How Ariana Grande ‘blind-sided’ pals with Ethan Slater split
AFTER taking a break from music to focus on her acting career, Ariana Grande made a triumphant return to the stage this weekend.
She kicked off her first tour in seven years with a show in Oakland, California, in front of 20,000 fans. In August, she will play ten sold-out nights at London’s O2 Arena. But among the celebrations, she’s sparked concerns from those close to her, who have been blindsided by the news of her break-up with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater.
In a cruel twist of fate, hours after she wrapped up that first show, news broke that she had split from Ethan after three years together.
After being burned multiple times while growing up in the spotlight,
I’m told Ariana keeps her circle so small that many in her wider team
had no idea she was single once more.
A source tells me: “Some artists have Zoom calls with their wider teams
almost weekly to keep everyone across what is happening in their lives, in case stories break.
“But with Ariana, it’s all on a need-to-know basis.
“She fully understands the interest in her life and openly channels
her personal experiences into her music and art, but at the same time,
she has no desire to give a running commentary about what goes on
off-stage.
“Her break-up with Ethan is a prime example of that.
“Many of her wider team thought they were still together until the
news broke.
“There has been no big ‘gotcha’ moment; things have simply
run their course.”
To make matters worse for the superstar, the toxic side of the
internet immediately began to speculate en masse about Ari’s body
image during her latest performance.
It is a topic she has repeatedly asked fans to drop and was so upset by previous speculation about weight loss that she felt forced to speak out online.
Posting on TikTok in 2023, Ariana said: “I just wanted to address your
concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to be
paid such close attention to.
“The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the
unhealthiest version of my body.
“I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating
poorly, and at the lowest point of my life, when I looked the way you
consider me healthy.
“But that in fact wasn’t my healthy. You never know what someone is
going through, so be gentle with each other.”
Ari also used the lead single from her 2024 album to tell fans to back off.
On Yes, And? she sings: “My face is sitting, I don’t need no disguise.
Don’t comment on my body, do not reply. Your business is yours, and
mine is mine.”
She added in November 2024: “I love my fans. I love them always, but I
think they can sometimes hurt my feelings, and sometimes I don’t like
them — but I love them always.”
In my experience, Ariana has always been sweet and kind.
I met Ariana when she was attending the 2025 Baftas. That year, the glitzy bash was brimming with A-list stars, with Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Cynthia Erivo, Pamela Anderson, and Demi Moore all in attendance.
Despite arguably being the biggest name in the room, Ari seemed almost
overwhelmed by the hysteria around her and was surprisingly shy.
When I was making my way to an unplanned toilet break after enjoying one too many glasses of bubbles, I bumped into Ari being escorted to another part of the venue for official photos.
It was just her, her chaperone, and me in our part of the corridor. Being a fan, I shamelessly saw my chance and took it.
Keen not to make eye contact with her security, who I knew would
rebuff my request, I smiled at the superstar, quickly telling her how
I had supported her career for years and asked for a selfie.
Ariana immediately took pity on me, thanking me and saying “of course” to a quick snap.
Clearly on a tight schedule, her chaperone tried to move her on.
“No, no, it’s okay,” she sweetly told him, before we got into position
and posed for a few pictures.
After a brief chat about the evening ahead, where she was nominated for
Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Glinda in
Wicked, we went our separate ways.
Someone at her level could easily be cold and uninterested—believe me,
I’ve met enough stars like that over the years.
But despite a decade of torrid luck, Ariana clearly hasn’t let the industry jade her.
Ari has endured more in the last few years than most of us will in a lifetime.
In 2017, 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured when her concert at the Manchester Arena was bombed in a horrific terror attack.
The following year, her former boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, tragically died from an accidental overdose shortly after their break-up.
The singer then endured intense, highly unfair harassment from online
trolls blaming his passing on her.
While reps insist there was no overlap in either relationship, the fact that both she and Ethan were married when they first met on the set of Wicked fuelled the rumour mill once again.
As is so often the case, it was Ariana, the woman, who became the
lightning rod for abuse, while Ethan largely escaped scot-free.
The Wicked press tours were also pounced on as an opportunity for mass
speculation about her changing image.
Speaking to the Sun, fashion designer and singer Laura Marshall says:
“Often changes in body image aren’t surface-level; they are the side
effects of a deeper pain that manifests in control.
“Being questioned in this way makes it so much worse.
“Speculating doesn’t help. Judging doesn’t help. Showing kindness and compassion is the only way to handle it.”
Before her split from Ethan, Ariana had finally begun to find inner
peace and confidence once more.
Her eighth album, Petal, is set for release on July 31, penned about
finding life again after something “cold and challenging.”
Ariana explained: “Petal is something that is full of life and growing
through the cracks of something cold and hard and challenging.
“It’s definitely from a place where I have been maybe too shy or
polite to tap into before. This kind of just feels like, ‘f*** it.’
“It was about breaking up with all different kinds of negative
attachments—whether it’s my own monsters in my own head, external
voices, or things that no longer serve me.”
The lead single, Hate That I Made You Love Me, has already given Ari
her eighth UK No.1 single since 2020’s Positions.
I can’t imagine having to go on stage while navigating a break-up at
any point, let alone performing a show explicitly based on my own past
heartbreaks and traumas.
And the new show has it all.
A truly spectacular pop concert packed with hit after hit,
interspersed with thought-provoking interludes hinting at Ariana Grande’s turbulent past decade.
The production is based on her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, which
chronicled the breakdown of her marriage to Dalton Gomez and her finding love with actor Ethan Slater.
During the opening night, she broke down in tears, seemingly overcome
with emotion at being back on stage after previously admitting she
thought she would never tour again.
I hope for Ari’s sake that spectators and fans think twice before
speculating en masse as she continues to take to stages around the
world.
After everything she’s been through, the fact that she even wants to
perform is remarkable. At the very least, she deserves kindness.
Airports that choose not to recognise ‘Sunflower Lanyards’ as of June 2026
People with hidden disabilities tend to use this as a way of making others aware
Hundreds of airports and airlines do recognise the lanyards(Image: Getty)
Travel can be made easier for some people living with an invisible disability or health condition by wearing a ‘Sunflower Lanyard’. Hundreds of airports around the world recognise it and what it may mean for some passengers – but not every airport is the same.
The Sunflower Lanyard isn’t recognised everywhere. Although many airlines and airports around the world support it, some international airports and locations ask you to use their own specific hidden disability programs or badges to get access to special fast-track lanes, priority boarding, or customised assistance.
Employees at participating venues are trained to recognise the lanyard and offer specific help, such as using simpler language, giving you extra time to process information, or guiding you to a quieter space. But, not every part of the world will instantly recognise or understand the lanyard.
On the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website, it says: “It’s a misconception that people living with a disability don’t want to, or can’t travel. They do and they can. Globally, one billion people live with some sort of disability, and while some experience a disability that is visible, for many it is not visible.”
The system is designed for any condition that isn’t immediately obvious to others, including conditions like neurodivergence, mental health, sensory impairments, and chronic conditions, to name a few. The lanyard does not reveal your specific medical condition or disability.
What parts of the world accept and follow the Sunflower system?
According to the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website, hundreds of airports and airlines do recognise the lanyards. As of April 2026, the number was around 325 – but checking the specific airport’s accessibility page can give more details such as finding out if staff can provide free Sunflower lanyards and where to collect them.
Because the lanyard operates on an “opt-in” basis for businesses, an airport will not recognise it unless its staff have been explicitly trained to do so. Holiday hotspot Spain made headlines because its airport authority (Aena) rolled out its own alternative system.
Most other non-participating airports simply do not recognise the lanyard at all, instead of replacing it with a local version. Outside of a few specific exceptions (such as Singapore Changi, Tokyo Haneda, and select major airports in India), the scheme is not widely adopted or understood by security staff across Asia and Africa.
What isthesystem
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard system is an initiative that allows people to discreetly let others know that they have a non-visible disability and may need additional support, time, or help. Wearing the bright green lanyard that features yellow sunflowers indicates to trained staff that you have a hidden condition.
Anyone who feels they have a non-visible disability can use the lanyard. You do not need to show medical records or a doctor’s letter to get or wear one.
The system is designed for any condition that isn’t immediately obvious to others, including conditions like neurodivergence, mental health, sensory impairments, and chronic conditions, to name a few. For more information, click here.
EasyJet’s best ‘sun-guaranteed’ destinations this summer
SUN, sea and bargains are three things that all of these destinations have in common.
easyJet has revealed its best cheap ‘sun-guaranteed’ holidays this summer with no rain – and you can bag package holidays for under £200.
Topping the list of cheap wet-weather escapes is Djerba in Tunisia.
It has zero rain over the summer months so if you want guaranteed sun, it’s the best place to visit.
The island off the coast of Tunisia has beautiful Mediterranean beaches and whitewashed desert towns to explore.
When Head of Sun Travel Lisa Minot visited the island last year, she headed to Erriadh.
Lisa said: “The small town sits at the centre of the island of Djerba —which was used as a filming location for Star Wars — just off the south coast of Tunisia.
“And at its heart is Djerbahood, the passion project of a famous French art gallery owner who convinced some of the world’s best street artists to travel to Djerba, and its inhabitants to allow their walls to be daubed.
“Now, more than 250 murals and sculptures have transformed the heart of the neighbourhood.”
Temperatures in July and August sit at an average of 28.5C.
Not to mention that you can get here for cheap too with easyJet flights starting from £45.13.
Package holidays which depart from both London and Manchester from £471.
Seville in Spain is another cheap spot with barely any rain.
It has an average temperature of 28.3C in the summer and an average of just 0.4 days of rainfall.
The capital of the Andalusia region is easily walkable with flamenco dancing in the streets and up to 75 per cent of sunshine.
One of the biggest and most well-known landmarks in Seville is Plaza de España.
