Fat Mike doesn’t do birthdays.

So it was probably just a coincidence the NOFX retrospective at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas last weekend took place on his birthday.

“My wife is going to spank my a— really hard 59 times,” Michael Burkett, a.k.a. Fat Mike, said on the roof of the museum as the sun was setting and the lights of Las Vegas were coming on. “Then she’ll do it again with a cane, and then with a paddle. That’s my kind of birthday.”

That’s an answer NOFX’s fans have come to expect from the front man known for his scabrous humor and irreverent lyrics. Fat Mike has made a career out of letting it all hang out and not taking himself too seriously, often courting scandal along the way.

From insulting country music fans in 2018 after the Las Vegas massacre the previous October, to convincing the crowd at SXSW in 2010 that his alter ego Cokie the Clown had peed in the tequila he’d just shared with the audience, Fat Mike has always been a provocateur.

But that’s just one side of the performer.

Fat Mike outside the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas.

(Melanie Kaye)

As the owner of Fat Wreck Chords, the label that put out most of NOFX’s material, as well as albums by scores of other bands, a lack of seriousness was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” he admitted with a sigh of relief now that the band has stopped touring and the label has been sold to Hopeless Records. “But being out of NOFX now is wonderful. I can do so many different things that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.”

Despite his ambivalence to birthdays, the museum, which was co-founded by Fat Mike in 2023, pulled out all the stops for a “this is your life”-style birthday party.

Two rooms on the 12,000-square-foot museum’s second floor displayed ephemera documenting the accomplishments of a grimy little punk rock band that stayed in the shadows of peers like Offspring, Green Day and Blink-182, but remained completely independent of major label influence — from its humble beginnings in 1983 to its final show in 2024.

Photos and fliers lined the walls, road cases were stuffed with memorabilia, and the sound of early demos played on actual tape recorders filled the space. “It’s the most substantial exhibit we’ve ever had,” said Vinnie Fiorello, one of the museum’s co-founders.

Meanwhile, down on the main floor, Mike’s former bandmates Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta and Eric “Smelly” Sandin led guided tours through the museum, telling stories about their unlikely success as punk rock lifers. Later that afternoon, they gathered in the museum’s event space for a sold-out roundtable discussion.

The event kicked off with the trailer for the upcoming NOFX documentary titled “Forty Years of F— Up,” directed by James Buddy Day, and in typical NOFX fashion, they uploaded the wrong file. The showing had to be aborted after a few shocking scenes of bandmates bickering and Fat Mike blasting lines of cocaine.

Talk about a teaser.

For the discussion, Fat Mike, El Hefe and Smelly were joined by their longtime crew who are like a second family to the band. They shared irreverent stories and raucous laughter. At times, you could almost forget about the elephant in the room.

Almost.

Smelly read from a prepared statement addressing the reason why one of the bandmembers, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin, wasn’t present.

Just a few hours after the final show of their final tour, Melvin’s lawyers served Fat Mike with papers accusing him of “legal and financial malfeasance.” He broke off contact with the band and directed all communication to go through his counsel.

After the roundtable, Fat Mike went out on the museum’s rooftop, feeling sad and vulnerable.

The acrimony that bedeviled so many bands that NOFX avoided for 40 years had finally caught up with them.

“We never had a f— argument, ever,” Fat Mike explained. “Things got a little sketchy during COVID, because people got desperate and we couldn’t play. But before that, we were all best friends. It was so beautiful. It wasn’t like other bands.”

Not being like other bands was the secret to NOFX’s success. While other bands chased record deals, NOFX stayed indie. When the kind of skate punk that NOFX helped pioneer went mainstream, Fat Mike didn’t tone down his act to appeal to a wider audience. He was willing to wager that, if they stayed true to their fans, their fans would stay true to them.

“When we were kids … we made ourselves targets. By the cops, by the jocks, by everybody. Why did we do that? Why did we make ourselves targets? I don’t really know why. It felt good, and it was like, ‘I don’t want to live like you.’”

That determination to live on one’s own terms, no matter how gnarly or weird other people thought you were, is what fueled Fat Mike and NOFX, and judging from the trailer, that hasn’t changed. That’s what Fat Mike means when he says, “NOFX is a completely authentic band.”

NOFX drummer Erik “Smelly” Sandin, left, and Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta in the Punk Rock Museum.

(Melanie Kaye)

When members of NOFX were interviewed for the documentary, they were upset. Despite a wildly successful final tour, not everyone wanted the band to end and they spoke candidly about their feelings. Even though they were hard to watch, Fat Mike decided to include those scenes in the documentary.

He didn’t want to shy away from material that made him uncomfortable, including footage from a gory near-death experience he had after contracting a bacterial infection in his ulcer. “I’m on the floor and there’s blood and puke everywhere,” Fat Mike said, setting the scene. At that moment, he asked his wife to film him. “I think I’m dying, and I want my last words to be on camera.”

Even more shocking than the documentary’s content, is the way it will be distributed. You won’t be able to watch it on a streamer, download it off the internet or purchase a physical copy. The only way you can see it will be by getting off the couch.

“You have to go see the movie,” Fat Mike explained. “We’re playing it at over 100 theaters around the world once a month.”

Inspired by midnight screenings of his favorite movie, “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Fat Mike went to Cisco Adler, whose father Lou Adler co-produced the camp classic that made Tim Curry a legend, to devise a bold plan for showing the documentary. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Landmark Theater are on board to make the dream a reality.

“I want our fans to have a place to go,” Fat Mike said.

It’s a reasonable DIY strategy that feels completely radical. NOFX in a nutshell.

The documentary includes new songs performed by El Hefe, Fat Mike and Smelly, and they’re creating merchandise for the screenings like popcorn buckets, chocolate bars and NOFX 2-D glasses.

“It’s gonna be a party,” Fat Mike promises. Would you expect anything less?

“Forty Years of F— Up” will premiere in Austin during South by Southwest on March 15 and 16 and at the Nuart Theater on March 19 before opening worldwide on April 10.

Jim Ruland is the author of “Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall of SST Records” and is a columnist for Razorcake Fanzine, America’s only nonprofit independent music magazine.

WASHINGTON  — Do licensed gun owners have a right to carry a loaded weapon into stores, restaurants and other private places that are open to the public?

California and Hawaii are among five states with new laws that forbid carrying firearms onto private property without the consent of an owner or manager. But the Trump administration joined gun-rights advocates on Tuesday in urging the Supreme Court to strike down these laws as unconstitutional under the 2nd Amendment.

Such a law “effectively nullifies licenses to carry arms in public,” Trump’s lawyers said.

If you “stop at a gasoline station, you are committing a crime,” Deputy Solicitor Gen. Sarah Harris told the court.

An attorney representing Hawaii said the issue is one of property rights, not gun rights.

“An invitation to shop is not an invitation to bring your Glock,” Washington attorney Neal Katyal told the court. “There is no constitutional right to enter property that includes a right to bring firearms.”

The justices sounded split along the usual ideological lines, with the court’s conservatives signaling they are likely to strike down the new laws in five Democratic-led states.

“You are relegating the 2nd Amendment to second-class status,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. told Katyal.

He said the court had ruled law-abiding persons have a right to carry a firearm for self-defense when they leave home. That would include going to stores or businesses that are open to the public.

“If the owners don’t like guns, why don’t they just put up a sign?” Alito said.

Both sides agreed that business owners are generally free to allow or prohibit guns on their property. However, state officials said, the laws are important because business owners rarely post signs that either welcome or forbid the carrying of guns.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said the 2nd Amendment should have the same standing as the 1st Amendment.

He said it was understood based on the 1st Amendment that a political candidate may walk up to a house and knock on the door or drop off a pamphlet. He questioned why the court should uphold a law that limits gun owners from entering places that are open to the public.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh said they too believed the “right to keep and bear arms” included the right to carry weapons, including into stores.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said property rights should prevail over gun rights.

“Is there a right to go on private property with a gun?” Sotomayor asked repeatedly. She said the court had never upheld such a broad right.

But with the possible exception of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, none of the conservatives agreed.

Four years ago, the court ruled law-abiding gun owners had a right to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense when they left home. They also said then that guns may be prohibited in “sensitive places” but they did not decide what that meant.

In the wake of that decision, California, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey and Maryland adopted new laws that restricted carrying guns in public places, including parks and beaches.

The laws also said gun owners may not take a gun into a privately owned business without the “express authorization” of an owner or manager. California’s law went a step further and said the owner must post a clear sign allowing guns.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the laws from Hawaii and California, except for the required posting of a sign in California.

Three Hawaii residents with concealed carry permits appealed to the Supreme Court and won the backing of the Trump administration.

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Butler, 36, sustained the injury in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 135-112 win over the Miami Heat on Monday.

His agent Bernie Lee confirmed the news in a statement to ESPN,, external calling it a “gut punch” to Butler and the Warriors team.

After a mixed start to the season, the Warriors have won 12 of their past 16 games and are eighth in the Western Conference, with a record of 25 win and 19 losses.

The top six teams in each conference qualify directly for the play-offs, with the teams ranked seventh to 10th competing in the play-in tournament.

Butler’s injury leaves the Warriors facing a decision on how to approach the rest of their season and the market before the trade deadline on 5 February.

