As the competition heated up, the remaining contestants pressed on to an undisclosed location after Deborah became the first casualty of the game, her incorrect guess landing her miles away from the actual destination: Paris.
With the competitors still clueless about their whereabouts, they embarked on a fresh leg of their European adventure.
Drama escalated when the participants were split into groups and tasked with securing a clue for their team while precariously perched in a gondola 2,000 metres up in the air, reports Wales Online.
BBC’s Destination X leaves viewers speechless with ‘nerve-racking’ challenge
Amidst the mountainous backdrop, the host revealed a plot twist, one brave soul from each team had to abseil down to retrieve a clue from the bottom of their cart.
X was ablaze as viewers expressed their astonishment at seeing two daring contestants abseil from their sky-high gondola.
One viewer exclaimed: “This is INSANE he’s hanging 2,000ft above air like it’s nothing #DestinationX” While someone else tweeted: “Is this for real? #DestinationX”.
One player from each team had to go under the cart to get the clue
One viewer couldn’t help but express their concern, saying: “All I can think about is insurance and risk assessments.”
Another shared their personal dread, sharing: “I’d be in the corner rocking back and forth this is a nightmare to me.”
A different person pointed out the behind-the-scenes safety measures, commenting: “As well as a camera crew, there must be safety people checking the harnesses.”
Pilot Josh, reflecting on the daunting experience of being suspended mid-air, admitted: “There was a massive drop down , that was pretty nerve-racking!”
Josh confessed the task was ‘nerve-racking’
Ultimately, both teams managed to secure the clue from beneath the cart, but it was Team A who triumphed in the overall challenge by piecing together their clues more effectively.
In a strategic move, the victorious team chose to withhold some information about the clue they uncovered, hoping to gain an edge in the competition.
Despite the tactical play and the advantage it provided, it was Dawn who faced elimination, becoming the most recent contestant to exit the show.
Destination X is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Israel said ‘terrorist organisations’ were motivated to exact revenge on it due to its recent military campaigns against Iran and in Gaza.
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has sharpened its travel warnings for Israelis visiting and staying in the United Arab Emirates, citing a heightened risk of “terrorist organisations” carrying out attacks in the Gulf State.
In a statement published on Thursday, the NSC cited a growing threat from “terrorist organisations (The Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah and Global Jihad)” attacking Israeli targets, motivated by Israel’s military operations in the Middle East.
“They are driven by heightened motivation to exact revenge following Operation Rising Lion, in addition to the anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian incitement which has intensified since the start of Operation Iron Swords, and even more so in response to Hamas’ starvation campaign,” it said, using the names for its military assaults on Iran and Gaza.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over Gaza’s ongoing starvation crisis, caused by the Israeli military’s months-long blockade on aid entering the Palestinian enclave.
In 2020, the UAE became the most prominent Arab state in 30 years to establish formal ties with Israel under a United States-brokered agreement dubbed the Abraham Accords. The country’s Israeli and Jewish community has grown larger and more visible in the years since the accords were signed.
But the NSC statement said “past experience” has taught Israel that “terrorist organisations often focus their efforts in neighbouring countries”.
“In light of this, the NSC is reiterating the possibility that they will try to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the UAE, especially on Jewish holidays and Shabbat,” it added.
The NSC’s travel alert for the UAE – which remains unchanged at level 3 – strongly advises against non-essential travel and urges Israeli citizens to “seriously reconsider” visiting the Gulf state.
While the UAE is viewed as one of the safest places in the Middle East, three people were sentenced to death there in March for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court ruled that the November killing of 28-year-old Zvi Kogan – a representative of Orthodox Jewish organisation Chabad in the UAE – was committed by the defendants in pursuance of a “terrorist purpose”.
CANTON, Ohio — Trey Lance welcomes any opportunity that comes his way — a vexing four NFL seasons have only made him more eager — so Thursday night felt especially good.
Lance, the onetime third overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers, is battling for the Chargers’ backup quarterback job, and he made a compelling case in the Hall of Fame Game against the NFC darling Detroit Lions.
Although he didn’t put up gaudy numbers — completing 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns — he was as relaxed and at ease in front of the crowd of 18,144 at Tom Benson Stadium, as refreshing as the gentle evening breeze after a day of sprinkling rain.
“I was excited that we got this fourth preseason game,” Lance said after the 34-7 victory. “If I could play four games I’d be fired up about that.”
Lance, competing with Taylor Heinicke for the backup job to Justin Herbert, is on his third NFL team since being drafted in 2021. He was sidelined by injuries with the 49ers, then unseated by Brock Purdy. After that, Lance was a third-stringer for two seasons in Dallas. And keep in mind, he only played one full season at North Dakota State.
NFL analyst Sam Monson crunched the numbers and came up with this forehead-slapping stat: Lance has thrown a total of 781 pass attempts since he was 16. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, for instance, had 664 last season alone.
“He had the same kind of composure and poise and was just in control,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said of Lance after the game. “There’s a presence that I’ve been seeing all camp. He’s had a heck of a camp, and then he went out in the game and did that. Just the feeling of — he needs game reps, and you know he’s going to get them. It’s a great start for him tonight.”
Chargers quarterback Trey Lance passes in the first half of the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday.
(David Richard / Associated Press)
As for that relatively minuscule number of pass attempts since high school?
Lance just turned 25 in May.
“Gosh, to be 25 again,” the coach said. “Wow, that’s the fat part of the bat, you know, for a quarterback. Excited about where he’s headed, happy to be in the middle of that story too. Just keep rolling. More reps next week.”
Here are five observations from the Chargers’ preseason opener:
July 31 (UPI) — President Donald Trump formalized his reciprocal tariffs policy on Thursday, imposing stiff levies on dozens of nations while making good on his promise to use the economic measure to try and balance what he sees as negative trade deficits with U.S. trading partners.
The American president signed an executive order putting a 10% tariff on most trading partners, aside from a handful with whom recent deals have either been made with or are pending.
Trump has long turned to economic tariffs as a bargaining tool, both as a negotiation tactic and as an attempt to spur the domestic manufacturing industry. Since returning to the White House in January, the New York real estate mogul has railed against trade deficits, often framing them as examples of trading partners taking advantage of the United States.
The executive order was signed hours before a White House-imposed deadline for other countries to finalize deals with the United States, while delaying the imposition of the tariffs until Aug. 7. It also permits goods loaded onto shipping vessels prior to Aug. 7 that arrive in the United States before Oct. 5 to be exempt from the levies.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a press conference held Thursday, before the executive order was announced, that the sweeping tariffs apply to all trading partners who have not fashioned “bespoke” deals with the president.
“We promised that the president would negotiate with countries all around the world to cut tailor-made trade deals depending on those countries’ challenges, how badly they’ve ripped off the United States of America and our manufacturing industry and our workforce in the past,” she said.
Countries facing the highest levies under the executive order are Syria at 41%, Myanmar and Laos at 40% and Switzerland at 39%.
Earlier Thursday, Trump announced he was pausing plans to place tariffs on Mexico for 90 days to allow negotiations to progress.
