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Private militias, skinheads, neo-Nazis, homophobes, gun zealots, xenophobes, jingoists, anti-Semites and the whole sorry lot who advocate violence against minorities–which party will they vote for in this year’s national elections? In spite of sanctimonious and pious distancing from these groups, Republican candidates will reap their overwhelming support.

A powerful magnetism has existed between extremist right-wing groups in America and the Republican Party for more than six decades, since the days of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. During the Great Depression, fringe leaders included William Dudley Pelley and his brigades of anti-Semitic Silver Shirts, radio preacher Father Charles Coughlin and his Christian Front, Charles Lindbergh and the America First Committee, Fritz Kuhn and the German-American Bund. In the early 1950s, Sen. Joe McCarthy initiated witch-hunting that revived the dormant bigotries of the 1930s and sustained the GOP majorities in Congress. In the 1960s, the John Birch Society, protagonists of the antifluoridation hysteria and other extreme right-wing groups stepped forward to buttress Barry Goldwater’s candidacy. Anita Bryant’s Save Our Children (from homosexuals) and Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority followed on their heels in the 1970s.

Now, a host of other organizations led by the Christian Coalition have replaced communists with homosexuals as the leading enemy of “all we hold dear” and as a potent fund-raising tool.

The naked hatreds of the past have become more sophisticated in the last three decades, but they are still alive behind the rhetoric of religious leaders, conservative think tanks and radio commentators.

The Republican Party has been the target of insurgency by such groups and, in times of political difficulty, has even courted them. Their increasing influence over the years has discouraged and driven out many in the GOP with more moderate stances. Some, including me, never took too seriously the party’s complicity in the ascent of the extremists. Over the years, the Republican Party has fostered such groups, often covertly, sometimes even publicly denouncing them in a mutually understood act of pragmatic politics.

This dynamic has spawned the continuing battle in the GOP between the forces of intolerance, isolationism and extremism and the “moderate” defenders of inclusivity. Pat Buchanan and Bob Dole are now re-creating this decades-old pantomime.

This battle was brought into the living rooms of America with the TV coverage of the 1992 Republican convention in Houston. It was there that Buchanan, as spokesman for the extremists, urged delegates to choose sides in a “cultural” and “religious war” to change the very definition of America. His speech, while met by an enthusiastic throng at the convention, triggered concern in much of the viewing audience. The GOP’s long flirtation with its radical-right fringe, an open secret in the sanctums of Republican decision makers, became the subject of debate across the nation.

Two years later, a somewhat softened rhetoric was successful in sweeping the GOP into power by emphasizing Americans’ deep disaffection with the status quo. Interpreting the 1994 election results as a mandate, both the GOP right and the lunatic fringe now demand more influence in the party and the leadership seems happy to oblige.

This struggle for power has helped polarize American politics, exacerbating religious antipathies, stigmatizing minorities and heightening mistrust between citizen and government. The present danger of extremism to American democracy proves that the United States is not immune to the life-and-death evil of bigotry and intolerance that has afflicted other nations.

The Republican Party’s much touted “big tent” has provided a haven for bigotry for more than six decades; the party has never dared break the ties between itself and the intolerant right. As the extremists become stronger, the moderates become weaker. It is too late.

Recently, Buchanan lashed out at the GOP’s “lords and barons” and called on his followers to hoist their “pitchforks” to oust them from the party. For those of us who are neither lords and barons nor pitchfork brandishers, but who want a country better for all of us tomorrow than it is today, the “big tent” is one that we’ve been forced to abandon by those who fill it now.

Last month, veteran Hollywood producer Roy Lee got three calls in a single day from executives at three different studios. Each believed they had found the next internet-native short poised to become a Hollywood blockbuster — an online monster named Siren Head — and each was ready to make an offer and wanted Lee’s help to develop a movie.

The frenzy traces back to the enduring global box-office runs of two low-budget horror films, Curry Barker’s “Obsession” and Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms,” which have earned $403 million and $349 million, respectively. Studios have become fixated on hunting down every short film, internet meme and indie video game with the potential to “put something new and fresh on the screen,” Lee said.

“In the past, whenever we were putting together movies with the studios, they would resort to going back to safer bets with filmmakers who’ve made movies before,” Lee said, whose L.A.-based horror production company, Spooky Pictures, secured three Barker films before “Obsession” hit theaters. “But because of the [ongoing] success, bosses are going to their lower-level executives saying, ‘You better find the next person and bring them to us.’”

The race for Hollywood to capture new-age internet intellectual property, or IP, is well underway. And, in some cases, it’s happening on terms decided by the online creators themselves, according to interviews with agents and producers.

A still of leading actor Chiwetel Ejiofor in “Backrooms.”

(A24)

A new kind of scouting

Mining the internet for the next big thing isn’t a new idea. What’s changed is how major studios approach the creators behind it. In the past, studios have plucked influencers from their online niche and slotted them into whatever mainstream production needed a face. Under the precedent set by Barker and Parsons, studios are now looking to acquire a fully developed idea from creators who already have a built-in audience, agents say.

The industry has long been criticized for leaning too hard on sequels, franchises and remakes led by well-seasoned directors. But after “Obsession” and “Backrooms” were released, it became clear what kind of story could still pull audiences into a theater. Both films came from digital-native storytellers in their 20s who arrived with sizable online followings already attached. In the wake of their success, Parsons is reportedly working on a “Backrooms” sequel for A24, and Barker has another horror movie in the works for Universal Film Group.

“Hollywood is realizing that they have to take more chances,” said Jordan Lonner, Barker’s agent at United Talent Agency. “You have to take those leaps to attract a younger audience. They can feel when something is authentic and that they’re being served something by filmmakers that actually understand them, versus when they’re being served by a big corporate giant.”

Creators are calling the shots

As Hollywood looks to the internet for answers, agents and executives say creators may soon have more leverage than ever at the negotiating table. For example, creators probably will retain ownership and control of their IP, said Ty Flynn, a partner and agent at UTA’s Creators division.

“[Creators] can really have the final say in the creative oversight of their project,” Flynn said. “It’s definitely something that is unique to the space, because they’re obviously the masters of their audience. They know better than anyone else how their audience responds. It’s in the best interest of any partner to [have it] play out, versus trying to control it from the start.”

“Obsession” stars Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston.

(Focus Features)

While creators break into the mainstream, their representatives say traditional companies are growing more comfortable betting on digital stars. UTA‘s roster includes Alix Earle, Jake Shane and Markiplier — the last of whom recently landed his own box-office breakthrough with “Iron Lung.” The YouTuber, whose real name is Mark Fischbach, self-financed the horror film for $3 million, distributed it on his own and earned roughly $50 million in 4,000 theaters worldwide.

Creative Artists Agency is also teaming up with private equity firm TPG to buy creator-led companies.

Kori Adelson, president of North Road Films — one of the financiers behind “Backrooms” — predicts this shift also will change how studios weigh “price point to risk.” If major companies are willing to diversify their budgets, she said, it could open the door for small-, mid- and big-budget projects to reach a wider range of viewers.

“There’s a direct relationship between budget and authenticity,” Adelson said. “The bigger the budget, the more protections that are in place to ensure that it makes money, because the investment is so big, so you are by definition not able to take risks. And the lower the price point is, the more freedom you have to be bold and to take big swings and to be original.”

Even before the release of “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” multiple studios competed for the theatrical rights to the popular online video game “99 Nights in the Forest,” hosted on Roblox. Disney’s 20th Century ultimately won, with the game’s developers signing on as executive producers.

“Studio people were bending over backwards to make all these promises that would never happen in the past,” Lee said.

There are limits to this model, however

Replicating this success at scale won’t be easy, said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak. Because major studios operate with far bigger budgets, he said, the low-budget, indie playbook doesn’t simply transfer over.

Buzz Lightyear and Woody in Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5.”

(Disney / Pixar)

“The whole point is that [‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’] were made by independent filmmakers with very modest budgets,” Dergarabedian said. “It makes sense that everyone’s looking for what’s next, but it’s not an easy task. Both of those films came about very organically and authentically.”

Many studios will remain “inherently risk-averse,” said Darrell Miller, an L.A.-based entertainment lawyer — largely because of how much cash flow they need just to operate. He said, “Obsession’s” $403-million worldwide gross is a “big win” for Focus Features, the indie distributor backed by Universal, but it doesn’t compare to what a major studio needs from a tentpole release.

“Major studios have to generate over a billion to pay for the overhead, the operation and the size of their business model,” Miller said. “Blockbusters average between $200 [million] and $400 million [to make] and they’re spending another one to two times for marketing. The major studio game is much bigger.”

Every film, regardless of budget, carries a degree of unpredictability. Plenty of indie productions flop at the box office or never land distribution at all — just as plenty of big-budget releases continue to resonate with mass audiences. “Toy Story 5,” for one, has taken the 31-year-old franchise to new heights. The animated film, made with a budget between $150 million and $200 million, has earned upward of $763 million globally less than a month after its release.

