Kenyan health authorities say latest patient was likely exposed to the country’s first Ebola case.
Published On 19 Oct 202619 Oct 2026
Kenyan health authorities say an eighth Ebola case has been detected, bringing the total number of known infections in the East African nation to eight.
Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth told Kenya’s Citizen TV that of the 38 people tested on Sunday, one had returned a positive result.
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“He is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He developed fever, headache and muscle pain,” he said.
Amoth said the man, who worked as a patient attendant cleaning utensils and linens, was likely exposed to Kenya’s first Ebola case, discovered earlier this month.
He developed symptoms on Saturday, was quarantined and tested for the virus, a Ministry of Health source said.
The ministry reported four new cases on Saturday, three of whom were health workers who treated the country’s first Ebola patient, a man who travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Nairobi and died at a Nairobi hospital on October 5.
In a post on X, the ministry said the fourth person was related to the deceased patient.
Travellers enter Kenya’s immigration services to access port health services at the Busia One Stop Border Post, a crossing point between Kenya and Uganda, in Busia, Kenya, on October 8, 2026 [James Keyi/Reuters]
Kenya has been on heightened alert, as the Ebola outbreak has spilled across the border from the DRC. The current outbreak is of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.
The DRC has recorded at least 9,400 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths, in the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history, which started in May.
Ituri province in eastern DRC remains the disease’s epicentre, accounting for almost three quarters of confirmed cases, according to the government’s most recent data. It announced on Sunday that the virus has reached an eighth province, North Ubangi.
State-run news agency ACP reported on Sunday that authorities in North Kivu province, where the World Health Organization said substantial transmission continues, are introducing a one-week ban from Monday on people entering the province from Ituri in an effort to slow the spread.
Other measures set to be introduced include restrictions on passenger numbers in cars and on motorbikes and suspension of large public gatherings.
Neighbouring Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including 15 imported from the DRC, and two deaths, before it was declared Ebola-free in August.
Alexander Lovera is a founding member and spokesperson of the El Sur Existe Commune in Valencia, Carabobo State. A former student leader and participant of the MBR-200 revolutionary movement, he now focuses on urban planning and social property enterprises. In this interview, Lovera discusses the El Sur Existe communal project, its productive initiatives, and the relationship with state institutions.
How did the El Sur Existe Commune come about?
We began in 2011 as a political organizing collective called the Complejo Deportivo Recreativo del Sur, made up of 11 people.
Through that collective, we sought to secure spaces within the facilities of the Valencia National Racetrack in Carabobo State, creating recreational and cultural spaces for the communities, and it was there that we began to organize activities and envision the El Sur Existe Commune. The racetrack is next to the Santa Inés neighborhood, where all the communal councils in the area come together. Another community, Ciudad Plaza, also joined the commune.
Then, in 2013, we launched the El Sur Existe communal property enterprise (EPSDC), which serves as the umbrella organization for all the initiatives we have established in the area.
In 2015, we formally created the commune, which brought together 22 community councils covering the Ciudad Plaza and Santa Inés communities and several surrounding rural settlements. Subsequently, the territory was divided into other communes; today we have 14 communal councils.
Assembly at the El Sur Existe Commune. (@MinComunas)
The El Sur Existe Commune has been known for its focus on productive initiatives, such as the textile workshop and the animal feed plant. What is the history of these projects?
The textile workshop was born out of surplus from our first company, El Sur Existe. We purchased various types of sewing machines and began making school uniforms, both within the commune and in collaboration with nearby communities.
We started with 5,000 uniforms per school term. This initiative gave us the momentum to develop other ventures. Within the commune, with support from the Ministry of Communes, we managed to reclaim a space that had been abandoned. There, we created a communal market to sell products from local producers, as well as goods from agreements with companies nationalized by the government, such as Fama de América [coffee], Aceites Diana [cooking oil], and Lácteos Los Andes [dairy].
Long before the CLAPs [subsidized food program] began, we had a similar system that we called “the clock.” It worked like this: every week, a different communal council was in charge of distributing all the products available at the communal store. Later on, the management of all those state-owned companies changed, and we were no longer able to purchase their products.
In that same space, we opened a store, which we called La Tienda de Papel, where we distributed school supplies: notebooks, books, exam papers, and pencils. We also sold our school uniforms.
Starting in 2017, other projects began to take shape, such as the slaughterhouse, which arose from an agreement between the commune and a private entrepreneur. This project benefits local producers who cannot access the municipal slaughterhouse, as it is complicated to transport the cattle there.
We went on to establish the “Cárnicos El Sur Existe” Family Production Unit to process the cattle. We were able to set up a space within the slaughterhouse equipped with machines for cutting, grinding, and packaging. We also began producing sausages, ground beef for hamburgers, and other vacuum-sealed cuts. These products were distributed through the communal food market and during special events organized by the communal councils.
We then noticed that some byproducts, such as blood, bones, and fat, were left over in the slaughterhouse, and we realized they could serve as raw materials for producing animal feed. Thus, together with local producers, in 2021 we established the Aba El Auyamal social property firm, dedicated to the production of balanced animal feed.
What is the current status of these ventures? How have they dealt with problems such as shortages of raw materials and supplies, as well as the electricity crisis?
The projects have had their ups and downs, but they are still going strong. To summarize, the EPSDC El Sur Existe, which serves as the umbrella organization for all the projects, is currently still operating in our commune.
The textile factory is still active, with its fair share of obstacles, because the raw materials for making uniforms are expensive, and when sold on the market, the clothes end up being more expensive than imported ones. This is an issue that needs to be addressed at the government level, because small textile businesses cannot compete.
The slaughterhouse continues to operate, although the family production unit has scaled back its operations due to electrical problems. Three main freezers, the cold storage room containing all the vacuum-packed meat, and the engine were damaged by electrical surges. We are finding ways to replace the equipment so we can resume operations. We hope the electricity problem improves somewhat this year, because it has been severe in Carabobo State.
For now, the animal feed plant is processing only raw materials, because the prices of other components like corn, soybeans, and protein concentrates have risen sharply; the final product ends up being too expensive and harder to sell.
On the other hand, the Venezuelan food market is increasingly controlled by large agribusiness corporations. Even so, we’ve managed to source some items from local producers, who are also our main customers for animal feed. In addition, we have other projects, such as raising chickens and pigs, and we distribute eggs and meat through our communal store.
These projects have faced setbacks, but we’ve tried to keep them going using our own resources. The economic situation has been difficult, and exchange rate instability also affects us.
