Alex Brooker is facing off the Banker in tonight’s Soccer Aid special
20:19, 07 Jun 2025Updated 20:50, 07 Jun 2025
A Deal or No Deal contestant has been dealt a huge blow, losing the £100K jackpot just minutes into the ITV show.
Saturday Night’s (7th June) Soccer Aid episode saw The Last Leg co-host Alex Brooker facing off the Banker, supported by a star-studded panel.
In a bid to win up to £100,000 for UNICEF, Alex gunned for the cash prize assisted by celebrities, including former England player Jill Scott and Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan.
However, the TV presenter was left devastated when he selected his brother Tom’s box, hoping to strike blue.
Initially optimistic about his choice, Alex told host Stephen Mulhern “I think my brother Tom, number eight, has got 50p in there [the box.”
Alex Brooker lost the jackpot just minutes into the show (Image: ITV)
Tom was equally confident, agreeing with his sibling that the box likely contained 50p. But the duo were dealt a huge blow as Tom opened his box to find £100,000 inside.
The Soccer Aid team was visibly upset, and they were not alone. Viewers have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to echo their frustration at the huge loss.
One penned: “Oh no! The £100K is gone,” while a second voiced out: “£100K gone. I’m furious and raging.”
Other ITV fans were quick to question the star’s process. “Why hasn’t he got a system? Lucky numbers & bad numbers. Looks like he’s just choosing randomly with no strategy,” quipped one.
Alex walked away with £13,780(Image: ITV)
Despite his early disappointment, Alex later accepted the Banker’s offer of £13,780. The Soccer Aid team was happy with his final deal, with viewers agreeing that “he made the right choice.”
Taking to X, one person praised the final deal, stating: “That’s a lot of money for charity.” Meanwhile, a second fan said: “Well done, Alex. A tremendous amount of vital funds in the bank.”
Started by Robbie Williams in 2006, Soccer Aid for UNICEF is a celebrity football fundraising event, with profits going to UNICEF’s global mission to protect children’s right play.
This year’s game kicks off next Sunday (15th June), with Brooker on the line-up alongside Sir Mo Farah, TV star Bear Grylls, singer Tom Grennan and social media sensation Morgan Burtwistle.
Deal or No Deal Celebrity Special is streaming on ITVX
Channel 4 hit show Celebrity Celebrity left fans unimpressed just minutes into the first episode as new famous duos took to the sofa to share their views on the latest telly
Viewers were left feeling unimpressed just moments into the new season of Gogglebox, criticising the show’s format change.
The Channel 4 favourite, known for featuring regular mates and households commenting on the week’s prime telly offerings and movies, took a different turn on Friday (June 6) night with the reappearance of a star-studded version.
Celebrity Gogglebox made its comeback with fresh high-profile names settling in to view a selection of well-liked shows, including telly legends Paddy McGuinness, Vernon Kay and broadcasting duo Clare Balding with Alice Arnold joining the series.
Fan-favourites like television host Rylan Clark alongside his mum Linda and broadcast journalist Nick Grimshaw with his niece Liv came back for more sofa critiques.
TV personality Vicky Pattison and The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks joined the cast for the new series
Highlights for the celebs included programmes like Race Across the World, Faking It, Celebrity Bridge of Lies, Silence Is Golden, Big Zuu and AJ Tracey’s Rich Flavours, Canal Boat Diaries, and ITV News – Trump and Musk.
Nonetheless, viewers at home didn’t reserve their comments on the celebrity take of the show, stating that this edition seemed a bit too ‘forced’.
Disgruntled opinions quickly poured in via X, previously known as Twitter, with one individual posting: “Not the dreaded celebrities again, so many of them are so annoying #Celebritygogglebox.”
Paddy McGuinness and Vernon Kay were among the long list of stars to appear on Celebrity Gogglebox
One viewer ranted: “We watch normal #Gogglebox because it’s hilarious and we love all the families. #celebritygogglebox is not funny and we couldn’t care less about the celebs. It’s just people watching telly.”
Another added their two pence, saying: “Celebrity Gogglebox just isn’t funny like the original, it feels forced! #gogglebox #Celebritygogglebox.”
Yet, not everyone was against the concept as a fan expressed enthusiasm: “#Celebritygogglebox #Gogglebox 1st minute and we see Alex Scott and Jess Glynn. I’m already into this series, I hope we get to see the Eubanks too, TV gold are Chris and Junior.”
Rylan recently opened up about his mums TV future
Meanwhile, Rylan has recently spilled the beans on his mum’s TV future amid calls from fans for the mother-son pair to star in their own show.
Chatting with the Daily Star, he revealed: “We’ve been offered hundreds of things. We got asked to do a travel show and the chance to go here and go there.”
He continued, explaining his mum’s situation: “It would be hilarious, but she’s just not well enough to do it. Gogglebox is enough for us. She feels comfortable doing that show because we’re just sat in my kitchen.”
Celebrity Gogglebox is available to watch and stream on Channel 4
Paramount Global’s efforts to appease President Trump could carry a steep price, and not just financially. As Paramount executives struggle to win government approval for its planned sale, the legal risks and political headaches are spreading — from Washington to Sacramento.
Three U.S. senators have warned Paramount’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone and other decision-makers that paying Trump to drop his $20-billion lawsuit over an October “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris could be considered a bribe.
Scrutiny widened late last week when two California Democrats proposed a state Senate hearing to probe details of the drama that has roiled the media company for months. The senators invited two former CBS News executives — who both left, in large part, because of the controversy — to testify before a joint committee hearing in Sacramento to help lawmakers examine problems with a possible Trump settlement.
“I haven’t seen a president act in this brazen of a manner,” state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) said in an interview. “We’re concerned about a possible chilling effect any settlement might have on investigative and political journalism. It would also send a message that politically motivated lawsuits can succeed, especially when paired with regulatory threats.”
Settling the Trump lawsuit is widely seen as a prerequisite for regulators to finally clear Paramount’s $8-billion sale to Skydance Media, which Redstone has been desperately counting on to save her family’s fortunes.
Trump contends CBS edited the “60 Minutes” interview to enhance Harris’ appeal in the 2024 presidential election, which she lost. He reportedly rebuffed Paramount’s recent $15-million offer to settle his lawsuit, which 1st Amendment experts have dismissed as frivolous.
“This is a really important case,” said Scott L. Cummings, a legal ethics professor at UCLA’s School of Law. “Legislators are starting to raise alarms.”
