It’s Halloween in Walford next week, and it’s a spooky time for the Slaters as Kat shocks the Square as she blurts out Zoe’s huge secret – but what is it?
It’s set to be a spooky Halloween over in Walford(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
Next week in EastEnders, the Square continues to reel from Zoe’s shock revelation, Julie and Nigel face more struggles, and it’s a spooky Halloween over in Walford.
The soap are still keeping quiet about what Zoe’s bombshell revelation is until later this week – but what we do know, is that whatever it is isn’t going to go down very well.
A few weeks back, we heard Zoe made the shock admission that Dennis Rickman was the father of her son, with Sharon left devastated. Nevertheless, she offered to help Zoe find her son.
But things have taken a back burner since Joel’s horrific attack on Vicki. Next week, Ian about Zoe’s son and seeing how much it means to Sharon, Ian transfers her some money to help…
We start off the week in the Vic Quiz night, but Kat is distracted as Zoe’s revelation continues to play on her mind, although Alfie warns her to stay out of it. However, of course, Kat doesn’t listen and blurts out Zoe’s secret – causing commotion and Quiz Night comes to an abrupt end.
Kat later gives Zoe and ultimatum and things get worse at a spooky Halloween, when Alfie discovers a VHS tape from 1980s. Despite Kat attempting to keep the footage from Zoe, she later discovers it and throws everyone out of the Vic as a result. But what is on the video?
Elsewhere, Zoe accuses Kat for smashing a photo of the pair, but when she denies it, she later accuses Vicki of being responsible but Anthony steps in to calm her down.
Halloween week continues to get worse, as Zoe grows increasingly paranoid that someone is out to get her and accuses Anthony after arguing with him earlier in the week. He shares his concerns for Zoe with Kat, but it’s unclear whether she believes him. But what are the concerns?
It’s not all that’s kicking off in The Vic, as Kat overhears Vicki speaking to Ross – and makes a decision.
Suki and Eve are still looking to adopt, and despite Suki holding back at first, they go ahead and arrange a meeting with an adoptive family. However, the timing couldn’t be worse as Avani, Ravi, Priya and Nugget return from their holiday, as chaos ensues.
However, it seems like they later come round to the idea as they try to support the couple, who hit another hurdle as Eve panics when she learns she will need a reference from her mum to proceed.
Ravi has other problems on his hands, as he’s left feeling guilty about lying to Priya following their family holiday. He later meets with Okie and hands the business over to him after he assures him that Harry and Kojo have been released. But have they?
Ryananair cancelled more fares last week, having already slashed certain Spanish routes. It announced that it’s Germany capacity will be reduced by 800,000 seats this winter, with 24 routes across nine high-cost German airports including Berlin, Hamburg, and Memmingen cut.
Jet2 has decided to cut 1.2million seats(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jet2 and Ryanair are axing a combined 1.2 million airline seats this winter, leading to fears that travellers may face significant disruption.
The budget airlines have both announced that they’re cutting back on certain routes.
In September, Jet2 said it would have to cut 200,000 seats, from 5.8m to 5.6m, over the winter season because of “a less certain consumer environment” – this is despite viral success of its advertising campaing featuring Jess Glynn. The seat cut brings Jet2 to 5.6 million fares for the upcoming winter season, although this will still be 9% higher than a year earlier.
Ryanair cancelled more fares last week, having already slashed certain Spanish routes. It announced that it’s Germany capacity will be reduced by 800,000 seats this winter, with 24 routes across nine high-cost German airports including Berlin, Hamburg, and Memmingen cut. As a result, Ryanair’s overall capacity in Germany will fall below winter 2024 levels.
Among the airports set to be impacted by the 1.2 million airline seat cull are Santiago, Tenerife North, Vitoria, Zaragoza, Asturias, Jerez, Vigo and 36 connections between regional Spain and the Canary Islands.
France has also been hit. Ryanair has dropped capacity at every French airport they operate with four airports essentially being wiped off their network map: Strasbourg, Bergerac, Paris-Vatry and Brive. While others, such as Béziers, have lost over half of their capacity season-on-season.
In light of this, Alicia Hempsted, travel insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, is warning Brits to consider one key thing ahead of the busy holiday season – travel insurance.
“With fewer scheduled flights and limited seat availability, airlines will have much less flexibility to rebook passengers when there are delays or cancellations. As a result, more Brits may need to rely on their travel insurance to cover unexpected costs and disruptions,” she said.
“Flight cancellations are also likely to push seat prices higher due to reduced availability. That’s why having the right travel insurance in place is more important than ever – helping you avoid steep, last-minute expenses and giving you peace of mind from the moment you book.”
According to internal data from MoneySuperMarket, winter travel insurance uptake decreases by a 49%, with purchases dropping significantly during the winter months compared to summer, with only 16.53% of total insurance sales occurring in winter months, compared to 32.38% in summer.
Alicia added: “There are plenty of scenarios during the winter months that can increase the chances of needing to make a travel insurance claim. From weather-related cancellations and seasonal illnesses to overbooked accommodation during peak periods, the risks are higher than usual.
“That’s why it’s always best to secure the right travel insurance as soon as your holiday is confirmed. It gives you protection from the moment you book and helps avoid costly surprises later—so you can enjoy your winter break with confidence and peace of mind.”
The imminent release of Israeli hostages by Hamas is the focus for most of Monday morning’s papers, with the Times dubbing it an “historic opportunity to end the war in Gaza”. According to the paper, Hamas says they have custody of all 20 living hostages, and will begin releasing them on Monday under the first phase of the ceasefire plan. US President Donald Trump is expected to land in Israel shortly after the first hostages have been freed.
“Hostages set for freedom in key step to end Gaza war” declares the Guardian, reporting that Israeli hostages freed by Hamas will be driven to a military base to reunite with their families, or taken to hospital if medical care is needed. Following their delivery to Israeli soil, Israel is expected to free around 2000 Palestinian detainees in what the paper calls the “crucial next phase” of the ceasefire deal.
“Hope amid the chaos” reads the Mirror’s headline, paired with a photograph of an aid truck in Khan Younis that has been overrun by people desperate for supplies. The paper says Israel and Gaza are on “the cusp of a precarious peace”, but points to concerns that “one wrong move will spell disaster”.
The Mail calls Monday a “day of destiny”, and writes that the “eyes of the world” are on Gaza and Israel as they await the hostage exchange.
“The day they feared would never come” says the Metro, noting that “last minute tensions” remain in Israel despite their agreement to the peace deal negotiated by Trump. The paper says that Israeli special forces are on standby to escort the hostages out of Gaza on Monday, and have orders to disperse crowds using air strikes “if necessary”.
The US president is pictured front and centre of the Telegraph, snapped boarding Air Force One as he departed for Israel on Sunday. The paper reports that Sir Keir Starmer will announce £20m of UK aid for Gaza on Monday, as he joins other world leaders for a “peace summit” in Egypt ahead of the hostage release.
The i Paper also leads on the “historic summit” in Egypt, and reports that former prime minister Sir Tony Blair will join Sir Keir and the leaders of 20 other nations at the signing of the truce on Monday. Sir Tony is expected to take a role on the “Board of Peace” at Trump’s request, which the president says will supervise Gaza’s governance following the ceasefire.
