“Things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome, and things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains,” Anderson said on-air. “I think the independence of ’60 Minutes’ has been critical.”
Throughout the farewell segment, the 58-year-old journalist, who was hired in 2007, reminisced about some career highlights, like speaking with Holocaust survivors and people battling malnutrition in Niger, as well as interviewing A-listers like Lady Gaga and Prince Harry. He also said he hopes the show continues to be a reliable source of investigative journalism.
“I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ’60 Minutes.’ When you see a ’60 Minutes’ story, and you’re like, ‘That was a really good story.’ It was a good story because it requires time, it requires patience, it requires money,” he said. “I hope that’s known and honored and valued and continues.”
Two months after taking on the new role, Weiss made the widely panned decision to pull a “60 Minutes” episode that examined the alleged abuse of deportees sent from the U.S. to an El Salvador prison. The decision earned Weiss heavy criticism and accusations that the move was politically motivated, which CBS has denied.
Cooper said that he’s leaving the program to spend more time with his young children. He will remain as an anchor for CNN.
He added, “I hope ’60 Minutes’ is around for when my kids grow up and have kids of their own, and they can watch it with their kids.”
Seven-time Ulster Championship winner Paul McGrane believes that Monaghan will “have no fear” facing Armagh in Sunday’s Ulster Senior Football final.
Kieran McGeeney’s side are favourites to end their 18-year wait to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup given they have hit 100 points in their three Ulster games to date, including a thumping 28-point victory over Down in the semi-final.
But Monaghan have recovered from a poor league campaign to reach the final as they look to win the county’s first Ulster title since 1988.
McGrane, who was the last Armagh captain to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup in 2008, says that Monaghan’s experience of beating Armagh in the All-Ireland in 2023 and the Ulster SFC in 2021 will give them confidence at Clones.
“There’s a Monaghan team coming that are Ulster club champions, on their own patch and the display of grit they showed against Derry and to do what they did with the sideline points, they’ll relish playing Armagh,” he told BBC Sport NI.
“They’ll have no fear playing them. The last two big games they played them; in Croke Park [shootout win], they came out the right side of it and in the match in Pairc Esler [a thrilling 4-17 to 2-2 win].
“They’ll be going with hunger the same that Armagh have to get over the line and get an Ulster title themselves.”
Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia all withdrew in protest against Israel’s participation in the midst of its war on Gaza.
Published On 16 May 202616 May 2026
As the Eurovision Song Contest took to the stage for the Saturday night final in Vienna, thousands protested outside against Israel’s inclusion, and five countries boycotted the event over the genocidal war on Gaza.
Protesters marched through the Austrian capital to highlight what critics described as a double standard. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) organisers refused to exclude Israel, despite banning Russia following its invasion of Ukraine four years ago.
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Eurovision, which attracted 166 million viewers last year, is seeing the largest boycott in its 70-year history.
Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia all withdrew because of Israel’s inclusion, with some of their national broadcasters refusing to air the show.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has emerged as one of Israel’s strongest critics in Europe, said on Friday that the decision puts Spain on “the right side of history”.
Last month, more than 1,000 artists called on fans to boycott Eurovision in an open letter against Israel’s participation. Among the artists were outspoken critics of Israel, Macklemore and Paloma Faith. Macklemore has released songs protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Double standards
On Monday, Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard denounced the EBU for allowing Israel to participate.
“The failure of the European Broadcasting Union to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia, is an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards when it comes to Israel,” she said.
Reporting from Vienna, Al Jazeera’s Charlie Angela said 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the city earlier on Saturday to protest against Israel’s participation.
Angela reported that protesters accused the competition of normalising Israel’s actions in Gaza, adding that Eurovision was “bending over backwards” to justify including Israel while excluding Russia.
Russia has faced a widespread cultural boycott following the Ukraine invasion. It is banned from international football tournaments, and FIFA and UEFA have excluded Russian domestic teams from all competitions, including the Champions League.
The winner of Eurovision will be selected by both a professional jury and TV viewers voting for their favourite act.
Austria won the competition last year, with Israel second.
The Israeli government was later accused of unfairly influencing voting. New rules have since been introduced.
THE UK suffered yet another crushing Eurovision Song Contest defeat in tonight’s grand final.
Look Mum No Computer’s Sam Battle took to the stage to perform his bonkers entry titled Eins, Zwei, Drei.
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Look Mum No Computer’s Sam Battle finished at the bottom of the leaderboardCredit: AFPBulgaria secured the big win with pop singer’s Dara landing in top spotCredit: Getty
But it sadly wasn’t enough to win over the voters – landing just one point from the jury and zero points from the public, placing him in bottom spot.
The competition was won by Bulgaria after 25 acts battled it out on stage in Vienna, Austria at the Wiener Stadthalle.