Through our enterprises, we’ve also tried to support many local entrepreneurs. These ventures have also served as spaces for political interactions, where delegations come to learn from our experiences so they can replicate them in other territories.
We have recently established ties with the University of the Communes (UNACOM) and its communal production communities to offer classes in these spaces. Here in the territory, we are offering classes in business administration and veterinary medicine, and we will soon begin offering training in food production. All students will participate in these production units. We have served as a model within the territory and will continue to drive this process forward so that the government recognizes these productive initiatives and gives them greater support.
Meat products from El Sur Existe. (@comunaelsurexiste)
The El Sur Existe Commune developed self-government mechanisms for the direct management of public services in coordination with the mayor’s office. What can you tell us about these initiatives?
From the El Sur Existe Commune, the political coordination team sought to form community brigades in the area. Many comrades joined this effort.
In 2019, there was a nationwide surge in the formation of Communal Brigades (BRICOM) to carry out or support work in areas such as electricity and plumbing. We attempted to establish the BRICOM through the Ministry of Communes, making it a legal entity, but that is where the process began to stall.
Through the BRICOMs, we carried out various projects in the area. We supported the communal councils on projects related to wastewater, drinking water, and electricity. We also carried out various electricity-related projects in the agricultural communal councils. However, there came a point when the mayor’s office and the regional government realized that we were occupying a space they had previously managed.
We were unable to make further progress through the ministry. We wanted to establish socially owned enterprises so that the municipal and regional governments, using the resources allocated to them, could contract these enterprises to work within the territory. But this touched on vested interests: certain political groups that controlled those contracts did not allow the project to move forward.
Later on, the BRICOMs ceased to function. Then there was another initiative called BRICOMILES, with brigades that included the military, but they never actually came into existence. In Carabobo State, this was a ploy to give the impression that the communal councils participated in the projects carried out by the mayor’s office or the governor’s office, when in fact almost all of them were executed by companies linked to those very same government institutions.
Building a commune in an urban setting like Valencia, Carabobo State, means fighting against the individualistic logic of capitalism, compounded by migration and the impact of the country’s economic crisis. How is the commune responding to the challenge of incorporating new generations?
Engaging in politics here, in Carabobo State, primarily within the municipality of Valencia, is very challenging. This is in part because the communal project has not yet been embraced by government institutions. The mayor’s office and the governor’s office are not closely aligned with popular power.
Although on all television and radio shows, government officials claim to work with popular power, reality tells a different story. These institutions lack the political will to fully support the commune.
Despite everything, we have pressed forward with the communal process. We, the communards, are driven by conviction and the idealism of our Comandante Chávez. We strive to ensure that our territories, be they urban or rural, since our commune includes both, develop with the goal of making the commune economically self-sustaining over time.
Regarding the process of engaging young people, we prioritize culture in the territory. We try to involve the youth in cultural activities, music, modeling, and educational programs. In the commune, we’re offering courses in more practical fields such as hairdressing, baking, cosmetics, and safe operation of motorcycle taxis.
Of course, we start by recruiting the youth and then provide them with political orientation. Engaging in politics in the midst of the crisis has been difficult, and even worse since January 3. Since that US attack and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, the political landscape has changed drastically across the board.
Valencia is a stronghold where individualism and unbridled capitalism prevail. Even so, we’re working to spread the commune’s philosophy, including through sports. It’s been another way to reach young people, and we’ve had good results.
El Sur Existe has also fostered solidarity meetings with other popular power organizations. (@comunaelsurexiste)
From a big-picture perspective, how do you interpret the current relationship between Venezuela and the United States? How have issues such as the oil agreement with the Trump administration been addressed within the commune?
From my perspective, the way to describe Venezuela’s relationship with the United States right now is that the country has entered an era of tutelage. The national government argues that it is a win-win relationship, where the United States needs our resources and we also need its support to exploit them.
We must remember that for many years, our country suffered from US sanctions which caused a great deal of damage. People want to regain the quality of life they once had. Perhaps the Venezuelan economy can rebound if these agreements with the US and multinational corporations create a large number of jobs, which in turn generate other benefits.
Politically, our challenge is to deepen the revolution economically and socially within our territory. But unfortunately we haven’t really discussed national-scale issues, such as the oil agreement, here in the commune. In areas like Carabobo State, other needs take priority on the agenda, such as electricity and public services.
The third and final episode of Jimmy McGovern’s prison anthology drama Time has had BBC viewers saying the same thing
22:58, 18 Oct 2026Updated 22:58, 18 Oct 2026
David Tennant in BBC drama Time(Image: BBC)
Jimmy McGovern’s gripping drama Time has ended.
The third and final series reached its conclusion on BBC One on Sunday, October 18 and it seems fans were left more than impressed with the episode and the series as a whole starring David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran.
Set inside a Young Offenders Institution (HMYOI Alderwick) it follows the intersecting lives of staff and teenage inmates. A synopsis for the final episode read: “The possibility of romance and an opportunity at work makes Bailey (Tennant) question his choices, and he turns to Marie-Louise (Finneran) in a moment of need.
“She receives the sign she has been waiting for, but debates whether she is able to take a risk. Meanwhile, new evidence complicates loyalties between Peter and his friends, driving tensions higher, and James confronts his fears.”
After the credits rolled, viewers were rushing to X, formerly Twitter, to have their say. One said: “What a programme #Time is that is exceptionally well written by Jimmy McGovern and Sam Bailey. It leaves you with so much to think about.”
A second added: “Time was just spellbounding – the writing, the acting, everything. What drama should be.” Another commented: “Really enjoyed that #Time on @BBCOne with the fabulous #DavidTennant @SFinneranTV.”
A fourth posted: “#Time on @BBC, all three episodes – outstanding and brilliant drama. Possibly the best series of all three.” Agreeing to the post, one responded: “I’d have to agree. @ #Time was astoundingly good. Those young actors – all of them but especially the actor playing Peter. The writing. Just brilliant, emotionally draining but worth it. And glad some good endings.”
Time first began in 2021 and has featured the likes of Stephen Graham, Jodie Whittaker and Bella Ramsey. McGovern explained that while the first series focused on a male prison and the second series was based on a female prison, he knew he wanted to focus on young offenders next, but didn’t have a story.
That was until he found a real-life story in his research about a mother going to see her son in a Young Offenders Institution, whom she hadn’t seen for years.
