Month: June 2026

Romeo Beckham to make acting debut in gay tennis movie

ROMEO Beckham has made his acting debut in a gay tennis movie – as he flirted with his co-star in a first look of the film.

This comes days after Romeo and girlfriend Kim Turnbull enjoyed a pricey Harrods picnic after he was pulled over in £100k Porsche.

Romeo Beckham has made his acting debut in a gay tennis movie – as he flirted with his co-star in a first look of the film Credit: Studio Canal
Romeo has modelled for the biggest luxury brands like Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga for years Credit: PA

Romeo stars opposite Paul Kircher (The Animal Kingdom), Guillaume Canet (Sink or Swim) and Benjamin Voisin (The Stranger).

The movie, Forty Love, centres around Sacha Gallo, a tennis superstar who’s been training with his father to win a major trophy in Paris.

But the arrival of a charismatic new rival — played by Romeo — challenges everything Sacha thought he understood about competition, ambition and himself.

The synopsis reads: “For the first time, he faces an opponent of an entirely different nature — love.

OFF TRACK

How Lando Norris’ on/off girlfriend really feels about his wild night in Monaco


LIP REVEAL

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Romeo and his girlfriend Kim Turnball recently attended his father’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony Credit: Getty
Romeo is the son of David and Victoria Beckham Credit: Getty
Romeo was recently seen on the catwalk at the Burberry show during London Fashion Week. Credit: PA
Romeo and his girlfriend Kim Turnbull recently enjoy a Harrods picnic together Credit: Instagram

“A force as exhilarating as it is destabilizing — and far more dangerous than anything he has encountered on the court.”

Romeo, the son of football legend David and fashion designer Victoria, has modelled for the biggest luxury brands like Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga for years.

Fans flocked to comment on social media and one wrote: “Romeo picking a debut where the rival becomes the love interest is bold casting.”

Another said: “Watching this to see if romeo can sell the moment the match turns personal.”

A third said: “Beckham energy meeting soft tennis drama is giving unexpected but welcome character arc.”

“This setup turns every serve into a metaphor and i’m here for it,” said another.

While a fifth wrote: “From the football pitch to a romance film…. That’s an unexpected career move. Wishing him the best for his acting debut.”

Forty Love marks the first directorial outing by renowned fashion photographer Pierre-Ange Carlotti.

The film is produced by Hugo Sélignac and Paco de Bary at Chi-Fou-Mi Productions, a Mediawan company, and co-produced by Studiocanal and Manna Studios.

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Oklahoma baseball routs North Carolina for national title

The way its regular season unfolded, a national championship for Oklahoma would have seemed impossible.

The way the postseason unfolded, well, there was no stopping the Sooners.

Oklahoma completed the improbable run to its first national championship since 1994 with a 13-2 victory over North Carolina in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the College World Series finals Monday night, a performance that featured the prodigious offensive production and clutch pitching the Sooners rode through the NCAA tournament.

“I think we knew the talent was always in the room,” said Jaxon Willits, named the CWS most outstanding player. “We got hot at the right time, and now we’re national champions.”

The Sooners (43-23) won the Southeastern Conference’s seventh straight title, quite an accomplishment for a team picked 14th in the 16-team conference in the preseason, finished 11th and entered the postseason off losses in seven of nine games.

To get to Omaha, they beat No. 2 national seed Georgia Tech twice on the road in regionals and swept upstart Kansas on the road in super regionals. To get to the finals, they beat No. 3 Georgia twice in bracket play.

“They got really confident the last month,” Sooners coach Skip Johnson said. “They care about each other. They didn’t want to give in. They were selfless.”

North Carolina (54-14-1) was runner-up for the third time since 2006 and now has 13 CWS appearances without a title. Only Florida State, with 24, has more without winning it all.

The Sooners were back in top form offensively after managing only four singles in a 6-2 loss in Game 2 and handed the Tar Heels their most lopsided loss of the season.

“We ran out of gas when all is said and done,” North Carolina coach Scott Forbes said.

Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson hoists the championship trophy after his team beat North Carolina in the CWS finale Monday.

Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson hoists the championship trophy after his team beat North Carolina in the CWS finale Monday in Omaha.

(Rebecca S. Gratz / Ap Photo/rebecca S. Gratz)

When Jackson Cleveland struck out Jake Schaffner to end the game, he and catcher Deiten Lachance embraced and then headed to the dogpile that formed near third base. Players waving national championship towels rushed back toward their dugout to salute the celebrating Sooner faithful on the first-base line, football greats Barry Switzer and Brian Bosworth among them.

Kyle Branch, the No. 9 batter who came into the game one of 16 (.063) in the CWS, drove in six runs with a pair of singles and a home run. His homer came on his last at-bat, just as brother Kolby’s did for Georgia last Wednesday.

“Pure joy. Pure joy for our team,” Branch said. “I had a teammate tell me I was going to do something special, and for him to tell me that with the way things have been going, it has to be a God thing.”

He joined Dayton Tockey as the seventh and eighth Oklahoma players to homer in Omaha. Willits had three hits, reached base five times and finished the CWS 13 of 25 (.520).

Oklahoma's Kyle Branch celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against North Carolina in the CWS baseball finale.

Oklahoma’s Kyle Branch celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against North Carolina in the College World Series finale Monday in Omaha.

(Rebecca S. Gratz / Ap Photo/rebecca S. Gratz)

The pitching matchup of Carolina’s Jackson Rose (5-1) and Oklahoma’s Nick Wesloski was the first between freshmen in a CWS winner-take-all game since 1993. Neither got out of the third inning.

LJ Mercurius (7-7) turned in another strong performance out of the bullpen, shutting down a threat when Oklahoma led 3-1 in the third and holding the Tar Heels to one run in 5 2/3 innings. He gave up just two runs in 12 1/3 innings over four CWS appearances.