But whether federal or state politicians could foil a Trump settlement is murky. Experts caution, for example, that it may be difficult, if a settlement is reached, to prove that Paramount’s leaders paid a bribe.
Congress has grappled with such distinctions before, Cummings said. The U.S. Senate acquitted Trump in February 2020 after the House voted to impeach him for allegedly holding up nearly $400 million in security aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate former President Biden and his son Hunter. Major universities and law firms offered significant concessions to the administration this year to try to carve out breathing room.
“We would have to have a lot more facts,” Cummings said. “Bribery requires a quid pro quo … and [Trump and his lieutenants] are always very careful not to explicitly couple the two things together. But, clearly, they are related, right? This is the challenge, legally speaking.”
Even if a Paramount payoff could be proved to be a bribe, it’s unclear who would prosecute such a case.
No one expects the Trump-controlled FBI or others within the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate allegations of bribery. Trump also has a grip on congressional Republicans and the Federal Communications Commission is run by a Trump appointee, Brendan Carr, who in one of his first acts as chairman, opened a public inquiry into whether the “60 Minutes” edits rose to the level of news distortion.
It may fall to state prosecutors to dig into the issue, Cummings said.
Vice President Kamala Harris talks to “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker.
(CBS News)
That hasn’t stopped nationally prominent progressive lawmakers from sounding alarms.
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have demanded Paramount provide information about the company’s deliberations or concessions to facilitate a deal with Trump, including whether newscasts were toned down.
“It is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to influence an official act,” the lawmakers wrote in their May 19 letter to Redstone. “If Paramount officials make these concessions … to influence President Trump … they may be breaking the law.”
Redstone and Paramount failed to respond to the senators’ questions by this week’s deadline, according to Warren’s office.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has suggested that Paramount executives could be liable for unlawfully paying a bribe if it settles President Trump’s lawsuit against CBS to secure approval of Paramount’s sale to Skydance Media.
(Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press)
Paramount and a Redstone spokesperson declined to comment.
Lawmakers often express interest in big media takeovers, and Skydance’s proposed purchase of an original Hollywood movie studio and pioneering broadcaster CBS could be an industry game changer. But this time, interest is less focused on vetting the Ellison family or the deal’s particulars and more about determining whether Trump inappropriately wields his power.
Trump has demanded Paramount pay “a lot” of money to settle his lawsuit. The president also has called for CBS to lose its station licenses, which are governed by the FCC.
For more than a month, attorneys for Paramount and Trump have participated in mediation sessions without resolution.
Paramount offered $15 million but Trump said no, according to the Wall Street Journal. Instead, the president reportedly demanded at least $25 million in cash, plus an additional $25 million in free commercials to pump his favorite causes. He also wants an apology.
The latter is a red line for CBS News executives who say they have done nothing wrong, according to insiders who were not authorized to discuss the sensitive deliberations.
The two California state senators — Becker and Tom Umberg (D-Orange) — hope such fractures provide an opening.
Late last week, the pair invited former CBS News and Stations President Wendy McMahon and former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens to testify at a yet-unscheduled oversight hearing in Sacramento.
“You are being approached as friendly witnesses who may help our committees assess whether improper influence is being exerted in ways that threaten public trust and competition in the media sector,” Becker and Umberg wrote to the former executives. Becker is chairman of the Senate Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee; Umberg heads the Senate Judiciary Committee.
California has an interest, in part, because Paramount operates in the state, including a large presence in Los Angeles, Becker told The Times.
The controversy over the edits began in October after CBS aired different parts of Harris’ response to a question during a “60 Minutes” interview a month before the election. Producers of the public affairs show “Face the Nation” used a clip of Harris giving a convoluted response. The following day, “60 Minutes” aired the most forceful part of her answer, prompting conservatives to cry foul.
Trump filed his federal lawsuit in Texas days before the election, alleging CBS had deceptively edited the Harris interview to boost her election chances, an allegation CBS denies. After returning to the White House, Trump doubled the damages he was seeking to $20 billion. His team claims he suffered “mental anguish” as a result of the interview.
CBS has asked the Texas judge, a Trump appointee, to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the edits were routine.
Since then, the FCC’s review of Paramount’s Skydance deal has become bogged down. Paramount needs Carr’s approval to transfer CBS television station licenses to the Ellison family.
Paramount has said it is treating the proposed settlement and FCC review on the Skydance merger as separate matters.
Experts doubt Trump sees such a distinction.
Trump and his team “essentially are using government processes to set up negotiations that end up benefiting Trump personally in ways that raise corruption concerns,” Cummings said.
Paramount’s decision could open the company to shareholder complaints.
The reason Trump’s CBS “60 Minutes” lawsuit has become such a lightning rod is “because the lawsuit is so ridiculously frivolous,” said Seth Stern, advocacy director for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, which owns Paramount shares and has vowed a lawsuit if the company capitulates.
“This is so transparently an abuse of power — a shakedown,” Stern said.
Media analyst Richard Greenfield of LightShed Partners suggested that Trump’s goal may be about more than his reported demand of nearly $50 million.
“The far bigger question is whether there is any number that Trump would want to settle the CBS/60 Minutes lawsuit,” Greenfield wrote in a blog post this week. “If Trump’s goal is to weaken the press and cause persistent fear of lawsuits that could negatively impact business combinations, keeping the CBS/60 Minutes lawsuit ongoing could be in the President’s best interests.”
UCLA’s Cummings sees another deleterious outcome.
A settlement could “legitimize the narrative that Trump puts out that there’s some sort of corruption within these media entities,” Cummings said. “He could point to a settlement and say: ‘I told you they did something wrong, and they now agreed because they paid me this amount of money.’ ”
“Even though they would be paying to get this deal through,” Cummings said.
Paramount Global chairwoman and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone is battling cancer as she tries to steer the media company through a turbulent sales process.
“Shari Redstone was diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this spring,” her spokeswoman Molly Morse said late Thursday. “While it has been a challenging period, she is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing.
“She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent,” Morse said.
The news comes nearly 11 months after Redstone agreed to sell Paramount to David Ellison’s Skydance Media in a deal that would end the family’s tenure as major Hollywood moguls after four decades.
However, the government’s review of the sale to Skydance hit a snag amid President Trump’s $20-billion lawsuit against Paramount and its subsidiary CBS over edits to an October “60 Minutes” broadcast.
Redstone, 71, told the New York Times that she underwent surgery last month after receiving the diagnosis about two months ago. Surgeons removed her thyroid gland but did not fully eradicate the cancer, which had spread to her vocal cords, the paper said.
