When much of Altadena burned in January, it affected not just the city’s homes but also its businesses. Popular local shops went up in flames just like everything else, and work-from-home artisans — displaced from not just their residences but also their work spaces and all the materials contained within — were suddenly without a place to live or a place to work.
On the Westside, the Palisades fire, also in January, tore through Pacific Palisades and Malibu, forever changing the fabric of these tight-knit neighborhoods and small businesses. Although rebuilding efforts are underway, progress and construction are expected to take several years as residents and business owners deal with permit approval, insurance hindrances and inflation.
Even now, local businesses that remain have struggled to regain a foothold.
With the giving spirit in mind this holiday season, we’ve put together this list of gifts from Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu businesses, all of whom were affected in some way by the Eaton and Palisades fires. Purchase one of these items and you’ll spread good cheer (and good money) around areas that still need all the help they can get.
If you make a purchase using some of our links, the L.A. Times may be compensated. Prices and availability of items and experiences in the Gift Guide and on latimes.com are subject to change.
Loose Women star Stacey Solomon hit out at her husband Joe Swash as she branded his gift ‘terrible’ and slammed his ‘sheer audacity’ amid her fitness journey
Stacey Solomon had some strong words to her husband Joe Swash(Image: BBC)
Stacey Solomon slammed her husband Joe Swash as he gave her a “terrible” present amid her fitness journey. The Loose Women star, 35, has been open about her weight loss journey and admitted she’s “so proud” of herself.
She revealed she has stuck to weight training since February, explaining: “I genuinely only do it because I want to be so strong.” The mum-of-five has been wanting to build her strength and showed off her impressive results while on holiday this summer.
However, Stacey clashed with Joe after he gave her a gift that he thought would help her journey. For Mother’s Day, Joe gifted her a calorie counting scale that was not well received by the TV star.
He said it was something that would help her on her “health kick,” but Stacey was far from impressed. She fumed: “I would never measure my calories!
“I would never measure my calories. Who the hell wants a calorie counter for Mother’s Day? What are you trying to say? And also, it’s the sheer audacity that you think that I have the time to weigh my food!”
The mum to Rex, five, Rose, three, Belle, two, with her husband Joe, 43, and also mum to Zachary, 17, and Leighton, 12, from past relationships previously shared her nerves about wearing bikinis.
Yet, this summer Stacey shared stunning photos as she took a dip under a waterfall. In her candid post, Stacey shared: “Feeling beautiful my sister hyped me up today & made me feel really pretty so I’m posting these.
“I love you Jem also my 3 day blow dry made it to the pool cave for at least 3 mins #buzzing.” Stacey opened up on her fitness regime as she added: “P.S my body looks a little different to last years summer holiday.
“I am actually so proud of myself because I’ve stuck to my weight training consistently since February. Kept quiet and just got my head down & kept going. I genuinely only do it because I want to be so strong.
“Like boss b**** strong. I want to forever be able to pick up my babies with ease & carry double buggies on my shoulder when necessary.
“I feel so much stronger this year which is so empowering & yes my body has changed but honestly I loved my body aesthetically last year as much as I do this year. I’ve always been beautiful no matter what shape or size.”
She concluded: “So I suppose what I’m trying to say is… Don’t commit to fitness just for the looks. Do it so you can wrestle your 17 year old & carry all three of your toddlers in 40 heat & you’ll enjoy the journey more.”
Stacey converted a barn at her Pickle Cottage into a gym following the birth of her daughter Rose in 2023. She has also had the love and support from her older sister Samantha, who is a personal trainer.
While Stacey has admitted she still finds exercising tough and like she is “going to die” when does it, she said the feeling she gets after a work out is worth it.
GABRIEL GUDMUNDSSON dropped an absolute clanger by heading past his own keeper Karl Darlow in stoppage time to gift Fulham victory.
The Swedish defender, under no real pressure, conspired to nod a Ryan Sessegnon corner into his own net.
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Gudmundsson (on the ground) can only look on as his horror gaffe cost Leeds a pointCredit: Reuters
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Calvin Bassey and Tom Cairney celebrate wildly after their side’s good fortuneCredit: Reuters
It is one of the most baffling own goals you will see.
That moment of madness cost Leeds what would have been a well deserved point.
But they can only blame themselves for not taking their chances.
They still have only managed one goal this season — a Lukas Nmecha penalty in the 1-0 win against Everton.
It is worry that they have not scored in open play in 360 minutes of Prem football — and is why the German boss has been crying out for reinforcements in the forward line.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was only able to head straight at Bernd Leno when he met a lovely Brenden Aaronson cross.
