Month: January 2026

WHEN Katie Price got married to Lee Andrews at breakneck speed, just days after they began dating, her loyal fans were left bewildered. 

For her family, the reaction has been even more stark. Here, insiders tell us how Pricey’s son Junior responded to the Dubai nuptials – and why her closest ally, sister Sophie, has been left reeling as concern for the mother- of-five reaches an all-time high. 

Hours after revealing her extravagant engagement, The Sun told how Katie and Lee had in fact got hitched with none of her family there. Her fourth marriage took place less than a week after she had met Lee. 

It was an unusually quiet ceremony for the former glamour model . An officiator was seen in front of the pair reading from a script as Katie, who wore a £12 dress from Shein, said her vows.

She gushed about how happy she was, telling fans: “All I can say is ‘fatale’, and this was a wedding at First Sight.”

Yet celebratory messages from her nearest and dearest have not been forthcoming, despite Price, 47, returning to the UK earlier this week without Lee, 43, who has since been accused of being a ‘swindler’.

There’s only so much Katie’s kids can take. It is really not fair.

Insider

One source said: “It’s just another day on Planet Katie, and everyone has to deal with the consequences.

“She will always have a close bond with her children, but there’s only so much they can take. It is really not fair.” 

Her son Junior, 20, has refrained from posting to his half a million Instagram followers in the days following the whirlwind wedding – which is not legally binding. 

And it is not only Junior’s fans who have got the silent treatment from the singer.

Rather tellingly, we have been told that the rapper, who is “very close” to dad Peter and stepmum Dr Emily, has not contacted his mother to offer his congratulations on her marriage to Andrews. 

A source said: “Junior is used to Katie’s increasingly erratic behaviour, but even this took him by surprise.

“He is so fed up with his mum’s constant dramas. He wants no part in it. He’s hardly going to send a congratulations message about a bloke he hasn’t even met.”

But while Junior is more resilient, sister Princess, 18, has given clues to her hurt feelings, taking to TikTok in the days following her mum’s wedding ceremony to post two emotional videos on the social media platform, including one featuring a tearful girl.

Sophie is understandably horrified by it all. It’s been incredibly draining for her. The sisters are incredibly close so it was very hard for Sophie not to know what was going on. 

Insider

The writing on top of the clip reads: “I feel everything very deeply” with an accompanying voiceover on top of the clip that says: “I’m such an incredibly, stupidly, sensitive person that everything that happens to me I feel everything really intensely.”

Another featured a teen girl getting into bed and wiping tears from her eyes as she lets out a sigh.

The writing on top reads: “When the smallest thing upsets me, and now I have to be non-verbal and easily irritated for hours until I can let it go”.

Insiders say that despite the cryptic posts it is unlikely that Princess, who remains close to her mother, will publicly condemn her. But a pal of the star confided: “It is so selfish to create all this drama just before Princess is about to launch series two of The Princess Diaries. This should be her turn in the spotlight. Not her mums.”

In recent years as Katie’s fame has dwindled, she has become increasingly reliant on her younger half-sister Sophie, 36, who has devoted a large part of her life to looking after her.

Despite managing the wayward reality star, organising much of her chaotic life, and co-hosting a podcast together, Sophie was not invited to Katie’s wedding.

An insider said: “Sophie is understandably horrified by it all. It’s been incredibly draining for her. The sisters are incredibly close so it was very hard for Sophie not to know what was going on. 

“They were due to record a podcast like normal this week, but at the last minute, they decided not to go ahead.

Their mum is utterly beside herself with worry.

“Sophie felt the need to say sorry to her fans, while Katie kept silent. It is quite typical of their relationship that Sophie is the one picking up the slack, and she’s honestly struggling with it at the moment. It has caused tension between the siblings, with Sophie just desperate for Katie to be ok. 

“Their mum is utterly beside herself with worry – they have all been through so much with Katie, but thought the worst was over in recent years.

“They don’t believe Lee is the man he said he was and are just waiting for Katie to click. It was a huge relief when he did a U-turn on coming to the UK. Sophie was not ready to meet him and deal with all that.”

Sophie made her feelings very clear on the situation today as she shared a picture of the countryside and wrote: “This and never stepping foot in Dubai.”

Last night, Sophie took to social media to explain what was happening to the podcast.

Looking exhausted, she said: “Hi guys, how are you all? I know you’ve all been chomping at the bit to find out what has been going on. All our DMs have been going off,” she began in her video address.

“Let’s just say, it’s been one hell of a week. We have done over a 100 episodes of the podcast, which sounds absolutely nuts when it’s just me and Kate doing our b*s chat.

“We will be back next week as normal, and we will be able to update you guys on what’s been going on. It will be business as usual.”

Such was the emotion on display that one commentator posted: “’You are a good sister. Hope you’re ok, Sophie, you look like you’re holding back tears”

Sophie has always been outspoken about Katie’s relationships, while trying to be as supportive as possible.

Just a couple of weeks ago, she expressed her horror when Katie announced she was looking for a Richard Gere type.

She retorted: “Absolutely not, you need a break, you need time to yourself’.”

Katie completely ignored her, and when she announced her engagement, she gushed about finding her ‘real life Richard Gere’. The film is, of course, about a wealthy gentleman who sweeps a prostitute off her feet. 

The sisters –  who have an 11-year age gap- have talked in the past about being “like chalk and cheese”.

Sophie was just six years old when her big sister found fame, meaning that she doesn’t remember a time when Katie wasn’t in the spotlight.

However, Katie’s fame made her a target at school – and she was bullied by cruel classmates.

She recalled: “It was just girls saying nasty things, when you’re a teenager… You know what girls can be like.”

Yet a beautiful relationship blossomed, with the sisters becoming firm friends and podcast favourites.

But after the latest cruel snub, it might be a while before fans get a new episode of the podcast.

The arrest of independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, in connection with an anti-ICE protest that interrupted a church service in Minnesota, is a test for the American people. Well, some of us. Many of us already didn’t like what we saw happening across the country. Many believed the un-American threats during the campaign and voted against this regime in 2024.

So this is a test for the Americans who — after seeing law enforcement seemingly use a 5-year-old as bait and shoot Renee Good and Alex Pretti to death — still said they’re on board with everything.

The voters who agreed with Donald Trump when he said “they’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime” back in 2015, and were OK with him 10 years later, popping up in the Epstein files and pardoning criminals — including a corrupt former Latin American leader who took bribes to let 400 tons of cocaine be smuggled into the U.S.

This isn’t a test for the voters whose biggest concern was the price of groceries or border security. This is a test for the voters who used that rhetoric about groceries and the border as cover for their unsavory feelings about immigrants. The same feelings that greeted other groups — the Jews, the Italians, the Irish — when they first came to this land. The ethnicity may be different, the conspiracy theories may be new, but at the end of the day, it’s the same old predictable story.

So, if you’re the type to cast a ballot just to own the libs, the arrest of journalists is a test for you.

On Jan. 18, protesters — believing one of the pastors at Cities Church in St. Paul was also the acting field director of the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office — entered the building and disrupted a service. The only reason anyone outside of St. Paul knew any of this is that we have freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Because people like Lemon and Fort had the courage to be there, knowing they had 250 years of American tradition backing up their right to do their jobs. That’s the point of the 1st Amendment.

Remember, if we don’t have journalists like Fort and my friend Lemon — people who are willing to do the work required to document history, or read legislation, or hold elected officials accountable — then you no longer have freedom of the press. You have state-controlled media by way of oligarchy. That may feel good to some factions now, but the problem with “now” is that it never lasts. The Constitution, though, has a real opportunity to stick around. But it needs constant protection.

