer-turned-fighter Jake Paul and lost.
Two weeks before the Anaheim bout against Paul, Chávez held a public workout in Maywood, where he spoke to The Times. He revealed that one of his trainers had skipped the training session out of fear of immigration enforcement.
“I was even scared, to tell you the truth. It’s very ugly,” Chávez said. “I don’t understand the situation — why so much violence? There are a lot of good people, and you’re giving the community an example of violence. I’m from Sinaloa, where things are really ugly, and to come here, to such a beautiful country with everything… and see Trump attacking immigrants, Latinos, for no reason. Not being with God makes you think you know everything. Trump made a bad decision.”
He added: “After everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t want to be deported.”
When U.S. officials announced the arrest Thursday, they referred to Chávez as an “affiliate of the Sinaloa cartel.” The Trump administration has designated the Mexican drug trafficking group as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
“Under President Trump, no one is above the law — including world-famous athletes,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
According to the Homeland Security news release, Chávez entered the country legally in August 2023, with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024. He had filed an application for lawful permanent resident status last year in April, officials said, based on his marriage to Frida Muñoz, a U.S. citizen, who U.S. officials said “is connected to the Sinaloa cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.”
El Chapo, a known fan of Chávez Sr. during his fighting days, is now serving a life sentence in U.S. federal prison after a 2019 conviction for his leadership role in the Sinaloa cartel.
Muñoz was previously in a relationship with Edgar Guzmán Loera, El Chapo’s eldest son, who was killed in Sinaloa in 2008.
The couple had a daughter, Frida Sofía Guzmán Muñoz. Following Edgar’s death, Muñoz distanced herself from the family and moved to the United States, eventually beginning a relationship with Chávez. Their daughter, Frida Sofía, has recently launched a music career and frequently attends her stepfather’s fights, including the most recent fight in Anaheim.
Chávez has faced criticism over alleged associations with figures linked to drug trafficking. In lengthy social media videos, he has claimed friendship with Ovidio Guzmán, another son of El Chapo who court records show has agreed to plead guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in Chicago.
Last year, on Dec. 17, according to the Homeland Security news release, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chávez was “an egregious public safety threat.”
“However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chávez was not an immigration enforcement priority,” the release stated.
According to the release, Chávez was allowed to reenter the country on Jan. 4 at the San Ysidro port of entry.
“Following multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, he was determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27,” the Homeland Security release stated.
Chávez has been in the boxing spotlight since childhood, often walking to the ring alongside his father. He began his professional career in 2003 and reached the pinnacle in 2011 when he won the WBC middleweight title against Sebastian Zbik. He defended the belt three times before losing it to Sergio Martínez in 2012.
However, his career has been plagued by discipline issues, substance abuse, and struggles with making weight. In 2017, he faced fellow Mexican star Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, suffering a lopsided unanimous decision loss that marked a turning point in his career’s decline.
Nicknamed “El Hijo de la Leyenda” (“Son of the Legend”) or simply “JR,” Chávez Jr. has had legal and personal troubles in recent years. He was arrested on suspicion of weapons possession and later entered a residential rehab facility. His battle with addiction has frequently played out in the public eye, including viral social media disputes with his father, one of his most vocal critics, yet also his most steadfast supporter.
According to Homeland Security, Chávez was convicted in 2012 of driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to 13 days in jail and 36 months of probation.
Goldstein, Chávez’s lawyer, noted that his client is a public figure who has been living and working in the U.S. without issue in recent weeks. Goldstein pointed to his recent fight, saying, “His workouts were open to the public and afforded law enforcement countless opportunities to contact him if he was indeed a public threat.”
“He has been focused on his own personal growth and mental health,” Goldstein said. “He is in full compliance with his mental health diversion and all court obligations. For this reason, we fully expect his only pending case to be dismissed as required by statute.”
In 2023, according to Homeland Security, a judge in Mexico issued an arrest warrant for Chávez “for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes.”
The release said the warrant was for “those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the corresponding permit.”
Mexican authorities, who typically do not reveal the full names of suspects in criminal cases, said Thursday that federal prosecutors had issued an arrest warrant for Julio “C” in March 2023 for organized crime and arms trafficking. A news release from Mexico’s equivalent of the attorney general’s office said U.S. officials had started the process of turning him over to face justice.
Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell contributed to this report.
July 3 (UPI) — The government of President Dina Boluarte has extended Peru’s small-scale mining formalization program through December, even as doubts persist more than a decade after its launch and experts warn that criminal organizations have exploited the system.
According to official figures from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, just 2,108 of the 86,000 miners enrolled in the Integral Registry for Mining Formalization, or REINFO, had completed the process as of November 2024 — a rate of only 2.4%.