Speaking to RadioTimes about the series ending he said: “There’s very little altruism involved with these stories. I do them because I love doing them, although I think this will be the last time. I have said that many a time before, though, because these are also stories I feel bound to tell.”
Ahead of the series launch, Tennant, who plays Bobby Bailey, said of taking on the role: “Initially, you go, ‘It’s a Jimmy McGovern script, I’ve never worked with him, he’s the guv’nor and this is an opportunity I can’t pass up.’
“Then you read the script and what Jimmy and [co-writer] Sam Bailey have created is just so human and accessible. I was a huge admirer of the first two series; prison is such a fertile ground for storytelling, because it’s such an extreme situation, pushing that human experience to the limits.
“So, while these aren’t necessarily the easiest stories, they’re the best stories and exactly the kind of characters you want to have a go at.”
Meanwhile Finneran, who plays the returning character of Marie-Louise O’Dell, said of coming back for series 3: “Who doesn’t want to work on a McGovern script? They’re raw, but written with real heart and care, so it was a pretty big yes. I’m thrilled to bits.”
While the country was under Spanish rule, a military parade was held whenever a new governor-general took office in Santiago. The First Government Junta’s formal inauguration took place in the city on September 19th 1810, as the first military parade of the new nation.
The National Army of Chile was created on December 2nd 1810, by order of the First National Government Junta.
The Day of the Glories of the Chilean Army was established in 1915. On September 28th 1819, a parade with all the nation’s army units was held to celebrate the victory in the Chilean War of Independence.
President Joaquin Prieto ordered a military exercise on La Pampilla fields in 1831, and President Manuel Bulnes obtained lands in the Pampilla area for annual military parades in 1842, leading to its transformation into a military installation in 1845. This land became O’Higgins Park in 1873 following the efforts of Luis Cousiño, who was inspired by European parks and decided to infuse a similar design with Chilean features. He commissioned Manuel Arana to design it, and Arana included the Field of Mars that has been used in the annual military parades since.
The purpose of this holiday is to remember all those who have fought in Chilean battles, in which the country has been victorious or defeated; the courage and courage of those who protected the country and its inhabitants are remembered.
The Chilean Army is one of the most technologically advanced and professional armies in the Americas.
Note that the Chilean Navy has its own public holiday. The Day of the Glories of the Chilean Navy is observed on May 21st and marks the date of the battle of Iquique on that day in 1879.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chargers hit the road to face the undefeated, AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs, still looking for their first victory of the season.
They were unsuccessful, falling 22-6 on Sunday evening at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers are 0-6 to start the season for the first time since 2000, when they finished 1-16. They’ve also lost nine straight games since last season, tying a franchise mark for most consecutive losses.
“I truly believe and was confident that we would win this game,” coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. “We have to address everything, guys, and especially offensively.”
The Chargers’ offense, already weakened by a series of injuries to its offensive line and receiving corps, struggled mightily, recording their second-lowest output of the season at 259 total yards. They also lost wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who was ruled out midway through the second quarter with a concussion. He had just one catch in his return from a foot injury that kept him out last week against Denver.
Additionally, it marked the first time the Chargers failed to score a touchdown this season, likely putting first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s job in further jeopardy. They have just five touchdowns through six games.
Harbaugh did not give a conclusive answer when asked directly if McDaniel would continue calling plays, saying the team would review “everything.”
“I see the effort, I see the work being put in in the meetings, on the practice field, to get that to transfer to the field is what’s necessary,” Harbaugh said.
Chiefs quarterback and two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes was in exceptional form, completing 23 of his 30 passes for 272 yards. He did not score a touchdown, either, opting to hand off to running back Kenneth Walker for two scores. Walker finished with 128 yards in 19 carries.
Justin Herbert led the Chargers in rushing with 26 yards and threw for 204 yards on 22-for-37 passing. Quentin Johnston had a team-high 57 receiving yards — all from one catch.
The Chiefs had a chaotic first drive that included two offensive penalties, but took a 3-0 lead with a 44-yard field goal by Harrison Butker. After a Chargers punt, the Chiefs struck again with a 33-yard scoring run up the middle by Walker. The Chargers caught a small break with Butker missing the extra point, but they never got back to within a possession of the Chiefs.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert listens to a question during a news conference after a 22-6 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.
(Ed Zurga / Associated Press)
The Chargers did get on the board later in the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker off an 11-play, 60-yard drive. The Chargers forced a punt on the Chiefs’ next possession and traded interceptions in the second quarter before giving up an 80-yard drive that ended with a two-yard run by Walker.
After another punt, the Chargers left the Chiefs with the ball and 25 seconds left in the half. Mahomes completed two more passes and Butker nailed a 50-yard field goal to push the lead to 19-3.
Starting from their own 45-yard line, the Chargers began the second half with their most promising drive of the game. Herbert completed passes to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Johnston and Kimani Vidal to take them down to Kansas City one-yard line, but an offensive hold and two incomplete passes meant they had to settle for another field goal.
Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, center, tackles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal during the fourth quarter Sunday.
(Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
The Chargers’ defense stopped Kansas City at the goal line in the third quarter, forcing a turnover on downs at the one-yard line before Caleb Murphy recovered a fumble on a Chiefs punt return. But the Chargers went nowhere on the ensuing possession.
Butker kicked a 30-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. The Chargers then had one final chance to score, driving to the Kansas City eight-yard line, but Herbert could not find a receiver on back-to-back throws and was sacked twice, leading to a turnover on downs.
In addition to McConkey’s injury, cornerback Deane Leonard left in the third quarter with a concussion.
Crew of Austrian Airlines flight OS82 decides to land in Sofia after receiving bomb threat, Bulgarian authorities say.
Published On 18 Oct 202618 Oct 2026
An Airbus A320 flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna has made an emergency landing in Bulgaria following a reported bomb threat, according to the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport.
Austrian Airlines flight OS82 was near the border with Romania when the crew received a bomb threat and decided to land in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, the Transport Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
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Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defence said an air force MiG-29 fighter jet escorted the plane to Sofia airport.
Initial information showed the aircraft carried six crew members and 51 passengers, all of whom have all since disembarked, according to the Transport Ministry’s statement.
The airline told the AFP news agency that a security search of the aircraft was conducted.
“Once the search of the aircraft is complete, the passengers will be rebooked onto alternative flights as quickly as possible,” the airline said.
A crisis response team has been set up, and relevant authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, the Bulgarian Transport Ministry said.
According to aviation and flight tracking site FlightAware, Austrian Airlines 82 left the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday at 6:46pm local time (15:46 GMT) and landed about three hours later at Vasil Levski airport in Sofia at 9:43pm (18:43 GMT).
