Joe

England in New Zealand: Harry Brook century in vain as Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith fall cheaply

While Brook has had two weeks in New Zealand, Root, Smith and fellow opener Ben Duckett were in the middle for the first time in more than six weeks.

The two remaining matches in this series, plus the one warm-up in Australia, will be their only further opportunities to find form before the first Test on 21 November.

Four runs combined for three players so crucial to England’s hopes is clearly not ideal but significant credit must be given to New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers.

Henry began the match with a delivery that jagged back significantly to bowl Smith through the gate and barely relented with his accuracy throughout his opening spell of eight overs.

Playing only his second ODI, Zak Foulkes was highly impressive and found 0.96 degrees of seam movement plus 1.99 degrees of swing in the first 10 overs – a significant jump from the recent average of 0.89 and 1.41 respectively at this ground.

Duckett nicked a Foulkes ball from round the wicket that angled in before moving away and Root was bowled by a hooping inswinger, albeit one not full enough for his booming drive.

Perhaps the 23-year-old’s best delivery was saved for Jacob Bethell.

The left-hander looked to play another from Foulkes straight down the pitch but was bowled when the ball swung away late to beat his outside edge.

It left Bethell helpless as he tried to apply more pressure to Ollie Pope’s position as Test number three.

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X Factor winner Joe McElderry says he’ll be ‘eternally single’ as he opens up on doomed dating life

X FACTOR winner Joe McElderry says he’ll be ‘eternally single’ while opening up on his dating life.

The talented 34-year-old became a household name after he won the show in 2009, as a fresh-faced 18-year-old with Cheryl as his mentor.

X FACTOR winner Joe McElderry says he’ll be ‘eternally single’ while opening up on his dating lifeCredit: Supplied
Joe won the X Factor in 2009Credit: Rex Features
He has spoken to The Sun about his new tourCredit: Channel 4

But where his career has thrived, Joe’s not had the same success when it comes to dating

Joe referred to himself as “eternally single” in a chat with The Sun, while adding: “I’ve been single for a very, very long time. 

“And I mean I listen, I’m open to meeting somebody and I’d love to meet somebody, but I think dating is so hard now.

“Online dating is a minefield, and I don’t think people meet people unless it’s on dating apps now, which is crazy. It’s kind of sad in a way.” 

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And if he is to meet someone, they’d have to get the green light from his grandma Hilda. 

Joe continued: “She’s a very good judge of character. You’ll know if she doesn’t trust somebody or she doesn’t like somebody. 

“In our industry, you can come across some dodgy people, but she can call it out in seconds of somebody walking in a room and I’m like, that’s a wise woman.”

Joe shares a very close bond with his grandma Hilda, with the pair set to do a live recording of their popular podcast That’s Ridiculous, on October 23rd. 

The booked and busy star is also delighting audiences across the North East with his autumn tour, culminating in his one-night-only Festive Party at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on 1st December.

Sharing more about tour life, the Climb singer told us: “It’s a very short tour in comparison to what I normally do, but I’ve been on the road with Joseph the musical since January. 

“We finished that in August, and the original plan was to kind of just have October off, and chill out, and then I got halfway through the year and I was like, I feel like I’m gonna miss touring. 

“So we managed to kind of shoehorn in about 10 shows, it’s been great.  We’ve done three of them already and it’s been lovely and it’s my favourite thing to do, just to be in the room with people that support me and know my music.” 

The star shared his pre-show ritual which he has stuck by for years – but admits it’s “not for everyone.” 

Joe continued: “The weirdest thing I do is I gargle bicarbonate of soda. 

Joe’s tour dates

Fans still have the chance to catch Joe live throughout October, with highlights including his special That’s Ridiculous live podcast with Grandma Hilda at The Customs House in South Shields.

  • 23 October* – Customs House, South Shields
  • 24 October – Customs House, South Shields
  • 25 October – Customs House, South Shields
  • 26 October – Playhouse, Whitley Bay

“Years ago, a wonderful supporter of mine sent a letter in and he was saying how it’s like an remedy, and so I read this letter and I thought that sounds a bit strange, but I’m going to give it a go and honestly, I mean I’m not a doctor, so if anybody reads this as advice, do it at your own risk, but it’s like a miracle cure for the voice, it’s like a natural antiseptic. 

“You don’t swallow it or anything, it’s just a gargle on your voice. But I swear by it. I have it half an hour before the show. I sometimes have it in the interval of a show. And I even have it in a quick change if I’m struggling on a show day.” 

The 34-year-old admits huge singers have taken his advice in the past after asking what could work to help their vocal chords. 

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“It does taste disgusting, but honestly not one person has ever come back and gone, #that didn’t work,’” Joe added. 

Tickets for both the tour and the festive show at O2 City Hall are available via Joe’s official website and venue box offices – www.joemcelderryofficial.com.

X factor winner Joe with his grandma, Hilda, during his X Factor heydayCredit: Alamy
Where his career has thrived, Joe hasn’t had the same success when it comes to datingCredit: Supplied
The star is currently doing an autumn tourCredit: Supplied
Joe became a household name after winning Britain’s biggest singing contestCredit: Pixel

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Khalil Mack questionable for Chargers vs. Colts; Joe Alt doubtful

Khalil Mack unspooled his elbow wrap and removed his brace as he spoke to reporters Thursday for the first time since sustaining his injury last month. Does Mack, the Chargers’ star outside linebacker, believe he can play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts?

“For sure,” he said.

That will ultimately be up to general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh, Mack said. The 34-year-old, in his fourth season with the Chargers, said he’s “slightly ready to go” if his number is called upon, just days after his 21-day activation window opened Tuesday.

Mack was listed as questionable Friday, along with wide receiver Derius Davis, linebacker Troy Dye, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and linebacker Denzel Perryman. Running back Hassan Haskins also was listed as questionable after practicing all week.

Offensive tackle Joe Alt (ankle) was listed as doubtful for Sunday. Alt practiced Thursday and Friday.

“I’m not going to say I can or can’t,” Alt said Wednesday when asked whether he’d play. “We’re just going to continue to progress and see where it means for me going forward.”

Defensive back Elijah Molden (thumb) did not practice all week and was also listed as doubtful. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston (hamstring) is set to play after missing last week’s win over the Miami Dolphins.

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Joe Swash admits huge ‘identity struggle’ after family tragedy leaves ‘big gulf’

The TV star is passionate about helping young men to get support in their roles as new dads, after losing his own father at a young age

As a father of six kids aged between two and 17, Joe Swash knows a thing or two about parenting. But the TV star says that when he first became a dad, aged 25, he felt “vulnerable, under-prepared” and ignored by society.

And he fears that things might have got even worse since then, which inspired him to make a film to highlight the desperate situation that many young fathers trying to raise their children find themselves in.

Joe, 43, lost his own father when he was just 11 and had no role model to guide him through while he was raising baby Harry, now 17, with his former partner Emma Sophocleous.

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“From what I’ve found, there’s not a lot of support out there for young dads, and if there is some, it’s very, very difficult to find,” says Joe, who now has a large blended family with his wife Stacey Solomon.

“I’ve got six kids that I look after. Being a dad is a really big part of my life. And I remember being so vulnerable, so under-prepared for my first child, not really knowing anything, not really having anywhere to go for some help. My dad wasn’t around. There were no charities geared towards young dads.When I’d go to,a child parent club, it was always going to the mother-child club. I never felt really included.”