It’s a huge semi-circular plaza stretching over 50,000 square metres with four bridges sitting over a canal decorated with brightly coloured mosaics.
In the middle of the city is the enormous Seville Cathedral – which is the biggest Gothic cathedral in the world.
You can get easyJet flights from £44.99 and package holidays from £174.
The Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh comes third on the list and has no rainfall during the summer months with average temperatures of 31.2C.
Just five hours away from the UK, the Egyptian destination is known for having beautiful beaches and water activities like snorkelling.
easyJet offers flights from £125.99 and holidays from £639.
Kos in Greece and Marrakesh in Morocco also rate highly as sun-guaranteed destinations with up to an 89 per cent average chance of sunshine during the peak summer.
Kevin Doyle, easyJet UK’s Country Manager, said: “The British weather is famously unpredictable, but now is a great time to escape the grey and chase the rays as our fantastic value fares to hundreds of fair weather destinations are still available this summer with flights from just £38.49, and packages from just £174.
“And customers can continue booking with confidence as we operate our flights and holidays as normal this summer.
“Our Book with Confidence Promise guarantees that the cost of flights and holidays will stay fixed after booking, meaning customers can trade the brolly for the beach knowing their hard-earned break and sunshine are protected.”
The complete list of ‘sun-guaranteed’ destinations wih easyJet flights and package holidays…
- Djerba, Tunisia
Flights from £45.13
Holidays from £471 - Seville, Spain
Flights from £44.99
Holidays from £174 - Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Flights from £125.99
Holidays from £639 - Kos, Greece
Flights from £47.99
Holidays from £668 - Dalaman, Turkey
Flights from £59.49
Holidays from £275 - Larnaca, Cyprus
Flights from £67.49
Holidays from £539 - Marrakech, Morocco
Flights from £38.49
Holidays from £476 - Hurghada, Egypt
Flights from £152.99
Holidays from £753 - Paphos, Cyprus
Flights from £64.99
Holidays from £748 - Izmir, Turkey
Flights from £50.99
Holidays from £761
UK town ‘that feels like the south of France’ gets upgrade to 90-year-old lido
A TOWN in Hertfordshire that has been compared to southern France has just had an upgrade to its lido.
The outdoor pool in Hitchin has reopened for the summer season with some new upgrades.
The 50 metre heated lido on the outskirts of the town first opened in 1938 and reopened on 23 May this year for the swim season.
It has an art deco design and is surrounded by sunbathing terraces; there’s also a lawned area for picnicking.
Prior to it reopening for this year’s summer season, Hitchin Lido had upgrades to its changing rooms including new cubicles, lockers, sinks, tile flooring and mirrors.
The funding was given to the lido from a former swimmer, Hazel Jacobs, who left money in her will after passing away two years ago.
Paul Francis, general manager at Hitchin Lido, said: “We are truly grateful to Hazel for this wonderful gift to the Lido.
“The refurbishment has transformed the facilities for our visitors, with new lockers, improved changing rooms and a much fresher environment for everyone to enjoy.”
It’s recommended to book tickets in advance to the lido as it can get very busy during the summer.
Tickets for adults start from £5.80 and children from £2.90.
The Hertfordshire town has been compared to the south of France in recent years thanks to its European-style attraction that’s been called “Little Provence” by visitors.
Hitchin Lavender is just outside of the town and is a pretty lavender field that one visitor said “feels like France rather then Hitchin!”
This year, Hitchin Lavender opens on June 20 and closes on August 7.
Tickets can be booked online from £7.53.
If you visit the main town, you’ll find Hitchin has cobbled streets and is filled with coffee shops.
And while it doesn’t feel like Provence, Travel Reporter Alice Penwill did compare it to another destination.
She said: “When it comes to looking like France, I’d say the market square is one of the only parts that does, however it reminds me more of a town in somewhere northern like Normandy, rather than the south.
“There were food and drink vans pitched up on the sides with a few seats dotted around, a large clock and a corn exchange building with a cupola and weather vane – which I have seen in France.”
She added: “Another hint of France was the tall houses and bars with the classic-looking wooden timber beams and window frames (although this trait is arguably both French and English).
“There are at least five bakeries though, which I’ll grant the TikTokers is a key factor in all French towns.”
Hitchin is known for its bustling food and drink scene from Hermitage, which is a restaurant, cocktail bar, bagel shop, and oyster bar all under one roof.
When it comes to pubs, the Kite at The Red Hart is a popular stop, as is The George and the Wetherspoons called The Angel Vaults Inn.
Mum forced to cancel flight after young son draws dinosaur in her passport just hours before work trip
A MUM was forced to cancel her flight after discovering her son doodled a dinosaur in her passport just hours before a work trip abroad.
The distraught parent shared the stressful experience online, along with photos of the ballpoint scribbles, captioned: “I hate dinosaurs!”
“I feel like crying. My flight is tonight,” she said.
“I was packing, and my little one was busy scribbling on my passport. I didn’t notice when he got hold of it.
“This morning I was running around queuing at immigration.
“I’m hoping I don’t have to declare the passport as damaged.”
The woman then went to the Immigration Department in Kajang, Malaysia before being sent to Putrajaya.
Unfortunately, her worst fears were realised.
Officials told her her passport was damaged and not valid for travel.
To make matters worse, as it was a weekend, she could not get a replacement until Monday.
She said: “I’m now on the way to Kuala Lumpur International Airport to ask Qatar Airways if I can change my ticket to Monday night.
“Please pray that everything is made easier.”
Fortunately, she was able to change her flight to Monday – though at a not insignificant price of £114.
Accepting the outcome, she wrote: “To those asking about the little one who scribbled on the passport, he’s still smiling without any sense of guilt and still saying, ‘Let’s go to the airport!’
“Please pray that our affairs are made easier as we continue our 11,977km journey soon… amen.
“Also, thank you to the immigration officer in Putrajaya who was on duty this morning and helped us accept fate with more calmness.
“God willing, there is a blessing in it.”
This is not the first time passport issues have caused last-minute travel chaos.
In August last year, a couple left their 10-year-old son behind at Barcelona Airport after discovering his passport had expired.
Determined not to miss their flight, they arranged for a relative to collect him and boarded the plane without him.
The plan quickly unravelled when airport staff spotted the boy alone and alerted police.
It is not known if the family were charged or given any sort of caution by the police.
Boxing: Chantelle Cameron to face Mikaela Mayer in August unification bout
Briton Chantelle Cameron will meet American Mikaela Mayer in a light-middleweight world title unification bout in Birmingham on 29 August.
Cameron, 35, beat Michaela Kotaskova to win the vacant WBO title in April and is aiming to add Mayer’s WBC and WBA belts to her collection.
Fellow Briton Caroline Dubois is also on the all-female Most Valuable Promotions card at BP Pulse, when she defends her WBC and WBO lightweight belts against American Amelia Moore.
Northampton fighter Cameron has 22 wins from 23 fights as a professional, including a victory over Ireland’s Katie Taylor in 2023.
“I’ve always said I want the biggest fights in women’s boxing, and there isn’t a bigger fight right now than me against Mikaela Mayer,” Cameron said.
“We’re both top-five pound-for-pound fighters, we’re both world champions, and we’re both coming to win.”
Mayer, 35, last fought in October when beating Mary Spencer and has a record of 22 wins in 24 bouts.
Dubois, 25, is yet to lose in 14 fights – winning 13 and drawing one – and has picked up five stoppage victories along the way.
The Londoner put on a classy performance to become a unified lightweight champion when beating fellow Briton Terri Harper on points in April.
“I am looking forward to representing the UK on this card and defending my unified title,” Dubois said.
“The goal is to fight for more belts at the end of the year so I need to focus and take care of business with a big win in Birmingham.”
Moore, 36, will be aiming to pull off a major upset in just her fifth fight as a professional.
Social movements in Mexico use World Cup to spotlight demands
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum cast doubt Tuesday on her attendance at the Fan Fest organized in the Zocalo for the World Cup, pending developments in the demonstrations by teachers and other groups protesting in the city center. Photo by Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA
June 10 (UPI) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum cast doubt whether she will attend the 2026 World Cup Fan Fest on Thursday because of demonstrations by teachers from the National Coordinator of Education Workers.
During her press conference Tuesday, the president said her being there would depend on “how what is happening with the teachers and some other groups develops, because I obviously have to pay attention to that.”
The highly anticipated World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City and the game between Mexico and South Africa, are scheduled at 1:30 p.n. local time at Banorte Stadium, renamed from Azteca Stadium for the tournament.
The event will be held as social protests seek to capitalize on the tournament’s international attention to publicize demands related to human rights, pensions, public services and labor conditions.
Among the most visible movements those formed by teachers from the National Coordinator of Education Workers, who have maintained a protest camp for weeks in Mexico City’s Zócalo. They have erected blockades at different locations to demand repeal of reforms to the pension system for state employees and salary increases.
The demonstrations have impacted streets, public buildings and areas linked to the operation of the World Cup.
Mexico City’s Secretariat of Citizen Security reported about 6,000 teachers are participating in demonstrations in areas near the stadium. Although the federal government maintains that fully reversing the reform would carry a high fiscal cost, union leaders have warned they will continue protesting until they receive a favorable response.
Political analysts agree that the 2026 FIFA World Cup has become the main battleground for the public narrative in Mexico — a phenomenon in which social tensions are colliding directly with government efforts to project stability abroad.
One example will be the mobilization of groups representing relatives of missing persons, known as “searching mothers.” Thousands of women plan to march on the same day as the opening ceremony under the slogan, “Do not play with our pain,” to denounce a crisis involving more than 134,000 people who are missing or whose whereabouts remain unknown in the country.
The organizations have begun to post photographs and missing-person notices around the stadium and have announced activities aimed at drawing attention to the issue before the millions of viewers who will follow the tournament around the world.