Under coach Steve Kerr and with star point guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors have won four NBA titles since 2015 but have been a fading force since their last championship win in 2022.

The Warriors acquired Butler from the Heat in February 2025 to give Curry, 37, a star team-mate to support another championship bid, but must now consider whether to seek further reinforcements or rebuild for the future.

However, Lee is confident six-time All-Star Butler, who is contracted with the Warriors to the end of the 2026-27 season, will bounce back from this injury blow to win his first NBA title.

“I’ve known for over 10 years now that Jimmy is going to win a championship before he is done,” said Lee. “My belief in that is unwavering.”

Jan. 20 (UPI) — The Israeli government began demolishing the East Jerusalem building that houses the United Nations’ agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees Tuesday, a move the international organization called “an unprecedented attack.”

The BBC reported that demolition teams used heavy machinery to rip through the roof and tear down walls of the headquarters of the UNRWA, formally known as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini issued a statement calling the demolition “a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law.”

“This constitutes an unprecedented attack against a United Nations agency and its premises.”

Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the site during the demolition and said it was “a very important day for the governance of Jerusalem,” Sky News reported. He called workers for the UNRWA “supporters of terror” and said the organization was “infested” with Hamas members.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed laws in October 2024 banning the agency from operating in the country. The government accused the UNRWA of being infiltrated by members of Hamas and participating in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed hundreds of people. The ban went into effect in January 2025.

The UNRWA, which has 30,000 workers in the region, denied the accusation, saying it fired nine employees after uncovering evidence they were involved in the attack that ignited the war.

The International Court of Justice in October ruled that Israel must allow the UNRWA to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. The opinion from the United Nations’ highest court is non-binding but has a moral and diplomatic weight.

The UNRWA was founded in 1949 to provide relief to Palestinian refugees and began working out of its East Jerusalem headquarters shortly after. It is situated within occupied territory, having been seized by Israel in 1967.

Israeli officials took control of the building late last year, removing equipment and raising an Israeli flag. The government said it can now demolish the building because it belongs to Israel and is vacant.

An unnamed U.N. official told Sky News that the justification was “absolute nonsense.”

“They can say what they like, but it doesn’t make it real.”

Bloomberg via Getty Images

American response

Melani Sanders is over it.

She’s over meticulously applying makeup before leaving the house or, even, having to wear a bra when running errands. She’s over wasting time plucking chin hairs, searching for brain fog-induced lost reading glasses and — most of all — withholding her opinions so as not to offend others.

As a 45-year-old perimenopausal woman, Sanders is no longer searching for outside validation and is over people-pleasing.

The dedication page in her new book sums it up best: “To the a— who told me I had a “computer box booty.”

Who is this dude, and is Sanders worried about offending him?

She doesn’t care.

Author, Melani Sanders, in an outfit she typically wears in her social media videos.

(Surej Kalathil Sunman Media)

That’s Sanders’ mantra in life right now. Last year, the West Palm Beach, Fla.-based mother of three founded the We Do Not Care Club, an online “sisterhood” into the millions of perimenopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal women “who are putting the world on notice that we simply do not care much anymore.” Sanders’ social media videos feature her looking disheveled — in a bathrobe and reading glasses, for example, with additional pairs of reading glasses hanging from her lapels — while rattling off members’ comments about what they do not care about anymore.

“We do not care if we still wear skinny jeans — they stretch and they’re comfortable,” she reads, deadpan. “We do not care if the towels don’t match in our house — you got a rag and you got a towel, use it accordingly.”

Sanders’ online community of fed up women grew rapidly. She announced the club in May 2025, and it has more than 3 million members internationally; celebrity supporters include Ashley Judd, Sharon Stone and Halle Berry. It’s a welcoming, if unexpected, space where women “can finally exhale,” as Sanders puts it. The rallying cry? “We do not give a f—ing s— what anyone thinks of us anymore.”

That’s also the message of Sanders’ new book, “The Official We Do Not Care Club Handbook: A Hot-Mess Guide for Women in Perimenopause, Menopause, and Beyond Who Are Over It.” The book is part self-help book, with facts about the perimenopause and menopause transition; part memoir; part practical workbook with tools and resources; and part humor book, brimming with Sanders’ raw and authentic comedic style. (It includes a membership card for new club inductees and cutout-able patches with slogans like “lubricated and horny” or “speaking your truth.”)

We caught up with Sanders while she was in New York to promote her book and admittedly “overstimulated from all the horns,” she said. But she just. Did. Not. Care.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The We Do Not Care Club came about after you had a meltdown in a supermarket parking lot. Tell us about that.

I was in the parking lot of Whole Foods. I needed Ashwagandha — that was my holy grail at the time for my perimenopause journey, and I was out of it. I got back in my car and looked at myself in the rear view mirror. I had on a sports bra that was shifted to one side. My hair was extremely unstructured. I had a hat on and socks mismatched — I was a real hot mess. Nothing added up. But in that moment, I realized that I just didn’t care much anymore. I just said, “Melanie, you have to take the pressure off, girlfriend. It’s time to stop caring so much.” I decided to press the record button and see if anyone wanted to join me in starting a club called the We Do Not Care Club. I released the video and drove home, which took about 20 minutes, and by the time I got home it had [gone viral].

You got hundreds of thousands of new followers, internationally, within 24 hours. Why do you think the post resonated so greatly at that moment?

I had to dissect that because it was kind of unreal. Like, what is it about country, old Melanie that hit record and asked about a little club that she thought maybe 20 or 30 women would want to join? Over the summer, I studied this and did more videos and I listened. It was the relatability. It was the understanding. It was just letting my guard down and just saying it out loud. Speaking my truth. Also, for many women, we have this silent pressure to get it all done. But we’re at capacity. In the book, I talk about how, once I was in perimenopause, I didn’t want to have sex with my husband. I didn’t want to see my kids — like, everyone just close the door! And that’s kind of shameful, you know? It’s not like I don’t love my family. I really do. But I can’t do it all anymore. And I just think that resonated with a lot of sisters throughout the world. It was like: Now is the time for us to just explode and I think we all did it at once.

“The Official We Do Not Care Club Handbook.”

(William Morrow)

You entered perimenopause (or “Miss Peri,” as you call it) at age 44, after a partial hysterectomy. How did your life change after that?

I did not expect it. I knew that I had fibroids and I was uncomfortable because of that. So when I had the hysterectomy, I was expecting to now be a whole person again afterwards. But I just went into this dark place. It was like you’re fighting against yourself to just be normal again. And your body is changing in so many ways. For me, that was the hot flashes, the insomnia, the depression, the rage. My joints were really, really stiff all of a sudden. It’s like, ‘wait a minute, how and why?!!’ And [I got] frozen shoulder. Frozen shoulder was how I discovered I was in perimenopause because I was not told by my doctor who performed my hysterectomy that this could happen. And I didn’t know where to turn or where to go because I was just being told everything was normal. I was so frustrated with the process, the lack of education, the lack of resources. The lack of compassion, I would even say.

Your book and social media videos are so funny. Do you have a comedy background?

I don’t, and I get asked that often. I just say what’s on my mind and sometimes, I guess, it comes out funny — but I’m not trying. The [wearing multiple pairs of] glasses: I do that because, with perimenopause, my eyesight went bad really quickly. I was out in public one day and I could not read. I was just traumatized. So every time I would see glasses, I would just put them on me because I don’t want to get stuck without them. That neck pillow, when I got frozen shoulder, I was using it a lot. Then one day when I hit record, I had the neck pillow on and I just didn’t care. And it stuck.

You’ve appeared on TV, been featured in publications, and People magazine named you creator of the year for 2025. What has this sudden fame been like for you?

It’s surreal. I have not completely processed it yet. It’s a lot to take in. I’m just an everyday woman that decided to press record and accidentally started a movement. Impostor syndrome is there from time to time. But I’m just trying my best to accept everything that’s going on — and keep just being Melani.

Has the overwhelming response from new members fueled your own resolve to be true to yourself or otherwise changed you personally?

It absolutely has. It’s the strength that the sisterhood gives me. Because I’m very scared. You know, the book is coming out. And the tour is sold out in several cities. This is all within an eight-month span. It’s a lot. But when everyone is saying they love you, and when you have a group of women that understands you and feels the way that you feel, absolutely, there’s strength in numbers. Now I don’t care about making mistakes.

You live in a very male household. What do your sons and husband think of all this?

Once I decided that I didn’t care anymore, I just expected for them to kind of allow things just to go to hell around the house — but it was quite the opposite. All three of my sons and my husband, they’re just very supportive. Because it was very sad for me. It was very hard to not want to watch movies or anything and just be by myself. But they rose to the occasion and they make sure things are done when they’re home. They really show how they love their mom during this time.

How can other men become allies to the women they love during the menopause transition?

Just either get out of our way or, you know, just kind of read the room! Because we don’t know who we are from day to day. We don’t know what’s gonna ache. We don’t know what’s going to hurt or what’s going to itch or what’s going to be dry. And if it’s an off day, then darling, it’s just an off day — and it’s OK.

What are some things that you do still care about greatly?

I care about sisterhood. Because when women bind together, it’s a game changer. We will move mountains. I just think that, in this world, there’s so much pressure, so much overstimulation. So I care about being able to live authentically. To feel free. To be OK with who you are. Within WDNC, the two things that I definitely want to convey that I care about is: that you are enough. And you are not alone. And of course I love my kids. I love my family immensely.