Some creators are saying no

Even as studios chase internet-native IP, some of the most sought-after creators are turning them down. For Luke Pounder and Tristan Tales of L.A.-based TalesVision, traditional Hollywood isn’t the goal. The duo, known for fictional young adult content on YouTube, plans to keep leveling up their material while keeping it native to the internet.

“We never wait on a green light from anyone to tell the stories that we want to tell, and social media has already given us that opportunity,” Tales said.

The pair had been in talks with traditional studios about a few of their ideas, but timeline constraints and the potential loss of creative control steered them away. Even as creators become bigger stakeholders in these deals, for Pounder and Tales, that still isn’t enough.

Later this year, they‘ll launch their first premium series, “Lostlings,” with Lion Forge Entertainment. The eight-episode, half-hour series will premiere on their own YouTube channel.

“YouTube isn’t just like this discovery platform where you pluck the talent or the IP and then throw it into the traditional system. YouTube can be that next phase as well, where you take the talent or the IP and distribute it on there,” Pounder said. “YouTube has to catch up to its creators and their ambitions.”

Meanwhile, the competitive bidding war for the internet urban legend Siren Head closed last week, with Warner Bros. winning the theatrical rights for an undisclosed amount. The film will be directed by Brian Duffield (“No One Will Save You”) and co-written by Zach Cregger (“Weapons”). Trevor Henderson, the artist who created the monster online, will serve as an executive producer.

Lee, who will serve as a producer on the “Siren Head” movie, sees this as just the beginning.

“We’re talking about making films the traditional way using the talent that learns their craft either by doing shorts on YouTube, or doing things in a non-traditional manner.”

THIS summer, it looks like it’s time to call a truce on the great Spain vs. Turkey debate.

Because by looking at the latest booking data, I’ve noticed a massive change in 2026.

More and more Brits are swapping Europe’s traditional heavyweight resorts for a handful of Greek destinations.

These spots serve up the exact same sunshine, brilliant beaches, and all-inclusive value – often for a chunk less money.

And because I work in travel, my screen is basically permanently locked onto live price trends and capacity numbers.

The pattern right now is clear: holidaymakers are moving away from the usual high-premium hubs in Spain, the Canaries or the Turkish rivieras because Greece has suddenly become the ultimate value loophole.

A massive influx of flight capacity from the UK means you can bag that peak-summer Mediterranean experience without paying the usual school holiday markup.

If you want to know where the smart money is heading this summer, these are the seven Greek spots I’d be circling.

7. Ixia, Rhodes

If there’s one Greek resort that’s aggressively stealing traffic from the traditional Spanish and Turkish mainstays this summer, it’s Ixia.

Our data shows a massive wave of holidaymakers ditching the likes of Benidorm, Alanya, Costa Adeje, Costa Teguise, Marmaris, and Torremolinos specifically to head here.

It gives you that classic beach holiday setup people love, but with a slightly more premium edge, proper decent hotels, and historic Rhodes Old Town sitting just a ten-minute taxi ride down the road.

Plus, you get a constant coastal breeze, which makes the peak August heat infinitely more comfortable than the suffocating temperatures you get elsewhere.

I spotted five nights at the Belair Beach from Edinburgh on 21 August, with half board and flights included, from £375pp.

The hotel sits right across the road from the front, but the real insider perk here is their specialised windsurfing and water sports station directly on the sand.

Because Ixia is a world-class windsurfing hub, the hotel has gear hire sorted right on your doorstep, meaning you can try your hand at proper coastal sports for a fraction of what a commercial water sports center down the coast would fleece you for.

6. Ialyssos, Rhodes

Just around the bay from Ixia is Ialyssos, another Rhodes resort that’s turning into one of the island’s biggest success stories.

The booking data tells us that the crowds usually bound for Benidorm, Costa Adeje, Alanya, and Marmaris are pivoting here instead.

It offers the exact same guaranteed August sunshine you’re chasing in the western Med, but swaps the crowded strips for a much more relaxed, authentic village vibe and some brilliant, family-run apartment setups.

I found five nights at the Trianta Hotel Apartments from 19 August, with flights included, from £255pp.

Landing peak summer flights and accommodation for barely over two hundred and fifty quid is a massive result.

This property is notoriously highly rated by return guests, and the standout feature here is its poolside taverna nights.

Instead of serving up generic, mass-produced package food, the family that runs the place cooks up proper, home-style Greek mezze using vegetables grown in their own garden lot behind the apartments. It’s elite local dining on a shoestring budget.

5. Messonghi, Corfu

If you’re after somewhere that feels slower, greener, and a bit more rustic than the sprawling concrete mega-resorts, Messonghi is a top-tier shout.

And this year, it’s proving particularly popular with Brits swapping away from Benidorm, Costa Adeje, and Alanya.

Corfu‘s scenery is stunning, the beaches are incredibly calm, and a massive boost in regional UK flight routes this year has driven package prices right down into bargain territory.

One standout deal I spotted was five nights all inclusive at Canvas by Mitsis Messonghi from 20 August, with flights included, from £478pp.

And getting a fully loaded, peak-season Mitsis property under the £500 mark is an absolute steal.

The beachfront setting and massive pool complexes at this hotel are brilliant for keeping kids occupied, but what elevates this place above so many Spanish hotels for me is the complimentary, on-site aqua park.

They’ve integrated a proper mini waterpark into the resort grounds with zero entry fees, saving you from shelling out €40 a head for a public waterpark day trip into town.

4. Faliraki, Rhodes

Faliraki has completely reinvented its identity over the last decade.

While people of my generation might still associate it with rowdy 18-30 nightlife, today it’s quietly morphed into one of Rhodes‘ best all-round family beach resorts.

I’m seeing a huge influx of families swapping over from Benidorm, Marmaris, the Costa Blanca, and Alanya to secure one of the island’s widest sandy coastlines and a massive number of modern hotels.

I found five nights at the Hillside Studios from 25 August, with flights included, from £340pp. 

It serves as a brilliant, no-nonsense base with an immaculate pool area, but the secret benefit of this specific hotel is its location near the Erimokastro hills.

Because it sits just outside the central valley, the hotel offers an incredibly peaceful night’s sleep away from the main resort hum, and it puts you right on the doorstep of the hidden, cliff-sheltered Astron Beach cove – a spot most tourists completely miss!

3. Kiotari, Rhodes

If your main holiday priority is peace, quiet, and premium lounging, Kiotari is easily one of my favourite recommendations on the map.

More people are moving here from heavy-hitting hubs like Alanya in Turkey because the hotels feel noticeably more luxurious and modern than the older resort blocks elsewhere in the Med, serving up wide beaches, reliable sunshine, and massive all-inclusive footprints without the premium price tag.

One deal that stood out to me was five nights all inclusive at the Kiotari Miraluna Beach Resort from 19 August, with flights included, from £535pp.

My pick of the features at this resort is easily the cinema lounge.

They run open-air family movie nights right on the edge of the sand under the stars in the evening, which is a fantastic, high-end touch that lets you unwind with a drink by the waves while the kids are completely glued to a big screen.

2. Hersonissos, Crete

Crete never goes out of fashion, and Hersonissos remains the undisputed king of its value market.

Holidaymakers are increasingly swapping over from traditional mainstays like Benidorm and Marmaris, tempted by Crete’s reliable weather, lively waterfront, and massive choice of hotels.

It delivers that buzzing, lively atmosphere that Brits love, but pairs it with incredible independent tavernas, fascinating ancient history, and excellent flight availability from pretty much every major UK runway.

I spotted five nights at the Palatia Village Apartments from 20 August, with self-catering and flights included, from £283pp.

The hotel serves up fantastic, panoramic views across the bay, but the real selling point here is the traditional Cretan architecture of the rooms.

The apartments are styled like a mini, stone-walled Greek village rather than a sterile hotel corridor, meaning you get that high-end, boutique aesthetic for under three hundred quid.

1. Kavos, Corfu

Kavos might raise a few eyebrows on a value list, but the resort landscape here is changing rapidly.

Beyond the main neon strip, there is an influx of quieter, family-run properties that are drawing in couples and budget-conscious travellers who simply want cheap sun without the chaos.

And these great summer prices are driving a massive spike in people swapping here instead of choosing Spain’s traditional budget resorts.

A deal that really caught my eye was five nights at the Oula Maisonettes from 25 August, with self-catering and flights included, from just £235pp.

This is a small, family-run complex that heavily over-delivers for the money.

The absolute best feature here is the independent duplex layout of the maisonettes themselves.

Having your living area completely separate from the upstairs sleeping quarters gives you a proper apartment feel, allowing you to relax on your private terrace with a cold drink after the kids have gone to bed without waking them up.

Sacramento — New spending on school construction tends to be reliably popular when proposed in California ballot measures.