On Wednesday night, he threatened ongoing trade negotiations with Canada over Ottawa’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state. Canada is set to see its tariff go from 25% to 35%.
Recent deals have also been reached with South Korea, the European Union, Britain, Japan and others.
It also comes on the heels of Trump slapping a 40% tariff on Brazilian goods over its prosecution of his ally, former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, for a total of 50%.
“We have never had a president who wields the full power of the United States to negotiate good deals for our country and its people like President Trump,” Leavitt said.
US envoy Steve Witkoff to visit aid distribution sites in Gaza to assess ‘dire situation on the ground’: White House
United States President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Gaza to inspect aid distribution as pressure mounts on Israel over its starvation policy in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Witkoff will travel to Gaza on Friday with US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to inspect aid distribution as condemnation of Israel grows over famine in Gaza and reports that more than 1,000 desperately hungry Palestinians have been killed since May at food distribution sites operated by the notorious US- and Israeli-backed GHF.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Witkoff would visit “distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground”.
“The special envoy and the ambassador will brief the president immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region,” Leavitt said.
The visit by the top US envoy comes a day after more than 50 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the territory and health officials reported the deaths of two more children from starvation, adding to the Gaza Health Ministry’s confirmed death toll of 154 people who have died from “famine and malnutrition” – including 89 children – in recent weeks.
Witkoff met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after his arrival in the country on Thursday, the Israeli leader’s office said.
Earlier this week, President Trump contradicted Netanyahu’s insistence that reports of hunger in Gaza were untrue, with the US leader saying the enclave was experiencing “real starvation”.
The United Nations and independent experts had warned for months that starvation was taking hold in Gaza due to the Israeli military blockade on humanitarian relief, and this week, they said that “famine is now unfolding”.
Angered by Israel’s denial of aid and ongoing attacks on Gaza’s population, the United Kingdom, Canada and Portugal this week became the latest Western governments to announce plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France will recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, following Spain, Norway and Ireland’s lead.
Some 142 countries out of the 193 members of the UN currently recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state.
Following a meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said “the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is beyond imagination”.
“Here, the Israeli government must act quickly, safely and effectively to provide humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation from becoming a reality,” he said.
“I have the impression that this has been understood today.”
Once a vibrant centre of Palestinian life, much of Gaza has been pulverised by Israeli bombardments and more than 60,000 Palestinians killed, and almost 150,000 wounded, since October 2023, after the Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed an estimated 1,139 people.
State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
War Widow’s Pension
Widowed Mother’s Allowance
Widowed Parent’s Allowance
Widow’s Pension
If you’re part of a married couple, in a civil partnership or live together, you’ll both get the cash bonus – as long as you both are eligible.
If you or your partner do not get one of the above qualifying benefits, then they could still get the bonus if they are over the state pension age by the end of the qualifying week.
Winter Fuel payment
The Winter Fuel Payment is made every year to help cover the cost of energy over the colder months.
It has been changed in recent months so that fewer can claim.
However, the cash boost, worth up to £300, is still valuable for those who quality – particularly those on Pension Credit.
The cash is usually paid in November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.
If you haven’t got your payment by then, you need to call the office that pays your benefits.
Households eligible for the payment are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year.
If you think you meet the criteria, but don’t automatically get the winter fuel payment, you will have to apply on the government’s website.
The Child Winter Heating Assistance
If you’re based in Scotland, you could receive a child winter heating assistance payment of £255.80.
You get child winter heating payment for a child or young person under 19 who lives in Scotland and who is entitled to:
the highest rate of the care component of child disability payment (CDP) or disability living allowance (DLA), or
the enhanced rate of the daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) or personal independence payment (PIP).
They must be entitled to the relevant disability benefit during the ‘qualifying week’, which is the week beginning on the third Monday in September (w/c Septmber 15 in 2025).
You do not have to make a claim for the payment, but it should be paid by Social Security Scotland, usually in November.
If you think you’re entitled but have not received payment by the end of December, you should contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.
Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount is an automatic £150 discount off energy bills.
As the money is a discount, there is no money paid to you, but you’ll get the payment automatically if your electricity supplier is part of the scheme and you qualify.
You’ll have to be in receipt of one of the following benefits to qualify for one of the payments:
If you don’t claim any of the above benefits, you won’t be eligible for the payment.
Cold Weather payment
Cold weather payments are dished out when temperatures are recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below, on average, for seven consecutive days between November 1 and March 31.
Eligible Brits are then given extra money to help heat their homes.
You get £25 for each seven-day period where the weather is below zero Celsius on average during this time frame.
You can check if your area has had a cold weather payment by popping your postcode into the government’s tool on its website.
You’ll need to be on certain benefits to qualify, which are:
Student maintenance loans are paid to university students to help cover living costs such as rent.
They are usually paid at the start of each new term, so you typically receive three payments a year.
Maintenance Loans are paid straight into your student bank account in three (almost) equal instalments throughout the year.
The amount you will receive depends on where in the UK you’re from, whether you’ll be living at home or not, your household income and how long you’re studying for.
The average Maintenance Loan is approximately £6,116 a year.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
US President Donald Trump set the following rates by region in his executive order on Thursday, titled “Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates”:
The Trump administration has frozen hundreds of science, medical and other federal grants to UCLA worth nearly $200 million, citing the university’s alleged “discrimination” in admissions and failure to “promote a research environment free of antisemitism.”
The decision to pull funding comes after Atty. Gen.Pam Bondi and the Justice Department said this week that UCLA would pay a “heavy price” for acting with “deliberate indifference” to the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students who complained of antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza and campus protests the events spurred last year.
The cancellation of grants is the first large-scale targeted funding claw-back against UCLA under the Trump administration. Until now, the White House has largely focused its attempts to remake higher education on elite East Coast schools such as Columbia, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania. Each has reached deals with the government in recent weeks over issues including admissions, Jewish student life, student discipline, antisemitism training and gender identity in sports.
In a letter to UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk dated Wednesday, the National Science Foundation wrote that it was terminating grants because “the University of California – Los Angeles continues to engage in race discrimination including in its admissions process, and in other areas of student life.”
An estimated 300 NSF grants totaling $180 million have been canceled. About half of the funds were already distributed. Before the letter was released Thursday, researchers were expecting the other half to follow.
In a letter to the university community Thursday, Frenk wrote that the canceled grants are from NSF, NIH and other federal agencies, but he did not give a dollar amount or list the other agencies. A partial list of terminated grants reviewed by The Times added up to roughly $200 million. The list was provided by a source who was not authorized to share the information.
Frenk called the government’s decision “deeply disappointing” and “a loss for Americans across the nation whose work, health, and future depend on the groundbreaking work we do.”
“In its notice to us, the federal government claims antisemitism and bias as the reasons,” Frenk wrote. “This far-reaching penalty of defunding life-saving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination.”
Spokespersons for the NSF and NIH did not immediately reply to requests for comment Thursday.
The federal government’s decision to cut UCLA off from significant federal funds follows a similar playbook to its dealings with Ivy League institutions.