Flightradar24 data showed it entered Romanian airspace at about 9:10pm (18:10 GMT) before turning south and heading back towards Bulgaria.
Information from the flight-tracking platform ADS-B Exchange indicates the aircraft was transmitting squawk code 7700 – a signal for a general emergency – at around the same time.
Flydubai incident
Last month, a Flydubai plane carrying 174 passengers was on its way from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv when a co-pilot allegedly attacked the pilot with an axe in an attempt to crash the plane.
A plane carrying passengers who were on the Flydubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on September 30, 2026 [Ammar Awad/Reuters]
The aircraft plunged about 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) before it was brought back under control by other Flydubai pilots after passengers and other crew subdued the alleged attacker.
The flight was diverted and forced to make an emergency landing at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Authorities in the UAE said the co-pilot was on a “suicide” mission to crash the plane at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
The co-pilot, Hamam Al-Hammami, an Omani national, has since been charged with terrorism offences in the UAE.
The Israeli government responded to the incident by ordering checks on the identities of all pilots flying into the country.
In the mindbending documentary “You Can See Everything,” comedian Nathan Fielder and professed inventor Elizabeth Holmes sit in her beach house staring at each other like gunslingers. Fielder is the creator of the TV series “The Rehearsal” and “Nathan for You” who constructs discombobulating sham realities that include bogus businesses such as Dumb Starbucks. Holmes is the former billionaire CEO of Theranos who pretended she’d built a revolutionary blood testing machine to squeeze investors for a few dollars more.
Each is an expert in the con. But Fielder is deadpan and cold where Holmes is earnest and warm — and he’s been nominated for Emmys while, in May of 2023 when the film begins, she’s about to serve an 11-year sentence in federal prison. As the camera cuts between close-ups of his narrowed eyes and her big, blue ones, Fielder tries to suss whether he can trust the famous fibber to be honest with him. The showdown is riveting.
“You’re being real right now?” Fielder asks, dubious.
Holmes beams. “I’m always being real,” she swears with a smile.
Her charm hits Fielder in the gut. His face stays neutral yet you can see his own confidence bleed out across the screen.
Co-directed by Fielder and Lance Oppenheim (“Primetime”), “You Can See Everything” is the closest Fielder has come to making a traditional documentary. A thrillingly cringe-tastic interviewer, he blurts out blunt questions like a bungee jumper leaping off a bridge, including asking Holmes’ romantic and business partner Billy Evans, the heir to a San Diego boutique hotel chain, whether it’s possible a woman convicted of fraud might be with him for his money.
At nearly three hours long, “You Can See Everything” won’t bore you for a minute. The hook is right there in the title, Fielder’s challenge to the audience: Here’s how Holmes held up to his scrutiny — do we think she’s telling the truth? But be alert. Fielder remains a trickster. One shot in particular proves you can see everything while being blind to what you’re actually watching.
In the first half of the movie, Holmes and Evans, the father of her two young children, give the small crew complete access to their lives during her last weeks of freedom, including inviting Fielder to sleep in their guest bedroom. It’s an act of “radical transparency,” Evans says. As evidence, there’s a fully nude shot of Evans in the shower, testifying to the intimacy the subjects claim they’re granting the team and the confidence they have that the documentary will make them look great. (Evans also boasts that he’s “excellent” in the sack.)
Holmes maintains both her innocence and her eerie smile, a rictus of empathy. She constantly nods, subliminally snake-charming the listener into a sense of agreement. That assessment might be fair or it might be her reputation making you over-analyze her tics. Doubling down, she even insists she’s never told a lie in her life — a claim that momentarily leaves Fielder at a loss for words.
Yet at times, Holmes really does appear to be sincere. Once she surrenders herself to the Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas (where, in an unmentioned coincidence, Epstein collaborator Ghislane Maxwell is also incarcerated), the tone shifts into film noir as Fielder struggles to reconcile Elizabeth Holmes’ dual identities. Is she the sweet-natured scientist, the only version of her he’s ever met, or a femme fatale who may still be running a scam?
“It’s personal,” Fielder says of his fixation. How frustrating that he of all people — the dark prince of pranks — may be Holmes’ latest patsy. Composer Ari Balouzian borrows bits of Bernard Herrmann’s violin score from “Vertigo” while cinematographer David Bolen makes the audience hold its breath by framing an image of Fielder and Holmes like they might kiss.
When the movie’s style gets weird, that’s when Fielder is most in his wheelhouse. Stop reading now if you want to preserve the surprise. Micro-analyzing his encounters with Holmes, he reenacts them with an actor, Amanda Seyfried, whose emotional intensity blows into the film like a gust of fresh air. Seyfried, of course, won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing Holmes in the 2022 miniseries “The Dropout.” The twists to come, however, feel as much like last year’s naughty hit “The Housemaid,” the domestic thriller in which Seyfried played a shady wife with a marriage made of lies.
Evans initially seems to think they’re participating in a project closer to Netflix’s glossy portrait of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The couple doesn’t know much about humor, pop culture or Fielder himself. Fumbling to figure out what makes him tick, Evans attempts to neg the provocateur as someone who lacks the passion to think differently. (Evans may also be the person who used Holmes’ social media account to write a flattering post calling JD Vance “Lisan al-Gaib,” revealing he’s entirely missed the point of “Dune.”)
But thinking differently is Fielder’s awkward superpower. Sooner or later, all of his projects circle around to his concern that he’s simply wired to be unpleasant. His interactions with Holmes are pure cringe comedy, like when she starts to cry perhaps a bit on cue and he stiffly sputters, “Do you want, like, a tissue?” For the record, he brings her one.
As a viewer, the biggest strike against Holmes is this documentary’s very existence. Whether or not you think she’s guilty of fraud, she is about to be separated from her infant and toddler until they’re in grade school. Who on Earth would genuinely want Fielder, the human equivalent of a skunk, to crash their last moments with their loved ones as he does his darnedest to stink up the place?
Fielder is most comfortable as the film’s villain, shooting himself lurking in the couple’s house like “Halloween’s” Michael Myers. At times, his presence does feel monstrous. In one scene, he needles Evans about whether he thinks his soulmate has ever lied to him while Holmes is on the phone in the next room, tearing up as she asks how often she’ll be able to bathe in prison.