REINFO was launched as part of a government effort to contain the unchecked growth of informal and illegal mining. It gave registered miners a deadline to submit documents, meet environmental and labor standards and transition to legal operations. But after four extensions, the process has failed to deliver lasting results.
Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero said the situation could improve in the coming months. He noted that another 5% of registered miners are close to completing the formalization process, and added that the government aims to mediate agreements between concession holders and roughly 15,000 small-scale miners who are working informally on those sites.
But experts say repeated deadline extensions have turned the program into a legal gray area that criminal groups exploit.
“We’re talking about a failed system by every measure,” Mónica Muñoz-Nájar, an economist with the Red de Estudios para el Desarrollo, said in an interview with RPP. She pointed to the low rate of formalization and the expansion of informal mining.
“Forty-four percent of the gold Peru exports comes from illegal mining, which has become more profitable than drug trafficking. It’s estimated that illegal mining generates $12 billion a year,” she said.
One of the strongest criticisms of REINFO comes from the National Society of Mining, Petroleum and Energy. Its president, Julia Torreblanca, said the registry has become a “shield for illegality” and that its indiscriminate extensions distort the market by protecting individuals who have no intention of following the law or meeting formalization requirements.
A growing concern, however, is the infiltration of organized crime into informal mining zones operating under REINFO’s protection. Organizations such as the Observatory of Illegal Mining and advocacy group DAR have warned that criminal networks use the registry to operate unregulated mining fronts, traffic illegal gold, transport chemical supplies and even facilitate human trafficking and forced labor.
These warnings align with reports from the National Police, who have identified criminal networks in regions including Madre de Dios, Puno and La Libertad. Authorities say these groups use informal mining concessions to conceal a range of illegal activities, including fuel smuggling, arms trafficking and the export of gold to international markets.
In early May, police reported the kidnapping and murder of 13 private security guards employed by a contractor linked to the Poderosa mining company in the Pataz region. Authorities said the bodies showed signs of torture and were found bound and unclothed — a sign of the extreme violence used by criminal gangs tied to illegal mining.
The case marked a critical moment in Peru, underscoring the violence and criminal networks that operate alongside illegal mining in the Andes and the direct threat they pose to people working in the region.
A recent report from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru warns that illegal mining is one of the most destructive activities environmentally, socially and economically.
It found that in regions like Madre de Dios, up to 50,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed. The state collected about $12,000 in taxes, compared with an estimated $565 million in extracted gold. Estimated tax evasion ranges from $85 million to $168 million.
An Israeli drone attack on a car killed at least one person and injured three others near the Lebanese capital Beirut on Thursday during rush hour, according to local authorities. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr was at the scene as officials inspected the wreckage.
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who needs something to watch while complaining about the annoying people shooting off fireworks well past the celebratory window.
In anticipation of the long holiday weekend, we’re forgoing the usual Screen Gab format this week to give you an extended list of home viewing recommendations that our pop culture experts at The Times plan to binge — or what they think you should binge. It’s an eclectic guide of new and old favorites, comforting and under-the radar picks — and there’s cats too!
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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Michael B. Jordan in a scene from “Sinners.”
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Sinners” (Max, beginning Friday)
Anybody who has yet to see “Sinners”: It’s time. Ryan Coogler’s Mississippi-set period vampire horror film stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers who’ve come back to their hometown to open a new juke joint together. They bring their musically gifted cousin, played by Miles Caton, along for the ride. And it’s quite a ride! Audiences were so excited to see this original film that some people traveled across state lines just to catch it in Imax 70mm — in fact, the demand was so high, the genre-bending hit received a second run at these larger-than-life Imax 70mm theaters. Even a standard format showing at my local suburban multiplex was packed on a weeknight the first time I went to see it. So while my TV is a poor substitute for a movie theater, I’ll definitely be watching “Sinners” again this weekend. And in a step toward accessibility, at-home viewers have the option to watch a version with Black American Sign Language. — Tracy Brown
Andor (Diego Luna) in Season 2 of “Andor.”
(Des Willie / Lucasfilm Ltd.)
“Andor” (Disney+)
As a kid of the original “Star Wars” generation — a wide-eyed 5-year-old when “A New Hope” opened in 1977 — I often imagined what this galaxy might look like in a more grown-up light: complex, morally messy, beyond good and evil. “Andor” comes as close as anything — maybe a little too close. As compelling as its second season is, I’ve found myself needing to take it slow: In an age of endless conflict, deepening divides and the shadows of authoritarianism, it cuts deep. The season traces the brutal machinery of empire: propaganda, collaborators, betrayal and the looming massacre of civilians on Ghorman, a peaceful planet crushed for daring to protest. At the recent nationwide “No Kings” protests, some demonstrators carried “Andor”-inspired signs that read “We are the Ghor” and “The galaxy is watching.” Finishing it on the Fourth feels right — like binge-watching as an act of civic reflection. — Josh Rottenberg
A still from Netflix’s “Trainwreck: Poop Cruise.”