Where does the WDNC go from here? What’s the future?

Retreats. That is definitely a dream. To have a weekend retreat where women can come and the only thing that you need to bring is some clean underwear and some pantyliners! (You can’t have a good, hard laugh or a good sneeze or a good cough without pissing your pants.) No makeup, no nothing, just come and be free. I want three different rooms. One will be the rage room and you’ll go in there and just throw stuff around and scream and punch, whatever you want. Then a quiet room. No talking, no nothing, just silence. And the last room will be the “Let that s— go room.” That’s where we’ll put everything that we have in us, that we’re holding onto that’s keeping us from living a blissful and peaceful life, and write it down and let it go. I just want to touch sisters and let them know it is OK. We are OK. I have my s— I go through. You have your s— you go through. It’s OK. Let’s live.

NEWARK, N.J. — Mikie Sherrill, the four-term congresswoman and former Navy helicopter pilot who cast her November election in New Jersey as a victory over President Trump’s vision for the country, was inaugurated Tuesday as the state’s 57th governor.

Sherrill, 54, is just the second woman to lead the state of nearly 9.5 million people and is the first person from a major political party to be elected to a third straight term in more than six decades, succeeding two-term Democrat Phil Murphy.

She swept to victory over her Trump-endorsed GOP rival in part by pinning blame for high costs on the president’s tariffs and promising that her first action once in office would be to order a freeze on skyrocketing utility rates.

Sherrill spoke about New Jersey’s role in the Revolutionary War and quoted from the Declaration of Independence’s grievances against the king, drawing a comparison to Trump.

“We see a president illegally usurping power,” she said. “He has unconstitutionally enacted a tariff regime to make billions for himself and his family, while everyone else sees costs go higher and higher. Here, we demand people in public service actually serve the public.”

During her speech she also signed two executive orders, one declaring a freeze on utility rates, which have been rising sharply, and another aimed at establishing new sources of electricity production incident solar and nuclear.

Sherrill took the oath of office on a copy of the Constitution owned by the state’s first governor in Newark, the state’s largest city whose voters made up a key component of her winning coalition.

It is a departure from previous inaugurations, which have included military artillery salutes along the Delaware River outside the statehouse in Trenton. Tuesday’s ceremony included a similar gun salute and a military helicopter flyover.

She is being sworn in as her former congressional colleague Abigail Spanberger comes into office in as Virginia’s governor after a similar double-digit victory over her Republican opponent and as the midterm elections start to come into sharper focus. Democrats are hopeful the president will be a drag on GOP candidates in key races across the country.

Sherrill takes over from Murphy, a former Obama administration ambassador and Wall Street finance executive, who delivered on a number of progressive promises over eight years, including raising taxes on income over $1 million, boosting the minimum wage, expanding early childhood education and fully funding the state workers’ pension, which was underfunded for years before he took over.

Murphy said Friday in his final news conference that he has been in regular touch with Sherrill about the transition. He summed up his two terms as governor as having lived up to promises he made on the campaign trail.

“We were who we said would be,” Murphy said. “We didn’t campaign on my thesis and pull a fast one.”

He is also passing along a state budget that has swelled over the years, raising the prospect of potential shortfalls if state revenues dip as well as an unfunded promise to continue a property tax relief program begun in the governor’s second term.

Sherrill will have a Democrat-led Legislature to work with, one of more than a dozen where the party controls the legislature and governorship.

The first woman to be governor of New Jersey is Christine Todd Whitman, a two-term Republican who went on to serve as George W. Bush’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

New Jersey’s governorship has often switched back and forth between the parties. The last time the same party prevailed in a third straight gubernatorial election was in 1961.

Catalini writes for the Associated Press.

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re officially at the halfway point of the season.

The Lakers are 25-16 and barely clear of play-in territory at sixth in the West. They’ve lost five of seven games and are slogging through the midseason dog days. Licking the wounds from a three-game losing streak last week, coach JJ Redick had a simple message for the team as it prepared for a game against Atlanta.

“His statement was pretty much play team basketball, play together and have fun with it,” Jake LaRavia said.

The Lakers responded with a convincing win.

As we head into the second half of the season, let’s try to keep the fun going.

All fun and games

Lakers players huddle before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 9.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Phil Jackson once told Redick that he could tell the identity of his team by Thanksgiving every season. When Redick shared this memory on Dec. 30, the current Lakers coach was still struggling to find the identity of his team. At the midway point, Redick is only outlining a hope.

“When we’re at our best, we have high effort,” Redick said. “We have high connectivity and that’s reflected on both sides of the ball. And there’s a joy that we play with where we root for each other’s success.”

Redick’s description of his team at its best echoes what he often says about Luka Doncic. When “Luka Magic” is at his most enchanting, the 26-year-old is joyfully galloping up the court, joking with teammates and trash-talking fans. People talk about the way a coach’s personality spreads to the team. It’s evident that a superstar’s personality should do the same.

Doncic has established himself as the Lakers’ leader. Even LeBron James called him “our … franchise.” The first half of this season has been as much a test of Doncic’s leadership as it has been about his production.

“The stuff that we coach him on, whether that’s his interactions with referees, defensive engagement, all of that stuff, that’s all forms of leadership,” Redick said. “I can tell you, he’s so much improved from where he was last year.”

Lakers star Luka Doncic drives toward the basket as teammate Jarred Vanderbilt sets a screen on Charlotte guard Sion James during a Lakers loss at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 15.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Doncic was named an NBA All-Star for the sixth time Monday and earned the most votes from fans. He leads the league in scoring. But the best way he sets the tone for the Lakers is through his passing.

When the Lakers have 24 or more assists, they are 21-4. They are 4-12 with 23 or fewer. One of the clearest signs of how much fun the Lakers are having is how well the ball is moving.

“I know there were times in my career that whether I was playing good, whether we were winning, whether we were losing, playing poorly, it didn’t matter. When you don’t feel connected, it’s not as fun,” Redick said. “… We’ve done it throughout the season, just we got to do it more consistently.”

Consistency has been a struggle for the Lakers. They have used 19 different starting lineups. They’re eighth in offensive rating and 26th in defensive rating. Their standing in the West hinges on late-game brilliance and a 13-1 record in clutch games. But of the team’s 16 losses, only one has been by single digits and they have a negative point differential on the season.

As the trade deadline approaches on Feb. 5, the Lakers might shop for a defensive wing who could extract potential from an otherwise stagnant roster. But that archetype is something every contending team is looking for. It doesn’t grow on trees in this league.

But this time last season, the Lakers pulled off the unthinkable by adding Doncic. We never know what the basketball gods have in store.

Timme Time

Lakers forward Drew Timme warms up before facing the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 17.

(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)

Doncic gave his teammate a high five as they exchanged seats at the postgame news conference Sunday night. Then the star guard’s eyes glanced at Drew Timme’s T-shirt.

Timme’s yellow shirt had a drawing of a Tyrannosaurus Rex holding a minigun with the words “Sexual Tyrannosaurus” scrawled across the top.

The confused side-eye from Doncic was priceless.

Since his starring days at Gonzaga, Timme has earned bewildered double takes. He rocked a silly-looking handlebar mustache and headband. He went to the Final Four twice. He graduated as Gonzaga’s all-time leading scorer.

Yet the consensus first-team All-American still went undrafted in 2023. Scouts often looked at his age — 23 when training camp began — and thought his ceiling wasn’t very high. He wasn’t overly athletic. He wasn’t a very strong rebounder.

The Lakers forward wants to remind everyone what he can do.

“In college and since I’ve left, it’s ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that. You’re not good enough for this and that,’” Timme said. “All these things that I can’t do. And I see it and it is fuel, and at the end of the day, I’m a good player. I believe in myself and my abilities, and I believe that I can impact the game at any level, anywhere.”

Lakers forward Drew Timme drives to the basket in front of Portland Trail Blazers center Duop Reath on Jan. 17.

(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)

Timme has worked with four G League teams, going from the Wisconsin Herd — the G League affiliate for the Milwaukee Bucks — to the Stockton Kings to the Long Island Nets before making his NBA debut last season with the Brooklyn Nets.

With the South Bay Lakers, Timme was challenged to improve his playmaking and decision making on the perimeter. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and four assists in his first G League games this season before signing on a two-way deal with the Lakers in November.

His moments have been fleeting, but Timme was ready when the Lakers were without top two centers Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes against Portland on Saturday. He scored a career-high 21 points with four assists and two steals off the bench. He stayed in the rotation against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday and scored three points with three rebounds and two assists while helping execute an effective zone defense in the win.

Playing on a two-way contract, Timme understands it’s unlikely he’ll become a regular contributor. But his ability to step up at a moment’s notice signals the overall strength of the Lakers organization.

“Dangerous,” Ayton said. “It’s the next-man mentality. We’ve been showing glimpses of it at the start of the season when we didn’t have everybody and guys like Nick Smith having big games; Jake [LaRavia] stepped up to where he’s a starter now and it’s just been like that throughout the season where guys are working on their game and their conditioning and they’re ready to play. That’s just coach’s [Redick’s] leadership, to be honest.”

On tap

Tuesday at Nuggets (29-14), 7 p.m.