While Sean Longstaff cracked the crossbar with a shot from distance — and Aaronson himself had an angled effort kept out by the Fulham keeper.
Fulham record-signing — £34.6million man Kevin — started on the bench after joining from Shakhtar on transfer deadline day and did not come on until the final 14 minutes.
And he almost scored a stunner when his long-range shot was kept out by Darlow.
Wilson — who had been linked with a move to Leeds during the summer — was the only change made by Silva from their last game at Chelsea, coming in for Tim Castagme.
Calvert-Lewin made his first Leeds start as Farke opted to make five changes from the goalless draw at Newcastle before the international break.
In came Ethan Ampadu, Aaronson, Anton Stach, Noah Okafor and Darlow.
Leeds had a huge chance to move in front when Calvin-Lewin managed to find himself unmarked to meet a superb Aaronson cross — but he was only able to head straight at Leno.
Neither side had got into a proper rhythm.
The visitors were looking to get the ball up quick towards their frontmen but Fulham were comfortably dealing with that approach.
But the Cottagers were struggling to create anything to trouble Darlow — who was making his first Prem appearance in almost four years with first-choice Lucas Perri injured.
Noah Okafor played a couple of nice stepovers before the ball fell to Stach but his effort was charged down.
Jayden Bogle charged down the right flank and attempted an ambitious effort from an angle but it was deflected out for a corner.
Leeds were denied going in front on the stroke of half-time when Longstaff left fly from 25 yards after running on to a Calvert-Lewin header.
header but his effort clipped the top of the bar.
And Fulham keeper Leno denied the visitors going in front at the start of the second half.
With torrential rain and even hail lashing down on Craven Cottage Aaronson’s angled effort was kept out.
And then Kenny Tete and Calvin Bassey both slid in to block Okafor, who looked set to pull the trigger 15 yards out.
Bogle also saw an effort charged down after he was allowed to run forward without being challenged.
Darlow then made a fantastic save to keep out a curling Wilson effort that was destined for the top left corner.
That was to be Wilson’s last action as he was hauled off by Silva along with Josh King, who were replaced by Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore.
Fulham had been controlling the ball well without making many inroads.
And they finally got the crowd off their seats.
First Gabriel Gudmundsson was turned by Alex Iwobi and Joachim Anderson’s cross was met by Muniz.
But his downward header was kept out by Darlow.
Then Smith Rowe burst through before his shot was pushed on to the post by Darlow.
Finally Silva opted to throw on Kevin with 14 minutes left.
And he almost brought the house down with a ripper that Darlow tipped over.
But then came Gudmundsson’s moment of madness to give Fulham victory.
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Emile Smith Rowe has an attempt on goal as both teams struggled to make a breakthroughCredit: Getty
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The late howler was a bitter blow for Leeds boss Daniel FarkeCredit: Reuters
Manufacturing firm Ural, a motors company founded in 1941 in Western Siberia when it was under Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union, now operates in Kazakhstan.
Warren complained he was unable to obtain the correct parts to fix the motorcycle because of supply-and-demand issues and sanctions on Russia.
State-sponsored Russian media spotted Warren running errands on the bike one week before the Trump and Putin summit.
He said: “It went viral, it went crazy, and I have no idea why, because Im really just a super-duper normal guy.
“They just interviewed some old guy on a Ural, and for some reason they think its cool.”
On August 13, two days before the Trump-Putin summit to discuss the war in Ukraine, Warren received a call from a Russian journalist.
They told him: “They’ve decided to give you a bike.”
Warren said he was also sent a document noting the gift was arranged through the Russian Embassy in the States.
The Alaska man thought it was a scam – but after Trump and Putin departed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson following their three-hour summit, he got another call about the bike.
Hilarious moment Zelensky gets revenge on reporter who criticised him for not wearing suit to first Oval Office meeting
Warren was told his new £16,000 bike was at the same base the world leaders had met at.
He was instructed to go to an Anchorage hotel for the handoff.
After arriving alongside his wife, he met six Russian men who presented him with the mind-boggling gift.
“I dropped my jaw,” he said.
“I went, ‘You’ve got to be joking me’.”
He said the men only asked to interview and picture him.
Two reporters and someone from the group got on the bike with him while he drove around the car park to show it off.
The lucky punter had reservations about the Ural being a malicious Russian scam.
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Putin pictured driving a motorbike in 2019Credit: AP:Associated Press
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Warren posing with his old and new bikeCredit: AP
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Putin speaking during the press conference in Alaska on FridayCredit: AP
But he accepted the gift, which according to its paperwork was manufactured on August 12.
He said: “The obvious thing here is that it rolled off the showroom floor and slid into a jet within probably 24 hours.”