A “revolutionary new MRI procedure” is the lead story for the Daily Express, which reports on “pioneering research” that has led to the development of an MRI scan that could take less than seven minutes. The “breakthrough” could double NHS capacity for the scans, and according to the paper, would boost diagnosis rates for dementia.
US investment banking revenue is expected to top $9bn (£6.7bn) for the first time since 2021, which the Financial Times attributes to the “Trump effect”. The paper says the increase of 13% on last year “reflects growing optimism on Wall Street”.
The Sun reveals that footballer Marcus Rashford has been hit by building delays that could cost up to £15m, as he builds his “dream home” in Cheshire.
The World Conker Championships have been saved by none other than King Charles III, according to the Daily Star. The paper says that the King donated 300 conkers to the competition from his Windsor estate.
Gogglebox star Georgia Bell has opened up about the ‘chaos’ of filming the hit Channel 4 show
Ed Gleave and Helen Kelly Head of Screen Time
19:07, 12 Oct 2025
Gogglebox star says filming is ‘chaos’ as she’s forced to tell boyfriend to take kids out(Image: Channel 4)
Recording Gogglebox proves utterly chaotic for Georgia Bell, with the mum frequently allowing her two youngsters to join her on the settee – and they don’t always play ball.
She told the Daily Star: “It’s good fun having the kids with me. But sometimes it is chaos. I have to tell my boyfriend to take them out.”
Georgia’s co-star and mate Abbie Lynn revealed: “It’s hard for a three-year-old to sit and focus on The Traitors. They’d rather have Bluey on. Mind you, they do love Britain’s Got Talent!”
Despite the difficulties of having children present during recording, Georgia remains delighted she’s included them, as the programme provides her with precious footage she can treasure forever.
She explained: “In years to come, I’ll be like, ‘Sit down boys, this is you two when you were so young’.
“Ralphie was only a few weeks old when he was first on the show and Hugh was a few months old. I just think it will be an amazing thing to be able to look back on when they’re older.”
Georgia and Abbie have featured on the programme for seven years and remain eager to continue, with Abbie declaring: “I will stay on the show until I die.”
Last year Georgia revealed that she had welcomed her second child, sharing a snap of the tiny tot whilst radiating happiness as she provided an update on how he was getting on. In the photograph, the tiny bundle was spotted tucked up in a white baby grow with little white fluffy socks and a sweet little collar round his neck to keep him cosy.
He was pictured having a snooze in a Moses basket wrapped in a soft woollen blanket as he slumbered peacefully after arriving into the world.
Penning the caption, Georgia revealed all the crucial details fans would have been desperate for.
“Ralphie James Newby,” she wrote, “our precious boy – born November 10th at 11:27pm, weighing 7lbs 10oz.
“Settling into the life of a family of 5, we all love you unbelievable amounts little one,” Georgia continued.
Followers were thrilled to discover that the Geordie star had finally welcomed her baby into the world after months of anticipation, but this wasn’t the first time it was suggested she had given birth.
FROM October 12, 2025, British travellers could be hit with delays thanks to the introduction of the new EU Entry-Exit System.
The use of EES will begin this weekend for the very first time, and holidaymakers believe they’ll be facing longer wait times as a result.
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The EU Entry-Exit System for travellers will start on Sunday October 12Credit: Getty
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Some travellers are worried about delays to their journeys this weekendCredit: Getty
When you use EES, the first time you travel you’ll need to register at a special machine called a kiosk where you will scan your passport.
The machine will then take your fingerprints and a photo – children under 12 will not need to give fingerprints.
You will also answer four quick questions on the screen about your trip, such as where you are staying and confirming you have enough money for your holiday.
The EES checks will happen when you arrive at your destination airport in the Schengen area – but not all of them.
Madrid will be registering arrivals from a single, early-morning flight on October 12, 2025.
In Germany, Dusseldorf Airport will have EES, but will only a small proportion of travellers will be required to go through the new system.
Depending on where British travellers fly into, will depend on whether or not they have an EES check, or continue with a passport stamp.
While EES is ready in certain places now, it’s a gradual process and is being rolled out over the course of 180 days, from October 12, 2025 to April 9, 2026.
But as it’s the first time the EES has been used for travellers, experts have warned there could eb “delays”.
US travelers will be fingerprinted before flights in new October 12 ‘border’ law hitting 29 countries
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “I reckon there will be delays” while Tom Jenkins, chief executive of European travel association Etoa said it’s “a complete muddle”.
Tom Jenkins added: “If it all goes haywire, they can revert to inspecting passports.
“I don’t think it will be catastrophic because of that, it will just be tiresome.”
However, managers at the Port of Dover have insisted there will not be delays on Sunday, as traffic levels will be “manageable”, as reported by the BBC.
A government spokesperson said: “We are supporting ports and carriers to ensure EES registration is simple for anyone travelling to the Schengen area.”
For the first few weeks, only lorry drivers and coach passengers will have to register with EES at Dover.
Other traffic, including the thousands of car passengers who use the crossings, will be subject to the new system from November 1, 2025.
The same goes for those travelling through the Eurotunnel.
At the Eurostar entrance in St Pancras, EES registration will take place upon departure, overseen by French border officials.
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Brits will need to have biometric checks instead of having their passports stampedCredit: AFP
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Only certain passengers travelling on the Eurostar will be checked in through EESCredit: PA
And from October 12, only passengers travelling in business and premium class will be subject to EES checks – for other passengers, they will begin in January 2026.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said: “We recognise that EES checks will be a significant change for British travellers, which is why we have worked closely with our European partners to ensure the rollout goes as smoothly as possible.
“The UK and EU have a shared objective of securing our borders and these modernisation measures will help us protect our citizens and prevent illegal migration.”
For more on EES and ETIAS, one travel expert revealed what to expect.
Travellers to Europe, including Brits, will be subject to new entry registrations from Sunday October 12, 2025 under a phased implementation of the EU’s new digital border system.
The Entry Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens to register at the EU border by scanning their passport and having their fingerprints and photograph taken.
Travellers do not need to take any action before travelling and the process is free.
Registration will take place upon arrival at the EU border and may take slightly longer than previous border checks.
Checks should only take 1-2 minutes for each person, but may lead to longer wait times at border control upon arrival in the Schengen area.
In places where registration will be completed in the UK prior to departure, there may be longer waits at busy times.
The scheme is being introduced to digitise border crossings across the Schengen area and collate the information into a central database to more closely monitor the movements of non-EU citizens.
EES will also help to identify any suspected criminals and to limit travellers to 90 days of stays, in any 180 day period.
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EES is being introduced in certain places from October 12, 2025Credit: Reuters
Strictly Come Dancing’s spin off show It Takes Two came to a halt on Wednesday evening as Fleur East was forced to apologise for professional dancer Alexis Warr swearing live on air
Strictly Come Dancing’s spin off show It Takes Two came to a halt tonight, as Fleur East was forced to apologise halfway through George Clarke and Alexis Warr’s interview.
