adam

Judy Judge is hanging up her robe.

Nearly 30 years after Judy Sheindlin launched a career that made her TV’s most widely recognized judge — first on the syndicated small claims series “Judge Judy,” which premiered in 1996 and ran for 25 seasons; then on Amazon Prime’s streaming show “Judy Justice” starting in 2021 — she’s passing her gavel to a fitting successor: her son, Judge Adam Levy.

The 83-year-old Sheindlin told People magazine that when “Judy Justice” wraps in October, she’s moving away from on-camera work to focus on other endeavors, including afternoon naps and developing the animated series “Judyverse” based on the “Baby Judge Judy” videos circulating social media.

Created with AI, the videos feature a toddler version of Judge Judy overseeing cases with her signature New York accent and no-nonsense barbs.

“I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there,” she told the outlet.

Sheindlin will also produce her son’s syndicated court TV show, “Adam’s Law,” which debuts Monday.

“There aren’t a lot of people who can carry a half-hour on their own, unscripted,” Sheindlin continued, adding that Levy has what it takes.

The 58-year-old earned his law degree from Hofstra Law School in 1992. This isn’t his first foray into TV, as he joined a panel of judges on Prime’s “Tribunal Justice” in 2023. After three seasons, Sheindlin said he’s ready for his close-up.

On Sept. 22, CBS will air a 30th anniversary special looking back on Sheindlin’s career, “Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable.”

“I don’t think that I’ve ever been this content before,” she told People of entering the next era of her life. “I don’t have to prove anything else. I did it.”

Sept. 4, 2026 1:04 PM PT

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle, a civilian leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the acting Army secretary following the departure of Dan Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. But he spent more than 20 years working for Republican senators as well as in the White House during Trump’s first term, serving as the president’s chief liaison to the Senate, according to an Army bio.

“He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Hegseth echoed that in his own post on X.

“Huge congrats to Adam. Strong and whip smart,” Hegseth wrote. “He is indeed a great Patriot — and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy.”

Driscoll gave no explanation for his decision to quit this week as the Army’s top civilian official. His clashes with Hegseth have been widely reported, and some of Driscoll’s allies in the Army were ousted this year by Trump’s Pentagon chief.

Telle has been at the Army Office of Civil Works since August 2025, according to Legistorm, a website that tracks lawmakers and Capitol Hill staffers. Before that, Telle worked as chief of staff for Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee from 2021-25.

Telle spent 18 months working in the White House during Trump’s first term and 10 years working for the late Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, according to Legistorm.

Telle also worked as the chief staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security Subcommittee, according to Hagerty’s remarks when Telle was nominated for the civil works job in May 2025.

In his most recent job, Telle focused on matters involving commercial navigation, flood damage reduction and permitting under the Clean Water Act. Telle issued a statement in August about the approval of a company’s plans to reroute an aging oil pipeline around a Wisconsin tribal reservation. In May, he was quoted in a story in the Forum, a newspaper in Fargo, N.D., about a $3.2-billion flood control project that will protect more than 200,000 people.

Telle will now be overseeing the nation’s largest fighting force at a time when the U.S. is still engaged in conflict with Iran and significant Army forces are stationed in the Middle East.

The war has significantly contributed to the U.S. military’s shortfall in critical weapons like the Patriot and THAAD defense missile interceptors systems, which are operated by the Army.

Driscoll, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, is a friend of Vice President JD Vance and had good relationships with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

His allies in the Army who were ousted by Hegseth included its top uniformed leader, Gen. Randy George. Gen. Christopher LaNeve took over as the Army’s acting chief of staff and recently pulled the plug on a drone modernization program that Driscoll had championed.

Driscoll spoke with Trump on the current state of the Army before he submitted his resignation, the Associated Press has reported.

Driscoll did not allude to any problems in the only public statement on his departure, saying Tuesday that it has been “the honor of a lifetime” to serve as Army secretary under Trump and Hegseth.

Democrats and Republicans lamented Driscoll’s departure, with some blaming Hegseth directly.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is retiring and sometimes has clashed with Trump, said on social media that Hegseth “is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks.”