The Nuggets have been racked by injuries, none bigger than star center Nikola Jokic, who sustained a knee injury three weeks ago. They’re also been without starters Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson at points this season, and backup center Jonas Valanciunas is still out with a calf injury. But they’re tied for second in the West and have won seven of 11 since Jokic’s injury.

Thursday at Clippers (19-23), 7 p.m.

The Lakers may have inadvertently turned the Clippers’ season around. Starting with the blowout win over their crosstown rival on Dec. 20, the Clippers have won 12 of 14 games to work back into the play-in conversation. Kawhi Leonard sustained a knee contusion Jan. 17 and is day-to-day.

Saturday at Mavericks (18-26), 5:30 p.m.

Luka Doncic’s annual homecoming to Dallas almost always will be another painful reminder to Mavericks fans of the trade that rocked the league. Anthony Davis (hand) will be sidelined (again) and former general manager Nico Harrison is out of a job while Doncic returns as the NBA’s leading scorer.

Monday at Bulls (20-22), 5 p.m.

The Bulls were one of the league’s biggest surprises at the start of the season with six wins in their first seven games, but have now slipped to ninth in the East. Josh Giddey leads the team with 19.2 points and nine assists, and will soon return from a hamstring injury he suffered in late December.

Status report

Austin Reaves: left calf strain

Four weeks after leaving the Christmas Day game early, Reaves could be reevaluated this week. If he is able to progress back to the court, he still likely will work back slowly, especially as this injury was initially thought to be “mild” when it first popped up in mid-December.

Adou Thiero: right MCL sprain

Thiero is about halfway through the four-week time table for his injury, which was announced on Dec. 31.

Favorite thing I ate this week

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

It was a rare all-home week for me as my favorite colleague Brad Turner took both of the Lakers’ trips to Sacramento and Portland, which left me to fend for myself in my kitchen. I made salmon with Thai coconut curry risotto. Stirring risotto for 40 minutes is a special kind of meditation that was much-needed at this midpoint of the season. And I had a quinoa and cabbage salad with peanut dressing on the side. Don’t worry, Mom, I am getting my veggies in.

* The actual favorite thing I ate this week was the six-roll set at Kazunori in Marina del Rey, but unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of that delicious meal. I usually like the blue crab roll the most, but the yellowtail was hitting that day. So much so that I ordered an extra one as an exclamation point.

In case you missed it

Why LeBron James’ Lakers jersey has a new ‘super cool’ patch

Luka Doncic plays and scores 27 points as the Lakers rout the Hawks

Lakers’ JJ Redick defends LeBron James amid ‘unfortunate’ criticism

Lakers’ defensive issues once again prove costly in loss to Hornets

Former Chino Hills star LaMelo Ball becoming ‘emotional leader’ for Charlotte Hornets

Lakers star Luka Doncic to miss Saturday’s game at Portland

Plaschke: After Rich Paul drama, fans favor Austin Reaves over LeBron James and you can’t blame them

Injury-riddled Lakers fall to Trail Blazers for fifth loss in six games

Deandre Ayton has big night as he and Luka Doncic return and Lakers run past Raptors

‘He’s a very important guy.’ Deandre Ayton enters exclusive Lakers club during win

Lakers’ Luka Doncic named NBA All-Star Game starter, LeBron James waits for reserve call

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, questioned Donald Trump’s trustworthiness after he announced new tariffs on European allies over Greenland. She said a July trade deal must be honoured and warned the move was a “mistake.”

The World Economic Forum has released a report showcasing successful applications of artificial intelligence (AI) that are yielding measurable benefits and demonstrating how organizations are advancing beyond initial trials to achieve significant results. As investments rise and expectations grow, the report emphasizes a widening gap between companies that effectively scale AI and those encountering challenges in its deployment. The report offers strategies to close this gap by drawing on real-world examples.

The report titled “Proof over Promise: Insights on Real-World AI Adoption from 2025 MINDS Organizations,” was created in partnership with Accenture. It compiles insights from the MINDS program, which highlights impactful AI applications worldwide, analyzing numerous cases from over 30 countries and spanning 20 industries such as healthcare and energy. An independent council of experts identified key trends in successful AI use, including integrating AI into decision-making, enhancing human-AI collaboration, improving data management, modernizing technology, and ensuring governance.

According to Stephan Mergenthaler from the World Economic Forum, many organizations are unsure how to harness AI’s potential. The showcased cases illustrate the transformation possible when ambition meets operational change, and the report serves as a practical guide for others to follow similar paths. Manish Sharma from Accenture added that leveraging AI effectively requires organized data and processes along with human creativity to maximize investment returns. He encourages organizations to develop clear plans focused on responsible innovation for AI implementation and scaling.

The Forum also announced the second cohort of MINDS, comprising 20 organizations pioneering high-impact AI solutions in areas like disease detection and energy optimization. Applications for the third MINDS cohort are now open, inviting public and private organizations to apply by demonstrating the impact and novelty of their AI projects. Selections will be made by an independent council following a shortlisting process by the Forum.

The report lists exemplary organizations from both the first and second cohorts of MINDS, classified by various sectors. In the information technology sector, companies like AMD and Synopsys improved chip-design productivity through AI, while KPMG and SAP accelerated enterprise migrations using an AI copilot. In energy management, firms like Horizon Power developed an AI for weather forecasting that significantly enhanced energy market predictions.

Improvements in battery manufacturing were noted as CATL automated designs and significantly cut research cycles. For global health, Ant Group created a multimodal health platform achieving high diagnostic accuracy. Robotics innovations included Hyundai’s developments in autonomous robots that optimize performance and efficiency.

In financial services, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China improved decision-making and profits through a large-scale financial model. Retail advancements included PepsiCo’s implementation of smart factory technology, reducing waste and saving costs, while Wumart streamlined operations with real-time AI.

In chemical and scientific discoveries, companies like Deep Principle automated materials simulations efficiently, and UCSF accelerated Parkinson’s drug research significantly. Engineering case studies highlighted Hitachi Rail’s AI analytics for transportation efficiency and Fujitsu’s AI agents reducing supply chain costs substantially.

In advanced manufacturing, firms like Foxconn automated workflows efficiently and Siemens implemented visual inspection systems to save operational costs. Socially, Tech Mahindra’s multilingual AI systems enhanced digital services across diverse regions, benefiting millions of users.

“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.

“Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.

“For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family.

“The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.

“Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade.

“But I believe the truth always comes out.

“My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.

“My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.

“Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children.

“They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.

“During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me ‘evil’ because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands.

“Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.

“The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was ‘not blood’ and ‘not family’.

“Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.

“Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last Summer.

“My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song.

“In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead.

“She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.

“We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.

“My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one.

“My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.

“Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him.

“He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner.

“When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face.

“Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.

“My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first.

“Family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations.

“We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show “our perfect family.”

“But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.

“The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety.

“For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief.

“My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation.

“All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.”

WASHINGTON — A stunning military intervention in Venezuela. Telling the New York Giants which coach to hire. Threats against Iran, Denmark, Greenland and Colombia. Posing with someone else’s Nobel Peace Prize. Dangling the potential of deploying U.S. troops in Minneapolis. Flipping off a critic. Announcing an aggressive round of tariffs. Threatening political enemies.

For President Trump, this blizzard was just the first half of January.

If a president’s most valuable currency is time, Trump operates as if he has an almost limitless supply, ever willing to share no matter the day, the hour or the circumstance.

He’s rewritten the role of the presidency in a divided country, commanding constant attention with little regard for consequences. For all his talk about strength, his approach leans more toward virality than virility with social media as his primary accelerant.

“The president exists loudly,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “The president will play with fire. I haven’t seen him yet play with live hand grenades, but I’ve seen him come damn close. That’s just the way he is, and it’s not going to change.”

At least Trump thanks you in the process.

During his second term, the Republican president has signed off of his social media post with the catchphrase “thank you for your attention to this matter” 242 times, according to data compiled by Roll Call Factbase. For good measure, he often uses all capital letters and a few exclamation points.

Trump’s decades of seeking attention

He has spent decades seeking attention, first in the New York tabloids and later as a reality television star. Attention, positive or negative, is its own reward. In the attention economy, Trump is what Wall Street might call a market maker.

The gambits often have a tenuous relationship with truth and sometimes involve misogyny or racism. They can step on the administration’s other priorities and don’t always bend political realities in Trump’s favor (see affordability concerns and the Epstein files ).

But they’re hard to ignore.

“He’s saying hello to you in the morning, and he says good night to you at the end of the day,” Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said. “You’re never not going to hear from him.”

In his second term, he observed even fewer constraints on where to assert his presence, with a fondness for sports. During September alone, Trump attended three major sporting events around New York City. His visit to the U.S. Open final forced long security lines and delayed the start of the match. The crowd — dominated by New York’s elite — booed him, but that didn’t matter. He was still on the stadium’s big screen and all over social media.

That’s where some of the biggest changes during Trump’s second term have unfolded.

During his first administration, many Silicon Valley leaders were cold — or outright hostile — to Trump. He was banned from platforms including Twitter and Facebook after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The leaders of those companies are now openly allied with Trump or at least friendly with him. Twitter is now named X and owned by Elon Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency during the first months of the second term and has returned to the president’s orbit after a brief falling-out. Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg were among the technology executives who attended Trump’s inauguration last year.