In the old days, the ultra-rich used to buy local media companies to make money or for prestige in the community. Now it feels as if many owners’ goal is to control and curb journalism. Once the free press is in a cage, free speech has little room to fly. That is the byproduct of this wave of media consolidation, whether the billionaires who are engaged in these acquisitions planned to do that or not.

In addition, historically journalism has been under attack by governments not because it was a threat to society, but because it threatens those who want to control society. The reason most presidents spar with journalists is that they want to control the narrative.

But it appears the current president wants to control reality.

The impulse to rewrite reality is why Trump established Truth Social. It’s why the administration posts AI-generated images and doctored photos.

The sense that the president can create his own truth is why one day, the administration can defend the 2nd Amendment, and the next, suggest that legally carrying a weapon is a fatal mistake. After all, if he is free to trample the 1st Amendment, what’s the problem with kicking the 2nd around whenever he needs to?

Trampling the rights of the people: that is the test — for the rapidly dwindling minority of Americans who still stand behind Trump. He’s experimenting to see if enough of his supporters will accept having their rights taken away so long as the theft appears not to hurt them.

For the many Americans who have never voted for Trump, the arrests of Lemon and Fort are not a total shock. We have seen the “Trump 2028” hats and take this thinly veiled threat against the 22nd Amendment seriously.

But for the Americans who vehemently denounced President Obama for wearing a tan suit, where exactly is “arresting journalists for doing their job” on the threat-to-democracy scale? And why do you think Trump is doing this now?

Nearly a year ago, Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said she had the Epstein client list on her desk for review. Then the administration waffled and refused to turn over its files. On Friday, it finally did release 3 million pages of documents.

And on Thursday night, knowing that release was imminent, the Justice Department just happened to arrest journalists.

That doesn’t feel like a coincidence.

It doesn’t even feel like politics. It all feels like a test democracy desperately needs America to pass.

YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow

England’s Lottie Woad hit a three-under-par 69 on day two of the Tournament of Champions to share the lead with three-time major winner Lydia Ko.

The 22-year-old, who only turned professional last year and was invited to play at the season-opening LPGA tournament in Orlando, built on her opening round of 67 to jointly lead with New Zealander Ko on eight under.

Olympic Champion Ko, 28, added a 67 on Friday to Thursday’s 69 round the Lake Nona course.

Woad, who hit four birdies and one bogey, said: “I looked at the leaderboard quite a lot because I was getting annoyed.

“The pins were probably a little trickier, so [there] weren’t as many birdies as [Thursday], so I just had to keep giving myself chances.”

Ko, meanwhile, is bogey-free through 36 holes but the 2024 Women’s Open champion said she would never call the Florida course “easy”, adding: “I think this golf course changes a lot depending on how the conditions are.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in China this week with a large delegation of businesspeople and cultural figures.

He received a warm welcome from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

But the visit got a frosty reception from the White House, with United States President Donald Trump calling Starmer’s trip “dangerous”.

What prompted Trump’s remarks? And how important was the British prime minister’s visit?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Will Hutton – Political economist

Andy Mok – Senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization

Steve Tsang – Director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s electrical substations could cut power to nuclear plants, increasing risks of meltdown.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog has held a special session on Ukraine amid growing fears that Russian attacks on its energy facilities could trigger a nuclear accident.

Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said at the start of Friday’s extraordinary board meeting in Vienna that the war in Ukraine posed “the world’s biggest threat to nuclear safety”.

The meeting was held as an IAEA expert mission conducted a weeks-long inspection of 10 electrical substations that Grossi described as “crucial to nuclear safety”.

Although nuclear power plants generate power themselves, they rely on an uninterrupted supply of external power from electrical substations to maintain reactor cooling.

Ukraine has four nuclear power plants, three of them under Kyiv’s control, with the fourth and biggest in Zaporizhzhia occupied by Russian forces since the early days of their full-scale invasion in 2022.

Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe by attacking the Zaporizhzhia site.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down since the occupation, but the site still needs electricity to maintain its cooling and security systems.

Earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine paused local hostilities to allow repairs on the last remaining backup power line supplying the plant, which was damaged by military activity in January.

Ukraine is also home to the former Chornobyl plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986. The site’s protective shield containing radioactive material was damaged last year in a drone strike allegedly carried out by Russia.

Status of energy ceasefire unclear

The four-hour IAEA meeting, which aimed to increase pressure on Russia, was called at the request of the Netherlands, with the support of at least 11 other countries.

Russia’s “ongoing and daily” attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks have caused significant damage, Netherlands’ Ambassador Peter Potman told the board.

“Not only does this leave millions of Ukrainians in the cold and dark during a very harsh winter, but it is also … bringing the prospect of a nuclear accident to the very precipice of becoming a reality,” he said.

Ukraine’s ambassador, Yuriy Vitrenko, said it was “high time” for the IAEA to “shine an additional spotlight on the threat to nuclear safety and security in Europe” caused by Russia’s “systematic and deliberate” attacks.

Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov dismissed the board’s gathering as “absolutely politically motivated”, adding there was “no real need to hold such a meeting today”.

The status of a current weeklong moratorium on attacks targeting energy infrastructure is currently unclear.

United States President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russia had agreed to his request not to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for a week.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that neither Moscow nor Kyiv had conducted strikes ⁠on energy targets from Thursday night onwards.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later suggested the pause in attacks would end on Sunday.

VICTORIA and Nicola clashed again this week – but for once it wasn’t with each other. 

The pair released brand new modelling shoots on exactly the same day as they made a bid to put Brooklyn’s statement behind them. 

Nicola has been signed up as the face of Italian fashion brand Genny to front their new Spring/Summer 2026 collection. 

As well as a pink trouser suit, Nicola wore a number of elaborate, colourful gowns for the brand.

Victoria meanwhile launched her debut eyewear range on the same day. 

She posed up in a pair of her own frames and said: “I wanted strong, instantly recognisable silhouettes that felt effortless to wear, so the focus for this collection was really on refining shape and proportion.” 

BURGLARY HELL

Maya Jama & Ruben Dias ‘devastated’ after burglars ransack £4million mansion

NOT LEE-VING

Katie Price’s husband in shock U-turn he WON’T fly to UK to see her

It came just one day after David signed a huge 20-year deal for creating fragrances. 

He entered a new agreement with Interparfums, Inc to make scents under his brand. 

David said: “Together with their world-leading team, we will create products that are distinctive and timeless. I can’t wait to get started.” 

The family feud exploded after Brooklyn accused mum Victoria of ruining his wedding by dancing “inappropriately on me in front of everyone”.

Brooklyn, who wed actress Nicola Peltz in April 2022, said: “I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.”

The aspiring chef, 26, shared a furious tirade on Instagram in a move to defend his wife Nicola, and himself, amid the bitter family feud.

In six blistering posts on his Instagram stories, he claimed dad David and Victoria have been trying to “endlessly ruin my relationship” with Nicola.

In the video, a gray pit bull named Valerio stood on a woman’s lap, furiously wagging his tail as he accepted her caresses.

“I’m the best boy ever! I love to play. I love snuggling and I’ll let you put silly costumes on me,” said the caption on the Feb. 14, 2022 Instagram post.

Kristin Wright responded: “I work so it’s a little crazy. Can valeria just get in the back seat of my car.”

