fall

This fall, there are more than a few mysteries to be uncovered, whether it’s by a group of retired amateur sleuths, an FBI task force, a group of children living in small-town Maine or the only unhappy woman in the world — trust us, the last isn’t as dour as it seems (there are donuts). If you would rather stay grounded in reality, streaming documentaries with subjects ranging from Sarah McLachlan to Martin Scorsese to the American Revolution will do just the trick while giving you perspective about the music and film industries and America’s Founding Fathers. But if you prefer to detach and have some laughs, there are several comedies and dramedies that will do just that. And that’s the democratic nature of television — there’s something for everyone.

‘The Thursday Murder Club’

(Netflix, Aug. 28)

Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan in Netflix’s “The Thursday Murder Club.”

(Giles Keyte / Netflix)

The first of Richard Osman‘s wonderful series of novels concerning a group of British retirees who recreationally solve murders has become an almost-straight-to-Netflix feature with a cast that in olden times would have guaranteed a long theatrical ride. Helen Mirren plays Elizabeth, with a background in intelligence; Pierce Brosnan is Ron, a combative ex-trade unionist; Ben Kingsley plays Ibrahim, a shy former psychiatrist; and Celia Imrie is Joyce, the chirpy newcomer, with Naomi Ackie as Donna, the bored police officer who falls under their collective spell. (Plus David Tennant, Richard E. Grant and Jonathan Pryce, if that isn’t enough British thespian firepower for you.) As a fan of the books, I will approach it with some trepidation, but I will absolutely approach it. — Robert Lloyd

‘Task’

(HBO, Sept. 7)

Mark Ruffalo leads HBO’s “Task,” created by Brad Ingelsby of “Mare of Easttown.”

(HBO)

Crime dramas are a dime a dozen, but sometimes one stands out from the crowd and keeps you hooked. The latest HBO series from Brad Ingelsby, who famously brought us Kate Winslet in a Delco accent in “Mare of Easttown,” may well do that. Like “Mare,” it is also set in Pennsylvania, but this time the story revolves around an FBI agent named Tom played by Mark Ruffalo, who is charged with leading a task force to uncover who is behind a string of robberies. Parallel to his story is that of Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) and his best friend Cliff (Raúl Castillo), sanitation workers who are trying to make ends meet. Secrets, twists and turns lie ahead that bridge their stories together and make you question the gray areas between good, bad, wrong and right. — Maira Garcia

‘Black Rabbit’

(Netflix, Sept. 18)

Jason Bateman stars opposite Jude Law in Netflix’s “Black Rabbit.”

(Netflix)

Between TV series (“Ozark”), films (“Carry-On”), podcasts (“SmartLess”) and commercials (State Farm Insurance), Jason Bateman is one of the busiest performers in Hollywood. He returns to Netflix in a limited series, “Black Rabbit,” which teams him with Jude Law. The project features Law as Jake Friedkin, the owner of New York’s popular Black Rabbit restaurant and VIP lounge who runs into trouble when his brother Vince (Bateman) returns years after going on the lam after running up a mountain of gambling debts. Bateman also directs the first two episodes, and is an executive producer along with Law. — Greg Braxton

‘Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery’

(Hulu, Sept. 21)

Paula Cole on stage at Lilith Fair. Hulu’s “Building a Mystery” takes a look back at the pivotal music festival.

(Merri Cyr / Hulu)

Sweet nostalgia. Lilith Fair was the first music festival I ever attended as an awkward, introverted teen, and it was the first time I was surrounded by thousands of (mostly) women who I knew felt absolutely free to be themselves. Of course I’d want to relive that. For those who need a refresher, Lilith Fair was a traveling music festival founded by Sarah McLachlan and others to prove the sexist standards that existed in the music industry in the 1990s were morally and financially wrong. Featuring artists like Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair, Queen Latifah, Sinéad O’Connor, the Indigo Girls and many others, the festival made more than 130 stops over its original three-summer run. Directed by Ally Pankiw and touting Dan Levy as one of its producers, “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery” mined over 600 hours of never-before-seen footage and features interviews with the festival’s organizers, musicians and fans. — Tracy Brown

Fall Preview 2025

The only guide you need to fall entertainment.

‘The Lowdown’

(FX, Sept. 23)

Ethan Hawke and Ryan Kiera Armstrong in FX’s “The Lowdown.”

(Shane Brown / FX)

Sterlin Harjo, who last gave us “Reservation Dogs,” is back with another Oklahoma-set series, a noir excursion loosely based on citizen journalist Lee Roy Chapman. Ethan Hawke, here called Lee Raybon, is a Tulsa amateur “truthstorian” and rare book dealer, working and living in a store where the cool people hang out. His yen to cure civic rot in the light of day brings him into the orbit of a powerful family, including a suicide (Tim Blake Nelson), a widow (Jeanne Tripplehorn), and a candidate for governor (Kyle MacLachlan). Kaniehtiio Horn, the Deer Lady on “Rez Dogs,” plays his ex-wife because in a show like this, any wife is bound to be an ex, with Ryan Kiera Armstrong as their Nancy Drew of a teenage daughter, and Keith David bringing his formidable Keith David-ness. — R.L.

‘Slow Horses’

Season 5 (Apple TV+, Sept. 24)

Gary Oldman and his Slough House misfits are back for Season 5 of “Slow Horses.”

(Jack English / Apple TV+)

The long, and for some of us agonizing, wait is over for the best spy drama on TV. Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his MI5 Slough House misfits are at it again, bumbling into all manner of international and inner-departmental intrigue, with their signature results of mess and mayhem. Computer-genius man-child Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) plays a central figure in this year’s race against time, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) continues to agonize over the plight of his aging grandfather (Jonathan Pryce) and his own determination to get back to the Park, where Second Desk Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) remains under the authority of twitchily incompetent First Desk Claude Whelan (James Callis, having a grand old time.) Pulling everyone’s strings is, of course, Lamb — whether goading his assistant Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves), locking horns with Taverner or talking his way out of virtually any situation, Lamb is the most noisome, flatulent, stringy-haired super spy ever to grace any screen and it is impossible to imagine a world without him. — Mary McNamara

‘House of Guinness’

(Netflix, Sept. 25)

Louis Partridge in Netflix’s “House of Guinness.”

(Ben Blackall / Netflix)

Arthur Guinness, the founder of the world’s most iconic beer, had 21 children. Only 10 of them survived to adulthood and only four represent the family in this Netflix series. But in the hands of creator Steven Knight, best known for “Peaky Blinders,” four appear to be quite enough. Following their father’s death, Arthur (Anthony Boyle), Edward (Louis Partridge), Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea) and Anne (Emily Fairn) must navigate all manner of tensions and threats, including the draconian terms of their father’s will, violent Fenian protests (Guinness senior was a Protestant who believed in Catholic rights but not Irish self-rule) and various affairs of the heart — Anne smolders early on at the sight of brewery overseer Sean Rafferty (James Norton). Many creative liberties were taken, no doubt, but the inevitable “Succession” meets “Peaky Blinders” (by way of “Rebellion”) description is apt enough. As the adverts for the black stuff say, it is a lovely day for Guinness. — M.M.

‘IT: Welcome to Derry’

(HBO, October)

Mikkal Karim-Fidler, Clara Stack and Jack Molloy Legault in HBO’s “IT: Welcome to Derry.”

(HBO)

You just can’t put a terrifying clown down. Almost 40 years have passed since Stephen King terrified readers with “IT,” his massive novel about a vicious clown named Pennywise who targets the children of Derry, Maine. A 1990 miniseries and two theatrical films followed. “Welcome to Derry” continues the “IT“-verse as a prequel set in the 1960s before the “IT” and “IT Chapter 2” films. Bill Skarsgård reprises his portrayal of Pennywise as the series unveils the origins of the menacing clown, while also spotlighting a group of residents wrestling with their own fears and demons. Andy Muschietti, who directed the “IT” films, helped develop the series and is one of the executive producers. The cast includes Jovan Adepo and Taylour Paige. — G.B.

‘Boots’

(Netflix, Oct. 9)

Liam Oh, left, and Miles Heizer in Netflix’s “Boots.”

(Alfonso “Pompo” Bresciani / Netflix)

Choosing to join the military can be construed as a major act of patriotism, but oftentimes it is a very personal decision that involves a lot of a sacrifice — choices like where you will live, what you do on a day-to-day basis and who you work with are dictated. Enter Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), a gay, bullied high school graduate who isn’t sure what’s next until his best friend Ray McAffey (Liam Oh) — the only person he’s come out to — suggests they join the Marines. Cameron imagines the military to be like summer camp, until reality sets in. This dramedy is set in the ‘90s, when being gay in the military was still grounds for discharge, so not only does Cameron have to endure the brutality of boot camp, he has to keep his sexual orientation a secret. The series is based on “The Pink Marine,” a memoir by Greg Cope White, who serves as a writer. — M.G.

‘DMV’

(CBS, Oct. 13)

Molly Kearney, Gigi Zumbado, Tony Cavalero, Alex Tarrant, Harriet Dyer and Tim Meadows star in CBS’ “DMV.”