And he told the Daily Mail: “I’m dumbfounded. I guess I should probably write Putin a thank you letter or something.
“I haven’t. I’ve been so busy it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
He added: “It’s super cool, you know? I mean, it’s just such a unique bike.”
It comes as Putin continues to wage his bloody war on Ukraine.
The despot unleashed a fresh breakthrough assault just hours before his summit with Trump.
And just hours after Trump’s summit with European allies, Russia blitzed Ukraine over Monday night with 270 drones and missiles.
The brutal attacks targeted energy and transport infrastructure.
Just before Zelesnky and his European counterparts were set to meet Trump on Monday, another vicious attack killed 14 people and injured dozens in Ukraine.
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He said he should write a thank you letter to PutinCredit: AP
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Russia launches fresh strikes on Ukraine, August 19Credit: Getty
Glorya Kaufman, the philanthropist who transformed dance in Los Angeles through the establishment of an eponymous dance school at USC as well as a prominent dance series at the Music Center, among many other initiatives, has died. She was 95.
Kaufman’s death was confirmed by a representative for the Music Center, which was the recipient in 2009 of a $20 million gift from Kaufman that established Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center. The money, which represented the largest donation in L.A.’s dance history, went toward the ongoing staging of appearances by some of the world’s most well-known dancers, troupes and companies, including the Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ballet Hispánico.
“Her gift to the Music Center has made it possible for us to bring the joy and beauty of dance into the hearts, minds and souls of countless Angelenos and visitors from around the world,” Music Center President and Chief Executive Rachel Moore said in a statement. “As a result of Glorya’s significant visionary leadership and generosity, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center today stands as a vital part of Los Angeles’ cultural fabric.”
Kaufman also donated an undisclosed sum to create and endow the USC Kaufman School of Dance, and to build its home, the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center. When it launched in 2012, the program was the first new school to be established at the university in 40 years. It opened in 2015 with 33 students and has nurtured the talents of dancers who went on to work with internationally recognized companies and artists including Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin and Ballet Jazz Montreal.
In a tribute published by USC staff on the university’s website, USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim said, “Glorya’s love for dance was contagious, and she spread that love by creating opportunities for people everywhere to experience the transformative impact and joy of the arts.”
“We have so much [dance] talent here in L.A.,” Kaufman told The Times in 2012 when the gift to USC was first announced, “and there’s no place for them to go. We want to get the best students, the best teachers, and the kids, when they graduate, will be able to make a living right away.”
“The new biggest name in dance is Glorya Kaufman, who shook up the arts world last month when she gave the University of Southern California a gift that despite its undisclosed amount, has been called one of the largest donations in dance history.”
USC was not the first L.A.-area institution of higher learning to benefit from Kaufman’s largess. In 1999 she gave $18 million to fund the restoration of the UCLA Women’s Gym — now called Glorya Kaufman Hall. The Times wrote that her donation was, “the largest individual gift the university has received outside of the health sciences area, and the largest arts donation ever in the University of California system.”
Kaufman also gave money to schools in New York City, including four lifetime endowments for undergraduates at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. A 2,300-square-foot dance studio at the Juilliard School, which she funded, is also named after her.
Although dance was her primary focus, Kaufman’s influence was felt across L.A.’s cultural landscape. She was a founding member of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and also gave to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition, she was a founding trustee of the Geffen Playhouse and donated money to build an outdoor reception area at the theater.
Kaufman believed that dance should be experienced by as many people as possible and was committed to helping less advantaged students gain access to programs in their communities. She created an endowment for a dedicated dance teacher at Inner-City Arts in East L.A. and provided funds for more than 17,000 kids to take free dance classes there each year.
The Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center — a 299-seat, multi-use performing arts space, including classrooms, rehearsal rooms and a theater — opened two years ago at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, a nonprofit that provides mental health services for neurodivergent children and those experiencing behavioral disorders. Kaufman’s gift came with the launch of three new community-focused programs: a USC Alumni Residency, an L.A. Independent Choreographer Residency and UniverSoul Hip Hop Outreach.
The Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center at Vista Del Mar was founded with the announcement of three new programs: a choreography residency, a USC alumni residency and a partnership with UniverSOUL Hip Hop.
(Nic Lehoux)
Glorya Kaufman was born in Detroit to Samuel and Eva Pinkis. Her father was the production manager of Automotive News and her mother was a homemaker who held leadership roles at various charities within the Jewish community. In interviews throughout her life, Kaufman recalled early memories of dancing while standing on her father’s toes. She also loved to go to Detroit’s many jazz clubs, which informed her lifelong love of music and dance.