The Tar Heels’ pitching staff, which had the best ERA in the Atlantic Coast Conference, had been good and occasionally great in the CWS. It was neither Monday, with eight pitchers combining to yield 14 hits, issue eight walks, throw three wild pitches with one hit batter.

ACC freshman of the year Caden Glauber, who had given up just one run in 10 1/3 innings in four CWS appearances, was called on for a fifth one day after he threw 65 pitches in five shutout innings. It was apparent coach Forbes went to the well one time too many.

Glauber was called for a clock violation before he even threw his first pitch. He issued a four-pitch bases-loaded walk and Willits followed with a two-run single to make it 6-1 in the fourth. That was all for Glauber, who threw seven pitches, five of them balls. The Tar Heels had won all 29 games in which Glauber had pitched before Monday.

“This group loved each other all season and took us on a ride and came up just short,” Forbes said. “I’d take that ride every day of the year. While we’re sad, the sadness will go away. We talk about joy. Joy doesn’t go away. These guys have given me, our coaching staff, our fans, administration, everybody, a ton of joy and a ton to be proud of.”

Olson writes for the Associated Press.

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Investigators: Surfside condo showed failure weeks before collapse

June 23 (UPI) — The June 2021 partial collapse of a Miami Beach oceanfront condominium tower that killed nearly 100 people began three weeks before the building completely failed, federal investigators announced Monday.

The four-decade-old Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Fla., collapsed June 24, 2021, prompting the deployment of first responders to scour the rubble for survivors. In total, 98 people were killed and many others were injured, making it one of the deadliest structural disasters in U.S. history.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which launched an investigation into the incident within days of the collapse, said Monday that it determined the collapse began in early June 2021, when two connections between garage columns and the building’s pool deck failed.

“These initial column failures caused cracks to grow and loads to redistribute in the pool deck over the next three weeks, resulting in the transfer of their loads to adjacent slab-column connections that were not strong enough to support them,” NIST said in a statement.

“This led to the larger catastrophic collapse on June 24.”

The 12-story Champlain Towers South building was constructed in 1981 under required codes and standards intended to ensure builders could support more load than they were expected to bear. But, Judith Mitrani-Reiser, who was a co-lead on the investigation, said the tower’s “margins against failure were not too narrow from the start.”

The investigators believe that the failure of the two connections then spread to other elements of the pool deck and street-level parking structure before unseating the southern edge of the pool deck slab from a supporting wall.

When the pool slab eventually broke away, it damaged two connections supporting that part of the tower, causing the failure to travel through the middle of the tower.

The investigators also found that loads added to the structure over the building’s lifetime, such as pool deck modifications, further narrowed the margins against failure on top of long-term degradation caused by corrosion.

The investigation team said it is now working on compiling a final report that will include recommendations for changes to standards, codes and practices, among other suggestions.

The announcement came after NIST in September released an update into its investigation stating that the condo had shown visible signs of structural strain weeks before the collapse, starting with the pool deck.

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Newspaper headlines: ‘Keir’s tears… Andy’s crown’ and ‘Messiah without a mandate’

A number of the papers pick up on the jibe from a Tory MP who shouted “He’s not the Messiah” as Andy Burnham returned to the Commons. “Messiah without a Mandate” is the Daily Mail’s headline, pointing to the fact that Burnham may become prime minister without being challenged. The Telegraph suggests Burnham’s response, that he was “just a naughty boy”, is one reason why Labour likes him. “Compared with Keir Starmer, he’s the king of bants,” says the paper’s columnist Tim Stanley.

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Coronation Street’s Tina O’Brien ‘lets slip’ Sarah’s fate after Theo killer reveal

As Coronation Street revealed it was Sarah who killed Theo on Monday, actress Tina O’Brien addressed whether she could be leaving the ITV soap and her reaction to the twist

Coronation Street’s Sarah Platt has been exposed as Theo Silverton’s killer.

Now, actress Tina O’Brien, who has played the character since 1999, has addressed whether she’s about to bow out for good. Flashbacks during Monday’s episode confirmed what really happened to Theo, and who was to blame.

We saw Sarah accidentally killing Theo after he turned sinister. As he threatened her, she shoved him before hitting him over the head with a metal pole, leading to him plummeting off the scaffolding.

In the fallout, Sarah will be desperate to cover her tracks. But will she be caught out, and could it lead to a prison stint, or possibly a permanent exit from the ITV soap after after nearly 30 years in the role?

Tina shared: “It’s not just about her now, it’s about her family and her son, and there are times when she can’t cope with the pressure and you think she’s just going to hand herself in. And then she thinks about her son growing up without a mum, if she’s convicted and can’t prove she acted in self defence.

“And because of those things, she’s so desperate to do whatever it takes to be part of her family’s life.” It was her ex Gary that she frantically called for help, with him now keeping her secret.

With Gary’s rivalry with Sarah’s partner Kit Green now at boiling point, Tina explained why Sarah told Gary and not detective Kit. She said: “I think she absolutely went into panic mode, shocked, stunned and numb. She obviously didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know how to react and in that moment she thought, I can’t call Kit because of his job in the police.

“And so in that moment, she thought who can I call and it was Gary. There’s a lot of guilt there and I think also, selfishly, she feels like she’s ruined her chance with Kit, because if he knows what she’s done, he might not want her anymore and she so wanted him to be her future.”

This isn’t the first time Sarah has been caught up in a murder plot. Fans will recall that back in 2015, Sarah’s sister-in-law Kylie Platt murdered Sarah’s love interest Callum Logan. Callum had tried to attack Sarah, leading to Kylie killing him with a wrench.

Sarah and Kylie, with the help of Sarah’s brother David Platt, covered up the crime, and buried the body under their house. Sarah’s mental health spiralled in the fallout, and she was admitted to a psychiatric unit for treatment.

With Sarah caught up in another murder, Tina said this time her character could face prison. She teased: “If she’d have called the police straight away and explained what happened, she would have been in a much better situation, because it was clearly not pre-meditated, it was a situation where she felt she had no other choice.

“But to cover it up, to actively cover something up, she knows that she crossed a line that she can’t come back from.” She added on exit fears: “I genuinely didn’t worry, at the end of the day this job is incredible, but to be an actor is not necessarily a job for life. So, I just was really excited to be given the honour of being the murderer, and then hopefully, however it plays out, I’ll enjoy Sarah’s arc.”

So does this hint that Sarah will stick around? After keeping quiet for months, Tina shared: “I’ve literally been a big bag of nerves. It’s been so difficult, I told my mum and I just recently told my daughter Scarlett and my son Beau. You’re seeing all the chat on social media, everyone’s saying I think this, and I think that.

“Actually filming these scenes the weeks after have been the hardest thing I’ve ever filmed because I felt like my face looked guilty constantly and I thought everyone’s going to know it’s me instantly.”

It came as no surprise to Tina though that Sarah killed Theo. She explained: “I completely understand how it happened, why it happened. For me to get into her character and her head, I feel like in that moment, she didn’t feel like she had any other choice.”

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.



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Assessing the Legacy of the Fed’s ‘Maestro’

As the financial world remembers the former Fed chair, economists weigh his massive macroeconomic legacy.

Alan Greenspan, the second-longest serving chairman of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, has died just months after his 100th birthday.

Known as “The Maestro,” Greenspan helmed the Fed under five U.S. presidents, from August 1987 until January 2006. He managed the central bank through two market crashes, two recessions, and various financial crises. Through it all, the U.S. economy experienced significant macroeconomic expansion, rising asset prices, and a dramatic shift in corporate finance.

The Greenspan Put

Early in his tenure, Greenspan intervened to mitigate the impact of the 1987 stock market crash, a move known as the “Greenspan put.” The monetary policy lowered interest rates and injected liquidity, stabilizing the economy, restoring investor confidence, and mitigating financial shocks. However, Fed intervention also incentivized investors to take excessive risks, fueled speculative bubbles such as the 1990s dot-com bubble, and led to market expectations of future interventions.

The Greenspan put is a bit of an illusion, Kenneth Rogoff, professor of Economics at Harvard University and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, wrote in an email exchange.

“When markets collapse, the interest rate required to maintain stable inflation will typically also temporarily collapse,” Rogoff wrote. “His biggest mistakes were in regulatory policy, where he had too much faith in financial market innovation and too hands-off an attitude towards regulation. We are now, in the second year of the [second] Trump administration, repeating that mistake.”

A Man Remembered

“He was a great central banker who helped lead his country through two decades of prosperity,” said Ben Bernanke, a Distinguished Fellow in Residence at Brookings Institution and Greenspan’s successor at the Fed, in a statement. “I always found him generous with his time and insights. We are still learning from him, even if he is no longer with us.”

Don Kohn, a senior fellow at Brookings and former Fed governor and vice chair, remembered Greenspan encouraging Fed staff and fellow policy makers to voice new ideas and analytical insights while asking them to find the weak points in the hypotheses he put forward.

“But those ideas, insights, and challenges need to be backed by evidence and solid reasoning,” he wrote in a post on Brookings’ website. “Once when he asked me what I thought we should be doing on policy, I started my response with, ‘My gut tells me…’ He quickly cut me off: ‘That’s not your gut, Don, that’s your experience and knowledge.’”

Greenspan’s willingness to experiment to lower the unemployment rate, which peaked at 7.4% in 1992, drew many admirers.

“He pushed it lower than the conventional wisdom had ever thought possible, and discovered that it was possible to have more Americans in work without sparking inflation,” Justin Wolfers, professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan, wrote in an email exchange. “Hundreds of thousands more people found work, and their families could afford a better life because he showed that there’s nothing natural about what many economists had called the natural rate of unemployment.”

Although Wolfers did not agree with all of Greenspan’s decisions, he noted that “his intellectual courage and devotion to the public good were never in doubt. He lived a big life and made a difference.”

Contact the author at rdaly@gfmag.com

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Trump lawsuit challenging L.A.’s sanctuary city law dismissed

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that sought to block what it called L.A.’s “illegal” sanctuary city law.

In a weekend ruling, U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin granted the city’s motion to dismiss the complaint, which alleged that the city ordinance violates the intergovernmental immunity doctrine by regulating and discriminating against the federal government.

Olguin ruled that the government’s allegations were “insufficient to establish that the Ordinance violates the intergovernmental immunity doctrine,” but granted the administration permission to file an amended complaint by July 3.

“The Ordinance does not directly regulate the federal government,” Olguin said in his ruling. “Rather, it ‘controls the actions of [the City’s] own agents and agencies.’”

The White House and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Although the administration could refile its complaint, L.A.. City Atty. Hydee ‌Feldstein Soto celebrated the dismissal as a legal victory.

“This order reinforces the well-established principle that local governments have the authority to decide how to use their personnel and resources,” Feldstein Soto said in a statement.

The lawsuit, filed by the Trump administration in California’s Central District federal court last June, said the country is “facing a crisis of illegal immigration” and that its efforts to address it “are hindered by Sanctuary Cities such as the City of Los Angeles, which refuse to cooperate or share information, even when requested, with federal immigration authorities.”

The lawsuit came as immigration agents descended on Southern California, arresting thousands of immigrants and prompting protests across the region.

“The situation became so dire that the Federal Government deployed the California National Guard and United States Marines to quell the chaos,” the lawsuit states. “A direct confrontation with federal immigration authorities was the inevitable outcome of the Sanctuary City law.”

The law was proposed in early 2023, long before Trump’s election, but it was finalized in the wake of his victory in November 2024.

Under the ordinance, city employees and city property may not be used to “investigate, cite, arrest, hold, transfer or detain any person” for the purpose of immigration enforcement. An exception is made for law enforcement investigating serious offenses.

The ordinance bars city employees from seeking out information about an individual’s citizenship or immigration status unless it is needed to provide a city service. They also must treat data or information that can be used to trace a person’s citizenship or immigration status as confidential.

“The goal of this ordinance, and of LAPD’s immigration-related policies … is to encourage victims of and witnesses to crime to feel safe coming forward to seek help from LAPD regardless of their immigration status,” Feldstein Soto said in her statement. “It does not obstruct or impede lawful federal immigration enforcement operations.”

The government in its original filing said that Trump campaigned and won the 2024 presidential election on a platform of deporting “millions of illegal immigrants.” By enacting a sanctuary city ordinance, the City Council sought to “thwart the will of the American people regarding deportations,” the lawsuit states.

“The Supremacy Clause prohibits the City of Los Angeles and its officials from singling out the Federal Government for adverse treatment — as the challenged law and policies do — thereby discriminating against the Federal Government,” the lawsuit says.

Trump’s Department of Justice contends that L.A.’s sanctuary city ordinance goes much further than similar laws in other jurisdictions by “seeking to undermine the Federal Government’s immigration enforcement efforts.”

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World Cup 2026: Messi, Mbappe, Haaland & Kane in Golden Boot race for the ages – who will win?

Records have been falling from day one for the game’s most feared forwards.

Messi now leading the all-time World Cup list has taken a lot of the headlines, and rightly so.

But he isn’t the only one who has been setting records this tournament.

Mbappe now tops France’s goalscoring charts, Haaland is Norway’s leading World Cup scorer – after just two games – while Kane has equalled Gary Lineker’s World Cup record for England.

And all of them will have their sights set on France’s Just Fontaine’s 1958 record of 13 goals scored in one tournament.

Only three players – Fontaine, Gerd Muller for Germany in 1970 and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis in 1954 – have ever hit double figures at a single World Cup.

It would not be a surprise if that select list has grown by the end of this tournament.

The new 48-team format certainly looks to have increased the potential for goals. With more lower-ranked teams, the world’s best attackers have prospered.

The World Cup winners will also have to play one more round than ever before – again increasing the chance for goals.

Former France defender Gael Clichy told BBC Sport: “Kylian Mbappe is part of the generation which [has] that fearless factor.

“I remember when I started you had to give respect to the older generation when you came in, and you were not trying to do a nutmeg to the old men.

“This generation, they have respect, but differently. Don’t talk about age, talk about performance.”

So, back to the small matter of the race for the Golden Boot.

“It’s not something I’m thinking about right now,” said Mbappe. “Leo always scores. He always has and always will.

“If I start watching him, I’ll feel like I have to do even more, so no, I don’t watch what he’s doing. I’m only thinking about helping my team – by helping the team, I score goals and get closer to that kind of level.”

Norway boss Stale Solbakken has, perhaps unsurprisingly, pushed Haaland’s cause.

“He is the best striker – he is not playing for France or Argentina, he scores for Norway. He’s scored four goals now, two braces on the biggest stage,” he said.

“It’s easier to win the Golden Boot when you play for France and Argentina, but we’ll try to give Erling more games, and more help also in the next games. So he’s on fire and I’m very happy for him that he can score on the biggest stage.”

USA striker Folarin Balogun has made a decent enough start to the tournament himself, with two goals in his first two games.

But he probably summed it up the best, when he joked: “I think it’s annoying. Seeing players like Messi, Mbappe, Haaland – they’re so inevitable. I think they’re scoring a goal a game, sometimes more.

“For me, it’s just about trying to get to that level – to be inevitable as well.”

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Last one, the best one? How Lionel Messi keeps doing it at the World Cup | World Cup 2026

Lionel Messi cemented his status as arguably the greatest football player of the modern era after sweeping aside several records as he powered his side to the round of 32 at the World Cup — the Argentinian captain’s record sixth appearance.

Messi broke the record for the highest number of goals in the history of the World Cup after scoring his team’s opening goal in their Group J match against Austria on Monday.

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He then added another in the final minutes, taking his tally to 18 goals in six tournaments to reach the top of the charts to deafening roars at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Austria coach Ralf Rangnick, who has revived the national side since taking over in 2022, attempted to break down the nearly 39-year-old Argentinian maestro’s work ethic.

“Lionel Messi maybe doesn’t put in the same legwork as in the past,” Rangnick said.

“He likes to stay on the side, and sometimes he likes to stop in front of the goal, in the offside position.

“That doesn’t mean that they have one man less, but they have one man less that works in the counter-pressing.

“But that makes him so dangerous, because he might be in a position, free in a position, and we need to be prepared for that.

“We shouldn’t have too many transition moments, and not allow transition moments, and not allow him to be free to accept the ball.”

‘Very angry’

That notion unravelled in front of a frenzied crowd of 70,000 dominated by Argentina fans decked out in light blue and white.

Messi pulled an early penalty wide to pass up the chance to move clear of Miroslav Klose for the most World Cup goals.

Messi said afterwards that he was “very angry” with himself, and then twice came close to scoring after that, only for Austria captain David Alaba to deny him twice.

And then came the big moment, Messi sweeping in on 38 minutes after being set up by Facundo Medina.

Just as Rangnick had warned, Messi had ambled into space and was all alone to score with a trademark swing of his left foot.

It was his 17th World Cup goal, and his 18th arrived when Messi pounced again in the fifth minute of injury time.