The Trump administration this spring canceled billions of dollars in federal grants to Harvard, which has sued in federal court to reverse the terminations and stop a Trump move to rescind its ability to host international students. Harvard is separately in negotiations with the White House to end the legal fight.
Columbia University this month agreed to pay more than $200 million to the federal government to resolve investigations over alleged antisemitism amid its response to 2024 pro-Palestinian protests. On Wednesday, Brown University also came to a $50-million agreement with the White House. The Brown payment will go toward Rhode Island workforce development programs.
The Department of Justice said this week that it had found UCLA guilty of violating the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students. The department also indicated that it wanted to the university to enter into negotiations to avoid a federal lawsuit.
The department gave UCLA a Tuesday deadline to communicate its desire to negotiate. If not, the DOJ said, it was ready to sue by Sept. 2.
The University of California, in a statement, was unclear on whether it would settle or go to court.
“UCLA has addressed and will continue to address the issues raised in [the] Department of Justice notice,” Stett Holbrook, associate director of Strategic and Critical Communications, wrote in a statement Wednesday. He cited a $6.45-million settlement the university reached with Jewish students who had sued over claims that the 2024 encampment had discriminated against them.
“We have cooperated fully with the Department of Justice’s investigation and are reviewing its findings closely,” Holbrook wrote.
In his Thursday letter, Frenk shot back against the cuts.
“Let me be clear: Federal research grants are not handouts. Our researchers compete fiercely for these grants, proposing work that the government itself deems vital to the country’s health, safety and economic future,” he wrote.
“Grants lead to medical breakthroughs, economic advancement, improved national security and global competitiveness — these are national priorities,” Frenk wrote, adding that “we are actively evaluating our best course of action. We will be in constant communication as decisions move forward.”
Top seed Coco Gauff progressed to the fourth round of the Canadian Open after a comeback win against Veronika Kudermetova in Montreal.
The world number two recovered from a set and a break down to win 4-6 7-5 6-2 and make it to the final 16 of the tournament for the fifth time running.
The 2025 French Open champion will now face the winner of the clash between 18-year-old wildcard Victoria Mboko of Canada and Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova.
Fourth seed Mirra Andreeva exited the competition after she was beaten 7-6 6-5 by 28th seed McCartney Kessler, who will meet Ukraine’s 27th seed Marta Kostyuk, who posted a 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win against 15th seed Daria Kasatkina.
Unseeded Zhu Lin of China is also through to the fourth round after a 6-2 6-2 victory against Suzan Lamens.
In the men’s draw in Toronto, third seed Lorenzo Musetti crashed out of the tournament after the Italian was beaten 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 by 26th seed Alex Michelsen of the United States in the third round.
Michelsen’s win sets up an all-American clash in the fourth round where he could face either Learner Tien or Reilly Opelka.
Eighth seed Casper Ruud also reached the fourth round with a 7-6 6-4 win against Nuno Borges and will face 11th seed Karen Khachanov, who overcame Emilio Nava 6-7 6-4 6-1.
Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo got the better of compatriot Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets and will face either top seed Alexander Zverev or Matteo Arnaldi in the next stage.
July 31 (UPI) — The FBI has for the first time opened a dedicated office in New Zealand, officials announced Thursday.
FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to the country this week to open the office in Wellington, which will house a dedicated law enforcement attache office.
“While the FBI has stationed personnel in New Zealand for several years, establishing a full legal position in the country will strengthen and enhance the longstanding cooperation with a key Five Eyes partner in the southwestern Pacific region,” Patel said in a statement.
The Five Eyes partnership comprises five countries including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all of which have a history of partnership and cooperation.
Patel added that the new office will also help the United States and New Zealand cooperate on shared security objectives in the region.
The Wellington office is the latest in a series of locations across the globe that the FBI has established to “investigate and disrupt a wide range of threats and criminal activities including terrorism, cybercrime and fraud, organized crime and money laundering, child exploitation and foreign intelligence threats,” the statement from Patel’s office continued.
The new office will oversee partnerships in New Zealand, Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands and Tonga.
The Wellington FBI office will continue to work on issues that the agency and the New Zealand police have already been pursuing, including investigating terrorist attacks in Christchurch, organized crime and money laundering activities, child exploitation and drug smuggling cases, cybercrime and fraud.
“Tackling these challenges demands close collaboration and trust, and our existing partnerships in New Zealand have already delivered notable successes,” the statement said.
The surge comes following announced investments in AI after the company laid off thousands of workers earlier this month.
Microsoft is now the second company ever to surpass $4 trillion in market valuation, following artificial intelligence giant Nvidia.
Microsoft, which is traded under the ticker “MSFT”, is continuing to surge and as of noon in New York City (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, it is up 4.6 percent from the market open.
The technology behemoth said it will spend $30bn in capital spending for the first quarter of the current fiscal year to meet soaring artificial intelligence (AI) demand. Microsoft also reported booming sales in its Azure cloud computing business on Wednesday.
“It is in the process of becoming more of a cloud infrastructure business and a leader in enterprise AI, doing so very profitably and cash generatively despite the heavy AI capital expenditures,” said Gerrit Smit, lead portfolio manager, Stonehage Fleming Global Best Ideas Equity Fund.
Redmond, Washington-headquartered Microsoft first cracked the $1 trillion mark in April 2019.
Its move to $3 trillion was more measured than that of technology giants Nvidia and Apple, with AI-bellwether Nvidia tripling its value in just about a year and clinching the $4 trillion milestone before any other company on July 9.
In its earnings report, revenue topped $76.4bn.
‘Slam-dunk’
“This was a slam-dunk quarter for MSFT [Microsoft] with cloud and AI driving significant business transformation across every sector and industry as the company continues to capitalize on the AI Revolution unfolding front and center,” Dan Ives, senior analyst at Wedbush Securities, said in a note provided to Al Jazeera.
Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar bet on OpenAI is proving to be a game-changer, powering its Office Suite and Azure offerings with cutting-edge AI and fuelling the stock to more than double its value since ChatGPT’s late-2022 debut.
Its capital expenditure forecast, its largest ever for a single quarter, has put it on track to potentially outspend its rivals over the next year.
“We closed out the fiscal year with a strong quarter, highlighted by Microsoft Cloud revenue reaching $46.7bn, up 27 percent [up 25 percent in constant currency] year-over-year,” Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Microsoft, said in a statement.
However, Microsoft’s surge in market value is overshadowed by a wave of layoffs at the tech giant. Earlier this month, the company laid off 9,000 people, representing 4 percent of its global workforce, while doubling down on AI.
Lately, breakthroughs in trade talks between the United States and its trading partners ahead of US President Donald Trump’s August 1 tariff deadline have buoyed stocks, propelling the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to record highs.
Meta Platforms also doubled down on its AI ambitions, forecasting third-quarter revenue that blew past Wall Street estimates as artificial intelligence supercharged its core advertising business.
The social media giant upped the lower end of its annual capital spending by $2bn – just days after Alphabet made a similar move – signalling that Silicon Valley’s race to dominate the artificial-intelligence frontier is only accelerating.