That August, two days after Wright adopted 4-year-old Valerio from the city animal shelter in South Los Angeles, he attacked her, breaking her right arm and peeling the skin off her left arm.

Only later did Wright discover that Valerio was surrendered to the shelter after biting his previous owner’s elderly mother in the face.

Wright and her husband sued the city, reaching a $3.25-million settlement in November.

Wright, 75, said she never would have adopted Valerio had she known of his violent history. After multiple surgeries, she still has nerve damage and pain in her fingers and hands, making it difficult for her to do her work as an accountant.

“They made a choice [to adopt Valerio out], and now I have to live my life like this,” she said.

Valerio was euthanized after he attacked Kristin Wright. Above, the dog at an animal shelter in South Los Angeles.

(Kiana Kang)

Jenna Edzant, one of Wright’s lawyers who has sued the city three times for similar dog attacks, said in a statement, “What happened to Ms. Wright and her husband was completely preventable if the City had simply followed its own policies and procedures that are designed to keep members of the public safe from potentially dangerous dogs.”

Karen Richardson, communications director for the L.A. city attorney’s office, declined to comment.

L.A. Animal Services Communications Director Agnes Sibal-von Debschitz said that in response to Wright’s case, the agency formalized a disclosure policy in November that requires shelter employees to check a dog’s bite history before finalizing an adoption.

Valerio’s case raises questions about how shelter officials transmit information about bite histories to potential adopters and the network of volunteers who help find homes for the dogs, as well as what outside parties do with that information. Often, volunteers and animal rescuers post social media pleas like the ones Wright responded to, in a race against time to save dogs from potentially being euthanized to make space in the overcrowded shelters.

State law requires animal shelters and rescue groups to disclose a dog’s bite history in writing. Before adopting Valerio, Wright signed a form acknowledging that he had “displayed behavioral issues” at the shelter. But according to one of her attorneys, Ivan Puchalt, the disclosure did not meet the state requirement.

Wright said that shelter volunteers told her Valerio was “sweet” and just needed lots of love after being there more than a year.

Shelter workers mentioned a previous bite but characterized it as a nip at the heels and “not a big deal,” she said.

Valerio’s past was much worse than that.

He was surrendered to the shelter by his owner on April 27, 2021, after he bit the owner’s mother in the face, according to an Animal Services investigation report.

There was “a lot of blood,” and at the hospital, the victim was unable to speak because of the bite, the report said.

According to the report, Valerio bit the victim after the owner didn’t have the usual ham or “weenies” to lure him outside. The victim tried to scare him with her cane and yelled at him, and he jumped up and bit her in the face.

The owner told an animal control investigator that she feared for her 8-year-old child and wanted to surrender Valerio. The investigator took Valerio, waiving impound fees for public safety reasons, the report said.

The Instagram post that Wright responded to, on a page called Dharmas_dogs, did not mention the attack. A person who responded to a Times inquiry on the Dharmas_dogs page declined to comment.

More than 15 pleas to adopt Valerio, showing him in playful postures such as playing fetch and posing in a sunflower hat, remain live on Instagram.

Only a few mention his bite history.

“Volunteers describe him as being good on leash, gentle, calm, and engaged … Valerio is now in danger of being RED ALERTED because of a bite incident … He bit his previous owner’s mother after she used her cane to try to scare him. His owner stated that he was normally fine with little dogs and kids though,” said a Feb. 25, 2022, Instagram post by warmheartsproject.

According to city records uncovered in Wright’s lawsuit and reviewed by The Times, Valerio had been marked for euthanasia for dangerous behavior in April 2022, four months before Wright adopted him.

But an error on the euthanasia form, marking the reason as overpopulation in the shelter rather than a risk to public safety, meant he was still available to ordinary adopters such as Wright.

That same form noted that Valerio’s bite to the victim’s face was classified as “level 4,” meaning his teeth sunk in deeply, according to a severity scale from the Assn. of Professional Dog Trainers. Such a dog is “very dangerous” and has a poor prognosis, the association said.

“Aggression always escalates, and the next time they do it, they’re likely to be more confident,” said Ron Berman, a dog behavior and bite expert.

The decision to put Valerio up for adoption to the public was made by a shelter supervisor, who then authorized shelter employees to post his photo and description on social media and work with “third parties” to promote him “using information obtained from Shelter employees,” according to an amended complaint filed by Wright’s attorneys in December 2023.

It was unclear why the card on the outside of Valerio’s kennel, which notes behavior problems for staffers and volunteers, didn’t include his bite history, Wright’s attorneys said.

Kiana Kang said she wrote the February 2022 warmheartsproject Instagram post, noting that Valerio had bitten the cane-wielding woman. The incident, which Kang heard about from shelter volunteers, “didn’t sound serious,” she said.

In June 2022, Kang wrote a second post about Valerio that didn’t mention the bite. Kang said she didn’t recall her post about the first bite until reviewing it while speaking to The Times.

Kang said that at the time, she relied on shelter volunteers for information about dogs, and they didn’t remind her about the bite before she wrote the June 2022 post.

After meeting Valerio at the shelter, she thought he “was the sweetest dog” and was shocked to learn he had attacked Wright, she said.

Kang said she is not a volunteer but often visits the West L.A. and South L.A. shelters to take videos of dogs slated for euthanasia and post them on social media. She works solo on warmheartsproject to help shelter dogs find a home, she said.

She said dogs sometimes act out because they have been treated poorly or are frustrated by being locked up at the shelter.

“Some of these dogs with these bad notes turn out to be the sweetest dogs,” she said.

The city has been sued before over shelter dogs that severely injured people after their bite histories allegedly were not disclosed.

A Van Nuys woman whose arm was amputated because of a dog attack received a $7.5-million settlement in June 2024. The woman’s son adopted the pit bull, named O’Gee, in 2020 from a city shelter, not knowing he had bitten a jogger in both arms, according to the woman’s lawsuit.

Also in 2020, a Belgian Malinois named Maximus attacked a woman who was feeding him a treat before transporting him from an L.A. animal shelter to an Arizona rescue facility. The injuries to the woman’s arm were “severe and permanent” and required at least nine surgeries, according to a lawsuit filed in 2024.

The card on Maximus’ kennel failed to note that he was surrendered because he had attacked a child and that he had bitten a shelter employee, said the lawsuit, which is ongoing.

Days after Wright brought Valerio home to Rancho Santa Fe, she returned from a run and noticed he was acting strangely. She doesn’t remember much about what happened next.

Things she took for granted, such as cutting vegetables, gardening or typing on a computer keyboard, are difficult or impossible three years later, she said.

Valerio was euthanized days after the attack. Although Wright was still in the hospital, city employees called to see whether she and her husband wanted him put down.

“He’s so sweet,” she remembered them saying.

Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.

On Thursday night, the Palisades High boys’ basketball team savored something it had not experienced since midway through last season: homecourt advantage.

Hosting a game inside their own gym for the first time in 388 days, the Dolphins did not let their fans or their classmates leave disappointed, beating Fairfax 75-28 to stay on track for their first outright league title in 30 years.

“It’s great to be back … it was cool,” junior center Julian Cunningham said. “We haven’t had a game here in over a year. There’s no way we were gonna lose. It was a great atmosphere and we beat ’em by 50, so that’s pretty good.”

Palisades’ boys had last taken their home floor for an official contest on Jan. 6, 2025 — one day before the Palisades fire broke out and dealt severe damage to their campus and community. First-year coach Jeff Bryant had to scramble to find someplace — anyplace — to practice for what would turn out to be 42 games.