This time, the veteran squeezed home as several defenders threw themselves desperately at the ball.

Messi, at his sixth World Cup, was still going strong in the 95th minute.

The goals took the maestro to five at this edition, having hit a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria.

That was Messi’s first treble at a World Cup.

epa13057293 Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with teammates after winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match Argentina against Austria, in Dallas, USA, 22 June 2026. EPA/JEFFREY MCWHORTER
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with teammates after winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match Argentina against Austria, in Dallas, USA, on June 22, 2026 [Jeffrey McWhorter/EPA]

Last Messi the best one?

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, Messi’s teammate at the 2006 World Cup, has built an ecosystem around Messi to allow his captain to do his thing.

That means letting others do the running around him.

Not that Messi is totally exempt from the dirty work.

“Today, when the team was struggling without possession, he put in the work,” Scaloni said.

“You could see his commitment, that speaks volumes about him.”

Renowned Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, who wrote an authoritative biography of Messi, said before the World Cup that this version of the player was “very different” from the one that burst onto the scene with Barcelona in the early 2000s.

“Messi has reinvented himself at least five times to evolve into the player he is now for Argentina and Inter Miami,” Balague wrote in a column for the BBC.

“He has adapted so he can dominate and stay ahead of a game that has always been chasing him,” he added.

He noted how Pablo Aimar, Messi’s childhood idol, once said: “The last Messi is always the best Messi.”

That version is a player who walks more than he runs, said Balague, but “still sees everything first”.

“Critics once used this [lack of running] against him. Now it reads as mastery,” he wrote.

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Haaland scores two as Norway beat Senegal 3-2, enter World Cup knockouts | World Cup 2026

Senegal fought back until stoppage time but couldn’t draw level and must beat Iraq for a chance to progress.

Erling Haaland scored his second World Cup brace in a row as Norway beat Senegal 3-2 at New York New Jersey Stadium to secure their place in the last 32.

Norway substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen struck late in the first half, before Haaland doubled the lead shortly after the break in the Group I fixture on Monday.

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Ismaila Sarr cut the deficit for Senegal, only for Haaland to punish more slack defending as Norway progressed to the knockout rounds with a game to spare, despite a late consolation from Sarr.

Manchester City forward Haaland now has four goals in two games at the tournament, hot on the heels of Lionel Messi’s double earlier in the day, which carried him to a record 18 World Cup goals. Not to be outdone, Kylian Mbappe scored another brace, too, as France beat Iraq 3-0.

Norway have lost only once in their last 18 matches and will take on France in a compelling battle for top spot in the group in Boston on Friday.

Senegal must beat Iraq, who are also without a point, in their final game to stand a chance of avoiding an early exit.

Led by the unstoppable Haaland, who increased his astonishing international goals tally to 59 in 52 games, Norway recorded back-to-back wins at the World Cup for the first time.

They added weight to the belief they can do serious damage at these finals with a dominant display against a Senegal side that paid heavily for their errors.

Norway quickly set the tone as Kristoffer Ajer’s header forced Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy into a terrific save with his legs at a corner, but they lost full-back Julian Ryerson to injury early on.

Captain Martin Odegaard skied over an inviting cut-back from the right for Norway, as Nicolas Jackson looked to be Senegal’s most dangerous threat.

Mendy again came to Senegal’s rescue with a superb block to deny Odegaard, after Haaland cushioned down Antonio Nusa’s chipped cross into the box.

But Mendy allowed Pedersen’s low drive to creep under him after a dreadful mistake from skipper Kalidou Koulibaly gave the ball to the replacement right-back on the edge of the box.

Haaland rolled against the post from a tight angle after Mendy got in a tangle, but he made amends three minutes into the second half as Norway sliced Senegal apart on the counterattack.

Odegaard surged upfield and slid a pass through to Haaland, who buried an emphatic finish past Mendy to add to the two goals he scored in Norway’s opening 4-1 victory over Iraq.

Senegal clawed their way back as Sarr showed great composure to poke home after tumbling to the ground following a clever flick into the area by Sadio Mane.

However, Koulibaly was at fault once more, failing to clear as Haaland steered a volley in off the crossbar from Patrick Berg’s cross, delighting Norwegian fans, who provided a colourful backdrop with their viral, rowing chant.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group I - Norway v Senegal - New York/New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. - June 22, 2026 Norway fans do the traditional rowing celebration in the stands REUTERS/Dylan Martinez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Norway fans perform their traditional rowing celebration in the stands [Dylan Martinez/Reuters]

Mory Diaw came on for the injured Mendy in goal, but only a headed goal-line clearance from Pathe Ciss prevented Oscar Bobb from netting Norway’s fourth.

Sarr’s second of the night set up a tense finish, but Norway held on to join France in the next round and leave Senegal’s hopes hanging by a thread.

Sarr also became the first Senegalese player to score at two different World Cups.

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Amazon offers Apple TV and Project Hail Mary from £2.99 in Prime Day streaming sale

Amazon’s Prime Day sale is underway, and members can subscribe to platforms such as Apple TV, Paramount+ and MGM+ with up to 60% off.

Amazon has slashed the price of Apple TV, Paramount+ and MGM+ by up to 60% to mark the start of its latest Prime Day sale. On Tuesday (June 23), the retail giant kicked off its latest site-wide sales event, where subscriptions for several major streaming platforms now start at £2.99.

During the sale, Amazon customers can bag an Apple TV subscription for half price at £4.99 (was £9.99) per month. Those securing the deal will lock in the lower price for two months, after which it reverts to the usual £9.99 until cancelled.

Similarly, MGM+ – the home of Project Hail Mary – is now £2.99 (was £5.99) for two months, while Paramount+ is £2.99 (was £7.99) for one month. The deals are running until July 2 and come as Amazon kicks off its Prime Day 2026 sale.