Sam performed his upbeat hit, which was one of our most unconventional songs ever.
Last year’s UK entry – Remember Monday – finished in 19th place after performing What The Hell Just Happened? – landing zero points from the public.
Dara pipped Israel to take home the trophy for the 70th EurovisionCredit: ReutersSam divided fans with his performance tonightCredit: AFPDelta Goodrem blew fans away with her performance of EclipseCredit: ReutersIsrael’s Noam Bettan finished in second spotCredit: Getty
Pop star Dara’s high-energy song Bangaranga secured her the win.
Singer Dara came just ahead of Israel in the world’s biggest music competition, with an estimated audience of 160million.
Bulgaria’s best result is a second-place finish with Beautiful Mess performed by Kristian Kostov at the 2017 contest in Kyiv.
Dara performed a high pace dance routine while belting out her catchy tune in sync with her back-up dancers.
Strictly star La Voix was the United Kingdom’s very first Eurovision ‘spokesqueen’, and delivered the results of the UK’s National Jury live from Salford.
In an exclusive interview before tonight’s final, Sam said: “There are gonna be people that don’t like the UK for the sake of it being the UK, but that’s the way it is. We can’t change that.
“So we’ve just got to crack on. Keep calm and carry on.”
Due to its German title and lyrics about being “sick of munching roly-poly with custard” — and about how pounds “feel counterfeit” and needing “some euros to counter it” — some have interpreted it as an apology for Brexit.
He is also known for his madcap inventions — such as an organ made from Furbies and a synthesiser-equipped bike — which he shares with 721,000 YouTube subscribers.
Sam, 37, was picked for Eurovision by the BBC at the start of the year having made a name for himself by touring across Europe.
Sam recently admitted to The Sun that his song is like “marmite” and Eurovision fans couldn’t have agreed more.
One viewer wrote: “I can confidently say that the UK won’t be winning this year.”
A second posted: “What the hell was that UK Eurovision entry, looked like they picked the act out a pub raffle.”
A third echoed: “UK every year I think you can get any lower but this time I think you managed to do it.”
During tonight’s competition Israeli singer Noam Bettan performed their song Michelle.
At the start of tonight’s show, Graham Norton mentioned the five countries that had withdrawn from the competition.
He also noted that there was a “mixed response” in the hall, adding: “I’m not quite sure what we’re hearing”.
The crowd then booed when Israel’s entry was awarded a huge public vote – landing then in second spot.
Israel’s participation in the singing competition had sparked controversy.
The Eurovision walkouts followed the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) general assembly in Geneva on December 4, 2025.
EBU members voted on new rules to tighten voting and promotion guidelines, but did not put Israel’s participation itself to a separate vote – meaning Israeli broadcaster KAN was cleared to compete.
The boycotters have cited the war in Gaza and concerns over the integrity of recent contests.
Spain was the first of the contest’s Big Five broadcasters – the five biggest financial contributors – to officially confirm it was boycotting Eurovision.
Wilson, the 2024 world champion, levelled and took a 4-3 lead before O’Sullivan surged to victory.
Luca Brecel will face O’Sullivan in the final after the Belgian beat Joe Perry 6-3 in the other semi-final.
Snooker 900 events involve playing frames to a 15-minute (900 seconds) time limit, a 20-second shot clock and a ball in hand rule when a foul is conceded.
Whether Mira Costa has the best high school volleyball team in America is open to debate, but the Mustangs left little doubt they are No. 1 in the Southern Section on Friday night, sweeping Loyola 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 at Cerritos College to repeat as Division 1 champions.
UCLA-bound Mateo Fuerbringer was ready from the start, ending Loyola’s first three rallies with thunderous kills and the fourth with an emphatic stuff block. Ten points into the match, the 6-foot-4 junior hitter already had five kills and he ended the first set with his 12th as Mira Costa was ahead from start to finish.
“He’s always had the IQ, now you add the power on top of that?” Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder said of his star. “There are no answers. It’s a deadly combination. Mateo has no weaknesses.”
The teams traded leads throughout the second set until the Mustangs created separation late on the serving of Fuerbringer and Enzo Barker before Loyola’s Pax Stetson served into the twine to put Mira Costa up two sets to none.
The third-seeded Cubs took a 17-11 lead in the third set, but Mira Costa got in front 20-19 on Barker’s ace and Fuerbringer sent the green-and-white clad fans into delirium with his right-side smash on match point. He finished with 27 kills while Barker and UC Santa Barbara commit Wyatt Davis each added six. Mater Dei transfer Jake Newman had 38 assists and Dane Del Riego had 15 digs.