The film doesn’t drill into the technical details of Theranos beyond one dizzying scene where Fielder tries to pin Holmes down on exactly what she meant when she said her machine can run hundreds of different tests. She means it just as I would if I bragged I can benchpress a beer keg — that is, once I strength-train beyond my piddly 5 lb dumbbells.
Instead, it tilts into becoming a caper flick as Seyfried’s commitment to understanding her character’s motivation inspires the actor to invite herself along. The drama they uncover is psychological, as befits an era where Silicon Valley CEOs are closer to cult leaders than engineers, making their cash from being televangelists for their IPOs. And both are attuned to the moments when Evans lets his aggravation slip. One scene is a doozy.
Ultimately, suspicion reigns. “You Can See Everything” is an absorbing study of public presentation and private doubts, a documentary that asks more questions than it answers. I hope Fielder will smile and nod approvingly at me if I say I left the film distrusting him, too, especially Seyfried’s re-staging of a long monologue Holmes delivered in prison where recording devices aren’t allowed. Can we believe that Holmes really did say, “I’m tired of having other people speak for me,” or was that laugh line written by the master manipulator himself? I’m now as paranoid as he is — and what a pleasure.
Rams tight end Colby Parkinson scores a touchdown in front of Cardinals safety Andrew Wingard at SoFi Stadium Sunday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
First-year Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur, the Rams former offensive coordinator, outcoached and outmaneuvered friend and mentor Sean McVay.
With just more than a third of the season complete, the Rams are 2-4.
The Rams failed to bounce back from their overtime defeat by the powerful Buffalo Bills and lost to a Cardinals team that entered the game having given up at least 31 points in each of its last four.
Only six players from the team that won Super Bowl LVI are still on the roster: Quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, tight end Tyler Higbee, center Coleman Shelton, left tackle Alaric Jackson and receiver Tutu Atwell.
During the offseason they added two players with two Super Bowl rings each: cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looks to pass the ball against the Cardinals at Sofi Stadium on Sunday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
But they have not looked anything like a Super Bowl contender.
An offense that went into the game as the league’s most productive from a yardage standpoint managed only a field goal and two touchdowns.
Stafford completed 25 of 33 passes for 222 yards.
With left tackle Alaric Jackson suspended for the game for punching Bill linebacker Bradley Chubb on the field after the Rams loss, veteran David Quessenberry started for the first time since 2023.
The Cardinals predictably brought pressure and blitzed, sacking Stafford three times and hitting him seven times.
Safety Quentin Lake intercepted a pass for a defense that was without All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie because of a groin injury. The defense gave up only field goals and gave the offense multiple opportunities.
And special teams continued to be a disaster.
New kicker Blake Grupe, signed this week after the Rams released struggling Harrison Mevis, kicked a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter. But on the ensuing kickoff, Devin Duvernay returned Grupe’s kick 40 yards before the 5-foot-7, 156-pound Grupe hurled his body to stop him. Grupe suffered a knee injury and did not return.
The Rams managed Grupe’s 44-yard field goal and Corum’s touchdown for a 9-9 tie at halftime.
The Cardinals consumed nearly nine minutes of the third quarter before kicking a field goal for a 12-9 lead.
The loss of Grupe then came into play again late in the third quarter. On a fourth-and-one at the Cardinals’ 27-yard, McVay opted to go for it. Davis Allen lined up in the backfield and took a handoff from Stafford, but the Cardinals stopped him for no gain.
The Cardinals added another field goal with 9:28 left for a 15-9 lead.
The Rams then put together a lively drive, but Higbee fumbled with just under eight minutes left.
They got the ball back with just less than seven minutes remaining. They drove into Cardinals’ territory with about three minutes left but a false-start penalty gave them a fourth-and-eight situation, and Stafford’s pass to running back Kyren Williams fell incomplete.
But the Rams got one more chance when they got the ball with 2:48 left.
Stafford escaped pressure and found Nacua, for a mid-range pass that he turned into a 32-yard gain. Stafford connected again with Nacua for 16 yards to the Cardinals’ 13-yard line.
Stafford’s six-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson tied the score, and punter Ethan Evans came on to kick the extra point to give the Rams the lead.
But the Cardinals came back with the help of a personal-foul penalty after a completed pass. And Ryland’s sixth field goal finished the Rams.
Israeli protesters disrupted a Tel Aviv university event featuring far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Demonstrators chanted ‘There will be no fascism here’, staged a sit-in and scuffled with security personnel before Ben-Gvir left the venue under escort.
US President Donald Trump has said his decision to suspend several Russian sanctions is an effort to keep Moscow at the negotiating table.
“I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said on his Truth Social messaging platform, adding that he didn’t want to “do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table”.
Trump blocked numerous sanctions on Russia on Friday night, two days before they were due to take effect, as a row with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky deepened.
Zelensky told NBC News on Sunday that siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a “historic mistake”.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev has responded to Trump’s order by calling it “an important and truly historic moment”. He said the sanctions, which were passed by the US Congress and signed into law by the US president in September, would have inflicted “serious damage” on the US and global market.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the suspension of the sanctions as a 60-day pause during which their potential impact on the US and global economies would be analysed.
In his Truth Social post, Trump also said Zelensky “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did”, adding “he could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now”.
Zelensky has pushed for an end to fighting, and has repeatedly said that Putin doesn’t want peace, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Relations between Washington and Kyiv frayed after the US struck a controversial deal to import Russian diesel last week.
Despite the international sanctions, Russia has still been able to export oil, much of it to China and India – often at attractive discounts. According to the think-tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), China has taken about half of Russia’s crude exports, with India accounting for about 37%.
In remarks to a European Union summit, after Trump announced the deal to buy diesel from Russia and said Zelensky was “more difficult to deal with” than Putin, Zelensky said it was nice to be among “real leaders”.
Cindy Crawford and family paid homage to her son, Presley Gerber, in their first public statements since his death at 27.
The supermodel and actor shared a smiling black-and-white portrait of Gerber along with a heartfelt message, writing, “We are beyond heartbroken to lose our beloved son and brother. We feel so blessed to have had Presley in our lives for 27 years.”
She continues, “He is a sweet, beautiful soul who loved and is loved, now and forever. We are so proud of how he showed up in the world, with kindness and vulnerability. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from so many who know and love our family and even strangers who feel our pain. Til we meet again our sweet boy. We love you forever, Mom, Dad and Kaia.”
Crawford concluded the post by thanking photographer Sebastián Faena for taking the image of Gerber, who appears to have angel wings.