According to the League of California Cities, voters approve about 80% of bond measures for local school districts — even though state rules require 55% support on a measure for it to pass. The last four statewide school bond measures were approved by voters. And nearly 6 out of 10 likely voters back the idea of a new school bond on the ballot, according to an October poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Yet Proposition 51, the $9-billion school bond measure on next week’s ballot, is struggling, according to PPIC polls from the last two months. In both polls, Proposition 51 stood below majority support, and such numbers put the measure at risk of a rare failure, said Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s president and CEO.

“It’s not where we would expect it would be,” Baldassare said.

Beyond the general popularity of schools, Proposition 51 has many of the advantages that come alongside successful campaigns.

The state Democratic and Republican parties, business and labor groups and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other major politicians are part of a broad coalition in favor. Those supporters, primarily developers, contractors and others who regularly promote school facility construction, have raised $12 million for the campaign, compared with nothing for opponents.

And schools across the state need more money. Schools should be spending between $4 billion and $8 billion a year on building replacement and upgrades, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, and the state pot of money to pay for these fixes has run dry.

Still, there are plenty of explanations for Proposition 51’s troubles. Most notably, unlike the past, support isn’t universal among major interests. Lawmakers put the four previous statewide school bonds on the ballot themselves. This time, after negotiations with Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators failed, backers gathered signatures for an initiative. Brown hasn’t spent much time campaigning against Proposition 51, but when asked, he’s criticized it as too large and inefficient.

“This has been a funding area that has had very strong bipartisan support for decades,” said Jeff Vincent, deputy director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools. “We are now at a place in California where that is not the case.”

Brown and others have questioned how state school bond money gets spent. They argue that the program unfairly benefits larger, more affluent districts. The cash is available to local districts that already have funding to match the state dollars and is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Last month, outgoing state Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) urged her Facebook followers to vote against Proposition 51, saying that voters should hold out for a better measure sponsored by the Legislature in coming years. Hancock served on the board that hands out the bond money and, in an interview, described the spending process as overly complex and cumbersome. She said she had to fight those rules to get a school in her district funds for earthquake safety.

“I think we can do a better bond with more money going in a simple, direct way for our schools,” Hancock said.

PPIC’s polls show similar drops across voters of all income and education levels and ethnicities when asked about Proposition 51 compared with the generic school bond measure. Proposition 51’s official summary, which appears on voters’ ballots, states that the measure will raise $9 billion and cost $17.6 billion to pay off over 35 years. Those big numbers could be keeping Proposition 51’s polling low, Baldassare said.

“I would have to think it has something to do with the size of the bond and the impact on the budget,” he said.

Erin Shaw, spokeswoman for the Yes on 51 campaign, said aspects of the PPIC polls look good for her side. The October poll has the measure leading — 46% to 41% — and there are plenty of undecided voters.

Shaw said the campaign expects the results could track with previous state school bond measures, the lowest of which passed with just 50.9% of the vote in 2004.

“We have had a strong campaign in which we have been able to garner a significant amount of broad and bipartisan support for the measure,” Shaw said.

She noted that local districts have bond measures of their own on ballots — 184 of them that aim to raise $25 billion statewide — and believed voters ultimately will link their desire to repair their local schools with money from the state.

liam.dillon@latimes.com

Follow me at @dillonliam on Twitter

ALSO

What you need to know about the $9-billion school bond on the ballot

Gov. Jerry Brown opposes $9-billion school bond measure

School bonds used to be as controversial as mom and apple pie. Not anymore under Gov. Jerry Brown

Updates on California politics

Big Brother star Lily Benson drunkenly booked herself into The Savoy days after she spoke of how she was about to be made “homeless” and was to be evicted from her flat

Big Brother star Lily Benson has treated herself to a night in The Savoy – just days after she claimed she was being made homeless. The The reality star, 21, has carved out a career as an influencer since she shot to fame as a housemate on the 2024 series of the ITV2 reality show, and has kept fans up to date with her day-to-day life since.

Earlier this week, Lily told her followers that she was about to be evicted from her flat and Sunday was her moving out day, but left her packing to the the last minute after getting tickets to a Harry Styles gig.

In her first update on the hectic day, Lily posted a video on Instagram where she looked panicked as she wheeled her belongings out of the flat and wrote: “Note to self. Don’t leave moving to the last day.”

In the next update, Lily wrote: “My temporary housing accommodation,” and could be heard thanking a doorman who helped her with her luggage as she revealed she was staying in the luxury hotel. She added: “I booked this drunk last night.”

In the next slide, Lily had donned the complimentary robe and slippers with the hotel’s branding on them and Kerry Riches, who found fame on the first series of the ITV version of Big Brother and has since appeared on Good Morning Britain as a disability campaigner, commented: “I’m hpwling but you’re gonna absolutely love it. It’s my favourite hotel ever! Xx”

It comes after Warrington-born Lily, who famously spoke about working in a Chinese takeaway whilst in the house and, since moving to London for her showbiz career, has documented long-running sagas such as getting her broken Louboutins fixed, took took to TikTok on Tuesday with a far more bleak update for her followers.

After speaking about a rat problem in her flat, she said: “I’m also homeless, on Sunday I get evicted from my place. I currently have nowhere to go. I had two months to look for a place but I’ve just been busy with my hot girl summer and it’s not been in my vocabulary to look for a place.

But Lily didn’t seem too bothered about her living arrangement, and was more concerned about getting a tan in the coming days as she expressed her confusion over the “retirement” of the Prime Minister.

She said: “So I’m probably just gonna have to get an Airbnb or summat. Or I could go back to Warrington but the UV here is so high. Why would I go back to Warrington when I can’t get a tan there? My Stranded in London content is coming soon.”

“But my main priority right now is I have the Maybelline summer party, and the UV is eight degrees, I’m gonna get a killer tan and listen to heartbreak music. That’s my life update. It’s very solemn. I found out today that Keir Starmer has retired – what the f*** is going on?”

Lily has amassed almost half a million followers across both Instagram and TikTok since rising to fame but admitted that at the time she applied for the reality show, which has launched the careers of This Morning stars Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson as well as fellow presenters like Brian Dowling and Kate Lawler, she only did it as an act of revenge against an ex-boyfriend.

At the time, she told ITV: “I originally applied because it was my ex’s favourite TV show because we broke up. I thought ‘I’m going to go on his favourite TV show.’ I’d never heard of it.

“When I dated him, he was obsessed with it and I was like ‘What is it?’ because he was older. When we broke up, I saw the advert and I thought I’m going to apply for his favourite TV show and get on it – I didn’t think I would!”

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

Canberra says tech platforms are still letting too many children bypass its under-16 social media ban.

Australia says it will double fines on social media companies that fail to keep children off their platforms, accusing Big Tech of dodging the spirit of its under-16 ban.

The government said on Saturday that new legislation would raise the maximum penalty for systemic breaches from 49.5 million to 99 million Australian dollars ($31m to $68m) and give the eSafety Commissioner stronger powers to force platforms to comply.

The regulator is investigating possible breaches by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

“It’s clear Big Tech are not doing enough to comply with the law – there are still too many children on social media,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

“These changes reflect the seriousness with which we take any failure by social media companies to comply.”

The ban, which came into force on December 10, made Australia a global test case for countries trying to curb children’s access to social media. The United Kingdom, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand are among those watching or considering similar restrictions.

But children have continued to evade the rules by using accounts registered to older people, creating fake profiles or logging in through private browsers.

A peer-reviewed evaluation published this month in the British Medical Journal found “insufficient evidence” that the ban had sharply reduced social media use among young people. Researchers surveyed more than 400 children before the measure took effect and again three months later, finding “substantial circumvention” of the rules.

The government says more than five million accounts held by under-16s have been blocked, but Communications Minister Anika Wells said platforms were still falling short.

“Based on the regular updates I receive from the eSafety Commissioner, it is clear to me that social media platforms are adopting tricks straight out of the Big Tech playbook and doing the bare minimum to get by,” Wells said.

“Social media platforms are some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world, and we’re serious about holding them to account,” she added.

The new powers would allow the eSafety Commissioner to demand documents and evidence from platforms, age-checking companies and app stores.

Platforms must show they have taken “reasonable steps” to keep under-16s out. Some use artificial intelligence to estimate ages, while users can also verify their age with a government ID.

This indoor UK attraction could just be the heatwave hack you’ve been waiting for as families swap hot beaches and overcrowded swimming pools for some cold snow

As temperatures continue to rise, with no promise that the UK won’t be thrown into a heatwave again this summer, this unlikely family day out may just be your saving grace.

As much as the UK loves to complain about rain, as soon as those summer temperatures soar, we’re really not different. As the fans are pulled out of storage and paddling pools assemble, there’s somewhere even cooler that you can escape to.

Families can turn the sun into snow by visiting indoor ski slopes this summer. SnowDome, which has dubbed itself the ‘Midlands’s biggest fridge’, is a good place to start.

Smack bang in the middle of the country, based in Tamworth, just 30 minutes from Birmingham, the indoor activity centre offers a whole load of snow-based activities. From ice skating to slope activities such as skiing and snowboarding, as well as climbing and swimming, there’s plenty to keep you busy all under one roof.

Kirsty Tucker, the head of marketing at SnowDome, said: “The UK isn’t always prepared for extreme heat, and when temperatures climb, families are often looking for fun ways to stay cool. SnowDome offers a unique escape, where guests can enjoy everything from snow slides and skiing to ice skating and swimming.

“Combined with our June Sale savings, it’s the perfect opportunity for families to enjoy a refreshing day out this summer.”

The indoor ski centre is offering 55% off selected activities in June for bookings made by 28th June for visits before 19th July 2026.

Having paid the place a visit in June, one recent skier shared on TripAavisor: “As we were visiting the area from Kent, we decided to book a beginner snowboarding lesson, having never tried before, and what an awesome 2hrs! Staff were friendly from the reception area right through to equipment hire helping guide us on correct equipment fitting.”

Alternatively, elsewhere in the country is The SnowCentre, which has two locations, one in Manchester and the other in Hemel Hempstead, for those both in the north and south of the country.

At both SnowCentre locations, visitors can enjoy a whole host of different ski and snowboard lessons, lift passes, and freestyle options.

The UK’s largest indoor snow centre can be found in Milton Keynes, called Snozone. The company has another site in Yorkshire, offering visitors a gateway from the warm summer, transporting them to a snow-filled day of fun. It works as the ideal space for sharpening up your snow-sports skills, all while providing a unique day out at this time of year.

It may not have been at the forefront of your mind, but it’s never too early to get the skis back on. In fact, there may be no better time to hit the snow as you find yourself slowly melting under the UK sun this month.

It’s been more than 30 years, but Andy’s toys are proving irreplaceable at the box office.

Walt Disney Co. and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” opened to a massive $160 million in the U.S. and Canada last weekend, marking the biggest domestic box office debut so far this year. Internationally, the film brought in $152 million for a worldwide total of $312 million.

With those numbers, “Toy Story 5” broke several franchise records for opening weekend totals. As my colleague Cerys Davies and I wrote last week, it’s a sign of the long-running juggernaut’s firm grip on audiences amid a sea of Hollywood sequels, reboots and spinoffs.

“‘Toy Story’ has been breaking ground since it first hit the screen more than 30 years ago,” Disney Entertainment Studios Chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement. “It’s wonderful to see ‘Toy Story 5’ continuing that tradition and connecting with audiences around the world to deliver the biggest opening for the franchise and the biggest of this year as well.”

For theater owners, “Toy Story” may have seemed like a surefire bet. After all, the franchise has grossed more than $3 billion in worldwide box-office revenue, and its third and fourth installments each made more than $1 billion globally.

The big opening weekend for “Toy Story 5” has no doubt brightened the outlook for many theater operators as the all-important summer movie season gets underway.

Already, last weekend’s box-office totals were a whopping 80% improvement compared with a year ago, when Universal Pictures’ live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” was in its second weekend in theaters. But more importantly, the domestic box office is now up 14% to $4.46 billion compared with the same time a year ago, according to data from Rentrak.

This summer’s lineup of films, including “Toy Story 5,” will play an important role in terms of whether 2026 will truly be the year that the theatrical business turns the corner from the COVID-19 pandemic and the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023.

In one promising sign, summer box-office revenue so far is up 15.2% to about $1.84 billion compared with the same May to mid-June period in 2025. (That summer ultimately ended in a dismal finish of $3.67 billion.) Compared with pre-pandemic 2019, this year’s summer box office to date is down just 1.9%.

Studio executives and theater owners have told me they feel good about this summer and are optimistic about the overall outlook for 2026.

It’s easy to see why. The deck is stacked, with upcoming titles such as Universal and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters,” Disney’s live-action “Moana,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

In a propitious sign, presales for “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man” have already shown massive demand. Overall, there’s just more and varied movies in theaters now, which expands the pool of potential moviegoers, theater owners have said.

Take A24’s “Backrooms” or Focus Features’ “Obsession,” for instance. The two original and digital-native films shocked the industry by keeping a weeks-long grip on the box office, largely by attracting Gen Z audiences who were familiar with the 20-something directors from their followings on YouTube.

Beyond these two, as well as Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day,” many of this summer’s films continue established franchises.

Although not all spinoffs have performed this year — including Disney and Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which saw ticket sales drop sharply after its late May opening — “Toy Story” has remained a consistent force in theaters over the decades.

Disney and Pixar executives credit the films’ focus on character relationships, particularly that of Tom Hanks’ Woody and Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear. And as the franchise spanned years, its appeal became generational.

“Having parents now that say, ‘I grew up with ‘Toy Story,’ and now I’m showing my kids,’ has been really gratifying,” Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter told me by phone a week before the movie’s opening.

“Toy Story” is now the most-watched franchise on the Disney+ streaming service, with more than 2 billion hours streamed. And its beloved characters have spawned 19 theme park rides, four themed lands, two hotels and roughly $1 billion a year in global retail sales.

That has no doubt kept the franchise front and center for both adults and children, as well as fueling interest in future stories.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

The FIFA World Cup has been a major boost for broadcasters, as an average of 6 million viewers tuned in to Fox and cable network FS1 for the first 16 group stage matches, an increase of 128% compared with the last World Cup in 2022, according to Nielsen data released last week.

On Spanish language network Telemundo, which is owned by Comcast, the first 12 group stage matches drew an average of 7.5 million viewers, up 234% from four years ago. (The Telemundo telecasts are also streamed on Peacock.)

I was in the Bay Area last week on vacation and didn’t watch many of the games, but I did catch my colleague Clara Harter’s great read about the mutual love and respect between fans of Mexico and South Korea and how that has played out in Los Angeles.

What I’m watching

Since I was out of town last week, I didn’t watch a ton of TV. But I did make time to watch the series finale of “The Way Home,” a quirky time-travel drama on Hallmark that I’ve followed for all four seasons.

I’m a big fan of time-travel stories (The “Back to the Future” trilogy is one of my favorites), so the usual past-future questions, plus the complicated family dynamics anchored by matriarch Andie MacDowell, made this a must-watch for me. The series finale was a satisfying ending, though there are definitely some loose strings that deserve further exploration.

Reporting from Washington — The hotly contested Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects that President Trump brought back to life with the stroke of a pen Tuesday may still never get built — but for Trump, that isn’t necessarily the point.

The projects have become among the country’s most potent symbols of the clash between an oil and gas industry seeking to maintain the old order of energy production and the climate change movement pushing for a different direction.

Trump used the two proposed pipelines to send an unmistakable message during his first week in office: energy firms and their projects are back in favor.

When the Obama administration rejected Keystone in 2015 after years of protests and tens of millions of dollars spent by all sides, green-energy champions celebrated a seminal victory. The decision against the project came right before Obama signed a landmark global warming accord with dozens of other heads of state at a summit in Paris.

The Dakota Access project more recently became a national rallying point not only for environmental groups but for Native American tribes who said it threatened grounds they hold sacred. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has set up a camp to protest the pipeline, and the battle over it has become violent at times, with protesters clashing with police.

As the fight drew increasing national attention last year, the Obama administration dealt the project a potentially devastating blow that once again sent a strong message of opposition to fossil fuel projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied the pipeline a crucial easement and announced it would look for alternatives to its planned route under a dammed section of the Missouri River called Lake Oahe.

Days before Obama’s term ended, the Corps of Engineers announced it would start an extensive environmental review that could add months — potentially years — to the permitting process and open the project to more public comment, creating new opportunities for opponents to block it.

Trump’s decision to revive the prospects for both projects comes as his administration jettisons much of Obama’s climate policy — including U.S. participation in the Paris accord — and promises to work aggressively to curb regulations that inhibit drilling and mining.

As the Trump administration moves swiftly to change direction, it also issued a gag order to the staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, which took a lead in Obama’s climate fight. Officials at the agency have been instructed not to interact at all with the news media and to freeze all contracts and grants.

Trump’s directives on the pipelines may pay political dividends. The angry opposition to the announcements comes mostly from places and groups that have never supported Trump. By contrast, the moves are likely to be well received by workers in Rust Belt communities who backed Trump in the election and now see him delivering on his promise to work for more jobs in middle America.

The decision on the Dakota Access pipeline instructed the Corps of Engineers to “consider” whether it can grant final approval for the project. It does not immediately clear the way for construction to resume, but strongly tilts in that direction, telling the Corps to consider skipping any additional environmental review.

Jan Hasselman, a lawyer for the advocacy group Earthjustice, called that directive illegal, saying it was “an insult to Standing Rock, and it continues a historic pattern of trampling on the rights of native people.”

Environmental groups call the $3.8-billion, 1,170-mile project — nearly all of which has already been built — a threat to clean air and water, as well as to farming communities.

On Keystone, the president emphasized the jobs aspect of the project by insisting that the pipeline be built exclusively with U.S. steel, which he said would generate still more jobs.

That demand may or may not be feasible. If it raises the pipeline’s cost, it could prove the death knell for a project that may no longer pencil out financially. The price of oil has plunged over the last couple of years to levels far below what Keystone’s designers had envisioned.

The order Trump signed on Tuesday invited TransCanada, the firm that developed Keystone, to submit a new application for a permit for the pipeline. It directed administration agencies to swiftly review that application and issue a new decision within 60 days. That would be in sharp contrast with the nearly eight years during which the project languished before Obama finally rejected it.

During the long delay, fighting Keystone became a rallying point for the environmental movement. While studies showed the effects of the single pipeline on the climate would be negligible — as would be its impact on boosting global oil production — resistance focused on the environmental movement drawing a line in the sand, demanding that public officials stop backing big, invasive infrastructure projects that feed the world’s oil habit and undermine the push for more green energy.

TransCanada immediately declared it would seize the new opening for its project, which is designed to ship 800,000 barrels of oil a day from the Canadian tar sands to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

In a statement, TransCanada vowed the pipeline would create thousands of jobs and boost the American economy, saying it “represents the safest, most environmentally sound way to connect the American economy to an abundant energy resource.”

Trump echoed the project’s supporters, saying the pipeline could generate 28,000 construction jobs. Opponents dispute that number, saying the new jobs would be less abundant than Trump claims and noting that in any case they would be temporary. They also say the project would undermine the potential creation of many more jobs in solar, wind and geothermal energy.

Trump’s directive provoked predictable outrage from environmental groups, which are vowing to mobilize just as they did before to block construction with mass protest and relentless legal challenges.

For all the heavy symbolism, however, the project’s impact on the world’s energy sector will ultimately be limited.

“In the end, this is all a tempest in a teapot,” said Andrew Hoffman, a professor of sustainable enterprise at the University of Michigan. The project, he said, ultimately would not lower prices at the pump or add significantly more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

“It is just one more battlefield between the left and the right about free commerce, the role of government and the influence of activists,” he said.

Halper reported from Washington and Yardley from Denver.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Follow me: @evanhalper

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Nneka Ogwumike called game.

The 10-time WNBA All-Star and Sparks forward hit a buzzer-beating three-point shot to give the Sparks an electric 98-97 come-from-behind win over the New York Liberty on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

In a rematch of the WNBA’s first-ever game from June 21, 1997, the Sparks overcame a 17-point Liberty lead, all while celebrating the inaugural matchup — and iconic alumni — that changed women’s sports forever.

Ogwumike led the way with a game-high 24 points on 11 of 18 shooting while the rest of the starting lineup — Dearica Hamby, Erica Wheeler, Kelsey Plum and Ariel Atkins — all finished in double figures. Guard Rae Burrell also scored 19 off the bench.

Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts spoke highly of her team’s locker room pregame, even as L.A. entered riding a two-game losing streak. But the Sparks continued to fight, as Roberts expected, ultimately beating the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference.

“I think it’s good,” Roberts said. “I wish we were fully healthy. Not having [Cameron Brink] is a big loss, or an impactful absence. But we got [Kelsey Plum]. And obviously, as you guys know, she’s the head of the snake. So that gives us, the whole group, a little more confidence … a little swagger, maybe that’s the right word.

“But the mood is good. We’ve had some great wins and some tough losses … it’s the process. You have to stay present and not freak out or panic … We’ve got great people in that locker room.”

Without Brink, who remains out after suffering an ankle sprain against Golden State, the Sparks were glad to have Plum back. L.A. entered with a 6-0 record in games in which Plum recorded six-plus assists, and the four-time WNBA All-Star, in her return from a one-game absence due to a leg injury, finished with seven to go with 12 points.

New York led for most of the night despite a cold game from guard Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with a quiet two points. The rest of the Liberty’s starting five — Breanna Stewart, Satou Sabally, Leonie Fiebich and Jonquel Jones — delivered, though, with a combined 63 points.

“Well, they’re big,” Roberts said pregame of the Liberty. “I think the unique thing is New York is huge all the way across, and so that enables them to do some things that are unique. I think the other thing they’re doing is putting [Jones] and Stewie in kind of lead guard positions. … They’ve got Hall of Famers over there. It’s a talented roster, which presents problems in and of itself, but they’re a good team.”

However, after a halftime break honoring Sparks and Liberty legends like Lisa Leslie and Teresa Weatherspoon, among many others at half court, L.A. was rejuvenated for the final 20 minutes. And after rapper Warren G performed after the third quarter, the Sparks — and their crowd — had all the momentum in the world. Ogwumike just delivered the icing on the cake.

Sunday, before anything else, was a celebration of the WNBA’s existence and the pioneers who fought to bring the game to its current standing.

“Just know that we never took a day for granted,” Leslie said at halftime. “We appreciate every moment, every day, every moment that you guys supported the WNBA from New York to L.A. and everywhere in between.”

But after Ogwumike’s game winner? WNBA fans exited Sunday’s game spoiled.

The Lakers will seek to use their 25th pick in Tuesday’s first round of the NBA draft on a player who fills a need on a roster that could have up to nine free agents this summer. Yet the Lakers also are aware that picking that late in the round could leave them selecting the best player available.

They probably will be in search of a center who can be a lob threat or an athletic wing who can play defense and knock down three-pointers, two positions the Lakers crave as they try to build a team around star Luka Doncic that fits best with his style of play.

Names that NBA executives and mock drafts attached to the Lakers are Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance, Texas forward Dailyn Swain and Duke wing Isaiah Evans.

The Lakers spent time in Spain looking at 20-year-old guard Sergio de Larrea, but many NBA scouts see him going later in the first round or even in the second. According to people not authorized to speak publicly, the Lakers were impressed by their workout with Purdue point guard Braden Smith. But he’s on the smaller side (6 feet) and played four years in college, leading scouts to believe his upside is not that high and that he’ll be drafted in the second round.

The Lakers don’t have a pick in Wednesday’s second round.

After the Lakers were swept by a deep and athletic Oklahoma City team in the second round of the playoffs, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka outlined what it takes when trying to compete in the uber-tough Western Conference against the likes of the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, who became the second-youngest team to reach the NBA Finals.

Pelinka looked at how Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell was drafted in the second round and how he flourished in just his second season, especially in the playoffs, in which he averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 assists in 11 games.

“Depth is really important, athleticism and youth. We have a lot of components of that on our roster, but we need to add to it,” Pelinka said last month during his exit interview with the media. “I think those are some of the key North Stars that we need to look at.

“One of the players that they had who played really well, Ajay Mitchell, they got in the second round. So there’s ways to add to your roster if you commit to doing the hard work and commit to the process of adding the right pieces. … We’ll be doing that through the draft and free agency and through trades. We’ve gotta find a way to have a roster that will compete with any team in the NBA. That’s what we do here.”

The Lakers do have three tradable first-round picks — 2026, 2031 and 2033 — but the latter two can’t be moved until after the draft.

Lakers star LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent and is looking for a deal from the Lakers, while Austin Reaves is expected to opt out of his $14.8-million deal so he can sign a contract with them for up to five years and about $241 million.

Still, the Lakers have to proceed with the draft to find a player.

Texas forward Dailyn Swain, left, vies for a loose ball against Purdue guard Braden Smith during an NCAA tournament game in March.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

Swain (6-7) and Evans (6-6) are the kind of athletic wings the Lakers could use, but both might be chosen before the Lakers make their pick.

The 6-9 Quaintance could slide to the Lakers because of health concerns. He played in only four games last season at Kentucky because the team was being cautious following knee surgery after he tore an anterior cruciate ligament when he played at Arizona State.

Scouts still view him as mobile, athletic and young enough — he turns 19 next month — to develop. But, Quaintance will need to rehab his knee and probably won’t be ready for the upcoming season. When healthy, scouts said, he can be the lob threat and defender that Doncic yearns to have.

The now-influencer appeared on BBC’s Song Marry Avoid when she was just 19-years-old

A woman who appeared on a popular BBC show says she had no choice but to turn down some major opportunities.

Sophie Bow received a dramatic ‘makeunder’ on BBC’s Snog Marry Avoid, which featured the sassy robotic style guru POD (Personal Overhaul Device).

Rather than being given a makeover, those who appeared on the show were given a ‘makeunder’ as they were persuaded less is more.

The show was a huge hit with fans in the late 00s with singer Jenny Frost followed by comedian and Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Taylor as the host. The BBC Three show aired from 2008 until its sixth and final series in December 2013.

Sophie was just 19 when she first appeared on our TV screens, when she encountered POD as a teenager who loved lots of fake tan, heavy makeup and eye-catching outfits covered in sequins and glitter.

At the time, viewers fell in love with the teen and show bosses were keen to get her back on our TV screens for other projects.

Now 33, she has become a popular social media content creator but revealed that she was forced to turn down a number of TV opportunities because of her anxiety.