The pair took to the sofa to discuss their Strictly journey so far, and what they have coming up for this week’s Movie Week, but it seemed that Alexis got a little too excited, accidentally swearing live on air.
Speaking about their Paso Doble to Game Of Survival during week one, George opened up about how he felt during the nail biting first show.
“I feel like the enjoyment came after it,” he said. “I feel like I blacked out throughout it. We got to the end of the routine, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, that was the best we’ve done it!'”
His professional dance partner Alexis added: “At the beginning, he hit his beginning position, and I knew right away he was locked in. I was like, ‘Yes George, yes George,’ and I almost forgot to go.
“I was like, ‘Oh wait, oh c***p, I have to move!’ I just noticed he was immediately locked in, in character. Yeah.”
Amid all the excitement, Alexis didn’t even realise she let the swear word slip, but of course, Fleur was on the ball, and apologised to viewers straight away.
“Sorry about the language we just had there,” the former X-Factor star said. “We just get very excited!” she laughed.
George’s appearance on the BBC Two spin-off show comes after he revealed that he was rushed to a physiotherapist last week after injuring his back in rehearsals.
The influencer opened up about hurting his back on his podcast, The Useless Hotline Podcast – inviting on Strictly professional dance partner Alexis Warr for the first time.
“I didn’t want it to be a thing on the night,” he said. “That’s why they asked in the VT, they were like, ‘Do you want to mention your back?’ and I said, ‘I don’t want it to be a thing.'”
He added: “I had a pinched nerve all week in my back. I had acupuncture half way through the week. I went to physio four times.” As for how he did it, George admitted that the injury happened after a handstand went wrong.
“I was like, ‘I’ll throw in a handstand or something.’ I like doing a handstand, if I keep my legs together I’d probably be better at it but it doesn’t feel fun when you do it that way,” he said.
After George’s warning last night, Caroline was called into the Diary Room during tonight’s episode, as she was giving a formal warning by Big Brother for unacceptable behaviour
22:31, 07 Oct 2025Updated 23:11, 07 Oct 2025
Caroline was given a warning by Big Brother(Image: ITV/BBUK/INSTAGRAM)
It was a dramatic night in Big Brother tonight, as the housemates were called to the Diary Room to nominate for the first time. However, it wasn’t the only time Caroline was called to the famous room, as she was given a formal warning by Big Brother.
Like George Gilbert, Caroline’s warning came after a comment she had made during a housemate game of spin the bottle. As she was pulled into the Diary Room, the voice of Big Brother told her: “Yesterday at 11:21pm during a game of spin of the bottle, you had the following conversations.
Big Brother recalled the conversation, in which Caroline asked which housemate she would sleep with if they were trapped on a desert island and she “might be able to make babies to get a new civilisation.”
Nancy then asked Caroline if it had to be a guy, as Jenny said she was pansexual. “Is she pansexual? Do you like pans?” Caroline asked, as Zelah told her to just ask Nancy who she was most attracted to.
Nancy then answered Zelah, as Caroline responded: “She’s a girl. No you’re not!” she then added: “But you haven’t got a willy. Is that really bad? But I was talking about…I’m so sorry Z. Is that bad? That was bad wasn’t it? Oh no, I’m dead now. Is that bad?’”
Zelah has been open about his transition with housemates – and Caroline told Big Brother she was “ashamed” of herself as she hung her head in shame in the Diary Room.
“Caroline, Big Brother thinks that your language in these instances was offensive and unacceptable and cannot permit you to use language in a way that could cause offence to your fellow Housemates and the viewing public,” Big Brother said, as they gave Caroline a formal warning, in which she agreed.
When asked if there was anything she’d like to say, Caroline added: “Sorry. It was a horrible thing I said. Horrible. I don’t know where it came from.
“I can’t excuse myself. If I had an excuse I’d say but I don’t have one. I’m sorry to everyone out there and I’m sorry to everyone in here. I will make sure I apologise profusely to everyone because I can see the disappointment in everyone’s eyes. I was having such a lovely time, more than lovely. I’ve gone and ruined everything. I can’t see a way back.”
Zelah was left in tears in the Diary Room, telling Big Brother: “I didn’t think it would affect me that much. That’s why I didn’t want to tell anyone from the get go, because once people know their true perceptions come out. But ‘she’s a girl’ was strong.”
“I’m so down for people asking questions, I think it’s really important, but sometimes my openness comes at the expense of my own feelings. I can’t remember the last time words hit me like that.”
It comes after George was given a warning by Big Brother during last night’s episode after a game of Truth or Dare in which he was asked about his least favourite thing about each housemate.
Big Brother told him: “At 11:26, during a game of Truth or Dare, when asked about your least favourite qualities of other Housemates, you said the following, ‘Sam, um too…’, you then went on to mimic Sam using both noises that mocked the way Sam talks and body language that included limp wrists.
“Do you understand how both your language and behaviour could be offensive to Sam, your Housemates and the viewing public?” George then confirmed he had apologised to Sam after making the comments.
FRENCH Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned after less than a month in office.
Emmanuel Macron had only appointed Lecornu on September 9 – marking his fifth Prime Minister in the space of two years.
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French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned after less than a month in officeCredit: Reuters
Lecornu served as Minister for the Armed Forces since 2022 before being asked to serve as PM.
It comes as extremist parties continue to put pressure on France’s political establishment.
President Emmanuel Macron has faced a political crisis since he called an ill-advised snap election last summer.
His centrist bloc lost dozens of seats amid a spike in support for the far-right.
While a left wing coalition came first in the end, no party is anywhere close a majority in the French Parliament.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
Happy Thursday. Your usual host, D.C. Bureau Chief Michael Wilner, is on assignment. So you’re once again stuck with me, California columnist Anita Chabria.
Welcome to another week of the onslaught and overload that is Trump 2.0. What should we talk about?
President Trump’s threat to use the military in more American cities? Secretary of “War” Pete Hegseth’s He-Man rant to top military brass?
Or what about the government shutdown?
In a week with enough drama to make the Mormon wives on Hulu seem tame in comparison, it’s hard to know whether all of it matters or none of it. Because, of course, we desperately want none of it to matter, since it’s all just too much.
But too much is never enough for Trump. So let’s break it down, starting with the big man himself.
A protester holds a sign outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Sept. 28, 2025, in Portland, Ore.
(Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images)
The ‘enemy within’
“I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military,” the Commander-in-Beef said during his Kim Jong Il-style televised address to military leaders.
“San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they’re very unsafe places and we’re gonna straighten them out one by one,” Trump said. “This is going to be a big thing for the people in this room because it’s the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it’s out of control.”
Those statements from Trump came minutes after Hegseth said to his military officers, “You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don’t necessarily belong always in polite society.”
Senior military leaders look on as President Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va.
(Alex Wong / Getty Images)
Which sounds exactly like the kind of guy we should sent in to do crowd control at the Olympics. But before you dismiss the entire performance as strongman cosplay, consider how indifferent most Americans are to threats that the military will soon roll into Portland, Ore., or even our acceptance of troops in Chicago.
After L.A. and Washington, D.C., Trump has done exactly what he set out to do: Reduce our alarm at the use of the military on our streets so that it seems normal, almost benign. In fact, many now agree that this is the way to go. A recent study from the UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention found that “nearly one third of respondents (32%) agree at least somewhat that the current federal government ‘should use the military to help enforce its policies.’”