Joe’s relationship with Emma broke down just a few months after Harry’s birth and Joe wonders whether the large number of single parent families in the UK could be partly down to the lack of support for young fathers.

“I feel like it’s an area that’s been overlooked,” he explains. “There are lots of absent dads out there and I just want to know whether all of them are absent because they want to be or because there wasn’t enough support for them. If that’s the case then I want to shine a light on that and let people know that there’s got to be something done to make the situation better.”

In his new documentary, Joe meets several young men who are learning on the job and trying to be good dads to their kids. He believes that having positive male role models is not only beneficial for the children – it’s a massive help for men too. Without his own dad to learn from, Joe admits he found the transition into fatherhood really difficult. “I do think it sort of really shaped who I am as a person. You know, not having a dad. I didn’t really know there’d be any issues with it until I’ve got older. I struggle with my identity,” he admits. “What sort of man am I? Am

I expected to be an alpha male? There’s lots of things I struggle with because I never had my dad there.”

One young man in the film is Wyatt, who is currently living separately from his partner and their child because of their circumstances, but is determined to make it work out. Joe says: “I always get this feeling, you now, we should be celebrating people like Wyatt and his partner, because not only are they young but they’re doing a fantastic job and we should be celebrating these positive role models.

“I can definitely feel Wyatt’s pain, you know, because all he wants to do is be with his partner and his child, be a family.”

Looking at the young men who features in the one-off show, he recognises himself in all of them. “I can see a lot of the vulnerabilities in the young men that we met in this documentary because I felt that way,” Joe says. “It’s a real big gulf in your life when you haven’t got a dad or a positive male role model. I remember being young and just craving someone to sort of put their arm around me and look after me, but I never had one.”

Without these types of influences, Joe is concerned that there are plenty of young men who will make the wrong choices or take the wrong path. “That’s the danger,” he reasons. “They’ll fall into places with people that are not positive because they crave just someone looking out for them.”

He’d like teen dads, or those their twenties, to have somewhere to turn for help and advice. “It would help if there was more set up for young dads where they could be around other young dads and they can start the conversation,” he says. “When you first get a baby in your hands, it’s so delicate. You’re so scared of it. The thought of changing a nappy is quite daunting. You know, if you’re not taught it and no one’s showed you it, how are you going to learn it? So I just feel like there’s got to be more places out there for dads wanting to be dads.”

And he points out that the biggest killer of young men is suicide. “We suffer in silence, we don’t open up or talk about our problems. But you put us in a room of other people that are going through the same sort of things, you don’t feel the pressure, you feel open, you want to express yourself. If we can get young dads in the room together, they would know that they’re not the only ones that are feeling these things, that are going through these emotions.

“I got to travel the length and breadth of the country meeting these young dads, listening to their stories, and the whole way along I just kept thinking to myself, ‘we’ve just got to get them talking, you know, open the conversation otherwise everyone’s just suffering in silence.”

Viewers who watch Joe’s film, Forgotten Young Dads, will see that while the group all have their individual struggles, they’re also pretty resilient. After meeting them, Joe feels both inspired and hopeful for the future. “From the time that I spent with them, I think that all of those kids are going to have great dads,” he smiles. “They were all completely hands-on. They’ve done everything from change nappies, feed them and put them to bed. And I just think that is the modern-day alpha male.”

Joe wants young men to realise that being a man isn’t about boozing and bust-ups – it’s about raising your family and getting properly involved in the next generation. “Anyone can go down to the pub and have a fight, or watch the football at the weekend. But not every man can change a nappy, get up in the middle of the night and do all the things that a real dad should do. I was very proud of them.”

– Joe Swash: Forgotten Young Dads, 8pm, Monday 20 October BBC3, Tuesday 21 October BBC1, and iPlayer

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Joe Biden starts radiation therapy for prostate cancer

Oct. 11 (UPI) — Former President Joe Biden has begun radiation therapy, in addition to hormone therapy, to treat aggressive prostate cancer, a spokesperson has confirmed.

The radiation treatments will continue over five weeks to treat the cancer that Biden, 82, first announced in May.

“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” a Biden spokesperson told NBC News.

When Biden announced his cancer diagnosis, it already had spread to his bones, which his doctors had been treating with hormone medication.

“The expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this,” Biden told CNN in May.

“It’s not in any organ,” Biden said, adding that the cancer hadn’t penetrated any of his bones.

Doctors diagnosed Biden’s prostate cancer after he reported having issues with his urinary system, which led to the discovery of a small nodule on the former president’s prostate, according to the BBC.

Doctors determined it was an aggressive form of cancer that is vulnerable to hormone treatment.

The cancer’s spread to Biden’s bones makes it incurable, but recent developments in chemotherapy and hormone therapies can greatly extend the life expectancy of those who are similarly afflicted, Dr. Benjamin Davies, a urologic oncology professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told CNN.

Biden last month also underwent Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer lesions.

While president, Biden launched a “cancer moonshot” program to advance the ways in which cancers are diagnosed and treated.

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Joe Marler smashed up house and walked out on pregnant wife in ‘lowest moment’

The former England and British and Irish Lions rugby star, who is taking part in The Celebrity Traitors, has spoken openly about his mental health struggles in recent years

Few players in world rugby have relished the physicality of the sport quite like Joe Marler, with the former England prop using his formidable size and strength to his advantage throughout his career.

On the outside, he was in fine shape and appeared to be thriving, earning 95 caps for England, finishing on the podium at two Rugby World Cups and touring with the British and Irish Lions, as well as making nearly 300 appearances for his club side Harlequins.

Known as one of rugby’s most colourful characters, with a renowned sense of humour and mastery of ‘s***housery’, all seemed well in Marler’s world. However, beneath the surface, he was struggling with his mental health.

The former loosehead – who is among the 19 celebrities participating in the first series of The Celebrity Traitors – has been open about his battles with depression and anxiety, and in recent years, has become a prominent mental health advocate.

Marler is an ambassador for CALM and fronted the Sky Sports documentary Big Boys Don’t Cry, while he has also spoken about his own mental health journey in interviews and podcast appearances, as well as in his memoir Loose Head, in which he discusses his struggles and the lessons he learnt during his rugby career, which came to an end in November last year.

In discussing his mental health, Marler has previously opened up about his “lowest point”, in which a minor row with his wife Daisy – who was seven months pregnant at the time – caused him to suddenly lose control as he “completely lost the plot”.

The England international admitted that he began destroying his kitchen and “turned the house over” in a violent outburst before storming off in his car, “not wanting to be here anymore”, leaving Daisy in tears.

Detailing the distressing 2018 incident in an interview with The Guardian, Marler revealed how he and Daisy had clashed after she became upset that he hadn’t swerved to avoid a squirrel on the road while driving back from the school drop-off.

Though it was a minor disagreement, the former prop admitted he suddenly “snapped,” explaining: “We got home and I just spiralled and lost control.

“I turned over the kitchen, punched in one of the doors. Then I got in the truck and drove off. I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. But it was a massive turning point because it was the most ashamed I’ve ever been. I didn’t recognise who I was anymore.

“After 30 minutes I came back because I was running out on everything good in my life,” Marler continued. “Daisy was crying and I was worried she was scared, but we’ve spoken about it often since then. She says, ‘I was never scared of you. I was just upset and wondering who you were and what you were doing.’