Kaufman was diagnosed with strabismus as a child. The condition — which causes one eye to look in a different direction than the other — and her early experiences trying to correct the issue, along with her struggles with poor vision, contributed to her interest in helping those with disabilities.
In 1954 Kaufman married Donald Bruce Kaufman, a builder and entrepreneur who in 1957 partnered with businessman and prominent philanthropist Eli Broad to co-found a homebuilding company called Kaufman & Broad (now KB Home). In 1963 the Kaufman family moved to Huntington Harbour after the company expanded to California. Three years later, they again moved to Beverly Hills. In 1969 the Kaufmans relocated to a 48-acre Brentwood ranch they called Amber Hill.
In 1983, Donald died in a plane crash with the couple’s son-in-law Eyal Horwitz while piloting an experimental biplane. To deal with her loss, Glorya threw herself into philanthropy. She created the Glorya Kaufman Foundation and dedicated its first major project — the 10,000-square-foot Donald Bruce Kaufman Brentwood Branch Library — to her late husband, a prolific reader.
Kaufman is survived by her four children, Curtis, Gayl, Laura and Zuade; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
This is a story about a movie that saved a sport. OK, that’s a stretch, but only a little one.
Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 golfer in the world. Has been for a couple of years. He has won two Masters titles, one PGA Championship and the recent British Open, as well as an Olympic gold medal. He is so good that somebody ought to check his golf balls for tiny magnets that hook up to the cups on the greens. So far this year, by slapping a little white dimpled ball around in the grass, he has won $19.2 million. He has yet to turn 30, but his overall income, just from golf tournaments, is around $90 million.
This guy is so good that his caddie, Ted Scott, is estimated, at the normal 10% of winnings, to have pocketed about $5 million. For carrying a bag.
So, what’s the problem?
Scheffler is so good that he might also be sparking a trend called remote remorse. You really want to watch, but once he gets ahead by a couple of shots, there is nothing left. No drama, no possible twist and turn, no chance of any excitement. Other players in those tense, title-on-the-line final holes, dunk a shot into the water or bury one so deep in the sand that their only choice of club is a shovel.
Not Scheffler. He is a 6-foot-3 human robot whose veins circulate ice water. When the going gets tough, Scheffler yawns.
Scottie Scheffler, right, and wife Meredith Scudder attend the premiere of Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2” on July 21 in New York.
(Evan Agostini / Evan Agostini/invision/ap)
So, you see this and you know what is coming next — final putt, arms raised in satisfaction, a hug for his multi-millionaire caddie, the mandatory TV interview with the apparently mandatory British-accent female sportscaster, who will always start with, “How does this feel?”
You, and millions more, click the button on your remote for something more interesting, like HGTV or the Gardening Channel. When Scheffler gets ahead in the final round like that — which is almost always — it is game over. He can squeeze the drama out of a golf tournament like Bill Belichick could out of an NFL postgame interview.
Certainly, you say, Tiger Woods used to win lots of tournaments by lots of big margins and that never seemed boring.
That’s because it wasn’t. Tiger was animated, angry, annoyed, analytical, fed up with some part of his game, charged up over another part, mad at a reporter, upset with his agent. Tiger could win by eight, occasionally did, and it was still must-see TV. When Tiger was at his best, nobody could beat him and the public loved him and just wanted more. Scheffler is currently at his best and the public certainly is terribly impressed and, sadly, kind of meh. Tiger was a pound-on-the-table-and-shout-at-the-TV kind of player. Scheffler is a nod and a shrug.
But there is hope. Hollywood has intervened, as only Hollywood can.
Twenty-nine years ago, an up-and-coming comic named Adam Sandler made a movie inspired by one of his New England friends, who was a great hockey player and could also hit a golf ball a long distance with a hockey stick. Sandler called the movie “Happy Gilmore” and found a wide audience that loved it for its irreverence about a game that flaunts hushed reverence.
Among the highlights was an on-course fistfight between Happy Gilmore (Sandler) and aging TV game show host Bob Barker. Barker won by KO.
The movie was hilariously overdone slapstick. It was a gut-laugh-a-minute. It was so stupid and wacky that it was wonderful.
Now, Sandler has made “Happy Gilmore 2,” and it is again a must-see for all the reasons that the original was. Plus the cameo appearances. Especially one by Scheffler.
In the movie, Scheffler is good, funny, fun. He doesn’t have a lot of lines, but he has perfect timing. He punches a guy out on the green and the cops come and haul him away. “Oh, no. Not again,” he says.
Remember, earlier this year, when Louisville cops hauled him away and put him in an orange jail suit, when he was accused of making a wrong turn while driving into the golf course at the PGA Championship, a tournament that he would eventually win? Well, Sandler and his writers made hay out of that, but more significantly, Scheffler played to it perfectly.
After the movie punch-out, Scheffler is pictured in a jail cell, in an orange jail suit, as a guard asks, since he has been in that cell for three days, if he wants to get out. Scheffler replies, “Ah, what’s for dinner?” When he is told chicken fingers, he says, “I think I’ll stay another night.”
Now, of course, none of that is knee-slapping stuff, but it is Scheffler, and the self-effacing comedy is a perfect image-enhancer, even if it is only in a stupid movie. It is so much better for golf fans to see Scheffler as a roll-with-the-punches fun guy, than an emotionless, ball-striking robot. Neither is totally accurate, but in this media world of image-is-everything, “Happy Gilmore 2” has done wonderful things for this wonderful golfer. Even moreso, for his sport
He will be all over your TV screens for the three-week FedEx playoffs. It starts Aug. 7 with a tournament in Memphis, followed by the next week in Baltimore and the grand finale Aug. 21 in East Lake, Ga., near Atlanta. For the playoffs, the PGA will distribute $100 million in prize money and the winner will receive $10 million.
Scheffler, a likely winner, would then certainly be invited to appear on TV, especially the late-night shows such as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. This would present another great image-building opportunity. He could show up in an orange jump suit.
A TEENAGER has received a criminal conviction for not being insured for her car – before she had received it for her 18th birthday.
The waitress, from Poole in Dorset, was gifted a Fiat for her landmark birthday, but mistakenly did not insure it immediately.
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A teenager was slapped with a criminal conviction for failing to have her car insuredCredit: Getty
The teen explained in a letter to Ipswich magistrates court that she never drove the car as she had not received her licence at the time of the offence.
However, the DVLA charged her with keeping an uninsured vehicle and brought a criminal prosecution over the unpaid bill.
She pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place a few weeks before her 18th birthday.
“My family got the car for me as my 18th birthday present,” she wrote.
“I was still 17 at the time of the offence and had not actually been given the keys to the car and was not aware that it would be mine.”
She added that she and her dad have reading difficulties, and only realised the seriousness of what was happening when a friend read her the official letter.
She continued: “I have never used the car as I have still not passed my driving test.
“My dad is willing to pay the fine for me as he thinks this is his fault.
“He receives Universal Credit and PIP for his mental health, and I have just finished college and currently have a part-time job as a waitress on the minimum wage for an 18-year-old.
“I was a good student in school and college studying art and have never been in any trouble in my life.
“We just misunderstood the letter, I thought it said I had to SORN it or pay a fine if it doesn’t get sorted.
“I am very sorry.”
A magistrate slapped the teen with a 12-month conditional discharge instead of a fine.
But she chose not to send the case back to the DVLA for an extra public interest check.
The teen will now have a criminal conviction, and must also pay a £20 court fee.
It comes after news that one in six drivers admitted they have been behind the wheel without insurance.
A poll of 2,000 adults found 24 per cent of these did so only on a short journey, believing cover wasn’t necessary.
A fifth unknowingly committed the offence when their policy had expired, but 17 per cent did it as they wanted to save money.
And 15 percent drove uninsured because renewing their policy was a life admin task they kept putting off renewing.
Learner drivers are twice as likely to drive uninsured compared to those with a full driving license (37 per cent).
James Armstrong, a young driver expert at flexible car insurer Veygo, which commissioned the research, said: “Driving without insurance is a serious offence that can result in hefty fines, points on your licence, or even having your car seized.
“It’s worrying to see so many people are driving uninsured, especially as there are affordable options available for short-term cover.”
In a provocative move that fuses foreign policy with ideological allegiance, United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on all Brazilian exports, effective August 1, 2025. The announcement came in a letter posted on social media, in which Trump explicitly linked the proposed tariffs to two ongoing domestic issues in Brazil: the judicial proceedings against far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro – whom Trump described as the victim of a political “witch-hunt” – and recent rulings by the Brazilian Supreme Court against US-based social media companies, including former Trump ally Elon Musk’s X. By doing so, Trump has escalated a trade dispute into a direct attempt to influence Brazil’s internal affairs – using economic pressure to serve political ends and undermining the country’s sovereignty in the process.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva responded swiftly and unequivocally: “Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,” he declared, adding that Brazil’s judiciary is autonomous and not subject to interference or threat. Under Brazilian law, digital platforms are obligated to monitor and remove content that incites violence or undermines democratic institutions, and they may be held legally accountable when they fail to do so.
While a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian exports might appear economically devastating, it could in fact become a strategic turning point – and even a blessing in disguise. Brazil has both the resilience and the diplomatic tools to weather this storm and emerge stronger.
The United States is one of Brazil’s largest trading partners, typically ranking second after China – or third if the European Union is considered as a single bloc. Brazilian exports to the US include industrial goods such as Embraer aircraft, iron and steel, crude oil, coffee and semiprecious stones, alongside agricultural products like beef, orange juice, eggs and tobacco. In return, Brazil imports large quantities of US-manufactured goods, including machinery, electronics, medical equipment, chemicals and refined petroleum. Notably, the US has maintained a trade surplus with Brazil for the past five years.
Should Washington proceed with the 50 percent tariffs, Brasília has several retaliatory options under its Economic Reciprocity Law. These include raising import tariffs on US goods, suspending clauses in bilateral trade agreements, and – in exceptional cases such as this – withholding recognition of US patents or suspending royalty payments to American companies. The impact on US consumers could be immediate and tangible, with breakfast staples like coffee, eggs and orange juice spiking in price.
Brazil is not without friends or alternatives. The country has already been deepening ties with fellow BRICS members (China, India, Russia, South Africa) and newer partners in the bloc. This dispute only strengthens the case for accelerating such integration. Diversifying export markets and embracing South-South cooperation isn’t just ideological; it’s economically pragmatic.
Closer to home, the tension presents an opportunity to reinvigorate South American integration. The long-held regional dream of enhanced collaboration – from trade to infrastructure – could gain new momentum as Brazil reassesses its global alignments. This realignment could breathe life into stalled Mercosur bloc initiatives and reduce dependence on an increasingly erratic relationship with the US.
Ironically, Trump’s aggressive move may weaken his ideological allies in Brazil. While Bolsonaro supporters (including members of his family) have praised the US president’s intervention, they may be missing its broader political consequences. Trump’s past influence abroad has often backfired, with right-wing candidates in countries like Canada and Australia paying the price. A similar outcome in Brazil is not unthinkable. Lula, who has consistently positioned himself as a pragmatic, diplomatic and stabilising global figure, may gain political ground from this latest episode. His defence of sovereignty, democratic institutions and balanced international relations could resonate more deeply with Brazilian voters ahead of next year’s elections.
This moment need not be seen as a crisis. Rather, it presents a pivotal opportunity for Brazil to assert itself as a sovereign economic power – less reliant on Washington and more engaged with an emerging multipolar global order. If Lula navigates it wisely, Trump’s latest provocation may deliver not only a diplomatic win but a significant boost to his re-election prospects. In attempting to punish Brazil, Trump may well have undercut both his foreign policy ambitions and his ideological allies abroad.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
ROME — Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of Italy’s most prominent contemporary artists whose bronze spheres decorate iconic public spaces from the Vatican to the United Nations, has died at age 98, his foundation said Monday.
Pomodoro died at home in Milan on Sunday, the eve of his 99th birthday, according to a statement from Carlotta Montebello, director general of the Arnaldo Pomodoro Foundation.
Pomodoro’s massive spheres are instantly recognizable: shiny, smooth bronze globes with clawed-out interiors that Pomodoro has said referred to the superficial perfection of exteriors and the troubled complexity of interiors.
In a note of condolences, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said Pomodoro’s “wounded” spheres “speak to us today of the fragility and complexity of the human and the world.”
The Vatican’s sphere, which occupies a central place in the Pigna Courtyard of the Vatican Museums, features an internal mechanism that rotates with the wind. “In my work I see the cracks, the eroded parts, the destructive potential that emerges from our time of disillusionment,” the Vatican quoted Pomodoro as saying about its sphere.
The United Nations in New York received a 3.3-meter (10 foot, eight inch) diameter “Sphere Within Sphere” sculpture as a gift from Italy in 1996. The U.N. sphere has refers to the coming of the new millennium, the U.N. said: “a smooth exterior womb erupted by complex interior forms,” and “a promise for the rebirth of a less troubled and destructive world,” Pomodoro said of it.
Other spheres are located at museums around the world and outside the Italian foreign ministry, which has the original work that Pomodoro created in 1966 for the Montreal Expo that began his monumental sculpture project.
In the 1960s, he taught at Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Mills College. “Rotante dal Foro Centrale,” part of Pomodoro’s “Sfera con Sfera” series, can be found at the west entrance of the Berkeley campus. In 1988, Italian Prime Minister Ciriaco De Mita presented the sculptor’s “Colpa d’ala (Wing Beat)” as a gift to Los Angeles to mark the 40th anniversary of the Marshall Plan. It is installed downtown at the Department of Water and Power (now the John F. Ferraro Building).
Pomodoro was born in Montefeltro, Italy, on June 23, 1926. In addition to his spheres, he designed theatrical sets, land projects and machines.
Turns out Kat Timpf is now one of the people she used to want to throw up on.
Timpf’s transformation was revealed Monday in her return to Fox News’ late-night show “Gutfeld,” where she had a regular co-host seat before going out on maternity leave in February.
That leave included a breast cancer diagnosis that came just 15 hours before she gave birth. Soon after delivery, she had a double mastectomy.
“For you keeping score, Kat had sex, which in getting pregnant cured her cancer, meaning sex cures cancer,” host Greg Gutfeld explained. That said, the show did welcome back its missing libertarian with semi-seriousness.
“We’re super happy Kat’s returned. We missed her dearly. We know the future will still be hard for her. There will be other hurdles, I’m sure, but we have faith in her, as much as I hope she has faith in us, to be here when things get rough or when things get better,” Gutfeld said, “but she still complains. So, please welcome Kat back and congratulate her for kicking out a baby and kicking cancer.”
Timpf quickly laid it all out there about what she’d done on her three-month spring break.
“So, I am boob-free,” said the co-host, who is married since 2021 to former Army Ranger Cameron Friscia. “I am cancer-free as well. So, I’m very, yeah, I’m very excited about it.
“It was, it was a hard thing to go through, and it still is, as you know, you mentioned, I still have reconstruction surgeries ahead. I still have things to go through, tough thing to go through, easy decision to make because, like, I didn’t want to risk my life for some f— 32 As.”
“Been there,” co-host Tyrus joked.
Seriously, Timpf says she loves being a mom, even with the personal drama that accompanied it.
“The whole thing, the way that it happened, it really was truly insane,” she said. “I really had a day between the cancer diagnosis and the labor, and we don’t know for sure what happened. I could have gotten cancer because I was pregnant, and even if I did, he’s still so worth it, because I love him so much. And I know that’s so cheesy, and I know that’s so gross, and I used to hear people say that, and like how I can’t imagine my life without him.
“And I used to want to throw up on them, but now I’m one of those people.”
Tyrus, left, Kat Timpf, Greg Gutfeld, Kennedy and comedian Dave Angelo on Fox News’ late-night show “Gutfeld!”
(Fox News)
“Yeah, you know what?” Gutfeld said. “It’s called a transformational experience where you couldn’t even go back in time and explain to yourself what it’s like.” (He had his own transformational experience slightly before Timpf did: The 60-year-old and wife Elena Moussa welcomed baby girl Mira in December.)
Fill-in host Kennedy, a mother of two, said she was just trying not to cry now that Timpf was back and a mom and healthy, and finally Tyrus got to welcome back his “partner in crime,” saying, “It’s been f— horrible. Thank God you’re back.” He also lobbied for Kennedy to get a permanent chair on “Gutfeld!”
Then he announced he had a surprise for the kiddo he had nicknamed “Big Ben,” thanks to a sonogram picture he saw where the baby was the same length as a wristwatch.
“I have a gift for Big Ben, because every young man starting out in the world needs to have — now, he can’t have it right now, you got to wait, but — he needs to have his own Godzilla,” the comic and former pro wrestler said. “So, this is for Big Ben’s first — this is Big Ben’s first action figure. Not a doll.”
“This ain’t girl stuff. This is an action figure for Big Ben.”
Gutfeld, meanwhile, had already given the gift of advice to Baby Timpf-Friscia. During his monologue, he noted that the little guy “came into the world already a hero, for he saved his mommy’s life.”
“If I were him, I would hold that over her head every chance I get,” Gutfeld said. He specifically suggested the child use it as leverage to get his hands on the car keys before he is legally old enough to drive and possibly to procure some Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
And, because the show has running jokes about the hosts of “The View,” he couldn’t help but compliment Timpf for tackling her cancer, noting she had “tackled it head-on, like Joy Behar shoving aside security at a KFC grand opening.”
SACRAMENTO — President Trump craves attention and will stoop to any depth to grab it — even pour gasoline on a kindling fire in Los Angeles. But this time he unwittingly provided priceless attention for an adversary.
Because Trump needlessly deployed National Guard troops and — more ridiculous, a Marine battalion to L.A. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom was granted a prime-time speaking slot on national cable television to respond.
“We honor their service. We honor their bravery,” Newsom said of the troops. “But we do not want our streets militarized by our own armed forces. Not in L.A. Not in California. Not anywhere … .
“California may be first — but it clearly won’t end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. The moment we’ve feared has arrived.”
I’m not sure the “democracy is under assault” message has much traction, but keeping armed combat forces off our streets must be a salable pitch.