She continues to be treated with radiation, the paper reported.
The Redstone family controls 77% of the voting shares of Paramount. Since Bob Bakish was ousted as chief executive last year, the company has been managed by a trio of executives who share the title of co-chief executive.
Her father, the late Sumner Redstone, built the company into a juggernaut but it has seen its standing slip in recent years. There have been management missteps and pressures brought on by consumers’ shift to streaming. The trend has crimped revenue to companies that own cable channels, including Paramount.
The COVID-19 pandemic followed by the 2023 writers and actors strikes also took a toll on Paramount and the Redstone family’s private firm, National Amusements Inc., which owns movie theaters.
Paramount cut its dividend to shareholders two years ago, leaving the family in a financial bind.
Financial pressures contributed to Redstone’s decision to entertain offers for Paramount and National Amusements, which holds the Paramount shares.
Nearly two years ago, Ellison and Redstone began talks that culminated last July with an agreement on a multi-phased $8-billion deal that would pass the torch to Ellison.
Redstone wants to close the deal. National Amusements would receive $2.4 billion, which would pay its debts and leave the family with more than $1.7 billion.
She has urged the company to settle the lawsuit Trump filed in October, weeks after “60 Minutes” interviewed then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump accused CBS of deceptively editing the interview to make Harris look smarter and improve her election chances, a charge that CBS has denied.
The dispute over the edits has sparked unrest within the company, prompted high-level departures and triggered a Federal Communications Commission examination of alleged news distortion.
The FCC’s review of the Skydance deal has become bogged down. If the agency does not approve the transfer of CBS television station licenses to the Ellison family, the deal could collapse.
The two companies must complete the merger by early October. If not, Paramount will owe a $400-million breakup fee to Skydance.
Redstone, through National Amusements, also owes nearly $400 million to a Chicago banker who loaned the family money in 2023 and tech titan Larry Ellison, who is helping bankroll the buyout of Paramount and National Amusements.
Last week, Paramount nominated three new directors to serve on the company’s board following its July 2 investor meeting.
In a proxy filing, Paramount asked shareholders to expand the board to seven directors, including Redstone and three recruits: attorney Mary Boies (a member of the firm led by her husband David Boies); Silicon Valley venture capital executive Charles E. Ryan; and former Massachusetts trial court judge Roanne Sragow Licht.
They would join longtime board members Linda M. Griego, Susan Schuman and Barbara M. Byrne.
With its sale to Skydance Media still beyond its reach, Paramount Global has nominated three new directors to bolster its small board, which has been racked with drama and churn since early last year.
The debt-laden New York-based company currently has only five board members, including controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, who serves as chairwoman. The Redstone family holds nearly 77% of Paramount’s voting shares, giving the heiress tremendous sway.
In a proxy filing Monday, Paramount asked shareholders to elect seven directors at its July 2 annual meeting. The slate includes Redstone and three recruits: attorney Mary Boies (a member of the firm led by her husband David Boies); Silicon Valley venture capital executive Charles E. Ryan ; and former Massachusetts trial court judge Roanne Sragow Licht.
In addition to Redstone, three longtime board members — Linda M. Griego, Susan Schuman and Barbara M. Byrne — will stand for reelection.
Board member Judith A. McHale has decided to step down.
Leading independent director Charles Phillips left the board in October. His exit came six months after three other directors — Rob Klieger, Nicole Seligman and Dawn Ostroff — abruptly departed as the panel was struggling over terms of Redstone’s planned Paramount sale.
In late October, President Trump filed a lawsuit in Texas over his dismay with edits of a “60 Minutes” interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the closing weeks of the election. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, opened an inquiry to determine whether the edits rose to the level of news distortion.
Paramount has been defending against the lawsuit. In a court filing last week, Trump’s lawyers asserted the president suffered “mental anguish” due to the “60 Minutes” broadcast.
1st Amendment experts have called Trump’s lawsuit frivolous; CBS News executives and other journalists believe it is a shakedown to exploit the vulnerable company that is desperate to have the FCC approve the sale to Skydance.
The ruckus over the edits contributed to the departure of two top CBS News executives. Wendy McMahon, the president of CBS News and Stations, stepped down under pressure last month. In April, “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens departed.
Redstone has expressed her dissatisfaction with CBS News’ coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Last month, three Democrat U.S. senators warned Redstone that the company could face allegations of bribery if they write a big check to mollify Trump in an effort to facilitate the FCC’s review of the Skydance takeover. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Paramount offered Trump $15 million to make the lawsuit go away, but he declined.
It’s been nearly 11 months since Paramount agreed to be sold to Skydance in an $8-billion deal that would inject $1.5 billion in capital into Paramount’s battered balance sheet.
Paramount has not revised its guidance on when it expects the deal to close — but the contractual deadline is early October.
As part of its proxy statement, the company again detailed the compensation packages — totaling $148 million to the top three executives and ousted Chief Executive Bob Bakish, who received compensation valued at $87 million. Co-CEO George Cheeks was paid $22.2 million. His counterparts Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy were paid $19.6 million and $19.5 million, respectively, according to the filing.
Federal Communications Commissioner Anna M. Gomez traveled to Los Angeles this week to sound an alarm that attacks on the media by President Trump and his lieutenants could fray the fabric of the 1st Amendment.
Gomez’s appearance Wednesday at Cal State L.A. was designed to take feedback from community members about the changed media atmosphere since Trump returned to office. The president initially expelled Associated Press journalists from the White House, for example. He signed an executive order demanding government funding be cut to PBS and NPR stations.
Should that order take effect, Pasadena-based radio station LAist would lose nearly $1.7 million — or about 4% of its annual budget, according to Alejandra Santamaria, chief executive of parent organization Southern California Public Radio.
“The point of all these actions is to chill speech,” Gomez told the small crowd. “We all need to understand what is happening and we need people to speak up and push back.”
Congress in the 1930s designed the FCC as an independent body, she said, rather than one beholden to the president.
But those lines have blurred. In the closing days of last fall’s presidential campaign, Trump sued CBS and “60 Minutes” over edits to an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging producers doctored the broadcast to enhance her election chances. CBS has denied the allegations and the raw footage showed Harris was accurately quoted.
Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, upon taking office in January, revived three complaints of bias against ABC, NBC and CBS, including one alleging the “60 Minutes” edits had violated rules against news distortion. He demanded that CBS release the unedited footage.