Gerber, the brother of model Kaia Gerber and only son of Crawford and her husband, Rande Gerber, died Sept. 20 at a luxury rehab center called Resolutions Living in Santa Monica.
Kaia Gerber shared her own Instagram tribute honoring her late brother. In it, she shared a video of the two of them as children, with the caption “i love you the bluest, to the moon and back and back again, forever big brother.” The post also included a photo of the siblings as children on the beach.
In a lengthier essay included with the photo and video, she addressed the emptiness she’d felt in the weeks since her brother’s death.
“I am learning how to love you when I cannot see you. How to tell you something without picking up my phone to call you. How to be your sister in a world that I can’t reach for you in,” she wrote, adding, “I don’t know how to do that yet.”
Presley, who had been candid about his struggles with addiction and mental health during public appearances on his social media account, entered the Resolutions Living home on Sept. 19. The following morning, he was found dead of what police said was a drug overdose.
As of Sunday, the Santa Monica Police Department was still investigating the source of the drugs Gerber had taken.
An autopsy was performed, but the cause and manner of death have been deferred, “which means additional testing and/or studies were requested in order to make a determination,” according to a Sept. 21 statement from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. It could take a few months for a cause of death to be determined, the statement continued.
His death has sparked questions about how he could overdose on drugs inside the Resolutions Living home. The L.A. Times reported that the facility operates in a regulatory gray area and is not authorized to provide medical care.
The California Department of Health Services is investigating whether Resolutions Living was providing any services that would require a state license after receiving a complaint about the sober living home in September, according to department spokesperson Anthony Cava.
Money generated by Proposition 3, like the current tax, would flow to education, with 89% going to K-12 schools and 11% to community colleges.
Then, because the state constitution requires minimum levels of spending on education, more dollars are freed up to pay for services including healthcare and the University of California and California State University systems, said Kayla Kitson, a senior analyst with the California Budget and Policy Center.
Proposition 3, like the current high-earners tax, has the added effect of raising the minimum levels of funding required to flow to K-12 schools and community colleges, because of the complicated formulas California uses to set its budget, Kitson said.
If Proposition 3 fails, the state could expect to lose between $5 billion and $15 billion annually in tax revenue starting in 2031, according to estimates from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
French President Emmanuel Macron says protesters who attacked government buildings need to pay for their crimes. His address comes after hundreds were arrested across France during violent protests against the rising cost of living and poor school conditions.
Cory Morgan has spent more than 25 years fighting for Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta to become an independent country. On Monday, Albertans will head to the polls to vote on the issue for the very first time. But even if the answer is no, Morgan said he’s in it for the long haul.
“I would respect the will of the voters,” he told Al Jazeera. “If they’ve decided it’s not time to go that route yet, then so be it. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop.”
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Morgan, the founder of the advocacy organisation Pathway to Independence, is among a group of longtime separatists who have managed to push what was once a fringe idea onto the ballot.
Monday’s provincial referendum asks Alberta residents to weigh whether they would like to pursue a binding resolution in the future on the question of independence.
Polls indicate the pro-independence side has little chance of succeeding, with four of five people in the province saying they want Alberta to remain a part of Canada. But Morgan’s focus is on the one in five who don’t.
“That’s not a movement that’s leaving,” he said.
What the referendum will mean for the separatist movement and for Canada as a whole, however, is a more complicated question.
What exactly are Albertans voting on?
Monday’s ballot gives Albertans two options: to remain part of Canada or begin the legal process for holding a future referendum on separation.
A vote in favour of the second option doesn’t mean Alberta immediately becomes an independent country.
Any province that tries to secede would first have to go through complex negotiations with the federal government in Ottawa, other provinces and Indigenous peoples who live in and around Alberta.
Some separatist organisers have been using that distinction to encourage people to vote for the referendum — even if they don’t necessarily want independence.
“Strategic separatists and their leaders have been using that ambiguity, that lower-bar threshold, to entice folks to vote not to leave, but rather to send Ottawa a message that Albertans need to be heard,” said Jared Wesley, a political science professor at the University of Alberta.
He told Al Jazeera that the message may be resonating with some voters.
Data collected by Viewpoint Alberta, a University of Alberta-based research initiative, suggests that two-thirds of voters who support the referendum say they’re doing so for strategic reasons, to send a message to Ottawa.
These are people Morgan calls “reluctant separatists”, people who are “at the end of their rope” and simply want Ottawa to pay attention.
But Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned Albertans against this strategy.
“Don’t be fooled by the idea you can ‘send a message’ with your vote,” he told a pro-Canada rally in Calgary on Thursday. “This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep division and great uncertainty.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a rally hosted by the advocacy group Forever Canadian at the Edmonton Expo Center in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday [AFP]
What’s driving Alberta’s separatist movement?
Monday’s referendum has been decades in the making. Separatists have long felt that Alberta, home to the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves, sends too much money to Ottawa, subsidising the rest of the country while receiving little in return.
They also take issue with federal energy policies that they feel limit the potential of the province’s oil industry.
For Morgan, the resentment stretches back to the 1980s when the National Energy Program was introduced by the government of Pierre Trudeau, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s father.
The policy used price controls, taxes and ownership rules to keep Canadian energy affordable while directing more of Alberta’s revenues to Ottawa.
It has since become a central symbol of “Western alienation”, a term used to describe the sense of disenfranchisement felt among Canada’s westernmost provinces.
Those tensions resurfaced decades later under Justin Trudeau, whose term began in 2015. His climate policies, including a national carbon tax and a limit on emissions, angered Alberta’s oil sector.
“We’ve been fighting about the same things for 50 years,” said Morgan.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say demonstrations against health restrictions mobilised a new generation of conservative activists, breathing new life into Alberta’s separatist movement.
Trudeau ultimately resigned as Liberal Party leader and prime minister in 2025, amid sinking poll numbers. Carney was elected his replacement.
Last year, under growing pressure from separatist groups, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government made it easier to start referendums, helping bring the question of Alberta’s independence onto the political agenda.
For Wesley, the moment is less about growing public support for independence and more about pressure from within Smith’s governing United Conservative Party, whose members show higher support for separation than Albertans generally.
“We’re having a referendum because Danielle Smith wants us to have a referendum,” Wesley said. “She is looking to solve internal party matters by throwing a question to the broader public.”
Though she called Monday’s referendum, Smith has said she opposes the independence effort, and on October 14, she announced she had voted against seceding.