(Photo from Netflix)
“Trainwreck: Poop Cruise” (Netflix)
At a time when the headlines have you wondering — “Has everything gone to s—?” — we’re reminded of a 2014 maritime disaster where that sentiment very much applied. This installment of Netflix’s “Trainwreck” docuseries tells the tale of the infamous cruise ship disaster involving an engine fire on the Carnival Triumph that left 4,000 people aboard without electricity and plumbing. You can imagine where things go from there. If you always thought cruises were a terrible idea, this documentary will be validating. It’s a wild and bizarre 55 minutes that’ll forever change the way you look at lasagna. And it’ll make you ask an existential question you never thought to consider: Would you be this dramatic about pooping in red biohazard bags if you were stranded out at sea? — Yvonne Villarreal
Matt Bomer and Nathan Lane in Hulu’s “Mid-Century Modern.”
(Chris Haston / Disney)
“Mid-Century Modern” (Hulu)
Three gay men “of a certain age,” one of whom is named Bunny and played by Nathan Lane, move in together in Palm Springs under the gimlet eye of Bunny’s mother, played by the late, great Linda Lavin? Honestly, I couldn’t explain under oath why I haven’t watched this series yet. An increasingly rare multi-cam comedy filmed in front of a live audience, it promises the comfort of nostalgia — remember when you knew it was a comedy because you could hear people laughing? — and the bittersweet pleasures of lived-in lives. And though Bunny’s claim that he and his friends Jerry (Matt Bomer) and Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham) are all in the same boat life-cycle-wise (Bomer and Graham are, respectively, 22 and 13 years younger than Lane), well, “The Golden Girls” had a similar grouping and look how well that turned out. — Mary McNamara
Nathan Fielder in Season 2 of “The Rehearsal.”
(John P. Johnson / HBO)
“The Rehearsal” (Max)
Confession time: Whenever I’m preparing for an event that requires me to speak in front of a large crowd, I write it out, practice and keep the notes handy as I’m doing said activity. That’s what makes Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” refreshing — I’m not the only one who rehearses something — though he goes to some extremes with his stunts. The replica of Alligator Lounge in Season 1, which he creates so a man named Kor Skeete can reveal his education status to his trivia buddy, was nothing short of remarkable — I remember walking past the actual bar many times when I lived in Brooklyn. And the rest of the season was just as wild; one simulation has Fielder rehearsing to be a parent with Angela, a woman who is considering motherhood, leading to many awkward moments and conversations. Season 2 is no different, focusing on plane crashes and pilot communication, which sounds serious, but like the first season, Fielder takes many interesting tangents along the way. I’ll take a cue from our awards columnist Glenn Whipp, who wrote about the show, and not spoil the conclusion, but you’ll want to come along for the ride. — Maira Garcia
Crowd Scene at Live Aid on July 8, 1985, in London.
(FG/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images)
Live Aid (YouTube)
July 13, 1985, was a formative day of TV for millions of Gen-Xers, sincerity and irony swirling on the biggest concert stage imaginable. Phil Collins made a stink about flying transatlantically on the Concorde so he could play both in London and, later that night, in Philadelphia. But even though he had the No. 1 album in the country (“No Jacket Required”), now he seems like the least significant presence there.
Return to the show for its two high points: Queen somehow condensed the whole of its grandeur into 21 unforgettable minutes. It’s been called the greatest live set in rock history, but that actually happened earlier in the day when U2 played the hypnotic “Bad” and Bono leapt into the crowd to hug a fan in danger of getting crushed, photographers circling them like it was a peace summit. It was everything I wanted pop to be. My band (average member age: 14) learned the song the next day. — Joshua Rothkopf
“Superman and the Mole Men,” released in 1951, starred George Reeves as the superhero from Krypton.
(LMPC via Getty Images)
“Superman and the Mole Men” (VOD)
How else can Superman rewind time without flying so fast he reverses the planet’s spin? By whisking fans back to his feature film debut in 1951’s “Superman and the Mole Men,” a kitschy adventure with an unexpectedly moving moral compass. This black-and-white indie launched George Reeves’ short and tragic career as the hero from Krypton. The producers considered it a teaser for his more famous TV series, “Adventures of Superman,” which was released the next year. The plot is simple: Clark Kent and Lois Lane trek to a rural oil town to investigate a well that’s drilled all the way to the center of the Earth. Small, hairy hominids emerge — but the twist is that Superman must protect these Mole Men from the prairie mob who want to shoot the outsiders on sight. It’s rousing to watch this classic defender of truth, justice and the American way bend guns, take bullets and huff: “I’m going to give you one last chance to stop acting like Nazi stormtroopers.” — Amy Nicholson
Damson Idris as Franklin Saint, left, and DeRay Davis as Peaches in FX’s “Snowfall.”