(Matt Barnes / CBS)

Your local department of motor vehicles may seem like the very last place to get a laugh, but CBS has managed to pull it off. Its new workplace comedy centers on a ragtag group of employees who work at an East Hollywood DMV: Gregg (Tim Meadows), a former English teacher; Colette (Harriet Dyer of “Colin From Accounts”), a driving examiner with few boundaries; Vic (Tony Cavalero), a former bouncer; Cici (Gigi Zumbado), an outspoken photographer; and Noa (Alex Tarrant), a handsome surfer whom Colette has her eye on. They’re led by newly minted manager Barbara (“SNL” alum Molly Kearney, delightful to see onscreen again), who becomes dismayed when some consultants arrive — no matter where you work, that’s never a good sign. Despite work and interpersonal turmoil, they make a fun and funny team that should be a welcome addition to CBS’ fall lineup. — M.G.

‘Mr. Scorsese’

(Apple TV+, Oct. 17)

“Mr. Scorsese” is a five-part documentary directed by Rebecca Miller.

(Brigitte Lacombe / Apple TV+)

Among the biggest challenges for documentary filmmakers of major figures is figuring out not only how to gain access but also the trust of your subject. The ability to get them to open up can turn an interesting documentary into a great one. And when the subject is Martin Scorsese, one of America’s great auteurs, you want the full portrait of a director who helped shape cinema with iconic films like “Taxi Driver,” “Goodfellas,” “Gangs of New York” and, most recently, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Director Rebecca Miller (“She Came to Me,” “Personal Velocity”) seems up for the task, having created a five-part docuseries that’s billed as the definitive portrait of 82-year-old Scorsese and will premiere at New York Film Festival this fall. — M.G.

‘Nobody Wants This’

Season 2 (Netflix, Oct. 23)

Justine Lupe, Kristen Bell and Jackie Tohn return for Season 2 of “Nobody Wants This.”

(Erin Simkin / Netflix)

There will inevitably come a time when the drip-drop of wholesome, rom-com-level video content of Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson on their “Naked Gun” promotional tour will loosen its grip on my social media algorithms, and I’ll return to longing for a fictional romantic comedy to fill the void. That’s where Adam Brody — who really propelled the art of the neck-hugging smooch combo — and Kristen Bell come in. The first season made millennial hearts squeal with its pairing of Brody and Bell — two decades after they rose to fame in the early aughts on teen dramas “The O.C.” and “Veronica Mars,” respectively — in a delightful will they/won’t they set in L.A. Bell is Joanne, a woman who often regales about her single life on the podcast she co-hosts with her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe), while Brody’s Noah is a progressive rabbi who is newly single. But can their relationship make it past hurdles that include their careers, family and religion? The first season ended with a showstopping kiss that suggested they’re willing to give it a try. The sophomore outing promises to unpack what that looks like. Let’s just hope no one in this couple-with-obstacles is proposing a five-year waiting period to deal with personal matters before really giving it a go. (IYKYK.) Plus, “Gossip Girl” alumnus Leighton Meester, Brody’s wife IRL, joins the fun, playing Joanne’s childhood nemesis. — Yvonne Villarreal

‘Star Wars: Visions’

Vol. 3 (Disney+, Oct. 29)

Sevn and IV-A4 in a scene from the “Star Wars: Visions” Vol. 3 short “The Bounty Hunters.”

(Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney)

Dave Filoni’s rise at Lucasfilm is proof enough that some of “Star Wars’” best storytelling has happened in animation. My favorite has been “Star Wars: Visions,” an anthology series where international animation houses have been given the freedom to explore their ideas about the Force and the galaxy far, far away outside of the constraints of the franchise’s existing canon. For the first season, Lucasfilm tapped Japanese anime studios for nine shorts, which featured a range of stories including those that centered an ex-Sith ronin, a Jedi Padawan turned lead singer of a rock band and even a Force-wielding droid. The series went even more global for its second season, with studios from Europe, Asia and South America being among those that were enlisted for their takes. The upcoming third season brings the focus back to Japanese anime, with sequels to three of the shorts from Season 1 — including my favorite, “The Village Bride” — among the lineup. — T.B.

‘Last Samurai Standing’

(Netflix, November)

Netflix’s “Last Samurai Standing” is based on the historical novel series “Ikusagami.”

(Netflix)

When I saw this series described as “‘Shōgun’ meets ‘Squid Game,’” I had two competing reactions. There was the part of me that was slightly skeptical seeing a logline that leaned on two of the biggest Asian-led shows ever, but the part of me that grew up on a steady diet of chanbara is excited by the idea of a battle royale with samurai — and that part has completely won out. Based on the historical novel series “Ikusagami” by Shogo Imamura, the Meiji-era set “Last Samurai Standing” will involve 292 warriors assembled at a temple in Kyoto for a deadly game with a massive cash prize. Considering the Meiji period was when the samurai became obsolete, the potential for social commentary mixed in with high-stakes combat seems pretty high. — T.B.

‘Pluribus’

(Apple TV+, Nov. 7)

Rhea Seehorn stars in Apple TV+’s “Pluribus,” her upcoming series from Vince Gilligan.

(Apple TV+)

If you thought the grainy footage of Ariana Grande surreptitiously licking a doughnut inside an L.A. shop a decade ago sent shivers down your spine — health codes matter, people! — the first teaser for Vince Gilligan’s new TV opus is just as chilling to behold. Ditching “Better Call Saul’s” signature cinnamon roll pastry for the hole-y American staple, the trailer for the new series takes place in the dead of night at an office building and settles on a woman, in a pink uniform, licking the tops of doughnuts one by one — ASMR at its eeriest — before placing them back in their box as a sign that reads “Help yourself!” with a smiley face comes into focus. Uh, what? The series reunites Gilligan with “Better Call Saul’s” Rhea Seehorn, who was the show’s beating heart with a ponytail as Kim Wexler, a skilled lawyer who gets caught up in the antics and schemes of Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman. In this genre-bending sci-fi drama, she is the most miserable person on Earth who must save the world from happiness — it’s the sort of TV premise that feels like it was tailor-made for my 2025 fatigue. In addition to Seehorn, the series stars Karolina Wydra (“Sneaky Pete”) and Carlos-Manuel Vesga (“The Hijacking of Flight 601”), and guest stars Miriam Shor (“American Fiction”) and Samba Schutte (“Our Flag Means Death”). It’s already been picked up for a second season so you can go in knowing there are no commitment issues. — Y.V.

‘The American Revolution’

(PBS, Nov. 16)

John Trumbull’s “The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.” Ken Burns’ latest PBS docuseries will focus on the American Revolution.

(Yale University Art Gallery/PBS)

The combination of PBS and Ken Burns (with co-directors Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt and writer Geoffrey C. Ward) returns again to improve your mind and remind you that history is not something that can be edited to suit the whims of a king or dictator, but also that it is made up of a variety of stories from a spectrum of participants. In these parlous times, when conspiracy theories are mistaken for truth and experts for enemies, those who might most profit from “The American Revolution” are perhaps least likely to watch it, but in the course of this six-part, 12-hour foundational tale, anyone is bound to learn something. It will certainly have things to say about how Black and Indigenous people participated in this long moment. And if you have it, send money to your local public broadcaster, who needs it more than ever. — R.L.

The Pierce College cross-country course in Woodland Hills, used by thousands of runners since the 1960s, has been closed and will be unavailable to host the City Section finals and other high school meets this fall.

At a meeting last week attended by officials from the City Section and West Valley Eagles youth organization, Pierce College officials informed them that a new grass soccer field will be constructed in the area where races have previously started and which was also used as a warm-up area for runners.

Officials also told Jack Dawson of the Eagles and City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos they would revamp the whole course. They have already smoothed out path areas on the hilly course and fixed fencing.

A water truck and construction materials were seen in the area of the flat surface on Wednesday. Few people were made aware a soccer field would be built on a much beloved area used by runners. The school has a men’s and women’s soccer team. A school security officer said he was unaware of the plans, and he would be directly affected since security is hired weekly whenever a high school meet is held.

Dawson said, “The course is going to be beautiful. It’s, how are we going to use it?”

Either revisions have to be done on the soccer field or a new starting point for races has to be created.

Dawson and Lagos said they were informed that there would be no permits issued this year for the course. High schools that previously used the course are scrambling to find alternatives.

Monroe coach Leo Hernandez said his league is investigating using Woodley Park in the Sepulveda Basin as a possible replacement. Birmingham High once set up a course on its campus when Pierce College was unavailable because of heavy rains and could be used by the City Section for the finals.

Pierce College is also being used as a site to take in large animals during wildfires, so developing another course on campus this year is unlikely considering the uncertainty of the weather this fall.

Fans are already looing forward to binge watching the enture series

One of the writers from hit show Rick and Morty is bringing ‘chaos energy’ to Netflix in a new animated series fans already can’t wait to fall in love with.

Haunted Hotel is set to be streaming from September 19. Audiences are already anticipating spooky season beginning early as a result.

According to the synopsis released by the streaming giant, the series will follow a single mother of two who struggles to run a haunted hotel. All she has to help her is estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts haunting the establishment and thinks the other ghosts have some pretty good ideas.