“I never thought it would be this long,” Bryant admitted. “When the fire happened, I was thinking we’d have some access to our gym in the summer. I remember at a parent meeting saying we’ll 100% be playing our league games at home. When the new [school year] started we were told September, then October, then November, then the start of the second semester. It kept getting pushed back.”

The team held its first practice at Palisades on Monday and students returned to campus Tuesday morning after attending classes for nine months at what came to be known as “PaliHi South,” the old Sears department store building in nearby Santa Monica.

Fans were treated to a blowout win in the Palisades boys’ basketball return to the school gym for the first time in 388 days.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“UCLA, Memorial Park, Paul Revere, St. Bernard …” Bryant said, rattling off just a few of the sites his team practiced at while waiting for the green light to return to campus. “We’ve been road warriors for over a year now and I definitely think it’s been an advantage, but now we’re looking forward to being home and we’re going to feed off that energy starting tonight.”

Pacing the Dolphins on Thursday were 6-6 junior twins OJ and EJ Popoola, who got the home crowd cheering by combining for six dunks. They were raised in Las Vegas and transferred to Palisades in June. Two of the most highly touted prospects in the 2027 class, the brothers shined in their first game at their new school, scoring 19 and 16 points, respectively.

“It was amazing — I’ve been thinking about this game for so long,” said OJ, who had 10 points in the first quarter as Palisades stormed to a 45-14 halftime lead. “Even though we weren’t here last year, we feel like it’s our community too. EJ and I have been playing with each other for so long and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

EJ Popoola is averaging 21 points per game, OJ Popoola is averaging 18 and junior Jack Levey, the most outstanding player in the Western League last winter, is the section’s most dangerous long-range shooter, averaging 45% from beyond the arc.

Another reason Palisades is one of the favorites to win the Open Division is the all-around play of freshman guard Phillip Reed, who is averaging 17 points, six assists and six rebounds.

“It felt surreal — I was really nervous,” EJ Popoola added. “The energy was there, the fans showed up and we’re finally finding our rhythm as a team. It’s a work in progress, but me and OJ have been through it all together and I thank God I’m a twin!”

OJ Popoola soars for one of his two dunks in the Dolphins’ first home game since the Palisades fire.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

AJ Neale scored 13 points and Reed added 10 for the Dolphins, who scored 10 seconds into the contest on Levey’s alley-oop to EJ Popoola and never trailed.

Guards Kameron Augustin and Jomari Marshall scored seven apiece for the Lions (15-8, 5-2).

Palisades went 12-7 in its last 19 games of 2024-25, falling to Chatsworth in the City Section Open Division semifinals before reaching the Division III regional semifinals (hosting three games at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa). The Dolphins are off to a 13-11 start in 2025-26 while playing the toughest schedule of any team in the City. They have grown accustomed to playing in hostile environments and hope their “us against the world” mentality works in their favor once the playoffs start.

Thursday’s win kept the Dolphins alone atop the Western League standings at 8-0, 2½ games ahead of Fairfax with only four left. If Palisades seals the deal, it will mark the program’s first league crown since it finished in a three-way tie for first place with Westchester and Fairfax in 2011-12 under then coach James Paleno.

What a difference a year makes. Westchester, which beat Palisades twice on its way to winning league and capturing the City Open Division title last February, is fifth in league at 4-5 and lost its first meeting with Palisades by 38 points.

“The environment was amazing and I was a little stiff on my shots for the first 20 minutes or so, but after that I was feeling it,” said Levey, who swished two of his team’s 10 three-pointers. “This was personal. We can’t lose our first game back. Winning City is the standard, but [state] is what we really want to win.”

Palisades High’s Phil Reed makes a layup against Fairfax in the first half Thursday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Palisades lost 10 of its first 13 games, including six straight while several key players recovered from injuries — but Bryant never lost faith. “That losing streak strengthened us,” he said. “I could’ve lost the team. Instead, guys stuck to the plan. Now we’re trending in the right direction. We haven’t played our best game yet. Our biggest challenge is what’s next.”

Through this ordeal, Bryant has learned patience and perseverance.

“The hardest part has been communicating with the parents,” Bryant said. “You have to go with the flow. They want answers and sometimes you honestly don’t know. When games are canceled, it hurts the younger kids most because lower-level games aren’t going to be made up. So they really miss out.”

The Popoola twins are motivated to lead Palisades to its first undisputed league championship since their father, Chris, helped the Dolphins to a third consecutive Western League title in 1995-1996. One of Popoola’s teammates that year was Donzell Hayes, who piloted the program from 2016-23 and attended Thursday’s game.

Palisades is chasing its third City title and first since winning Division I in 2020. Chris Marlowe, who captained the USA volleyball team to the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, led the Dolphins to a 21-1 record and the City Section basketball championship in 1969, beating Reseda in the final at Pauley Pavilion under the program’s first coach, Jerry Marvin.

Jack Levey celebrates a big win in the Dolphins’ return to their home court against Western League rival Fairfax.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Jan. 30 (UPI) — The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday said the Producer Price Index rose by a half percent in December, which raises concern that inflation could rise as a result.

The index measures the cost businesses pay for wholesale goods and is among the factors that potentially affect inflation and unemployment rates.

The nation’s inflation rate currently is 2.7%, while unemployment was 4.4% in December.

“On an over-year-ago basis, core final demand PPI goods rose 3.7%, which points to ongoing pipeline pressures for consumer inflation that appears to be bolstered in part by tariffs,” JPMorgan analysts said in a statement.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC that the higher Producer Price Index is not matched by the Consumer Price Index, which decreased in December.

“The CPI over the last three months, the annual rate, was lower than 2,” Hassett said.

“I think that right now we’re seeing materials prices like gold and so on are up quite a bit, in part because of all the investment that’s happening for artificial intelligence and data centers and so on,” he added.

December’s half-percent rise in the Producer Price Index was more than double its 0.2% rise in November and 0.1% increase in October, the BLS said.

For the year, wholesale prices, not including foods, energy and trade services, rose by 3.5%, which is slightly less than the 3.6% increase in 2024.

“Over 40 percent of the December increase in prices for final demand services can be traced to a 4.5-percent rise in margins for machinery and equipment wholesaling,” the BLS reported.

The cost of nonferrous metals also rose by 4.5% in December.

Also posting cost increases were the “indexes for guestroom rental; food and alcohol retailing; health, beauty and optical goods retailing; portfolio management; and airline passenger services also advanced,” the bureau said.

“Prices for residential natural gas, motor vehicles, soft drinks and aircraft and aircraft equipment also increased.”

While such costs rose, others declined by significant margins, including the cost for bundled wired telecommunications access services, which declined by 4.4%.

The Kremlin says it’s agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and surrounding towns until February 1, after a request from US President Donald Trump pointing to the ‘record-setting cold’ gripping the region. Many Ukrainians have no heating, after Russian attacks on power infrastructure.

FORMER glamour model Katie Price’s new husband has challenged her cage fighter ex to a mixed martial arts match for criticising her whirlwind wedding. 

Lee Andrews, 41, wants to take on Alex Reid, 50, in a one-on-one because he called her latest marriage irresponsible. 

The businessman goaded Reid as he told The Sun he wanted to fight him “anytime, anywhere” in Britain, Dubai or Abu Dhabi. 

He also said he had spoken with Katie about the challenge only briefly, but insisted: “We do support each other.” 