“She had no idea even during those times when she’d said, ‘Any danger of you actually being here, when you’re here?’ I wasn’t engaging because I was stuck in this fog. I didn’t feel like I could tell her or anyone because I was in complete denial there was anything wrong with me. We didn’t speak that night.”

Following the frightening episode, Marler recognised he needed to get support for his mental health and received help from the Harlequins team doctor, who spotted the damage to the prop’s hand the following day, causing him to break down in floods of tears.

Recalling seeing his wife crying in the wake of the argument, he said: “That was the moment I was just like I need help. So I went and got help. I went and saw a psychologist called Humphrey and I was not comfortable doing it, even with someone called Humphrey, and I got there and what an incredibly lovely bloke he was.”

After going to therapy and taking antidepressants, Marler is now looking after his mental health and has developed techniques to recognise warning signs. Using his experiences and platform as one of rugby’s biggest personalities, he has also worked tirelessly to break down the stigma around mental health in sport, encouraging men to have open and honest conversations and seek professional help.

In an interview with Men’s Health, the 35-year-old opened up about how he looks after his mental health now, explaining: “There are techniques I use when I feel my red mist; sometimes they work, and other times they don’t. The biggest thing was learning to recognise when I was going to start feeling that way: knowing what triggers it and finding ways to deal with it early. And to know that there’ll always be these moments.

“My mental health is the same as my physical health. In both, you can put on weight or lose weight; you can put on muscle the same way as you can control how you want to attack the day. You can’t control what might be thrown at you. But you can control how you react to it.”

He added: “We know we have to be mentally strong and physically fit, and yet we’re still rubbing up against the fact that people don’t want to talk about their mind, even though we need to be mentally sharp to compete at the top level. There’s a disconnect.

“Work and sport and the other parts of your life are not separate: your psychology is your psychology. It’s all one thing. How can I possibly focus on using those specific psychological skills for sport if I’m suffering from depression and anxiety away from rugby?’.”

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Canoe Slalom World Championships: GB’s Joe Clarke wins kayak cross gold

Great Britain’s Joe Clarke said he was “stuck for words” after claiming a fourth consecutive kayak cross world title in Australia.

The 32-year-old took time out of the sport after finishing with a silver medal at the 2024 Games in Paris.

He missed the early part of the season following the birth of his second child and says he struggled to “find his feet” in the subsequent World Cup events.

Clarke won silver in the men’s individual time trials and bronze in the team kayak earlier in the Canoe Slalom World Championships in Sydney, but showed his class in the kayak cross, continuing his remarkable run after winning the three previous editions of the event.

“It was a dream to come here to retain that title after getting silver in the Games last year,” said Clarke, who finished well clear of France’s Mathurin Madore in second place and Czech canoeist Matyas Novak in third.

“To compete on the biggest stage at the Olympics is massive but then I actually took some time off afterwards, so I’ve been working towards this.

“I have kind of been finding my feet the second half of the season, but it seems like I found them now.

“I came today with a point to prove and I think I’ve done that. To take a fourth world title, I’m stuck for words.”

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Stacey Solomon slams husband Joe Swash’s ‘sheer audacity’ over gift for ‘health kick’

Loose Women star Stacey Solomon hit out at her husband Joe Swash as she branded his gift ‘terrible’ and slammed his ‘sheer audacity’ amid her fitness journey

Stacey Solomon slammed her husband Joe Swash as he gave her a “terrible” present amid her fitness journey. The Loose Women star, 35, has been open about her weight loss journey and admitted she’s “so proud” of herself.

She revealed she has stuck to weight training since February, explaining: “I genuinely only do it because I want to be so strong.” The mum-of-five has been wanting to build her strength and showed off her impressive results while on holiday this summer.

However, Stacey clashed with Joe after he gave her a gift that he thought would help her journey. For Mother’s Day, Joe gifted her a calorie counting scale that was not well received by the TV star.

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He said it was something that would help her on her “health kick,” but Stacey was far from impressed. She fumed: “I would never measure my calories!

“I would never measure my calories. Who the hell wants a calorie counter for Mother’s Day? What are you trying to say? And also, it’s the sheer audacity that you think that I have the time to weigh my food!”

The mum to Rex, five, Rose, three, Belle, two, with her husband Joe, 43, and also mum to Zachary, 17, and Leighton, 12, from past relationships previously shared her nerves about wearing bikinis.

Yet, this summer Stacey shared stunning photos as she took a dip under a waterfall. In her candid post, Stacey shared: “Feeling beautiful my sister hyped me up today & made me feel really pretty so I’m posting these.

“I love you Jem also my 3 day blow dry made it to the pool cave for at least 3 mins #buzzing.” Stacey opened up on her fitness regime as she added: “P.S my body looks a little different to last years summer holiday.

“I am actually so proud of myself because I’ve stuck to my weight training consistently since February. Kept quiet and just got my head down & kept going. I genuinely only do it because I want to be so strong.

“Like boss b**** strong. I want to forever be able to pick up my babies with ease & carry double buggies on my shoulder when necessary.

“I feel so much stronger this year which is so empowering & yes my body has changed but honestly I loved my body aesthetically last year as much as I do this year. I’ve always been beautiful no matter what shape or size.”

She concluded: “So I suppose what I’m trying to say is… Don’t commit to fitness just for the looks. Do it so you can wrestle your 17 year old & carry all three of your toddlers in 40 heat & you’ll enjoy the journey more.”

Stacey converted a barn at her Pickle Cottage into a gym following the birth of her daughter Rose in 2023. She has also had the love and support from her older sister Samantha, who is a personal trainer.

While Stacey has admitted she still finds exercising tough and like she is “going to die” when does it, she said the feeling she gets after a work out is worth it.

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England Ashes squad: Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jofra Archer, Harry Brook, Mark Wood – profiles & stats

A split graphic of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Shoaib BashirImage source, BBC Sport/Getty Images

England have named a 16-player squad as they look to regain the Ashes in Australia this winter.

The series starts on 21 November, with the fifth and final Test beginning on 4 January.

The core of England’s group is settled, with all-rounder Will Jacks the surprise inclusion as the second spinner.

BBC Sport profiles each of the players, looks at their Test career and previous record in Australia.

Ben Stokes (captain and all-rounder)

Tests: 115, Runs: 7,032, Average: 35.69, Wickets: 230, Average: 31.64

England’s talismanic leader sat out of the final Test against India with a shoulder injury but the 34-year-old was back training in early September.

Stokes has also had two serious hamstring injuries in the past couple of years and England’s chances are likely to hinge on his availability.

He has played nine Tests in Australia and averages 28.61 with the bat, while he’s claimed 19 wickets at 40.94.

His presence is key to England’s ability to balance the side and he was arguably the pick of their bowlers this summer.

Ben Duckett (opening batter)

Tests: 38, Runs: 2,872, Average: 42.86, Centuries: Six

The 30-year-old will open the batting for England and has played a pivotal role with his counter-attacking style under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.

He’s having a fine 2024 too, averaging 60.20, but he’s yet to play a Test in Australia.

The left-hander averaged 35.66 in the five-Test home series against Australia in 2023.

Zak Crawley (opening batter)

Tests: 59, Runs: 3,313, Average: 31.55, Centuries: Five

The right-hander has come under external pressure for his place in the side after a lean couple of years, but England have stuck by him with this series in mind.

They believe the quicker, bouncier pieces in Australia will suit Crawley and his naturally aggressive style can put the hosts on the back foot.