AI quickly produces memes and videos

Trump, who’s not known to use a computer, this time has his own social media platform, where his team relies on fresh artificial intelligence technology to quickly produce memes and videos that keep the president at the forefront of the online conversation. Those posts often veer into crude territory, such as one in October that showed him wearing a crown, flying a plane, dumping excrement on his opponents.

“The social media we’re talking about in Trump’s second term is not the social media of Trump’s first term,” said Nolan Higdon, a lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he focuses on critical media literacy.

For now, there are few brakes on Trump’s impulses.

House Speaker Mike Johnson brushed off the excrement post as “satire.” Vice President JD Vance, a devout Catholic, has defended Trump’s posts, including one depicting him as the pope. In an interview with Vanity Fair, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles described Trump, who doesn’t drink, as possessing an “alcoholic’s personality,” meaning he “operates (with) a view that there’s nothing he can’t do.”

Indeed, his approach has been remarkably successful in achieving the disruption he seeks to impose in the U.S. and abroad. He uses social media as a weapon, warning of aid that will be cut off to states that resist him. His posts regarding Greenland and Denmark sparked a genuine diplomatic crisis and raised questions about the long-term sustainability of NATO.

The two nagging exceptions revolve around Epstein and affordability.

After telling his supporters to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein,” he eventually gave in to congressional pressure and signed a bill that earned overwhelming support on Capitol Hill calling for the files to be made public. The Justice Department has already missed deadlines for the release, and Democrats including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois have said the flurry of news this month has amounted to a distraction from the Epstein issue.

Trump has similarly struggled to convince the public that he understands and is responding to their concerns about high prices. After calling affordability challenges a “Democratic hoax,” he has tried to take action, including delivering a prime-time address last month. But that speech and more recent efforts, including the mortgage rate push, were quickly drowned by the deluge of more jarring news.

Indeed, a Michigan visit last week to talk about affordability may ultimately be best remembered for images of Trump delivering an obscene gesture at someone who was yelling at him from afar.

Trump’s central challenge

That underscores Trump’s central challenge heading into an election year that will test his grip on power. While his hard-line approach may delight supporters, it does less to convince a broader swath of Americans that he’s an effective president.

Approval of Trump’s handling of most issues is low, but health care stands out as a particular weakness for him. Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults approved of the way he was handling health care, according to a December AP-NORC poll. That was slightly lower than his overall approval. He’s also slipped on immigration since the start of his second term, when this stood out as a relative strength. According to a January AP-NORC poll, about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of his performance on immigration, down from about half of Americans toward the beginning of his first term.

Meanwhile, Democrats are taking stronger steps toward winning American attention spans. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, hosts a podcast and taunts Trump by mocking him on social media.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is perhaps the most successful Democrat to translate a digital media machine into political success. Over the course of about a year, the 34-year-old went from a relatively unknown state lawmaker to the leader of the nation’s largest city by introducing himself to voters with videos that showed him in unscripted environments, like the course of the New York City marathon.

“They’re learning not to impose an old framework on a new paradigm,” said Basil Smikle, a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party and a professor at Columbia University.

The long-term question is whether Trump has fundamentally changed the presidency. Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary under then-President George W. Bush, said Trump “is the definition of unique” and predicted that the next president — regardless of party — will communicate differently.

“Whoever succeeds him,” Fleischer said, “the velocity of the presidency will slow down.”

Sloan writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.

From Bill Plaschke: Now, do you believe?

Finally, do you understand?

The Rams are going to win the Super Bowl.

Period. No conditions. No debate. It’s been written here before and, after Sunday, it literally bears writing again.

The Rams are going to win the Super Bowl.

Sunday gave it life. Sunday made it real. Sunday was the test that all championship teams must pass, and the Rams did so with frozen hands and puffy faces and a will that wailed.

How they beat the Chicago Bears in a divisional playoff game at a frigid, snowy Soldier Field in front of a bundled-up crowd going bananas, heaven only knows.

How they did so while blowing a lead on a last-minute miracle pass and then nearly botching the game on an overtime drive, even heaven surely has no idea.

But they did it, somehow, some way, swear to Stafford, they did it, winning 20-17 in overtime with an outcome that could be described in one word.

Puka Nacua was bouncing and gesturing and shouting that word during the on-field postgame interview.

“Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”

Yeah, they’re now headed for Seattle for next week’s NFC championship game against the Seahawks.

And, yeah, this is the same Seahawks team that they beat in November in Los Angeles, the same Seahawks team they led by 16 points in the fourth quarter just a couple of weeks ago in Seattle before losing in overtime.

There will be no such collapse again. The Rams are tougher now. They’re more resilient now. After Sunday, they believe that they can survive anything now.

Continue reading here

NFL playoffs schedule

All times Pacific

Conference championships

Sunday

AFC

Noon

No. 2 New England at No. 1 Denver (CBS, Paramount+)

NFC

3:30 p.m.

No. 5 Rams at No. 1 Seattle (FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes)

Super Bowl

Sunday, Feb. 8, 3:30 p.m., NBC, Peacock

Will UCLA be forced to stay at the Rose Bowl?

Will UCLA football be playing at the Rose Bowl next season?

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

From Ben Bolch: If legal scholars were setting a betting line on Rose Bowl v. UCLA, it might be a pick’em.

It’s possible that a judge or arbitrator in the high-stakes breach-of-contract case awards monetary damages to the Rose Bowl and the City of Pasadena based on a prediction of lost revenue over the length of a lease that runs through June 2044, freeing the Bruins to abandon their longtime football home for SoFi Stadium.

In another scenario, that judge or arbitrator considers the possibility of wild success under new coach Bob Chesney leading to a packed stadium and figures there’s no way to reasonably calculate damages, given that the team’s longstanding attendance woes don’t provide a reliable blueprint for future revenue. In that instance, UCLA most likely would be forced to stay at the Rose Bowl.

“I don’t think that it’s a sure thing either way,” said Russell Korobkin, a UCLA law professor who specializes in contracts and was one of three legal experts who spoke with The Times about the case. “I wouldn’t want to be betting on the outcome.”

Continue reading here

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza dives across the goal line for a touchdown during the Hoosiers’ 27-21 win over Miami for the College Football Playoff national championship on Monday night.

(Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

From the Associated Press: Fernando Mendoza bulldozed his way into the end zone and Indiana bullied its way into the history books Monday night, toppling Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season and the national title.

The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his tackle-breaking, sprawled-out 12-yard touchdown run on fourth and four with 9:18 left that defined this game — and the Hoosiers’ season.

Indiana would not be denied.

“I had to go airborne,” said Mendoza, who had his lip split and his arm bloodied by a ferocious Miami defense that sacked him three times and hit him many more. “I would die for my team.”

Mendoza’s touchdown gave turnaround artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 24-14 lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied charge by the hard-hitting Hurricanes, who came to life in the second half behind 112 yards and two scores from Mark Fletcher but never took the lead.

Continue reading here

Luka Doncic named NBA All-Star Game starter

Lakers star Luka Doncic celebrates against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 2.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From Broderick Turner: Lakers guard Luka Doncic was voted as a Western Conference starter for the NBA’s All-Star team, becoming the 15th player in NBA history to earn six All-Star selections before the age of 27.

Doncic, who received his fifth starting nod, leads the league in scoring (33.3), is fourth in assists (8.6), is making 46.4% of his shots and is hitting 33.7% of his three pointers.

He received the most votes of the All-Stars with 3,402,967.

The other West starters are Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.

Continue reading here

Clippers surge past Wizards for their sixth straight win

Clippers star James Harden, center, drives to the basket in front of Washington’s Justin Champagnie, left, and Alex Sarr during the Clippers’ 110-106 win Monday.

(Nick Wass / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: James Harden scored 36 points, and when he finally missed a couple big free throws in the final seconds, the ball came right back to him as the Clippers edged the Washington Wizards 110-106 on Monday for their sixth straight victory.

Harden made two free throws with 36.9 seconds left to give the Clippers a 108-106 lead, and after the teams traded scoreless possessions, Kyshawn George missed a three-pointer for Washington. Harden was fouled with 5.9 seconds left. At that point, he was 16 for 16 from the line, but he missed both free throws.

The Wizards couldn’t secure the rebound, and the ball bounced back to Harden, who was fouled again. This time he made both shots to seal the win.

Washington has lost seven straight.

Continue reading here

Clippers-Wizards box score

NBA scores

NBA standings

USWNT prospects will get their chance to shine

Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune celebrates after scoring in a NWSL semifinal against Portland in November. Bethune is among the players who likely will see playing time Saturday in an international friendly between the U.S. and Paraguay on Saturday.

(John McDonnell / Associated Press)

From Kevin Baxter: When Emma Hayes took the reins of the women’s national soccer team in 2024, one of her first goals was to plumb the depths of the team’s talent pool. She knew what she had on the surface with veterans such as Rose Lavelle, Naomi Girma, Lindsey Heaps and Trinity Rodman. But what about the players under them? Who could step in in case of injury, absence or a lack of form?

Twenty months later, Hayes still hasn’t reached the bottom of that pool, making this month’s training camp in Carson an important one with World Cup qualifying looming in the fall.