Lee — dubbed a “Walter Mitty” over his long list of outlandish or untrue claims including that he is Director of Philanthropy at The Prince’s Trust — confidently claimed he had his own experience in sparring, partial boxing and “elite fitness”. 

He said he wanted it to be on an Ultimate Fighting Championship five-round match setting and said proceeds would go towards supporting mum-of-five Katie and charity. 

RACY DEAL

Katie Price offered to sell NAKED photos hours after tying knot – risking arrest

NOT LEE-VING

Katie Price’s husband in shock U-turn he WON’T fly to UK to see her

It comes after Reid, who was Katie’s second husband, made his feelings plain over her fourth wedding.

He said: “It’s irresponsible on your family and the children to marry someone you don’t know.” Reid added: “I genuinely wish the man good luck marrying her. 

“I hope the marriage lasts longer than the court-ordered debts that she still owes me and to many others, demonstrating accountability and responsibility. 

“It’s not really her strong point. Maybe, he could be the best thing in the world to happen to her. 

“He could help her pay her debts and be accountable with money.”  

Former cross-dresser Reid, who divorced Katie in 2012 after a two-year marriage, was a professional in mixed martial arts from 2000. 

Lee and Katie, 47, got married in Dubai at the weekend in a whirlwind wedding just days after meeting each other. 

After a tumultuous month of continued national immigration raids and the ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, nationwide protests are set to occur today amid calls for a general strike. Small businesses across the L.A. area announced Friday closures in observation of the strike, while others who voiced support said the decision to close is impossible — especially for independent restaurants, which suffered an outsized string of hardships through 2025, causing a growing number of permanent closures.

Many operators who say they are unable to close are donating a portion or all profits from Friday’s business to immigrant rights causes. Some say they’ve left the decision up to their staff, who rely on the day’s wages. One restaurateur, who requested anonymity for fear of ICE retaliation, said their employees’ earnings regularly pay for undocumented staff’s private transportation to and from work, and they cannot afford to close for even a single night.

Some of L.A.’s restaurants, bars and cafes closed in observance of the strike and protests include Proof Bakery, Wilde’s, South LA Cafe, Lasita, Bar Flores, Canyon Coffee, Chainsaw, Yellow Paper Burger, Kitchen Mouse, Bacetti and Civil Coffee.

Guelaguetza‘s co-owner and Independent Hospitality Coalition member Bricia Lopez took to social media Thursday afternoon to provide tips for fellow restaurateurs who can’t afford to close their businesses today. They included donating to immigrant rights organizations or spotlighting specific fundraising dishes, as many across the county now are.

Some local restaurants are opting to remain open but are donating the day or the weekend’s proceeds to nonprofits and legal funds, or they’re temporarily flipping their dining rooms to centers for community action such as making protests signs.

Guelaguetza is offering free horchata and cafe de olla for protesters or those who can provide proof of donations to immigrant communities through 3 p.m. In Glassell Park, a pop-up tonight will raise funds for street vendors currently avoiding work for fear of ICE. Taiwanese chef Vivian Ku is fundraising at her downtown and Highland Park restaurants, while she closes Silver Lake’s Pine & Crane to the public in order to use it as a staging ground for aid groups today.

“For a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, etc., they’re just a few bad days from being upside down for the month, and a few bad months from having no business at all,” an owner of Highland Park’s Santa Canela posted to Instagram on Thursday. “We understand the weight and power of collective action, but plain and simple: We didn’t feel comfortable making financial decisions on behalf of our entire team as to whether or not they could afford to lose another shift at the end of the month at a time when cost of living has never been higher.”

Home-style Chinese restaurant Woon, with locations in Historic Filipinotown and on the edge of Pasadena bordering Altadena, will remain open, too.

“I wish we had the luxury of closing our doors, but we will keep them open as we stand in solidarity with our community and neighbors,” chef-owner Keegan Fong posted to Instagram. “We’ve given our staff the option to take the day off while also allowing those who need the hours to continue to work.”

Even those who are closing today have stressed the importance of supporting local restaurants.

Historic Filipinotown bar Thunderbolt posted its decision to close on Friday morning, with a statement on Instagram that read, “This strike isn’t about small businesses, but they will bear the weight of it…For small business in the food and beverage industry, closing the doors on a Friday night — during an already brutal January — can be catastrophic.”

Here are some L.A.-area restaurants remaining open today but fundraising for immigrant rights.

Luis Martinez was on his way to work on a frigid Minneapolis morning when federal agents suddenly boxed him in, forcing the SUV he was driving to a dead stop in the middle of the street.

Masked agents rapped on the window, demanding Martinez produce his ID. Then one held his cellphone inches from Martinez’s face and scanned his features, capturing the shape of his eyes, the curves of his lips, the exact quadrants of his cheeks.

All the while, the agent kept asking: Are you a U.S. citizen?

The encounter in a Minneapolis suburb this week captures the tactics on display in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which it describes as the largest of its kind and one that has drawn national scrutiny after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens this month.

Across Minnesota and other states where the Department of Homeland Security has surged personnel, officials say enforcement efforts are targeted and focused on serious offenders. But photographs, videos and internal documents paint a different picture, showing agents leaning heavily on biometric surveillance and vast, interconnected databases — highlighting how a sprawling digital surveillance apparatus has become central to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Civil liberties experts warn the expanding use of those systems risks sweeping up citizens and noncitizens alike, often with little transparency or meaningful oversight.

Over the past year, Homeland Security and other federal agencies have dramatically expanded their ability to collect, share and analyze people’s personal data, thanks to a web of agreements with local, state, federal and international agencies, plus contracts with technology companies and data brokers. The databases include immigration and travel records, facial images and information drawn from vehicle databases.

In Martinez’s case, the face scan didn’t find a match and it wasn’t until he produced his U.S. passport, which he said he carried for fear of such an encounter, that federal agents let him go.

“I had been telling people that here in Minnesota it’s like a paradise for everybody, all the cultures are free here,” he said. “But now people are running out of the state because of everything that is happening. It’s terrifying. It’s not safe anymore.”

Together with other government surveillance data and systems, federal authorities can now monitor American cities at a scale that would have been difficult to imagine just a few years ago, advocates say. Agents can identify people on the street through facial recognition, trace their movements through license-plate readers and, in some cases, use commercially available phone-location data to reconstruct daily routines and associations.

When asked by the Associated Press about its expanding use of surveillance tools, the Department of Homeland Security said it would not disclose law enforcement sensitive methods.

“Employing various forms of technology in support of investigations and law enforcement activities aids in the arrest of criminal gang members, child sex offenders, murderers, drug dealers, identity thieves and more, all while respecting civil liberties and privacy interests,” it said.

Dan Herman, a former Customs and Border Protection senior advisor in the Biden administration who now works at the Center for American Progress, said the government’s access to facial recognition, other personal data and surveillance systems poses a threat to people’s privacy rights and civil liberties without adequate checks.

“They have access to a tremendous amount of trade, travel, immigration and screening data. That’s a significant and valuable national security asset, but there’s a concern about the potential for abuse,” Herman said. “Everyone should be very concerned about the potential that this data could be weaponized for improper purposes.”

Facial recognition

On Wednesday, Homeland Security disclosed online that it has been using a facial recognition app, Mobile Fortify, that it said uses “trusted source photos” to compare scans of people’s faces that agents take to verify their identity. The app, which Customs and Border Protection said is made by the vendor NEC, uses facial comparison or fingerprint-matching systems.

The app was in operation for CBP and ICE before the immigration crackdown in the Los Angeles area in June, when website 404Media first reported its existence.