(Ray Mickshaw / FX)
“Snowfall” (FX on Hulu)
The race car epic “F1” is as hot as burning rubber at the box office, and is expected to bring in large crowds over the Fourth of July weekend as it re-establishes Brad Pitt as a top movie star. Pitt is joined in the winner’s circle by Damson Idris, who plays rookie driver Joshua Pearce. Idris’ star turn is a sharp departure from his portrayal of Franklin Saint, a ruthless drug kingpin in “Snowfall,” the FX drama streaming on Hulu about the rise of crack cocaine in South Los Angeles during the ‘80s. The series was one of the most popular shows in FX history, and was a vivid showcase for Idris, as Saint evolved from ambitious, charming entrepreneur to lethal thug. Although he was born in Peckham, London, Idris was cast in “Snowfall” by co-creator John Singleton, who believed that he could convincingly portray the demeanor of a youth growing up in the rough streets of South Los Angeles. When “Snowfall” completed its six-season run in 2023, the actor said in a Times interview that he was “obviously focused on movies. I want people to see me on the big screen.” — Greg Braxton
Emilia Schule stars as the titular French queen in “Marie Antoinette” on PBS.
(Caroline Dubois / Capa Drama / Canal Plus)
‘Marie Antoinette’ (PBS.org)
History’s punching bag and France’s last queen, Marie Antoinette, is reimagined as a wily, independent thinker in this inventive, lush and revisionist drama. Season 1 of “Marie Antoinette” opens in 1770, when at 14, she’s married to Louis Auguste, the Dauphin who later became King Louis XVI. The beauty of France and opulence of Versailles play a starring role though out the series, as does actor Emilia Schüle, who masterfully portrays the queen as she learns how to deal with the pressures of her role.
Released earlier this year, Season 2 finds the royal couple at the height of power but on the precipice of danger when France drops into alarming debt, the royal’s political enemies launch a misinformation war against the crown (thus the fabricated “Let Them Eat Cake!” line) and the starving masses are ready to revolt. Antoinette becomes a de facto leader when her meek husband crumbles under pressure. It’s a must for those who love a fresh takes on oft-trod chapters of history. — Lorraine Ali
A scene from “Nyaight of the Living Cat.”
(Crunchyroll)
“Nyaight of the Living Cat” (Crunchyroll, starting Sunday)
If you’ve ever watched “The Last of Us” or “The Walking Dead” and thought “this would be so much better with cats,” “Nyaight of the Living Cat” is the show for you. The anime series is set in a world where a mysterious virus turns humans into cats after they come into contact with afflicted felines, making places like cat cafés the ultimate danger zones. I can’t say I’ve ever wondered about a cat version of a zombie apocalypse, but now that this show is on my radar, I can’t wait for its premiere. And considering “nya” is Japanese for “meow,” I am hoping the show will lean into cat-related puns as it traces the fallout of this catastrophic viral outbreak. — T.B.
Philip Michael Thomas as Det. Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs and Don Johnson as Det. James “Sonny” Crockett in a promo shot for “Miami Vice.”
(NBC / NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“Miami Vice” (VOD)
Legend has it that NBC programming exec Brandon Tartikoff scrawled “MTV Cops” on a cocktail napkin, setting the template for what became “Miami Vice.” It’s not true, but it’s a good story. Watch the two-hour pilot episode and wait for the moment, near the end, when Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” comes on while Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) are driving the black Ferrari Daytona Spyder en route to take down a Colombian drug lord. The lighting, the editing, the integration of images and the music … yeah, it’s “MTV Cops.” But it’s “MTV Cops” made by Michael Mann, who, as executive producer, signed off on every aspect of the series in its first two seasons, using the show as a sandbox to hone techniques and themes that would show up in his 1986 crime thriller “Manhunter” and “Heat” and pretty much everything else he has done. My son once asked me what the Eighties were like. I played him Jan Hammer’s synth-laden “Miami Vice” theme. And, yes, with the pastels, the Wayfarers and contemporary music, it’s a Reagan-era time capsule. But those first two seasons are really timeless — thrilling, ambitious, outrageous to this day. Watch the pilot and then the two-parter “Calderone’s Return.” You’ll be hooked. — Glenn Whipp
Jason Schwartzman, left, Ted Danson, Zach Galifianakis in “Bored to Death.”