Cooper and Finley write for the Associated Press.

Sept. 4 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has named Adam Telle, current assistant secretary for the Army for Civil Works, acting secretary of the Army amid an ongoing shakeup of the U.S. military.

In a brief statement posted on his Truth Social media platform, Trump announced that Telle would be assuming the position immediately, while describing him only as “a Great Patriot, who is respected by all.”

Trump named Telle days after his predecessor, Dan Driscoll, reportedly submitted his resignation following months of reported tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an exit that has raised concern among some as there has been a steady stream of resignations, early retirements and firings among Pentagon leadership during the second Trump administration.

On Tuesday evening, Driscoll made his resignation public, saying in an online statement Wednesday would be his last day.

“As a third-generation Army veteran, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the secretary of the Army under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth,” he said.

“Our soldiers, civilians and their families are our nation’s very best, and they have inspired me every day. I am sincerely thankful for their service and sacrifice.”

On Wednesday, Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, called on Trump to fire Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major who took office with less senior government and military leadership experience than any other secretary of Defense, saying he has “never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country.”

Hegseth has overseen a sweeping overhaul of the department, including a purge of two dozen generals, admirals and senior civilian defense officials who have either resigned, announced early retirement or been fired. Several left following reported clashes with the secretary, who has plunged into culture-war issues, eliminating policies he has characterized as “woke.”

“Huge congrats to Adam,” Hegseth said online.

“He is indeed a great Patriot — and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy.”

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., was among Republicans quick to congratulate Telle for being chosen to lead the Army and Trump for picking him.

“This is a critical position for our nation’s defense, and I can’t imagine a better leader for the world’s greatest warriors,” Hagerty said in a social media statement.

“He knows how to inspire, lead and equip the Army for success. Given the challenges we face today, Adam is the ‘man for the moment.'”

When the Booker Prize longlist was recently announced, it included a book with the memorable title “May We Feed the King.” The debut novel by British author Rebecca Perry isn’t yet available in the U.S., and when it does hit shelves, it will be coming from Transit Books, a small Bay Area publisher run by the husband-and-wife team Adam Z. Levy and Ashley Nelson Levy.

Cited by the Booker committee as “a playful, stirring meditation on history and storytelling” about a curator and a king, the book “has been an early favorite with indie booksellers,” Ashley says.

“May We Feed the King” by Rebecca Perry

(Transit)

“We knew the book was special when we acquired it,” Adam adds. “Ever since, we’ve been crossing our fingers and knocking on wood and sending up flares to the Booker gods, and sent the book to the printer a little earlier than usual just in case.”

Transit, known for publishing intelligent international fiction, began about a decade ago, when Ashley and Adam were convinced that great works of literature were being passed over by New York publishers, and that those books should have a place in America.

There were, Adam says, “really great authors who might have incredible reputations elsewhere not finding publishing houses here that are able to champion them in a way that gets them to access to a broader readership.”

The two were working full-time jobs while talking about their literary dreams over the dining room table. They had met at Columbia in New York and both worked in publishing there before moving to California, where Ashley is from.

Adam Z. Levy and Ashley Nelson Levy, co-publishers of the Bay Area nonprofit publisher Transit Books.

(Jennifer Baquing)

They carefully set out to connect with the international literary community and went through the slow process of launching Transit as a nonprofit. They now have a small staff, an office in Berkeley and count a Nobel Prizewinner, Jon Fosse, among their authors.

At the same time Transit was starting out in Northern California, a pair of not-married friends in Los Angeles saw the same possibilities. Chris Heiser and Olivia Taylor Smith were convinced that they could begin a publishing house, starting with international noir.

Smith, who is now a senior editor at Simon & Schuster and lives in Germany, recalled those early days for me over Zoom. “We launched it at a time when it was almost the golden age of independent, small publishing, a lot of which was translation-focused,” she says.