Amnesty International said it will act as an observer of the protest.
“As tens of millions of people around the world prepare to tune in to what FIFA describes as ‘the biggest opening ceremony on the planet,’ in Mexico thousands of brave women will seize the opportunity to take to the streets and remind the world that their loved ones remain missing,” said Edith Olivares Ferreto, executive director of Amnesty International Mexico.
“The Interior Ministry works permanently on the issue of missing persons, is permanently engaged in search efforts in a way that has never been done before and also with prevention at the moment a person finds themselves in this situation,” Sheinbaum said Tuesday.
“Therefore, the issues are being addressed. If they want to demonstrate, then they should do so peacefully.”
Neighborhood organizations have also joined the protests.
With slogans that oppose gentrification and evictions and protest water shortages, anti-World Cup groups contend that projects associated with the tournament have deepened structural problems in different neighborhoods of the capital.
They have been joined by farmers’ organizations, transport workers and retired members of the judiciary, who have called for demonstrations on strategic routes leading to the stadium.
The protests also coincide with questions about infrastructure that must deal with the tournament.
In recent days, users reported water leaks at recently renovated stations on Metro Line 2, one of the main transportation routes for fans attending the opening match. Rainfall also caused delays on the rail network because of speed restrictions implemented for safety reasons.
Against this backdrop, federal and local authorities announced a security operation that involves more than 10,000 personnel to safeguard the opening ceremony, guarantee the movement of teams and fans, and prevent incidents around the stadium and the FIFA Fan Festival in the Zócalo.
New airline with onboard ‘sky pub’ reveals plans for UK flights to the Maldives… and even Hawaii
A NEW airline has revealed plans to launch flights to some dream holiday hotspots.
Global Airlines – which is the UK’s newest airline – is planning on adding flights from the UK to the Maldives before Christmas.
Speaking with Metro, the airline’s founder, James Asquith, said: “Ask anyone in the UK, do you want to go to the Maldives? I think everyone would say: ‘I’d love to, it’s my dream holiday, or I want to go there on honeymoon.’
“And it’s so underserved from the UK.”
The Maldives is known for being a popular destination for British tourists, with flights taking around 11 hours to reach the islands which feature pretty white sand beaches and famous bungalows hanging over crystal clear waters.
There are currently direct flights already from the UK to the Maldives, including from London Heathrow with British Airways.
Read more on travel inspo
Asquith also shared that the Maldives is just one of a number of long-haul destinations being considered and that the airline is looking to launch flights from a number of UK regional airports such as Manchester and Birmingham.
In addition to the latest flight route news, the airline is currently buying another plane.
The airline’s only plane at the moment, is an A380 – the world’s largest passenger plane.
The airline’s founder revealed that Global isn’t focusing on short-haul routes but instead, on flights to America and transatlantic destinations.
Though he also joked that they might give “a crack or two” at flying to Honolulu in Hawaii, which usually takes between 15 and 16 hours.
The airline already previously launched a route last year; however, only two flights took off and since then, there have been no other flights.
After initially launching in 2022, Global Airlines wanted to start flying from London Gatwick by 2023 and have around 100 planes flying across Europe by 2025.
However, due to several delays, only two commercial flights have flown to date, which were between Glasgow and New York in May 2025.
Since then, Global Airlines’ only plane has remained at Tarbes Airport in France, in a storage hangar.
Asquith mainly blames the delays on maintenance check wait times, but he remains confident that the Maldives route will be up and running before 2027.
KC-135 Tanker Spotted With New Satellite Communications Antenna
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker appeared in the United Kingdom this weekend with a new antenna on top of the rear of the fuselage. The service has several efforts underway to improve the communications networking capabilities of all of its tankers and cargo planes, including ones that leverage Starshield, the government-focused cousin of SpaceX’s Starlink. This has become an especially critical priority for future survivability and effectiveness of the aging KC-135 fleet.
Aviation photographer Alessandro Ledda, who goes by Aerographist on Instagram, caught the KC-135 in question at RAF Mildenhall yesterday. The base is a major hub for U.S. Air Force operations in the United Kingdom. It has been utilized to support recent operations against Iran, as have other RAF facilities.
Ledda told TWZ that online flight tracking data says this particular KC-135 is serial number 63-7976, but that this might not be correct. The plane is largely devoid of markings, preventing easy confirmation. Two years ago, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) began removing serial numbers and other unique identifying markings from tankers and other aircraft as an operational security measure, as you can read more about here.
Ledda also told us that this is the first time he has seen a KC-135 with the new dorsal antenna, despite regularly photographing tankers of this type at Mildenhall. The base is home to the Air Force’s 100th Air Refueling Wing, which flies the KC-135, but is also a regular staging point for temporary deployments and a stop-over for aircraft just passing through.
A picture of the same antenna on top of a KC-135 had emerged online in April, but where and when it was taken are unclear. This may or may not be the same aircraft seen at Mildenhall this weekend. It is unknown how many Air Force KC-135s may have received this modification so far, and TWZ has reached out to the Air Force for more information. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2026, the Air Force had 368 KC-135s in inventory, in total. At least a portion of that fleet is set to remain in service through 2050.
The antenna has a very roughly trapezoidal shape with a mostly flat top. There is a single small blade that sticks up at the rear, as well. The size and shape are broadly reflective of ‘hump’ style antennas associated with high-bandwidth satellite communications (SATCOM) suites seen on large military and commercial aircraft. In both pictures we have seen of this installation on the KC-135 so far, the new antenna is also mounted right behind a much smaller existing platter-shaped type typically used to support ultra-high-frequency SATCOM links.
Back in April, the possibility was raised that the new antenna for the KC-135 could be tied to Airlift/Tanker Open Mission Systems (ATOMS) and/or its successor, MAF NEXUS, both developed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). MAF here stands for Mobility Air Forces, a collective term for the Air Force’s tanker and airlifter fleets, and the personnel that support them.
ATOMS is “a Starshield-based BLOS [beyond line of sight] satcom system SNC has been installing on a handful of [KC]-135s, [C]-17s, [KC]-46s, [C]-130s. Saw a C-17 getting it last week in Dayton,” Aviation Week‘s Brian Everstine wrote on X, speaking generally, in a thread discussing the first picture of the new antenna for the KC-135 that had emerged. ATOMS is “now transforming to Air Mobility Commands [sic] ‘MAF Nexus.’”
As noted, Starshield is a more secure, government-centric offshoot of SpaceX’s Starlink space-based network. Starshield and Starlink have been in increasing use across the U.S. military on aircraft, as well as warships and in various contexts on the ground, for years now, as TWZ has explored on several occasions in the past.
The size and shape of the antenna on the KC-135 at Mildenhall is, broadly speaking, in line with commercial Starlink antennas used on airliners and other civilian aircraft.
“The SNC solution for ATOMS, originally provided as a Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) in just six months, delivers enhanced situational awareness through multidomain networking and datalink,” SNC had explained in a press release in August 2025. “The system’s ability to provide a Common Operating Picture improves data interpretation and bolsters decision advantage, strengthening AMC’s effectiveness by leveraging multiple communications paths and sensors to seamlessly share data.”
That release followed the conclusion of the Air Force’s Mobility Guardian 2025 exercise, in which ATOMS “played a pivotal role” by “demonstrating its ability to provide seamless data management and communications solutions on multiple aircraft platforms, including the C-17, KC-135, KC-46 and C-130, as well as numerous ground nodes.”
The Air Force’s 2027 Fiscal Year budget request highlights at least two other potentially relevant communications upgrade efforts for the service’s KC-135, specifically, which could also make use of Starlink/Starshield.
There is the “Hybrid SATCOM capability,” which involves “the employment of Multi-Band, Multi-Orbit SATCOM terminals to switch between different government and commercial constellations,” according to official budget documents. This is tied to another project called MAF Connectivity focused on developing a “path forward as the tanker needs to be able to connect to the Joint fight to close kill chains and logistics chains.”
For MAF Connectivity, “possible capabilities include, but are not limited to, intelligent gateways, antennas, radios, software updates, crew displays, and multiple aperture array housings,” the budget documents also note. An “increment 1 first prototype installation” was also scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2026, which began on January 1 and ended on March 31.
The antenna could be part of a different effort, as well. The Air Force has fielded a number of roll-on/roll-off communications and networking suites for the KC-135 over the years, but in an ad hoc manner and on a relatively limited scale. Last year, the Air National Guard also announced the demonstration of a new communications and data-sharing node packaged inside a heavily modified underwing Multipoint Refueling System (MPRS) pod, but the extent to which that capability may now be available for operational use is unclear. KC-135 and KC-46 tankers use unmodified MPRS pods to transfer fuel to receivers via the probe-and-drogue method.
As an aside, a Boeing 757 called Trailblazer (N-number N473AP), which defense contractor L3Harris uses as a testbed, also recently emerged with a new elongated dorsal fairing. Trailblazer’s new addition is similar in some broad strokes, but also distinctly different from the antenna seen on the KC-135 at Mildenhall this weekend. One of L3Harris’ major business areas is satellite communications systems, including for the U.S. Air Force. TWZ has reached out to the company for more information about this development.
For years now, the Air Force has been trying to more deeply integrate new communications and networking capabilities onto the KC-135, as well as other tankers and aircraft across the MAF. Senior service officials have also described this as a gateway to enabling other new capabilities down the road, including ones to help better protect tankers and airlifters from future threats. TWZ has previously highlighted this as a path to airborne control for “loyal wingman” type drones and other uncrewed aerial systems, something the Air Force has already been experimenting with to differing degrees.
“I gotta keep modernizing the tanker force,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss told TWZ and others at a roundtable at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual warfare symposium in February. “If I was going to parcel out the things we care about in that, though, it’s connectivity and survivability. So those are the things that we really care about in that effort.”