Loyola’s Brendan Maffel flings the ball past Mira Costa blocker Miles Crotty during the Southern Section Division 1 boys’ volleyball championship on Friday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
“I always try to set the tone and Jake gave me great sets,” Fuerbringer said. “They were bombing serves in that third set and got up on us, but we stuck with it and closed it strong. We didn’t want to give them any momentum.”
Mira Costa won its 10th section title and improved to 10-8 in finals. It also won back-to-back titles for the second time in school history, the first coming in Division 2 in 2001 and 2002. Mira Costa is 2-3 in finals against Loyola, having fallen to the Cubs in four sets in 2005 and 2010, prevailing in five sets in 2012 and getting swept in 2024.
Mira Costa has won 10 straight matches (dropping only three sets) since its five-set defeat at Bay League rival Redondo Union on March 26. It avenged that loss in four sets April 20 to earn the top seed.
The teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country when they faced off in a nonleague match March 21 in Manhattan Beach, where the Mustangs rallied from a two-set deficit to win 15-11 in the fifth in a two-and-a-half-hour marathon. That time, Fuerbringer had 37 kills.
“The first time we didn’t come out as strong,” he said. “This time we were ready to play and came out hot.”
In the semifinals six days earlier, Loyola upset No. 2 Redondo Union in five sets, avenging a close loss in the Redondo Varsity Classic final on April 18. Mira Costa swept No. 4 Huntington Beach — its third victory over the Oilers this season.
Mira Costa won the inaugural Division I state championship last spring and will begin its quest for a repeat Tuesday night (regional seedings will be released Sunday afternoon). If it runs the table, Mira Costa would equal its 37-2 record in 2025.
Pepperdine commit JP Wardy had 13 kills and Rafa Milchan added 12 for the Cubs (23-4), but senior captain Blake Fahlbusch, who is headed to USC, was held to nine. Libero Matt Kelly, a Loyola Chicago commit, had 12 digs.
“We know where everyone wants to swing and we know Blake’s their catalyst,” Snyder said. “When they need a kill they usually go to him.”
The teams did not meet in the postseason last year. Mira Costa defeated Huntington Beach to win the section and regional crowns while Loyola fell to the Oilers in the section semifinals and did not play in regionals.
Snyder has guided the Mustangs into the finals in each of his three seasons, winning the last two. He was with the program for 12 years prior, seven as a varsity assistant under Avery Drost.
Loyola’s JP Wardy gets blocked by Mira Costa’s Miles Crotty and Colby Graham during the Mustangs’ win Friday night.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Loyola, making its 19th appearance in a section final, dropped to 13-6 all-time and 7-6 in 28 seasons under 1984 Cubs alum Michael Boehle.
In the preceding Division 4 final, Sunny Hills beat Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23 for its second title since coach Albert Soliguen started the program in 2020.
Owen Filadelfia had 18 kills and eight digs, Christian Lee added 17 kills and 11 digs, Jacob Sueki had 16 digs and Parker Mesnik dished out 47 assists for the Lancers (21-14), who swept Carpinteria in the Division 5 final in 2022 at Long Beach City College.
Grant Herzer had 19 kills, Donald Fleming had 18 and each added nine digs for the Highlanders (16-11), who were seeking their sixth section title in their 11th trip to the finals, having won Division 2-A in 1989 and 1990, 3-A in 1992, Division II in 1994 and Division 3 in 2022.
Look Mum No Computer is representing the UKCredit: AP
What is the Eurovision 2026 running order?
The running order for tonight’s Eurovision 2026 Grand Final was confirmed after the conclusion of the second semi-final on Thursday.
The running order for tonight is as follows:
Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før Vi Går Hjem
Germany: Sarah Engels – Fire
Israel: Noam Bettan – Michelle
Belgium: ESSYLA – Dancing on the Ice
Albania: Alis – Nân
Greece: Akylas – Ferto
Ukraine: LELÉKA – Ridnym
Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse
Serbia: LAVINA – Kraj Mene
Malta: AIDAN – Bella
Czechia: Daniel Zizka – CROSSROADS
Bulgaria: DARA – Bangaranga
Croatia: LELEK – Andromeda
United Kingdom: LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER – Eins, Zwei, Drei
France: Monroe – Regarde !
Moldova: Satoshi – Viva, Moldova!
Finland: Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin
Poland: ALICJA – Pray
Lithuania: Lion Ceccah – Sólo Quiero Más
Sweden: FELICIA – My System
Cyprus: Antigoni – JALLA
Italy: Sal Da Vinci – Per Sempre Sì
Norway: JONAS LOVV – YA YA YA
Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me
Austria: COSMÓ – Tanzschein
How can I watch Eurovision 2026?
Coverage will start in the UK on the BBC and BBC iPlayer at 8pm, with Graham Norton returning to his regular commentary role.
The show will last for almost three hours, coverage ending at 11.50pm, when the BBC will switch to the news.
Who is UK entrant Look Mum No Computer?
Look Mum No Computer is the alias of Sam Battle, originating from the name of his YouTube channel dedicated to creative audio electronics projects.
The artist also uses it as his stage name when performing as a musician.
The name is inspired by the phrase “look mum, no hands”, used by kids when they are learning to cycle.
It highlights the artist’s bold, anti-digital approach to making music where he builds his own synthesizers and hardware, such as his famous Furby organ.
Who: Chelsea vs Manchester City What: English FA Cup final Where: Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom When: Saturday, May 16 at 3pm (14:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 11 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
History will be made on Saturday as Manchester City become the first side to line up in four consecutive finals as they take on Chelsea for the trophy.
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Between them, the sides have won 15 FA Cup titles, but this is a first meeting between the clubs in the final itself – despite the teams between them appearing in five of the last six finals.
City, who have already claimed the League Cup, are still in with the chance of a domestic treble. Chelsea, however, have been engaged in a managerial merry-go-round – all off the back of beating Paris Saint-Germain to claim the expanded FIFA Club World Cup last year.
Al Jazeera Sport takes you through all the information you need to know in the run-up to the 145th FA Cup final.
Who won last season’s FA Cup final?
Crystal Palace beat City 1-0 in last season’s final to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.
Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the game after 16 minutes to sign off from the Eagles in style. The England forward joined Arsenal at the end of the season.
City had dominated the final with a staggering 78 percent of possession.
Who did Chelsea beat in the FA Cup semifinal?
Chelsea overcame Leeds United 1-0 in their last four clash, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the only goal in the 23rd minute.
The Blues thumped Port Vale in the quarterfinals with a 7-0 win, while there was a more Hollywood feel to their clash with Wrexham in the prior round.
Extra time was required in their 4-2 win in Wales.
Who did Man City beat in the semifinals?
City were well tested in the semifinal by Championship side Southampton as Nico Gonzalez scored with three minutes remaining after Jeremy Doku’s 82nd-minute strike cancelled out Finn Azaz’s opener.
Liverpool were seen off in the quarterfinals with a 4-0 thumping at Etihad Stadium, while a 3-1 win was recorded at Newcastle United in the round prior to that.
What happened the last time Chelsea played Man City?
Manchester City were 3-0 winners in the last meeting between the sides, which came in a Premier League fixture in west London on April 12.
All three goals came within 17 minutes of each other in the second half, with Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku netting at Stamford Bridge.
Where are Man City and Chelsea in the Premier League?
City sit second in the English top flight, just two points behind leaders Arsenal with two games to play.
Club World Cup holders Chelsea have sacked both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior this season and sit ninth in the league.
Calum McFarlane will be taking charge of his sixth game in his second spell as the club’s interim manager.
What happened the last time Chelsea and Man City met in the FA Cup?
The teams last met in the FA Cup in a semifinal clash at Wembley Stadium in April, 2024.
Bernardo Silva scored the only goal of the game to send City through to the final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United.
Alejandro Garnacho, now of Chelsea, gave United the lead, which Kobbie Mainoo doubled before the break. Jeremy Doku netted an 87th-minute goal to set up a tense finale.
How many times have Chelsea won the FA Cup?
Chelsea have had their name etched on the trophy on eight occasions, with their first win coming in 1970 as they beat Leeds United 2-1 in a replay at Manchester United’s Old Trafford.
The first attempt ended in a 2-2 draw, leading to the first time a final would be replayed. Wembley hosted the opening match, but was unavailable for the replay due to the pitch being in unfit condition.
How many times have Man City won the FA Cup?
City have lifted the cup on seven occasions, with their first win coming in 1904 with a 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers.
When did Chelsea last win the FA Cup?
Chelsea’s last win came in 2022 and required penalties against Liverpool to seal the win.
The match ended 0-0 after extra time – the first final to end goalless since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United beat Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal on spot kicks in 2005.
When did Man City last win the FA Cup?
City last lifted the trophy in 2023, beating Manchester United 2-1. In a final that would see a rerun between the cross-city rivals the following year, Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring in the first minute and later restored his side’s lead five minutes after the break, after a Bruno Fernandes penalty had levelled the tie at the break.
Who has won the most FA Cup titles?
Arsenal are the record winners of the competition with 14 victories to their name. The first was in 1930 under the club’s famous manager, Herbert Chapman. The Gunners beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the final.
Their last win came in 2020 when they beat Chelsea 2-1. It was the first of three successive finals for the Blues, who tasted defeat the following year against Leicester City before the 2023 win against Liverpool.
Manchester United are the second-most successful side in the competition’s history with 13 wins. Chelsea’s eight victories are joint third on the list with Liverpool and Tottenham.