They jumped right in, came up with a name, Ricochet, and a logo. Then they got a cease-and-desist letter — a small poetry press was also starting as Ricochet. “We had to change names,” Heiser says. “We were literally unnamed.” That’s how they launched Unnamed Press.

“A Certain Hunger” by Chelsea G. Summers

(Unnamed Press)

“I’m very grateful to the litigious poets who forced us to change our name,” Heiser adds. Their original crime-fiction focus rapidly expanded. Science fiction? Nonfiction? Feminist cannibal fiction? Yes, yes, yes.

That last was “A Certain Hunger” by Chelsea Summers, which Smith acquired. “I really loved that it is violent and intense and so visceral,” Smith said. “The prose is incredible and it absolutely was a cut above. Not to use a cannibalistic meat pun.” To date, the 2021 novel has been Unnamed Press’ biggest seller.

Where many literary novels from small presses sell fewer than 2,500 copies, “A Certain Hunger” has sold close to 200,000. “We’re a hits-driven business, you know — you have to have a book that does well enough to keep you going,” Heiser says.

Heiser remains with Unnamed as its publisher, and continues to guide it to unpredictable destinations. In 2022, the press opened North Figueroa Bookshop in Highland Park with fellow L.A. publisher Rare Bird Books — it stocks all publishers’ titles, not just their own.

Guests gather at the North Figueroa gallery for Unnamed Press’ launch of “Four Nose Jobs a Day,” a poetry book with an accompanying vinyl album by Devendra Banhart, center.

(Hoda Mallone)

And next door is the gallery they opened late last year. In June they held a gala launch for Devendra Banhart’s new collection of poems, “Four Nose Jobs a Day” in the North Figueroa gallery, published by Unnamed as both book and record album. The party was a little livelier than your typical book launch: Heiser says it “featured a reading backed by an excellent jazz trio, ceramic noses, a scent-maker, mimes and speed therapy, among many other things.”

Where Unnamed often makes unexpected turns, Transit has stuck close to its original mission: to translate a handful of books a year, often works of translation themselves, with a certain aesthetic.

For readers in sync with Transit’s sensibility — literary, bold and with an edge that feels fresh — they offer subscriptions. Their biggest swerve was adding children’s books. “The quality of the writing is really important, first and foremost,” Ashley said on a Zoom call with Adam and their executive editor, Lizzie Davis.

“We’re really attracted to literature that takes risks on the page,” Adam said. They began publishing acclaimed Norwegian author Jon Fosse’s work three years before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. Transit is the American home of Fosse’s big and bold “Septology,” translated into English by Damion Searls.

“Septology 1-VII,” by Jon Fosse

(Transit Books)

Despite years of a cohort within the publishing community advocating for international literature, such as the National Book Awards’ translated literature prize being relaunched in 2018, translated works remain only 3% of the U.S. publishing market. Transit has remained committed to publishing works in translation, and has had genuine success.

Small publishers can be caught in a catch-22 when they have a sudden success. They have to pay to print books and get them distributed, then wait months before the profits (or unsold returns) come back. An author winning the Nobel Prize in literature is about as big a bonanza of demand as you can imagine.

When Fosse won the Nobel in 2023, that meant publishing a big run of his almost 700-page masterwork. “It was a bit of a cash crunch for us,” Adam admits, “but I think we were also lucky in a lot of ways.” The year before they had published “I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman, a Belgian novelist who died 20 years before — hardly a guaranteed success.

“Stories, Like Illnesses” by James Elkins

(Unnamed Press)

The publishers themselves can’t fully describe what happened — it was well-reviewed, it went viral, it kept selling, it went viral again. Now, the novel has sold more than 450,000 copies. “I feel like for a small press you really need to, not just catch a break, but catch a break every time,” Adam said, “if you want to last.” Those two pillars — the Fosse and Harpman — allowed the Levys to open their office in Oakland in 2024.

Transit recently released another Harpman book, “We Were Forbidden,” a trio of never-before translated novellas. In September, in addition to Perry’s book, they’ll also be publishing two novels by esteemed French writer Marie Darrieussecq.