“There’s various ways to get after survivability,” she continued. “It starts with being connected so that you have battlespace awareness, and then it continues on to how do we protect those assets.”
Sonkiss’ official title is Deputy Commander of AMC. However, she has been serving as the interim head of the command since her predecessor, Gen. John Lamontagne, became Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force in January.
“The single biggest contributor to survivability in a big airplane is connectivity. The biggest contributor is not having a 12-hour-old Intel brief that you’re relying on to get you through the mission,” retired Air Force Gen. Michael “Mini” Minihan, who led AMC from October 2021 to November 2024, told TWZ in an interview in February, as well. “So real-world updates, real-time updates, just like our fighters and our bombers enjoy. Battle management that gets after maneuver and not just kill chain. Those things matter.”
“The reality is that the car I rented right now, driving from the airport to my hotel room, has more connectivity in it than the overwhelming majority of the mobility fleet. So connectivity matters,” he also told us at that time.
New communications and networking suites could enable AMC’s KC-135, as well as the rest of the command’s fleets, to serve as essential ‘translators’ between disparate networks and waveforms in the future. Providing a link between low probability of interception/low probability of detection (LPI/LPD) datalinks that stealthy aircraft use, such as the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) and Intra-Fighter Data Link (IFDL), and more general-purpose ones, would be especially valuable. IFDL is currently only found on the F-22 Raptor, while all variants of the F-35 fighter (and future B-21 Raider bombers) use MADL, and the two cannot ‘talk’ to each other directly, which has long created challenges. Upgraded tankers could serve as important parts of a beyond-line-of-sight mesh-like network that incorporates other kinds of line-of-sight links like Link16. In this way, they could help relay data to and from forward battle management and other command and control nodes, including ones in the air.
In addition, improved connectivity stands to provide additional operational and safety benefits across the MAF.
“According to the Air Force, the tankers’ ability to access tactical data links could increase mission success in contested environments by improving survivability, agility, and situational awareness for command-and-control elements and aircrews,” the Congressional Research Service (CRS) wrote in a report published in January. “The connectivity could provide aircrews with such information as potential threats, fuel availability, and safer landing sites. In addition, tanker aircraft could serve as a backup information conduit for other aircraft in a degraded communications environment.”
The points here have become a broader topic of discussion after two KC-135s collided over Iraq in March during the opening weeks of Operation Epic Fury against Iran. One of the aircraft crashed, killing all six onboard. The other tanker involved was able to land in Israel despite suffering severe damage. At the time of writing, the Air Force has not yet shared any official determinations as to the chain of events that led to that fatal incident.
“We should never put mobility crews, especially tanker crews, in a position during combat operations where they have to choose between being seen by everyone, including the enemy, or being seen by no one, including the joint force and civil aviation,” Minihan subsequently wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “Mobility force connectivity now. Write the damn check.”
“Most KC-135s [sic] communications networks are ‘not the type of battle space awareness that shows you where the red is, where the blue is, and the actions that are being taken in real time in a conflict,’”Defense One reported in March, citing an interview with retired Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, who previously served as head of U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM). “All you have is the intelligence you took off with when you got the brief two hours prior to take off.”
All this being said, the Air Force is still years away from integrating more robust communications and networking capabilities onto the entire KC-135 fleet.
“Over the course of about the next six years, you’ll see the full fleet of KC-135s fully connected,” Lt. Gen. David Tabor, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, told members of Congress at a hearing last month.
The appearance of the KC-135 with the added antenna at Mildenhall does point to new progress on key connectivity upgrades for Air Force tankers and airlifters. At the same time, improved communications and networking capabilities are increasingly critical now, and it remains to be seen when they become more commonplace across the KC-135 fleet.
Special thanks again to Alessandro Ledda for sharing the picture of the KC-135 seen at Mildenhall this weekend with us.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
The week’s bestselling books, June 14
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, June 14, 2026, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction.
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World’s biggest bouncy castle is opening in the UK
THE world’s BIGGEST bouncy castle is coming to the UK – and it won’t just be for kids.
‘Mega Bounce’ is set to open at Braintree Village in Essex next month, and will run until the end of the summer holidays.
The massive attraction spans 2,500 square metres – the size of two football pitches – and is more than eight metres tall.
Inside will be giant slides, obstacle courses, sports challenges and, of course, dedicated bouncing arenas.
And outside of it will be other entertainment zones with food vendors, games such as giant Jenga and Connect 4, and music.
Visitors will also find giant Jenga, Connect 4, ping-pong, food stalls and drink vendors throughout the event arena.
There will be day-time quieter sessions designed for guests who prefer a more relaxed environment, before moving into all-ages sessions featuring music, lighting effects and entertainment throughout the day.
And it’s not just aimed at children – during the six-week run, a number of adult-only sessions will launch.
Once family sessions finish each evening, there will be adults-only events featuring DJs, karaoke, a fully stocked bar and even foam parties..
Josef O’Sullivan, centre director at Braintree Village, said: “After the success of The Monster at Braintree Village last summer, we wanted to come back with something even bigger and better this year.
“Mega Bounce making its UK debut here at Braintree Village is incredibly exciting, and we expect to see visitors from far and wide.”
The bouncy castle was previously in Dubai.
Mr O’Sullivan added: “We’re certain that this is going to be one of the best attractions available in the country over the summer holidays.”
Visitors booking a bounce session will get unlimited access to the attraction during a 60-minute slot.
General admission tickets are priced at £18, with discounts available for larger groups and members of Braintree Village’s PLUS+ rewards scheme.
The attraction opens daily from 10am until 9pm.
Man hates the snivelling maggot he becomes in covering letters
THE grovelling sentences a man comes out with when writing a covering letter disgust him to his core, it has emerged.
Self-hating jobseeker Rubin, not his real name, can barely look at himself in the mirror after typing out sentences like ‘I am a proactive self-starter with a commitment to excellence and growth’ in a professional covering letter.
He said: “I would never sincerely say something like ‘my goals are in alignment with your corporate values’. No self-respecting person would.
“But thanks to the sick capitalist society we live in and my inability to win the lottery, I’m forced to churn out ridiculous word salad that even ChatGPT would be ashamed of. I’m only applying for a minimum-wage position, for Christ’s sake.
“Each cap-in-hand, jargon-stuffed sentence is an assault on my worth as a human being. I hope to God my wife and kids never read it. They’d move out, change their names, and never contact me again. And that would be the right thing to do.
“I shouldn’t even have to write a sodding covering letter anyway, all of the relevant information is in my f**king CV. Maybe if I just write that they’ll admire my balls-to-the-wall honesty?”
Employer Martin Bishop said: “The worst part is we won’t even read it. The job ad was merely a formality and we’ve already hired internally.”
Commentary: Spencer Pratt could have been a real contender. His greatest enemy was himself
Spencer Pratt had a few things going for him when he launched an insurgent campaign to become Los Angeles’ next mayor.
He had a heart-tugging origin story that saw him transform from a has-been television star into one of the thousands of residents who lost their home in last year’s Palisades fire. He faced an unpopular incumbent in Mayor Karen Bass. He was powered by a vigorous social media presence and an angry electorate thirsty for change.
He was able to capitalize on those conditions to outraise his main rivals, Bass and city council member Nithya Raman, and transform his candidacy from an afterthought into a national story. Running as a Republican in a super-blue city like L.A. put him at an automatic disadvantage — one that might have been extremely difficult to overcome in the end. But the Pratt posse started to feel like a bona fide movement the more it thundered on, the type of revolt against the old guard that in previous eras led to the passage of Proposition 13 and the recall of Gov. Gray Davis — the type of movements that forever alter California politics.
Pratt, however, faced an apparently insurmountable obstacle.
Pratt.
With almost all votes counted, he’s going to finish in third place with about 26% of the electorate — the same slice Donald Trump received in 2024 — while Bass and Raman proceed to face each other in November. Political strategists will teach his failed attempt to their clients as a cautionary tale of how a candidate blew every advantage they had when they couldn’t afford to lose one.
Pratt’s first mistake was thinking that Angelenos wanted a campaign of wanton rage. Yes, many residents are furious at the state of the city. Yes, they want change. Yes, the angry Angeleno archetype is a real phenomenon that flares up in local elections to smack back at the powers that be.
But L.A. is not MAGAlandia — running from the right on apocalyptic, whiny messaging will only get you the few Republicans that remain in the city and some disaffected liberals. Pratt didn’t run as a MAGA candidate, but it’s hard to say he didn’t run like one — even as he swore he was running for everyone.
He took every opportunity to ridicule progressives in a city where four democratic socialists sit on the city council, one of them — Raman — has a good chance of becoming the next mayor, and five of the six candidates endorsed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America either won outright or are moving on to the general election.
Instead of making overtures to that side of the populist coin, Pratt recorded videos obsessing over Bass’ trip to communist Cuba in the 1970s, a well-known fact he treated as revelatory and which made Pratt sound like he was stuck in a John Birch Society meeting circa 1965. His dismissal of Raman as “stupid” and the mayor as “Basura” — trash — came off as facile juvenilia at a time when we already have the Big Juvenile Delinquent running things in the White House. Ridiculing homeless people as “zombies,” “vagrants” and “bums” only riled up the worst elements of the city and turned off anyone with a heart.
Keith Casey of Casey’s Family BBQ serves up food as L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt hosts a campaign “block party” event on 10th Avenue in Los Angeles on May 20.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Pratt undoubtedly attracted votes from a good amount of non-MAGA people fed up with various problems afflicting L.A. But many of the supporters who brayed the loudest on his behalf were the same people already doing daily propaganda on social media for a failed, hate-filled president and his baleful cronies.