Gomez, in an interview, declined to discuss the FCC’s review of the Skydance-Paramount deal beyond saying: “It would be entirely inappropriate to consider the complaint against the ’60 Minutes’ segment as part of a transaction review.” Scrutinizing edits to a national newscast “are not part of the public interest analysis that the commission does when it considers mergers and acquisitions,” she said.
For months, Gomez has been the lone voice of dissent at the FCC. Next month, she will become the sole Democrat on the panel.
The longtime communications attorney, who was appointed to the commission in 2023 by former President Biden, has openly challenged her colleague Carr and his policies that align with Trump’s directives. She maintains that some of Carr’s proposals, including opening investigations into diversity and inclusion policies at Walt Disney Co. and Comcast, go beyond the scope of the FCC, which is designed to regulate radio and TV stations and others that use the public airwaves.
The pressure campaign is working, Gomez said.
“When you see corporate parents of news providers … telling their broadcasters to tone down their criticisms of this administration, or to push out the executive producer of ’60 Minutes’ or the head of [CBS] News because of concerns about retribution from this administration because of corporate transactions — that is a chilling effect,” Gomez said.
Wednesday’s forum, organized by the nonprofit advocacy group Free Press, was punctuated with pleas from professors, journalists and community advocates for help in fending off Trump’s attacks. One journalist said she lost her job this spring at Voice of America after Trump took aim at the organization, which was founded more than 80 years ago to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II.
The Voice of America’s remaining staffers could receive reduction-in-force notices later this week, according to Politico.
Latino journalists spoke about the difficulty of covering some stories because people have been frightened into silence due to the administration’s immigration crackdown.
For now, journalists are able to carry out their missions “for the most part,” said Gabriel Lerner, editor emeritus of the Spanish-language La Opinión.
But he added a warning.
“Many think that America is so exceptional that you don’t have to do anything because fascism will never happen here,” Lerner said. “I compare that with those who dance on the Titanic thinking it will never sink.”
The White House pushed back on such narratives:
“President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in history. He regularly takes questions from the media, communicates directly to the public, and signed an Executive Order to protect free speech on his first day back in office,” spokesperson Anna Kelly said. “He will continue to fight against censorship while evaluating all federal spending to identify waste, fraud, and abuse.”
FCC Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Capitol Hill.
(Alex Wroblewski / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Traditionally, the five-member FCC has maintained an ideological balance with three commissioners from the party in power and two from the minority. But the senior Democrat — Geoffrey Starks — plans to step down next month, which will leave just three commissioners: Gomez, Carr and another Republican, Nathan Simington.
Trump has nominated a third Republican, Olivia Trusty, but the Senate has not confirmed her appointment.
Trump has not named a Democrat to replace Starks.
Some on Wednesday expressed concern that Gomez’s five-year tenure on the commission could be cut short. Trump has fired Democrats from other independent bodies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Gomez said if she is pushed out, it would only be because she was doing her job, which she said was defending the Constitution.
Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Indio) applauded Gomez’s efforts and noted that he’s long appreciated coordinating with her on more routine FCC matters, such as ensuring wider broadband internet access.
“But now the fight is the survival of the free press,” Ruiz said.
He noted that millions of people now get news from non-journalist sources, leading to a rise of misinformation and confusion.
“What is the truth?” Ruiz said. “How can we begin to have a debate? How can we begin to create policy on problems when we can’t even agree on what reality is?”
The ninth launch of Elon Musk’s futuristic SpaceX Starship comes after two previous space rockets blew up.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s commercial space flight company, SpaceX, lost control of its ninth Starship test flight 30 minutes after the uncrewed rocket vehicle was launched into space from Texas, the Reuters news agency reports.
The Starship then re-entered the atmosphere earlier than planned on Wednesday after an onboard leak triggered uncontrollable spinning in space, according to Reuters.
The test flight flew beyond the point of past failures, before losing control, Reuters added.
In a post on social media, SpaceX said the Starship experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly”.
“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary,” the company added.
Musk has spent billions of dollars on Starship’s development. The South African-born billionaire claims the initiative is part of his commercial space flight company’s plan to colonise the planet Mars.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) diverted several flights and briefly halted departures at four Florida airports, including Miami International Airport, as debris from that failed flight fell in the area.
One fateful October decision to trim two convoluted sentences from a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris has snowballed into a full-blown corporate crisis for CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, and its controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone.
President Trump’s $20-billion lawsuit — claiming “60 Minutes” producers deceptively manipulated the Harris interview to make her look smarter — has festered, clouding the future of Paramount and the company’s hoped-for $8-billion sale to David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
The dispute over the edits has sparked massive unrest within the company, prompted high-level departures and triggered a Federal Communications Commission examination of alleged news bias. The FCC’s review of the Skydance deal has become bogged down, according to people familiar with the matter who weren’t authorized to comment.
The agency, chaired by a Trump appointee, must approve the transfer of CBS television station licenses to the Ellison family for the deal to advance.
A lawsuit resolution, through court-ordered mediation, remains out of reach. And last week, three Democratic U.S. senators raised the stakes by suggesting, in a letter to Redstone, that a Trump settlement could be considered an illegal payoff.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) warned in their letter that any payment to Trump to gain favorable treatment by the FCC could violate federal anti-bribery laws. Paramount’s dealings with Trump “raises serious concerns of corruption and improper conduct,” the senators wrote.
“Under the federal bribery statute, it is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to influence an official act,” the senators said.
President Trump during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House.
(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
Redstone is desperate for the Paramount-Skydance deal to go through.
Her family’s holding company is cratering under a mountain of debt. Paramount’s sale to the Ellison family would provide the clan $2.4 billion for their preferred shares — proceeds that would allow the Redstones to pay their nearly $600 million in debt — and remain billionaires.
Paramount, Skydance and a spokesperson for Redstone declined to comment.
While recusing herself from granular and final decision-making, Redstone has made it clear that she wants Paramount to settle with Trump, rather than wage an ongoing beef with the sitting president, according to people familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.
Figuring a way out of the dispute has divided the company, according to insiders.
For CBS News professionals, apologizing to Trump over routine edits of a lengthy interview is a red line. Tensions have spilled into public view.
Redstone has been cast as the villain. The Drudge Report, created by journalist Matt Drudge, who got his start at CBS in Los Angeles, last month published a photo of 71-year-old heiress, identifying her in all caps as “The woman who destroyed CBS News.”
Two top CBS News executives have resigned. Both refused to apologize to Trump as part of any settlement, the knowledgeable sources said.
Most CBS journalists and 1st Amendment experts see Trump’s lawsuit a shakedown, one seemingly designed to exploit Paramount’s vulnerability because it needs the government’s approval for the Skydance deal.