Unnamed Press’ fall schedule includes James Elkins’ “Stories, Like Illnesses,” the third installment of a multivolume work called “Five Strange Languages.” Unnamed is publishing in five volumes over five years, “an epic publishing project for any publisher,” Heiser says. Luckily, the first volume got a boost when Jacob Elordi was photographed reading it during a marathon Frankenstein makeup session.

The Levys and Heiser all maintain that there was something about being in California that gave them the creative space to launch their publishing houses.

From their similar visions a decade ago, Transit and Unnamed were born separately, and have taken very different paths to sustainability. The Levys were deliberate and focused; Unnamed spontaneous and evolving. Both are flourishing and show what a little freedom can do.

Countryfile’s Adam Henson has highlighted a worrying issue facing Britain’s farming industry after a set of figures left him deeply concerned

BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson has highlighted a serious concern facing the farming industry after new figures revealed a sharp rise in the number of people dying at work.

The farmer, who runs Cotswold Farm Park, said the statistics had prompted him to think carefully about the risks faced by those working on farms and whether more could be done to prevent fatal accidents.

Writing in BBC Countryfile Magazine, Adam said: “There’s so much bad news around that it’s easy to be numbed by the torrent of negative stories in the media. But occasionally something hits the headlines that stops me in my tracks – and that’s what happened when the latest figures for deaths in the workplace were released.”

Figures showed 33 people died while working in agriculture during the 2025/26 financial year, compared with 23 the previous year and 27 in 2023/24.

Adam pointed out the disproportionate number of deaths in the sector, noting that agriculture employs only around 1% of the British workforce but accounts for approximately one in five workplace fatalities.

The figures also prompted him to reflect on safety procedures at his own farm, where both employees and contractors carry out a wide variety of work.

He explained that risk assessments and training were already part of everyday operations, but said the figures were a reminder that it was worth looking again at how hazards were identified and managed.

Adam stressed that there was no single reason behind the number of deaths and that every incident had its own circumstances. However, he highlighted the nature of agricultural work as one possible factor.

Long days, physically demanding jobs and working alone can all create additional risks, particularly when there is nobody nearby to spot a problem or intervene.

“If there are no colleagues around and no chance of a second opinion (or a crucial second pair of eyes), it’s easy to imagine how something potentially dangerous could go unnoticed,” he wrote.

Farming also involves a huge variety of potentially hazardous tasks, with workers dealing with livestock, machinery, chemicals and other equipment.

Adam said the rural setting could sometimes make it easy to forget that a farm is still a workplace, and compared it with more conventional working environments such as factories and workshops.

He also recalled Apaches, the notorious public information film from the 1970s which highlighted the dangers children could face on farms. Adam described the film as “terrifying to watch”.

Research by the Farm Safety Foundation found that 88% of farmers surveyed believed complacency, including overconfidence and a false sense of security, was a major contributor to accidents on farms.

Several initiatives are attempting to improve safety, including the Foundation’s Yellow Wellies campaign, which provides advice and training. Meanwhile, charity RABI has developed FarmersAid, a free app intended to support people who are alone after a serious accident while they wait for emergency assistance.

Adam’s comments come after he recently raised another concern affecting the farming industry during a Q&A with fellow farmer Olly Harrison at Cotswold Farm Park.

Asked what they wanted from the Government, Harrison argued that farming needed to receive greater attention.

Adam subsequently discussed food fraud, saying he had been told by someone at the Food Standards Agency that the problem was worth £9 billion in the UK.

He said: “I was with someone from the Food Standards Agency and food fraud in the UK has a value of nine billion pounds. So stuff that is on a glass or a packet or says it’s something that it’s actually not.”

He went on to claim: “Huge amount of food coming into the country that is, you know, meats that is unlabelled or out of date or not fit for human consumption. Honey, olive oil and dairy products are the three biggest fraudulent foods.”

But it was the farm safety figures that left Adam with a simple hope for the future.

“Like everyone, I’m hoping and praying for zero avoidable deaths on our farms in the future.”