Pratt acted like he believed the AI-generated videos created by fans that cast him as a comic-book hero was real life instead of forgetting that he was a novice trying to take on two experienced politicians. While Bass and Raman trekked across the city during the primary, Pratt limited his public appearances mostly to the Westside and random encounters with supporters he posted on social media. The few times he appeared outside those safe spaces came off as safari expeditions in a mysterious city the 42-year-old lifelong Angeleno obviously didn’t know.
Take the South L.A. block party he hosted last month. Instead of having something thoughtful to say about the state of Black L.A. or how its political leaders continue to neglect the region, all Pratt seemed to take away from that afternoon was that it was in the territory of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, a detail he shared ad nauseum on social media and to the press — as if kicking it with gang members would fix L.A. or gain him any votes or grant some kind of street cred.
That self-centered cluelessness ended up torpedoing Pratt’s best campaign moment. In the one debate he participated in, Pratt put Bass on the defensive, turned Raman into a tongue-tied mess, kept his answers sharp and relatable, and even earned the praise of the moderators. He should’ve demanded more gatherings like that to flex his mastery of television cameras, make his case to as many Angelenos as possible and showcase the self-proclaimed Pratt Daddy as someone willing to take on hard questions anytime, anyplace, from anyone.
Instead, Pratt declined an invite to their only other scheduled debate and never bothered with the forums civic groups across the city held in order for their members to hear from candidates. Instead, Pratt flew out to New York the week before election day to appear on Fox News.
Sticking to largely sycophantic media who lobbed softball questions hardened his ceiling. Pratt needed to proselytize — not preach to the choir.
The thing is, Pratt made some strong points about the inefficiencies of L.A.’s political status quo and the outrage that is having tens of thousands of people live on our streets. And there’s something appealing about an outsider crashing City Hall, which is way too beholden to sclerotic lifers who can be as clueless about what the city needs as Pratt turned out to be.
Instead, he platformed people who saw L.A. as a hellhole — or “shithole,” as Trump likes to call certain places. It was hard to see what some of Pratt’s loudest and most strident supporters actually thought was worth preserving in the city — but not why they felt he was their man.
In the wake of his loss, Pratt sure hasn’t push back against unfounded claims by too many of his followers and Trump, Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson that Democrats somehow rigged the election against him. Quite the contrary, Pratt has insinuated on social media that they’re onto something.
That last point reinforces the ultimate reason Pratt could never become L.A.’s next mayor: He really doesn’t believe in L.A.
Angelenos don’t mind haters — it’s the type of city that frustrates residents even on its best days. But one insult residents won’t brook is someone who doesn’t have confidence in better days ahead for the city no matter how dire things may be.
Angelenos can spot a phony from far away — and Spencer, you’re turning out to be phonier than the fake drama on any of the television shows you ever appeared in.
You vowed to leave L.A. if you didn’t win the race for mayor. Maybe you should stay and try to righteously pressure Bass and Raman to make much needed changes. If you do, urge your followers to do the same instead of them pouting and sitting out the mayor’s race.
But if you don’t, well, maybe you never really loved L.A. as much as the City of Angels, warts and all, deserves. And you kind of need to really love L.A. to really fix what ails it.
Step up, or step outta town.
Marlie Packer: Harlequins ‘perfect fit’ as she nears Saracens exit
Packer had initially considered retiring at the end of this season, although she had not shared these thoughts with others.
She said a conversation with England head coach John Mitchell, where he “posed a good couple of questions to me”, helped her refocus.
And with no contract on the table at Saracens, Packer had to act.
“I’m more of a proactive instead of a reactive kind of person,” she said.
“Now I’ve got [son] Oliver and a mortgage, so I got in touch with Harlequins just to see if the door was open.”
Before Quins head coach Ross Chisholm had met with Packer, he attended the Red Roses’ training and was impressed with the former England skipper’s attitude and impact on the group.
“We just had quite an open conversation,” Packer added.
“He said, ‘I really loved how you trained with the Red Roses [and] actually seeing you in training, you’re someone that would be a really good fit for Harlequins’.”
With Packer impressing for England in the Six Nations, picking up player of the match awards against Wales and Italy, she knew that, once the tournament concluded, she had to “make some life choices”.
As she returned to Saracens, it was made clear by head coach Alex Austerberry that there was still no new deal for her, so she decided it was time to move on.
And with her partner, fellow England World Cup winner Rosie Galligan, pregnant, and their son Oliver settled at a nearby school, there seemed one obvious option.
“The fact that Harlequins was only 20 minutes down the road, the fit just seemed to be perfect,” she said.
Seoul Mayor Oh targets ‘global top 3’ status for city after election win
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon vowed to prioritize elevating Seoul into a global top-three city after winning reelection last week. Oh is seen here during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at his office in central Seoul on Tuesday. Photo by Yonhap
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has vowed to prioritize elevating Seoul into a “global top three city” during his new term following his victory in the June 3 local elections.
Oh made the pledge in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday after winning last week’s local election against ruling Democratic Party rival Chong Won-o, his third consecutive and fifth non-consecutive election as Seoul mayor.
“A global top three city is not merely a slogan to raise the ranking but a goal to increase quality of life,” Oh said at his office. “(I) will concentrate the new city government’s capabilities to create a warmer and healthier Seoul.”
Seoul ranked sixth in the Japan-based Mori Memorial Foundation’s Global Power City Index 2025. London topped the list followed by Tokyo, New York, Paris and Singapore.
The index evaluates cities based on six major indicators — economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment and accessibility.
Oh said he plans to establish a committee to achieve the “global top three city” goal, noting that it will serve to set the direction of the city government for the next four years.
“If (we) continuously work on areas that the city can be good at and can handle, Seoul can rise to a global top three city rivaling London, New York, Tokyo, Paris and Singapore,” he said.
Meanwhile, Oh said he has no plans set up for the presidency, even after his victory cemented his place as a political heavyweight with his party suffering a rout in last week’s elections, winning only four out of 16 key mayoral and gubernatorial seats up for grabs.
“There is no plan for the presidency,” he said, pledging to focus on elevating the city’s status. “(I) don’t think politics works out just by making plans.”
Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.
Kashmiri rights activist wins partial court victory but remains behind bars | Civil Rights News
The Delhi High Court grants bail to Kashmiri rights activist Khurram Parvez, jailed in India for nearly five years.
Published On 10 Jun 2026
New Delhi, India — A prominent Kashmiri human rights activist who has been imprisoned for nearly five years has won a partial legal victory after being granted bail in a “terror funding” case, but remains in jail over a second case.
The Delhi High Court granted Khurram Parvez, 49, bail in a November 2021 case on Wednesday, according to legal website LiveLaw. However, he will remain in jail in a separate case from March 2023.
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Parvez was first arrested about five years ago by India’s main counterterrorism law enforcement bureau, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), over accusations of “terror funding”, recruitment of rebels in Indian-administered Kashmir and mobilising protesters during a civilian uprising. The second case is also related to alleged “terror funding”.
International rights groups have widely condemned Parvez’s arrest and continued imprisonment.
His lawyer, Swati Khanna, said she hoped Parvez could be freed from jail soon if there was a “positive result” in the second case.
“We are hoping, in a month or two, he could be out,” she told reporters.
The trial has not begun in either of the cases – an issue highlighted by international rights organisations, which say the process becomes the punishment for political prisoners in India who have to wait years behind bars before even facing trial.
The conviction rate in the counterterror law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), remains low at 5 percent nationally. It dips further, to less than 1 percent, when it comes to Indian-administered Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has been criticised for persecuting dissent and criminalising expression in Kashmir, the country’s only Muslim-majority region.
“Khurram’s arrest proved to be the last nail in the coffin of any meaningful rights activism in Kashmir, one of the world’s most militarised zones,” said a political analyst based in Srinagar, Kashmir, who requested anonymity fearing repercussions from the authorities.
“This bail comes in a completely shallow, and nearly fictitious, trumped-up case after years in jail, and Khurram would still not walk free.”
Kashmir remains disputed between India, Pakistan, and China, which control parts of the region. Pakistan controls the northern and western portions – Azad Kashmir; and Gilgit and Baltistan. India controls the southern and southeastern parts – the Kashmir valley, including its biggest city, Srinagar; Jammu; and Ladakh. China controls the Aksai Chin area in the northeast.
The two neighbours have fought three major wars over Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule and their partition in 1947 led to the creation of Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. Both countries continue to assert claims to the entire region of Kashmir.
Perrie Edwards confesses she felt ‘embarrassed’ after first miscarriage and thought she ‘imagined the whole thing’
PERRIE Edwards has admitted she felt “embarrassed” after suffering her first miscarriage, confessing she was convinced she had “imagined” the whole pregnancy.
The Little Mix star, 32, suffered an early miscarriage during her first pregnancy, before welcoming ‘rainbow baby’ son Axel in 2021.
Recalling the time in a candid new interview, Perrie explained that, despite having multiple positive tests, a medical professional had told her there was no baby.
This led to the singer convincing herself she had imagined the whole pregnancy, despite it actually being a miscarriage.
She told Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast: “The woman said to me, she was like, ‘There’s no sack, there’s no baby’, and I thought, ‘How embarrassing, I’ve imagined the whole thing’.
“I was starting to think, ‘Did I read it wrong? I’m sure it said pregnant, I did so many of them’. So, I was then convinced that I’d made the whole thing up. So I was then going a bit crazy.”
Perrie then explained how she went for another appointment to her gynecologist, where she was informed there was a baby, but she had sadly miscarried.
“He sat me down and was like, ‘No, no, there’s no baby’. I was like, ‘I understand that, I’ve been told that, but was there ever a baby? I’m really confused.’
“And he was like, ‘There was a pregnancy, darling, but now it’s gone, you’ve miscarried.’ And I was like, ‘Ohh’,” said Perrie.
Following the harrowing situation, Perrie and her footballer partner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain then welcomed their son, Axel, in August 2021.
And less than a year later, they found out they were expecting another child.
But Perrie again suffered a devastating miscarriage, which this time came much later in the pregnancy at 24 weeks.