In interactions observed by reporters and videos posted online, federal agents are rarely seen asking for consent before holding their cellphones to people’s faces, and in some clips they continue scanning even after someone objects.

In two instances seen by an AP journalist near Columbia Heights, Minn., where immigration officials recently detained a 5-year-old boy and his father, masked agents held their phones a foot away from people’s faces to capture their biometric details.

The technology resembles facial recognition systems used at airports, but unlike airport screenings, where travelers are typically notified and can sometimes opt out, Martinez said he was given no choice.

According to a lawsuit filed against the department by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago this month, Homeland Security has used Mobile Fortify in the field more than 100,000 times. The Department of Homeland Security told AP that Mobile Fortify supports “accurate identity and immigration-status verification during enforcement operations. It operates with a deliberately high-matching threshold,” and uses only some immigration data.

Without federal guidelines for the use of facial recognition tools, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights warned in a September 2024 report their deployment raises concerns about accuracy, oversight, transparency, discrimination and access to justice.

Body-camera footage

Last year, the Trump administration scaled back a program to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials body cameras, but administration officials said some agents tied to the fatal shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti were wearing them and that footage is now being reviewed.

Gregory Bovino, who was the administration’s top Border Patrol official charged with the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis until Monday, began wearing a bodycam in response to a judge’s order late last year.

Body-camera video could help clarify events surrounding federal agents’ killing of Pretti, who was filming immigration agents with his cellphone when they shot him in the back.

Administration officials shifted their tone after independent video footage emerged raising serious questions about some Trump officials’ accusations that Pretti intended to harm agents.

Emerging technologies

Homeland Security and affiliated agencies are piloting and deploying more than 100 artificial intelligence systems, including some used in law enforcement activities, according to the department’s disclosure Wednesday.

Congress last year authorized U.S. Customs and Border Protection to get more than $2.7 billion to build out border surveillance systems and add in AI and other emerging technologies.

In recent weeks, Homeland Security requested more information from private industry on how technology companies and data providers can support their investigations and help identify people.

Meanwhile, longtime government contractor Palantir was paid $30 million to extend a contract to build a system designed to locate people flagged for deportation. On Wednesday, the Trump administration disclosed it’s using Palantir’s AI models to sift through immigration enforcement tips submitted to its tip line.

Homeland Security has also been exploring partnerships with license-plate reader companies like Flock Safety to expand their tracking capabilities.

Rachel Levinson-Waldman, who directs the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program, said more funding for government surveillance tools changes the landscape.

“We are developing these technologies for immigrant enforcement,” she said. “Are we also going to expand it or wield it against U.S. citizens who are engaging in entirely lawful or protest activity?”

Burke and Tau write for the Associated Press. AP freelance photojournalist Adam Gray contributed to this report from Minneapolis.

Rams kick returner Xavier Smith muffs a punt as Seattle’s Dareke Young recovers the ball in the third quarter Sunday in the NFC championship game.

(Jane Gershovich / Getty Images)

Mistake-prone special teams: Blocked kicks led to multiple early-season defeats, and the Rams in November signed Harrison Mevis to replace Joshua Karty and veteran snapper Jake McQuaide to replace Alex Ward.

A punt return for a touchdown by Seattle’s Rashid Shaheed on Dec. 18 ultimately led to McVay firing special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.

Punter Ethan Evans was mostly solid and Mevis performed well. But punt returner Xavier Smith’s attempt to catch a ball while he was falling down in the NFC championship game resulted in a fumble that led to a pivotal touchdown by the Seahawks.

Too much for Tutu: Don’t blame receiver Tutu Atwell.

The Rams selected the diminutive-but-speedy receiver in the second round of the 2021 draft, but McVay, who is regarded as perhaps the best offensive mind in football, never fully maximized Atwell’s skill set. Atwell became a free agent after the 2024 season, and the Rams gave him a $10-million, one-year contract, ostensibly with promises that they had finally figured it out.

Alas, Atwell caught six passes (about $1.7 million per catch), including an 88-yard winning touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts. He was not active for the divisional-round playoff game against the Chicago Bears or the NFC championship.

No investment in secondary: The Rams were so confident the pass rush would be dominant, they stood pat and made no changes to the secondary. No draft picks. No free agents.

They made a trade deadline deal for cornerback Roger McCreary but otherwise rode with the same group from 2024.

In the NFC championship, Cobie Durant and Darious Williams started at cornerback.

Nacua’s social media mistake: Nacua, perhaps more than any other Rams player, embraces social media opportunities and has become one of the NFL’s most popular personalities.

But while appearing on a livestream a few days before a critical Week 16 game at Seattle, Nacua made critical comments about officials and, unbeknownst to Nacua, made an anti-semetic gesture. Nacua apologized and the NFL and the Rams issued statements. After scoring two touchdowns and amassing 225 yards receiving in the overtime defeat, Nacua posted another critical comment about officials. He was fined $25,000.

Lost home-field advantage: Entering a Week 13 game at Carolina, the Rams were 9-2, had won six games in a row and held the No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs, which came with home-field advantage for the playoffs.

The Rams lost to the Panthers, the first of three losses in their final six games. They finished with the No. 5 seed.

That meant the Rams probably would have to win three road games to advance to the Super Bowl. They came back for playoff victories at Carolina and Chicago but could not do it at Seattle.

Israel says it will reopen the Rafah crossing on Sunday after nearly two years — but only for restricted, tightly controlled movement of people. Humanitarian aid remains barred. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports from Rafah as Israel retains full security control.

Venezuelans are bracing for an uncertain future after the United States military abduction of President Nicolas Maduro. Reactions across the country have been sharply divided. Some are celebrating what they see as the end of an era while others have expressed fear and anger, accusing the US of trying to impose a government subordinate to Washington to secure access to Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Presenter: Stefanie Dekker

Guests:
Luis Ernesto Patino – activist and political commentator

Adelys Ferro – executive director, Venezuelan American Caucus

Marc Owen Jones – professor of media analytics, Northwestern University

Death in Paradise is back for series 15 and new recruit Sergeant Mattie Fletcher will be joining the team in Saint Marie – here’s everything you need to know about the character

Death in Paradise is gearing up for its 15th season, welcoming back familiar faces and introducing some fresh ones. Don Gilet will be reprising his role as DI Mervin Wilson, while Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, portrayed by Don Warrington, makes a comeback to Saint Marie after a hiatus.

Elizabeth Bourgine’s Catherine Bordey, Shantol Jackson’s Sergeant Naomi Thomas, and Shaquille Ali-Yebuah’s Officer Sebastian Rose are all set to return for the 15th season. However, viewers will also meet a new face, Sergeant Mattie Fletcher.

Described as having a “rebellious” streak, Mattie is a fantastic addition to the Saint Marie squad. She’s brought to life by actress Catherine Garton, who steps into the cast following Ginny Holder’s departure from her role as Darlene Curtis. But what can BBC viewers anticipate from newcomer Mattie, and who is the actress behind her?

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Death in Paradise series 15, reports the Express.

Who is Sergeant Mattie Fletcher?

Sergeant Mattie Fletcher is the latest addition to the Saint Marie team. She’ll make her debut in season 15, episode 1, with Detective Sergeant Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) and Officer Sebastian Rose (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah) helping Mattie find her feet.

However, settling in might prove more challenging than expected as secrets from her past start to surface.

Discussing what audiences can anticipate from Sergeant Mattie, Don Gilet, who portrays DI Mervin Wilson, explained: “There’s definitely something of a rebel in Mattie. We haven’t had that rebellious element, really. She’s a bit younger, probably a similar age, give or take, to Officer Seb Rose, but she’s seen a lot more.