Yikes.
It is, in fact, not OK. Protesting citizens are not the “enemy within.” Democrats are not the enemy. Jimmy Kimmel is not the enemy. Heck, even tech-bro libertarians aren’t the enemy, no matter how arrogant they are.
But the last few days have seen the president, through executive orders and speeches, label all dissent and dissenters as enemies — even using state agencies to do it. After the government shutdown, the Department of Housing and Urban Development displayed a banner on its homepage that blamed the “Radical Left.”
So the president has defined the “enemy within” as those who oppose him, and now informed the military personnel that they “have to handle it.”
Armed members of the National Guard patrol on Aug. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
What about the ‘beardos’?
That Hegseth, so clever. In between celebrating death and violence, he found time to attack female service members, “weak” men, those who would dare investigate wrongdoing in the military and of course, the most dreaded of insurgents: the “beardos.”
An apparent mash-up of “beard” and “weirdo,” which would please most eighth-grade boys, Hegseth used the term to describe what he said was an “unprofessional” look of some soldiers that is henceforth forbidden.
Of all the crazy and concerning in his 45-minute rant, why do I care about this moment?
Those beardos are mostly Black and brown men. Black men are prone to a shaving bump condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae and are sometimes granted permanent shaving waivers because of it. Hegseth wants to kick out of the military men with this painful condition who don’t shave.
It’s likely also aimed at Sikh service members, who grow beards as part of their religious observance. Until now they’ve been granted exemptions too. While this is a small number of servicemen, it’s significant that Hegseth’s “unprofessional” policy targets minorities.
Hegseth made it clear what he thinks of inclusion in any form, dubbing it an “insane fallacy” that “our diversity is our strength.”
Instead, he argued that it is widely accepted that “unity is strength.”
The troubling idea there is the confusion between unity and uniformity. Can’t a Black, bearded soldier have unity with a white, clean-shaven one? Can’t a female soldier share unity and purpose, a American identity, with a male fighter? Of course.
But Hegseth, who fired top Black and female military leaders this year, was never really talking about unity, was he? At least not the pluralism that has defined American unity until now.
The bipartisan flop
Let’s bounce to JD Vance, a “beardo” whose humorlessness has become his defining trait.
“There’s a lot of emergency healthcare at hospitals that are provided by illegal aliens,” he said on Fox News, in his ongoing press tour to blame the government shutdown on Democrats. The line here, a false one, is that Democrats are demanding the federal government pay healthcare costs for undocumented immigrants.
“We turned off that funding because of course we want American citizens to benefit from those hospital services,” Vance said.
The same law was used, much to MAGA consternation, to protect some abortion services in dire cases — a protection Trump largely undid.
This raises the question, should we just let seriously injured brown people die in the waiting room because they can’t produce a passport?
But it’s also true that some states — through state funds — do insure undocumented immigrants, especially children and pregnant women. California is one of the few states that offer undocumented residents of all ages and genders access to its Medi-Cal coverage, though Newsom was forced by budget concerns to scale back that access in coming years. But states that do offer this coverage are, through a quirk in federal law, reimbursed at a higher rate for emergency services, also likely what has Vance in a tizzy.
The rationale behind offering this insurance has been proved out multiple times — preventative care is cheaper than emergency care. Give a guy a prescription for heart medication and he may not have a heart attack that lands him in the emergency room.
Federal programs, though, aren’t open to noncitizens, and no federal dollars are used to support California’s expansion of healthcare to undocumented people. That ban includes folks who want to buy their own affordable insurance through the marketplaces created by Obamacare.
The real issue around insurance and the shutdown is how much the cost of this marketplace insurance is about to skyrocket for average Americans. About 24 million Americans get their health insurance through these plans, with most receiving a tax credit or subsidy to help with the costs. The Republican plan would take away those credits, leaving consumers — many in the middle class — with premiums that would at least double in the coming year.
It is somewhat shocking that Democrats are doing such a terrible job getting the word out about this — instead going on the defensive to the claims about undocumented insurance. Average people — Republican or Democrat — cannot afford a doubling of their insurance costs. This is a bipartisan issue. All Americans want affordable healthcare.
We should not sacrifice affordable insurance in favor of billionaire-friendly policies and because Democrats are fumbling an easy message.
So, unfortunately, in a week of chaos, yes, it all matters.
P.S. I’m starting a propaganda watch, because it’s becoming off the hook. This is from the Department of Homeland Security. “Defend your culture.” You mean, like, your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free?
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Former US vaccine chief Demetre Daskalakis says the country’s health department is being led by a ‘chaos agent’ who is putting vulnerable people in harm’s way.
Dr Daskalakis was one of three directors to resign in August, following a decision to fire the head of the Centres for Disease Control, Susan Monarez, after her months-long dispute with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Since then, Dr Daskalakis has publicly criticised Kennedy, saying he is knowingly dismantling the country’s vaccine programme by sidelining experts and pushing his own ideology.
One Married At First Sight couple was forced to get creative after a class 3 cyclone hit the area they were staying at for their honeymoon
Married At First Sight UK newlyweds Bailey and Rebecca were forced to get creative after a class 3 cyclone left them stuck in their hotel rooms during their honeymoon. When Rebecca walked down the aisle, she was initially unimpressed with Bailey as she revealed she was looking for an ‘alpha male’.
“I’m not sure if he’s alpha or not. He’s not my type,” the 32-year-old said in a confessional. However, Bailey has seemingly won her over with his romantic gestures during their honeymoon trip after he organised a sweet date when the hotel restaurants shut down due to a cyclone.
In a first look clip shared with The Mirror, Bailey is seen throwing rose petals onto the bed while Rebecca finished getting ready in the bathroom.
“Because of the cyclone, the restaurants are all closed in the hotel tonight so Bailey has told me to get dressed up and he’s going to sort it,” Rebecca said in a voiceover.
Bailey placed a plate of food in the middle of the bed, lit a few candles and poured them two glasses of rosé wine. When she emerged from the bathroom, an impressed Rebecca told him: “Wow, this is so nice.”
“It’s so nice to see him being really romantic and gentle and go to loads of effort for the date,” she told the cameras.
“Is this what you do for all your first dates?” she asked her new husband after they took a sip of wine. He cheekily answered: “No, only for you.”
Before their wedding ceremony, Rebecca discussed her ideal partner, stating: “I’m attracted to the alpha male. I’m attracted to the big man that can lead me by the hand.”
She added: “My standards are very high, I like to be in order and I like things to look nice. I won’t settle for anything less than perfection in my life and I feel the same about my relationships.”
Rebecca explained: “I’m attracted to the alpha male. Somebody tall, confident and who’s sure of themselves,” before adding she hoped an “alpha male” would be waiting for her at the altar.
“I’m picturing a man who’s got stature about him, I want him to be a dominant figure. I’ve walked away from something before because I didn’t want to settle. If they don’t tick enough boxes for me straight away, I will say how I feel,” she said.
However, when she finally met her new husband, the contestant admitted: “Alarm bells are going off in my head. He’s not my type.”