“Settling such a case for anything of substance would thus compromise 1st Amendment principles today and the broad notion of freedom of the press in the future,” prominent press freedom lawyer Floyd Abrams said.
Paramount has stressed that it sees the Trump lawsuit and the FCC review of the Skydance deal as separate. “We will abide by the legal process to defend our case,” a Paramount spokesperson said.
But “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley connected the two for viewers during an extraordinary April broadcast, in which he rebuked Paramount management on air at the end of the program. That, according to sources, angered some of Paramount’s leaders.
While “60 Minutes” has received additional corporate oversight, some insiders pointed to Pelley’s acknowledgment that “none of our stories have been blocked.”
All the high-level scrutiny has put Paramount and Redstone in a box, and the Skydance deal looks less certain than it did months ago.
“Who’s going to sign that settlement, knowing that you could be accused of paying a bribe?” asked one person close to Paramount.
Paramount Global’s path to peril began long before the infamous “60 Minutes” edits. The company was diminished by management turmoil and years of cost-cutting, which would eventually force Redstone to find a buyer for one of Hollywood’s most storied studios.
Should New York-based Paramount, which also owns Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and the famed Melrose Avenue movie studio, fail to complete its sale to Skydance by its October deadline, the deal could collapse.
Paramount then would owe $400 million to Skydance as a breakup fee, putting the company in further dire financial straits. Skydance and its investor RedBird Capital Partners have agreed, once they take over, to inject $1.5 billion into Paramount, helping it pay down some debt.
Redstone would also be on the hook to repay her financiers. Two years ago, a Chicago banker rescued the Redstone family investment firm, National Amusements Inc., with a $125-million equity investment.
The family’s finances were strained after Paramount cut its dividend to shareholders that spring during the Hollywood writers’ strike. The family’s dire financial situation was a leading impetus for Paramount’s sale.
If the deal fell through, Redstone would also have to repay a $186-million loan from tech mogul Larry Ellison. The billionaire Oracle co-founder and father of David Ellison extended the loan so National Amusements could make a looming debt payment.
National Amusements holds 77% of Paramount’s controlling shares, giving the Redstone family enormous sway over Paramount management.
Paramount Chairwoman Shari Redstone in 2023 in New York.
(Evan Agostini / Invision / Associated Press)
Critics privately note Redstone’s role in setting up the company for the current drama. It took nearly a year for Redstone and Paramount’s special board committee to negotiate a deal with Skydance. The independent directors spent months searching for an alternate buyer, adding to the delays that now haunt both sides.
Had the parties reached agreement sooner, the companies could have asked the FCC for approval earlier last year during the less hostile Biden administration.
Instead, weeks were spent haggling over various demands, including having Skydance indemnify Redstone and her family against shareholder lawsuits. In the end, the Ellisons also agreed to help Redstone pay for her New York apartment and private jet after the deal closes, according to the knowledgeable people.
Paramount petitioned the FCC for review in September.
By that time, political environment was caustic for mainstream media companies. Conservatives were upset over ABC News’ handling of the Sept. 10 debate between Trump and Harris after ABC anchors fact-checked Trump in real time, including pushing back on his false claim that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating pets.
Trump reportedly backed out of a “60 Minutes” appearance — long a traditional stop for presidential candidates — because CBS intended to fact-check his remarks. Conservatives viewed such formats as a double standard and as an example of how news bias has seeped into major networks’ coverage of Republicans.
“This was an issue we were already sensitive to and focused on,” said Daniel Suhr, president of the conservative Center for American Rights legal group, which filed an FCC complaint against Walt Disney Co.’s ABC after the debate.
Redstone, who had previously urged news executives to bring more balance to CBS’ coverage, was livid after managers scolded “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil for his sharp questioning of author Ta-Nehisi Coates about Israel during an interview segment. Coates’ book, “The Message,” compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the Jim Crow South in the U.S.
Redstone, who is Jewish and has focused her philanthropy on battling antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, publicly rebuked CBS News managers for their treatment of Dokoupil.
The controversial exchange in the Harris “60 Minutes” interview also happened to concern Israel.
Harris gave a long-winded three-sentence response.
CBS broadcast the convoluted first sentence on its Sunday public affairs show, “Face the Nation,” on Oct. 6. The following night — the anniversary of the Hamas attacks — “60 Minutes” aired only her most forceful and succinct third sentence: “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
Conservatives zeroed in.
“CBS created this mess for itself. … The conservative ecosystem was outraged when they saw the two different clips because it vindicated everything,” Suhr said. “Folks had always believed the media was selectively manipulating interviews like that.”
Journalists routinely cut extraneous words to provide clear and compact soundbites for audiences. CBS released a statement saying that it had not doctored the interview. Rather, news producers said they trimmed Harris’ response to cover more ground during the broadcast.
Internally, CBS debated whether to release the full transcript to quell the furor — but it stopped short at first. Some people close to the company have been particularly critical of CBS for not immediately releasing the unedited video.
One of Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s first moves was to revive a separate news distortion complaint against “60 Minutes,” which Suhr had filed shortly after the broadcast. The matter had been dismissed by the previous Biden-appointed chair.
“It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward,” McMahon told her staff in a note last week.
Insiders note other McMahon decisions, including the introduction of a new “CBS Evening News” format, which has led to plummeting ratings, as factors in her fall. McMahon could not be reached for comment.
Redstone and others hope the mediation with Trump’s attorneys will produce a truce.
But several questions remain: What will it take for Paramount to appease the president? And could the company’s leaders be prosecuted if they pay the president a multimillion-dollar settlement?
In “normal times,” officials might be alarmed by a president’s demand for a big check, said Michael C. Dorf, a Cornell Law School professor.
“These are not normal times, however, so the president will likely be able to get away with soliciting a bribe from Paramount, just as he is getting away with extortion of law firms and universities,” Dorf said.
Staff writer Stephen Battaglio contributed to this report.
I PUSHED the order button on my phone and then 10 minutes later my groceries were at my door.
I often find I’m missing an ingredient for a recipe and with two kids at home it’s easier to get the items delivered.
5
Trial of supermarket deliveries with Lana Clements, photographed by Oliver Dixon for Sun Features – 12 May 2025.Photo shows Sainsburys and COOPCredit: Oliver Dixon
But how much extra am I paying?
Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements puts 60-minute delivery services to the test.