“Some of the pool players are going to get an opportunity to shine,” she said. “Some are high-potential prospects. I think about Hal Hershfelt or Croix Bethune, players who have not had a lot of opportunity with us. I get a chance to really see where they’re at.

“My message is these players really have to take these opportunities because they will become few and far between.”

Continue reading here

Ducks extend their winning streak

Ducks forward Mason McTavish, center, celebrates with teammates Drew Helleson, right, and Ryan Strome after scoring in the first period of a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers at Honda Center on Monday night.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Alex Killorn broke a second-period tie, newcomer Jeffrey Viel scored his first goal of the season and the Ducks beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Monday night.

Cutter Gauthier scored twice on his 22nd birthday — the second into an empty net in the final minute — to push his season total to 22. Mason McTavish also scored to help lift the Ducks to their fourth victory in a row following a nine-game losing streak.

Lukas Dostal made 19 saves, surviving a wild scramble on a late 21-second two-man advantage.

Continue reading here

Ducks-Rangers box score

NHL scores

NHL standings

This day in sports history

1891 — The International YMCA in Springfield, Mass. is the site of the first official basketball game. Peach baskets were used, but it wasn’t until 1905 that someone removed the baskets’ bottoms.

1937 — Nels Stewart of the New York Americans becomes the NHL’s all-time scorer with his 270th goal in a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

1952 — George Mikan scores 61 points, a career-high, to lead the Minneapolis Lakers to a 91-81 double-overtime victory over the Rochester Royals.

1966 — Ted Williams, longtime star of the Boston Red Sox, is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Williams was a two time triple crown winner, a two time MVP and the last player to hit over .400 — despite losing five prime years to service in the Marine Corps.

1968 — Elvin Hayes scores 39 points to lead Houston to a 71-69 victory and end UCLA’s 47-game winning streak. A regular-season record 52,693 fans attend the game at the Houston Astrodome.

1970 — Cincinnati’s Tom Van Arsdale and Phoenix’s Dick Van Arsdale are the first brothers to play in the same NBA All-Star game. Dick scores eight points for the West team, while Tom scores five for the East, which wins the game 142-135 at Philadelphia.

1980 — President Carter announces the U.S. Olympic team will not participate in the Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous month.

1980 — Terry Bradshaw passes for 309 yards and sets two passing records to help the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 and become the first team to win four Super Bowls.

1985 — Joe Montana passes for a Super Bowl record 331 yards and three touchdowns to lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 38-16 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Roger Craig scores a record three touchdowns.

1996 — Rudy Galindo, in the biggest upset in decades, wins the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, earning two perfect marks along the way.

2001 — Alan Webb of South Lakes High School in Reston, Va., becomes the first American prep runner to break four minutes for the indoor mile, with a time of 3:59.86 at the New Balance Games in New York.

2002 — Steve Yzerman becomes the ninth player in NHL history to notch 1,000 assists, which he earns on Mathieu Dandenault’s game-winning goal when Detroit beats Ottawa 3-2 in overtime.

2007 — Utah coach Jerry Sloan passes Larry Brown for 4th on the NBA’s all-time win list (1,010) after the Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls, 95-85 at the United Center.

2008 — Despite a shaky Tom Brady, New England Patriots are too much for the banged-up San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship game, pulling out a 21-12 victory that sends them back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven seasons.

2008 — Lawrence Tynes, who missed a 36-yard field goal at the end of regulation following a bad snap, nails a 47-yarder in overtime to give the New York Giants a 23-20 win over Green Bay in the NFC championship at Lambeau Field. The Giants win their 10th straight on the road in the third-coldest championship game ever.

2013 — San Francisco’s Frank Gore runs for a pair of second-half touchdowns and the 49ers rebounds from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 in the NFC championship game.

2013 — Joe Flacco outduels Tom Brady, throwing three touchdown passes in the second half and leading the Baltimore Ravens to their first Super Bowl in 12 years with a 28-13 victory over the New England Patriots for the AFC championship.

2016 — Kathryn Smith is promoted by the Buffalo Bills to take over as special teams quality control coach, making her the first full-time female coach in the NFL.

2017 — Henrik Sedin had a goal for his 1,000th career point before Luca Sbisa scored the winner early in the third period to help Vancouver beat Florida 2-1. Sedin converted a pass from twin brother Daniel on a 2-on-1 rush for his 11th goal of the season. Henrik Sedin became the 85th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points, and the 38th to accomplish the feat with one franchise.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Jan. 20 (UPI) — Broad gun reform is coming to Australia after its parliament overwhelmingly passed a package of gun laws on Tuesday in response to last month’s Bondi Beach shooting.

Reforms include a plan for a national gun buyback program, more stringent background checks and limits on imports of firearms.

Australia undertook legislation to tighten its gun laws after 15 people were killed in a shooting at a Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Australia’s House of Representatives passed the gun reform package by a 96 to 45 vote. The package then passed the Senate.

Lawmakers returned to session two weeks early to discuss gun reform.

The shooters, 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram, 24, owned the guns used in the shooting legally. Officials say they were motivated by anti-Semitism.

Tony Burke, Australia’s Minister of Home Affairs, said the new laws passed by Parliament would have prevented the shooting.

There are about 4 million registered firearms in Australia. The new buyback program seeks to reduce that number.

Along with gun reform, Parliament passed a bill meant to curb hate speech. Critics of the bill say it could have a chilling effect on free speech.

“This bill will have a chilling and draconian effect on political debate, on protest, on civil rights and on people speaking up against human rights abuses perpetrated by Israel or any other nation-state,” Sen. Mehreen Faruqi, deputy leader of the Greens party, said.

Wildfires in Chile have wiped out entire towns, killing at least 20 people. Tens of thousands of others have been forced from their homes. Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman has been seeing the damage in one of the worst hit areas.

Netflix is a Joke returns to LA this May, shining a worldwide spotlight on stand-up comedy in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, the third installment of the sprawling event put on by Netflix announced the first wave of A-list comedians including Bill Burr, Ali Wong, Kevin Hart, Nikki Glaser and many more performing between May 4-10 at venues across LA. Though the fest itself has been cut down from 11 days to 6, the amount of talent jammed into that week doesn’t appear to have slimmed down much at all.

Hosting more than 350 live events, the festival taking place in comedy clubs across LA including the Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Hollywood Improv as well as major venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Intuit Dome and the Greek Theater. As per usual a mix of stand-up, variety shows, major comedy podcasts, tapings, exclusive events and screenings, and talent from various Netflix series and films will draw comedy fans from all over the world.

“What makes this fest so special is the sense of community—it’s a rare moment where the comedy industry and the fans come together in one place. We’re not just putting on shows; we’re creating one-of-a-kind experiences that celebrate the range, depth, and sheer brilliance of the comedy world right now,” said Tracey Pakosta, Netflix VP of Comedy Series.

So far other noteable performances on the bill include Mo Amer, Fred Armisen, Maria Bamford, Ralph Barbosa, Nate Bargatze, Ronny Chieng, Margaret Cho, Deon Cole, Larry David, Bert Kreischer, Nick Kroll, Bobby Lee, David Letterman, Lizzo, Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, Andrew Schulz, Iliza Shlesinger, Tom Segura, Jerry Seinfeld, Shaq, Taylor Tomlinson, Kill Tony, Mike Tyson, and Noah Wyle.

A few of the planned show highlights announced on Tuesday include “Night of Too Many Stars” hosted by Jon Stewart featuring A-list comics performing to raise money for benefit NEXT for Autism, a national organization providing programs and support for people living with autism.
The comedy competition show “Funny AF with Kevin Hart” seeking to find the next big comedian will begin streaming on Netflix April 20 and will hold its live semi-finals and finals during the festival. Bargatze is performing two nights at the Intuit Dome along with other major gigs from Colombian pop star Feid and Saturday Night Live’s Marcello Hernandez teaming up to bring together the largest Spanish language comedy show to the Hollywood Bowl in the venue’s history as well as a variety show tribute to the late Pee-Wee Herman.

“In just 4 years, Netflix Is a Joke Fest has grown into the world’s biggest celebration of comedy. This year, we’re bringing together legends, trailblazers, and the next generation of voices for an entire week of unforgettable moments across Los Angeles,” said Robbie Praw, Netflix VP of Stand-up and Comedy Formats. “From iconic stand-up shows and live podcast tapings to musical mashups and surprise events, the scope of this festival truly reflects the variety and excitement of comedy today. We’re thrilled to welcome fans from all over to experience the magic, energy, and laughter that only Netflix can deliver.”

Tickets for events across the festival will go on sale beginning at 10am PT on January 23rd. A full list of performances can be found on the festival’s website.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I think the price of a Dodger Dog might have just gone up a little.

In case you were vacationing on Mars and missed it, last week the Dodgers and free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker agreed to a four-year, $240-million contract. The deal lets Tucker opt out if he wishes after the second or third year. It also includes a $64-million signing bonus and $30 million of the total salary is deferred, reducing the net present value to a mere $57.1 million a year.

Last season with the Cubs, Tucker, who turned 29 Saturday, hit .266/.377/.464 with 23 doubles, 22 homers and 73 RBIs. He walked 87 times and struck out 88 times in 597 plate appearances. He was hampered throughout the middle of the season by a broken pinkie, which he played through. He spent part of September on injured reserve with a strained calf and hit .259 in the postseason, with one homer in eight games.