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN was booed back at Brentford in United colours for having the temerity to join England’s biggest club three years ago.
And Bryan Mbeumo can expect similar treatment after the rancour around his transfer.
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Bryan Mbeumo is set to face the boo boys when he faces Brentford with Man UnitedCredit: Getty
United felt Brentford attempted to railroad Mbeumo into joining Tottenham or Newcastle United, convinced that he would be on a lower wage that would then drive up his transfer fee. Mbeumo joined United for £65, rising to £71m.
When Brentford finally relented and sold the AWOL Yoane Wissa to Newcastle on deadline day, it was for £50m plus £5m in add-ons.
Wissa is an actual striker and scored as many goals as Mbeumo last season, which undermined Brentford’s belief that they could have recouped more from Spurs or Newcastle for Mbeumo.
Xavi Simons and Nick Woltemade, Tottenham and Newcastle’s most expensive summer signings, were not as costly as Mbeumo.
The press room at the Community Stadium is so tight you tend to literally rub shoulders with colleagues. Staff from United and Brentford may keep their distance.
MAIN ATTRACTION
KOBBIE MAINOO is out of the United side and one of his closest teammates, Alejandro Garnacho, was out in the cold before he left last month.
But Mainoo has a new best pal in Leny Yoro.
Mainoo and Yoro have grown close since the latter joined United from Lille last summer.
Mainoo started learning Spanish while he was out two years ago as Garnacho and Amad are both fluent in the language.
Garnacho remains tight with Amad – the pair are represented by the same agent – as they demonstrated with last week’s infamous Instagram Story that Amad received online abuse for.
Man Utd owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe spotted at one of his other clubs despite admitting ‘level of football not high enough’
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Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro have become bestiesCredit: Getty
Mainoo is something of an outlier in that he has gravitated towards foreign teammates.
Although Yoro spoke impeccable English at the time of his £59million transfer.
PORT OF CALL
PORTUGUESE pair Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot both attended the Lewis Capaldi concert at Co-Op Live after last week’s victory over Chelsea.
Members of the Fernandes family had flown over from Portugal for the occasion.
Or to provide childcare for his two children.
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Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot watched Lewis Capaldi’s concert togetherCredit: Getty
CARR INSURANCE
THE NEW home matchday schedule for United players to report at Carrington before boarding a bus for Old Trafford caused confusion for some of the younger squad members last month.
A handful of youngsters assumed the team coach would ferry them back to the training complex after the game, where they had naively left their vehicles.
Senior players are usually dropped off at Carrington by a spouse or confidant and so their vehicle is in place at the stadium post-match.
Some stranded junior members of the squad had to get Ubers to the training base after a game to be reunited with their vehicles.
Erik ten Hag scrapped United’s pre-match stays at The Lowry Hotel in 2022 and the squad would arrive four hours before kick-off for home games.
Ruben Amorim has opted to delay United’s travel time and they now tend to get to their ground an hour-and-a-half before kick-off.
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Some players had to take Ubers back from Old Trafford to their cars at CarringtonCredit: Getty
HARDY ABLE
UNITED are in the process of signing teenage goalkeeper Charlie Hardy from Derby County.
Hardy, 16, has played five times for England Under 16s and is going through formalities to complete a move to United.
He was named on the bench against United U18s when he was only 14 last year and made his debut for Derby U18s at the age of 15.
As a category one scholar, Hardy can move to another English club at any time over the course of the season.
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Man Utd are closing in on a deal for Charlie HardyCredit: Getty
PELL RINGER
MANUEL PELLEGRINI thinks Antony just needed an arm put around him and a club that makes him feel important.
United reject Antony, 25, has been reborn at Real Betis after a miserable two years at Old Trafford.
The Brazil winger sparkled after joining Betis on loan in January and made the move permanent after long talks brought a deadline-day switch for up to £21.6m.
United included a 50 per cent sell-on clause in the deal for Antony, who followed a classy assist with a late goal to secure a 2-2 draw in Wednesday’s Europa League opener against Nottingham Forest.
Before the game, Betis boss Pellegrini, 72, said: “I try to make them feel the best so that they can also give me their best.”
Antony is much better suited to La Liga, where he is more comfortable with the ball at his feet and not so physically pressed.
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Antony has been backed to be a hit again at Real BetisCredit: AP
As a major storm rushed toward Florida last October, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the time faced a different kind of threat. Police had shown up in force to a rental property she owned as a result of a prank call, in a potentially dangerous attack known as “swatting.”
Back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton had sparked a torrent of online conspiracies, with FEMA officials facing harassment and death threats, according to hundreds of pages of agency emails and other documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by Bloomberg News. The records shed new light on how disaster-related misinformation affects the government’s emergency response, sucks up internal resources, and puts staff at risk.
Deanne Criswell, who ran FEMA under President Joe Biden, learned about the swatting situation as she was about to brief TV viewers on Milton, one of the most powerful storms on record to develop in the Gulf of Mexico. “It was a very unsettling feeling,” she said in a recent interview, thinking back on how she juggled her concern for her renters along with preparing Floridians for the storm.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, November 20, 2024.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Many of the attacks outlined in the documents have not previously been reported, including the doxxing of at least seven senior FEMA staffers. In those incidents sensitive personal information, such as home addresses, was published online for the purpose of harassment. The records also reveal challenges the agency faced as it tried to control the situation.
The incidents followed an online wave of disinformation suggesting FEMA was mishandling the response to the hurricanes that pummeled Florida and North Carolina in the lead up to the presidential election. Among the debunked claims swirling at the time were reports that agency workers had seized property from survivors and confiscated donations.
The offensive diverted agency time and resources to set the record straight and protect personnel. “It made my staff nervous,” said Criswell. “It made people in the community nervous. They didn’t know who to believe. They didn’t know who to trust.”The threat of misinformation continues to loom over the agency at a time when President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have made steep cuts to its staffing and funding, including pulling back on some of the resources FEMA used last fall to combat threats. In the aftermath of deadly Texas floods in July, for example, conspiracy theories online blamed cloud seeding.
“The profit-driven platform model, where sensational falsehoods outperform factual updates in emergencies, ensures this problem persists across political cycles and it can put lives at risk,” said Callum Hood, head of research at the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate.
A FEMA spokesperson said in an email the agency “uses internal DHS resources to identify and mitigate any personal threats to employees.”
A trail of disinformation
Workers, community members, and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, North Carolina, Sept. 30, 2024.
(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Im)
Hurricane Helene made landfall in the middle of the night on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm, causing historic flooding far inland and killing at least 250 people. Western North Carolina was particularly hard hit. Flood waters swept away small towns and cut off others, while Asheville lost water for more than a month. Almost immediately, FEMA staff had to confront false rumors circulating online, including that it had stopped accepting housing assistance applications from survivors and didn’t have enough funds to help them.
FEMA officials and experts attribute the quick spread of disinformation to historic government mistrust in the area, as well as social media platforms ratcheting back moderation. High-profile figures including X owner Elon Musk and Trump, then in the late stages of his bid to retake the White House, repeated some of the false claims. Trump, for example, said multiple times during his campaign rallies FEMA was directing disaster funds to immigrants.