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Across June 23-26, there are discounts on thousands of items exclusively for Prime members or shoppers on a Prime 30-day free trial. Elsewhere in the sale, Prime Video is offering free trials of Lionsgate+, Studiocanal Presents and Crunchyroll.

A caveat is that both the reduced streaming subscriptions and free trials will roll on to standard paid subscriptions at the end of the promotional period. This means subscribers should make sure to cancel their subscription before the end of the discounted or free period if they want to avoid paying the standard rate.

Get Apple TV half price for two months

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Amazon customers can subscribe to Apple TV through Prime Video for £4.99 per month for two months until July 2.

Elsewhere, Sky is giving away streaming subscriptions at no extra cost with its TV packages, with customers signing up for the £24 Ultimate TV bundle able to claim free access to Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+. It also comes with around 135 channels, including Sky Atlantic

For those opting for Apple TV, the streamer has released some highly acclaimed titles already this year. Including comedy horror Widow’s Bay, which holds an impressive 98% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Just launched is the sophomore season of Sugar. The neo-noir detective series led by Colin Farrell as private investigator John Sugar.

Also available to stream are beloved series like Ted Lasso, Severance and Slow Horses. Alternatively, Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial when signing up directly on the platform.

MGM+ also has some hit new titles streaming now, such as Ryan Gosling’s space epic Project Hail Mary. The box-office smash only hit cinemas in March but is included at no extra cost with the Amazon deal, alongside series like Outlander and the James Bond film catalogue.

On Paramount+, members can catch the latest series of Michael Fassbender’s spy thriller The Agency and new episodes of Yellowstone spin-off Dutton Ranch. These are also available on the Paramount+ platform, which is running its own £2.99 deal.

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Gareth Bale: Why former Wales and Real Madrid star wants to go from icon to investor

A future that, he says, has always intrigued him – and perhaps not dissimilar to David Beckham.

Like Bale, the English icon was his nation’s footballing figurehead and could have had his pick of post playing jobs, before ending up a co-owner of MLS franchise Inter Miami as part of various business interests.

Was that route an influence?

“I think so; a lot of American athletes do that type of thing and I would read about it and listen to interviews about what they’ve done,” says Bale, whose old Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric has become a minority investor in Swansea City.

“A lot of players still go down the coaching route, management or even with younger players at academies.

“But you are seeing more players being a bit more business minded. Maybe because we’ve done so much on one side, this side becomes a new chapter, a new world.

“It always really interested me, but I didn’t really have the opportunity before being introduced to John.”

The John who could help Bale build it like Beckham is experienced US investor John Shulman, founder of private equity firm Juggernaut Capital.

The company is said to have $1bn in capital commitments and had already been investing in various sport businesses – from golf courses and volleyball to “thrill” sports – but sensed an opportunity, especially when it came to Europe and the UK.

Shulman says he wanted to bring on board “an elite, iconic athlete” to help launch a sports specific investment platform – Juggernaut Diversified Sports – ready to invest more than £500m.

And after an introduction – and, naturally, a round of golf – found one.

“There is only a small number of human beings on the planet who have done what Gareth has done,” Shulman says.

“We’re good investors, but what we lacked is the mindset, experience, drive and unique perch Gareth does.

“I mean, the guy has got it all. What he can do on the pitch, I’ve seen him do in the boardroom metaphorically. So I have nothing but excitement about [our plans], doing it at the right time and the right place and the right way.”

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Alan Greenspan, former US Federal Reserve chairman, dies at 100 | Financial Markets

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Alan Greenspan, former US Federal Reserve chairman, dies at 100

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Alan Greenspan, one of the most influential economic policymakers in modern US history, has died aged 100. Greenspan led the Federal Reserve for nearly two decades under four presidents, overseeing a long period of economic growth but also faced criticism linked to the 2008 financial crisis.

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Ghalibaf: US and Iran can work together to reopen Strait of Hormuz | US-Israel war on Iran

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Iran’s chief negotiator said the Strait will never return to the way it was before the war, but also said Iran will fully comply with international law. He spoke while on his way back from first round talks with the US in Switzerland.

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Little Disasters star Jo Joyner ‘blessed’ as she opens up on filming Channel 5 drama

Little Disasters is a gripping Channel 5 drama series that has been keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Channel 5 audiences have been gripped as they follow the compelling series Little Disasters, starring EastEnders‘ Jo Joyner, Bridgerton’s Shelley Conn and The Office’s Patrick Baladi.

The six-part drama chronicles the lives of four friends who have been close for a decade. Yet their bond faces its ultimate test when a single incident transforms everything.

When one of the women, Jess (Diane Kruger), brings their baby daughter to hospital with an unexplained head injury, her close friend and A&E doctor Liz (Jo) finds herself with no option but to alert social services.

This triggers a devastating domino effect as the pressures of motherhood, hidden truths and feelings of guilt are all laid bare in the Channel 5 drama.

Meanwhile, the central question persists: what truly happened to the baby to cause her injury?

The concluding episode of the series is scheduled to broadcast this week, with revelations that could potentially shatter the group completely unveiled, reports the Express.

Last year, actress Jo posted some behind-the-scenes photographs from her time filming the programme, including shots of her alongside castmates wearing prosthetic pregnancy bumps in a flashback sequence.

Another image captured Jo wearing a pink wig, which was donned by Emily Taaffe in one episode. Further snaps featured the cast relaxing during breaks, sharing meals and enjoying games.

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Others show Jo smiling at the camera sporting various hairstyles. She captioned the post: “What I did last summer…! After three months in Malta, I had two weeks at home before heading off to Budapest to film the first half of #littledisasters an adaptation of the gripping novel by @svaughanauthor. It was just long enough for me to change my hair from blonde to dark brown with the help of Tracy @westgate_salon & @racoonintl”.