He averaged 27.66 in three Tests on the last tour down under.

Ollie Pope (Top-order batter)

England's Ollie Pope plays a shotImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Ollie Pope has lost the vice-captaincy to Harry Brook

Tests: 61, Runs: 3,607, Average: 35.36, Centuries: Nine

Another whose place has come under scrutiny, but having filled in as captain when Stokes was injured he was always going to be part of the group.

However, Pope has lost the vice-captaincy to white-ball skipper Harry Brook for this series.

Pope will act as the back-up wicketkeeper in case of any injury or illness to Jamie Smith.

He’s averaged 47.70 so far in 2025, but that is boosted by 171 against Zimbabwe.

The right-hander has played three Tests in Australia and averages a measly 11.16.

Joe Root (top-order batter)

Tests: 158, Runs: 13,543, Average: 51.29, Centuries: 39

England’s Mr Reliable, but not always in Australia.

He may be England’s all-time leading run-scorer but he’s yet to score a century in 14 Tests in Australia.

The right-hander averages 35.68 in that time, but let’s hope that first century comes or we’ll have to deal with a naked Matthew Hayden, external walking round the MCG in Melbourne.

Harry Brook (Vice-captain and middle-order batter)

Tests: 30, Runs: 2,820, Average: 57.55, Centuries: 10

Perhaps England’s X-factor with the bat. He can produce a sensational innings but can also frustrate with rash shots at times.

The right-hander averages 53.90 this year and had a decent 2023 Ashes with an average of 40.33 in five games.

This will be his first taste of Ashes cricket in Australia.

Jacob Bethell (top/middle-order batter)

England's Jacob Bethell plays a shotImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Jacob Bethell made scores of six and five in his last Test against India

Tests: Four, Runs: 271, Average: 38.71, Centuries: None

The 21-year-old is likely to be England’s spare batter. He impressed during a debut series against New Zealand last winter but has had a frustrating summer with limited opportunities.

He scored his first professional century in a one-day international against South Africa earlier this month though and England would feel comfortable picking him if needed.

Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper)

Tests: 15, Runs: 1,075, Average: 48.86, Centuries: Two, Dismissals: 54

Smith has been very accomplished with the gloves and bat since making his Test debut in 2024.

However, by the end of the first five-Test series this summer he did look fatigued and frazzled.

England’s aggressive style with the bat means he could spend most – if not all – days in the field in the series so it could be another learning curve on his first tour of Australia.

Will Jacks (all-rounder)

Tests: Two, Runs: 89, Average: 22.25, Wickets: Six, Average: 38.66

The wildcard in the squad, with Jacks’ two previous Tests coming in Pakistan as a second spin option in December 2022.

However, the Surrey man has been picked over Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed, Hampshire’s Liam Dawson or out-and-out spinner Jack Leach as the second spin option.

He will offer England depth with the bat but his spin is untested really.

He has bowled just 74 overs in the County Championship this season, taking five wickets at 38.80.

Jofra Archer (pace bowler)

England's Jofra Archer appeals for a wicketImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Jofra Archer took nine wickets in two Tests against India after a four-year gap between red-ball appearances for England

Tests: 15, Wickets: 51, Average: 30.62, Best figures: 6-45

Definitely the X-factor with the ball. A series of injuries have hampered Archer’s Test career but his long-awaited return against India this summer was undoubtedly a success.

He will have to be carefully managed throughout the series – and how England do that may determine their chances.

The right-armer is yet to play a Test in Australia, but enjoyed success with 22 wickets in his debut series in 2019.

Mark Wood (pace bowler)

Tests: 37, Wickets: 119, Average: 30.42, Best figures: 6-37

England’s prime speedster, but can they get him on the field? His last Test was in August 2024 and he hasn’t played any cricket since February after surgery on a knee injury.

He was targeting a couple of matches for Durham before the end of the season but that now seems unlikely. He’s been left out of the white-ball squads for New Zealand in October too so he’ll be relying on the warm-up games to get up to speed.

The right-armer picked up 17 wickets in four Tests during the last Ashes down under.

Brydon Carse (pace bowler)

Tests: Nine, Wickets: 36, Average: 30.11, Best figures: 6-42

The Durham seamer has been impressive since his debut last summer and his style of banging the ball into the pitch could bring rewards in Australia.

He is unlikely to make it through all five Tests though, so England will again have to decide where he’ll be most effective.

This will be first taste of Ashes cricket.

Gus Atkinson (pace bowler)

Tests: 13, Wickets: 63, Average: 22.01, Best figures: 7-45

The Surrey seamer provided a pretty quick reminder of his ability and threat when he returned for the final Test against India in July.

Atkinson has been superb since being introduced to the Test fold in 2024 and he looks set to take the new ball in Australia and could be the leader of the attack in his first Ashes series.

Josh Tongue (pace bowler)

Tests: Six, Wickets: 31, Average: 30.00, Best figures: 5-66

The Nottinghamshire seamer impressed against India this summer. There were questions about his ability against the top order but he grew as the series progressed and was a banker for this squad.

He played one Test in the 2023 series against Australia, taking five wickets, but this will be his first taste of conditions down under.

Matthew Potts (pace bowler)

England's Matthew Potts looks onImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Matthew Potts’ previous Tests have come in England, New Zealand and Pakistan

Tests: 10, Wickets: 36, Average: 29.44, Best figures: 7-68

The outsider who has forced his way in.

It seemed like Potts had fallen out of favour but the Durham man is included over Chris Woakes, whose record overseas isn’t as strong as at home and is recovering from a shoulder injury sustained against India in August.

Potts has taken 28 wickets in 10 County Championship matches at 39.60 this summer.

This will be first taste of Ashes cricket.

Shoaib Bashir (spinner)

Tests: 19, Wickets: 68, Average: 39.00, Best figures: 6-81

The 21-year-old will be England’s frontline spinner in the Ashes.

He’s had a successful start to his Test career and became the youngest Englishman to take 50 Test wickets, but he can be expensive and has been targeted by some sides.

That is likely to be the case for some of Australia’s batters, including dangerous middle-order batter Travis Head, so how Bashir and England can limit the damage will be important.

He could also be rusty having missed the final two Tests of the summer with a broken finger. It means the warm-up games in Australia will be his only cricket in the past four months by the time the first Test starts in Perth.

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Joe Swash left with hilarious rude tattoo on finger after present for Stacey goes wrong

Joe Swash didn’t have much luck when he tried to give wife Stacey Solomon a present for Valentine’s Day but it made the family laugh

 Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon attend the ITV Palooza 2019 at The Royal Festival Hall on November 12, 2019 in London, England.
Stacey Solomon and husband Joe Swash remain a close and loved up couple(Image: Lia Toby/Getty Images)

It was meant to be a declaration of his love for wife Stacey Solomon. But Joe Swash left his partner and their family in stitches after getting a tattoo on his finger.

The tattoo is meant to show a love heart that Stacey uses on social media alongside the letter S as a symbol of his love. But once he put his wedding band back over the top, the tattoo looks very different.

Stacey and husband Joe Swash continue to do well and are loved by TV viewers thanks in part to their family reality show on BBC1 and their down to earth nature. A second series of BBC’s Stacey And Joe began tonight.