Selecting the cheapest, pint of semi-skimmed milk, six-pack of eggs, punnet of strawberries, three-pack of Solero ice creams, loaf of white bread and two-pack of burgers.
TESCO WHOOSH
MIN SPEND: No minimum spend but baskets under £15 incur an extra £2 charge.
BASKET COST: £16.55
FEES: £2.99
TOTAL COST: £19.54
5
My order arrived in 12 minutes, which was pretty speedyCredit: Oliver Dixon
Tesco claims deliveries come in 20 minutes to 70 per cent of the UK from 1,500 stores.
The choice of products was good and I was able to order everything I needed and keep costs relatively low.
For example, I was offered three different packs of strawberries to choose from.
This means the basket cost was lower than rival Tesco, however, the fees were more than £2 higher and included a carrier bag fee making it more expensive overall.
The order came exactly 10 minutes after placing it making it the fastest in the test.
And I can’t complain about the food which was all in great condition.
You can also order Sainsbury’s through Uber Eats and Deliveroo but you can earn Nectar points when ordering through Chop Chop.
This was the quickest delivery and there was a great choice of food but the fee was at the higher end of the scale.
RATING: 4/5
MORRISONS VIA AMAZON
MIN SPEND: £15 for Amazon Prime members, £40 for non-members
BASKET COST: £15.48 ( plus the extra sausages)
FEES: Orders over £60 are free for Prime members, £2 for between £40 and £60, and £4 under £40. For non-members, fees are £3 for orders over £60 and £5 between £40 and £60.
TOTAL COST: £19.48
Same-day deliveries within two-hour timeslots.
When I logged on at 9.30am in the morning, I had the choice of three slots available with the earliest being 2-4pm, the next 4-6pm and then 6-8pm.
I picked the later slot to make sure I didn’t miss the delivery while on the school run.
The choice of products was fantastic and the cheapest prices.
I needed to meet a minimum spend of £15, as I’m an Amazon Prime member. I added on a pack of sausages to bring the total order up to £15.48.
By 8pm nothing had arrived.
Then at 8.09pm I received a text message to say the order had been cancelled and that I would be refunded.
There was no reason given for the cancellation.
Luckily we didn’t go hungry as the other orders were arriving – but I was not impressed.
The fees and minimum spends are offputting too.
RATING: 0/5
WAITROSE VIA UBER EATS
MIN SPEND: No min spend over £15, but under £15 it’s £3.
BASKET COST: £13.11 (after discounts)
FEES: £3.93 Made of three parts: *Service fee (10% of your subtotal capped at £2.99) £1.64 for my order *Delivery fee (depends on variables including location and availability of drivers) £1.79 for my order. *Bag fee (depends on retailer) 50p for my order
TOTAL COST: £17.64
5
The selection from Waitrose was great and my order arrived within 26 minutes.Credit: Oliver Dixon
On Uber Eats I can get Sainsbury’s and Co-op delivered as well as Waitrose.
The selection from Waitrose was great and my order arrived within 26 minutes.
I also got 50 per cent off selected fruit and veg as there was an offer running, which knocked off £2.69 off my total bill.
The fees seem excessive as you’re charged for service, delivery and bags separately.
My order was also split into two bags, pushing up the cost.
Good choice of food and it arrived in reasonable time and condition.
RATING 3/5
CO-OP VIA DELIVEROO
MIN SPEND: No min spend
BASKET COST: £13.55 (no eggs) changed to £8.10 after substitutions (no eggs, no strawberries)
The order arrived in a reasonable 17 minutesCredit: Oliver Dixon
Through Deliveroo I can get Waitrose and Sainsbury’s delivered but I tested Co-Op.
Unfortunately, it was not long after the supermarket suffered from cyber attacks impacting its stock levels and product availability.
However, I was still able to order burgers, milk, bread and ice lollies – and raspberries instead of strawberries. But there were no eggs at all.
The original order total came to £15.50.
However, the raspberries were out of stock when it came to packing and my one pint of milk was changed to a two-pint carton, while the lollies were changed to Co-Op own brand.
The order arrived in a reasonable 17 minutes.
Unlike all the other deliveries, my Co-Op shopping arrived in a green compostable bag.
This didn’t seem to offer the food as much protection as the brown paper bags from the other supermarkets.
As a result, I wasn’t too happy with my loaf of bread which arrived seriously squished.
Fees are split in a similar way to Uber Eats and made up of three parts.
The order arrived in good time but I wasn’t happy with my squashed bread and the choice also let down the experience but this seemed like bad timing.
RATING: 2/5
OTHER SUPERMARKETS
Asda and Ocado both offer speedy grocery deliveries.
Asda offers between an hour and four hours from 330 stores.
My closest branch is five miles away but I couldn’t get it delivered.
There’s no minimum spend and fees are £8.50 to £8.99.
Ocado’s Zoom delivery is between 6am and 10pm.
It currently only covers parts of West and East London.
Minimum spend is £15 and fees start from £1.49.
THE HIDDEN COST OF SPEEDY DELIVERY
IT’S not just the delivery fees that make ordering same-day delivery a pricey option.
There is a stealth cost that makes these services more expensive than standard online delivery – or if you just popped into the shop.
The vast majority of food items had been given a markup compared to the price for standard online delivery.
This markup varied between shops but made the basket almost £3 more expensive in some cases, than if you’d bought the items yourself at the shop or through online delivery.
Sainsbury’s: £15.20 versus £12.74 = £2.46 more expensive
Tesco: £16.44 versus £14.50 = £1.94 more expensive
Morrisons: £15.48 versus £14.73 = 75p more expensive
Waitrose: £13.11 versus £12.40 = 71p more expensive
The A-HyM Hypersonic Air Master is designed to carry 170 passengers and cruise at an altitude of 30,000 metres while travelling at speeds of Mach 7.3
Milo Boyd Digital Travel Reporter and SWNSDeanMurray (Dean Murray)
15:57, 23 May 2025
The plane is designed to fly at 5,600mph
A groundbreaking hypersonic airliner could cut London-New York flight times to a mere 45 minutes.
The revolutionary A-HyM Hypersonic Air Master is set to transform air travel by flying at Mach 7.3-over 5,600 mph (9,000 kph). Designed to carry 170 passengers, it could reduce the transatlantic journey from the usual seven hours, making transatlantic travel quicker than ever before.
In comparison, Concorde typically flew from London to New York in just under three and a half hours, compared to about eight hours on a subsonic flight. Spanish designer Oscar Viñals says the A-HyM would cruise at an altitude of 30,000 metres, far above conventional jets, using advanced heat-resistant materials like titanium and carbon fibre to withstand temperatures up to 1,000°C.