“Filming in 38 degrees in the bustling city surrounded by a wealth of talent. Sitting next to a beautiful and talented Chanel model every morning in makeup, whilst having broken veins and dark circles painted on me, did nothing for my ego.

“But getting to play the down-to-earth, capable and witty Liz more than made up for it. Blessed to have spent the hours off set having great meals, hikes and conversation, and not to forget, crosswords- with the best of cast mates, glad and grateful for the visits from friends and family @n1cky00.

“Yes, we did all try the pink wig on! Choosing baby bumps is harder than you’d think. After spending the first half of the year away, it was a joy to come home and film the remainder in Richmond last summer.”

Little Disasters is currently available to stream on Channel 5.

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Two more men arrested in alleged White House UFC attack plot

June 22 (UPI) — Federal authorities have arrested two additional suspects allegedly involved in last week’s foiled attack targeting the Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at the White House, prosecutors said Monday.

Both suspects made their initial court appearances Monday, the Justice Department said in a release. Jordan Rincker, 28, of St. Joseph, Mo. appeared in a Kansas City court, and William Lee Spartacus Falkner appeared before a judge in Tacoma, Wash.

They each have been charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

Prosecutors said Falkner was arrested midday Friday, while Rincker was arrested Sunday.

A total of seven people have now been arrested and charged in a sprawling scheme that federal authorities have said involved 23 people conspiring to attack the White House’s Freedom 250 event on June 14, staged in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary and the birthday of President Donald Trump.

According to federal prosecutors, the alleged conspiracy planned to attack the north side of the event with explosive-carrying drones, which would force an evacuation to the south side of the event, where snipers would be deployed to open fire on the fleeing crowd, court documents state.

Authorities learned of the alleged attack from the parents of Tycen Proper, who alerted police to their son’s purchase of weapons and online activities. Proper, 19, was among the initial batch of five suspects arrested and charged last week.

The court documents state the group’s alleged grievances appear to be purported government corruption and involvement of U.S. lawyers with Israel.

FBI agents reviewing Proper’s communications were able to identify several alleged co-conspirators, including Falkner.

Prosectuors alleged that Falkner indicated in those communications that he had experience manufacturing and piloting drones and discussed loading them with explosives.

Online communications reproduced in the criminal complaint against Falkner allegedly show discussions on logistics of the attack, including potential flight costs, 3D printing and shipping of the drones.

“I can fly 40+ drones at the same time at the same target,” Falkner is alleged to have said.

Federal prosecutors alleged that just two days before the alleged attack, Rincker met Abraham Alvarez, 31, who was arrested and charged last week along with Proper, in person and accepted $1,200 from him. Rincker then allegedly sent a $100 CashApp payment from the money he received to another previously arrested and charged suspect, Bryan Roa, 24, to pay for his drive from California to Washington, D.C.

Authorities identified Rincker as an alleged member of the conspiracy through information they received from Alvarez following his arrest, according to court documents. Authorities also learned that Rincker allegedly gave a 12-gauge shotgun to Alvarez during an in-person meeting they had in Omaha.

The FBI executed search warrants for Rincker’s residence and storage unit, uncovering a trove of weapons and related paraphernalia, such as a gas mask with cartridge, night vision goggles, ballistic plates, a 3D printer and more.

No attack occurred at the UFC event, at which Trump and other members of his Cabinet were in attendance.

Asked about the thwarted attack a day after the event, Trump told reporters that he had heard about it.

“The attack that I watched were the fighters,” he said, to laughs.

“They were as good a fights as I’ve ever seen. The best.”

President Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White stand in the octagon after the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on June 14, 2026. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

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World Cup 2026: England boss Thomas Tuchel not a fan of hydration breaks

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted he is not a fan of the controversial hydration breaks being used at the World Cup.

Tuchel, 52, was speaking before England’s second Group L game against Ghana in Boston on Wednesday (21:00 BST), where rain and cool temperatures are forecast.

England’s fans started the now customary jeering of the breaks when play was stopped in the first half of their opening game against Croatia in Dallas, despite the match being played under a roof in an air-conditioned arena.

The breaks will continue to be used in Boston irrespective of the weather, but Tuchel expressed his reservations about them and the impact they are having on games.

“I think that it interrupts and changes the identity of a football match much more than I thought. I had hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed, but they were shorter,” Tuchel said.

“They were shorter and they were just in a few matches. In the interests of fairness here, it is now done in every match for every team.

“It breaks the match almost in four quarters. And I think it changes the characteristic of the match more than I thought.”

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Lorraine Kelly says ITV daytime cuts were ‘really rubbish’ and upset her

TV host Lorraine Kelly saw her team lose jobs in the IT shake up – her show Lorraine has been slashed to 30 weeks a year and gone from an hour to 30 minutes on screen

Lorraine Kelly has said the ITV cuts to her show have left her feeling “really rubbish” as rumours continue that she could leave.

The TV host has now been on screen for over 40 years, but said in an interview last year she was “not done yet” despite ITV cutting her hours. As part of daytime ITV budget cuts her show Lorraine has been slashed to 30 weeks a year and gone from an hour to 30 minutes on screen.

Speaking to Saga magazine when asked how she felt about what happened, Lorraine said: “Really rubbish. A lot of my team got made redundant. It was really hard and harder for them. We were very close-knit, but it’s all about budget. All television shows are in the same boat, we’re not alone.”

She went on to insist despite the role and hours changing, it was still “the best job in television” with lovely guests. Lorraine, 66, also spoke in the interview about her beloved dad John dying aged 84 in January and her mum’s health.