Looking back on her journey since appearing on Snog Marry Avoid, she took to TikTok and gave fans an update on her life today.

She started off by saying: “I would say appearing on telly back in the day definitely helped my career.

“Back then it was a very popular show but it disappeared off the face of the earth and no one knows why or where it went but it would be so good if they brought it back.”

She revealed: “After being on that show, I did actually get casted for the first ever Love Island but I was in a relationship. I’ve always been in a relationship so I never went on the show. “

However her relationship wasn’t the only thing holding her back as she explained: “But there have been so many opportunities that I actually did miss out on – throughout my life because I do have anxiety – I suffer badly with anxiety.

“I don’t really know what triggered it but I do get quite back anxiety. Even to this day I get asked on brand trips or anything outside my comfort zone, if I’m not going with somebody I can’t.”

The influencer added: “I really need to push myself to do more. I have a little boy and he is the best thing ever so I did take a little break from social media for a little while but then I did go back into social media.

“I did lose quite a lot of following from having the break then I started a TikTok account and here I am.”

Granted the Makerfield parliamentary seat has elected Labour MPs for yonks, but just a matter of weeks ago, at the local elections, Reform UK were dominant in this collection of towns broadly to the south of Wigan – places like Abram, Hindley, Orrell and Winstanley.

THE Big Butlin’s Sale is officially on, and there are some humongous savings to be had

Savvy holidaymakers can save up to 40% off ALL breaks in 2026 and 2027, including breaks in the school summer holidays and at Halloween and Christmas.

There are discounted breaks available across all three resorts: Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness.

Not only can you knock nearly half the cost off your Butlin’s break, but there are even more savings to be had if you book this month.

Those who book before June 30 can bag 25% off dining during the school holidays, as well as up to 20% off all inclusive drinks packages.

So not only will you majorly save on accommodation, but food and drink will also be much cheaper once you’re there, too.

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And to top it all off, you can secure your break with a super low deposit of £1pp. There are also flexible payment plans available.

The offer even applies to popular Butlin’s seasons such as Spooktober, Festive Breaks, new year celebrations and their Christmas day ‘ultimate sleigh-cation’.

Families can bag a last-minute summer staycation across dates in June, July and August at all three resorts.

These last-minute summer breaks include Showtime Midweek stays featuring a new show with Peppa Pig and Evie, as well as Showtime Weekends with a Mythical Beasts show and Snow White panto.

During Spooktober families can expect as Halloween Welcome Party, plus events like pumpkin carving and a huge game of Halloween Hide and Seek with mascot Billy Bear.

The fairgrounds will also receive a spooky makeover with giant glowing pumpkins and Halloween characters.

You could also book in for a Festive Break, with Christmas shows, festive movie nights, a Christmas party and of course, a meet and greet with the bearded man himself.

Plus the popular pantomime show Jack and the Beanstalk is making a return, which has received rave reviews for its hilarious characters.

You can book a Spooktober break from £39, or a festive break from £40.

Or you can book ahead and bag yourself a break now for 2027, securing a holiday for up to 40% off full-price.

2027 will see a new show arriving to Butlin’s: Britain’s Got Talent Live on Stage.

The new show will be hosted by a celebrity presenter and will be on during February half term, Easter, May half term, October half term and selected summer holiday dates.

The up to 40% off sale also applies to the popular adults-only Butlin’s Big Weekenders, which have themes like We Love Ibiza as well as 80’s and 90’s throwback weekends.

The Weekenders even have famous headline acts like Fatboy Slim and Aston Merrygold, with weekend breaks starting from £59pp.

Plus there’s plenty of new and exciting events for families coming up, like The Masked Singer Live and the Peppa Pig and Evie show.

Plus, new for 2026, the Max Pro Wrestling show includes jaw-dropping stunts and nail-biting battles for the championship belt, with celeb hosts such as Peter Andre and Chris Hughes.

The Big Butlin’s Sale is on until June 30, with Butlin’s warning that dates are on track to sell out fast.

A newly emerged video offers what appears to be a first look at China’s R6000 uncrewed tiltrotor aircraft in free flight, marking a significant step beyond the tethered hover tests that had been seen previously. The design has attracted interest on account of its similarities to Bell’s MV-75A Cheyenne II, America’s crewed second-generation tiltrotor. More broadly, the development of this aircraft could have very significant implications for the People’s Liberation Army as well as civilian operators.

The footage, which first appeared on Chinese social media, shows the large drone in vertical flight, making a pedal turn (rotating around its vertical axis in the hover), and in sustained forward flight with its twin proprotors fully tilted. Previous imagery was limited to tethered evaluations that demonstrated basic hover capability. Now, with flight testing advancing, more could be revealed about the aircraft’s performance envelope.

As in the previous imagery, the aircraft’s engines are unshrouded, with their streamlined fairings removed. Like the MV-75, the R6000 features fixed engine nacelles with hinged proprotors, in contrast to the first-generation tiltrotor design found on the V-22 Osprey, in which the entire nacelle pivots up and down as a complete unit.

Previous imagery showing the R6000 conducting a tethered hover test had begun to circulate last November, as we discussed at the time.

While no details have been released about the scope of the current trials, the ability to conduct sustained untethered flight is a key milestone for any tiltrotor program, given the complexity of the aircraft’s aerodynamics and flight-control systems. Tiltrotor designs are especially challenging, as evidenced by the V-22’s checkered record through the years. 

In October 2024, a photo emerged showing the first completed prototype of the R6000 at the Wuhu United Aircraft Production Workshop in China’s eastern Anhui province. United Aircraft had unveiled the design, also referred to as the UR6000 and Zhang Ying (or Steel Shadow), at the 2024 Singapore Airshow.

Developed by the Chinese firm United Aircraft, the R6000 is one of the largest uncrewed tiltrotor designs currently in development anywhere in the world. Combining the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter with the speed and range advantages of a fixed-wing aircraft, it is — officially, at least — aimed at logistics, disaster relief, offshore support, and other missions requiring access to areas without prepared runways. United Aircraft has presented both crewed and uncrewed versions of the R6000 in the past.

As we have outlined previously, a crewed or uncrewed tiltrotor in the R6000 class could fulfill various military applications for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The aircraft would be particularly valuable for sustaining PLA island bases in the South China Sea, as well as isolated installations elsewhere in the Pacific and along China’s remote border regions, where conventional airfield infrastructure is limited.

This kind of aircraft could support overseas deployments and regional contingencies, including a potential operation against Taiwan, by moving troops, supplies, and equipment between dispersed locations without relying on prepared runways.

In particular, the R6000 would be well suited to operating from the Type 076 amphibious assault ship and other large People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) amphibious ships, greatly extending their reach for logistics, reconnaissance, and other missions.

As well as logistics, a fully developed R6000 has clear potential as a multi-mission platform. Its payload capacity could also accommodate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment, electronic warfare payloads, communications relay systems, or potentially even precision-strike weapons. It is worth noting at this point that a special operations version of the MV-75 is already in the works, with a gunship variant likely, and a sea control concept has been displayed, too. China is likely to at least explore similar development paths for its tiltrotors.

In this respect, the R6000 also makes for an interesting comparison with Bell’s V-247 Vigilant, which was originally pitched to meet the U.S. Marine Corps multirole, VTOL-capable drone program, known as MUX. The V-247 has also been pitched to the U.S. Navy, while Bell has presented renderings showing V-247s operating together with the crewed V-280 Valor tiltrotor design, which the U.S. Army’s MV-75 is based on.

When it comes to advanced uncrewed aviation, this is an area that China has invested heavily in over the past decade. Its projects span everything from smaller tactical drones to high-altitude reconnaissance platforms and increasingly sophisticated combat drones. The R6000 fits squarely within Chinese efforts to develop a range of uncrewed transport aircraft, including developing large autonomous logistics aircraft capable of operating in challenging environments.

In the vertical-lift segment, China is also busily exploring crewed tiltrotor designs.

Earlier this month, new footage emerged showing what is understood to be China’s first crewed tiltrotor aircraft during flight trials. That aircraft had first broken cover in August of last year, as we wrote about at the time.

Although the R6000 has, in the past, been pitched primarily for civilian applications, the technology has obvious military relevance. Large autonomous tiltrotors could provide rapid resupply to dispersed forces, support operations in remote regions, or deliver cargo to ships and austere bases without the need for conventional runways. Tiltrotors have huge potential for the PLA, which has major littoral mission demands and a growing fleet of amphibious warships to which these kinds of aircraft are especially well suited.

As such, the R6000 is worth watching as another indicator of the Chinese military’s increasingly ambitious vertical-lift programs, as well as its diverse and growing series of uncrewed aircraft.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Brendan Sorsby won’t be playing football for Texas Tech this fall after all.

It’s not because the transfer quarterback has been permanently banned by the NCAA for wagering on college sports — an injunction issued by a Texas judge last week appeared to clear the way for Sorsby to play for the Red Raiders in 2026.

That ruling, however, was being challenged through separate court filings by the NCAA and the Big 12 Conference. Facing that uncertainty over his final season, and with the deadline to enter the NFL supplemental draft quickly approaching, Sorsby opted to leave the Red Raiders without playing a down.

Sorsby’s decision was announced Monday night in an open letter by Cody Campbell, chairman of the Texas Tech board of regents.

“This decision was made with Brendan and his family and is purely an output of practical analysis of the situation,” Campbell wrote. “Brendan and Texas Tech stand on very solid and legitimate legal ground, but he faces a June 22nd deadline to be eligible to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, and there is no practical way to resolve all the various pending legal disputes and ensure his eligibility prior to this date. This is the only viable and fair path for Brendan and his future, as well as for his teammates, and our university.”

Sorsby posted a statement Monday night on Instagram.

“I am grateful for the support from my family, my Tech coaching staff, teammates, the community, and so many others who have encouraged me to address and learn more about this important issue,” Sorsby wrote. “As my journey continues, I remain fully committed to and focused on being the best I can be, both on and off the field.”

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech this offseason, after two years each at Indiana and Cincinnati, for a reported multimillion-dollar deal. In late April, he and Texas Tech jointly announced that he had entered a residential treatment program for gambling addiction. Sorsby completed the 35-day program in May.

Court records show that Sorsby has admitted to wagering at least $90,000 during his time as an NCAA student athlete, including 40 bets on Indiana football games he was not participating in while a freshman backup with the Hoosiers in 2022.

“Texas Tech will continue to provide the support and recovery resources Brendan requires on this journey,” Campbell wrote. “Furthermore, Texas Tech will not seek return of any amounts already paid to Brendan through his NIL agreements.”

In May, Sorsby filed a lawsuit in Lubbock County District Court asking to have his eligibility restored because the NCAA “failed to comply with its contractual commitments” to him as a student athlete and therefore “is precluded from enforcing its gambling bylaws against Mr. Sorsby to deny or withhold his reinstatement.”

Last week, judge Ken Curry granted a temporary injunction that would have allowed Sorsby to play for the Red Raiders in 2026. He would have had to miss the first two games of the season as one of the conditions of the ruling.

Without the injunction, Curry wrote in his ruling, Sorsby would “suffer a probable, imminent and irreparable injury” by missing out on the “elite coaching, training resources, camaraderie, and regimen that only being a member of a Division I college football team can provide.”

The final hearing had been scheduled to begin Feb. 8, nearly two weeks after college football’s national championship game.

Following the ruling, several teams and conferences discussed a ban on playing Texas Tech in any sport. After appealing the decision last week, the NCAA filed an emergency motion on Monday to stay the injunction and asked for the case to be resolved before the start of the Red Raiders season.

Also on Monday, the Big 12 filed for a judgment from a U.S. District Court in Dallas protecting the conference’s ability under its bylaws to sanction Texas Tech, a member school, if Sorsby played this season.

“An athlete with an extensive, documented history of wagering on intercollegiate athletic contests — especially his own team’s games — presents a reputational and integrity risk to the conference and its championship competition that the conference has both the right and the responsibility to address,” attorneys for the Big 12 wrote in the filing.

Soon after Campbell announced Sorsby’s decision, Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec and athletic director Kirby Hocutt issued a joint statement on the matter.

“When Brendan’s lawsuit resulted in the granting of a temporary injunction, we found ourselves in a difficult situation,” they wrote. “With his health and wellness as our top priority, we supported him in spite of very different perspectives and opinions. Our position was challenged by many but our support for him never changed.

“We will continue to extend all available resources that Brendan had as a student and athlete to ensure his transition is as successful as possible.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SAN FRANCISCO — The toughest decision of the Sparks’ season to date is fast approaching.

Within the next few games, the team will have to decide whether they are going to keep fan-favorite Kate Martin around.

She joined the roster on a developmental contract at the start of the season after being waived by the Golden State Valkyries the day of roster releases. Developmental contracts were introduced this year as part of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Each team can carry up to two players on developmental deals. Those players are allowed to practice and travel with the team, but they can only be active for a maximum of 12 games during the season.

The Sparks’ Kate Martin shoots over the Fire’s Nyadiew Puoch at Crypto.com Arena on June 7.

(Luiza Moraes / Getty Images)

Typically, developmental players are used as emergency depth, stepping into the lineup only when injuries create a short-term need. That hasn’t been the case for Martin, who has been active for eight of the Sparks’ first 13 games, making her a regular part of the team’s plans.

“I’ve been activated for quite a few games and that is a blessing,” Martin said. “I feel very grateful to have been activated for so many games so far, but I think just like not knowing until like game day, trying to figure out, like, ‘Oh, am I going to be activated, am I not?’ I think that’s probably the biggest difference, but you know, they don’t treat me any differently.”

When given the opportunity, Martin has brought energy and impact off the bench. She is shooting 47.4% from the field and taking 1.6 shots from three-point range per game despite playing just 7.4 minutes. Martin often receives the loudest cheers from fans during home games.

She delivered her strongest offensive performance in a loss to the Tempo on May 17, scoring 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, but since then she has been used as a first-half rotation player to rest the Sparks guards as a reliable shooter and defender.

Even with the Sparks at full strength against the Portland Fire last week, Martin still earned eight minutes of play. Then she played four minutes in Saturday’s overtime win against Phoenix.

“We’re figuring it out in real time,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “These are new positions, and so each player only gets 12 games, but Kate does have experience. She is a spark off the bench. Everyone out there trusts her. There’s value to that. It’s hard, though, as a [developmental] player, to play one game and not play the next, and like it’s just hard for the rest of the group. So that part’s been tricky, and we’re figuring it out as we go.”

With seven active appearances already used, Martin has just four games remaining under the terms of her developmental contract. The Sparks must either preserve those appearances for later in the season or make a long-term commitment by signing her to a standard contract or she will become a free agent again.

The challenge is that Los Angeles does not currently have an open roster spot, meaning the team would need to waive a player to make room.

The Sparks’ Dearica Hamby and Kate Martin chest bump to celebrate after scoring against the Dallas Wings at Crypto.com Arena on June 5.

(Luiza Moraes / Getty Images)

Rookies Jihyun Park and 2026 second-round draft pick Ta’Niya Latson have both appeared in fewer games than Martin, as have veteran Emma Cannon and second-year forward Sania Feagin, who was injured earlier this season but hasn’t claimed a rotation spot since her return.

Martin was a regular part of the rotation with the Valkyries in her one season with the franchise, playing in 42 games and averaging 6.2 points per game and 31% shooting from three-point range. She was inconsistent at times, but also provided a spark off the bench and it was a surprise when they cut her.

After an emotional few days after being waived, Martin joined the Sparks, where she was excited for the opportunity to develop. Now, she sees herself as a fit beyond the 12-game limit.

“The system that we want to run at a very fast pace,” Martin said. “Spread the floor and shoot a lot of threes, and I think that I am good at spacing the floor, and I think that what they want to run here offensively benefits my game in a lot of ways, and I think I fit kind of seamlessly in that way.”

WASHINGTON — President Trump planned to mark his 80th birthday on Sunday with a celebration that once would have seemed unfathomable: a cage-fighting show on the storied South Lawn of the White House.

In the week ahead, some hard realities of the office have threatened to overshadow the ostentatious UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza, where combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.

Trump has found himself boxed into an unpopular and costly war he helped start in Iran. An agreement to end the conflict could be close, but the crucial details are still to be negotiated. Meanwhile, about a mile from Trump’s birthday bash, crews pried the president’s name off the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts facade after a judge ruled that renaming it to include Trump was not allowed.

Regardless, the president will walk out of the White House and be surrounded by Cabinet leaders, top administration officials, Republican lawmakers and 4,000-plus spectators screaming themselves hoarse in a temporary arena under “The Claw,” a spaceship-like metal arch fitted with lighting, sound equipment and large screens. Thousands more will be watching on big screens from the nearby Ellipse.

“This event is a one-of-one event, incredible event. I love it,” said UFC chief Dana White, a close friend of Trump, during a Friday night hype session at the Lincoln Memorial where pairs of fighters shoved and scuffled for the cameras under the stoic gaze of Honest Abe’s marble likeness.

Trump has sought to tie Sunday’s event — which features seven fights running past midnight — to larger, months-long celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

But it is much more geared toward feting himself, so much so that the Group of 7 summit for leaders of industrialized nations pushed back their get-together so that the president could attend his cage-match party and then fly straight to France for the meetings.

The weather, though, could put a damper on things. Strong thunderstorms and heavy lightning disrupted Friday’s Lincoln Memorial event, and the forecast for Sunday evening also looked threatening.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing about the weather,” White declared Friday, before conceding that he’d prefer to hold future UFC events inside arenas only.

A very different 80th birthday celebration

When Trump’s predecessor, President Biden, turned 80 in November 2022, he celebrated with a private family brunch at the White House, a reminder of just how much and how quickly things have changed.