Its innovative Sonic Boom Mitigation System aims to reduce the disruptive noise of breaking the sound barrier, potentially allowing supersonic-and even hypersonic-flights over land without disturbing communities below. Powered by a next-generation hydrogen-fuelled combined-cycle engine, the aircraft would blend turbojet, ramjet, and oblique detonation technologies for both speed and eco-friendliness.
The plane could hypothetically fly from London to New York in 45 minutes
Inside, passengers would enjoy spacious, comfortable cabins equipped with virtual panoramic windows and advanced entertainment systems designed to handle the unique conditions of hypersonic flight.
Although only a concept at this stage, the A-HyM illustrates how rapid breakthroughs in materials science, propulsion systems, and aerodynamics are making the prospect of ultra-fast and sustainable global travel increasingly plausible.
According to Oscar Viñals: “This aircraft concept would allow its users not only to experience a unique flight at dizzying speeds in excellent conditions, but it would also allow them to “master” time, because a trip, for example, from London to Los Angeles would only take an hour and a half, from boarding at Heathrow international airport to disembarking at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport).”
The A-HyM aircraft’s developers are far from the only ones perusing the dream of commercial super-sonic flight. In January the Boom supersonic jet – dubbed the ‘new Concorde‘ – officially broken the sound barrier.
The Colorado-based company Boom launched its XB-1 test plane from California‘s Mojave Air and Space Port for a test flight in January, reaching a speed of Mach 1.1, or 844 miles per hour while flying at about 35,000 feet.
A plane is classed as having reached ‘supersonic’ speeds once it passes Mach 1. The Boom XB-1 is the first civil supersonic jet made in the US to break the sound barrier.
The goal of crashing through the sound barrier, and the loud bang that happens when planes do, is part of the reason super-fast air travel proved difficult from a business perspective.
Making a commercial success of super-sonic aircraft has proved a challenge
As iconic and beautiful as the Concorde’s curved-delta wing shape was, there had always been a fundamental problem with the plane before it was mothballed for good. Smashing through the sound barrier causes a huge bang that has big consequences of those on the ground. During a 1965 test over Oklahoma city by the US Air Force, hundreds of reports of smashed windows were made.
The potential to cause this kind of disruption meant that Concorde could only fly certain routes at supersonic, meaning no high-speed flights over land. This crushed the business case for the aircraft in the US as cities such as Los Angeles and New York could not be linked up effectively.
Climate scientists also began to express alarm about the impact of the Concorde on the ozone layer, specifically the potentially damaging impact its emissions could have while flying at 60,000 feet – something it needed to do to get into air thin enough.
The relatively small number of passengers onboard coupled with the large amount of fuel required to fly so fast (compared to slower air travel), meant fluctuations in oil price hit the airline hard. At points customers were paying close to $12,000 for a single trip, back in 2003. Operators Air France and British Airways had to have reserve planes made as back-ups, which added to the spiralling bill.
Wendy McMahon is stepping down as from her role as president of CBS News and Stations, indicating her disagreement with the parent company’s handling of President Trump’s lawsuit against “60 Minutes.”
“It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward,” McMahon said in a note sent to CBS News staff Monday. “It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”
McMahon has been firm in her position that CBS News parent Paramount Global should not settle the $20-billion suit from Trump, which claims an October interview with his 2024 opponent Vice President Kamala Harris was deceptively edited to help her presidential campaign.
The lawsuit is an obstacle to Paramount Global’s proposed $8-billion sale to Skydance Media. The case has gone to a mediator.
McMahon’s departure is a sign that a settlement may be close.
With McMahon’s exit, CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations President Jennifer Mitchell will each report directly to CBS Chief Executive George Cheeks.
McMahon joined CBS in 2021. She oversaw the company’s syndication division and TV stations as well as CBS News.
Cheeks brought McMahon to the company from Walt Disney Co., where she led the ABC station group. At the time, Cheeks was trying to clean up its stations division, which was plagued by management issues and the firing of its former head, Peter Dunn.
Since then, McMahon rose to be one of Cheeks’ most trusted lieutenants, taking over CBS News. But she irked Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, over CBS News coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this report.
Eurovision kicked off it’s 69th annual contest tonight – and fans think they already know who’s going to be taking home the title just moments after the performances kicked off
21:11, 17 May 2025Updated 21:12, 17 May 2025
The Eurovision Song Contest kicked off it’s 69th annual contest tonight after a dramatic build up with two semi-finals earlier in the week. However, fans think they’ve already ‘worked out’ who will win less than a hour into the four hour live show.
The show kicked off with a high-energy performance from Norway as Kyle Alessandro – Lighter, as Luxembourg’sLaura Thorn kicked off with her ‘trippy’ visuals with her song La Poupée Monte Le Son. Things went up a notch when Estonia’s Tommy Cash performed his fan favourite song – Espresso Macchiato.
Tommy earned his place during the first semi-final, and now fans think he’s going to take it all the way. The rapper and singer had the whole crowd on their feet with his epic dance moves, but some had a moment to pause and take to X, formerly known as Twitter, to hail him the winner already.
Tommy Cash had the crowd on their feet with Espresso Macchiato (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“Espresso Macchiato is the clear winner #eurovision,” said one, while a second agreed: “That’s the winner. #Eurovision”.
A third was also in agreement, commenting: “Espresso macchiato….. There’s your winner!”
Fans will have to wait until the end of the night to see if Tommy really does take home the crowd. However, they won’t have to wait until then to vote, with the lines already open.
Voting opened before anyone kicked off their performance, with fans being able to vote via phone up to 20 times. However, it does cost 15p a vote but fans can save a few pennies by voting online through the app and via www.esc.vote.
Will Tommy take home the crown?(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
After Tommy, Israel’s Yuval Raphael took to the stage, performing her power ballad New Day Will Rise.
“Not sure what you’re hearing at home, slightly mixed response here in the hall,” the Irish host commented as Yuval wrapped things up – a nod to the reports Eurovision bosses are meddling with what makes it to TV screens across Europe.
Elsewhere, fans are hopeful for a performance from Celine Dion after her video message during the first semi-final.
Adding fuel to the fire, Graham mentioned the fact the My Heart Will Go On singer is watching backstage but didn’t rule out a little performance from the Eurovision legend.