As seen in the trailer, not only does she juggle a son, daughter and a host of ghosts, there’s also a demon trapped inside the body of a boy from the 1700s.

There are also various types of spirits, ghosts and devil like creatures. One even sounds just like the voice of Seth Rogen.

Meanwhile, the main voice cast for Haunted Hotel includes Saturday Night Live alum and The Four Seasons star Will Forte. He’s joined by Scrubs’ Eliza Coupe, one of the stars of new Superman movie Skyler Gisondo, comedian Natalie Palamides, and Jimmi Simpson who many will recognise from Westworld and as one of the McPoyle brothers in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelpihia.

Haunted Hotel is created by Matt Roller, who has previously written for shows including Rick and Morty, Community and Archer. He has also worked on sitcoms Mr. Mayor and The Goldbergs.

Celebrating the series order at Netflix, he said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Netflix and an amazingly talented cast and crew to bring to life the stories of the dead, the evil, and the struggling hospitality workers at the Undervale Hotel,”

Fans are already looking forward to the new show. While it is not yet confirmed how many episodes will consist of its debut season, it’s already looking like a must binge title.

One person, replying to the trailer on social media, commented: “Rick and Morty’s chaotic energy but make it haunted? Yeah… I’m checking in!”

Another added: “t’s giving me Scooby doo vibe!” Sharing a similar sentiment one person posted: “Rick and Morty meets Scooby-Doo energy, but way more unhinged.”

While one person, seemingly excited for Halloween already said: “Spooky comedy just what we need to ease into fall. Will Forte + Rick and Morty creators = yes please”

There were some who spoke with a word of caution. It comes after a year of even more cancellations confirmed at the streamer during 2025. That included many that were only given one season despite reaching millions of views.

Shows such as The Residence, Pulse and Territory all came to a premature end. Fans are already fearful Haunted Hotel will be added to the list.

One person posted: “I can’t wait to fall in love with this show, only to be heartbroken when Netflix inevitably cancels it.”

Another agreed: “Can’t wait to love this show then feel depressed when it’s cancelled on a depressing cliffhanger.”

Haunted Hotel is streaming on Netflix from September 19.

Zilisch is widely considered to be a future star of the sport and is expected to secure a full-time drive in Nascar’s top tier, the Cup Series, in 2026.

He has dominated in his rookie year in Xfinity, and won at Watkins Glen, New York, after emerging unscathed from a dramatic 16-car crash in the closing stages.

Zilisch was forced to miss a race after injuring his back in a crash at Talladega in June but bounced back in style and his win on Saturday was his fifth victory in eight races.

No timeline has been put on his return by Zilisch or his JR Motorsports team, which is run by former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr, but the Xfinity Series championship play-offs begin at Portland on 31 August.

He was set to make his fourth top-tier Cup start of the season on Sunday at Watkins Glen but will miss that race as a result of the injury.

French political analyst Francois Burgat was charged with supporting terrorism over a social media post he shared, which included a statement by Hamas. He was later acquitted. Burgat joins Centre Stage to unpack the case, the politics behind it and what he believes it reveals about free speech and support for Palestine in the West.

This episode is produced in partnership with the Islam and Muslims Initiative, an international platform that connects Muslims and non-Muslims in the realms of religion, politics, business, media, academia and civil society.

Junior Caminero hit his 29th and 30th homers, Christopher Morel had a go-ahead shot and six Tampa Bay pitchers combined to strike out 16 in the Rays’ 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.

Caminero hit a career-long 447-foot shot with a man on in the first, and had a solo homer in the third. Morel was 0 for 6 with six strikeouts in the series before hitting his solo homer in the seventh.

It was Caminero’s third two-homer game this season and he reached 101 RBIs for his career.

Nick Fortes also homered, his first hit in five games with the Rays since being acquired from Miami.

Starter Shane Baz struck out nine in four innings to help Tampa Bay win for the fourth time in 14 games. Garrett Cleavinger (1-4) was the winner, and Pete Fairbanks got his 19th save.

Ryan Zeferjahn (6-4) took the loss.

Mike Trout tied the score for Los Angeles with a three-run homer in the third. His 20th homer this season and 398th of his career was his 200th in Angels Stadium. He’s the first player in major league history with 200 homers and 100 steals (101) in one stadium.

The Angels loaded the bases with no outs against Griffin Jax in the eighth. But Jax, acquired from Minnesota for Taj Bradley on July 31, struck out the next three batters.

Rays center fielder Jonny DeLuca left in the sixth with right hamstring tightness after legging out a triple. DeLuca was reinstated from the 60-day IL (right shoulder strain) on July 25.

Up next

Both teams are off Thursday. Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-8, 4.59) will pitch at Detroit against LHP Tarik Skybal (11-3, 2.18) on Friday night. Tampa Bay will start RHP Drew Rasmussen (9-5, 2.81) against RHP Luis Castillo (8-6, 3.22) at Seattle on Friday night.

During a difficult week in Ukraine’s ground war, Russian troops completed their conquest of Chasiv Yar, a high ground in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, and claimed to have breached the outskirts of Kupiansk, a city with a pre-war population of more than 26,000, in Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region.

Both conquests are the result of months-long efforts and have cost the Russians dearly in blood and weapons.

At the same time, Russian forces pushed into Dnipropetrovsk, a Ukrainian region whose borders they first breached over the weekend of June 7-8, capturing the village of Sichneve, which Russians call Yanvarskoye. It was the third claimed conquest in Dnipropetrovsk. Earlier, Russia captured Dachnoye and Malynivka.

Russia also began to launch jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles to deadly effect, killing 31 people in Kyiv on July 31.

Ukraine responded with deep strikes on Russian transport networks and energy hubs.

Chasiv Yar and the ‘fortress belt’

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its paratroopers overran Chasiv Yar on July 31.

Moscow’s forces began to besiege the city in March 2024, about a month after the fall of Avdiivka, 30km (20 miles) to the south freed up offensive troops.

Russia prioritised this line of attack after conquering the city of Bakhmut in May 2023, following months of battles led by Wagner Group mercenaries.

Since Bakhmut fell, Russian forces have conquered a salient running 27km (17 miles) west of it. Chasiv Yar presented a challenge and a prize – a challenge because it sat astride a canal that formed a natural defensive barrier, and a prize because it is a vantage point from which Russia can survey the remaining free areas of Donetsk.

“Chasiv Yar is a key height in terms of adjusting observation and conducting combat operations,” military expert Vitaly Kiselyov told the Soloviev Live television network in Russia.

“To all appearances, we will be outflanking from the south and the north, gradually puncturing the enemy forces and edging them out, all the more so as we now hold an advantageous height relative to all other settlements,” said Kiselyov.

Another Russian military expert said the capture of Chasiv Yar enabled Russian forces to advance towards the so-called “fortress belt” of heavily defended Ukrainian cities in Donetsk.

“Chasiv Yar is situated on a hilltop, and beyond it, there are very vast expanses of flat terrain. The nearest agglomeration – Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka – is well fortified,” Andrey Marochko told the Russian newswire TASS.

Chasiv Yar sits at the northern end of an attempted Russian encirclement of Konstiantynivka, and on Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed its forces had captured Aleksandro-Kalinovo, on the southern end of the crab’s claw enclosing Konstiantynivka.

Some analysts disagreed that the fall of Chasiv Yar was as important as Russian analysts made it sound.

“Tactical Russian advances westward in Chasiv Yar do not constitute an operationally significant development in this area,” said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank.

“Russian forces have held most of northern and central Chasiv Yar since late January 2025 and began advancing in southwestern Chasiv Yar in mid-June 2025,” the ISW said.

It added that Ukrainian lines of communication were not further threatened, since “Russian forces have been within tube artillery range of Ukraine’s main logistics route through the fortress belt since late January 2025 and have held positions along the T-0504 Bakhmut-Kostyantynivka highway for several months, and have yet to significantly threaten Ukrainian positions in Kostiantynivka.”

The situation was different in Pokrovsk, some 35km (22 miles) southwest of Chasiv Yar, which Russia has also besieged.

Denis Pushilin, the head of the pro-Russian, self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said Ukrainian lines of communication into Pokrovsk had been impaired.

“The enemy has been largely denied the possibility to deliver ammunition and carry out troop rotation,” Pushilin said.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said on Telegram, “The most difficult situation now is in the Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, and Novopavlivka directions,” naming two more settlements that lie behind Pokrovsk in unoccupied Donetsk.

“The enemy is increasing efforts to capture our key agglomerations, looking for vulnerable spots in our defence, and conducting active combat operations simultaneously on several fronts,” he said.

He said Russian forces were forming sabotage groups in the Ukrainian rear in an attempt at “total infiltration”, and that Ukraine was “using anti-sabotage reserves, whose task is to search for and destroy enemy sabotage groups”.

Kupiansk and the ‘buffer zone’

At the northern end of the front, Russia claimed to have entered Kupiansk in Kharkiv on Tuesday.

Russian troops were fighting street battles in Kupiansk, Russian military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS. He said troops were deploying small, mobile groups targeting Ukrainian positions with precise strikes.

Russia’s forays into Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv lie beyond Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, the four regions Russia formally annexed in September 2022.

Russia claims to be creating a buffer zone to protect those regions, but Ukraine believes that claim to be an excuse for further occupation.

Russian low-level officials have suggested that the buffer zone should be at least 30km (20 miles) deep, but the Russian leadership has placed no such limit.

Moscow also continued its long-range strikes against Ukraine.

An overnight drone attack on July 31 killed 31 people in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Russia used jet-powered Shahed drones, which travel much faster than the propeller-driven kind, and are difficult to intercept.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched eight Iskander-K cruise missiles from Kursk city and 309 Shahed-type and decoy drones. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “an absolutely vile, brutal strike”.

The war of words

Even as he pressed on with these offensives, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine was not ready for peace talks.

During a news conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday, Putin said, “In principle, we can wait if the Ukrainian leadership believes that now is not the time,” adding that “all disappointments arise from excessive expectations.”

He was referring to the fact that three rounds of direct negotiations have yielded no ceasefire.

United States President Donald Trump repeated last week that he was “disappointed” in Putin, and has in recent weeks allowed US weapons to flow to Ukraine.

On Friday, the US Pentagon said it would sell Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air (AMRAAM) missiles to Ukraine.

Trump also got into a social media spat with Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s National Security Council, after Medvedev objected to Trump’s August 9 deadline for Russia to seal a ceasefire deal.

On Saturday, Trump wrote on his TruthSocial service that he had “ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that”.

On the same day, Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on India for buying Russian oil. On Tuesday, he told CNBC, “I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil, they’re fuelling the war machine, and if they’re going to do that, I’m not going to be happy.”

Ukraine’s strikes

Meanwhile, Ukraine stepped up its interdiction campaign against Russian energy and transport infrastructure.

On July 31, Russia said it shot down 32 Ukrainian long-range UAVs in its western border regions. As a result of the Ukrainian attack, it said rail services in the Volgograd region were delayed.

Ukraine has been attacking the Russian railways connecting defence factories to the front, said open-source intelligence gatherer Frontelligence Insight.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said a radio factory in Penza, Russia was attacked, which made mobile command complexes and automated combat control systems.

On Saturday, Ukraine unleashed a wide-ranging set of strikes.

Kovalenko said the Radio Plant in Penza was attacked a second time, along with Electropribor, a manufacturer of encryptors, secure modems and switches for military and intelligence agencies.

Ukraine also hit a storage and launch site for Shahed drones at the Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield in Krasnodar.

But its biggest hits were against oil refineries.

Ukraine attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia’s four largest, responsible for more than 6 percent of all refining in Russia, causing a fire. Also hit was the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery near Samara city, where explosions were filmed. Ukraine also struck the Annanafteproduct oil depot in the Voronezh region, setting it alight, and on Sunday, a Ukrainian long-range strike hit an oil depot in Sochi on the Black Sea.

Ukrainian media reported that explosions damaged the main Russian gas pipeline carrying gas from Turkmenistan to Russia, shutting it down indefinitely. The media outlets said it supplied military industries, including the Demikhov Machine-Building Plant, the MiG aircraft company, and the Magnum-K ammunition plant.

Thousands rallied in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to mark one year since nationwide protests forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. The 2024 uprising began over quota reforms but turned deadly, with over 1,400 people killed. The country’s interim leader announced new elections will be held in February.

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Sinthia Mehrin Sokal remembers the blow to her head on July 15 last year when she, along with thousands of fellow students, marched during a protest against a controversial quota system in government jobs in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.

The attack by an activist belonging to the student wing of the then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party left Sokal – a final-year student of criminology at the University of Dhaka – with 10 stitches and temporary memory loss.

A day later, Abu Sayed, another 23-year-old student, was protesting at Begum Rokeya University in the Rangpur district, about 300km (186 miles) north of Dhaka, when he was shot by the police. A video of him, with his arms outstretched and collapsing on the ground moments later, went viral, igniting an unprecedented movement against Hasina, who governed the country with an iron fist for more than 15 years before she was toppled last August.

Students from schools, colleges, universities and madrassas took to the streets, defying a brutal crackdown. Soon, the young protesters were joined by their parents, teachers and other citizens. Opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, lent crucial support, forming an unlikely united front against Hasina’s government.

“Even students in remote areas came out in support. It felt like real change was coming,” Sokal told Al Jazeera.

On August 5, 2024, as tens of thousands of protesters stormed Hasina’s palatial residence and offices in Dhaka, the 77-year-old leader boarded a military helicopter and fled to neighbouring India, her main ally, where she continues to defy a Bangladesh court’s orders to face trial for crimes against humanity and other charges.

By the time Hasina fled, more than 1,400 people had been killed, most when government forces fired on protesters, and thousands of others were wounded, according to the United Nations.

Three days after Hasina fled, the protesters installed an interim government, on August 8, 2024, led by the country’s only Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus. In May this year, the interim government banned the Awami League from any political activity until trials over last year’s killings of the protesters concluded. The party’s student wing, the Chhatra League, was banned under anti-terrorism laws in October 2024.

Yet, as Bangladesh marks the first anniversary of the end of Hasina’s government on Tuesday, Sokal said the sense of unity and hope that defined the 2024 uprising has given way to disillusionment and despair.

“They’re selling the revolution,” she said, referring to the various political groups now jostling for power ahead of general elections expected next year.

“The change we fought for remains out of reach,” said added. “The [interim] government no longer owns the uprising.”

‘What was my son’s sacrifice for?’

Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner presiding over Bangladesh’s democratic overhaul, faces mounting political pressure, even as his interim government seeks consensus on drafting a new constitution. Rival factions that marched shoulder to shoulder during anti-Hasina protests are now locked in political battles over the way forward for Bangladesh.

On Tuesday, Yunus is expected to unveil a so-called July Proclamation, a document to mark the anniversary of Hasina’s ouster, which will outline the key reforms that his administration argues Bangladesh needs – and a roadmap to achieve that.

But not many are hopeful.

“Our children took to the streets for a just, democratic and sovereign Bangladesh. But that’s not what we’re getting,” said Sanjida Khan Deepti, whose 17-year-old son Anas was shot dead by the police during a peaceful march near Dhaka’s Chankharpul area on August 5, 2024. Witnesses said Anas was unarmed and running for cover when a police bullet struck him in the back. He died on the spot, still clutching a national flag.

“The reforms and justice for the July killings that we had hoped – it’s not duly happening,” the 36-year-old mother told Al Jazeera. “We took to the streets for a better, peaceful and just country. If that doesn’t happen, then what was my son’s sacrifice for?”

Others, however, continue to hold firm in their trust in the interim government.

“No regrets,” said Khokon Chandra Barman, who lost almost his entire face after he was shot by the police in the Narayanganj district.

“I am proud that my sacrifice helped bring down a regime built on discrimination,” he told Al Jazeera.

Barman feels the country is in better hands now under the Yunus-led interim government. “The old evils won’t disappear overnight. But we are hopeful.”

Atikul Gazi agreed. “Yunus sir is capable and trying his best,” Gazi told Al Jazeera on Sunday. “If the political parties fully cooperated with him, things would be even better.”

The 21-year-old TikToker from Dhaka’s Uttara area survived being shot at point-blank range on August 5, 2024, but lost his left arm.

A selfie video of him smiling, despite missing an arm, posted on September 16 last year, went viral, making him a symbol of resilience.

“I’m not afraid… I’m back in the field. One hand may be gone, but my life is ready to be offered anew.”

‘Instability could increase’

Others are less optimistic. “That was a moment of unprecedented unity,” said Mohammad Golam Rabbani, a professor of history at Jahangirnagar University on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Rabbani had recited a poem during a campus protest on July 29, 2024. Speaking at an event last month to commemorate the uprising, he said: “Safeguarding that unity should have been the new government’s first task. But they let it slip.”

The coalition of students, professionals and activists, called Students Against Discrimination, that brought down Hasina’s government, began to fragment even before Yunus took charge.

Hoping to cash in on massive anti-Awami League sentiment, the main opposition BNP has been demanding immediate elections since the uprising. But parties like the National Citizens Party, formed by student leaders of the 2024 protests, and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami want deeper structural reforms before any vote is held.

To reconcile such demands, the Yunus administration formed a National Consensus Commission on February 12 this year. Its mandate is to merge multiple reform agendas outlined by expert panels into a single political blueprint. Any party or coalition that wins the next general election must formally pledge to implement this charter.

But so far, the meetings of the commission have been marked by rifts and dissent, mainly over having a bicameral parliament, adopting proportional representation in both its houses, and reforming the appointment process for key constitutional bodies by curbing the prime minister’s influence to ensure greater neutrality and non-partisanship.

“If the political forces fail to agree on reforms, instability could increase,” warned analyst Rezaul Karim Rony.

But Mubashar Hasan, adjunct fellow at Western Sydney University’s Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative, thinks a political deadlock is “unlikely”, and that most stakeholders seem to be moving towards elections next year.

Hasan, however, remains sceptical of the reforms themselves, calling them a “cosmetic reset”.

“There’ll be some democratic progress, but not a genuine shift,” he told Al Jazeera. He pointed out that the Awami League, which once represented millions, remains banned – a fact that some analysts have pointed out could weaken the credibility of Bangladesh’s electoral democracy. 