“She’s a sergeant and she’s more experienced and is always on the front foot, whereas Seb is going through his rookie stripes. It’s great seeing how the two of them connect – there’s a nurturing side as well as a rebellious side. She’s a great addition to the team.”

Who is Catherine Garton?

Catherine Garton, who portrays Mattie, described her character as “tenacious,” adding: “She’s really fun to play. She’s sassy, but she’s like your big sister who will tell you what’s what, but you can also come to her if you need to. You can have a laugh with her. She’s very passionate about things, about her work and about the people that she grows to love, especially in the team. She’s also very determined, almost too determined sometimes..”

She went on: “Audiences can expect some action. Someone who’s lovable and who’s trying their best, but almost to a fault. She has something to prove to herself and to others and sometimes she can do that to her detriment, but it comes from a place of passion. They will see ups, downs and lots of sass!”.

Catherine Garton takes on the role of new recruit Mattie, having previously appeared in The Gray House as Talulah and Ibiza Narcos as Kelly. Catherine recently graced our screens in Russell T Davies’ Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea.

This festive BBC series featured Catherine as Corporal Jane Hart throughout all four episodes.

The filming for the spin-off concluded in 2024, and it was only after wrapping up that Catherine learned she had secured the role of Sergeant Mattie Fletcher, a new regular on Death in Paradise. She amusingly revealed that she was shopping in TK Maxx when her agent broke the news.

She recalled: “I was in the shoe section, one shoe off, sliding another one on and my agent called me and told me. It was a moment!”.

Speaking about her experience filming in Guadeloupe, where the fictional town of Saint Marie is located, Catherine enthused: “I loved it – everyone was really welcoming. Before going to Guadeloupe, I didn’t quite know what to anticipate, then it exceeded any expectations I could have had. I love the island. Guadeloupe is like a postcard. It’s quite unreal. Every time I walked out I was like ‘this exists, wow!’. It’s absolutely stunning. Everyone’s nice. I love the culture. The food’s great. Everyone I work with is great. I don’t have any complaints!”.

When asked about meeting the rest of the cast and crew, Catherine admitted: “It was intimidating at first, because this is the biggest kind of role I’ve ever had, but everyone was just so nice and so welcoming. I remember the first time I saw Shantol and the biggest smile ever. I feel like I have family there now.”

Death in Paradise season 15 kicks off on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Friday, 30 January.

MINNEAPOLIS — When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flooded Minneapolis, Shane Mantz dug his Choctaw Nation citizenship card out of a box on his dresser and slid it into his wallet.

Some strangers mistake the pest-control company manager for Latino, he said, and he fears getting caught up in ICE raids.

Like Mantz, many Native Americans are carrying tribal documents proving their U.S. citizenship in case they are stopped or questioned by federal immigration agents. This is why dozens of the 575 federally recognized Native nations are making it easier to get tribal IDs. They’re waiving fees, lowering the age of eligibility — ranging from 5 to 18 nationwide — and printing the cards faster.

It’s the first time tribal IDs have been widely used as proof of U.S. citizenship and protection against federal law enforcement, said David Wilkins, an expert on Native politics and governance at the University of Richmond.

“I don’t think there’s anything historically comparable,” Wilkins said. “I find it terribly frustrating and disheartening.”

As Native Americans around the country rush to secure documents proving their right to live in the United States, many see a bitter irony.

“As the first people of this land, there’s no reason why Native Americans should have their citizenship questioned,” said Jaqueline De León, a senior staff attorney with the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund and member of Isleta Pueblo.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn’t respond to more than four requests for comment over a week.

Native identity in a new age of fear

Since the mid- to late 1800s, the U.S. government has kept detailed genealogical records to estimate Native Americans’ fraction of “Indian blood” and determine their eligibility for healthcare, housing, education and other services owed under federal legal responsibilities. Those records were also used to aid federal assimilation efforts and chip away at tribal sovereignty, communal lands and identity.

Beginning in the late 1960s, many tribal nations began issuing their own forms of identification. In the last two decades, tribal photo ID cards have become commonplace and can be used to vote in tribal elections, to prove U.S. work eligibility and for domestic air travel.

About 70% of Native Americans today live in urban areas, including tens of thousands in the Twin Cities, one of the largest urban Native populations in the country.

There, in early January, a top ICE official announced the “largest immigration operation ever.”

Masked, heavily armed agents traveling in convoys of unmarked SUVs became commonplace in some neighborhoods. By this week, more than 3,400 people had been arrested, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least 2,000 ICE officers and 1,000 Border Patrol officers were on the ground.

Representatives from at least 10 tribes traveled hundreds of miles to Minneapolis — the birthplace of the American Indian Movement — to accept ID applications from members there. Among them were the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe of Wisconsin, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of South Dakota and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa of North Dakota.

Turtle Mountain citizen Faron Houle renewed his tribal ID card and got his young adult son’s and his daughter’s first ones.

“You just get nervous,” Houle said. “I think [ICE agents are] more or less racial profiling people, including me.”

Events in downtown coffee shops, hotel ballrooms, and at the Minneapolis American Indian Center helped urban tribal citizens connect and share resources, said Christine Yellow Bird, who directs the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation’s satellite office in Fargo, ND.

Yellow Bird made four trips to Minneapolis in recent weeks, putting nearly 2,000 miles on her 2017 Chevy Tahoe to help citizens in the Twin Cities who can’t make the long journey to their reservation.

Yellow Bird said she always keeps her tribal ID with her.

“I’m proud of who I am,” she said. “I never thought I would have to carry it for my own safety.”

Some Native Americans say ICE is harassing them

Last year, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said that several tribal citizens reported being stopped and detained by ICE officers in Arizona and New Mexico. He and other tribal leaders have advised citizens to carry tribal IDs with them at all times.

Last November, Elaine Miles, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon and an actress known for her roles in “Northern Exposure” and “The Last of Us,” said she was stopped by ICE officers in Washington state who told her that her tribal ID looked fake.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe this week banned ICE from its reservation in southwestern South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska, one of the largest in the country.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota said a member was detained in Minnesota last weekend. And Peter Yazzie, who is Navajo, said he was arrested and held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix for several hours last week.

Yazzie, a construction worker from nearby Chinle, Ariz., said he was sitting in his car at a gas station preparing for a day of work when he saw ICE officers arrest some Latino men. The officers soon turned their attention to Yazzie, pushed him to the ground, and searched his vehicle, he said.

He said he told them where to find his driver’s license, birth certificate, and a federal Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. Yazzie said the car he was in is registered to his mother. Officers said the names didn’t match, he said, and he was arrested, taken to a nearby detention center and held for about four hours.

“It’s an ugly feeling. It makes you feel less human. To know that people see your features and think so little of you,” he said.

Homeland Security did not respond to questions about the arrest.

Mantz, the Choctaw Nation citizen, said he runs pest-control operations in Minneapolis neighborhoods where ICE agents are active and he won’t leave home without his tribal identification documents.

Securing them for his children is now a priority.

“It gives me some peace of mind. But at the same time, why do we have to carry these documents?” Mantz said. “Who are you to ask us to prove who we are?”

Brewer, Peters and Huntington write for the Associated Press. Brewer reported from Oklahoma City and Peters from Edgewood, N.M.