“In my view, now is not the time to give up hope in our country, not when we have fought so long and come so far,” Smith said in a social media video, explaining her vote.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at the Canada Strong and Free conference in Calgary, Alberta, on Friday [Ahmed Zakot/Reuters]
Could defeat make the movement stronger?
Smith’s political gamble has drawn comparisons with the 2016 Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom, including from Carney.
At the time, then-UK Prime Minister David Cameron called a vote over whether the country should leave the European Union, in hopes of settling a debate dividing his own Conservative Party.
Voters ultimately chose to leave the bloc, triggering years of political unrest.
But Ian Cooper, a political scientist who grew up in Alberta and now lives in Ireland, says a more useful comparison might be a different UK referendum in 1975, when British voters chose overwhelmingly to stay in what was then known as the European Economic Community.
That vote, he said, did little to deter those who wanted the country out.
“The activists who were in favour of Brexit — this is before anybody called it Brexit — they really played the long game,” he said. “It took them 25 years, but they finally achieved it.”
Cooper suspects that, even if Alberta separation is roundly defeated, separatists could take a similar approach, pursuing the issue over the long term to gain prominence and support.
“My impression is that they really are true believers, and it’s really ideologically driven,” he said.
If Monday’s separatist vote fails, Morgan said separatists would need to take a hard look at why they had fallen short and work towards making a stronger case for independence in the future.
He does not believe the underlying grievances can be resolved by working within the Canadian system or by electing a more sympathetic federal government.
Carney, who grew up in Alberta, acknowledged at Thursday’s rally that “the frustrations that many Albertans have felt are real”. He added that Ottawa had made people in the province feel “like our resources weren’t our own”.
The prime minister has tried, amid an ongoing trade war with the United States, to improve relations with Alberta, including through commitments to building a new pipeline to Canada’s west coast and major infrastructure projects.
Morgan admits that, for those whose goal is simply to get more leverage in Ottawa, “it’s pretty clear the movement has been effective”.
“We’ve seen more love from a federal prime minister in the last year than we’ve seen in the last 10,” Morgan said. “The problem though, when it comes to stubborn independence folks like me, is nothing has changed in the system.”
Prime ministers come and go, he added. “We’re just one election away from another hostile one.”
Separatist organiser Cory Morgan speaks to Alberta separatist supporters at a meeting by Let’s Talk Alberta in Calgary, Alberta, on October 13, 2026 [Todd Korol/Reuters]
Why the other referendum questions matter
But the referendum could also offer an opportunity to challenge the premise that Alberta’s grievances cannot be addressed within Canada.
The independence question is just one of 10 on Monday’s ballot. Other proposals include restricting temporary residents’ access to healthcare and education, as well as allowing Alberta to choose its own judges.
Smith has encouraged Albertans to vote in favour of the nine other proposals, arguing that they will give her more negotiating power in Ottawa.
“Many Albertans I speak with tell me they want to send Ottawa a message, and I would suggest the best way to do that is to give us a strong mandate on the other nine questions,” she said on social media.
If Albertans back those proposals but Ottawa refuses to make concessions, Cooper, the political scientist, said the movement would have fresh ammunition to argue that meaningful change within the current system is impossible.
“Buried in the nine other questions are the seeds for a future referendum,” Cooper added.
What could keep the movement alive?
Not everyone agrees, however, on whether the separatists can emerge from the vote as a united force.
Wesley explained that people have been drawn to the separatist cause for a variety of reasons.
If there’s a sense that independence is not a realistic prospect, there may be little to keep that group of activists together, he said. They could turn their attention to other conservative issues, such as immigration.
Other experts question whether Alberta’s separatist movement, which is united more by economic grievances than by a shared cultural identity, can endure the way Quebec’s has.
Just two weeks ago, the largely French-speaking province elected the separatist Party Quebecois, which has promised a third referendum on independence after Trump leaves office.
Morgan, however, argues that Alberta does have a distinct culture, shaped by generations of people who have moved to the province in search of prosperity.
“The type of person drawn to do that is often an individualistic type of person,” he said. “They want the opportunity to go out and succeed or fail on their own.”
“And that builds a kind of a distinct culture on its own, even if it’s not a long-built one, as you would see in a distinct area like Quebec with a linguistic difference or in another country.”
Even if Albertans reject separation, he believes the movement has succeeded in forcing Ottawa to take the province’s frustrations more seriously.
“Hopefully some people understand that eventually something has to give,” he said. “So whatever the results are … I do hope, at the very least, they’ve served as a wake-up call to a lot of people.”
TAYLOR Swift gave a rare performance in front of a star-studded crowd as she kicked off a campaign to win her first Oscar.
The superstar, 36, sang a four-track set at the glitzy Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Taylor in her custom Dior gown with platinum earrings featuring 32.40 carats of diamonds and a platinum braceletCredit: GettyTaylor gave a rare performance in front of a star-studded crowdCredit: Getty
It included her single I Knew It, I Knew You, which was recorded for Toy Story 5 — and which Taylor hopes will be nominated for Best Original Song at the awards ceremony next March.
The singer made an impression in her custom Dior gown with platinum earrings featuring 32.40 carats of diamonds and a platinum bracelet.
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Her look was created by Northern Irish fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, who was also behind the wedding dress she wore marrying American football player Travis Kelce three months ago.
Insiders believe Taylor was hoping the performance — which also included the live debut of her hit single The Fate of Ophelia — was her going the extra mile to woo Academy Award voters after several failed attempts to get an Oscar nomination in the past.
Taylor chatted with several celebrity pals inside, including Sabrina CarpenterCredit: GettyTaylor poses for a selfie with Eli RothCredit: Getty
She has released original tracks for a series of hit films over the years, including The Hunger Games, Fifty Shades Freed, and Cats, but has never qualified for the gong.
Her 15-minute All Too Well: The Short Film also failed to secure a nomination in 2023.
But I Knew It, I Knew You spent two weeks at No1 in the UK when it came out in June, making it Taylor’s most successful film track to date.
An industry insider said: “Taylor knows how Hollywood works and is keen to build goodwill and visibility among the people who vote for the Oscars.
Taylor performed her single I Knew It, I Knew You, which was recorded for Toy Story 5Credit: GettyLeslie Mann, Sacha Baron Cohen and Taylor Swift chat away at the glitzy bashCredit: Getty
“She’s made no secret of her ambition to win an Academy Award so is pulling out all the stops this year.”
If she does win an Oscar, it would bring her one step closer to one of the highest achievements in US showbiz: the EGOT — winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony.
Only 28 people have done so, and Taylor is halfway there, having bagged 14 Grammys and an Emmy.