In the final weeks of philanthropist Wallis Annenberg’s life, her family and closest friends were consumed by a fierce power struggle over her medical care, court records show.
Three of her children — Gregory, Lauren and Charles — believed their mother was being mistreated during her most vulnerable time, wrongfully confined to her bed, isolated from family and longtime staff and overmedicated to the point of stupor.
They blamed their mother’s longtime partner, Kris Levine, and Kris’ older sister, Vikki Levine.
Vikki, who served as Annenberg’s personal assistant and held authority over her medical decisions, was exerting control over their mother in “likely fatal” ways, hastening her decline with excess narcotics, the children alleged in court documents. The children said they were shielded from information about their mother and were distressed that the Levine sisters had indicated plans to remove Annenberg’s body from her Century City villa within hours of her death and send her remains for composting before a proper goodbye.
“If there is anything suspicious about her death — which is appearing more and more likely given Vikki’s ongoing abuse of Wallis — it will render it impossible to conduct an autopsy,” the children’s legal team asserted in court filings.
The dispute drew in some of the city’s top lawyers, triggered calls to police and led the Annenberg children to march into Los Angeles County Superior Court in a frantic effort to dislodge Vikki Levine from overseeing their mother’s medical care.
Vikki and Kris Levine adamantly denied over-medicating or mistreating Annenberg, the heiress to her father’s publishing empire who, through her family’s foundation, gave about $1.5 billion to scores of organizations and nonprofits across Los Angeles County.
In court filings, Vikki Levine said the children’s “vicious and false accusations” stemmed from sadness that their mother didn’t disclose to them that her cancer had returned, that they weren’t in charge of her care, that her death was rapidly approaching and that she wanted to die “as gently as possible.”
“The Children have misdirected their pain, grief and anger at the wrong person, which is so much easier than confronting reality,” Vikki Levine said in a court filing in which she also accused the Annenberg children of creating a “toxic environment” when they visited.
Kris Levine, who started dating the heiress in 2009 and had lived with her since 2012, submitted a declaration stating that the Annenberg children had engaged in a campaign of “lies” to their mother, including telling her that her partner was trying to kill her. She insisted that the children had been permitted to visit but lamented that her home had become engulfed by acrimony.
“No one is attempting to hurt Wallis — we love her. No one is keeping her children from her. Despite the outrageous behavior they exhibit in my home at such a sensitive time, they are still welcome,” Kris Levine said in a declaration.
Annenberg had opted to go into hospice in the final weeks of her life, and Kris Levine questioned why the children would defy their mother’s wishes and disparage her choices, particularly in such a public way.
“Nobody controlled Wallis Annenberg and for anyone to say otherwise would contradict the truth and be disrespectful of her and her legacy as one of the most transformative philanthropists of our time,” said Stuart Liner, an attorney for Kris Levine, in a statement to The Times.
This account of the Annenberg family’s internal conflict is based on court records that provide a window into one of Southern California’s most prominent families. Wallis Annenberg’s estate lawyer, Andrew Katzenstein, and the children’s lawyer, Jessica Babrick, declined comment. Representatives for Vikki Levine did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Wallis Annenberg, center, sits between her son Charles Annenberg Weingarten and Kris Levine at a 2015 event.
(Chris Weeks / Getty Images)
Annenberg died Monday at age 86, drawing tributes from former President Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and luminaries in the worlds of art, business and philanthropy.
The public mourning has highlighted Annenberg’s generosity toward elder care, animal welfare and USC, where she was a life trustee, among other causes. The turmoil among those closest to her, however, has persisted following the intense legal battle over her final days.
The dispute, at least so far, has not touched on the Annenberg family’s wealth — or what either side stood to financially gain or lose with the matriarch’s death. It originated, in part, in an advance healthcare directive that Annenberg allegedly signed on July 11, 2023, the year after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, according to court records.
The directive, which was notarized and executed with assistance from Annenberg’s attorney, Katzenstein, endowed Vikki Levine with primary authority over medical decisions and designated Annenberg’s son Gregory Weingarten as an alternate.
Annenberg’s children have since cast doubt on the document, asserting in a court filing that the signature appears to be right-handed, while Annenberg was left-handed.
Vikki Levine, with David Dreier, attends The Wallis Delivers: A Benefit Evening To Support Wildfire Recovery at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on April 30 in Beverly Hills.
(Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images)
Why Annenberg installed Vikki Levine in the role is unclear. In court papers, she is described as Annenberg’s best friend, personal assistant and sister to “life partner” Kris Levine. Voting records show that all three women resided at Annenberg’s home. Vikki Levine had worked for the heiress since at least the mid-2000s, when Annenberg installed her as trustee over a granddaughter’s trusts, court records show.
Although Kris Levine was not listed among Annenberg’s survivors in several obituaries, she was a mainstay in her life, publicly accompanying her to events and co-chairing philanthropic events.
Last fall, after being in remission, Annenberg’s cancer returned. According to a court filing by Vikki Levine, the philanthropist decided not to tell her children or anyone but her “closest friends.”
“Wallis determined not to seek treatment, but to enjoy as much as possible, the time she had left,” according to the filing.
In April, after Vikki Levine told Annenberg’s children about their mother’s health, they “had nearly unlimited access to Wallis,” the filing said, asserting that the children’s claims rest on scores of in-person interactions with her, making it unlikely that she was forcibly isolated.
“Wallis has been visited virtually daily by her Children and/or grandchildren, and has 24 hour care by experienced medical staff,” Vikki Levine’s attorneys said.
Wallis Annenberg, seated, with her children Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, Lauren Bon and Charles Annenberg Weingarten.
(Hamish Robertson)
Around early May, Annenberg began hospice, with medication aimed to alleviate pain and anxiety from her decreased lung function, according to a declaration from one of her hospice nurses that was reviewed by The Times.
But the Annenberg children were growing increasingly alarmed, they said in court filings.
In June and early July, Vikki Levine had dismissed longtime household staff and was demanding that a new team overmedicate their mother, “administering excessive amounts of powerful narcotics and opioids, such as Fentanyl, Morphine, Ativan and other similar drugs,” the children alleged in a court filing.
The cocktail of narcotics kept their mother “in a vegetative state” and risked catastrophe, the children claimed, writing, “When Wallis is able to emerge from this near-comatose state, she is adamant that this is not what she wants and that she believes, in her own words, that Vikki is ‘kidnapping her.’”
To back their accusations, the children provided a judge with signed declarations from three of their mother’s caregivers, who said they had been ousted around late June after observing shocking scenes, including forgery of records and misrepresentations to Annenberg’s doctors.
“I witnessed Vikki forcing pills in Ms. Annenberg’s mouth when she clearly did not want to take them. I told Vikki that Ms. Annenberg seemed calm and did not need more medication,” said Annenberg’s housekeeper and caregiver of nearly 20 years. “Vikki told me the pills were for her upset stomach, but I told her that I knew they were Ativan because I saw the bottle.”