She described the loss as the “worst day of my life”, recalling how distraught it left her.
Perrie then fell pregnant again in 2025, announcing the sweet news to her fans in September.
In January this year, she and Alex welcomed their baby daughter Alanis Valentine.
5 can’t-miss items at the Huntington’s America 250 exhibit
A cross section of a 250-year-old Pasadena oak tree that was uprooted in a 1993 windstorm is among the first things visitors will see upon entering the Huntington’s new exhibit, “This Land Is…” Jagged cracks in the trunk, which was once rooted in the Huntington’s lawn, are feebly held together by wooden joints.
It’s a fitting emblem of what’s to come in a long-planned show curated to coincide with the country’s upcoming semiquincentennial, and crafted to pose land itself as central to the country’s complex past. After taking in the exhibit, attendees can draw their own conclusions about the land’s role as a “geographical and metaphorical space of promise, struggle, and belonging.”
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On a recent late afternoon, the Pasadena sun drilled down on the facade of the Huntington’s MaryLou and George Boone Gallery, where the show’s organizers waited beside four chiseled columns with their hands tucked behind their backs, swaying in anticipation.
“It’s the first time anyone is seeing it,” said Linde B. Lehtinen, the museum’s senior curator of photography.
Joining her are Josh Garrett-Davis, curator of Western American history, and Armando Pulido, assistant curator for special projects. All three smile with excitement.
For the better part of the last two and a half years, Lehtinen and Garrett-Davis have spearheaded the curation of “This Land Is…,” which opens Sunday and runs through early next year.
For them the fallen oak tree represents hope amid disturbance: Another once-towering elder on the museum’s North Vista was uprooted during a windstorm in 2025 — one of its acorns has since sprouted and now stands more than 6-feet tall.
Still, it only brushes the surface of an exhibition that seamlessly draws upon a plethora of works crafted across U.S. history. Want to plan a visit? Here are five things you shouldn’t miss seeing.
Woody Guthrie’s guitar, inscribed with ‘This Machine Kills Fascists’
In 1940, Woody Guthrie sat in a Midtown Manhattan hotel, toiling over lyrics for what would become “This Land Is Your Land.” Today, it’s been adopted as a quasi-anthem for the U.S. and the epitome of American progressivism.
For this exhibition, the museum acquired Guthrie’s C.F. Martin and Co. guitar, a seamless blend of spruce, mahogany, celluloid, ebony and mother-of-pearl. On its back, a carved inscription reads, “This Machine Kills Fascists.”
“The idea for ‘This Land Is…’ emerged … because the scope and breadth of his voice in terms of his activism and how prolific he was … and thinking about how he reflected on and experienced American land,” Lehtinen said.
Alongside the guitar is a copy of the Declaration of Independence, annotated by John McKesson, secretary of New York’s Fourth Provincial Congress, in the days following July 4, 1776. According to Lehtinen, the two objects were paired as instruments of protest and change.
“We talked to [Guthrie’s] granddaughter Anna Canoni, and she said to us at one point that he used guitars like pens or tools, and that was so appropriate to how we were thinking about its relationship to this document,” she added.
A map of the Butte Community, Gila River Relocation Center drawn by an internee.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Japanese flower farmers photographed before, during and after internment
Not far from the Guthrie guitar is a panoramic portrait of the Kuromi family, posing amid a flower farm that stood where Los Feliz Boulevard is now. To its right is a watercolor painting of the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona, where many members of the family were forcibly transported to and imprisoned during World War II.
“I was looking at a historic preservation report, and the name was the same as my mechanic in Los Feliz,” Garrett-Davis said. “The next time I went to get my oil changed, I took a printout of that panorama and was going to show it to them and ask, ‘Do you know anything about this? Is this related?’
“I walked into their office, and a copy of that photo had been on their wall for years. In 10 years, I had never noticed it,” he said with a laugh.
After their internment, the Kuromi family returned to their farm in 1945 to find their equipment stolen. The process of regaining access to their land was slow, but they eventually settled back in, and operated the farm until losing their lease in 1961.
‘A Harvest of Death’ and mail from home on the Civil War front
One of the most grotesque displays on view is an albumen print of an 1863 photo titled “A Harvest of Death,” taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan after the Battle of Gettysburg. Within its frame lies the bodies of fallen soldiers, sprawled out and lifeless on the grass.
“That evocative title signals some of the other things that we have been thinking about, whether it’s looking at gardens or loss … in this case, these are bodies that have been left, and they’re decomposing,” Lehtinen said.
Paired with the print is a letter from a young woman named Harriet Bailey to her uncle on the front lines of the Civil War, containing seeds delicately etched with drawings of a ship, facesand a dog. The two pieces represent a stark contrast in experiences during the same conflict, once again touching upon the theme of hope amid disturbance.
“This is a remnant of home that he’s actually being sent while on the battlefield,” she continued. “So, the joy and lightness to what is an incredibly somber moment in American history.”
“Archiving the Watershed” is a collection of artifacts from the Colorado River assembled by Otis R. “Dock” Marston on display.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The Colorado River, mapped out through an adventurer’s eyes
This display is described as a “tiny slice” of the Huntington’s archive on Otis Reed “Dock” Marston, a historian and river runner who made it his life’s goal to collect information on the Colorado River. According to Garrett-Davis, Marston had around 185 binders full of photographs, often placed on a cut-out map of where they were taken and organized mile-by-mile, from below the U.S.-Mexico border all the way into Utah.
This taps into a focal point of the exhibition: adapting it to a West Coast perspective. In this way, the idea of independence is viewed expansively as it unfolds across time and place.
“The Huntington has a wonderful collection of presidential papers and documents relating to the Colonial era, but we also have materials on California … from the lens of the West,” said Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence.
“We can show the West’s visual culture at the same time that we can show the original copies of the Declaration of Independence … we have a breadth that’s quite rare.”
Artist Noni Olabiisi’s, “Troubled Island” mural on canvas, depicting the struggling of the Haitian revolution.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
‘Troubled Island’ and a mirrored struggle
The Haitian Revolution may seem out of place in an exhibition celebrating the U.S., but Haiti was the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere. Its independence from the French was proclaimed in 1804, just two decades after the American colonies signed the Treaty of Paris.
In the mural “Troubled Island,” Noni Olabisi chronicles the Haitian struggle for independence, including how suffering under French colonists led to the 1791 slave rebellion. The piece was first painted for the William Grant Still Arts Center in West Adams in 2003, referencing an opera of the same name.
The opera was composed by Still with a libretto from the Missouri-born poet, playwright, novelist and social activist Langston Hughes, who connected Haiti’s struggle for freedom to his home country’s.
“We wanted to focus on parts that might seem peripheral but are actually quite central to American history,” Garrett-Davis said.
Three years later, Olabasi would render the same powerful mural on canvas.
‘This Land Is…’
Where: The Huntington
When: June 14 to Jan. 11, 2027
Cost: $29 to $34, depending on date and season
Info: huntington.org
Medicaid cuts reignite clash between health worker unions, hospitals
The looming impact of federal Medicaid cuts has reignited a long-simmering, costly battle between California’s medical industry and one of its largest health worker unions.
SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, with about 120,000 members, has put forward two ballot initiatives to cap the pay of medical executives and require community clinics to spend the bulk of their revenues on patient care.
The California Hospital Assn. has responded with its own ballot proposal that would make it tougher for unions to spend money on political initiatives in the future. It would require approval by a union’s rank-and-file membership for any spending of $1 million or more on statewide measures, or $100,000 or more on local ones.
The competing measures, which have drawn enough verified signatures to qualify for the November ballot, come at a time when the rising cost of healthcare is emerging as a top voter concern.
The Service Employees International Union affiliate has seized upon affordability angst to resurrect a proposal for a cap on healthcare executive compensation, which it has failed to achieve multiple times before. The proposed measure garnered more than 1 million petition signatures.
“This initiative reflects the serious crisis we face and that affordability is a real thing,” said Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, a Massachusetts-based healthcare think tank. “I think it also reflects grassroots anger and a desire to do something.”
Mikey Vaughn, a certified nursing assistant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said the hospital often lacks supplies and staffing levels that he and his colleagues need in order to do their jobs effectively and without undue stress, despite its reputation as the go-to place for the rich and famous.
“The executive pay initiative would, I hope, be used to hire staff and to actually provide better resources for our patients,” he said. Vaughn is also a member of SEIU-UHW’s executive board and political committee.
Thomas Priselac, then-president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, made $8.8 million in fiscal year 2024, according to the organization’s most recent available federal tax filing. Kaiser Permanente’s CEO, Gregory Adams, made nearly $13 million in 2024. Warner Thomas, head of Sutter Health, made just under $12 million.
Cedars-Sinai spokesperson Duke Helfand said the hospital would be unable to recruit and retain physicians, nurses, and specialists if the measure passed, dramatically impairing its ability to provide healthcare.
“Such a scenario would be disastrous not only for Cedars-Sinai but for hospitals across Los Angeles and California,” Helfand said.
The union wants to cap compensation at $450,000 a year for senior hospital and medical group executives, as well as other administrative and managerial staff. However, the initiative does not stipulate how dollars diverted from payroll must be spent.
The union has dubbed the latest proposal the Health Care Executive Compensation Act of 2026. A coalition of medical industry heavyweights opposing it — hospitals, physicians, and clinics, among others — has rebranded it the Health Care Endangerment Act.
Carmela Coyle, CEO of the hospital association, called the measure a cynical political ploy.
“It’s bad policy and it’s going to have bad consequences across California,” she said.
Glenn Melnick, a healthcare economist at the University of Southern California, said even if the initiative were fully implemented and pay cuts enacted, he doubts it would reduce the cost of healthcare for patients.
SEIU-UHW does not have an estimated total amount the initiative would claw back from pay packages that exceed the limit.