When was the first FA Cup final and who won it?
The first FA Cup final was staged in 1872 with Wanderers beating Royal Engineers 1-0 in a match staged at the Kennington Oval cricket ground, which remains the current home to the English county cricket club, Surrey.
Head-to-head
This will be the 181st meeting between the teams, with Chelsea winning 99 of the meetings and Manchester City winning 68 of the encounters.
The first match was played in 1907 in the old Division One of English football (now the Premier League), with the match ending in a 2-2 draw in London.
How many times have Man City and Chelsea met in the FA Cup?
This will be the 11th meeting between the sides in the FA Cup, with City winning six of the matches to Chelsea’s four wins.
The first cup meeting was in February, 1915, with Chelsea winning 2-1 in Manchester. City had to wait 33 years for a chance of cup revenge, which they took at first attempt with a 2-0 home win in January 1948.
This will be the side’s seventh meeting in the competition in the last 13 seasons.
Chelsea team news
Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Jesse Derry are all out with injuries, but Robert Sanchez, Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho have all trained in the build-up to the game as they attempt to shake off knocks.
Guardiola made several changes to his starting lineup for their last outing in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace, with Erling Haaland playing no part.
The Norwegian will be leading City’s attack in Saturday’s showpiece, though, aiming to correct a remarkable statistic.
Haaland has scored 161 goals in 196 games for City in all competitions, yet has never found the net or made an assist in the 12 semifinals or finals in which he has featured.
Manchester City face Chelsea in the FA Cup final looking to add to their League Cup success and with eye on EPL title.
Published On 15 May 202615 May 2026
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City have had a successful season, whether or not they win the Premier League title or the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday.
Guardiola’s side will put their attempt to catch Premier League leaders Arsenal on hold as they head to Wembley for a fourth successive FA Cup final appearance.
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City start every season with the Premier League and Champions League as their main targets, but they are on the verge of falling short in both.
Knocked out of the Champions League last 16 by Real Madrid in March, City will be five points behind Arsenal if the Gunners beat relegated Burnley at home on Monday.
Guardiola’s men can close the gap back to two points with victory at Bournemouth in their penultimate match of the season on Tuesday.
But Arsenal would then still be able to guarantee their first English title since 2004 by winning at Crystal Palace on May 24.
Having already won the League Cup by beating Arsenal, City have a chance for a domestic double this weekend.
However, Guardiola is adamant the campaign has been positive, no matter what happens at Wembley or in the title race.
“It depends on the trophies you lift. Sometimes you lift trophies and the season has been successful,” said Guardiola, who would only offer “we’ll see” when asked if Rodri would be fit to start in midfield.
“Sometimes, you lift and the truth is the season has been really, really bad.
“I said a few weeks ago this season has been good. Really, really good.”
After starting with Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku on the bench for Wednesday’s win against Crystal Palace, Guardiola is likely to field a full-strength team against Chelsea instead of prioritising the title fight.
“It is the final of the FA Cup. The message is there are two prestigious clubs at Wembley in the FA Cup final. Our fans make an incredible effort to come down to London. It is not cheap,” he said.
“We try to perform as much as possible to win. It is always the game plan.”
City have lost the last two FA Cup finals against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, who they had beaten in the 2023 showpiece.
“There’s excitement, of course. I hope we can do better than the last two times,” Guardiola said.
“Wembley is still a special place. Everything is so nice. The pitch is extraordinary. We are desperate to perform well.”
Ahead of his 24th trip to Wembley with City, Guardiola joked that he is “so disappointed” he has not had a stand named after him at the home of English football.
“So many times I have been there, at least a lounge or a box or something like that. Maybe I have to go 24 more times,” he said.
Guardiola has one year left on his City contract and is yet to sign a new deal amid speculation that he could end his decade at the Etihad Stadium once the current campaign is over.
Asked about reports that City’s fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura and goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor are set to leave the club, Guardiola said with a smirk: “I extended the contract with them three more years,” before adding: “Nope”.
SAN FRANCISCO — As Californians cast ballots in the most unsettled governor’s race in recent history, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat surging in the polls, once again took most of the heat during a contentious debate among the top candidates for California governor.
Becerra’s rapid rise as the top Democrat in the race was greeted on stage by a fusillade of political attacks from rival Democrats and Republicans, notably regarding his former campaign manager’s guilty plea to federal corruption charges hours before the clash.
Then came accusations that he wavered on support for single-payer healthcare, and failed to stem healthcare and unemployment fraud while serving as California’s attorney general.
“This is what happens when you take the lead in the polls and you’re ahead of everyone else. They all come at you,” Becerra said. “I get it. So they have to try to beat you down. This is a great Trump tactic that’s used. I didn’t expect it to come from fellow Democrats.”
“With friends like that, who needs enemies?” Becerra later said.
The face-off took place at a critical moment before the June 2 primary. Republican voters appear to be consolidating behind Hilton, who was endorsed by President Trump, while Becerra and billionaire hedge fund founder Tom Steyer are favored most by Democrats.
From left, Katie Porter, Chad Bianco, Antonio Villaraigosa and Xavier Becerra at Thursday’s debate.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Pool via Associated Press)
Up for grabs
As ballots land in mailboxes, California voters are finally tuning in to the race to lead the nation’s most populous state and fourth-largest economy in the world. Thursday’s 90-minute CBS debate may have been the final opportunity for candidates to directly address large numbers of voters.
Until now, scandal drew the most attention to the contest, as former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), once an establishment favorite and nominal front-runner, dropped out in April amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct
Five Democrats — Becerra, Steyer, San José Mayor Matt Mahan, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — and two Republicans — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former conservative commentator Steve Hilton — clashed about affordability, housing, public safety, climate, education and healthcare. State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a Democrat, failed to reach the polling threshold to qualify for the debate.
CBS News Bay Area reporter Ryan Yamamoto, CBS News Los Angeles reporter Tom Wait, and San Francisco Examiner Editor-in-Chief Schuyler Hudak Prionas moderated the face-off in front of nearly 200 people at the historic Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco’s Financial District, with sweeping views of the city.
The opulent Beaux-Arts venue contrasted with the tense confrontations among the candidates that underscored Becerra’s swift rise among Democrats in the field after Swalwell dropped out of the race. Even before the face-off, his Democratic rivals began ramping up their focus on Becerra.
Becerra under attack
The candidate faced a barrage of attacks over a string of unfavorable publicity this week, including a widely circulated exchange with a KTLA reporter in which the Democratic candidate asked, “This is a profile piece, this is not a gotcha piece, right?”
Although Becerra has not been accused of wrongdoing, that did not temper criticism from his political rivals during Thursday’s debate. They questioned his judgment and said Becerra should have noticed where his money was going.
Hilton said Becerra should be preparing his own criminal defense, rather than running for governor. Porter warned that damning evidence against Becerra could come out later — which, if he finishes as the top Democrat in the primary election, could undercut his campaign and lead to a Republican being elected California’s next governor.
Becerra defended himself, pointing out that federal prosecutors never accused him of being involved and stated that none of the candidates for governor were implicated in scandal.
Democrats also painted Becerra as a leader who allowed fraud and mismanagement to fester under his watch.
“He wasn’t minding the shop” as state attorney general, Mahan said, pointing to fraudulent unemployment and hospice claims early in the COVID-19 pandemic. “I mean, the Biden administration had to sideline him during COVID. This is not good leadership.”
Matt Mahan, left, is polling in the single digits and made a last-ditch effort to leave an imprint during Thursday’s debate.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Godofredo A. Vásquez/pool Ap Via Ap)
Major focus on kitchen table issues, a critical concern among voters
Affordability was a major theme in the debate, which included an introductory video of a single mother struggling to fill her gas tank and buy groceries.
Steyer said he would reduce costs by taking on special interests and bringing about structural change and breaking up monopolies.
“I am the person who will tax the billionaires like me, and the big corporations so we can afford to make the changes” to pay for healthcare and great education, he said.
Mahan said the answer was to “put more money in people’s pockets by bringing down costs,” and that that would not occur under either Steyer or Hilton.
“Tom Steyer’s structural change sounds to me more like socialism. His plans literally would double the size of state government,” Mahan said. “That’s not going to drive affordability. Steve Hilton is touting his Donald Trump endorsements. You’ve got tariffs and wars driving up costs.”
Hilton returned fire: “I love the way Matt talks about how he’s going to lower costs when his city was recently rated the most expensive, the least affordable for housing, in the world.”
Daylight between Republicans about climate change
The Republican candidates avoided attacking each other during the debates, offering compliments instead. But the two split when asked about whether climate change was having a real-world impact.
Bianco said California is destroying itself with its environmental policies.
“Of course we can say that temperatures are increasing,” he said, but he also said he was not “naive” enough to think that humans can affect or control the climate, which has been changing since he was a child, and that California has to stop all the environmental regulations that are “activist related” and destroying the state’s economy.
Tom Steyer spoke Thursday of affordability, a hot-button issue: “I am the person who will tax the billionaires like me.”
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Pool via Associated Press)
Hilton said he believes in climate change but that California needs to have “common sense” on the issue rather than ideological responses. He said it is “of course” right to want clean water and air but that policies in California are not working — as has been made clear by the recent “mega-fires” in the state.
The Democrats on stage were closely aligned on the need to respond to the climate crisis and ensure that environmental protections are not dismantled by the Trump administration.