In his career (769 games), Tucker is hitting .273/.358/.507, finished fifth in NL MVP voting in 2023 when he led the league with 112 RBIs and has an OPS+ of 142, meaning he has been 42% better than the league average.

Does this make him worth $57.1 million a year? Probably not, but the Dodgers obviously have a lot, lot, lot, lot, lot, lot, lot, lot, lot more money than everyone else. So, this is probably like me or you paying someone $50 a day to paint our house.

No matter the money, he should be a big upgrade over Michael Conforto. Tucker’s downside is his injuries the last two seasons, as he played in only 78 games in 2023 because of a broken shin. But what Dodger plays a full season anymore? Not many.

This is your current Dodgers lineup:

DH-Shohei Ohtani
SS-Mookie Betts
1B-Freddie Freeman
C-Will Smith
RF-Kyle Tucker
LF-Teoscar Hernández
3B-Max Muncy
CF-Andy Pages
2B-Tommy Edman

That’s pretty decent.

Of course, we all know what’s going to happen. The Dodgers will go into spring training favored. Someone somewhere will write that they will win 120 games this season. Injuries will hit the pitching staff. The offense will go into a week-long slump. They will win 93-100 games and everyone will say what a disappointment the team is. But, they will win the World Series.

It’s like the third part of any trilogy. You know what is going to happen, the fun part is how entertaining they make it until the curtain falls.

But what does this mean for baseball?

Not long after the Tucker-Dodgers news broke, the artist formerly known as Twitter went into meltdown with fans of 29 other teams saying the Dodgers are ruining the sport by buying all the best players. This brings to mind several thoughts.

Before I get to that though, an admission: I grew up a Dodger fan. If I grew up in Kansas City as a fan of the Royals, would I feel the same way? I don’t know, it’s impossible to say. No matter how impartial we try to be, all of us bring our biases into situations, even if it is subconsciously.

I do find it comical when Yankees fans, or Mets fans, complain about the Dodgers.

So, the thoughts:

1. Shohei Ohtani did the Dodgers a huge favor when he agreed to only receive $2 million a year from his 10-year, $700-million deal, receiving the remaining $680 million in $68-million installments from 2034 to 2043, with no interest. His salary still counts for $46 million per season under the luxury tax, but that’s a far cry from $70 million. The Dodgers also bring in millions of dollars a year in endorsements from brands that want to advertise with the team Ohtani plays for. Is this unfair? I don’t see how it is. The Angels could have been doing the same thing, but they pretty much bungled the handling of Ohtani throughout his career.

2. The Dodgers paid a record $169.4 million in luxury tax overages in 2025. It will be even higher next season, unless they shed some salary. Some of that money is distributed to small market teams. Some of those team owners basically pocket the money rather than invest it and make their team better. It’s hard to blame the Dodgers for anything here.

3. Other teams had chances to sign Tucker. Reports are that the Mets offered four years, $220 million (with a $75-million signing bonus). The Blue Jays offered 10 years, $350 million. So, the Dodgers aren’t the only team offering large contracts to players. The day after the Tucker news, the Mets agreed to terms with free agent Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126-million deal.

4. This is interesting. Guess when this was written:

“Consider it Part XIV in a continuing series.

“So now comes this: The Dodgers’ payroll increase is so enormous, it’s dragging the rest of baseball with it into uncharted fiscal territory.

“Yahoo Sports estimates that Major League Baseball’s opening day payrolls will rise 7.1% this season and that more than half of the increase will come from the Dodgers alone.”

That appeared in The Times in 2013. So this is nothing new. Before the Dodgers, it was the Yankees.

The Dodgers signed Kirk Gibson to a large deal (for the era) before the 1988 season. Do you want to give the 1988 World Series title back? The Dodgers gave Orel Hershiser a huge contract. They lavished big contracts on Darryl Strawberry, Don Stanhouse and Dave Goltz. They gave a record deal to Kevin Brown. This has been going on for years. It’s now how much money you spend, it’s if you spend it smartly.

5. Tying into the previous item, the Dodgers now have the best front office leader in baseball in Andrew Friedman. He was in charge of the small-market Tampa Bay Rays from 2004 to 2014, and in that time, this team with few resources made the postseason four times and the World Series once. People would say “What could Friedman do with money?” Now we know.

6. The Dodgers aren’t breaking any rules. They are just playing the same game everyone else is. Yes, they have financial advantages, but why shouldn’t they play fairly within the established rules? It’s up to MLB and the players’ union to decide that something needs to change. And there will probably be a lockout after the 2026 season. Will it end up with a salary cap, meaning you won’t be able to sign a player if it puts you over the cap? People are predicting a long, ugly, protracted dispute. In the meantime, the Dodgers have the core of their team set for well past whenever baseball returns after the labor dispute.

7. The Dodgers were pretty much laughingstocks to many because they couldn’t win a World Series despite the high payroll. That all changed in 2024. So suddenly it’s bad?

8. The Padres were up 2-1 in the 2024 NLDS and could have knocked out the Dodgers. The Blue Jays were up 3-2 in the 2025 World Series and were one hit away from winning it all. Would that have changed the narrative?

9. Whenever I ask people for the “golden age” of baseball, they will frequently say “When Mickey Mantle played.” Or “When Sandy Koufax played.” Guess what, when Mantle played, the Yankees were in the World Series almost every year, and won most of them. When Koufax played (in his prime), the Dodgers were in the World Series three times in four years and won two of them. Most sports become popular when there is one team to root against. Usually it’s a New York-based team, or the New England Patriots, or the Boston Celtics. Now it’s the Dodgers. Last season’s World Series was the most watched since 2017. Ratings during the season for network/streaming broadcasts were up 12%. If what the Dodgers are doing is ruining baseball, a lot of people watching haven’t caught on.

10. The Dodgers draw the highest road attendance of any other team. If the Dodgers are ruining baseball, the fans in other cities sure seem to want to watch them do it.

11. What are the Dodgers supposed to do, say, “This isn’t fair, so we are going to stop trying to improve our team?”

We’ll stop there. There are many pros and cons to the issue. So let’s ask you, Are the Dodgers ruining baseball?

Vote here and let us know.

Clayton Kershaw is back!

OK, that may have been a little misleading. Kershaw is not coming back to the Dodgers, or the MLB. He is however going to be on Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.

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

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

In case you missed it

Dodgers go deep again by striking deal with Kyle Tucker, as much of the baseball world cries foul

Plaschke: Dodgers’ ruination of baseball continues with Kyle Tucker, and it’s a beautiful thing

Dodgers’ scorching offseason continues by landing star outfielder Kyle Tucker

One last roundup for Clayton Kershaw: He’ll pitch in World Baseball Classic

Why $100 million in endorsements says Shohei Ohtani is the global face of sport

And finally

Vin Scully‘s call of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

MY boys are all big eaters and keeping everyone fed and watered while we’re on holiday can quickly add up. 

So when I spotted the all-inclusive deal recently launched by holiday chain Parkdean, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. 

After all, what parent isn’t up for getting away from meal prep and cleaning dishes for a bit?

And with prices starting at £100 per adult and £40 per child for three cooked meals a day and unlimited hot and soft drinks, it’s a no-brainer if you want to take a break from the kitchen on your midweek stay.

We visited Parkdean Summerfields just above Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, a lovely little site with welcoming staff and a short walk from the golden sands of Scratby beach.

Just around the corner is sister site California Cliffs, whose facilities are also open to guests at Summerfields.

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We made the most of the pool activities, including aqua paddlers and inflatables, and my six-year-old enjoyed all the kids’ entertainment on offer, as well as the free soft play above the Boathouse restaurant.

Instead of the running buffet you often find with all-inclusive packages, dishes from the Boathouse menu are made to order and brought to your table.

Even as a vegetarian, I was spoilt for choice and had four different evening meals including curry, noodles, pizza and pasta, plus multiple options for lunch and breakfast. 

The boys cleared their plates every meal and declared the curly fries to be the biggest hit of the week.

My teenager probably racked up £100 worth of Costa hot chocolates over the course of our stay, before he’d even eaten any food. 

If you’ve got a tween with an adult appetite, you could consider forking out for the adult meal tariff, as my 11-year-old found some of the options on the children’s menu to be a bit small for him.

One thing I love about the Parkdean offer is that you don’t need to sign everyone on your booking up for the all-inclusive deal.

If some of your party would rather self-cater or pay-per-meal to eat out, that’s fine.

So you’re only paying for those who will make full use of the food and drink package.

While the all-inclusive was launched at selected sites for just a few weeks in the autumn, it’s back with a bang at 42 Parkdean sites this spring.

With so much to love about this deal, the one thing I reckon needs a rethink is the name.

If you’re used to all-inclusive staples found at hotels abroad, such as unlimited alcohol and an all-you-can-eat buffet, you’ll need to adjust your expectations a bit.

You’ll pay extra for booze, branded kids’ drinks like Fruit Shoots, starters and desserts, so calling the Parkdean package something like bites, brews and bubbles included might make it clearer exactly what you’re getting for your money.

And anyone with littlies, stashing a box of cereal at the caravan for early starts is the way to go – my six-year-old usually tucks into breakfast by 7am, so waiting another couple of hours to be fed would be a bit of an ask for him. 