Another healthcare worker — a registered nurse of 40 years employed by a concierge medical service — said she was dismissed shortly after she objected to providing Ativan to Annenberg, who at the time was sleeping and did not appear anxious or agitated.
The nurse alleged that Vikki Levine forbade the staff from keeping a proper medication log and allowed Annenberg to drink alcohol, even while on medication.
“It is difficult for me to believe that this kind of conduct can happen to anyone, let alone Ms. Annenberg. No one deserves to be rushed to death,” the nurse said in her sworn declaration.
Lawyers for Vikki Levine said that all three former staffers supporting the Annenberg children had been fired “for cause,” but did not elaborate.
Before turning to the courts, the children asked Dr. Peter Phung, of Keck Medicine of USC, to visit their mother. Phung “determined that she was, indeed, being overmedicated” and trimmed her dosage, the children claimed in court filings.
“As a result, Wallis had her best day in weeks,” the children said. “Unfortunately,” they continued, Vikki Levine blocked access to the doctor, and she and her sister “completely barred” the children’s visits on July 13.
The following morning, the children petitioned a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to suspend Vikki Levine’s authority as Annenberg’s healthcare agent and appoint one of her sons or a third-party professional instead. The children also asked the judge to impose a three-day period before Annenberg’s body could be transported out of L.A. or cremated.
In a 73-page filing, the children provided extraordinary details about their mother’s medical care, along with their concerns, situating their petition as an act of desperation.
“We have been informed that my mother may only have weeks to live, and I do not want those weeks to be spent in a medically-induced coma due to Vikki’s actions, which are contrary to medical advice and harmful to her well-being,” daughter Lauren Bon said in a declaration.
Annenberg’s daughter, artist Lauren Bon, stands in an L.A. River project site in 2023.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Vikki Levine and her sister vehemently contested the allegations, denying any abuse and claiming that the children were misinformed or omitted key information.
“Dr. Phung did not determine that Wallis was being over-medicated as alleged,” said one of Vikki Levine’s filings. “To the contrary, Dr. Phung confirmed to Vikki that there has been ‘no mismanagement of symptoms.’”
Annenberg, they said, was confined to the bed because of doctor’s orders, not cruelty.
A hospice nurse who saw Annenberg nearly daily in the final weeks of her life also contested many of the claims of the children and the former caregivers.
The nurse, according to a signed declaration reviewed by The Times, said Annenberg’s care relied on direct orders from her physicians and was carried out by registered nurses from VITAS, a hospice service. The medical team kept all appropriate records, and Annenberg was confined to her bed because moving would have risked dangerous falls, respiratory distress and other calamities.
The Levine sisters portrayed the Annenberg children as improperly interfering in their mother’s affairs.
“They crowd around Wallis’ bed while the nurses are caring for her, tell Wallis that she doesn’t need the medication, refuse to get out of their way, ask numerous questions about the medication and procedures being employed, and generally make the situation untenable for a care-provider to work,” Kris Levine said in a declaration submitted to the judge.
While Kris Levine acknowledged that she had halted visits from the children on July 13, she said in a court declaration that she asked them not to come that day because of a series of heated confrontations, and that she had wanted to impose visiting hours to give Annenberg some rest and continuity.
“The children, particularly Gregory Weingarten, have aggressively refused my requests. Indeed, he has insisted that my name is ‘not on the deed,’ that I have ‘no rights’ to our home, and that he had ‘more rights’ to be there than I did,” Kris Levine said in her declaration.
The tensions boiled over with “multiple” calls to police by Annenberg’s children.
Vikki Levine said that when officers arrived on a recent Friday night, they “determined that there was no mistreatment of Wallis, no elder abuse as alleged, and told Vikki that she did not need to let the Children back into the house.”
Nevertheless, both Vikki and Kris Levine said they made it clear to the children that they could still visit their mother.
On July 22, Judge Gus T. May found that there was “good cause” to suspend Vikki Levine from serving as Annenberg’s healthcare agent.
In her place, the judge appointed Jodi Pais Montgomery, a professional fiduciary who has held roles in other celebrity cases in probate court, including Britney Spears and Carol Burnett’s grandson.
Montgomery was instructed to follow Annenberg’s advance healthcare directive and share confidential medical information with the Annenberg children, as well as with the Levine sisters.
In her first interview since losing the election to President Trump and leaving office, former Vice President Kamala Harris told Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” that her decision not to run for California governor was more “basic” than saving herself for a “different office” — which is to say, another run for president in 2028.
After years of being a “devout public servant,” Harris said in the interview, set to air Thursday night, she just doesn’t want to be “in the system” right now.
“Recently I made the decision that I just — for now — I don’t want to go back in the system,” she said. “I think it’s broken.”
She said that was not to take away from the important work being done every day by “so many good people who are public servants,” such as teachers, firefighters, police officers and scientists.
“It’s not about them,” she said. “But you know, I believe, and I always believed, that as fragile as our democracy is, our systems would be strong enough to defend our most fundamental principles. And I think right now that they’re not as strong as they need to be.”
She said she instead wants to travel the country and talk to Americans in a setting that isn’t “transactional, where I’m asking for their vote.”
Colbert said to hear Harris — whom he called “very qualified for the presidency” — say that the American system is broken was “harrowing.”
“Well, but it’s also evident, isn’t it?” Harris replied, to applause from the studio audience.
The interview came on the heels of Harris’ announcements this week that she is not running for California governor and is releasing a memoir about her short, whirlwind presidential campaign following President Biden’s decision to drop from the race, and it was a big get for Colbert in what appears to be his final chapter on late-night TV.
CBS, blaming financial concerns across late night, announced July 17 that the 2025-2026 season of “The Late Show” would be its last.
The announcement followed Colbert sharply criticizing Paramount Global’s $16-million settlement with Trump over a CBS News “60 Minutes” interview with Harris during the presidential campaign, which Trump accused the venerable news show of manipulating to make her look better.
Paramount Global was at the time seeking a major merger with Skydance Media and needed the Trump administration’s approval, which it ultimately got. Just days before the announcement that his show would be ending, Colbert described the “60 Minutes” settlement as a bribe to get the merger deal done.
All that caused many observers and allies of Colbert to speculate that the cancellation of the show was political in nature. The Writers Guild of America, for example, said the company appeared to be “sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration.”
Trump said it was “not true” that he was “solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert,” and that the “reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT” and that Colbert’s show was losing Paramount millions of dollars a year.
“And it was only going to get WORSE!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Paramount has said the decision was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” though some polling has suggested many Americans don’t believe the company.
It’s unclear whether Harris considered any of that in granting Colbert her first interview since leaving office. However, it would almost certainly not have been her only reason.
Colbert is liberal and seen as a friendly interviewer by Democrats.
During Thursday’s interview, the late-night host heaped praise on Harris. After saying it was “harrowing” to hear she feels the system is broken, he asked whether she was giving up fighting.
Harris said she was not.
“I am always going to be part of the fight,” Harris said. “That is not going to change.”
In the slang, “mid” means disappointingly mediocre, forgettable, uninspiring. On TikTok, a classic rant starts: “It’s called the Midwest because everything in it is mid! Skyline Chili? Mid! Your Cincinnati Reds, who haven’t won a World Series since 1990? M-M-M-Mid!!!”
Today, the Reds are five games over .500, and one of four teams that appear to be competing for the three National League wild-card spots. They added a starting pitcher, an elite defensive third baseman and a veteran utilityman batting .298 ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
They are three games under .500, four games out in the American League wild-card race, with four teams to pass, hoping to end baseball’s longest playoff drought at 10 years.
The Seattle Mariners, tied with the Texas Rangers for the final wild-card spot, traded for middle-of-the-lineup corner infielders in third baseman Eugenio Suárez and first baseman Josh Naylor. The Rangers acquired Merrill Kelly to supplement Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi atop the starting rotation.
The Angels made two trades, picking up two veteran setup men and an infielder batting .152 for three lightly regarded minor leaguers.
Why lightly bolster a team with a 1.3% chance of making the playoffs, as projected by Baseball Prospectus before Thursday’s trades, when you could start building the 2026 roster in the many areas needing improvement?
“Giving them a chance to play this thing out, relative to what was presented [in trade talks], made a lot of sense,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said.
In large part, he said, this was about the young players.
“The development of our core is obviously very, very, very important,” Minasian said. “Being competitive in August and September is really, really important for this group, not only for the now but for the future — playing meaningful games, understanding there is an expectation to win, showing up to the ballpark every day feeling like you have a chance to win over a six-month period.
“It’s hard to quantify, but I felt like it was very important for this group to go through that, to see what playing in August demands, what playing in September is like.”
Does he see the 2025 Angels playing meaningful games in October?
“I don’t make predictions,” he said.
Beyond shortstop Zach Neto, no one on the Angels’ current roster was likely to command an elite prospect in return.
Yet the Angels could have traded soon-to-be free agents such as pitchers Kenley Jansen and Tyler Anderson, or infielders Yoan Moncada and Luis Rengifo, to fill 2026 needs: a back-end starter, bullpen help, a utility infielder, a defense-first outfielder, upper-level depth in the minor leagues.
Maybe Oswald Peraza, the once-hyped New York Yankees prospect with the .152 average, starts at third base next year, or secures that utility job. Minasian called him “a classic change-of-scenery guy.”
To get him, however, the Angels surrendered $73,766 in international bonus pool money that could have been better used to sign Latin American prospects. Minasian said the Angels had used what they needed of their $6,261,600 pool they needed this year — and the better prospects cost much more than $73,766 — but they cannot afford to close any avenues for talent acquisition.
But the Dodgers spend whatever they need, and then some, on deep and talented rosters of players, coaches and executives, and on player development and player acquisition.
It’s not all about money. It’s about creativity too. The Dodgers inserted themselves into a three-team trade Wednesday to bolster their farm system by trading a surplus minor league catcher for two minor league pitchers. The Dodgers last year inserted themselves into another three-team trade to grab reliever Michael Kopech, then-injured Tommy Edman for a depth bat and two minor leaguers.
The last time the Angels were a party to a three-team deal, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman facilitated that too. The Dodgers got four players from the Miami Marlins, then swapped pitcher Andrew Heaney to the Angels for infielder Howie Kendrick. That was in 2014.
The Angels these days do not spend as much, or as well, on free agents. They do not distinguish themselves in scouting, analytics, player development or international signings.
The Angels have their kids, but the optimism inherent in their talk of a young core obscures the fact they are about to have to pay the kids — and, money aside, they are running out of time.
Shortstop Zach Neto has emerged as a young star for the Angels, who are fighting for a wild-card playoff spot this season.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Neto, the lone star to emerge so far from the young core, is eligible for salary arbitration this winter. The Angels control him for only three more seasons — maybe less, if some or all of the 2027 season is lost to a collective bargaining war.
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe and pitcher José Soriano also are eligible for arbitration this winter. First baseman Nolan Schanuel is eligible next winter.
In the big picture, nothing much changed Thursday. The plan today is the same as it was in spring training: hope enough young players blossom that, when Anthony Rendon’s contract expires next fall, Minasian can persuade owner Arte Moreno that spending big on one or two players in free agency could make the difference. If playing meaningful games this August makes those young players that much better, perhaps this trade deadline was worth it.
Moreno resists rebuilding, as an advocate for fans he believes deserve to see a competitive team. No one in Orange County has to watch what something akin to what the Colorado Rockies are offering — or what the Houston Astros were offering before their ongoing run of success. Rebuilding could mean 100-loss seasons and an even greater drop in attendance; competing could mean sneaking into the playoffs with 84 victories.
The Angels could do that this year. It could work. However, it has not worked over the last decade, and in the meantime the Angels have become an unwitting poster child for a players’ union fighting against a salary cap to say, “Market size is not destiny. Look at the Angels.”
You can say the game plan is to contend every year, in the interest of the fans, but you should not try to win every year on a wing and a prayer.
Your most dedicated fans — represented by the hundreds that decorated themselves in wings and halos at Wednesday’s game, flapping their arms as angels in the outfield — were not shy about letting their feelings be known.
You could hear them loud and clear, at the game and on the television broadcast, “Sell the team!”
There are certain seats on a plane that could become a nightmare on a long haul flight according to a travel expert – who shared her top tips when it comes to plane seat selection
Travellers are being urged to not selected one specific seat on a plane(Image: Vera Vita via Getty Images)
When going on a long haul flight – experts urge people to never select these certain seats if they want a smooth journey. Flying long haul can already be hard, and it can be made even worse if you choose the wrong seat.
A travel expert has shared some of her top tips when it comes to where to sit on a plan for comfort, sleep quality and less disruptions on a long flight as poor sleep selection can make jet lag worse and leave people exhausted before their holiday has even started.
While people may think the window seat on the end row is the ideal spot for some peace and quiet, tucked away at the back – Dawn Morwood, Co-Director of Cheap Deals Away said “it’s actually a recipe for a miserable flight”.
There are certain seats experts urge people to never opt for(Image: Getty Images)
That back corner window seat might seem like the prime spot when you’re scrolling through the seat map, but it’s actually where comfort goes to die, the expert revealed. Located next to the toilets and galley, it will cause sleep disrupting problems,
“The biggest issue is the constant foot traffic,” Dawn said. “You’ve got passengers queuing for the loo right beside you, flight attendants rushing back and forth with trolleys, and people stretching their legs in the aisle. It never stops.” These seats also don’t recline because there’s a wall directly behind them. On a 10-hour flight to Asia or an 8-hour journey to the States, that upright position becomes torture for your back and makes proper sleep nearly impossible.
Dawn’s expert tips for choosing the perfect long-haul seat
Pick your sweet spot wisely
The best seats are typically in the middle section of the aircraft, she advised, away from both the busy front galley and the chaotic rear area. “Look for seats around rows 6-15 on most wide-body aircraft,” advised Dawn. “You’re far enough from the action but still have easy access to facilities when needed.”
Avoid the bathroom zone
Never book within three rows of any lavatory. The queues, smells and constant activity will make your journey miserable. Check the aircraft’s seat map carefully before selecting.