Deepti, who lost her teenage son during the protests, said political parties are scrambling for power, and not acting against the people who enabled Hasina’s brutal repression during last year’s protests.

“Most of the officials and law enforcement members involved in the violence are still at large, while political parties are more focused on grabbing power,” she told Al Jazeera.

Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, the spokesman for Inquilab Manch (Revolution Front), a non-partisan cultural organisation inspired by the uprising, warned that elections without justice and reforms would “push the country back into the jaws of fascism”.

His group, with more than 1,000 members in 25 districts, organises poetry readings, exhibitions and street performances to commemorate the 2024 uprising and demand accountability, amid widespread concerns over deteriorating law and order across the country.

‘A city of demonstrations’

While the police remain discredited and are yet to recover from the taint of complicity in perpetuating Hasina’s strong-armed governance, military soldiers are seen patrolling Bangladesh’s streets, armed with special power to arrest, detain and, in extreme cases, even fire on those breaking the law.

In a recent report, rights group Odhikar said at least 72 people were killed and 1,677 others injured in incidents of political violence between April and June this year. The group also documented eight alleged extrajudicial killings during this period involving the police and notorious paramilitary forces like the Rapid Action Battalion.

Other crimes have also surged.

Police recorded 1,587 cases of murder between January and May this year, a 25 percent rise from the same period last year. Robbery nearly doubled to 318, while crimes against women and children topped 9,100. Kidnapping and robbery have also seen a spike.

“Mob justice and targeted killings have surged, many with political links,” Md Ijajul Islam, the executive director of the nonprofit Human Rights Support Society, told Al Jazeera. “Unless political parties rein in their activists, a demoralised police won’t be able to contain it.”

The demoralisation within the police stems mostly from the 2024 uprising itself, when more than 500 police stations were attacked across Bangladesh and law enforcement officials were missing from the streets for more than a week.

“The force had to restart from a morally-broken state,” Ijajul said.

Several police officers Al Jazeera spoke to at the grassroots level pointed to another problem: the collapse of what they called an informal political order in rural areas.

“During the Awami League era, police often worked in tandem with the ruling party leaders, who mediated local disputes,” said a senior police officer at the Roumari police station in the Kurigram district near the border with India.

“That structure is gone. Now multiple factions – from BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and others – are trying to control markets, transport hubs and government tenders,” he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

In Dhaka, things are no better.

“Every day, managing street protests has become one of our major duties,” Talebur Rahman, a deputy commissioner with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told Al Jazeera.

“It feels like Dhaka has become ‘a city of demonstrations’ – people break into government offices, just to make their demands heard,” said Rahman.

Still, Rahman claimed the city’s law and order situation was better than immediately after the 2024 uprising. In a televised interview on July 15, Yunus’s spokesperson, Shafiqul Alam, also claimed that “if you consider overall statistics, things are stabilising”, he told Somoy Television network, referring to law and order in Dhaka.

Alam said that many people who were denied justice for years, including during the uprising, are now coming forward to register cases.

Some agree.

“Things are slowly improving,” said 38-year-old rickshaw-puller Mohammad Shainur in Dhaka’s upscale Bashundhara neighbourhood.

The economy, for one, has shown some positive signs. Bangladesh is the world’s 35th largest economy and the second in South Asia – mainly driven by its thriving garment and agriculture industries.

Foreign reserves climbed from more than $24bn in May 2024, to nearly $32bn by June this year, helped by a crackdown on illicit capital flight, record remittances and new funding from the International Monetary Fund. Inflation, which peaked at 11.7 percent in July 2024, dropped to 8.5 percent by June this year.

But there is also widespread joblessness, with the International Labour Organization saying that nearly 30 percent of Bangladesh’s youth are neither employed nor pursuing education. Moreover, a 20 percent tariff announced by the United States, the largest buyer of Bangladesh’s garments, also threatens the livelihood of 4 million workers employed in the key sector.

Back in Dhaka, Gazi is determined to preserve the memory of 2024’s protests.

“Let the people remember those martyred in the uprising, and those of us who were injured,” he told Al Jazeera. “We want to remain as living symbols of that freedom.”

“I lost one hand, and I have no regrets. I will give my life if needed – this country must be governed well, no matter who holds power.”

A man has died after falling from a height at an Oasis concert on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Police said officers and medics at at Wembley Stadium in London responded to reports that a man in his 40s had been injured at 22:19 BST.

The man “was found with injuries consistent with a fall” and was pronounced dead at the scene, a spokesperson for the force said.

Oasis said in a statement they were “shocked and saddened” to hear of the death of a fan.

They added: “Oasis would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person involved.”

The man reportedly fell from an upper tier.

Police said the stadium was busy and they “believe it is likely a number of people witnessed the incident, or may knowingly or unknowingly have caught it on mobile phone video footage”.

The Met has asked anyone who may have information to get in touch via 101.

It added that the investigation would be passed to the Health and Safety Executive in the next few days.

Oasis’s performance was scheduled to begin at 20:15 and end at 22:15, according to timings on Wembley Stadium’s website.

The band began its Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour in July. Saturday’s concert was part of seven sold-out reunion concerts at Wembley Stadium, which has a 90,000-person capacity across three tiers.

Noel and Liam Gallagher are marking the end of an almost 16-year split with their tour.

Wembley Stadium said in a statement that medics, police and the London Ambulance service attended to the injured man.

“Despite their efforts, the fan very sadly died. Our thoughts go out to his family, who have been informed and are being supported by specially trained police officers,” it said.

The stadium added that the Oasis concert on Sunday was going ahead as planned.

The band will next appear in Edinburgh for three gigs on 8, 9 and 12 August and then take their tour to Ireland, Canada, the US and Mexico before returning to Wembley on 27 and 28 September.

About ten times each day, giant freight trains pass along a narrow section of track along the Sacramento River in far northern California where engineers on the locomotives regularly tense up with stress.

“Every single time, it’s a near miss” of a train hitting a person, said Ryan Snow, the California State Chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. “Multiple near misses, every single run. My nightmare is that a family that isn’t paying attention gets hit.”

This particular stretch of track, which wends north from the town of Dunsmuir, is a renegade route for hikers to one of northern California’s most enchanting natural sights, Mossbrae Falls. Fed from glaciers on Mount Shasta, the water pours out of lava tubes and down mossy cliffs, forming a verdant and ethereal cascade into a calm, shaded swimming hole.

It appears magical. It is also inaccessible —unless visitors trespass more than a mile on on the tracks or wade across the river. Accidents have happened. Two people have been struck by trains in the last few years (although both survived.) In May a Southern California woman drowned after trying to reach the falls via the river. But the tourists keep coming. Drawn by Instagram and Tiktok, increasing numbers of people have taken to visiting the falls — nearly 30,000 according to a city study, the majority of them by trespassing up the train tracks.

For years, outdoor enthusiasts in and around Dunsmuir have pushed Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the tracks, to work with the city to create a safe, accessible, legal path. But the effort has been dogged by delays.

This week, the train workers union decided to enter the fray, issuing a press release decrying the slow progress and calling on Union Pacific to do more to make the long-held dream of a trail a reality.

“Each month that goes by without a real construction timeline, lives are put at risk,” Snow said in a statement. The statement also accused Union Pacific of “slow-walking” the project, saying railroad officials have called for meeting after meeting, but has never produced a right-of-way commitment or a clear construction timeline.

Many engineers, Snow said, are frustrated and feel the delay “unfairly endangers both railroad personnel and the public.”

In a statement, Union Pacific said that the railroad had “approved the concept of a trail into Mossbrae Falls years ago, and we have been working with the City of Dunsmuir and the Mount Shasta Trail Association to find solutions that address everyone’s safety concerns.”

Earlier this summer, Dunsmuir city officials held a “summit” with Union Pacific officials to tour the falls and talk about the proposed trail connection.

City officials said the summit, which included representatives from local elected officials offices as well as railroad officials from Omaha and Denver, marked “a new milestone in the slow but steady process.” A city press release noted that “key Union Pacific officials had the opportunity to see the falls for the first time, recognizing the importance of building public access to this beautiful natural resource.”

But some longtime trail advocates said they were not convinced that the dream is any closer. John Harch, a retired surgeon with the Mount Shasta Trail Assn. and has been working with others for years on public access, said he still didn’t see evidence of concrete progress.

“Here we sit, as before, while people risk their lives to see the falls,” he wrote in an email.

Snow said he hopes the public can put pressure on the parties to make concrete progress.

“We’ve been lucky that we haven’t had any fatalities caused by a trespasser strike,” he said. “The worst thing an engineer can do is hit somebody. It’s stressful.”

Meanwhile, he said, the route is only becoming more popular. “It’s in hiking magazines, and on the internet everywhere. It’s attracting more and more people.”

He added: “I can’t blame them. It’s beautiful.”

A proposed international league described as the F1 of basketball gained attention over the weekend when Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, posted a photo on Instagram of him meeting in shorts and bare feet with LeBron James and the Lakers star’s business partner Maverick Carter on a yacht off the coast of the French Riviera.