For example, the agency shared a screenshot taken from a TruthSocial post from Oct. 5 that stated: “Deanne Criswell needs to be executed for crimes against humanity and treason!” An Oct. 6 post on Gab, a social media site favored by the far right, called for the “Mussolini treatment” of various officials. “The only question: Is there enough rope?” read one of the responses.
Jacyln Rothenberg, the agency’s spokesperson at the time, was among the most heavily targeted, leading Homeland Security to loan Customs and Border Protection agents to provide security at her home. “Because the doxxing was so severe and my safety was at risk, I had to stop tweeting,” she said. “I had to stop doing interviews. I had to stop putting myself on the record.”
FEMA staff also found what it called “far-right” users posting possible personal information for numerous officials, including Criswell, Coen and Rothenberg, internal documents show.
Attacks on FEMA Offline
As a second powerful hurricane — Milton — developed off the coast of Florida, the attacks on staffers’ started migrating from the internet to their homes. After Criswell’s rental property was swatted, among other “serious threats,” then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas signed off on a government vehicle and extra security to protect the embattled FEMA chief.
Then it happened to someone else. “My deputy Jenna Peters’ home was swatted,” Coen told FEMA’s security team in an email on Oct. 11. Peters did not respond to a request for comment.
The most high-profile incident involved a man allegedly “hunting” FEMA staff in North Carolina’s disaster zone. On Criswell’s orders, she said in an email to other top Biden officials: “All FEMA staff and contractors working to interact with survivors and conducting housing inspections, as well as search and rescue teams stood down following the initial reports.”
Elena Gonzalez, 37, looks at their burned-out home after Hurricane Milton’s landfall on October 14, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida.
(Eva Marie Uzcategui/The Washington Post via Getty Im)
Afterwards, FEMA put together a Workplace Protection Task Force involving security, intelligence and communications professionals to manage incoming threats. Protective measures included using specialized software to flag personnel previously targeted online as at risk of more harassment. But there were limits to how far the government could influence content moderation. At the time, outspoken Republicans led by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan were investigating tech companies, alleging that the platforms were censoring conservative viewpoints under federal government pressure.
After initially approving ZeroFox to assist with facilitating takedowns, FEMA later asked that the company end all social media content removal requests. Per internal documents, the move came after staff discussions that it wasn’t advisable for the agency to contract for services that took any action beyond passive threat monitoring. ZeroFox declined to comment.
Supporters of 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a boat parade near a house damaged in Hurricane Milton, Siesta Key, Florida, October 26, 2024.
(Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s team has already overseen a massive scale back of FEMA’s staffing, funding and programming. As part of a review of contracts, FEMA ended its agreement with ZeroFox, according to a former official familiar with the situation. A FEMA spokesperson confirmed that it ended the ZeroFox contract in April. For Melissa Ryan, founder of Card Strategies, a consulting firm that researches disinformation, the current political climate — in which public officials who attempt to provide transparency are often politicized and attacked — is a bigger obstacle than budget cuts in the fight against false claims. “So many of the new government appointees are Trump loyalists, and attempting to actually respond effectively to disinformation would make whoever made the attempt a target for MAGA and the administration,” she said.
MEXICO CITY — It was pouring buckets of rain at the Estadio GNP Seguros on Saturday night, when Oasis played one of two sold-out reunion shows in Mexico City.
Lined at the entrance were tents stuffed with bootleg tour merch and fans seeking respite from the water. You could hear the sloshing of wet socks and Adidas Sambas as they price-checked knockoff memorabilia emblazoned with the Gallagher brothers’ iconically muggy faces.
For 200 pesos, you could get a T-shirt with Noel and Liam Gallagher as fighting cats, or characters from “Peanuts” and “The Simpsons.”
While a downpour isn’t the ideal weather condition for an outdoor concert — my Bohemian FC x Oasis collab football jersey went unseen under a fashionable rain parka — it was certainly fitting for a band thatroutinely, perhapsobsessively, singsaboutrain. Yet for Mexican fans of Oasis who’ve anxiously waited years to finally see the brothers reunite, it was all sunsheeeeIIIIIINE.
Outside the entry gates, father and son Santiago and Omar Zepeda, both sporting bucket hats, had a palpable buzz radiating off them as they eagerly waited to enter the stadium. It was a multigenerationally significant day for them.
“I came for the first time with my dad in ’98 at the Palacio de Deportes to see Oasis, and now I get to bring my son,” said Santiago, who came from Guadalajara with his 14-year-old in tow. “There was a moment that I said we’ll just go without tickets and see what we do. We’ll get in because we’ll get in. I feel incredible to be able to have done what I did with my father 27 years later now with my son.”
In August of last year, the Manchester-bred Gallagher brothers — who had been openly feuding for decades — declared that war was over on the 30th anniversary of their 1994 juggernaut debut, “Definitely Maybe.”
“The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over,” they announced. As reunion tour dates opened, and two Mexico City stops were announced, Mexican fans expressed pure elation and flooded Ticketmaster once the sale went live. As you can imagine, it was online bedlam.
Waiting in the Ticketmaster queue filled Esteban Ricardo Sainz Coronado, 24, and Sara Pedraza, 25, with dread. The young couple came in from Monterrey, Nuevo León, but it was uncertain whether they’d make it to what Coronado called “a collective reunion that’s cultural and transcends more than music history.”
Pedraza waited three hours in Ticketmaster’s virtual line, almost missing school and her chance to secure seats as she kept getting bumped off the site. “I stubbornly kept trying and after I don’t know how many attempts, it worked,” Pedraza said. “It was such a huge relief.”
Like Coronado and Sainz, the reunion tour is millions of fans’ first opportunity to see Oasis play live, as they would have been far too young or not even born yet during their heyday. For longtime Oasis heads, it was a chance to once again be in community with their favorite band.
British bands have long had a foothold in Mexico’s alternative scenes, with fans of all ages still packing bars and venues to hear Primal Scream, Blur, Pulp and, of course, Morrissey and the Smiths. These groups have had an enduring, impassioned following that has been explored in books, articles and films, with Mexicans often feeling a spiritual and cultural connection to the U.K.’s music scene stemming back to the Beatles. Oasis could have sold out shows across Mexico 10 times over.
After acrimoniously (and unsurprisingly) breaking up in 2009, the hope to ever see the Gallaghers fill a stadium with the staple of acoustic jam sessions worldwide, “Wonderwall,” dimmed. The brothers’ endless swipes at each other in the media post-breakup didn’t give fans hope they’d get back to “living forever.” Mexican fans even prayed to La Virgen de Guadalupe that the infamously combative brothers wouldn’t break up again even hours before showtime.
“As long as they don’t fight!” said Hector Garduño, who came to the show with his partner, Sofia Carrera, from Querétaro. “That’s what we want, for them not to fight.”
Gracias a la virgencita, the tour has seemingly been all love. The skies eventually cleared up on Saturday, and the stadium indeed filled with Oasis’ soaring, anthemic bangers for 2 ½ hours. For days leading up to the Mexico City date, fans in my orbit and social feeds debated how the show would compare with the crowd at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, where Oasis played the previous weekend.