Avoid the droves of bustling crowds with this pristine beach – located just 15 minutes away from one of Barcelona’s busiest hotpots – that has been described by one local as the ‘perfect escape’
One local has raved about a secluded beach just a stone’s throw from one of Barcelona’s busiest coastal spots(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A local has revealed the ‘perfect’ escape from Spain’s bustling beaches that most tourists struggle to find. Renowned for its Gaudí architecture, ubiquitous history, and fancy rooftop cocktail bars – Barcelona, located in Spain’s Catalonia region, has long been a tourist hotspot.
Last year, a staggering 15.6 million tourists flocked to cosmopolitan city, to soak up the sun and pretend they’re suddenly art and history connoisseurs. It’s a 100,000 decrease compared to 2023 overnight figures, but still means finding a beach where you’re not rubbing shoulders with a complete stranger an almost impossible feat.
Playa de Bogatell is a popular spot for sun-worshipping Brits, boasting sugar-like sands, cobalt waters, and a slew of sea-view eateries. However, in the peak seasons – the stretch of sand can become insufferably crowded.
Playa de Bogatell can become extremely crowded in the summer months(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Luckily, TikTok channel Explorebarcelona explained that just a stone’s throw from the busy beach lies a stunning shore that has somehow managed to escape the tourist limelight. “Most tourists will never find this place, but most locals know it’s the perfect escape,” the account said.
“Tired of crowded beaches, and overpriced drinks? Just walk 15 minutes further and you will find Platja Nova Mar Bella, a hidden gem where locals actually relax. [There are] no vendors, no noise, just clean sand, clear water, and space to breathe.”
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On TripAdvisor,Platja Nova Mar Bella has garnered hundreds of five-star reviews from impressed travellers.”The sand was light coloured tan with no rocks and clean surroundings,” one visitor hailed. “The drop off into the sea was substantial and with smooth rocks to walk into the water. Beverages were easily attained as were umbrellas to rent.”
Another agreed, commenting: “[It’s] quieter than beaches nearer the town. There are spacious toilets, bike racks to lock up rental bikes, and showers. It’s a relaxed unintimidating beach for people of all ages and all shapes and sizes!”
A third added: “Very nice tapas bar in the middle of the beach, very nice sand and clean water. Very convenient and free parking,” while a fourth penned: “The beach was closed to swimming because of high wind and surf conditions but that didn’t stop us from dipping our feet in the water and enjoying the sun!”
However, others argued the beach’s pristine reputation had already started to fade. One-star reviews complaining about ‘aggressive’ vendors and pickpockets have now started to tarnish the review site.
“The place is nice and clean,” one person wrote. “The only downside is the shoppers. [They’re] very aggressive and insistent… they had to be put back in their place vigorously.”
Others pointed out the beach was actually a nudist beach, despite a lack of notice boards. Many have branded the beach a ‘gay beach’, as it tends to attract LGBTQ+ visitors.
Do you have a story to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be featured.
It took only five minutes for the kicks to sell out, Nike confirmed to The Times. But fear not, Wilson told her fans in an Instagram story later in the day.
“This morning was wild,” the Las Vegas Aces star and former South Carolina standout wrote. “If you missed the A’One, don’t worry. We’re dropping again Thursday at Nike stores and other spots everywhere.”
Additional A’One sneakers in different colors are also scheduled to be released later this month, including the “OG Pearl” edition on May 15.
In a statement, Nike said of Wilson: “Her debut shoe selling out in minutes is testament to her extraordinary talent and her impact on and off the court. We’re excited to see the response and look forward to bringing more A’One’s to Nike doors and marketplace partners throughout May.”
Nike hyped the sneakers’ release in recent days by dropping a pair of cinematic video ads — one directed by Jenn Nkiru, the other by Malia Obama, both featuring an earworm of a jingle set to the tune of “Mary Mack” (with new lyrics that start, “A’Ja Wilson’s on top, top, top …”).
“It’s special,” Wilson told Desert Wave Media of the release of her first shoe. “It really is. I’m so glad that a long two years of hard work is coming to life and everyone can enjoy it.”
“60 Minutes” is not going easy on President Trump.
The CBS newsmagazine is embroiled in a legal battle with the president over its October interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which Trump claims was deceptively edited to help her presidential campaign. The lawsuit is an obstacle to CBS News parent Paramount Global’s proposed $8 billion sale to Skydance Media.
But since the suit was filed last fall, “60 Minutes” has remained dogged in its coverage of the Trump administration’s policies. This past Sunday was no different as correspondent Scott Pelley reported on how Trump is using executive orders to target law firms that he accuses of “weaponizing” the justice system against him.
The orders threatened to bar attorneys from courthouses and federal agencies and cancel government contracts held by the law firms and their clients. Several law firms agreed to provide free legal services for initiatives backed by the president to avoid the order.
“Targeted firms say what the president signed amounted to a corporate death penalty,” Pelley said in the report.
Marc Elias, a lawyer who successfully fought one of Trump’s court challenges of the 2020 election results, told Pelley the White House’s actions are akin to “the way in which a mob boss intimidates people in the neighborhood that he is seeking to either exact protection money from or engage in other nefarious conduct.”
Pelley also spoke with attorney Brenna Frey, who resigned in protest from her former firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom after it cut a deal with Trump to escape the order.
“I think the message it sends to the country is, power is what matters,” Frey said. “If you have power, you can exercise that power however you want. And if that’s true, why have a legal system at all? Why have law firms or lawyers at all?”
Trump did not post a reaction to the Sunday segment on Truth Social, where in recent weeks he has delivered missives blasting “60 Minutes” coverage of his administration’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war, cuts to the federal government and the president’s desire to annex Greenland.
The issue has also ratcheted up the pressure on controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, who has pushed for a settlement to facilitate Paramount’s sale to the family headed by billionaire tech mogul Larry Ellison. Redstone’s apparent willingness to appease Trump has sparked sharp protests within the company.
Early this year, the president doubled the amount of damages he was seeking in the “60 Minutes” lawsuit to $20 billion. His legal fling attempted to steer the case away from 1st Amendment issues and instead claim “60 Minutes” was a fraudulent product that harmed viewers in Texas.
Paramount’s board, during an April 18 meeting, agreed on parameters for a possible settlement with Trump, according to two people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to comment.
Vice President Kamala Harris talks to “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker.
(CBS News)
Bill Owens recently resigned as executive producer of “60 Minutes,” citing increased corporate pressure over coverage. Pelley told “60 Minutes” viewers about Owens’ resignation, noting that journalists had been facing increased corporate oversight because of Paramount’s desire to win the Trump administration’s approval of the Skydance deal.