Raznatovic accompanied the photo with an intriguing comment: “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026! @kingjames @mavcarter

The post triggered speculation that perhaps James and Jokic could team up on either the Lakers or Nuggets, but more likely it suggests James has more than a peripheral interest in the new league.

Front Office Sports reported in January that Carter was advising a group of investors trying to raise $5 billion to jump-start the league but that James wasn’t involved. That may have changed.

So what’s the league about?

Early discussions are of a touring model with six men’s and six women’s teams playing in eight cities, none of which is likely to be in the United States. Investors include the Singapore government, SC Holdings, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, a Macau casino operator, UBS, Skype founder Geoff Prentice and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett, according to the Financial Times. Reports have linked VC firm Quiet Capital, tech investor Byron Deeter and Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment to the effort.

Investors are leaning toward not allowing players in the league unless they cut ties with the NBA, making the model somewhat like LIV Golf — the professional circuit funded by (PIF). A better comparison in terms of format and scale might be Formula 1 Racing, which holds 24 races a year across five continents.

Raznatovic’s involvement would be key. His Belgrade, Serbia, agency BeoBasket has a partnership with Excel Sports Management and represents dozens of top European players, including Clippers center Ivica Zubac.

The EuroLeague is currently recognized as the world’s second-best basketball circuit, but can’t come close to paying players NBA-level salaries.

If Raznatovic’s social media post is an indication, the new league could launch as soon as the fall of 2026. Until then, fans wanting an alternative to the NBA can check out Ice Cube’s tour-based Big3 basketball league, which makes its single stop in Los Angeles on Aug. 9.

The LA Riot, coached by Nick Young and starring Dwight Howard and Jordan Crawford, will play the Boston Ball Hogs at the Intuit Dome at 1 p.m. PDT.

The sleep experts at Bed Sava claim that this military technique for falling asleep quickly and in uncomfortable, noisy environments is perfect for red-eye travellers

If you struggle to sleep on planes, then this expert hack might come in handy on your next red-eye flight. While you cannot control the cramped seating, noisy neighbours or cabin light, this hack will put falling asleep back in your command. According to sleep experts at Bed Sava, there is a tried-and-tested method used by military personnel to fall asleep quickly – even in uncomfortable, noisy environments – that translates perfectly to sleeping on planes.

Known as the “military sleep method”, this technique was supposedly first introduced in a US military manual during the Second World War to help fighter pilots fall asleep fast and in uncomfortable positions.

READ MORE: Sleep tourism is the rising travel trend for holiday-goers who love to sleep in

Today, the technique has gained mainstream popularity, particularly on social media sites like TikTok and Reddit. People have claimed they’ve been able to use the sleep-inducing hack to fall asleep easily while travelling.

Step-by-step guide to the Military Sleep Method

1. Relax your face completely – releasing tension in your forehead, cheeks, jaw and tongue
2. Drop your shoulders – allowing them to sink down along with your arms
3. Exhale and relax your chest – letting the air out slowly
4. Relax your legs – starting with your thighs, then mindfully letting your calves and feet go limp
5. Clear your mind for 10 seconds – if intrusive thoughts arise, picture a calm setting to reset your mind
6. Repeat silently to yourself: “Don’t think… don’t think…” for approximately 10 seconds

The whole process takes around two minutes. But according to the original manual, the last 10 seconds are when most people drift off. The military method supposedly works because it targets both physical tension and mental overstimulation — the two biggest blocks to falling asleep, especially on planes.

“Most people on planes stay tense without realising it — shoulders hunched, jaw clenched, legs crossed,” say sleep experts at Bed Sava. “This method focuses on deliberately releasing that tension. Once your body relaxes, the mind follows.”

If you want to increase your chances of falling asleep faster and soundly on an aeroplane, there are a few other measures you can take.

One is making sure you wear loose, comfortable clothing onboard. While you may be tempted to dress to the nines to bag an upgrade, there are more effective ways to do that than donning an uncomfortable outfit.

Another must-do is to avoid caffeine before your flight, even if it’s early and especially if you’re trying to adjust to a new time zone. Avoiding the coffee and tea on planes is also recommended because the hot water taps are less than pristine.

There are a few helpful accessories you can pack as well, to aid your inflight sleep. A neck pillow will keep your head supported and decrease muscle strain, while an eye mask and earplugs will block out cabin distractions.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders addressed his health issues Monday during a news conference, acknowledging that he’d kept the worst of it a secret, not even informing his sons or his team.

Sanders said he had his bladder removed in May to address a cancerous tumor. His scan looked normal from the vascular side, he said, but a visit to Janet Kukreja, Sanders’ doctor at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, revealed the tumor.

Sanders, 57, opted for a bladder removal and creation of a new bladder to remove the cancer from the organ. He said he was fortunate and urged others not to delay getting medical attention when symptoms occur.

“Let’s stop being ashamed of it,” he said he decided. “Let’s deal with it. Let’s deal with it head on.

“This wasn’t easy. Everyone, get checked out. Because if it wasn’t for me getting tested for something else, they wouldn’t have stumbled upon this. …. This could have been a whole other gathering if I hadn’t. It’s been tough. I think I dropped about 25 pounds.”

He said urinating is, well, different now.

“I can’t pee like I used to pee,” he said. “I depend on Depends, if you know what I mean.”

Sanders said he has returned to coaching, and smiled when he said folks shouldn’t be surprised if they see a portable toilet on the sidelines during games this fall.

Sanders had been absent for several months, and he lauded his coaching staff for picking up the slack and not asking too many questions. He has long had blood circulation issues in his legs that led to the amputation of two toes and several surgeries since 2021.

“Thank God the [coaches] are good enough that I don’t have to babysit,” Sanders said. “They didn’t know. They found out yesterday like the rest of the team. The team that didn’t disclose this to anyone.”

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where the last gasps of our football-free summer are upon us. USC’s fall camp begins Wednesday, and from then on, this newsletter will be back in your inbox every Monday.

I want to thank you all again for subscribing to The Times of Troy. I’m overwhelmed by how many of you jumped on board in Year 1 and thrilled to be back for Year 2. I’ve got a lot of new ideas to bring to you this season. But for this week, let’s keep it simple.

With fall camp looming, here are seven thoughts I have about USC and the season ahead:

USC is going to push it deep more often with Jayden Maiava at quarterback. That’s a good thing. With Miller Moss at quarterback, USC threw just 10.4% of its passes beyond 20 yards downfield. That’s the lowest rate of passes thrown deep by a starting quarterback during Lincoln Riley’s coaching career. But when Maiava took over the starting job, that rate skyrocketed to 18.1%, the highest rate of deep passes by a quarterback in Riley’s career. That’s where Maiava can make the biggest difference for USC this season, so I expect Riley to continue leaning into it.

Has Husan Longstreet closed the gap at all on Maiava? In the spring, it seemed to me that, while clearly very talented, Longstreet still had a lot to clean up before he was ready to play. We’ve only heard glowing praise of the five-star freshman since, and I expect we’ll see a marked improvement in camp. “He certainly has the ability to help this football team,” Riley said at media day. “In terms of the skill set, there’s not a whole lot more that you want to have.” But the longer he can learn as the backup, the better for USC. I expect it’ll be a while before he pushes for serious playing time.

The college football world is sleeping on Ja’Kobi Lane. The spotlight in USC’s receiving corps swiftly shifted this offseason to Makai Lemon, who some draft analysts apparently see as the No. 1 receiver in the upcoming NFL draft. Lemon is a tremendous talent and deserves all the plaudits he’s getting. But I’m not convinced he’s the best receiver prospect in his own locker room. Lane has all the physical tools you could ask for, and while I don’t expect him to be able to maintain his 28% touchdown rate, I do think Lane can announce himself as the best red zone target in college football this season. The duo of Lane and Lemon could be absolutely lethal, assuming Maiava can get them the ball as much as possible.

Similarly, we’re not talking enough about Eric Gentry. People are quick to forget that Gentry was on his way to an All-American season in 2024 before concussions cut his campaign short. He played in just four games, but I saw enough to know that D’Anton Lynn, unlike his predecessors, understands exactly how to use Gentry’s unique skill set. Add Rob Ryan, USC’s new linebackers coach, into the mix, and you have all the makings of a breakout season. I’m buying all the stock I can before the opener, when everyone else will jump on the bandwagon.

The offensive line is USC’s most glaring question mark ahead of camp. I was concerned before we learned that the NCAA denied DJ Wingfield’s appeal for another season of eligibility. That situation is still up in the air — Wingfield has hired an attorney and will push for an injunction from the court — but USC must go forward assuming the veteran guard won’t be eligible. What does that mean for a line that was already thin? My expectation is that Tobias Raymond would shift inside to right guard, while Justin Tauanuu slots in at right tackle. But count on many combinations being tested over the next month. Micah Banuelos is the other one to watch at guard, if he’s able to stay healthy. As for the rest of the line, USC really needs ascending starters Elijah Paige and Alani Noa to take the leap, if it hopes to stay steady up front.