“[Mexican audiences are] on another level,” said Garduño. “I think these dudes are going to be taken by surprise. I expect jumping, screaming, crying; the emotion of hearing those songs that really move you.”
Mauri Barranco, who came to the show with her best friend, said “I feel like we give a lot of ourselves. That’s why so many artists like coming to Mexico.”
Meanwhile, Alberto Folch, from Mexico City, saw his own audience participation as a challenge. “With all the vibes, with all the emotion, we’re ready to jump, to show them what Mexico is made of,” he said. “Tonight we’re rock ‘n’ roll stars.”
The 65,000 fans in attendance undoubtedly showed up sobbing and screeching with unbridled elation. Liam Gallagher played to the locals, donning a sombrero de charro during “Wonderwall” and the show closer “Champagne Supernova.” The band sounded as if no time had passed since its salad days, with the members’ vocals and musicianship arguably tighter than ever — perhaps a positive side effect of pulling back from the rock star lifestyle now that they’re in their 50s. The sound reverberated clean across the stadium as well (shoutout to L-Acoustics, who provided the sound for the reunion tour), and was praised nonstop by fans I spoke to throughout the weekend. I heard a lot of emphatic cries of “el sonido, güey!”
I pogo’d along with my fellow “madferits” as we turned away from the stage and linked arms to do the Poznań: a signature move at every show, borrowed from Manchester City F.C. fans. During “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” we shouted every lyric and were sprayed by flying beers thrown in raucous excitement.
I’ve never felt more giddy to get splashed with spit-riddled beer — and seemingly neither did anyone around me, who shouted joyful obscenities in Spanish. Three men behind me even sobbed into each other’s chests during “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and the stadium filled with cellphone lights as Noel Gallagher crooned “Talk Tonight.”
The rain didn’t fall again, but even if it had, it would have still felt like the sun.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander has said Labour MPs will be feeling “despondent” following a chaotic week which has seen the sacking of Lord Mandelson and the resignation of Angela Rayner.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing questions over why he appointed Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US despite his known links to the convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein.
The government said Mandelson was dismissed after emails were published which appear to show the Labour peer offering Epstein support after his conviction.
MPs and government insiders are increasingly blaming the prime minister’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney for the appointment.
Several senior Labour figures claimed that McSweeney had been resisting the inevitability of Mandelson’s departure on Wednesday, with one insider describing “cold, hard fury” amongst those in Downing Street about the episode.
However, another senior Downing Street source claimed this was nonsense, saying that by Wednesday afternoon McSweeney was adamant that Mandelson’s position was untenable.
A government minister said they were “starting to wonder how sustainable it is” for McSweeney to stay in post.
One Labour MP said: “Panic has started to set in”, urging the prime minister to “get a grip” and warning that only publishing correspondence between No 10, McSweeney and Lord Mandelson before his appointment as ambassador would “put this to bed”.
Another Labour MP said “It’s quite clear the buck should stop with him [McSweeney].
“When Sue Gray was chief of staff [Mandelson] wasn’t even on the short list. It’s just disgusting.”
One other said the handling of the situation had been “a shambles”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “In retrospect, of course, if (it) had been known at the time what is known now, the appointment wouldn’t have been made.”
Acknowledging it had been a difficult week for Labour he said: “Many of us were devastated by [deputy PM] Angela Rayner’s departure from the government last week.
“She’s an extraordinary woman who’s overcome the most extraordinary challenges and we are grieving and feel quite acutely that sense of loss.
“Now to have the dismissal of Peter Mandelson just the next week, I totally get it, of course Labour MPs will be despondent that in two weeks in a row we have seen significant resignations from public service.
“These are not the headlines any of us in government or in Parliament would have chosen or wanted.
“But the fact is when the evidence emerged, action had to be taken and we are looking forward, therefore, to moving on.”
Conservative frontbencher Alex Burghart said his party would force a vote in Parliament to release the documents that the prime minister and the foreign secretary were shown before appointing Lord Mandelson.
“Those documents exist, they will be on file… it’s inconceivable they would not have been shown concerns raised by the security services through the vetting process,” he told BBC Breakfast.
The Liberal Democrats have said there should be a review of vetting procedures.
Paula Barker – who dropped out of the deputy Labour leader race on Thursday – said: “The delay in sacking him has only served to further erode the trust and confidence in our government and politics in the round.”
Charlotte Nichols said Mandelson’s sacking was “not immediate enough unfortunately, as he should never have been appointed in the first place”.
Sadik Al-Hassan said there were “serious questions about the vetting process of the ambassador”.
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage said Lord Mandelson was “an enormously talented bloke” but his appointment “was a serious misjudgement from the prime minister.”
He said it “is about the prime minister’s judgement but also about the role that Morgan McSweeney plays in this government” adding: “I think McSweeney’s role is now considerably in doubt.”
Some Labour MPs have publicly expressed anger at how the situation with Mandelson has been handled.
Lord Mandelson’s association with Epstein was publicly known when he was given the Washington job.
However, at the start of the week, US lawmakers published documents from Epstein’s estate including 2003 birthday messages from Mandelson in which he refers to Epstein as “my best pal”.
Sir Keir initially stood by Lord Mandelson and on Wednesday said “due process” had been followed in his appointment.
But the following day he decided to sack his ambassador.
It came after a series of emails from Lord Mandelson to Epstein were published by the Sun and Bloomberg.
The emails included supportive messages Mandelson sent after Epstein had pleaded guilt to soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
In one message, Mandelson is reported to have told Epstein to “fight for early release” and, the day before began his sentence, “I think the world of you.”
The BBC has been told the information published on Wednesday evening was not available to those in government when Lord Mandelson was appointed, as they came from what has been described as a “long closed” email address.
Douglas Alexander said he felt “incredulity and revulsion” when he read the emails, which he said “had not in any way reached the prime minister” during the appointment process.
“When that reached the prime minister’s desk, he acted and dismissed the ambassador.”
He said Lord Mandelson had initially been appointed because the UK needed an “unconventional ambassador” to work with Donald Trump’s “unconventional presidential administration”.
James Roscoe, the deputy head of the Washington embassy, has been appointed as interim ambassador ahead of the US President’s state visit to the UK next week.
Additional reporting by political correspondents Nick Eardley and Georgia Roberts
EXCLUSIVE: Stand-up comic Maisie Adam is taking on the new series of Channel 4’s Taskmaster – but admits that it wasn’t always plain sailing in an exclusive chat with The Mirror
Taskmaster star Maisie Adam has revealed that she struggled with her outfit throughout filming the show(Image: Channel 4)
Given her chilled on-stage persona, you might think stand-up comic Maisie Adam never gets flustered. But she discovered a much angrier side to herself on Taskmaster.
The 8 Out O f 10 Cats star felt like a competition winner when she joined the cast of the hit Channel 4 series, alongside Unforgotten ’s Sanjeev Bhaskar, Inside No. 9 ’s Reece Shearsmith and comedians Ania Magliano and Phil Ellis. But she admits the show brought out some “deep-rooted anger” that she took out on hosts Greg Davies and Alex Horne.