Opponents of the initiative note that it doesn’t just target executive pay; it would affect medical practitioners who are also managers. That could include chief medical officers and chief nursing officers, as well as heads of surgery, emergency rooms, oncology, obstetrics, cardiology and other specialties, they say.
It would be up to each hospital, health system and physician group to report which staff members exceed the cap and by how much.
Ultimately, who is subject to the pay cap “probably will have to be battled out in court,” Coyle said . “That’s why we are throwing everything we can at it.”
The second SEIU-UHW ballot initiative, on community clinics, is already in court. The California Primary Care Assn., which represents clinics, filed a federal lawsuit in April seeking to invalidate it before it reaches the November ballot.
The proposed measure would require federally designated community clinics to spend at least 90% of their revenues on activities directly related to their mission of providing care for low-income populations. If it were to pass, more than 90% of those clinic organizations would be on the hook for penalties totaling $1.7 billion in the first year alone and “would face similarly crippling penalties every year,” according to a report commissioned by the primary care association and conducted by the Berkeley Research Group, an international consulting company.
Louise McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community Clinic Assn. of Los Angeles County, said many pivotal services the clinics provide — such as translation and transportation — would likely not be counted toward the spending requirement.
“They are targeting a group of what they see as employers and we see as the safety net,” she said.
The lawsuit cites the harm to clinics and claims the proposed spending requirement would interfere with federal authority.
Renée Saldaña, a spokesperson for SEIU-UHW, characterized the lawsuit against the initiative as “a really desperate attempt by the clinic industry to try and avoid accountability.”
SEIU-UHW, proud of its political activism, is also behind a controversial billionaire tax proposal that would impose a one-time 5% levy on California residents with fortunes over $1 billion to backfill the funding gap created by federal cuts coming down the pike under Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law, passed last July and signed by President Trump, is projected to squeeze nearly $1 trillion from the Medicaid health coverage program for low-income people by 2034, including as much as $30 billion annually in California.
The hospital association, the community clinic group and the California Medical Assn., which represents physicians, are neutral on the wealth tax proposal thus far. But Saldaña said all three of the union’s ballot proposals tie into an overarching strategy to counter the widening healthcare disparities caused by the federal law.
“We believe the primary concern of healthcare providers, including executives, should be to serve the community, heal patients, and not be in healthcare just to enrich themselves,” she said on the proposed pay cap.
Over the years, the union has submitted dozens of local and statewide ballot initiatives, including ones to cap the pay of hospital executives, regulate dialysis clinics, and raise the minimum wage of healthcare workers.
The hospital association calculates that SEIU-UHW has spent nearly $125 million on local and statewide initiatives since 2012. But healthcare industry groups have spent far more opposing them. The hospital association data shows that the union spent nearly $36 million on three ballot proposals to regulate the dialysis industry, but dialysis companies poured in $302 million to defeat them, according to state campaign finance records.
The union’s ongoing political efforts “threaten patient access to quality health care,” according to the hospital association’s ballot initiative, which could limit how much unions spend on future ballot measures.
Saldaña hinted at a possible lawsuit should that measure pass, saying “we don’t see the legal viability” of it. The proposal, she said, is an attempt “to silence the front-line healthcare workers.”
Ultimately, a ballot initiative won’t cure the ills that plague healthcare in the United States, said the Lown Institute’s Saini. What’s needed, he said, is “an evaluation and reimagination of healthcare.”
Wolfson writes for KFF Health News, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Freddie Freeman has a big moment in Dodgers’ victory
Freddie Freeman has milestone moment
From Maddie Lee: It was just one moment in the midst of a persistent Dodgers scoring spree. But in the context of a long and decorated career, Freddie Freeman’s run-scoring single into shallow center field carried weight.
In the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 12-3 win against the Pirates on Tuesday, Freeman notched his 2,500th major-league hit.
“It means a lot,” Freeman said. “And then when your manager and teammates appreciate what you’ve done over the course of your career, it does mean a lot. Yeah, there’s always another goal to get to. But to step back and realize how long you have to play, … to play at a high level over many, many years to get there, it does mean a lot.”
Only 101 other players have achieved the milestone, according to Baseball Reference. And Freeman, in his 17 major-league seasons, leads all active players in hits.
The future Hall of Famer isn’t really a memorabilia collector, but for this one, Freeman made sure to get the ball and the lineup card. When asked if he wanted his bat authenticated, he said he’d hold on to it.
There are still more hits in it.
“If you would have asked me 10 years ago, I probably would have brushed it off and kept going,’ Freeman said. “But as you get older, you do get more emotional and sentimental. It is nice for people to take a moment and appreciate what you’ve done in this game. It is special.”
Angels rout the Astros
Wade Meckler and Jo Adell keyed a five-run second inning with two-run doubles, and Walbert Ureña navigated heavy traffic through five shutout innings to lead the Angels to a 10-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Houston put two runners on in the first, second and fifth and loaded the bases in the third, but Ureña (4-4) pitched out of each jam to lower his ERA to 2.44 on the season and 1.84 in eight starts since early May.
The 22-year-old right-hander gave up three hits, struck out seven and walked five in his 107-pitch effort, which included a 97-mph fastball to whiff Joey Loperfido with the bases loaded to end the third.
World Cup strike averted
From Kevin Baxter: A strike that had the potential to disrupt the U.S. World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium has been averted, with United Here Local 11 and Legends Global, the stadium’s food-service operator, agreeing Tuesday to a tentative deal.
The nearly 2,000 workers represented by the union, which includes dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers, voted last week to authorize a strike with 96% of those voting supporting the decision to walk off the job. Workers were demanding salary increases, protection against subcontracting and job loss through automation, and were refusing to comply with FIFA’s request to collect sensitive private information such as nationality and home addresses.
Details of the new contract were not released but the union had demanded “substantial increases” in pay to more than $30 an hour while Legends proposed wage freezes for some workers and a 25-cent hourly increase for cooks and dishwashers.
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Lincoln Riley is well paid
From Ryan Kartje: His 7-6 record at USC in 2024 would go down as the worst mark of Lincoln Riley’s career as a head football coach. But in his third and rockiest year at the helm of the Trojans, Riley was still compensated like one of the kings of the sport.
Riley was paid more than $11.8 million in total compensation during the fiscal year 2024, according to USC’s latest federal tax returns, which were obtained by The Times. That total includes a $100,000 bonus and $10.4 million in base pay, believed to be more than all but three college football coaches that season: Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Ohio State’s Ryan Day. All three have won a national title.
For Riley, his pay in 2024 marks just a slight increase from the 2023 season, when USC paid Riley more than $11.5 million in total compensation. The coach’s base pay increased by $145,143 between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, slightly less than it rose following his debut season in 2022 ($168,000).
USC freshman linebacker Talanoa Ili joins lawsuit seeking to upend new NIL system
Stanley Cup Final Game 4
Jordan Staal scored his second goal of the game while stretched out on his stomach at 6:32 of the third period to put the Carolina Hurricanes ahead for good in their 5-3 victory on Tuesday night over the Vegas Golden Knights and even the Stanley Cup Final after four games.
Game 5 is Thursday night at Carolina, which will potentially have two games on home ice to win its first Cup in two decades. The Golden Knights are searching for their second in four years.
This was the first game not decided by one goal.
A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games in what has been a remarkable series in which momentum often changes at a moment’s notice. Each team has led by at least that many twice.
Rams’ Alaric Jackson is arrested
Rams offensive lineman Alaric Jackson was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence Monday night in Los Angeles, according to a person with knowledge of the incident not authorized to speak publicly.
Jackson was arrested shortly before 11 p.m. after police responded to a call at a home in West Hills. Upon arrival, police determined that the woman involved in the incident had recorded the interaction and noticed scratch marks on her arms, the person said. Jackson was arrested and later released on a $50,000 bond, according to jail records. His next court date is scheduled for June 30.
The specific charge Jackson was arrested for is a person who “willfully inflicts physical or corporal injury resulting in a ‘traumatic condition’ [such as a bruise, scratch, swelling, or internal injury] on an intimate partner.”
“We are aware of the incident regarding Alaric Jackson, and we take these matters very seriously,” the Rams said in a statement. “Due to this being an ongoing legal situation, we cannot comment further at this time.”
Serena Williams wins in return to tennis
From Chuck Schilken: Serena Williams is back.
And so is her blistering serve.
After almost four years away from the sport, the 44-year-old tennis legend made a triumphant return Tuesday at Queen’s Club in London. She teamed with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko for a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand in an opening doubles match at the grass-court HSBC Championships.
Williams recorded service winners of up to 120 mph during her first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open.
“It was so fun,” Williams said afterward in an on-court interview. “I had so much fun playing with Victoria. She really was able to hold up the team and really play big on the big points. I could really rely on her. We’ve never played together, but it just felt so natural playing with her.”
This day in sports history
1890 — The Preakness Stakes is run outside Baltimore, at Morris Park in New York. The race is then suspended for three years, and resumes at the Brooklyn Jockey Club’s Gravesend Course from 1894-1908.
1932 — Gene Sarazen leads wire-to-wire to win the British Open by five strokes ahead of Macdonald Smith at Prince’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Sarazen finishes with a tournament record of 283.
1933 — Johnny Goodman wins the U.S. Open golf title, making him the last amateur to win this event.
1934 — Italy beats Czechoslovakia 2-1 in extra time to win the second FIFA World Cup at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome. Italy trailing 1-0, ties the game at the 80th minute. Angelo Schiavio scores the winning goal in extra time.
1944 — A rare triple dead heat occurs in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct with Bossuet, Brownie and Wait a Bit crossing the finish line together.
1950 — Sixteen months after near-fatal car accident, Ben Hogan wins the U.S. Open. Hogan beats Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio in an 18-hole playoff at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.