I believe the hype about USC’s defensive line. I’ve been hurt before when making preseason predictions about USC’s supposedly improved defensive front. But this time really does feel different! The interior of the Trojans line looks as deep as it has in four years under Riley. Keeshawn Silver gives USC an experienced and ferocious nose tackle manning the middle. Devan Thompkins has been turning heads since spring and could be on the verge of a major breakout, while freshman Jahkeem Stewart has an impossibly high ceiling. At defensive end, Anthony Lucas returns, while Kameryn Fountain is one of my picks to impress this fall. Could a unit that was recently USC’s most glaring weakness already become its biggest strength? It’s definitely possible.

Cornerback is the most wide open position battle in camp. Transfer DJ Harvey is a shoo-in at one corner spot, but the other outside spot is very much up for grabs. DeCarlos Nicholson is probably the favorite at the start of camp, but transfer Chasen Johnson or redshirt freshman Braylon Conley, who impressed in spring, could push for the job. Prophet Brown was praised by Riley at media day and probably starts camp as the nickel, but don’t be surprised if others challenge for the role. A lot could still change here.

Some other players I’ll be watching closely through USC’s fall camp … running back Waymond Jordan, wideout Zacharyus Williams, wideout Xavier Jordan, tight end Walker Lyons, linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson, freshman linebacker AJ Tuitele, freshman cornerbacks Alex Graham, James Johnson and RJ Sermons and safety Kennedy Urlacher.

Juju Watkins has a lot of help heading her way.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

—The Big Ten is losing the battle for automatic qualifiers to the playoff. That doesn’t bode well for USC-Notre Dame. The Big Ten coaches fell in line with their commissioner at media day last week, speaking out in favor of having four automatic qualifiers to the College Football Playoff for the top four teams in both the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten. The SEC was once on board with the same format, but recently did an about-face, leaving the two power conferences at a stalemate. I don’t see those differences being resolved any time soon.

—Alijah Arenas is out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury. Will he ever actually play at USC now? It’s hard to imagine worse news for Eric Musselman and the Trojans than losing Arenas, whom everyone in the building believed would be a difference-maker from the jump. The best-case scenario now would likely see the five-star freshman return in February. The worst case would be him never lacing it up for USC. At this point, my expectation would be that the latter is more likely. A lot can change between now and then, though. Maybe he returns for the NCAA tournament. The Arenas family has a lot of respect for Musselman, who also coached Alijah’s father, Gilbert. Maybe they decide that Arenas can raise his draft stock significantly by sticking around an extra season at USC. But if he can leave and be a lottery pick next summer, I can’t imagine he’d pass that up.

—So, who might step up in Arenas’ place? Terrance Williams might be the safest bet at the start, assuming the former Michigan forward is cleared to practice by late August as expected. Amarion Dickerson could also find himself in a larger role. He’s a long, athletic defender who won Horizon League defensive player of the year last year, but wasn’t expected to be a scorer. The reality is that everyone will have to shoulder a bit more of the load without Arenas. Rodney Rice will have to be a true floor general as the primary ballhandler, and Chad Baker-Mazara will have to be a more reliable offensive threat. I’d also expect we see more three-guard lineups with Jordan Marsh — the biggest surprise of summer practice — slotting in alongside Rice and Baker-Mazara.

—USC women’s basketball is building a veritable superteam for the 2026-27 season. A trio of JuJu Watkins, Kennedy Smith and Jazzy Davidson, the No. 1 overall recruit in 2025, was already formidable. But the rich got richer this week, as USC secured a commitment from Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 overall recruit in 2026. Hall is only 16, but was just named the MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup as the American team’s leading scorer. Even on the same floor as Smith and Davidson, she was a difference-maker. But USC’s lineup will be so deep when she arrives, Hall might only be the Trojans’ third option on offense. That’s a good problem to have for Lindsay Gottlieb, who continues to prove herself as one of the college game’s best recruiters. She could add a national title to that resume two seasons from now with all the talent at her disposal.

—USC’s baseball stadium won’t be finished by next season. After suffering through two seasons without a stadium, the Trojans are going to have to wait a little bit longer for all the amenities that come with a sparkling new facility. A person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times that Dedeaux Field will definitely be open to fans by the 2026 season, but some of the finishing touches won’t yet be finished on the player’s end. That could mean temporary batting cages or facilities under construction through some of the season. Which has to be frustrating for players and coaches who thought they wouldn’t have to worry about this any longer.

Coverage note

USC is no longer allowing reporters to watch the first 15 or so minutes of practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That time was usually reserved for only stretching and individual drills, but sometimes there were interesting details to glean. There will be less of those to report this season, and no videos from practice to dissect like the Zapruder film. Interviews will still be held after, and reporters will get to watch some scrimmage action this fall. So, we persist!

In case you missed it

Miller Moss gives back to Palisades community by hosting youth football camp

With knee injury, USC’s Alijah Arenas and Eric Musselman weather another setback

USC women’s basketball lands another No. 1 recruit in Saniyah Hall

Plaschke: At sagging USC, Lincoln Riley should be on the hottest of hot seats

USC’s Lincoln Riley feeling ‘refreshed’ as pressure mounts to win in Year 4

Lincoln Riley ‘absolutely’ wants to keep USC-Notre Dame game on schedule

What I’m watching this week

Danny DeVito arrives at the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” 20th anniversary event this month.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision)

It’s not often that a TV show finds its stride again in its 17th season, but that’s what’s happening right now with “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Already one of the funniest and most enduring comedies of all time, somehow Sunny finds itself in the middle of another mid-series heat check. The recent “Is it Cake?” episode, in my book, belongs in the pantheon of Sunny episodes. Which is saying something.

Until next time….

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Vote will take place September 15-20 in the first election since President al-Sharaa took power.

Syria will hold parliamentary elections in September, said the head of a body tasked with organising the election process.

Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, chairman of the Higher Committee for People’s Assembly Elections, told state news agency SANA on Sunday that elections will take place between September 15 and 20.

They will be the first to take place under the country’s new authorities after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.

One-third of the 210 seats will be appointed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, with the rest to be elected.

In a recent interview with the Erem News site, another member of the elections committee, Hassan al-Daghim, said an electoral college will be set up in each of Syria’s provinces to vote for the elected seats.

Increasingly divided

A temporary constitution signed by al-Sharaa in March called for a People’s Committee to be set up to serve as an interim parliament until a permanent constitution is adopted and general elections held, a process that could take years.

The announcement of impending elections comes at a time when the country is increasingly divided in its views of the new authorities in Damascus after sectarian violence broke out in the southern province of Suwayda earlier this month.

The fighting killed hundreds of people and threatened to unravel Syria’s fragile postwar transition.

The violent clashes, which broke out two weeks ago, were sparked by tit-for-tat kidnappings between armed Bedouin clans and fighters from the Druze religious minority.

Syrian government forces intervened, ostensibly to end the fighting, but effectively sided with the clans.

Some government troops reportedly executed Druze civilians and burned and looted houses.

Israel intervened, launching air strikes on government forces and on the Defence Ministry headquarters. Israel said it was acting to defend the Druze minority.

BBC

‘Particularly dangerous area’

Reuters

Hulk Hogan, who died Thursday at 71, was a star in pro wrestling, perhaps the star, through its two biggest popularity booms in the mid 1980s and the late 1990s. But after being the biggest star in, there was a lot of controversy along the way and his career ended in a hail of boos.

Hogan burst onto the scene in the 1982 movie “Rocky III,” where he played a pro wrestler called Thunderlips, who was taking on Rocky Balboa in a match for charity. He appeared on “The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson” and caught the eye of Vince McMahon, who was planning on buying the then-World Wrestling Federation from his father and taking it nationwide, He was looking for a star to build the promotion around. Hogan was wrestling for the American Wrestling Assn. and was growing frustrated that they never gave him the promotion’s championship, which usually led to making more money.

McMahon bought the WWF and started poaching talent from around the country. Hogan signed in late 1983, breaking his AWA contract and no-showing several dates. McMahon quickly put the championship on Hogan, who came into the ring to the song “Real American,” tore off his T-shirt, told his fans to “train, say your prayers and take your vitamins,” and vowed to defeat the heel of the month because “Whatcha gonna do, King Kong Bundy or Paul Orndorff or Kamala or Roddy Piper, when Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania run wild on you.”

It was a formula for success for many years, lifting pro wrestling to the mainstream with appearances on MTV and NBC, where WWF filled in for “Saturday Night Live” every six weeks and drew better ratings, all with Hogan headlining.

In 1989, Hogan tried to branch off into movies, produced by McMahon. They all flopped. “No Holds Barred.” “Suburban Commando.” “Mr. Nanny.” The persona that worked so well in the ring did not translate onto the big screen like it later did for wrestling stars such as Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista.

In 1991, Dr. George Zahorian III was convicted of illegally supplying anabolic steroids. Zahorian also served as the ringside doctor for WWF matches in Pennsylvania. At his trial, it was revealed that Zahorian had supplied steroids to the WWF and its wrestlers. Hogan, hoping to end discussion that he was on steroids, appeared on “Arsenio Hall” in 1992 and said that he has only used steroids on three occasions, all under doctor’s care to rehabilitate muscle injuries.