(HBO)
“Bored to Death” (Max)
Before streaming ate the world, I could measure my love for a series by whether I bought the seasons on video, and I am happy to say I am the proud owner of all three seasons of this excellent, quirky, nonjudgmental 2009 comedy, starring Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson. Set against, of all things, the New York literary world, it features Schwartzman as writer Jonathan Ames — also the name of the series’ creator, adapting his own “long short story” into this fairy tale of Brooklyn — who, suffering after a breakup, fueled by an excess of Raymond Chandler, white wine and pot and unable to finish a second novel, advertises himself as an “unlicensed private detective.” Adventures follow, taking the very formal, very serious Jonathan into odd corners of the city and odder corners of humanity. With Galifianakis as best friend Ray, an angry comic book artist, and Danson as other best friend George, a hedonistic magazine publisher (and later restaurateur, publishing being even then what it is), rounding out television’s greatest three-way bromance. — Robert Lloyd
Supreme Court lifted group’s ‘terrorist’ designation in April, as Moscow seeks normalisation in bid for regional clout.
Russia has accepted the credentials of a new ambassador of Afghanistan as part of an ongoing drive to build friendly relations with the country’s Taliban authorities, which seized power as United States troops withdrew from the country four years ago.
“We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields,” said the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Thursday.
The move makes Russia the first country in the world to recognise the country’s Taliban government.
“This brave decision will be an example for others,” Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a video of a meeting on Thursday with Dmitry Zhirnov, the Russian ambassador to Kabul, posted on X.
“Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia was ahead of everyone.”
The move is likely to be closely watched by Washington, which has frozen billions in Afghanistan’s central bank assets and enforced sanctions on some senior leaders in the Taliban, which has contributed to Afghanistan’s banking sector being largely cut off from the international financial system.
The group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, when US forces supporting the country’s internationally recognised government pulled out.
Moscow, which called the US withdrawal a “failure”, has taken steps to normalise relations with the Taliban authorities since then, seeing them as a potential economic partner and ally in fighting terrorism.
A Taliban delegation attended Russia’s flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg in 2022 and 2024, and the group’s top diplomat met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last October.
In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban “allies in the fight against terrorism” – notably against Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), a group responsible for deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Russia.
Lavrov said that month that “the new authorities in Kabul are a reality”, urging Moscow to adopt a “pragmatic, not ideologised policy” towards the Taliban.
Competing for influence
Moscow’s attitude towards the Taliban has shifted drastically over the last two decades.
The group was formed in 1994 during the Afghan Civil War, largely by former US-supported Mujahideen fighters who battled the Soviet Union during the 1980s.
The Soviet-Afghan war resulted in a stinging defeat for Moscow that may have hastened the demise of the USSR.
Russia put the Taliban on its “terrorist” blacklist in 2003 over its support for separatists in the North Caucasus.
But the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has forced Russia and other countries in the region to change tack as they compete for influence.
Russia was the first country to open a business representative office in Kabul after the Taliban takeover, and has announced plans to use Afghanistan as a transit hub for gas heading to Southeast Asia.
The Afghan government is not officially recognised by any world body, and the United Nations refers to the administration as the “Taliban de facto authorities”.
WASHINGTON — There’s no filibuster in the House, but Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries essentially conducted one anyway.
Jeffries held the House floor for more than eight hours Thursday, taking his “sweet time” with a marathon floor speech that delayed passage of Republicans’ massive tax and spending cuts legislation and gave his minority party a lengthy spotlight to excoriate what he called an “immoral” bill.
As Democratic leader, Jeffries can speak for as long as he wants during debate on legislation — hence its nickname on Capitol Hill, the “magic minute,” that lasts as long as leaders are speaking.
He began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished at 1:37 p.m. EDT, 8 hours, 44 minutes later, breaking the record set by then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) in 2021, when he was the GOP leader. McCarthy spoke for 8 hours, 32 minutes when he angrily criticized Democrats’ “Build Back Better” legislation, breaking a record set by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), when she spoke about immigration for 8 hours, 7 minutes in 2018.
“I feel an obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,” Jeffries said as he opened.
The speech pushed a final vote on Republican President Trump’s tax bill, initially expected in the early morning, into the daylight hours. The New York Democrat used the time to criticize the bill’s healthcare and food aid cuts, tax breaks for the wealthy and rollbacks to renewable energy programs, among other parts of the bill that Democrats decry.
He also killed time by riffing on hip-hop, King George III and his own life story, among other diversions. He called out Republicans who have voiced concerns about the bill, read stories from people concerned about their health care from those GOP lawmakers’ districts and praised his own members, some of whom sat behind him and cheered, clapped, laughed and joined hands.
“This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document, and that is why I stand here on the floor of the House of Representatives with my colleagues in the House Democratic caucus to stand up and push back against it with everything we have,” Jeffries said.
He ended the speech in the cadence of a Sunday sermon, with most of the Democratic caucus in a tight huddle around him. One colleague called out, “Bring it home, Hakeem!”
“We don’t work for President Donald Trump,” Jeffries said, as a handful of Republicans across the aisle sat silent and occasionally snickered at the leader as he kept talking.
He invoked the late John Lewis, a civil rights activist in the 1960s and longtime Democratic congressman from Georgia. “Get into good trouble, necessary trouble,” Jeffries said. “We’re going to press on until victory is won.”
Jeffries sneaked small bites of food and drank liquids to boost his energy, but did not leave the chamber or his podium. The speech would be over if he did.
Democrats were powerless to stop the huge bill, which Republicans are passing by using an obscure budget procedure that bypasses the Senate filibuster. So they were using the powers they do have, mostly to delay. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York forced Senate clerks to read the bill for almost 16 hours over the weekend.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) similarly gained attention in April when he spoke for more than 25 hours on the Senate floor about the first months of Trump’s presidency and broke the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber’s history. Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor, but Jeffries’ “magic minute” did not allow for any interaction with other members.
Republicans who were sitting on the floor when Jeffries started trickled out, leaving half the chamber empty. When the speech was over, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) called it “a bunch of hogwash.”
The speech “will not change the outcome that you will see very shortly,” Smith said.
After the bill passed, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that Democrats “wanted to speak for hours and hours and break records because they wanted to stand in the way of history.”
Jalonick writes for the Associated Press. A.P. writers Matt Brown, Kevin Freking, Lisa Mascaro and Leah Askrinam contributed to this report.
Wales captain Aaron Ramsey has completed his move to Mexican side Club Universidad Nacional, – known as Pumas UNAM.
It is understood Ramsey has joined the Mexico City-based club on a one-year deal and becomes the first high-profile British player to play in the Mexican league.
The 34-year-old shares the same agent as Pumas manager Efrain Juarez.
Ramsey was appointed Cardiff interim manager for the final three games of the 2024-25 Championship season after the club sacked Omer Riza.
But he was unable to prevent relegation to League One and his departure from the club was confirmed in June.
July 3 (UPI) — The House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2026 federal budget bill, commonly referred to as “one big, beautiful bill,” with a 218 to 214 vote on Thursday afternoon.
The measure now goes to President Donald Trump for signing, which he might do on Independence Day.
Two Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voted against the measure. So did all House Democrats, CBS News reported.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries launched a marathon eight-hour speech on the House floor Thursday, seeking to delay a final vote, but his effort failed.
Jeffries, D-N.Y., began speaking at 4:52 a.m. EDT, describing frustration with the leaders of the House GOP, who only allowed one hour of debate over the more than 900-page bill.
Jeffries spent his speaking time telling the stories of people who will be harmed by the bill, focusing on those in Republican districts and calling out the House members who represent them.
Jeffries’ eight-hour speech set a record for the longest delivered on the House floor, USA Today reported.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took the floor after Jeffries finished speaking to conduct the final vote after spending most of the day Wednesday negotiating with GOP House members.
Trump also met with skeptical GOP House members at the White House to work out a way to get the measure passed before the Fourth of July holiday.
Johnson said he and the president discussed having the measure, House Resolution 1, signed into law during Friday’s national holiday.
“What more appropriate time to pass the big, beautiful bill for America than on Independence Day?” He said, as reported by USA Today.
The funding bill is projected to increase the nation’s current $36 trillion deficit by another $3.4 trillion over the next decade.
It also makes income tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term in office permanent instead of allowing them to expire this year.
The bill also gives tax breaks for income earned via tips and overtime pay, and it reduces tax breaks for clean energy projects that were created by the Biden administration.
British number one Jack Draper’s wait for a breakout Wimbledon run continues after a shock second-round defeat by 36-year-old Marin Cilic.
Fourth seed Draper lost 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 to Croatia’s Cilic, who reached the SW19 final in 2017 but is now ranked 83rd in the world.
It means the 23-year-old Englishman has still not reached the third round in any of his four appearances at the All England Club.
Draper was widely considered as the fourth favourite for the men’s title – behind Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
But, in the first Championships of the post-Andy Murray era, Draper has suffered another frustrating early exit.
“Obviously, [I feel] really upset. Probably one of the toughest losses I feel,” an emotional Draper told a news conference.
“I thought Cilic played an incredible match from start to finish. [He] didn’t let up. He deserved the win.”
The US Open semi-finalist was pushed back behind the baseline from the start against Cilic, who dominated the opening two sets with his huge serve and deep returns.
Draper was now in a position which he had never been in before – needing to win a professional match from two sets down.
A drop in Cilic’s pace enabled the home favourite to take control of the third set, but Draper still did not look completely comfortable in the fourth as his wily opponent recovered to edge a tense contest.
Heavily puffing his cheeks out as he left Court One was a sign of the difficulties he had endured on a testing evening from which he will hope to learn.
The trio of women let the cameras follow them again as they try to find (or keep) love, look after their kids and build businesses
18:00, 03 Jul 2025Updated 18:23, 03 Jul 2025
Binky, Lucy and Rosie are back for more action on E4 later this year(Image: PA)
Made in Chelsea breakout stars Binky Felstead, Lucy Watson and Rosie Fortescue are returning to E4 for a second series of Beyond Chelsea.
And this time around viewers will follow the three women, now in their mid-thirties, as they balance motherhood, family life and relationships, while running businesses and navigating life in the public eye.
The two-part fly on the wall spin-off, to air on E4 later this year, will give viewers more information about Binky’s mum’s challenges with MS (multiple sclerosis). The audience will also find out whether Rosie has had any success with finding a partner, after last time around she decided she was ready to welcome romance back into her life, with Binky acting as wing woman.
Binky, Lucy, Rosie will return to our television screens with the return of one of Made in Chelsea’s 11 spin-offs(Image: Channel 4 / Rob Parfitt)
The cameras also follow as Lucy moves into her new home mid-development while Binky takes on yet another new business venture, with all three trying to balance motherhood, family life and relationships.
Production boss Helen Kruger Bratt told the Mirror that other Made in Chelsea favourites would also pop up. “The love for Made in Chelsea, and the franchise as a whole, just keeps growing,” she told the Mirror. “Every series brings in new fans, while longtime viewers stay closely connected to the lives of our brilliant cast.
“With Beyond Chelsea, we’ve loved reconnecting with some of MIC’s most iconic OGs in a way we’ve never done before. Featuring these three amazing women, and guest appearances from other ex-MIC favourites, this second series promises to be even more revealing, emotional, and hilarious.”
Binky, seen here with Ollie, was seen in tears last year after finding out Alex had cheated(Image: Monkey Kingdom)
Channel 4 Senior Commissioning Editor Clemency Green added: “Binky, Lucy and Rosie’s lives are chaotic and yet they still find time to allow the cameras back in. The Made in Chelsea fans are going to love seeing what they have been up to this past year, catching up on the gang as they share the ups and downs of their lives.”
Main series Made in Chelsea will also be back on E4 for a 29th run. The BAFTA award-winning show, which first launched in 201, has since notched up a staggering 332 episodes. This time some of the cast head off to a luxury resort in Thailand – where they are joined by a new faces who are “set to cause a stir”.
In January, Binky hinted the show would be back with more appearances from some of the original cast from when the show started 14 years ago. “We only had time to do two episodes last year and to test people’s interest… which was off the charts and overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “Since then we’ve had 3/4 of the OG’s reach out who want to be part of the next phase – all very exciting.”
WASHINGTON — Republicans muscled President Trump’s tax and spending cut bill through the House on Thursday, the final step necessary to get the bill to his desk by the GOP’s self-imposed deadline of July 4th.
At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.
Democrats united against the legislation, but were powerless to stop it as long as Republicans stayed united. The Senate passed the bill, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaking vote. The House passed an earlier iteration of the bill in May with just one vote to spare. It passed the final version 218-214.
Here’s what’s in the bill:
Tax cuts are the priority
Republicans say the bill is crucial because there would be a massive tax increase after December when tax breaks from Trump’s first term expire. The legislation contains about $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.
The existing tax rates and brackets would become permanent under the bill, solidifying the tax cuts approved in Trump’s first term.
It temporarily would add new tax deductions on tip, overtime and auto loans. There’s also a $6,000 deduction for older adults who earn no more than $75,000 a year, a nod to his pledge to end taxes on Social Security benefits.
It would boost the $2,000 child tax credit to $2,200. Millions of families at lower income levels would not get the full credit.
A cap on state and local deductions, called SALT, would quadruple to $40,000 for five years. It’s a provision important to New York and other high tax states, though the House wanted it to last for 10 years.
There are scores of business-related tax cuts, including allowing businesses to immediately write off 100% of the cost of equipment and research. Proponents say this will boost economic growth.
The wealthiest households would see a $12,000 increase from the legislation, and the bill would cost the poorest people $1,600 a year, mainly due to reductions in Medicaid and food aid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House’s version.