Joe Swash's tattoo
A close up of how the tattoo looks with his wedding ring on

Explaining how much he loves her, Joe, 43, tells viewers: “She’s got just the most morally moral compass. Is that a word? The most morally moral compass I’ve ever come across. I want to show Stacy how much I appreciate her, and I think the best way to do that is to use my body as a canvas. I’m hoping she’s gonna love it.

“It is all good intentions but things don’t ever work out how I expect them to.”

In the second episode Joe then gets a tattoo for Valentine’s Day to show his love for her, but when he puts his wedding band back on over the ink, it makes the tattoo look like a man’s private parts.

“It’s not as romantic as I thought it was going to be,” admits Joe. “I knew it looked like a p*nis, I just didn’t want to believe it. It is a bit like a Transformer, it starts off as a truck and then when you put the ring on it looks like a c*ck and balls. Are we allowed to say that on the BBC?”

Joe tries to take Stacey on a romantic sunset date away from the kids during the skiing trip.

After she is shown the tattoo, Stacey burst out laughing: “That’s not the same as mine. Why did you draw a p*nis.

“Start thinking of a bigger design. Why didn’t you just get the name?”

Stacey had previously got a tattoo for Joe on her finger in 2023, with his name spelled out and joked it was her “midlife crisis” moment.

Despite the odd looking tattoo, Stacey is still impressed by the gesture. Hugging Joe, Stacey says: “Being married to you is a constant turn of event when I feel special.”

This is not Joe’s first tattoo and he has now ended up with three tattoos, none of which are perfect. As he was getting the third one done he explained: “My experience with tattoos ain’t great, so I’ve got one on my back. That was like for my dad, it said, Protected in love from above’ but it reminds me of Shooting Stars[TV show] like the dove from above and also the tattoo, sort of like dips into my bum, so it is a bit like I have farted it out.

“The other one I got when I was on holiday with the boys. I got drunk on an 18-30s holiday, and my mate’s paid for me to have a tattoo, it says something in Hebrew on my hip here.

“I haven’t really looked into what it says. I can only imagine It’s not something lovely. Why? Why anything? Why did I trust my friends? Why was I so drunk? Where was my mum looking out for me?”

Stacey and Joe married in 2022 and have been together nine years. They have filmed more of their home life for the BBC. After rising to fame on the X Factor in 2009, Loose Women star Stacey has become a national treasure and is best known for her bubbly personality and as the Instagram DIY queen.

She keeps her social media followers in the loop as she has transformed Pickle Cottage into a family home.

As well as her dream home which features in the series, Stacey has the dream family life too with former EastEnders actor fiancé Joe Swash, and her five children; Zachary, 17, Leighton, 13, Rex, six, Rose, three, and Belle, two.

In the opening episode she told how she thought she has “had her last baby”.

The cameras showed their youngest Belle going to nursery. And Stacey admits she gets “sad” as the kids grow up.

“Another one flies the nest. All the kids are at school, and we can have a lot of fun,” says Joe before asking: “D’you think that’s our last baby?”

Stacey replied: “I think that’s our last baby, bubs.”

Joe said: “I think what we need to do is start looking forward to the future bits of the kids growing up instead of it being like ‘awww’.”

Stacey replied: “Yeah, that’s why I’m getting more animals, to be honest with you!”

* Stacey And Joe is on BBC1 on Tuesday nights at 7pm and available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.



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Emmerdale spoiler sees Joe and Celia’s twisted plan for Moira exposed

New Emmerdale spoilers reveal the moment newcomer Celia goes back on her cruel plan with Joe Tate against Moira Dingle, leaving one character reeling on the ITV soap

New Emmerdale spoilers reveal the moment newcomer Celia goes back on her cruel plan with Joe Tate against Moira Dingle
New Emmerdale spoilers reveal the moment newcomer Celia goes back on her cruel plan with Joe Tate against Moira Dingle(Image: ITV)

There’s a bombshell for Moira Dingle next week on Emmerdale as she finally learns the truth that she’s being played by Celia. The new farmer confesses her twisted plan with Joe and Kim Tate, revealing Moira is the target of their schemes.

Just days ago viewers learned what was really going on after Celia offered Moira a joint deal with a local hotel restaurant, amid the latter’s serious financial woes. With the farm at risk, Moira believed things were on the up, only for Celia’s true intentions to be revealed.

Celia had called round to drop the bombshell that the contract had fallen through, fumbling an excuse about the chef not being happy with the produce. Moira fumed: “So now you’re telling me we’ve got to write off thousands of pounds that we can’t afford?”

Then shortly after in the same episode, Celia headed to Home Farm where it became apparent that she had been working with Joe and Kim to sabotage Moira’s business this entire time.

READ MORE: Emmerdale Mack spoilers after brutal murder as fans convinced he’s aliveREAD MORE: Emmerdale’s Mack actor Lawrence Robb addresses leaving soap as character ‘dead’

There's a bombshell for Moira Dingle next week on Emmerdale
There’s a bombshell for Moira Dingle next week on Emmerdale

She coldly told Joe: “I have an update. I’ve just told Moira she’s laid out thousands of pounds on an order that won’t be paid. She delivered three orders without asking for a penny upfront, and she didn’t read the contract properly. The woman’s fool.”

With that it was clear there was never a business deal, and Celia was lying to Moira to get her to do all the work only to let her down. But it seems Celia is about to have a change of heart.

Amid Joe claiming it was very much Kim’s orders for them and Celia to target Moira, Joe was shown asking Celia how much longer Moira was likely to last in the business now that all this has been set up against her. We know that Joe and Kim were after Moira’s land where her farm is, turning to dirty tactics along the way to get her gone.

Celia seems to be the latest means of targeting Moira, and Celia told Joe: “She won’t make her water fine payment, let alone feed her livestock so my guess that it will all be over a week.” It was revealed that Celia had a deal in place with Kim to guarantee her six months rent-free with the option to lease extra land – meaning Celia was also lying about Kim upping her rent.

Celia headed to Home Farm where it became apparent that she has been working with Joe and Kim
Celia headed to Home Farm where it became apparent that she has been working with Joe and Kim

New spoilers for next week confirm a major change though, as Celia turns on Joe and Kim and tells Moira everything. It seems Joe pushes her too far with a threat, and Celia decides to expose them to Moira who is left reeling.

In the spoiler it says Joe pushes Celia for a progress report on the situation with Moira, but Celia has had second thoughts and wants out. Joe refuses to release her from their arrangement though, and Celia acts like she isn’t intimidated by what he says.

She ends up feeling even more guilty about what she’s done, and out of anger at Joe she sees no option but to spill the beans. Heading to Butlers, she tells a stunned Moira how she was manipulated into an arrangement with Joe and Kim.

Celia admits the deal would enable them to take Butlers land. Moira’s horrified to realise she has been duped all along by someone she trusts, so how will she react to this and what will she do about evil Joe?

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .



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Emmerdale Joe Tate’s real plan for Moira and secret accomplice revealed

Emmerdale’s latest episode saw Joe Tate’s lies to Moira Dingle rumbled by her, leading to her refusing to agree to a deal to seel her fam to Kim Tate despite initial plans

There was quite the discovery about Joe Tate on Emmerdale on Friday
There was quite the discovery about Joe Tate on Emmerdale on Friday(Image: ITV)

There was quite the discovery about Joe Tate on Emmerdale on Friday, and Moira Dingle wasn’t standing for it.

Just this week the character learned from Joe that Kim Tate wanted to buy her farm. Joe claimed Kim had no intention to turn the land into a housing development or anything other than a farm, with a rather good offer on the table for farmer Moira.

Moira has faced losing her beloved home and business ever since the slurry leak months ago. With fines to pay and the farm not doing well at all, Moira has had to consider selling up. Moira already agreed to sell Annie Sugden’s land around the farm to Robert Sugden recently after his fake claims of wanting to carry in the family legacy.

Fans know he was actually planning to tell it onto Kim, while that plan fell apart this week with Robert changing his mind. As for the farm, Moira came to the decision to consider Kim’s offer which was shared to her by Joe, after another update from the water company brought the news Moira’s appeal had been rejected.

READ MORE: Emmerdale star reveals secret struggles with ‘misunderstood’ neurodivergent condition

Emmerdale's latest episode saw Joe Tate's lies to Moira Dingle rumbled by he
Emmerdale’s latest episode saw Joe Tate’s lies to Moira Dingle rumbled by he(Image: ITV)

With Moira told by Joe she could remain as a tenant but they wanted ownership, she was keen – unaware that Joe was lying and planned to get the family out. While it was only a hint, he suggested a loophole would likely lead to her losing her home.

After Noel from the water board advised Moira that her appeal to get the fines called off had been rejected, she was left believing her only option was to sell. That was until Friday when she found out Joe was in cahoots with someone.

But it’s not Kim that Joe is working with to get his hands on the farm, and instead it was none other than Noel. Joe bribed the character to keep up the punishment hoping it would encourage Moira to give in and sell up.

Moira caught them in the act though, hearing them discussing the matter just as she was about to sign over the ownership. Realising she was being duped, she wasted no time in returning the unsigned papers and admitting what she’d found out.

Joe was in cahoots with Noel
Joe was in cahoots with Noel(Image: ITV)

Joe was mortified to realise he’d scuppered up his own dark plans, but soon he was back to threats. Moira stood her ground though, telling him she knew exactly what he was up to and how she wasn’t going to let him get away with it so easily.

She told her husband Cain all about it, who called Joe a snake. As Joe showed up at the farm and they continued their showdown, Moira let rip.

Moira said “she’d rather go under than sell to Kim”, while Joe told her the offer was still on the table but not for long. Moira was once again left with a decision to make but what will she do?

Unbeknownst to her though Joe was ready with his next move. He told Dawn Taylor that Moira was going to learn that “he gets what he wants” and that he was prepared to do whatever it takes to get it.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .



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Republicans can’t stop talking about Joe Biden. That may be a problem

It’s been six months since Joe Biden left the Oval Office. Republicans, including President Trump, can’t stop talking about him.

The House has launched investigations asserting that Biden’s closest advisers covered up a physical and mental decline during the 82-year-old Democrat’s presidency. The Senate has started a series of hearings focused on his mental fitness. And Trump’s White House has opened its own investigation into the Biden administration’s use of the presidential autopen, which Trump has called “one of the biggest scandals in the history of our country.”

It all fits with Trump’s practice of blaming his predecessors for the nation’s ills. Just last week, he tried to deflect criticism of his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case by casting blame on others, including Biden.

Turning the spotlight back on the former president carries risks for both parties heading into the 2026 midterms. The more Republicans or Democrats talk about Biden, the less they can make arguments about the impact of Trump’s presidency — positive or negative — especially his sweeping new tax cut and spending law that is reshaping the federal government.

“Most Americans consider Joe Biden to be yesterday’s news,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres said.

Republicans want Biden’s autopen to become a flashpoint

Seeking to avenge his 2020 loss to Biden, Trump mocked his rival’s age and fitness incessantly in 2024, even after Biden dropped his reelection bid and yielded to then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

He and other Republicans seemed poised to spend the summer touting their new tax, spending and policy package. But Trump, now 79 and facing his own health challenges, has refused to let up on Biden, and his allies in the party have followed suit.

Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin called the Biden White House’s use of the autopen “a massive scandal,” while Republican Rep. Nick Lalota insists his New York constituents “are curious as to what was happening during President Biden’s days.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently confirmed the administration would pursue an investigation of the Biden administration’s use of the presidential autopen. Trump and other Republicans have questioned whether Biden was actually running the country and suggested aides abused a tool that has long been a routine part of signing presidentially approved actions.

“We deserve to get to the bottom of it,” Leavitt said.

Biden has responded to the criticism by issuing a statement saying he was, in fact, making the decisions during his presidency and that any suggestion otherwise “is ridiculous and false.”

Congressional committees investigate

On Capitol Hill, the House Oversight Committee has convened hearings on use of the autopen and Biden’s fitness for office. Van Orden cited the Constitution’s Article II vesting authority solely with the president.

“It doesn’t say chief of staff. It doesn’t say an autopen,” he said.

The House panel subpoenaed Biden’s physician and a top aide to former first lady Jill Biden. Both invoked Fifth Amendment protections that prevent people from being forced to testify against themselves in government proceedings.

“There was no there there,” said Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell of Missouri, a member of the committee who called the effort “an extraordinary waste of time.”

The committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer, wants to hear from former White House chiefs of staff Ron Klain and Jeff Zients; former senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn; and other former top aides Bruce Reed, Steve Ricchetti and Annie Tomasini, among others. Republicans confirmed multiple dates for the sessions through late September, ensuring it will remain in the headlines.

Investigations could crowd out GOP efforts to define Trump positively

That GOP schedule comes as both parties work feverishly to define Trump’s start to his second term.

His so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” is a mix of tax cuts, border security measures and cuts to safety net programs such as Medicaid, a joint state-federal insurance program for lower-income Americans. Polls suggest some individual measures are popular while others are not and that the GOP faces headwinds on tilting the public in favor of the overall effort.

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about two-thirds of U.S. adults view the bill as a win for the wealthy and another found that only about one-quarter of U.S. adults felt Trump’s policies have helped them. In the policy survey, he failed to earn majority support on any of the major issues, including the economy, immigration, government spending and health care. Immigration, especially, had been considered a major strength for Trump politically.

It is “rather tone deaf,” said Bell, for Republicans to go after Biden given those circumstances.

“Americans want us to deal with the issues that are plaguing our country now … the high cost of living, cost of food, the cost of housing, health care,” Bell said, as he blasted the GOP for a deliberate “distraction” from what challenges most U.S. households.

The effort also comes with Trump battling his own supporters over the Justice Department’s decision not to publicly release additional records related to the Epstein case.

“The Epstein saga is more important to his base than whatever happened to Joe Biden,” said Ayres, the GOP pollster.

Even Lalota, the New York congressman, acknowledged a balancing act with the Biden inquiries.

“My constituents care most about affordability and public safety,” Lalota said. “But this is an important issue nonetheless.”

Democrats don’t want to talk about Biden

With Republicans protecting a narrow House majority, every hotly contested issue could be seen as determinative in the 2026 midterm elections.

That puts added pressure on Republicans to retain Trump’s expanded 2024 coalition, when he increased support among Black and Hispanic voters, especially men, over the usual Republican levels. But that’s considerably harder without Trump himself on the ballot. That could explain Republican efforts to keep going after Biden given how unpopular he is with Trump’s core supporters.

Democrats, meanwhile, point to their success in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first presidency, when they reclaimed the House majority on the strength of moderate voters, including disaffected Republicans. They seem confident that Republicans’ aggressiveness about Biden does not appeal to that swath of the electorate.

But even as they praise Biden’s accomplishments as president, Democrats quietly admit they don’t want to spend time talking about a figure who left office with lagging approval ratings and forced his party into a late, difficult change at the top of the ticket.

Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia said Biden was productive while acknowledging he “was not at the top of his game because of his age.” He said Democrats want to look forward, most immediately on trying to win control of the House and make gains in the Senate.

“And then who’s our standard bearer in 2028?” Beyer said. “And how do we minimize the Trump damage with what we have right now?”

Barrow and Brown write for the Associated Press. Brown reported from Washington.

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Joe Biden will visit the Vatican to discuss his fight to cure cancer

Vice President Joe Biden, who has traveled to some America’s leading medical centers in recent weeks as part of what he has called his moonshot to cure cancer, will soon take his quest to the Vatican.

Biden will address a major conference on the progress of regenerative medicine in Vatican City on April 29, the vice president’s office said Wednesday.

The gathering, hosted by the Stem for Life Foundation and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, will also draw leading physicians, ethicists and philanthropists to discuss the potential of emerging research to treat cancer and other diseases. The initiative has been championed by Pope Francis, who worked as a chemist before he entered the priesthood and has written in support of scientific progress.

Biden will be the latest leading U.S. political figure to attend a major gathering at the Vatican. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, will travel there this week to address a separate summit on social, economic and environmental issues.

Other details on the vice president’s three-day trip to Rome and the Vatican, including a possible meeting with Francis, had not yet been determined, his office said.

Biden, the nation’s first Catholic vice president, attended Francis’ papal inauguration in 2013 and attended multiple events during the Catholic leader’s visit to the U.S. last fall, including his address to Congress and departure from Philadelphia after the World Meeting of Families there.

Biden has praised Francis’ message of inclusion, writing in Time magazine that the pope “put a welcome sign on the front door of the Church.” Biden has also spoken of Francis’ personal empathy toward him and his family since the death last May of Biden’s eldest son, Beau, and the role of his faith in coping with personal tragedy.

The vice president’s effort to cure cancer, first announced by Biden as he said last fall that he would not run for president, was formally launched this year in President Obama’s State of the Union address. Biden has since traveled to Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University and other research centers as part of his effort to bring stakeholders together in search of a cure.

Follow @mikememoli for more news out of Washington.

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‘Eddington’ review: Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix duke it out in Ari Aster’s superb latest

Ari Aster’s “Eddington” is such a superb social satire about contemporary America that I want to bury it in the desert for 20 years. More distance will make it easier to laugh.

It’s a modern western set in New Mexico — Aster’s home state — where trash blows like tumbleweeds as Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) stalks across the street to confront Eddington’s mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), whom he is campaigning to unseat. It’s May of 2020, that hot and twitchy early stretch of the COVID pandemic when reality seemed to disintegrate, and Joe is ticked off about the new mask mandate. He has asthma, and he can’t understand anyone who has their mouth covered.

Joe and Ted have old bad blood between them that’s flowed down from Joe’s fragile wife Louise, a.k.a. Rabbit (Emma Stone), a stunted woman-child who stubbornly paints creepy dolls, and his mother-in-law Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), a raving conspiracist who believes the Titanic sinking was no accident. Dawn is jazzed to decode the cause of this global shutdown; there’s comfort in believing everything happens for a reason. Her mania proves contagious.

Bad things are happening in Eddington and have been for decades, not just broken shop windows. Joe wears a white hat and clearly considers himself the story’s hero, although he’s not up to the job. If you squint real hard, you can see his perspective that he’s a champion for the underdog. Joe gets his guts in a twist when a maskless elder is kicked out of the local grocery store as the other shoppers applaud. “Public shaming,” Joe spits.

“There’s no COVID in Eddington,” Joe claims in his candidacy announcement video, urging his fellow citizens that “we need to free our hearts.” His earnestness is comic and sweet and dangerous. You can hear every fact he’s leaving out. His rival’s commercials promote a fantastical utopia where Ted is playing piano on the sidewalk and elbow-bumping more Black people in 15 seconds than we see in the rest of the movie. Ted also swears that permitting a tech behemoth named SolidGoldMagikarp to build a controversial giant data center on the outskirts of the county won’t suck precious resources — it’ll transform this nowheresville into a hub for jobs. Elections are a measure of public opinion: Which fibber would you trust?

Danger is coming and like in “High Noon,” this uneasy town will tear itself apart before it arrives. Aster is so good at scrupulously capturing the tiny, fearful COVID behaviors we’ve done our best to forget that it’s a shame (and a relief) that the script isn’t really about the epidemic. Another disease has infected Eddington: Social media has made everyone brain sick.

The film is teeming with viral headlines — serious, frivolous or false — jumbled together on computer screens screaming for attention in the same all-caps font. (Remember the collective decision that no one had the bandwidth to care about murder hornets?) Influencers and phonies and maybe even the occasional real journalist prattle on in the backgrounds of scenes telling people what to think and do, often making things worse. Joe loves his wife dearly. We see him privately watching a YouTuber explain how he can convince droopy Louise to have children. Alas, he spends his nights in their marital bed chastely doomscrolling.

Every character in “Eddington” is lonely and looking for connection. One person’s humiliating nadir comes during a painful tracking shot at an outdoor party where they’re shunned like they have the plague. Phones dominate their interactions: The camera is always there in somebody’s hand, live streaming or recording, flattening life into a reality show and every conversation into a performance.

The script expands to include Joe’s deputies, aggro Guy (Luke Grimes) and Bitcoin-obsessed Michael (Micheal Ward), plus a cop from the neighboring tribal reservation, Officer Butterfly Jimenez (William Belleau) and a handful of bored, identity-seeking teens. They’ll all wind up at odds even though they’re united by the shared need to be correct, to have purpose, to belong. When George Floyd is killed six states away, these young do-gooders rush into the streets, excited to have a reason to get together and yell. The protesters aren’t insincere about the cause. But it’s head-scrambling to watch blonde Sarah (Amélie Hoeferle) lecture her ex-boyfriend Michael, who is Black and a cop, about how he should feel. Meanwhile Brian (Cameron Mann), who is white and one of the most fascinating characters to track, is so desperate for Sarah’s attention that he delivers a hilarious slogan-addled meltdown: “My job is to sit down and listen! As soon as I finish this speech! Which I have no right to make!”

The words come fast and furious and flummoxing. Aster has crowded more pointed zingers and visual gags into each scene than our eyes can take in. His dialogue is laden with vile innuendos — “deep state,” “sexual predator,” “antifa” — and can feel like getting pummeled. When a smooth-talking guru named Vernon (Austin Butler) slithers into the plot, he regales Joe’s family with an incredulous tale of persecution that, as he admits, “sounds insane just to hear coming out of my mouth.” Well, yeah. Aster wants us to feel exhausted sorting fact from fiction.

The verbal barrage builds to a scene in which Joe and Dawn sputter nonsense at each other in a cross-talking non-conversation where both sound like they’re high on cocaine. They are, quite literally, internet junkies.

This is the bleakest of black humor. There’s even an actual dumpster fire. Aster’s breakout debut, “Hereditary,” gave him an overnight pedigree as the princeling of highbrow horror films about trauma. But really, he’s a cringe comedian who exaggerates his anxieties like a tragic clown. Even in “Midsommar,” Aster’s most coherent film, his star Florence Pugh doesn’t merely cry — she howls like she could swallow the earth. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear that when Aster catches himself getting maudlin, he forces himself to actively wallow in self-pity until it feels like a joke. Making the tragic ridiculous is a useful tool. (I once got through a breakup by watching “The Notebook” on repeat.)