There seems to be variations on the all-inclusive offer popping up around the UK now, after highly rated Potters Resorts in Essex and Norfolk pioneered the concept, particularly after the pandemic.

Some of the big family staycay names like Butlin’s have taken up the baton, launching a drinks package that includes beer, wine, spirits and cocktails on some breaks, starting at £25.95 per adult per day and £10.50 per child aged 6 to 14 per day.

Added to a half-board meal plan, you can prepay for all your drinks and most of your food, although you’ll still need to sort your own lunch… so it’s not quite the all-inclusive you’d encounter on a fly and flop holiday abroad.

Parkdean’s pared-back plan might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re happy with no alcohol but meals and drinks, it could easily become a staycay mainstay in your holiday calendar.

Jan. 20 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday over Hawaii’s so-called vampire rule gun law that requires people to ask permission before bringing firearms onto private property.

The Supreme Court will mull whether the “vampire rule” gun law violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The law was enacted as part of a larger package of gun reforms, including a ban on concealed firearms in places like schools, bars and other public places.

The law is referred to as the “vampire rule,” drawing from a trope in vampire fiction that vampires must be given permission by property owners to enter.

For a gun owner to carry a firearm on private property that is generally open to the public, they must receive express permission from the property owner.

The law has been challenged by a group of gun owners who argue that prohibiting guns in public spaces owned by private entities by default is unconstitutional. They say it should be up to the property owners to decide if guns are not permitted on their properties.

Hawaii is not the first state to have a law that does not allow firearms to be carried on private property without permission. New York, New Jersey, California and Maryland have similar laws.

Hawaii’s law applies to a host of private properties that are otherwise open to the public, including stores, restaurants and gas stations. Violating the law can carry a sentence of up to a year in prison.

The conservative majority in the Supreme Court has often ruled in favor of the rights of gun owners. In 2022, the high court’s Bruen decision struck down a New York law that required people to demonstrate a proper cause to carry a handgun in public outside of self-defense.

Hawaii’s state officials say their law adheres to the Bruen ruling.

Actor and comedian Russell Brand has been granted bail after being accused of two further sex offences, including rape.

The 50-year-old appeared via video link from the US for the six-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday afternoon. Wearing a partially unbuttoned denim shirt, he spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

Brand previously denied two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault in relation to alleged offences between 1999 and 2005, involving four women.

The two latest offences are one for rape and one for sexual assault, with are both alleged to have taken place in London in 2009, according to court documents.

Brand will appear at Southwark Crown Court on 17 February.

In relation to the five original charges, a trial is scheduled to begin at Southwark Crown Court later this year.

Detectives began investigating allegations into Brand which came to light following reporting from the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches in September 2023.

Brand, who was born in Essex, rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother’s Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations including BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.

He went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek.

Netflix Inc. reached an amended, all-cash agreement to buy Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.’s studio and streaming business as it battles Paramount Skydance Corp. to acquire one of Hollywood’s most iconic entertainment companies.

Netflix, which previously agreed to pay $27.75 a share in cash and stock for the Warner assets, will pay the full amount in cash, according to a filing confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report on the revised terms. Warner Bros. plans to call a special meeting of shareholders to approve the deal. Netflix said stockholders should be able to vote on the transaction by April.

The changes are designed to expedite a sale and address claims by Paramount that its $30-a-share cash tender offer — for all of Warner, including cable channels like CNN and TNT — is superior. Paramount, the parent of CBS and MTV, has been urging investors to tender their shares.

The battle for Warner Bros., known for films from Casablanca to Batman, is one of the biggest media deals in years and has the power to reshape the entertainment industry. Paramount has been aggressively pursuing Warner Bros. since September, while streaming leader Netflix emerged as a surprise suitor, entering the chase after Warner Bros. put itself up for sale in October.

The new terms neutralize one of the primary criticisms from Paramount: that the stock portion of the Netflix offer makes its bid inferior. Netflix’s shares have lost 29% since its pursuit of Warner Bros. came to light. Paramount shares have also declined about 29% over that time.

The Warner Bros. board “continues to support and unanimously recommend our transaction, and we are confident that it will deliver the best outcome for stockholders, consumers, creators and the broader entertainment community,” Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive officer of Netflix, said in a statement.

Paramount shares were down about 1% in premarket trading in New York. Netflix was up 1.4%.

Warner Bros. also addressed another criticism by outlining how it values its cable networks, which would be spun off to its stockholders in a separate company called Discovery Global.

Warner Bros. has spurned multiple offers from Paramount. Its unwanted suitor has threatened to launch a proxy fight and has sued to force Warner Bros. to disclose more information about the Netflix bid and the value of the cable properties.

Warner Bros.’ advisers value the cable networks from as little as 72 cents a share to as much as $6.86 a share, according to the filing. Paramount has claimed those properties have no value even though cable networks account for most of its own sales and profit.

Under the spinoff plans, Discovery Global would have $17 billion of debt as of June 30, 2026, decreasing to $16.1 billion by the end of the year. Warner and Netflix also amended the agreement so that Discovery Global will have $260 million less debt than initially planned as a result of stronger-than-expected cash flow last year.

The filing projects 2026 revenue of $16.9 billion for the new Discovery Global networks and adjusted earnings of $5.4 billion before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

The latest proposal addresses Wall Street’s concerns around Netflix’s declining share value and speeds up a shareholder vote, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Geetha Ranganathan wrote. It also raises the stakes for Paramount to increase its offer, something it has repeatedly refused to do. It may take a bid of more than $32 a share to sway the Warner Bros. board at this point, she said.

Netflix has lined up more debt from Wall Street banks to help finance its amended agreement. The company now has $42.2 billion of bridge loans in place, according to a filing Tuesday, a type of facility that is usually replaced with permanent debt like corporate bonds.

A combination of Warner Bros. and Netflix would marry two of the world’s biggest streaming providers, with some 450 million combined subscribers, and provide Netflix with a deep library of programming to counter challengers like Walt Disney Co. and Amazon.com Inc. Hollywood labor unions and movie theater owners have expressed concern that the deal will hurt their members and businesses.

Sarandos and Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters told investors at a UBS conference on Dec. 8 that they’re “super confident” their deal will be approved. Leaders of Netflix and Warner Bros. were in Europe last week meeting with regulators to convince them of the merits of a deal.

Netflix is scheduled to report fourth-quarter financial results on Tuesday after markets close.

David Ellison, Paramount’s CEO, has argued that a merger with his company would preserve a more traditional Hollywood structure and keep some of Warner Bros.’ legacy intact. He has posited that his all-cash offer, backed by his family trust, is financially superior and says it would have an easier time getting approved by regulators.

Ellison has been mounting an offensive of his own but has yet to convince the Warner Bros. board or an overwhelming majority of the company’s shareholders. Institutional investors are divided and have called for Paramount to increase its offer.

Shaw and Davis write for Bloomberg.

Published on
20/01/2026 – 15:40 GMT+1

European wine industry leaders said on Tuesday that United States President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 200% tariffs on French wine if Paris does not join the “Board of Peace” for Gaza must be handled “with composure”, insisting the issue goes beyond the wine sector itself.

The wine and spirits sector has been at the centre of EU-US trade tensions since Trump’s return to power in 2025, with the US remaining the top export market for EU producers.

Negotiations over exemptions from the 15% US tariffs imposed under last summer’s EU-US trade deal had been dragging on, before the agreement itself was thrown into question this weekend by MEPs after Trump renewed his threats over Greenland.

“These are geopolitical issues that go beyond the sectoral stakes of wines and spirits,” the French Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters (FEVS) said in a statement published on Tuesday. “As regards trade policy, this is an exclusive competence of the European Union. The issue must therefore be addressed at the European level, in a united and coordinated manner, and spoken with a single voice.”

Trump escalated tensions on Monday night, threatening a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne after an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron said France “does not intend” to accept an invitation to join the Gaza “Board of Peace” Trump is proposing.

“I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join, but he doesn’t have to join,” Trump told reporters.

Industry looks to Davos for a breakthrough

French wine producers are hoping talks in Davos this week between US, French and European leaders will help defuse the crisis.

“These statements by the President of the United States must be taken seriously, but with composure,” Gabriel Picard, President of the FEVS, said.

Industry representatives in Brussels echoed that stance.

“When we talk about wine, we are talking about terroir products, very well-known brands; it is an iconic product in France as well as in Europe,” Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, Secretary General of the European Committee of Wine Companies, told Euronews, explaining why the sector has been a frequent target in the EU-US trade dispute over the past year.

Trump had already singled out the EU wine and spirits industry in 2025, with the sector viewing itself as collateral damage of deteriorating transatlantic relations.

The EU-US trade deal struck last summer does not grant wines and spirits an exemption from the 15% US tariffs, despite efforts by the European Commission to secure special treatment.

The sector is considered strategic, with the US remaining the leading export destination for EU wine and spirits.

Sánchez Recarte noted that while wine exports to the US were particularly strong last year – accounting for 29% of EU exports – the surge was partly driven by US companies building up inventories ahead of new tariffs, and results later in the year were more concerning.

“After the EU-US trade deal, in July-August, we are seeing a significant decrease in the average value of exported wines,” he said.

Exports of the EU spirits sector alone fell by 25% between August and November 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to Eurostat.