Money for deportations, a border wall and the Golden Dome
The bill would provide some $350 billion for Trump’s border and national security agenda, including for the U.S.-Mexico border wall and for 100,000 migrant detention facility beds, as he aims to fulfill his promise of the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
Money would go for hiring 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with $10,000 signing bonuses and a surge of Border Patrol officers, as well. The goal is to deport some 1 million people per year.
To help pay for it, immigrants would face various new fees, including when seeking asylum protections.
For the Pentagon, the bill would provide billions for ship building, munitions systems, and quality of life measures for servicemen and women, as well as $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system. The Defense Department would have $1 billion for border security.
How to pay for it? Cuts to Medicaid and other programs
To help partly offset the lost tax revenue and new spending, Republicans aim to cut back on Medicaid and food assistance for people below the poverty line .
Republicans argue they are trying to right-size the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women, the disabled and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse.
The package includes new 80-hour-a-month work requirements for many adults receiving Medicaid and food stamps, including older people up to age 65. Parents of children 14 and older would have to meet the program’s work requirements.
There’s also a proposed new $35 co-payment that can be charged to patients using Medicaid services.
More than 71 million people rely on Medicaid, which expanded under Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and 40 million use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Most already work, according to analysts.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law and 3 million more would not qualify for food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits.
Republicans are looking to have states pick up some of the cost for SNAP benefits. Currently, the federal government funds all benefit costs. Under the bill, states beginning in 2028 will be required to contribute a set percentage of those costs if their payment error rate exceeds 6%. Payment errors include both underpayments and overpayments.
But the Senate bill temporarily delays the start date of that cost-sharing for states with the highest SNAP error rates. Alaska has the highest error rate in the nation at nearly 25%, according to Department of Agriculture data. Sen. Lisa Murkowsk (R-Alaska) had fought for the exception. She was a decisive vote in getting the bill through the Senate.
A ‘death sentence’ for clean energy?
Republicans are proposing to dramatically roll back tax breaks designed to boost clean energy projects fueled by renewable sources such as energy and wind. The tax breaks were a central component of President Biden’s 2022 landmark bill focused on addressing climate change and lowering health care costs.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) went so far as to call the GOP provisions a “death sentence for America’s wind and solar industries and an inevitable hike in utility bills.”
A tax break for people who buy new or used electric vehicles would expire on Sept. 30 of this year, instead of at the end of 2032 under current law.
Meanwhile, a tax credit for the production of critical materials will be expanded to include metallurgical coal used in steelmaking.
Trump savings accounts and so, so much more
A number of extra provisions reflect other GOP priorities.
The bill creates a new children’s savings program, called Trump Accounts, with a potential $1,000 deposit from the Treasury.
The Senate provided $40 million to establish Trump’s long-sought “National Garden of American Heroes.”
There’s a new excise tax on university endowments and a new tax on remittances, or transfers of money that people in the U.S. send abroad. The tax is equal to 1% of the transfer.
A $200 tax on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns was eliminated.
One provision bars for one year Medicaid payments to family planning providers that provide abortions, namely Planned Parenthood.
Another section expands the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a hard-fought provision from GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, for those impacted by nuclear development and testing.
Billions would go for the Artemis moon mission and for the exploration of Mars, while $88 million is earmarked for a pandemic response accountability committee.
Additionally, a provision would increase the nation’s debt limit, by $5 trillion, to allow continued borrowing to pay already accrued bills.
Last-minute changes
The Senate overwhelmingly revolted against a proposal meant to deter states from regulating artificial intelligence. Republican governors across the country asked for the moratorium to be removed and the Senate voted to do so with a resounding 99-1 vote.
A provision was thrown in at the final hours that will provide $10 billion annually to rural hospitals for five years, or $50 billion in total. The Senate bill had originally provided $25 billion for the program, but that number was upped to win over holdout GOP senators and a coalition of House Republicans warning that reduced Medicaid provider taxes would hurt rural hospitals.
The amended bill also stripped out a new tax on wind and solar projects that use a certain percentage of components from China.
What’s the final cost?
Altogether, the Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill would increase federal deficits over the next 10 years by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034.
Or not, depending on how one does the math.
Senate Republicans are proposing a unique strategy of not counting the existing tax breaks as a new cost because those breaks are already “current policy.” Republican senators say the Senate Budget Committee chairman has the authority to set the baseline for the preferred approach.
Under the alternative Senate GOP view, the bill would reduce deficits by almost half a trillion dollars over the coming decade, the CBO said.
Democrats say this is “magic math” that obscures the true costs of the tax breaks. Some nonpartisan groups worried about the country’s fiscal trajectory are siding with Democrats in that regard. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says Senate Republicans were employing an “accounting gimmick that would make Enron executives blush.”
Freking and Mascaro write for the Associated Press.