Choose your side strategically
“If you’re flying eastbound for a daytime arrival, pick a seat on the right side of the plane to avoid the sun streaming through your window during the final hours,” Dawn suggested. “For westbound flights, sit on the left side.”
Consider the exit rows carefully
While exit row seats offer extra legroom, they come with restrictions. You can’t store anything under the seat in front during takeoff and landing, and these seats often don’t recline.
Book early for best selection
“The golden rule is simple – book as early as possible,” says Dawn. “Airlines release their best seats to early bookers, and you’ll have the widest choice of positions.”
The expert said that while the back corner window seat might look appealing on the booking page, “you’ll regret it the moment you try to get comfortable,” and added: “Poor seat selection not only impacts your flight, but your entire trip. If you can’t sleep properly on the plane, you’ll arrive with worse jet lag, feeling cranky and tired. Your first few days of holiday are essentially written off while you recover.”
Official says ‘contingency plan had flaws’ as torrential rains, floods kill 31 people at senior centre near Beijing.
Torrential rains and flooding across northern China have killed dozens of people, authorities say, including more than 30 elderly residents who were trapped at a care facility in a suburb of the capital Beijing.
Officials said on Thursday that 31 people died at the Taishitun Town Elderly Care Center in the Miyun district, about a 90-minute drive from central Beijing, which was one of the areas hit hardest by this week’s storms.
“For a long time, this senior centre was in the town’s centre and was safe, and such was not included in the preparedness plans,” said Yu Weiguo, the Communist Party secretary for Miyun, expressing his condolences and adding it was a “bitter lesson”.
“This showed that our contingency plan had flaws, and our understanding of extreme weather was inadequate,” Yu said.
The care centre housed 69 residents, including 55 who were disabled in some capacity. The facility sat on low-lying ground near a river that had flooded after the unusually intense rains, local media outlet Caixin reported.
Torrential rains began a week ago and peaked around Beijing and its surrounding provinces on Monday.
In the space of a few days, the hilly Miyun district in the northeast of the capital saw rainfall of up to 573.5mm (22.6 inches). By comparison, the average annual precipitation in Beijing is around 600mm (23.6 inches).
The Miyun Reservoir, the largest in northern China, saw record-breaking water levels during the rains.
The Qingshui River, which runs through Taishitun feeding into the reservoir and is normally a small stream, was flowing at 1,500 times its normal volume on Monday morning when the disaster struck, Yu said.
One Beijing resident’s 87-year-old mother managed to get out of the elder care centre in Miyun, Caixin reported.
“She doesn’t know where she got the strength, but she managed to climb onto the windowsill,” the woman’s daughter said, noting her mother’s roommate was unable to escape and drowned.
Hundreds of thousands affected
At a news conference on Thursday, Beijing’s Deputy Mayor Xia Linmao said at least 44 people died over the past week in the city.
In total, more than 300,000 people have been affected by the rain and flooding in the capital, with more than 24,000 homes, 242 bridges and 756km (470 miles) of roads damaged, said Xia, citing preliminary figures.
In neighbouring Hebei province, authorities announced an additional eight deaths on Thursday and 16 deaths total this week.
At least 31 people were missing in Beijing and Hebei province, authorities said.
Meanwhile, in northern Shanxi province, authorities said on Wednesday evening that 10 people were dead after a minibus carrying farm workers washed away in heavy rain.
Four people were still missing as the rescue continued, according to a city government statement three days after the bus disappeared.
A man rides his vehicle past debris along a flooded street following heavy rains in the Miyun district, July 29, 2025 [Adek Berry/AFP]
‘I’m never washing this shoulder’: BBC meets stars of Freakier Friday
It has been more than two decades since the body-swap comedy that captured the complexities of mother-daughter relationships became a global hit.
Now Freakier Friday sees Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reunite in a sequel that explores those same themes from a very different stage in life.
The film picks up with Lohan’s character, Anna, having a daughter of her own and dealing with the challenges of also taking on a stepdaughter. The family dynamic gets freakier as there is a quadruple body-swapping.
At the European premiere for the film in London’s Leicester Square, Lindsay Lohan told the BBC that every part of her wanted to make a sequel to the beloved 2003 hit.
“Fans love the movie and there’s such a strong loyalty,” she explains. “It made people so happy and I like to make movies that make people feel joy.
“There’s so much going on in the word now that it’s nice to make something that allows people to forget about what’s going on.”
Getty Images
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in 2003 on the press tour for Freaky Friday
The film consolidates Lohan’s return to Hollywood – she was absent for much of the 2010s and made her return to the big screen in 2022 with Falling for Christmas.
This is her first film with Disney in more than a decade but is probably not the last as she says if fans love Freakier Friday they could expect the freakiest of sequels.
The star, who rose to fame in the Parent Trap, tells me that she was not nervous about returning to acting as she loves what she does “and I know that always shows through in my work”.
She adds that her return to acting was all about finding the right time, and the 39-year-old has had a busy few years having married financier Bader Shammas in 2022 and borne a son a year later.
She says being a parent has given her a new perspective on the mother-child relationship in the film and helped her to relate more to it.
“When you become a mum, your whole life changes and it’s important to be able to balance work and being a mum which is definitely a learning process.”
Lohan has been in the public eye for almost three decades and had a turbulent time in her 20s – she was arrested a number of times for various offenses and spent time in rehab on various occasions.
She tells the BBC that looking back she would tell her younger self to not rush and “just slow down and breathe because it’s all coming”.
Getty Images
Jamie Lee Curtis told the BBC she had maintained her friendship with Lohan over the past two decades
Curtis, who reprises her role as Lohan’s mother in the film, told me that the Freaky Friday sequel did not feel like a reunion with Lohan because “we’ve always been united”.
“I take my job seriously and when I’m the mother or elder to a young actor I take great responsibility to make sure they can always count on my friendship and love,” she says.
“We’ve been united all the away from her teens to her twenties and just recently she bought her baby to meet me in LA.”
The actor, who won an Oscar for superhero comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023, says that the film’s themes of understanding and sympathy are very important right now.
“Understanding is in short supply right now in the world and this film shows that if you can experience each other’s life then maybe you will find some common ground with each other.”
As well as being fun and silly, Curtis adds that the film touches upon the theme of loss which “creates empathy as that’s a universal feeling”.
The 66-year-old said it was her idea to make the sequel and she had contacted Disney recently to say it was time to create it. She had to wait two decades because “we needed Lindsay to be old enough to have a 15-year-old child in the film”.
Chad Michael Murray reprises his role as the noughties heartthrob Jake and newcomer Julia Butters plays Lohan’s on-screen daughter.
More broadly, Freakier Friday is part of a trend of sequels being announced and released.
Last week, a follow-up to Bend it like Beckham was released and there is a lot of anticipation for the Devil Wears Prada sequel.