She is also working on a musical which would put her in line for a Tony, the highest accolade in theatre.
Taylor and Hannah Waddingham at the gala in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: GettyTaylor poses with model Cara DelevingneCredit: Getty
A number of A-listers were at the fancy bash, considered LA’s answer to New York’s Met Gala.
Taylor chatted with several celebrity pals inside, including Sabrina Carpenter who wore a royal blue, backless dress with shoulder tassels.
Swift’s former foe Kim Kardashian, 45, was also at the event, channelling Elizabeth Taylor with a bouffant hairdo, an archival 1951 Balenciaga dress, and a 55.8-carat diamond necklace.
Meanwhile, actress Teyana Taylor, 35, wore a Schiaparelli torso bodysuit alongside Kylie Minogue, 58, who posed in a a slashed black gown.
Charlize Theron, 51, turned up to receive the Icon Award for her celebrated acting career.
THE A-listers were out in full force at Saturday night’s Academy Museum Gala, and they sure brought some glamour to the beige carpet.
Taylor Swift, whose style I sometimes find questionable (even as a die-hard Swiftie) pulled this fit out of the bag, looking like a Disney princess in a blue Dior gown.
Kim Kardashian showed off her physique, and the back of Sabrina Carpenter’s dress was so low it risked a serious bum slip.
Meanwhile, Pamela Anderson sadly missed the mark. The 59-year-old stepped out looking more like she’d come from Little House On The Prairie than a Hollywood gala.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump on Sunday announced plans to close a historic public golf course in the nation’s capital for 15 months and redevelop it despite an ongoing court challenge to his long-sought renovation.
Trump posted on social media about his intent to shut the East Potomac Golf Course, not far from the White House, starting Nov. 15 to make it “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World.”
A judge last week, however, ordered a halt to his redevelopment plans until at least Oct. 26 after scolding the government for starting a large-scale tree removal at the course over a holiday weekend while providing little notice to the court or the plaintiffs trying to stop the makeover.
Trump did not acknowledge the legal fight in his post, which included an artist’s rendering for the course redesign.
“When completed, it will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf and able to hold World Class Tournaments such as the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, and the Presidents Cup,” Trump wrote.
Democracy Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs challenging his renovation plans, responded by saying that the course is part of a national park and recreation facility that is meant for everyone to enjoy.
“Our litigation is intended to protect this community jewel for the people and communities it serves and we will continue to work with our plaintiffs to defend it from unlawful and harmful intrusion,” Skye Perryman, the president and chief executive of the group, said in a statement.
The judge in the case took notice of Trump’s online message and ordered the government to notify her by 8 p.m. Eastern time Sunday whether its position had changed from a court filing Friday that said “at most” Trump has given “preliminary thought” to the rebuilding plan and “there is no final agency action.”
Extensive makeover
Trump, a golf aficionado who plays often, already had announced plans to makeover the links as part of his broader project to renovate and refurbish places around Washington, including the White House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Many of his projects, including plans for a huge ballroom at the White House, the installation of his own name on the Kennedy Center and construction of a massive arch, have been challenged in courts.
The 106-year-old park and course has been the subject of many emergency hearings as the president has sought to renovate it. Although it has been open to Washingtonians of all income levels, opponents of Trump’s plans to turn it into a high-end course have argued that it will alter the character of the space and make it less affordable.
Trump in his post echoed arguments he has made to justify his plans to remake the Kennedy Center, arguing it is in such dangerous condition that it needs to close.
“The current Course is old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect. It is in very poor condition, with falling, dangerous, and disease infested trees and, importantly, a collapsing and hazardous seawall,” Trump wrote.
Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing to make way for his ballroom project also has been dumped on the grounds. The National Park Service has said the debris tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals.
Trump also sought to justify the National Park Service’s removal of hundreds of trees that the judge paused, writing in his announcement that when the golf course was originally built, “it was famous for no trees, with views of Washington, D.C., for all to see, but now, it is completely overgrown, dysfunctional, and unsafe.”
Case returns to court
Trump’s post outlining a clear plan for construction complicates a federal court hearing scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit filed by the DC Preservation League and two golfers opposing the construction.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes has ordered key members of the administration to testify on the recent tree cutting and whether those actions are tied to the president’s plans for the historical public links.
The administration on Friday asked for Reyes to be replaced on the case, questioning her impartiality and citing what it called “egregious” behavior from the bench in response to an emergency hearing Oct. 12. Her frustration boiled over in a three-hour hearing when she lambasted the government’s attorney for the lack of notification she and the plaintiffs received before the trees were chopped down.
At the upcoming hearing, the judge is expected to address the request that she step aside. Meanwhile, over the weekend the plaintiffs asked that she grant them a more long-standing preliminary injunction in the case and/or a stay.
Price writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.
President Macron promises to increase security, but stops short of announcing a state of emergency or curfew.
Published On 18 Oct 202618 Oct 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed “anger and shame” over what he described as violent protesters’ attempts “to bring down the republic”.
In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, Macron promised that rioters and looters would “pay for their crimes”, after Saturday saw some of the worst urban violence in France in years.
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The country’s Interior Ministry said that nearly 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, with about 1,000 police and gendarmes injured.
Macron said there must be a distinction between protesters with “legitimate demands” and “those who destroyed, smashed, and looted”.
The president pledged to launch a “crisis unit” to provide “urgent aid … for those who are going through difficult moments”. He added that “lessons will be learned” after the destructive violence erupted this weekend.
“We need to be clear: yesterday, our law enforcement officers and officials, despite their professionalism, were subjected to unprecedented violence in several cities,” he said.
“I’ve asked the government to provide all the lessons learned and to be able to anticipate it to make sure that this does not happen again,” Macron said, adding: “We need unity, we need calm and respect.”
Protests across France descended into violence and looting across the country [Carl Court/Getty Images]
Reporting from Paris, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said Macron’s speech had “perhaps no surprises”.
“Whether it’s going to be enough to placate some people, I’m not really sure, because those who have been out protesting say they’re fed up of hearing these sorts of speeches by the French president,” Butler said.
The protests are quickly becoming a political football for parties vying for public support ahead of presidential elections next year.
Left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon said the French government is “solely responsible” for the destruction during protests, and has “failed to organise the maintenance of public order”.
Far-right presidential hopeful Jordan Bardella called Macron’s Sunday speech “lamentable” and “cowardly”, saying the government has nothing left to offer the French people and “cannot even protect them”.
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