The outcry was immediate, with wrestlers coming out to says Hogan was lying. Fans, who could see how well-built these stars were, were disillusioned that Hogan would lie. His popularity began to wane and he began to get booed at some appearances. Hogan took a leave of absence from the company.

A much-smaller Hogan returned in 1993 to team with his friend Brutus Beefcake to take on Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster at WrestleMania in Las Vegas. Little did fans know that the plan was for Hogan to end the show as champion once again. When Hogan came out to aid Bret Hart, who had just lost his title to Yokozuna due to having salt thrown in his eyes, Yokozuna’s manager, Mr. Fuji, made an impromptu challenge to Hogan to wrestle him for the title “right now.” Hogan won the title in about one minute.

However, Hogan and McMahon has miscalculated the public’s desire to see Hogan again, especially in the top spot. The reaction was lukewarm at best and Hogan made sporadic appearances until losing the title to Yokozuna that summer. Hogan left WWF and started wrestling in Japan.

In 1994, Hogan signed with the now-World Wrestling Entertainment’s main rival, World Championship Wrestling. He lifted the profile of the company and drew several strong pay-per-view buy rates, but at live shows, fans seemed to be tiring of the trademark red and yellow gear and Hulkamania. WCW’s popularity was on the decline again when it was time for something no one thought they would ever see.

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, two of WWE’s biggest stars, had signed with WCW and presented themselves as “invaders from a big wrestling company up north.” Fans had been dying to see a feud between WWE and WCW, and Nash and Hall, under the guidance of booker Eric Bischoff, were hinting that that was happening. They promised to unveil a mystery third man at the July 1996 “Bash at the Beach” show.

Nash and Hall came to the ring without the third man at that event, promising their ally would be along soon. They started wrestling Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage and cheated to get the upper hand, knocking Luger out and injuring Sting. They were about to destroy Savage, when Hogan walked out in the red and yellow gear. Here to save the day again.

Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman were briefly aligned after Hogan turned heel and started the New World Order.

(Paula Illingworth / Associated Press)

The crowd was shocked when Hogan turned on Savage and announced himself as the third man. He told the fans they could go to hell. Fans began pelting the ring with garbage as Hogan announced the formation of the New World Order.

The next week, Hogan, now wearing black and white, got pelted with garbage again. But the heel turn worked. WCW began beating WWE in the ratings for the first time. Pro wrestling was on another hot streak, being watched by more people each week (around 13 million) than at any time in history.

The hot streak lasted until 1998, when fans grew tied of the NWO. Hogan left WCW in 2000. He returned to WWE briefly and had a memorable WrestleMania match with The Rock, before leaving again in a money dispute.

Hogan made appearances with other wrestling companies after that, and even returned to WWE to be inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2005 and had what turned out to be his final match for WWE in 2007. He was signed by the TNA promotion after that to put them on the map, but never really gained any traction there.

In July 2015, many media outlets ran excerpt of racial slurs made by Hogan on a leaked sex tape recorded in 2007. In the recording, he is heard expressing disgust if his daughter ever dated a Black man, hoping that he would at least be a basketball player worth millions, dropped a racial slur toward Black people repeatedly and said he was “a racist, to a point.”

Once the recordings went public, the outrage was immediate. Hogan apologized, saying he used “language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.” WWE removed him from its Hall of Fame and terminated the legends contract with him, though Hogan always maintained he resigned. Mattel stopped production of all toys featuring Hogan. His public appearances were few and far between and not well-received. Hogan gave an interview on ABC in which he asked for forgiveness, saying his racism was learned from his neighborhood while growing up in Tampa, Fla., and that racial slurs were commonly used there. Not many believed him.

Three years later, Hogan appeared backstage at a WWE event to give an apology to the wrestlers for his remarks. Afterward, several wrestlers expressed disappointment with Hogan, saying he didn’t apologize for the remarks but warned them instead to be careful what they say because someone could be taping them without their knowledge. The WWE reinstated him to the Hall of Fame.

Hogan began appearing on WWE shows again, but there were almost always pretaped appearances. He hosted WrestleMania 37 in 2021, and was booed. His final live appearance was Jan. 6 this year, when he appeared on the first “Monday Night Raw” on Netflix. It was at the Inuit Dome, and when Hogan came out, he was booed strongly by the crowd. Hogan seemed caught off guard, and after plugging his new beer, went backstage. He blamed the booing on his support for Donald Trump, even though others on the show who also support Trump weren’t booed when they appeared.

It was a sad ending for a man who make pro wrestling what it is today. What will Hulk Hogan be remembered for 50 years from now? It would be interesting to hop in a time machine and find out.

On the day immigration agents swooped through MacArthur Park in armored vehicles, wearing tactical gear and riding on horseback, Contreras Learning Center football coach Manuel Guevara said more than 20 of his players skipped summer practice.

“Kids were messaging me their parents don’t want them to leave their house,” Guevara said.

The fear among families with students attending three downtown Los Angeles high schools minutes apart — Contreras, Roybal and Belmont— is real.

“Everybody’s on edge,” Guevara said.

Players don’t know if their parents will feel safe enough to watch games from the school bleachers this fall.

As official football practice begins on Monday, three downtown Los Angeles head coaches — Guevara, Roybal’s Michael Galvan and Belmont’s Kenneth Daniels — have been in constant communication and united to help their players and parents deal with ICE raids. No one knows when the raids might subside or how the ongoing anxiety might affect teams this fall.

One of the first raids happened outside an elementary school across the street from Contreras. A 17-year-old Contreras cross country and track athlete, Nory Santoy Ramos, was detained and later deported to Guatemala with her mother after showing up for an immigration appointment. Families in the area rely on afterschool programs that are facing budget cuts. Students continue to deal with issues involving homelessness, gangs and drug use at nearby MacArthur Park.

Even though all three coaches said players feel safe on campus, with Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Alberto Carvalho vowing to make schools “safe havens,” coaches are most concerned about students’ commutes to and from school.

Federal immigration agents near MacArthur Park in the Westlake area on July 7.

(Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)

“A piece of me worries about them getting home safe,” Roybal’s Galvan said.

Guevara said one Contreras player told him he’s 80% certain his mother is going to leave and take him with her because of ICE fears. He’s had kids message him this summer that they couldn’t come to practices because their parents feared for their safety.

The Times has confirmed U.S. citizens are among those who have been detained during immigration raids in Southern California that have continued for more than six weeks. More than 2,700 people have been arrested during the raids and more than two-thirds of those detained had never previously been convicted of a crime.

“I understand their plight,” Guevara said. “I was brought here when I was 1. I became a citizen when I was 17. It’s not like you can tell anyone in this situation, ‘Suck it up.’ It’s a completely different animal. Our area is targeted.”

Students at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in downtown Los Angeles continue to be affected by ICE raids.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Belmont is struggling to field a football team this fall. School enrollment is down to less than 700 after once being a school of more than 6,000 — the largest in the county — until Contreras and Roybal were built. Athletic director Carlos Calderon said four sports that have been practicing on the Belmont campus this summer — cheer, girls volleyball, cross-country and football — have been affected by parental safety concerns.

“We’ve seen a deduction in kids coming to practices and increase communication with parents and having them call us [to say,] ‘We don’t feel comfortable in kids coming to practice,’” he said.

Calderon, who helps coach cross-country, has had athletes train on the school track instead of running the hills at Elysian Park to assuage parental fears.

Daniels said after one summer practice, when he learned an ICE raid was unfolding nearby, he instructed players to leave school from the back entrance instead of the front entrance.

“It’s really affecting us,” he said. “We’re not getting the numbers we need to get the workouts in.”

Belmont has 20 football players signed up, but only about half have been showing up for workouts. The team usually adds players once classes begin Aug. 14. Daniels, a walk-on coach, is already consumed by the challenge of building a new house in Altadena after his burned down during the Eaton fire.

“Nothing has been easy in 2025,” he said.

Galvan said he’s had players miss practices to go shopping for family members who feel they have to stay home. Others had medical appointments delayed because parents didn’t want to leave their homes.

“In all of my 25 years of teaching in the area, I’ve never experienced anything like this,” he said. “You just don’t know. It’s hard to explain. How do we get through one day? … We’re taking it day by day.”

The Garfield-Roosevelt game, known as the East L.A. Classic, draws the largest L.A. high school football attendance each year. It’s scheduled for Oct. 24 at a site to be determined and officials want to make sure fans attending feel safe, so a decision on the site and security arrangements in light of continuing ICE raids are being taken into consideration along with budget.

“We will continue to follow district guidelines to ensure the well-being of our entire school community,” Garfield athletic director Lorenzo Hernandez said in a text message. “Our priority is — and will always be — to keep students and families safe, informed and supported.”

Said Galvan: “We definitely have to approach this season differently and see who we can accommodate and support the kids and balance understanding the situation and keeping them safe. It’s going to be on a weekly basis how we approach each game.”

Skipping summer practices won’t prevent a team from going forward. But if players start missing practices this fall, that will cause problems, because practices are needed to help prevent injuries and get athletes into the proper physical condition to participate.

Guevara still remembers July 7, the day of the MacArthur Park show of force. He addressed players who showed up to practice and were going home.

“Be vigilant, be careful,” he told them.

It’s a message likely to be repeated again and again this fall.