She said: “Mum’s health’s bad, but she’s grand. She’s very self-sufficient, like all those war babies are. I always keep an eye on her but don’t let her know I’m keeping an eye on her. I’ve said, ‘You can stay with us any time for as long as you like’. It’s weird. When something massive is happening, your hand still goes to your phone. Dad is – I keep speaking about him in the present tense – really into space. When [NASA’s rocket] Artemis II flew around the moon, I wanted to say, ‘Are you watching this? It’s amazing’. Then you remember he’s not there.”

She added: “When Dad wasn’t well, it brought us closer, supporting each other. It’s been a tough time, but the conversations you have with your relatives you wouldn’t have had otherwise are amazing: you talk about the past and then the wedding – that’s a new beginning.”

Lorraine is upbeat and optimistic despite a series of setbacks in life in recent months. In June 2025 Lorraine was told she was a “national treasure” during an interview and replied: “Well, that’s nice, but it’s only because I’ve been around for so long.

“I’ve been doing telly for over 40 years. It’s mad isn’t it? It’s absolutely crazy. I started in breakfast telly in 1984, and I’m still getting away with it. Extraordinarily.”

Speaking to Tom Kerridge on the Proper Tasty podcast, she added: “40 years in TV last year was incredible. I got a BAFTA. ‘Here’s a BAFTA for being alive’. I thought, ‘Hang on a minute, I’m not done yet’.”

Lorraine was told in person by ITV boss Kevin Lygo about the changes to her show which began at the start of 2026. Reports have suggested she is considering leaving her ITV show in the future and could work for BBC or other broadcasters. She made her Radio 2 debut at Christmas presenting in Jeremy Vine’s midday slot during the festive period. Her presence would also likely give any other channel a ratings boost if she ever moves, as she remains hugely popular.

* The full interview with Lorraine is in July’s Saga magazine, out now.

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



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Bristol Airport closure LIVE: Thunderstorms cancels flights as travel warning issued

Earlier on Monday evening, he Met Office announced a thunderstorm warning for several regions across the UK on Monday night, spanning from 5pm to 9pm.

While the weather alert has since expired, communities across south West England are still reeling in the wake of wild storms and flash flooding.

Who did the warning cover? The weather alert applied to parts of East of England, London and South East England, South West England.

What was the full alert? A Yellow weather warning is in effect, continuing until Monday 9pm. The forecast indicates frequent lightning strikes and heavy rain in the impacted regions.

A Met Office forecaster said, in a statement issued alongside the urgent weather alert earlier this evening (June 22): “An area of thunderstorms moving east across the area will bring a spell of frequent lightning, gusty winds, torrential rain, and a few places, hail.

The storms will be moving quickly reducing the potential for widespread large amounts of rain, but there is a few places could see 20-25 mm of rainfall in a short period in the most active storms, which could bring some brief flooding.

“The majority of impacts are likely to come from other hazards however, such as lightning striking buildings and causing power cuts, difficult driving conditions in heavy rain, and some localised damage to vulnerable structures by strong wind gusts or hail.”

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Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker (back spasms), Dalton Rushing exit game

Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker exited the game against the Minnesota Twins on Monday in the top of the second inning because of lower back spams, the team announced.

He drew a walk in the second inning, advanced to second on Tommy Edman’s single and was replaced by pinch-runner Alex Call soon after.

Tucker jogged off the field into the dugout, his hand on his right side as he talked to hitting coach Aaron Bates.

Tucker, in his first season with the Dodgers after signing a four-year deal worth $240 million this winter, entered Monday with a .705 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, on pace for his worst offensive year by that measure since his 2018 rookie season with the Houston Astros.

Tucker recently went nine games with a .303 batting average. But then he went hitless in the Dodgers’ two losses to the Baltimore Orioles last weekend.

“If we can get him back to being who he is, then we’ll bet on the results,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game, noting Tucker’s reputation for controlling the strike zone. “It’s not something that we might see tonight. But I think going here forward, that’s something that I think we’re going to see.”

Rushing exits too

Catcher Dalton Rushing was replaced behind the plate by Chuckie Robinson in the bottom of the third inning so the team could check Rushing for a possible concussion.

The Dodgers did not point to a cause for the concern, but Rushing did take a foul tip off his mask on Will Klein’s first pitch of the game.

The Dodgers already were down one catcher. Starter Will Smith has been sidelined for more than two weeks because of a neck injury. He did not travel with the team to Minnesota.

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U.S. Senate passes bipartisan housing bill

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Monday aimed at lowering housing costs, sending it to the House of Representatives. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

June 22 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate on Monday passed a bipartisan bill aimed at lowering housing costs, sending it to the House of Representatives for a final vote.

The Senate voted 85-5 to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Several senators missed the vote because of severe thunderstorms that affected Ronald Reagan International Airport, NBC News reported.

A deal on the act was negotiated by a bipartisan group including Sen. Tim Scott, R-Ariz.; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

Scott and Warren both said before the vote that it showed that common ground is possible.

“Today’s vote proves that it is possible to find bipartisan, common ground on legislation that actually helps the American people,” Warren said on the Senate floor, The Hill reported. “And, importantly, it proves that bipartisan legislation doesn’t have to be the weakest, most milquetoast agreement that doesn’t offend anyone or do too much to help anyone either.”

The bill’s provisions include measures that encourage renovating older homes, encourage communities to build more housing through funding and grant programs, cut some red-tape issues around building housing and effectively ban private equity from buying up single-family homes. It restricts companies that already own more than 350 single-family homes from buying more.

The act had been stranded for a time after the Senate passed one version in March and the House of Representatives passed a different version in May. The final bill includes provisions sought by the House and drops a provision it objected to that would have required large investors that own or construct at least 350 single-family homes to sell them after seven years.

Those voting against it included Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who told The Hill that housing is “a local issue.” Scott said he wanted to see Congress balance the budget and drive interest rates down.

If the House votes to approve the bill this week as expected, it will go to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.

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