1968 — UEFA European Championship Final, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy: Italy beats Yugoslavia, 2-0 in a replay (first game, 1-1).
1973 — Mary Mills shoots a 63 in the final round of the LPGA Championship to beat Betty Burfeindt by one stroke.
1977 — Al Geiberger sets a PGA Championship 18-hole record when he shoots a 59 in the Danny Thomas Classic.
1978 — Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, wins the Belmont Stakes to capture the Triple Crown in one of the greatest battles in racing history. Affirmed edges Alydar for the third time.
1989 — Wayne Gretzky of the Kings is named the NHL’s MVP, winning the Hart Trophy for a record ninth time.
1995 — Trainer D. Wayne Lukas wins a record five straight Triple Crown races as Thunder Gulch takes the Belmont Stakes. Lukas is the first trainer to win the Triple Crown races with two different horses. Lukas’ Timber Country won the Preakness.
1996 — Colorado’s Patrick Roy makes 63 saves before Uwe Krupp scores 4:31 into the third overtime to give the Avalanche a 1-0 victory against the Florida Panthers at Miami Arena and complete a four-game sweep of the Stanley Cup Final.
2000 — Stanley Cup Final, Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX: New Jersey Devils defeat Dallas Stars, 2-1 in double OT for a 4-2 series victory.
2006 — In Atlantic City, N.J., Bernard Hopkins wins a unanimous decision over light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver, capping an 18-year career with an upset for the ages.
2010 — USC is placed on four years probation, receives a two-year bowl ban and a sharp loss of football scholarships. The NCAA cites USC for a lack of institutional control. The NCAA found that Reggie Bush, identified as a “former football student-athlete,” was ineligible beginning at least by December 2004. The NCAA also orders USC to vacate every victory in which Bush participated while ineligible. USC loses 30 scholarships over a three-year period, 10 annually from 2011-13.
2012 — Shanshan Feng wins the LPGA Championship to become the first Chinese player to win an LPGA Tour title and a major event.
2018 — Rafael Nadal won a record-extending 11th championship at Roland Garros by beating Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Nadal became the second player in tennis history to win 11 singles titles at any Grand Slam tournament after Margaret Court, who claimed 11 Australian Open titles.
2018 — Kristen Gillman led a U.S. singles sweep in the biggest blowout in Curtis Cup history. Gillman, a 20-year-old University of Alabama star, beat 16-year-old Annabell Fuller 5 and 4 to cap a perfect weekend at Quaker Ridge in Scarsdale, N.Y. The Americans won 17-3, breaking the record for margin of victory of 11 set in a 14 1/2-3 1/2 victory at Denver Country Club in 1982.
2023 — UEFA Champions League Final, Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul: Manchester City beats Inter Milan, 1-0 to complete historic Champions League, Premier League & FA Cup trifecta.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1921 — Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees became baseball’s career home run leader by hitting his 120th off Cleveland’s Jim Bagby in the third inning. The Indians took the game 8-6.
1944 — Joe Nuxhall, at 15 years, 10 months and 11 days, became the youngest player in major league history when he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
1959 — Rocky Colavito of Cleveland hit four consecutive home runs at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, a tough home run park. Billy Martin and Minnie Minoso also homered in the Indians’ 11-8 victory.
1966 — Cleveland’s Sonny Siebert threw the only no-hitter of the year as the Indians beat the Washington Senators 2-0.
1972 — Hank Aaron’s grand slam pushed the Atlanta Braves to a 15-3 rout over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was Aaron’s 649th home run, moving him ahead of Willie Mays into second place on the career home run list. It was also his 14th grand slam, tying Gil Hodges’ NL record.
1997 — Kevin Brown threw a no-hitter and kept himself from a perfect game by hitting a batter in the eighth inning, leading the Florida Marlins over the San Francisco Giants 9-0.
2005 — Baltimore’s 4-3 win over Cincinnati marked the first time that three 500-homer players appeared in the same game — the Orioles’ Sammy Sosa (580) and Rafael Palmeiro (559), and the Reds’ Ken Griffey, who hit a solo shot in the eighth inning for No. 511.
2006 — Reggie Sanders became the fifth player in major league history with 300 homers and 300 stolen bases when he hit a two-run shot in Kansas City’s 9-5 loss to Tampa Bay. Sanders homered off Chad Harville in the ninth to reach the milestone joining Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson and Bobby Bonds.
2011 — Tony La Russa managed his 5,000th game when the St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0. La Russa complied a 2,676-2,324 record with the White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals. Only Connie Mack managed more games with 7,755 over 53 years.
2012 — Frankie Vanderka threw a three-hitter, Travis Jankowski had four hits and Stony Brook completed an improbable run to the College World Series with a 7-2 victory over LSU in the deciding game of the Baton Rouge super regional. Stony Brook became only the second team to open the tournament as a No. 4 seed in the regional round and advance to the World Series. The first was Fresno State during its stunning 2008 run to a national title.
2019 — The Diamondbacks and Phillies play “Home Run Derby” at Citizens Bank Park, in a 13-8 win by the D-Backs. Arizona opens the game with three straight homers off Jerad Eickhoff, by Jarrod Dyson, Ketel Marte and David Peralta, on their way to hitting 8 long balls. The Phillies reply with 5 of their own, including two by Scott Kingery, but it’s not enough on a night when balls are flying out of the park right and left. Eduardo Escobar homers from different sides of the plate in consecutive innings for Arizona, and Ildemaro Vargas also homers twice. The combined 13 homers set a new major league record. The D-Backs had been the last team to open a game with three dingers, back on July 21, 2017.
2020 — Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 amateur draft is held virtually and limited to five rounds.
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.
Eurostar forced to cancel trains as travel strikes hit TWO popular European countries
A 48-HOUR strike in Europe has already seen Eurostar trains cancelled – and more could follow.
Strikes across Italy and France today and tomorrow are impacting rail services including Eurostar trains to and from the UK.
Cancelled Eurostar trains include the 7:12am service from Paris to London and then the 3:31pm service from London to Paris, both today.
Tomorrow, the 7:12am service from Paris to London will also be cancelled.
A number of other Eurostar trains are facing delays as well including between Paris and Brussels, which will impact Brits changing trains at Paris.
According to the Eurostar website, the cancellations are due to “strike action on the French network” and that “local and national traffic in France will be heavily disrupted”.
Read more on travel inspo
Passengers are being advised to keep an eye on Eurostar’s website and app for updates.
The Eurostar delays and cancellations aren’t the only trains impacted.
Across France and Italy there are nationwide strikes over the next 48 hours on rail services.
In France, strike action today is causing disruption across the entire country’s network including trains heading to Normandy, Brittany and Provence.
The action started at 7pm yesterday and will continue until 6am tomorrow.
According to Rail Europe, delays of between one-and-a-half hours and three hours can be expected on trains being run by TGV INOUI, OUIGO, and Eurostar.
On the other hand, in Italy, workers at state-owned rail companies such as Trenitalia, Trenord, and Trenitalia Tper will strike tomorrow from 3am until 2am on Friday.
Delays and cancellations are expected across the country including services to destinations such as Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice and Naples.
Though due to Italian laws, there will be services at peak times which include between 6am and 9am and between 6pm and 9pm.
According to RTL Today, train connections to Luxembourg are also being impacted.
For Brits on holiday in either Italy or France, if you are due to get on a train within the country or even on a Eurostar service, expect delays and cancellations, as well as busier train stations.
Sun Travel has contacted Eurostar for comment.
Iran launches ‘retaliatory’ attacks toward U.S. bases in Middle East
June 10 (UPI) — Iran said it launched strikes against U.S. military bases in neighboring countries in and around the Persian Gulf early Wednesday in retaliation for American “aggression” after U.S. forces conducted strikes on targets in southern Iran.
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s central command, said in a statement published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency that the “brave Army of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” carried out a “powerful assault” on U.S. military assets in the region.
“The criminal U.S. military should know that if aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran is repeated, even more severe and widespread attacks will be carried out against the designated target bank in the region, it added.
The statement was accompanied by a photo showing six ground-launched ballistic missiles blasting off from an undisclosed desert location but it was unclear if it was of Wednesday’s strikes as the image was undated and uncredited.
The IRGC claimed missiles were fired at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti airbase, where U.S. F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft operate out of, and that facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain were also attacked.
It said that the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was targeted with drones.
The attacks had yet to be verified but Jordan’s armed forces said they downed five Iranian missiles targeting the country’s al-Azraq district, 60 miles east of the capital, Amman.
The Kuwaiti military, in a post on X just after 3 a.m. local time, said its air defenses were “currently intercepting hostile aerial targets.”
Bahrain’s interior ministry issued multiple alerts around the same time, advising residents that the air-raid siren had been sounded, urging them not to panic and to move to the nearest safe place to shelter immediately.
No deaths or injuries were reported.
The escalation came almost immediately after U.S. Central Command announced that it had completed “self-defense strikes” ordered by President Donald Trump in response to the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter earlier Tuesday.
CENTCOM said in a statement early Wednesday that U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz “with precision munitions’ in an approximately four-hour-long operation.
“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional water,” said CENTCOM.
The ratcheting up of tensions prompted Beijing and Moscow to call on both sides to apply the brakes.
“China is deeply concerned over the latest developments regarding Iran. Relevant parties need to remain calm, exercise restraint, stop exacerbating confrontation and escalating tensions, take concrete actions to ease the situation, stick to political and diplomatic means for resolving disputes, and work for an early realization of a comprehensive and lasting cease-fire,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow was very worried about what she called “the new spiral of U.S.-Iran armed confrontation.”
She called on both parties to show restraint and halt military attacks immediately, adding that Russia stood ready to assist in finding and implementing “mutually acceptable negotiated solutions” to the crisis.
President Donald Trump discusses renovations to the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and makes an announcement on coal in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo