chance

The actor was left with a very short time in which to respond to the invitation to be honoured, from King Charles

Idris Elba has told how he nearly missed his chance of a knighthood – because the letter asking him if he wasn’t to be a Sir got lost in a pile of letters.

Revealing how the honour almost passed him by, the Luther star said: “It’s a bit embarrassing. I was sent a consideration letter asking whether I would or wouldn’t accept it, but I didn’t see it as it got lost in a pile of post.”

Luckily, word went to his management that he’d had the invitation and needed to respond. “My agent told me that if I didn’t accept it would pass me by,” he tells Graham Norton on tonight’s BBC1 chat show. “By the time I found the letter I had only two days to decide.”

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Idris, who found fame in huge US series The Wire, said he had yet to receive his knighthood, which was announced in the King’s 2026 New Year Honours list.

Despite his long career on the screen, he was honoured for his anti knife crime work through the Elba Hope Foundation, which focuses on empowering youth and providing alternatives to violence. “I got it for services to young people and I was thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, that’s great, but I’ve been acting for 30 years!’ It is actually a great honour, and my mum is so pleased.”

And another family member is also delighted. Idris has told how wife Sabrina is already using her new title of ‘Lady’. “I haven’t had the sword on the shoulder yet, but my wife is loving it.”

At the time he said the honour reflected the efforts of the young people he has worked with rather than his own achievements. “I receive this honour on behalf of the many young people whose talent, ambition and resilience has driven the work of the Elba Hope Foundation,” he said.

“I hope we can do more to draw attention to the importance of sustained, practical support for young people and to the responsibility we all share to help them find an alternative to violence.”

He has also called for greater accountability from the technology companies behind social media, warning about young people’s exposure to violent content online.

“When it comes to big tech, there needs to be accountability within their own policies,” he said last year. “It’s great that they are big companies that make a lot of money with lots of social media followers, that’s fantastic, but by the way we don’t like knives.”

The second series of his hostage thriller Hijack was released on Apple TV this week, with the action this time taking place on a train rather than a plane. Asked about his role as corporate negotiator Sam Nelson he said: “The first season was a big hit and people bought into so we’re going to do it again. The story is about what happens next after the plane hijack. It’s a good old-fashioned thriller.”

Also on Graham’s sofa tonight – fresh from her latest win alongside Stephen Graham for Adolescence at the Golden Globes – was Erin Doherty. Chatting about the second run of Victorian drama A Thousand Blows on Disney + – in which she also stars alongside Graham, she told Norton it was the first time she’d been able to use her own voice for a role.

Erin explained: “Surprisingly I’ve never been able to use it before, so it was a real joy. When Stephen Graham heard I was being considered for the role he said, ‘I don’t think she is what we are looking for’ because he had only seen and heard me as Princess Anne in The Crown. He was delighted to find out I’m from Crawley.”

Other guests in tonight’s show are actors Wunmi Mosaku and Martin Freeman and there is a musical performance from Olivia Dean.

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The fight over horse racing tracks’ right to legally install slot-machine-like terminals in their facilities to allow betting on past races hit the boiling point on Thursday when Santa Anita installed 26 Racing on Demand machines at the track on the ground floor of the grandstand. They will be in operation after 11 a.m. on live racing days.

At the crux of the issue is the legality of slot-machine-type terminals. Is it pari-mutuel wagering, where the payoff is determined by the amount of money bet, and considered a game of skill? Or is it a game of chance, such as slot machines and most table games? If it is a pari-mutuel game of skill, then it is governed by the state regulatory agency, the California Horse Racing Board. If it is a game of chance, it is governed by the tribes, who hold exclusive purview over most non-pari-mutuel wagering in the state.

“This puts it on a collision course with the tribes,” said Victor Rocha, conference chair of the Indian Gaming Assn., who said he did not have advance notice of this. “They clearly know what they are doing, they are smart guys, but it is clearly gambling. They will get the appropriate response, politically speaking.

“When you put illegal gambling machines in a liquor store, it gets shut down. If Santa Anita has illegal machines, they should be out of business. California didn’t sign up for racinos [the term for race tracks that have casinos].”

The addition of the machines was first reported by the Paulick Report.

Determining if these machines are skill or chance remains the unresolved issue, with each side claiming the view that best suits their advantage. The machines, which fall in the specter of Historical Horse Racing, have the look and feel of a slot machine with a rapid churn of money. You get scant information on the horses or jockeys you are currently betting on. The default on these machines is you just see the last two to three seconds of the race. The tracks contend that because they give you minimal handicapping information, and that you are not betting against the house but other players, it’s a game of skill.

One loophole that the tracks are trying to use on this was the passing of a three-by-three bet in April 2024. In it, you have to pick first, second and third in three pre-chosen races. All the wagers go into the same pari-mutuel pool, where you compete against other bettors. The track does take a percentage off the top, although in this case, the percentage and distribution are not known. In most areas, Historical Horse Racing uses about an 8% takeout. Live horse racing has an average takeout of 20% but it varies by type of bet. This is the first time the three-by-three has been used on past races.

“I think like sweepstakes and prediction markets, everyone has lost their mind when it comes to gambling,” said Rocha. “Everyone is looking for a loophole. [Santa Anita] has been champing to get into digital gaming. This is clearly a violation of state compacts. You can expect a very full-throated reply.”

A couple play a Historical Horse Racing electronic gambling machine at the Nash Casino. Santa Anita Park in Arcadia has installed comparable machines.

(Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) foreshadowed a move like this on page 25, item 41, of its Race Meet Agreement with Santa Anita where it said:

“Wagering on Concluded Races. Track shall not import and conduct wagering on concluded races at Santa Anita Park or Online without first obtaining the consent of the TOC and the CHRB. TOC hereby consents for Track to have at Santa Anita Park up to forty (40) self service totalizator terminals that facilitate wagering on concluded races.”

No one thought much of it at the time as the consortium working on the HHR project didn’t seem to be doing much. If the machines are allowed to stay at Santa Anita, it is expected they will soon be installed at Del Mar and Los Alamitos.

What is expected to go on now is the fight over if the machines can stay there. If it’s a case of winning friends and influencing people, the track is already in a deficit by not telling the group that regulates the sport that this was coming.

“Like everyone else, we had heard rumors, but the CHRB was unaware of this actual move,” a CHRB spokesman said in a statement.

Historical horse racing betting terminals sparked controversy when they were installed in Idaho. Similar machines were installed at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.

(Otto Kitsinger/AP)

The CHRB was anticipating an ask to amend the track’s license that would allow it to place what they thought would be Historical Horse Racing machines at Santa Anita. It even asked its legal staff to come up with an opinion about if putting the machines in would be legal. The Times request for the document was turned down citing attorney-client privilege.

But neither Santa Anita nor the Thoroughbred Owners of California requested an agenda item by the cutoff 12 days ago.

Santa Anita’s owner, the Stronach Group, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

In fact, no one seems to want to talk about this. Santa Anita did not even put out a news release about this new betting opportunity at the track. And, it did not even mention it in its racing day newsletter “Stable Notes,” which generally touts things for fans such as $2 hot dogs and free parking.

However, in a one-page fact sheet about Racing on Demand, TSG painstakingly tries to explain why it “Does Not Violate Tribal Gaming” and why it has “Existing Authority.”

In a section titled “What It’s Not,” it makes these points about what it isn’t:

“— A slot machine.

“— House-banked gambling.

“— Historic Horse Racing (as operated in Kentucky, Virginia or other states.)”

The tribes have enormous political influence in California, in part, because of the millions of dollars it spends in political contributions. They are known to freely litigate any challenge to their sovereignty over most non pari-mutuel gambling in the state. And they almost always win.

Last year, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 831, which prohibited companies from offering types of online sweepstakes that are seen by the tribes as a threat to their gambling exclusivity. The combined vote was 120-0.

If you’re seeking a winter sun getaway, Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt offers beautiful beaches, vibrant nightlife and warm January weather just over five hours from the UK

In the midst of a dreary, damp and chilly January, you might be daydreaming about a sun-soaked escape where you can relax for a week or two.

Starting 2025 with some winter sunshine is a brilliant way to gear up for the year ahead, and there’s a plethora of destinations to pick from. While it’s true that many European countries are a bit nippy in January, by travelling a little further afield, you can bask in much warmer climates with golden beaches and crystal-clear seas.

Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, just over five hours away from London, offers all this and more, boasting an array of stunning beach resorts, lively nightlife and picturesque landscapes. According to the holiday gurus at On The Beach, Sharm El Sheikh is a ‘proper’ sanctuary if you’re seeking a place to unwind and have fun this winter.

This Egyptian resort is nestled on the Red Sea coast, and despite being just over five hours away, the January weather couldn’t be more different from the UK’s. During this time, temperatures can soar up to 22C – which is actually Egypt’s coldest month.

According to easyJet, sun seekers looking to top up on Vitamin D this Easter break should look to the Red Sea destination after it topped a list of the most reliably sunny places within easy reach of the UK. Climate data from the last 25 years has been used as part of the index to rank destinations by the percentage of predominantly sunny and dry days in April, with Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt topping the list. The index also displays average temperature highs, hours of sunshine per day, and the chance of rain.

Sharm El Sheikh boasts around a 99% reliability rate for sunny and dry days during the Easter break. The former, Egypt’s purpose-built family resort city, has been crowned with the number one spot for its highs between 28C and 30C, and between 10 and 11 hours of sunshine per day. Holidaymakers there typically enjoy 11 hours of sunshine per day. Right now there are flights available in April for from £43.

However, for Brits in search of some warmth, it’s simply perfect. Egypt’s region has something for everyone, making it an ideal holiday spot. From the sand-dune-filled deserts to towering mountain ranges, the natural scenery is truly awe-inspiring.

The city is also nestled right on the coast, so if you’re partial to a bit of sun, sand and sea, then you’re in for a treat. Sharm El Sheikh boasts some of the most crystal-clear waters, ideal for snorkelling.

Indeed, one of the area’s true highlights – Ras Mohammed National Park – is hailed as a ‘snorkeler’s paradise’. Here, you can catch sight of an array of tropical fish and even sea turtles if fortune favours you.

Sharm El Sheikh truly springs to life after dark too, with top-notch venues like Pacha and the Hard Rock Cafe hosting concerts, DJ sets, and much more. For those after a more laid-back evening, there are relaxed cocktail bars aplenty, many perched right on the waterfront for added serenity.

When planning your Sharm El Sheikh getaway, there’s a wealth of resorts and hotels to pick from, catering to various budgets. From the Sea Beach Aqua Park resort at £364pp to the slightly more upmarket Cleopatra Luxury Resort at £544pp, there’s a multitude of options to delve into – each boasting their own unique features.

So, if you’re keen to treat yourself to a holiday this New Year, this Egyptian gem might be worth considering.

SACRAMENTO — LeBron James wore a patch on his jersey for the first time Tuesday commemorating his unprecedented 23rd NBA season in the city where he played his first NBA game. It features a silhouette of his pregame chalk toss and three colored stripes that represents the three franchises he has played on — the Lakers, Cavaliers and Heat.

James, who scored 22 points in the Lakers’ 124-112 loss to the Sacramento Kings, will wear the patch for the remainder of the season. After each game, the patch will be removed from his jersey for that game, dated and shipped to a Topps’ production facility to be authenticated and inserted into a pack of trading cards.

“Super cool. Super surreal. Super humbled, blessed,” James said. “I walked in here and saw it for the first time. It was like an emotional moment as well. Just think about the journey thus far and have an opportunity to be here where it kind of all started obviously, but in this city.

“And it’s been a heck of a journey and people have followed my career and my fans have followed my career to get an opportunity to be a part of it.”

Lakers fans might not get the chance to see James and his patch up close on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. There’s a good chance he will not play in the second game of a back-to-back.

“We’ll see how he feels in the morning,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

One of the most important political stories in American history — one that is particularly germane to our current, tumultuous time — unfolded in Los Angeles some 65 years ago.

Sen. John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, had just received his party’s nomination for president and in turn he shunned the desires of his most liberal supporters by choosing a conservative out of Texas as his running mate. He did so in large part to address concerns that his faith would somehow usurp his oath to uphold the Constitution. The last time the Democrats nominated a Catholic — New York Gov. Al Smith in 1928 — he lost in a landslide, so folks were more than a little jittery about Kennedy’s chances.

“I am fully aware of the fact that the Democratic Party, by nominating someone of my faith, has taken on what many regard as a new and hazardous risk,” Kennedy told the crowd at the Memorial Coliseum. “But I look at it this way: The Democratic Party has once again placed its confidence in the American people, and in their ability to render a free, fair judgment.”

The most important part of the story is what happened before Kennedy gave that acceptance speech.

While his faith made party leaders nervous, they were downright afraid of the impact a civil rights protest during the Democratic National Convention could have on November’s election. This was 1960. The year began with Black college students challenging segregation with lunch counter sit-ins across the Deep South, and by spring the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee had formed. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was not the organizer of the protest at the convention, but he planned to be there, guaranteeing media attention. To try to prevent this whole scene, the most powerful Black man in Congress was sent to stop him.

The Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was also a warrior for civil rights, but the House representative preferred the legislative approach, where backroom deals were quietly made and his power most concentrated. He and King wanted the same things for Black people. But Powell — who was first elected to Congress in 1944, the same year King enrolled at Morehouse College at the age of 15 — was threatened by the younger man’s growing influence. He was also concerned that his inability to stop the protest at the convention would harm his chance to become chairman of a House committee.

And so Powell — the son of a preacher, and himself a Baptist preacher in Harlem — told King that if he didn’t cancel, Powell would tell journalists a lie that King was having a homosexual affair with his mentor, Bayard Rustin. King stuck to his plan and led a protest — even though such a rumor would not only have harmed King, but also would have undermined the credibility of the entire civil rights movement. Remember, this was 1960. Before the March on Washington, before passage of the Voting Rights Act, before the dismantling of the very Jim Crow laws Powell had vowed to dismantle when first running for office.

That threat, my friends, is the most important part of the story.

It’s not that Powell didn’t want the best for the country. It’s just that he wanted to be seen as the one doing it and was willing to derail the good stemming from the civil rights movement to secure his own place in power. There have always been people willing to make such trade-offs. Sometimes they dress up their intentions with scriptures to make it more palatable; other times they play on our darkest fears. They do not care how many people get hurt in the process, even if it’s the same people they profess to care for.

That was true in Los Angeles in 1960.

That was true in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

That is true in the streets of America today.

Whether we are talking about an older pastor who is threatened by the growing influence of a younger voice or a president clinging to office after losing an election: To remain king, some men are willing to burn the entire kingdom down.

YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow

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PROSECUTORS at the helm of the murder case against Nick Reiner have a chance to pull a “historically uncommon” move if they pursue the death penalty, an attorney has warned.

Nick was charged with the horrific double murders of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, who were found with multiple stab wounds in their home in the affluent enclave of Brentwood in Los Angeles on December 14.

A shackled Nick, 32, wore a blue anti-suicide vest during his initial appearance in court days after the gruesome killings.

A plea was not entered, as defense attorney Alan Jackson told the judge that the case against Nick was premature.

Eric Faddis, a criminal defense attorney based in Colorado, believes Nick’s legal team is teeing up for an insanity defense down the road, which he suspects they could have a hard time trying to prove.

“In order to prove that, how that works is that the defense would have to prove it’s more likely than not that [Nick] Reiner had a mental disease or defect, which caused him to not know the difference between right or wrong or to not understand the nature of his conduct,” Faddis, who is not associated with the case, told The U.S. Sun.

Read more in The U.S. Sun

‘COLD BLOODED’

Grisly details emerge in death of girl after her body was found in desert

“So, that’s a high bar. It’s not like in the movies where people get off on insanity regularly. Prevailing on a not guilty by reason of insanity defense is uncommon. But it’s still certainly possible.”

Nick had been diagnosed with schizophrenia some time before he allegedly slaughtered his parents, according to TMZ.

The troubled middle child of Reiner, 78, and Singer, 68, was reportedly being treated by a psychiatrist for his condition, but in the month before the murders, Nick’s behavior became “alarming” as doctors switched his medication.

Weeks before the murders, Nick’s prescription was changed, making him “erratic and dangerous,” TMZ reported.

Nick had been open about his struggles with drug addiction, and admitted in a 2016 interview with People that he had been to rehab dozens of times since he was 15 years old.

Faddis said the claims of Nick’s reported mental health disorder could be “supportive of a not guilty by reason of insanity defense.”

“Doesn’t mean he’ll win, but it sounds like they’re compiling evidence in support of that defense,” he added.

UNCOMMON PURSUIT

Nick has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he has not decided whether his office will pursue the death penalty against Nick.

However, Faddis said with Hochman at the helm, it would not be surprising if the district attorney sought to sentence Nick to death.

“It’s hard to say. Historically, Los Angeles has not been the most death penalty-friendly county,” Faddis said.

“It’s not something they pursue commonly, as compared to like Utah or something like that.

“But, with Nathan Hochman at the helm, you know, he has made some unexpected moves on different cases, including the Menendez brothers’ case that he was on.

“There was sort of this social movement to try and get the Menendez brothers released. And I think a lot of people thought perhaps Hochman would go along with that, but he didn’t.”

Hochman was critical of the outpouring of supporting to free Erik and Lyle Menendez following the release of Netflix’s Monsters crime drama, which dramatized the brothers’ infamous 1989 double murders of their parents.

“So, if he did pursue the death penalty in this case, it would be historically uncommon, but not totally unexpected just based on how Hochman has made decisions in other cases.”

HOLLYWOOD NIGHTMARE

Reiner and Singer died minutes after they were allegedly brutally attacked by their son, according to their death certificates.

The iconic filmmaker’s time of death was recorded as 3:45 pm on December 14, while his wife’s was noted as 3:46 pm.

The grisly scene at Reiner’s Brentwood home was only uncovered after a massage therapist arrived at the couple’s front gate for a scheduled appointment on the afternoon of December 14, according to The New York Times.

After the therapist received no answer at the front gate, she decided to call the couple’s daughter, Romy, who reportedly lived in the area.

When Romy, 27, arrived and entered her parents’ home, she stumbled upon the gruesome scene and reportedly came across her father’s body first.

Reiner and Singer were found in their bed with their throats slashed and could have been asleep when they were murdered, the Daily Mail reported.

When Los Angeles police arrived at the scene at around 3:30 pm, Romy told authorities that her brother Nick lived in their parents’ home.

However, authorities were unable to locate Nick on the property.

Nick was eventually arrested at around 9:15 pm near Exposition Park, about 14 miles from where his parents were found dead, Alan Hamilton, the deputy police chief at the LAPD, said.

About an hour before his arrest, Nick was captured on a gas station surveillance footage acting nervously while buying a Gatorade.

Moments later, after exiting the gas station, the video captured three police cruisers swarming Nick at a nearby sidewalk.

Nick was seen raising his hands and surrendering to police as multiple officers approached him and took him into custody.

Timeline of Rob and Michele Reiner’s death

Rob Reiner and his wife of Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on December 14, 2025.

Timeline:

• December 13, 2025: Reiner and his wife Michele attended a holiday party on the evening of December 13 with their son, Nick.
• Sources conveyed to The U.S. Sun that the couple and their son were engaged in a heated public argument while at the event.
• December 14, 2025: Reiner and Michele were found dead in their Brentwood home in Los Angeles at around 3:30 pm PST.
• The couple’s daughter, Romy, reportedly discovered her parents’ bodies.
• Online police records show Reiner and Michele’s 32-year-old son, Nick, was arrested at 9:15 pm PST on December 14.
• December 15, 2025: Authorities in Los Angeles announce that Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with murder.
• Nick was booked into a Los Angeles jail at 5:04 am and was being held on $4 million bail, which was later revoked.
• December 16, 2025: Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman formally charged Nick Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder.
• Hochman said his office would consider the death penalty in Nick’s case.
• Nick’s scheduled court appearance on December 16 was postponed due to what his attorney said was a procedural issue.
• December 17, 2025: Nick Reiner briefly appeared in court. A plea was not entered.
• December 23, 2025: The death certificates of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner disclosed that the couple died of multiple sharp force injuries caused with “a knife, by another.”