Asked about the contrast, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said that the fight “will be one of the most entertaining nights in American history” and said that the timing was appropriate. “Having this spectacle take place at the people’s house on Flag Day during our nations’ semiquincentennial anniversary is a fitting tribute,” Schuster said in a statement, apparently including a punctuation error in referring to “nation’s.”

When he turned 80, Biden was the oldest president in U.S. history, and was months away from launching a reelection bid that he would ultimately abandon after a disastrous debate against Trump and mutiny among Democrats concerned that voters would perceive him as too old to handle a second term.

Trump has now supplanted Biden as the oldest person to be elected U.S. president. He’s constitutionally barred from running again, yet constantly toys with the notion publicly. That’s despite polls showing rising public skepticism about Trump’s mental and physical health — recalling concerns Biden faced as he turned 80.

A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of U.S. adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively as president.

The White House countered with a lengthy statement from Trump’s former White House physician, Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, saying that Trump’s “stamina, focus, and strength are exceptional and on display every day. Claims to the contrary are pure fiction.” Jackson added that polling concerns were “being propagated by the same biased, liberal, Trump-hating press that completely ignored the absolute cognitive and physical disaster that was President Biden.”

Trump has nonetheless undergone four publicly announced physical examinations this term alone, with White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella recently declaring him in “excellent health.”

‘Bread and circuses’ — Trump-style

The UFC event is an apt metaphor for Trump’s pugilistic political style. He has also long been a practitioner of political misdirection, purposely presenting people with something other than his presidency to focus on when things aren’t going well.

With the war in Iran grinding on despite weeks of assurances from Trump that its end is nigh, gas prices staying high, renewed concerns about inflation and plummeting job approval ratings for Trump — a White House birthday party unlike anything America has ever seen is definitely a diversion.

“This is all distraction,” said Mike Fontaine, a classics professor at Cornell University, who likened it to the gladiatorial games of Imperial Rome, when combatants brutalized each other for public entertainment meant to bolster rulers’ popularity and quell potential unrest.

“This is a classic strategy,” Fontaine said. “In ancient Rome, the phrase would be ‘bread and circuses.’”

Trump says the UFC is paying for the event, and though its full cost hasn’t been divulged, the National Park Service said in a court filing that $60-plus million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have gone into it, while seven government agencies have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”

UFC also announced Friday that it was adding as an official partner for the event World Liberty Financial to create a $250,000 athlete bonus pool for Sunday night’s winners. The cryptocurrency company is co-owned by the Trump family, founded with the president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and run by the diplomat’s son Zach. The arrangement further blurs lines between the Trump family’s financial interests and the events and construction projects the president has prioritized and used government resources to pull off, which many critics and political analysts have labeled corrupt.

Still, Fontaine said that when it comes to a personal flair for pageantry, Trump’s second-term tendency to lean into “hardcore masculinity and brute fighting” is marrying the UFC’s blood sport with Trump’s distinctive sense of humor and enduring sense of showmanship.

“President Trump has a once-in-a-generation talent for this stuff,” he said.

Weissert writes for the Associated Press.

The U.S. men’s soccer team chose an incredible day to have an incredible day.

Crucially, the United States aced its only chance to make a first impression, kicking off this colossal World Cup it’s co-hosting with Mexico and Canada with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay.

Consider it a save for the tournament, three points for soccer in America and maybe even a win for uniting the States.

The Americans on the pitch did all that, including making sure a sellout crowd of 70,492 fans got their money’s worth for their exorbitantly high-priced seats to watch football under Friday Night Lights at SoFi Stadium.

U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, right, celebrates with Sergino Dest and Chris Richards after scoring during a World Cup win over Paraguay on Friday at SoFi Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

It was not a clean sheet. And it wasn’t an elixir for all the issues — visas, tickets, transportation — that ailed the tournament in its buildup.

But the opening statement by the United States confirmed what we thought might be true. Only one thing could save this soccer tournament: soccer.

The U.S. delivered a performance to change the conversation — for the next few weeks and maybe longer.

Making history to alter history.

The United States scored multiple goals in a World Cup first half for the first time since 2002.

It got two of them from Folarin Balogun, the Brooklyn-born, England-raised forward of Nigerian descent who became just the second USMNT player to score two goals in a World Cup game and the first since 1930.

Got a perfect match from Chris Richards, the afro-rocking defender with the long, loping strides, who was 83 for 83 on his passes. That’s better than any player at a World Cup since 1966.

And if possession is nine-tenths of the law of attraction, know that the Americans possessed the ball 71% of the first half, most in the first half of a World Cup game in the modern era.

Landon Donovan, star of the 2002 team that reached the World Cup quarterfinals — a record that still stands — posted on X: “From start to finish, that was the most enjoyable day of soccer I’ve ever experienced.”

That’s the stuff that will get the American people going. Get us invested, get us behind them. That could convert even devout casuals.

Americans love a good underdog story. We also want the best, the finest, the biggest — and this, with its expanded field of 48, is the biggest version of the biggest and best tournament in the world.

And the only thing we love more than winning is dominating. The United States did that Friday against a Paraguayan team that had allowed only 10 goals in 18 World Cup qualifying matches, and whom the United States beat 2-1 in a tense match in November.

Fans cheer during the U.S. win over Paraguay in their World Cup opener Saturday at SoFi Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

That was Mauricio Pochettino and his players helping us help them.

“The fans, amazing,” said Pochettino, the team’s accomplished Argentine coach. “On behalf of the whole team, a massive thank you to the fans. Because the energy that they [gave] to the team was amazing. We can do amazing things if the fans are in this as well.”

Friday was so good for soccer in America.

And so good for America. The kind of butt-kicking that’s chicken soup for a nation’s soul.

Maybe it’s idealistic and naive, or apple-pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking, but I believe that they can win. (And by win, I mean make the quarterfinals again.)

There’s no removing politics from this World Cup, but wouldn’t it be fun to all rally behind a team together? Can’t you see the country coalescing behind the right wingers and left wingers on the pitch? Picture people celebrating the freedom inherent in Pochettino’s system? Cheering the all-for-one and one-for-all of this team of dual nationals and Americans raised abroad — or in Alabama?

Postmatch, Pochettino refused to single out any one player, instead giving reporters a recitation of his roster: “[Christian Pulisic] was amazing [setting up two goals]. Balogun was amazing, of course. Tim Ream was amazing, of course. Chris Richards was amazing, yes. Weston McKennie, he was amazing, amazing. Antonee Robinson, Alex Freeman, amazing. Sergiño Dest, amazing …”

Like they put it on the @USMNT Instagram account: “Together as Won.”

U.S. soccer, amazing.

IF you’re into amazing food, glam hotels and total peace and quiet in the countryside, you’re in luck.

Wowcher have a deal offering a luxurious overnight stay for two at Marco Pierre White’s Country House Hotel, The Rudloe Arms, for only £139.

The offer saves you a massive 42% off a full-price stay and includes an overnight break for two, as well as a three-course dinner and a cooked breakfast in the morning.

Whether you’ve got an occasion coming up, want to treat someone special or just want to switch off in the countryside – this bargain break is the ultimate excuse to pack your bags.

The four-star Wiltshire hotel sits in the pretty village of Corsham near the Cotswolds, surrounded by rolling hills and forest with plenty of scenic woodland walks.

The Rudloe Arms is an adults-only property built for relaxation, with its own orchards, gardens and a pond for scenic strolls.

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Inside you can sit down for a cocktail in the snazzy Mousehole Bar, plus the Garden Room Restaurant in which dinner is served is full of warm lighting and vibrant greenery.

When it comes to rooms, each is individually designed with a charming countryside feel.

Large beds are topped with plush bedding, plus an ensuite bathroom stocked with luxurious toiletries.

Plus you can dine like royalty with a three-course dinner menu curated by celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White.

The dinner menu is seasonal and uses many local, high-quality ingredients with tasty meat, fish and vegetarian options.

If you fancy extending your trip to a two-night stay, the deal gets even better because dinner is included on both evenings.

After a restful night’s sleep guests can head back down to the Garden Room for a hearty cooked breakfast to fuel your next day.

Breakfast comes as your pick of a hot dish served with toast, marmalade and tea or French-pressed coffee.

While it might be tempting to hide away in your luxury room all day, there is plenty to see right on your doorstep.

The hotel is perfectly positioned for exploring top sights in the West Country. You can easily wander into the market town of Corsham for its pretty stone buildings and traditional pubs.

If you want to venture a little further, you’re on the edge of the Cotswolds here, plus the famous architecture of Bath is within easy driving distance.

Deals this good rarely stick around for long. This offer is available until June 30, so make sure to get in early to bag your early summer break.

To redeem the deal simply select the dates you’d like to visit on Wowcher’s website. Once you’ve booked and paid you’ll receive a code by email.

Then simply redeem the code, pack your bags and enjoy your break!