It was the return of one of the most iconic challenges in tonight’s Love Island, the baby challenge – but it lead to some tense conversations between Yas and Jamie…
22:45, 31 Jul 2025Updated 23:28, 31 Jul 2025
The Love Island villa were moved to tears by tonight’s shock dumping, but they didn’t have long to mope around, as they had some babies to take care of…
Tonight saw the return of the iconic Love Island baby challenge, as the Islanders put their parenting skills to the test. The challenge has been part of the show for as long as fans can remember, with clips of Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae taking part in series three still floating around to this day.
Despite a number of couples being over the moon at the challenge, Yas was less than impressed, as she told her partner Jamie that she’s not maternal and has no interest in becoming a mother. Despite seeing kids in his future, Jamie assured Yas it wasn’t a deal breaker for their relationship. However, fans aren’t so convinced.
Yasmin and Jamie became exclusive during last night’s episode (Image: ITV)
During the tense conversation, Jamie told Yas he was surrounded by children in his family, and “probably would” like kids down the line, although Yas said she’d rather spend time with her friends babies as she can “give them back”.
“I’ve never had the desire to have a family,” Yas said.
“It’s not a complete deal breaker, but it’s definitely up there,” Jamie responded, as Yas said she definitely wouldn’t change her mind.
Many fans agreed with Yas on X, formerly known as Twitter, as one fan wrote: “Having this conversation about motherhood is very refreshing.”
However, some are now concerned for the future of her relationship with Jamie on the outside world. “Oh dear – Yas & Jamie might fall out over wanting kids…” wrote one concerned fan, while another penned: “Not sure Jamie likes Yas’s reaction….”
Yas and Jamie connected from the moment they met – but now some fans fear for their future (Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
A third concerned fan said: “i fear this is slowly the end of jamie and yas,” while a third penned: “i love yas and jamie but this will not work out unfortunately, when two people can’t see eye to eye on a family it’s a huge thing.”
It was a different story for Ty and Angel, as the challenge brought them even closer together. Despite only meeting a couple of weeks ago, the pair formed a strong connection from the start – as they took things to the next level.
“I really do enjoy spending time with you. I do really see a future with you,” Ty told Angel, adding: “I’ve never got on with anyone this well. It’s only right we make this exclusive.”
The chat between the two comes just days after Yas and Jamie closed things off – with Dejon recently making Meg his girlfriend.
LOVE ISLAND CONTINUES TOMORROW NIGHT AT 9PM ON ITV2 AND ITVX
Here are the key events on day 1,254 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Here is how things stand on Friday, August 1:
Fighting
Russia launched waves of missiles and drones at Kyiv before dawn on Thursday, killing 16 people, including two children, and wounding more than 100 others, officials in the Ukrainian capital said. Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed it targeted and hit Ukrainian military airfields and ammunition depots as well as businesses linked to what it called Kyiv’s military-industrial complex.
Russia claimed to have taken full control of the shattered town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, an assertion which Kyiv dismissed as “propaganda”.
Ukrainian drones, operated by the state security agency SBU, struck an electronics plant which produces combat control systems for the Russian military in the western Russian city of Penza.
Military aid
A powerful United States Senate committee has approved a military spending bill that includes about $1bn to support Ukraine, despite US President Donald Trump’s administration having asked Congress to eliminate such funding in its budget request.
Ceasefire
US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia after his current trip to Israel, President Trump said. Trump did not provide an itinerary for Witkoff, who has held extensive ceasefire talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past.
Trump has sharply criticised Russia’s “disgusting” behaviour against Ukraine and said he plans to impose sanctions on Moscow if no agreement can be reached on a ceasefire. The US president has given Putin until August 8 to reach a deal to halt the fighting.
The US reiterated its Ukraine war ceasefire deadline to the United Nations Security Council, with senior US diplomat John Kelley telling the 15-member council that “both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace”. Kelley said: “It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace”.
Trump also told Dmitry Medvedev to “watch his words” after the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council said Washington’s threats of hitting Moscow and buyers of its oil with punitive tariffs were “a game of ultimatums” and a step closer towards a war between Russia and the US.
In response, the former Russian president said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort.
Ukrainian affairs
Ukraine’s parliament voted to restore the independence of two key anticorruption agencies, moving to defuse the country’s biggest political crisis since Russia’s invasion.
Lawmakers voted 331 to 0 in favour of the bill, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted last week following pressure from thousands of protesters and top European officials to reverse course on the issue.
Regional developments
Chinese naval vessels have steamed into Russia’s far eastern port of Vladivostok in advance of joint drills scheduled from August 1-5.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing draft legislation that would add an additional $18 billion to a state fund for wildfire victims that officials have warned could be exhausted by January’s deadly Eaton wildfire.
Under Newsom’s plan, customers of the state’s three biggest for-profit utilities would pay another $9 billion to supplement a state fund created in 2019 that holds $21 billion.
The other $9 billion would come from shareholders of Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric, according to a draft of the proposal.
“We continue to work with the Legislature on policy that will stabilize California’s Wildfire Fund to support the recovery of wildfire survivors and to protect California utility consumers — even as wildfires become bigger and more destructive due to climate change,” Newsom’s office said in a statement Thursday.
Customers of the three utilities are already on the hook for contributing half of the original $21 billion fund through a surcharge of about $3 on their monthly bill. The proposal would have customers pay $9 billion more by extending that surcharge by 10 years beyond 2035, when it was set to expire.
“We’re very disappointed to be at a point where there is even talk of more ratepayer money going to the wildfire fund,” said Mark Toney, executive director of the the Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group.
Utility executives also criticized the plan, which was reported earlier by Bloomberg, for proposing that their shareholders pay additional amounts into the fund.
Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of Edison International, told Wall Street analysts on a conference call that the company has told Newsom and lawmakers that any legislation to shore up the fund “would not have a shareholder contribution.”
“We will need to see the balance of an ultimate package,” Pizarro said.
Newsom’s plan has been circulating with legislative leaders and others and would require approval of the state Senate and Assembly. Under the draft proposal, the $18 billion would go into a new “Continuation Wildfire Fund.” The new fund would not be created until the administrator of the state’s original wildfire fund determines additional funds are needed.
Newsom and lawmakers created the $21 billion fund in 2019 to protect utilities from bankruptcy in the event their equipment sparks a devastating fire.
Toney said said state officials told him then that there was a 99% chance the fund would last 20 years. Now it could be wiped out by a single fire.
He said he believes there needs to be limits on the liabilities that the fund will pay for. “We can’t go back every three or four years and put more money in,” he said.
Since the fund was created, electric customers have also paid $27 billion for tree trimming and other work aimed to prevent wildfires, which is fast driving up electric bills, Toney said.
The investigation into the Eaton fire, which killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Altadena, is continuing. Video captured the fire igniting on Jan. 7 under an Edison transmission tower.
Pizarro has said a leading theory is that a dormant Edison transmission line, not used since 1971, somehow became electrified and sparked the blaze.
The insured property losses alone could be as much as $15.2 billion, according to an estimate released by state officials last week. That amount does not include uninsured losses or damages beyond those to property, such as wrongful death claims. A study by UCLA estimated losses at $24 billion to $45 billion.