With “Beau Is Afraid,” Aster’s previous film with Phoenix, focusing that approach on one man felt too punishing. “Eddington” is hysterical group therapy. I suspect that Aster knows that if we read a news article about a guy like Joe, we wouldn’t have any sympathy for him at all. Instead, Aster essentially handcuffs us to Joe’s point of view and sends us off on this tangled and bitterly funny adventure, in which rattling snakes spice up a humming, whining score by the Haxan Cloak and Daniel Pemberton.

Not every plot twist works. Joe’s sharpest pivot is so inward and incomprehensible that the film feels compelled to signpost it by having a passing driver yell, “You’re going the wrong way!” By the toxic finale, we’re certain only that Phoenix plays pathetic better than anyone these days. From “Her” to “Joker” to “Napoleon” to “Inherent Vice,” he’s constantly finding new wrinkles in his sad sacks. “Eddington’s” design teams have taken care to fill Joe’s home with dreary clutter and outfit him in sagging jeans. By contrast, Pascal’s wealthier Ted is the strutting embodiment of cowboy chic. He’s even selfishly hoarded toilet paper in his fancy adobe estate.

It’s humanistic when “Eddington” notes that everyone in town is a bit of a sinner. The problem is that they’re all eager to throw stones and point out what the others are doing wrong to get a quick fix of moral superiority. So many yellow cards get stacked up against everyone that you come to accept that we’re all flawed, but most of us are doing our best.

Joe isn’t going to make Eddington great again. He never has a handle on any of the conspiracies, and when he grabs a machine gun, he’s got no aim. Aster’s feistiest move is that he refuses to reveal the truth. When you step back at the end to take in the full landscape, you can put most of the story together. (Watch “Eddington” once, talk it out over margaritas and then watch it again.) Aster makes the viewer say their theories out loud afterwards, and when you do, you sound just as unhinged as everyone else in the movie. I dig that kind of culpability: a film that doesn’t point sanctimonious fingers but insists we’re all to blame.

But there are winners and losers and winners who feel like losers and schemers who get away with their misdeeds scot-free. Five years after the events of this movie, we’re still standing in the ashes of the aggrieved. But at least if we’re cackling at ourselves together in the theater, we’re less alone.

‘Eddington’

Rated: R, for strong violence, some grisly images, language and graphic nudity

Running time: 2 hours, 29 minutes

Playing: In wide release Friday, July 18

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Kennedy Institute to give lifetime achievement award to Joe Biden

1 of 2 | Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. (L), and Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy, D-Mass., attend a Senate Judiaciary Committee meeting in 1985. The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is giving Biden a Lifetime Achievement Award this fall. File Photo by Tim Clary/UPI | License Photo

July 18 (UPI) — The Edward M. Kennedy Institute will give President Joe Biden a Lifetime Achievement Award at its 10th Anniversary Celebration this fall.

Biden plans to attend the event on Oct. 26 at the Institute’s Columbia Point, Mass., building. The award is to recognize Biden’s “more than four decades in public life, beginning with his election to the United States Senate from Delaware in 1972, to his ascent to leadership positions in the Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, to the vice presidency and ultimately to the White House,” a press release said.

The Institute, named for Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy, will also give out its Award for Inspired Leadership to former secretary of labor and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“We believe that we can inspire new generations of leaders by highlighting the example of those who came before them like Senator Ted Kennedy,” said Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Kennedy’s widow and the co-founder of the Kennedy Institute. Biden, Walsh and Franchetti “are all such exemplary and inspiring leaders, dedicated to improving the lives of others in our community and throughout our country.”

The Institute’s fall dinner is its annual fundraiser, supporting its mission to foster bipartisan political leadership, provide a forum for civil discourse about critical issues, and educate the public about the Senate’s role in the American system of democratic government.

“President Biden’s life has been one of honorable service to his country, and like the man for whom the Kennedy Institute is named, fought for the interests, and to better the lives, of all Americans from all socio-economic, cultural, and personal backgrounds,” Kennedy Institute Chair Bruce A. Percelay said. “His tenacity and persistence — again, traits that echo those of Senator Ted Kennedy — are constant reminders to our current political leaders of the dedication and hard work required to do the people’s business in Washington.”

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Emmerdale who’ll bring down Dr Crowley ‘revealed’ – and it’s not Joe Tate

Emmerdale’s Joe Tate threatened Dr Crowley amid his plan to fleece Kim Tate being revealed on the ITV soap on Monday night, but could someone else trigger his downfall?

There's trouble on Emmerdale as Dr Crowley continued to target Joe Tate and Kim Tate
There’s trouble on Emmerdale as Dr Crowley continued to target Joe Tate and Kim Tate(Image: ITV)

There’s trouble on Emmerdale as Dr Crowley continued to target Joe Tate and Kim Tate, but could a downfall be set?

Viewers learned last week that Kim’s mystery new man Eddie was in fact Joe’s surgeon and accomplice Crowley. He’d helped Joe steal a kidney, operating on him and performing the transplant after Joe had his own uncle Caleb Miligan stabbed.

He needed the kidney to survive after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and instead of going through the usual process, he stole Caleb’s. Crowley was mortified by this and disappeared in the days that followed.

Now he’s back for revenge, with him threatening Joe last week and revealing he was after Kim’s money. He wants Joe to steal the money from Kim and send it to him, so he can flee.

On Monday night Joe refused and pulled a shotgun on Crowley. But Crowley saw right through him and knowing he would not pull the trigger, he pushed the rifle away and left.

READ MORE: Emmerdale’s John Middleton joins Hollyoaks to play show’s ‘most evil character ever’

Emmerdale's Joe Tate threatened Dr Crowley amid his plan to fleece Kim Tate
Emmerdale’s Joe Tate threatened Dr Crowley amid his plan to fleece Kim Tate (Image: ITV)

Soon Joe realised he had no option to do as Crowley said, and he put together a plan to convince Kim to invest some money. He then told Crowley to leave, telling him his plan was underway and he’d get him the money.

But, having already threatened Dawn Taylor amid her romance with Joe, as well as her kids, he refused to leave until the money was in his account. Kim then thanked Joe for his support, making Joe feel pretty guilty about betraying her.

It’s clear though that Joe is stuck, and he knows he can’t just ignore Crowley – so it’s unlikely he will trigger his new nemesis’ downfall. But what id someone else is onto Crowley?

Kim made a comment when Joe suggested she should be careful as she barely knows ‘Eddie’. She commented that she wasn’t someone likely to be tricked, saying she was “no fool”.

He wants Joe to steal the money from Kim
He wants Joe to steal the money from Kim(Image: ITV)

The emphasis on this no doubt sparked suspicions, given she’s said similar things in recent weeks, and with her often proving she is not to be messed with. So might Kim be playing Eddie AKA Crowley at his own game?

Might she be onto the fact that things have moved very quickly and he could be about to get her? Might she have actually seen him with Joe in the past, and might she know who he really is?

Then there’s Dawn, who seems supportive of her stepmother’s new romance just months on from her dad Will’s death. But could she be onto him, and perhaps she alone or with the help of Kim or even Joe, might be what eventually brings Crowley down?

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .



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