Miguel Rojas is the latest Dodger to withdraw from consideration for the World Baseball Classic, joining Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Andy Ibáñez and perhaps other players. MLB Network will reveal all 20 team rosters Thursday at 4 p.m. PT.

Rojas, who turns 37 next month, will not represent his native Venezuela because of difficulty obtaining insurance. The versatile World Series star expressed regret that he cannot play in an Instagram story that included a photo of himself with the Venezuelan flag draped over his shoulders.

“Today I am very sad,” he wrote in Spanish. “A real pity to not be able to represent my country and wear that flag on my chest. On this occasion, age wasn’t just a number.”

Insurance was required to guarantee his $5.5-million salary in case he missed Dodgers games because of injuries incurred during the WBC, which will take place March 5-17 in Tokyo, Miami, Houston and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Rojas’ situation is similar to that of Clayton Kershaw ahead of the 2023 WBC. The pitcher was disappointed that he couldn’t play for Team USA because his injury history made obtaining insurance impossible. The Dodgers declined to waive his insurance requirement and assume financial risk in case Kershaw got hurt during the tournament.

“I’m frustrated,” Kershaw said at the time. “They should make it easy for guys that want to play to play.”

Insurance coverage protects teams from having to pay a player for time missed because of an injury stemming from the WBC, which requires participants to undergo entrance and exit physicals to document injury information.

Players can be deemed uninsurable for several reasons, a source told The Times in 2023. Included are players who finished the previous season on the injured list or spent considerable time on the injured list. Also uninsurable are players diagnosed with a “chronic condition.”

Rojas, who has said this will be his last major league season as a player, has sustained a succession of lower-body injuries in recent years. The 12-year veteran utility infielder began his career with the Dodgers in 2014 then played for the Miami Marlins for eight years before rejoining the Dodgers in 2023.

He will always be remembered by Dodgers fans for his game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The baseball Rojas struck sold for $156,000 at auction.

This will mark the second WBC in a row that Rojas has missed. He was on Venezuela’s 2023 roster but withdrew after fellow infielder Gavin Lux tore his ACL during spring training, increasing Rojas’ role with the Dodgers.

Hernández has elected not to play for the Dominican Republic while Pages and Ibáñez — who signed a one-year, $1.2-million contract with the Dodgers this offseason — won’t suit up for Cuba. It is unclear whether insurance concerns were factors in their decisions.

However, Houston Astros stars Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa were forced to withdraw because of their inability to obtain insurance. Altuve would have played for Venezuela and Correa for Puerto Rico.

Dodgers who plan to play in the WBC include World Series heroes Will Smith of Team USA and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto of Team Japan. Shohei Ohtani announced in November that he would play for Japan, although the two-way superstar has not decided whether he will pitch.

Smith will be a teammate of Kershaw, who because he retired from the Dodgers doesn’t need insurance now to participate in the WBC. In fact, he’s gone from needing insurance to being insurance.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw told MLB Network. “If anybody needs a breather, or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back, or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.

“I learned a long time ago, you just want to be a part of great things.”

Jan. 30 (UPI) — Two Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers about why National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard was at an FBI raid at a Georgia election facility.

Gabbard was photographed outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operations Center, just outside of Atlanta, when the FBI executed a “a court authorized law enforcement action” on Wednesday. FBI spokesperson Jenna Sellitto told The Hill that boxes loaded on trucks contained ballots.

Agents sought 2020 election records, Fulton County spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez said.

“We don’t know why they took them, and we don’t know where they’re taking them to,” county board of commissioners Chair Robb Pitts told The Hill.

“Director Gabbard has a pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of our elections against interference, including operations targeting voting systems, databases, and election infrastructure,” a senior administration official told NBC News.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., released a statement about Gabbard’s presence at the raid.

“There are only two explanations for why the Director of National Intelligence would show up at a federal raid tied to Donald Trump‘s obsession with losing the 2020 election,” he said. “Either Director Gabbard believes there was a legitimate foreign intelligence nexus — in which case she is in clear violation of her obligation under the law to keep the intelligence committees ‘fully and currently informed’ of relevant national security concerns — or she is once again demonstrating her utter lack of fitness for the office that she holds by injecting the nonpartisan intelligence community she is supposed to be leading into a domestic political stunt designed to legitimize conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy.”

He said it shows she is unfit for the job.

“Either is a serious breach of trust that further underscores why she is totally unqualified to hold a position that demands sound judgment, apolitical independence, and a singular focus on keeping Americans safe,” he said.

Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., who both serve on their chambers’ intelligence committees, penned a letter to Gabbard expressing concern about her appearance in Georgia and demanding that she “appear before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence immediately.”

The letter said it is “deeply concerning that you participated in this domestic law enforcement action. The Intelligence Community should be focused on foreign threats and, as you yourself have testified, when those intelligence authorities are turned inwards the results can be devastating for Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.”

They said they want her to address her reasoning and role in attending the FBI operation in Fulton County, under what legal authority she or any other IC employee were involved, and an update on any intelligence she has concerning foreign interference in U.S. elections, including the 2020 election.

“Given the politically fraught nature of elections for federal office, any federal efforts associated with combatting foreign election threats necessitate public transparency, prompt updating of Congressional intelligence committees, and clear commitment to non-partisan conduct,” the letter said.

“Your recent actions raise foundational questions about the current mission of your office, and it is critical that you brief the Committees immediately as part of your obligation to keep Congress fully and currently informed.”

Two unnamed senior officials with knowledge of the matter told NBC that Gabbard’s presence in Fulton County was not requested by the Justice Department. They said Gabbard was only observing, and her presence wasn’t illegal.

“It seems to be an attempt to make herself relevant,” one official told NBC. “It’s so strange.”

On Thursday, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about her presence in Georgia.

“She’s working very hard on trying to keep the elections safe, and she’s done a very good job,” Trump said at the Kennedy Center. “You got a signed judge’s order in Georgia, and you’re going to see some interesting things happening. They’ve been trying to get there for a long time.”

If she took part in the search, her involvement would be “wrong and potentially even illegal,” said Kevin Carrol, a former CIA officer and national security lawyer, to NBC.

“It is also inappropriate for a Cabinet-level official to take part in a law enforcement operation. Among other things, the director is now potentially a fact witness in any suppression hearing or trial related to the evidence seized by the bureau,” Carroll said.

Sam Curran took England’s second ever hat-trick in T20 internationals as they beat Sri Lanka by 11 runs (DLS) in Pallekele.

The left-arm seamer dismissed home captain Dasun Shanaka and lower-order batters Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 133.

The hosts had already lost five wickets for 22 runs after spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson tore through their line-up, taking 3-19 and 2-31 respectively.

Curran had been expensive earlier in the innings, conceding 36 runs from his first two overs, but returned in force before Jamie Overton wrapped up the innings, which had been shortened to 17 overs after rain earlier in the day.

Having won the preceding ODI series 2-1, England were looking to take their form into the shortest format as they build up to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next month.

They looked comfortable in their reply, with Phil Salt hitting 46 from 35 balls at the top of the order.

Jos Buttler was bowled by Eshan Malinga in the third over after hitting the seamer for four successive fours, and the same bowler removed Jacob Bethell for nine.

Tom Banton hit back-to-back sixes off Wanindu Hasaranga, but was caught superbly in the covers by Charith Asalanka off Parithana, while Salt chipped Shanaka to long-on with the finish in sight.

The rain returned two balls later with England needing nine from 12 deliveries and the umpires swiftly drew a conclusion to proceedings.

England go 1-0 up in the three-match series, with the next game at the same ground on Sunday.