Last-ditch efforts by struggling candidates
Candidates in the crowded field who have struggled to break through — centrist Democrats Mahan and Villaraigosa, who have languished in the single digits in the polls — made a last-ditch effort to leave an imprint during Thursday’s gathering.
Mahan went after nearly every candidate on the stage in the opening moments of the debate.
“The change we need is rooted in accountability for results,” Mahan said. “It’s not the change billionaire Tom Steyer’s offering, which is higher taxes and bigger government. It’s not the change Fox News talking head Steve Hilton’s offering — fear, division and more Donald Trump. And let’s be honest, Xavier Becerra is not offering change; he’s the embodiment of the status quo.”
Villaraigosa leaned heavily into his experiences leading Los Angeles and in the state Assembly to argue that he was most qualified to lead the state while castigating his fellow Democrats’ policies.
“This is a state with big challenges, the challenge of affordability, the challenge of healthcare, homelessness, and dirty streets and crime-filled streets,” Villaraigosa said. “The fact is, I’m the only candidate on this stage who, in addition to hitting Donald Trump, which I do, have challenged us, challenged this party, and said, ‘Hold it, a lot of the problems that we face have come from Sacramento policies.’ We need someone with the courage to take on Donald Trump, but also take on our friends when they’re wrong. I’ve had a record of doing that.”
Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Nixon from San Francisco.
In 2019 Bolton were not just relegated out of the Championship, but their very existence looked in doubt.
A takeover went through later that summer but the damage of an interrupted season had already taken hold and a second successive relegation in a Covid-interrupted campaign followed.
And then came the rebuild.
Ian Evatt led them back to the third tier and a pathway to the second could have followed in 2024, having narrowly missed out on automatic promotion to the Championship.
The League One play-off final beckoned and, off the back of an impressive campaign, perhaps they were destined to return to the second tier just five years after it had all gone wrong.
Bolton were, after all, a prolific play-off side, having twice won promotion to the Premier League via the nail biting end-of-season competition.
That day at Wembley two years ago felt like a step too far, however with a jaded Bolton looking off the pace. Opponents Oxford might not have been fancied before kick-off, but they controlled the game, scored twice, and earned their place in the Championship.
Fast forward two years and Oxford are down and face a return to League One, but could Bolton pull off a reverse in fortunes and take their place? Simons’ finish at Valley Parade means that dream moves a step closer.
“I couldn’t think of anyone better to score the goal to take us to Wembley. It’s been tough in the second half of the season for Xav,” Schumacher added.
“He’s found himself sometimes out of starting XIs or matchday squads but he’s a model pro, he’s done absolutely everything properly all the time, every single day.
“For him to come on and score the goal and take us to Wembley, I’m delighted for him.”
South Korean boy band BTS, U.S. pop culture icon Madonna and Latin music superstar Shakira will be performing at halftime during the World Cup final July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., FIFA announced Thursday morning.
The performance will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is looking to raise $100 million to assist children in accessing education and soccer.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram that the show “will be a truly special moment, bringing together music, football and a shared commitment to improving the lives of children around the world.”
“It’s a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are,” Martin explains to Elmo in the video.
The three acts will bring a variety of cultures, musical styles and generations of fans to the Super Bowl-style concert, which will be the first of its kind for a World Cup final.
Madonna headlined the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show in 2012, and Shakira teamed with Jennifer Lopez to co-headline the Super Bowl LIV halftime show in 2020. Also, Coldplay headlined the Super Bowl 50 halftime show in 2016.
No duration time has been announced for the World Cup show, although soccer halftimes are not supposed to last more than 15 minutes. Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LX in February lasted 13 minutes.
Among the three of them, Madonna, Shakira and BTS have compiled 20 No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart, 10 Grammys and 37 MTV Video Music Awards. Shakira is scheduled to release “Dai Dai” with Nigerian singer Burna Boy as the official song of the 2026 World Cup this month.
The Championship play-off final may not go ahead on Saturday 23 May as the English Football League (EFL) investigates the Spygate scandal surrounding finalists Southampton.
A hearing conducted by an Independent Disciplinary Commission will take place on or before Tuesday 19 May.
Saints have been charged by the EFL with breaking rules by observing one of Middlesbrough’s training sessions before last Saturday’s semi-final first leg at the Riverside.
Southampton are due to face Hull City in the play-off final for a place in the Premier League next season.
Although the EFL has warned supporters there could be changes to the fixture, they are working on the basis that the final will go ahead as planned, with a kick-off time of 16:30 BST.
Should the match need to be rescheduled due to the outcome of the hearing and any subsequent appeal process, the EFL says it has a “number of contingency plans” available.
The Championship fixture is the first of three play-off finals held across three days at Wembley, with the League One and Two versions due to be held on the Sunday and Monday, respectively.
The stadium is booked out the following weekend, when the Rugby League Challenge Cup final will be played on 30 May and the Women’s FA Cup final on 31 May.
A major music event takes place at the stadium on the following weekend on Saturday 6 June.
Watch the highlights as Celtic score a controversial late penalty to win at Motherwell and take the Scottish Premiership title race to a final-day decider against Hearts.
Singer Delta Goodrem is hoping to turn Australia’s Eurovision fortunes aroundCredit: GettyDelta will compete in the second Eurovision Semi-Final live in ViennaCredit: EPA
The reality star is representing Cyprus with her song Jalla.
Australia, who have competed in the contest since 2015, has failed to make it past the semi-finals since 2023, when Voyager’s track Promise saw them finish in ninth place in Liverpool.
Speaking to Bizarre, Delta revealed she has put just as much effort into the production of her performance as she has the song itself.
Delta said: “I have definitely been learning on the job.
“This is my first ever Eurovision. The staging is just as important as the song.
“When I was working on the track, I wanted to make sure there was a lyric that lends itself to a journey in the production.
“I wrote it thinking about what the staging looks like and what exactly we are saying in the song.”
Delta revealed she has put just as much effort into the production of her performance as she has the song itselfCredit: EPAThe Sun’s Jack pictured alongside Delta
Admitting she was like a kid in a candy store when choosing her stage effects, Delta added: “You can do all sorts of things.
“They give you a long list.. honestly, what an amazing opportunity.
“You can have fire, wind, you name it. I felt like I was going shopping.”
Last year’s 2025 contest in Basel, Switzerland, was watched by a staggering 166 million people.
However, Delta insists she isn’t fazed by the massive global audience set to watch her tonight.
She said: “It doesn’t matter if it’s Hackney, the Commonwealth Games, Eurovision, or my outdoor pop-up in Camden earlier this year, I care just as much about every single performance.
“My game plan is simple, stay true to myself and bring it.”
While Delta is determined to make her country proud, she isn’t taking things too seriously.
In fact, she says bonding with fellow contestants has been a highlight.
Delta said: “Eurovision is completely its own world. I met a lot of artists in Oslo earlier this year and you naturally find your friends. Denmark’s Soren Torpegaar came up to me and told me how he went to one of my shows the last time I was in Denmark. It was really sweet.
Despite Motsepe’s assurances that African football emerged from the tournament “stronger than ever before”, the events in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on 18 January and the subsequent move to hand Morocco the trophy have undoubtedly undermined Caf’s attempts to cultivate an improved image.
Nigel Reo-Coker was among the pundits who went viral for his comments, with the former West Ham and Aston Villa midfielder telling US broadcaster CBS Sports that the decision to strip Senegal of their crown was an “embarrassment”.
“It gives other federations around the world an opportunity to laugh at Caf, to laugh at the Africa Cup of Nations [Afcon] and laugh at Africa as a continent because of how this whole situation has been handled,” he continued.
The Senegalese Football Federation described it as a “robbery” and have challenged the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The reputational damage has been so severe that Motsepe embarked on a diplomatic tour of both Senegal and Morocco in a bid to rebuild trust.
“We are waiting for the judgement of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and African football is continuing to grow and develop,” said the 64-year-old, who was re-elected unopposed for a second term in March last year.
“Whatever decision comes, we will respect and implement.”
On a six-game unbeaten run and nine points further up the table than their opponents, Brighton arrived at Liverpool’s St Helens stadium as favourites – but their Wembley dream was in serious jeopardy when they fell 2-0 down after 22 minutes.
Manuela Vanegas gave Brighton hope when she halved the deficit with a determined finish 105 seconds after Beata Olsson had scored the Reds’ second.
The Seagulls looked revitalised after the break and they were rewarded when Madison Haley nodded in the leveller.
“They found it difficult in the first half but they stuck to the task with intensity and energy,” former England defender Anita Asante said on TNT Sports.
Manager Dario Vidosic said he “felt like it was coming” when Brighton were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the hosts’ box in the final seconds.
“I didn’t even think about extra time, even though it was so close to it. It just felt like the momentum, how dominant we were, that the goal was bound to come,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Noordam, who had never previously scored for Brighton, had only been on the pitch for a matter of minutes when the set-piece clearance rolled to her and she calmly slotted the ball into the top-left corner.
“What a moment from Nadine Noordam,” said ex-England midfielder Fara Williams on TNT Sports.
“Brighton had a really slow start but they managed to claw their way back. It’s a credit to them. They really believe in what they’re doing.
“That’s what this competition is all about. That’s the history of this competition. Those last-minute moments that get to Wembley.”