“It’s really fun going into the tasks at the time, but I was so shocked at how stressed I got with each one,” she confesses. “I didn’t realise I was such a panicky person.
Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam and Phil Ellis taking on a Taskmaster challenge(Image: Channel 4)
“I was very quick to blame Alex and his silly little clipboard and quite quick to get personal with him. I would also protest to Greg if I thought he’d been unfair with the points-awarding.
“I know I can be competitive but competitiveness mixed with a total lack of ability is a dangerous mix to have exposed to you with a mirror held up.”
Maisie credits her husband Michael Dobinson, who works in the tech world, for keeping her grounded. The pair got married in 2023, shortly before she took part in that year’s Soccer Aid.
“He’s very supportive and likes to watch stuff that I’ve been on, but it’s really nice that he isn’t in comedy. If you’re both in it, it can sometimes be a bit of a bubble. You forget there’s a real world out there,” she admits.
“Comedy is quite a self-absorbed job. It’s always about you, whether you’re funny or not. It’s quite a validation-seeking profession. I would worry that if I was with somebody who was also in comedy, we’d end up asking each other for feedback.”
Maisie is more than happy not to talk about her work when she’s at home with Michael.
“I guess some people really enjoy being able to both relate to the same frustrations and highs and lows of their job, but some, like me, can’t imagine anything worse than discussing it when you’re in your own home,” she says.
“There’s comedian Maisie and there’s Maisie at home. I quite like getting home and turning off Maisie the comedian and just being a football-obsessed normal person.”
Maisie Adam, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Alex Horne, Greg Davies, Phil Ellis, Ania Magliano and Reece Shearsmith on Taskmaster(Image: Channel 4)
Maisie has been on TV panels with comedy greats and has interviewed football legends on her Big Kick Energy podcast, but Taskmaster gave her the chance to finally spend time with her childhood hero: host Greg Davies.
“My mum and dad took me to see Greg when I was 14 at our local theatre,” she says. “He had this bit about a student who got locked in a storage cupboard from when he was a teacher. It was the first time I’d seen live stand-up comedy where I’d been literally bent double and my ribs hurt from laughing. Tears were streaming down my face.
“If you’d told that person that 15 years later she’d be on Taskmaster with him, that would have blown her mind. I couldn’t bring myself to fangirl over him on set – I didn’t want him to feel awkward, so I played it cool.”
But it was hard to stay nonchalant when dealing with wardrobe malfunctions throughout the series.
“My plan was to be like Sandy from Grease – she does whatever it takes to come out on top. She changes herself and takes up smoking to win the top prize. In that case it’s a man, which doesn’t reflect well any more.
“The difficulty was, I didn’t blow the budget when it came to getting the outfit. It was cheap and synthetic, so I slipped on everything because of the cheap shoes – and the flammable leggings would catch on everything.”
As a result, Maisie’s trousers regularly fell down on the show. “It was mortifying and it got progressively more humiliating and, dare I say, depressing as the studio records went on,” she cringes.
“This was going to be a common theme – flashing my underwear thanks to a pair of synthetic leggings on the biggest comedy show I’ve been waiting years to be booked on. That’s probably my number one regret.”
The presenting duo brought TV viewers a jam-packed show, featuring guest interviews and all of the latest headlines, as well as a money-saving segment with Martin Lewis, but the star was unfortunately running late to the studio.
Ben and Cat kicked things off by sharing an insight into ITV’s 70th anniversary celebration, which took place on Monday (8 September) evening at Guildhall in London, with all of the broadcaster’s regular stars in attendance.
Ben revealed his co-star was running late due to traffic caused by a tube strike (Image: ITV)
“Dermot was there, of course. Olivia came along, was sitting on our table. We had a really lovely time talking to some of the guests,” Ben said.
He added: “Martin, who is going to be joining us a little bit later on, we think he’s a little bit stuck in traffic.”
Cat then interjected: “It’s the tube strike, isn’t it?” however, Ben hinted there could be another reason behind Martin’s lateness, adding: “He was still there when I left, at half past 10!”
Laughing, Cat then quipped: “Ah, so it’s not the tube strike!”
Thankfully, Martin eventually made it to the ITV studio in time for his This Morning segment, titled September Savings.
He shared a number of money-saving tips with viewers, with a focus on summer holidays. Martin explained how to get money back for delayed flights and ways to get the most out of suncream in a bid to help people save cash.
Martin made it to the This Morning studio eventually (Image: ITV)
The financial journalist, who hosts The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, had shared an update regarding the tube strike with fans on social media late on Monday evening.
Posting a photograph from a very busy street in the capital, Martin told his followers: “Walking past a bus stop on New Oxford Street, London in the middle of a tube strike.”
Thousands of people faced delays on Monday as the London Tube strike took hold, shutting down nearly all services. The strike continued on Tuesday, enterting its second full day.
Industrial action began on Sunday (7 September) over pay and conditions, and the Tube is not expected to reopen until Friday (12 September).
Champion quizzer Mark Labbett, who is best known for showcasing his knowledge on The Chase, has recently struck up a connection with beautician Deanne, and it shows no signs of stopping now.
In the latest episode, the pair were invited to a brunch where they had to tell the others what they thought of each other. Mark said: “We thought we’d get on, it’s been great and we are just seeing how it goes!” Both parties confirmed they would like to go on another date with one another.
Paul claimed that Mark was ’emotionally unintelligent’ (Image: Channel 4)
But things took a sour turn when Mark, 60, turned to the dating experts Paul C. Brunson, Anna Williamson and Dr. Tara Suwinyattichaiporn to claim that he had known better than them all along.
He said: “We have just enjoyed each other’s company and sometimes there’s a little bit of overthinking it. We’ve not been the master strategists that you are, but, let’s face it, we’re smarter than you!”
Paul did not take kindly to the comment and things turned tense as he shot back: “Do you know why you always insult us? Because your emotional intelligence is on zero.”
Mark hit back sarcastically: “Sorry, but I’m nice to the people that count!” Paul would not let it drop and said: “When you get nervous, you insult people,” and Mark joked: “No just you!” and tried to say that it was some kind of ‘teaching response’.
Mark said he was only prepared to be ‘nice to the people that count’ as he gestured towards Deanne (Image: Channel 4)
Paul continued to lay into Mark but as the TV quizzer checked his watch to indicate boredom, Paul raged: “What you did right there, that’s contempt. You wanna be a teacher? Try being a damn student first!”
Things seemed to simmer down a bit when Mark, who previously dated TV presenter Hayley Palmer before she claimed he had split up with her on the phone, and prior to that was married to his second cousin Katie, 34, apologised for what he said.
In a confessional, Mark said: “I’ve upset Paul. I didn’t mean to but I don’t like talking about my feelings, especially in front of a lot of people.”
Back at the brunch, Mark eventually said: “I’m sorry,” but Paul demanded to know whether his apology was ‘genuine’. Mark said: “It is!” and the pair agreed to put it behind them.
Hundreds of Palestinians risked their lives to reach aid trucks as they arrived in northern Gaza. Amid volleys of gunfire, crowds of people climbed onto moving trucks to grab whatever food they could to feed their starving families. Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al Khalili was there.