Regardless, governors almost never get national TV time to deliver entire speeches, even as brief as Newsom’s. You’ve practically got to be nominated for president. But the publicity-thirsty sitting president provided the cameras for California’s governor.
Newsom’s strong address probably boosted his stock within the Democrat Party and revived dormant speculation about a 2028 presidential bid.
No longer was the Democratic governor playing respectful nice guy and tempering criticism of the Republican president. Now he was standing up to the bully who loves to use California, Newsom and our progressive politics as a punching bag. Trump’s red-state supporters love every swipe at this “left coast” state.
Newsom rose to the occasion, using his greatest asset: invaluable communication skills coupled with telegenic looks.
He laid out his version of what happened to turn relatively peaceful protests against federal immigration raids into destructive street violence. And it’s the correct version by objective accounts.
On Saturday, Newsom said, federal immigration agents “jumped out of an unmarked van” near a Home Depot parking lot and “began grabbing people. A deliberate targeting of a heavily Latino suburb … . In response, everyday Angelenos” exercised their constitutional right to protest.
Police were dispatched to keep the peace and mostly were successful, the governor continued. But then tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades were used — by federal agents, Newsom implied.
Then Trump deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops “illegally and for no reason,” the governor asserted.
“This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation … . Anxiety for families and friends ramped up. Protests started again … . Several dozen lawbreakers became violent and destructive.”
Newsom warned: “That kind of criminal behavior will not be tolerated. Full stop.” And hundreds have been arrested.
But he emphasized: “This situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown. But that’s not what Donald Trump wanted … . He chose theatrics over public safety.”
In Trump’s twisted view, if he hadn’t sent in the National Guard, “Los Angeles would be completely obliterated.” Never mind that the violence was confined to a few downtown blocks, a fraction of a city that spreads over 500 square miles.
“We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free and clean again,” the president promised.
Veteran Republican strategist Mike Murphy had it right, telling CNN: “He’s lighting the fire as an arsonist, then claiming to be the fireman.”
It reminded me of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s manufactured Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964 that Congress passed, enabling him to vastly escalate U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Johnson reported a North Vietnamese attack on U.S. destroyers that many experts later concluded never happened.
But I think Trump mainly is obsessed with attracting attention. He knows he’ll get it by being provocative. Never mind the accuracy of his words or the wisdom of his actions. Sending in the Marines certainly was an eye-opener. So is staging a military parade on his birthday — an abuse of troops for attention, personal glorification and exercise of his own power.
He’ll say anything provocative without thinking it through: Tariffs one day, suspended the next. He’ll boast of sending San Joaquin Valley water to L.A. for fighting fires when it’s physically impossible to deliver it.
While Trump was playing politics with immigrants and L.A. turmoil, a poll finding was released that should have pleased him.
Californians no longer support providing public healthcare for immigrants living here illegally, the independent Public Policy Institute of California reported. Adult state residents were opposed by 58% to 41% in a survey taken before the L.A. trouble erupted.
By contrast, a PPIC poll in 2021 found that Californians favored providing state healthcare for undocumented immigrants by 66% to 31%.
Polling director Mark Baldassare concluded the public opposition stems mostly from the view that California taxpayers can’t afford the costly program — not that they agree with Trump’s anti-immigrant demagoguery.
In fact, Newson has proposed paring back the state’s multibillion-dollar program of providing Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented immigrants because the state budget has been spewing red ink.
Given all the rhetoric about the L.A. protests, the statement that particularly impressed me came from freshman Assemblyman Mark Gonzalez (D-Los Angeles), whose downtown district stretches from Koreatown to Chinatown.
“Rocks thrown at officers, CHP cars and Waymo vehicles set on fire, arson on the 101 freeway — have nothing to do with immigration, justice or the values of our communities,” he said in a statement Sunday. “These are not protesters — they were agitators. Their actions are reckless, dangerous and playing into exactly what Trump wants.”
Gonzalez is a liberal former chairman of the L.A. County Democratic Party who stuck to his point: Hoodlums can’t be tolerated.
And, thanks to Trump, Newsom was able to make a similar point about the president on national TV: His dangerous, self-serving actions can’t be tolerated either.
For years, Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee declined to publicly discuss a fateful Las Vegas trip he took in 2017 with his then-boss Mitch Englander and a trio of businessmen.
That trip led to an FBI investigation of Englander, then a City Council member, who accepted an envelope of cash in a casino bathroom from one of the businessmen and later pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators.
Last week, in court to address allegations from the L.A. Ethics Commission, Lee finally broke his silence, divulging details of the high-rolling trip and insisting that he paid for his share.
There was his comped Aria hotel room — a standard room, not a suite, he said. There was the Hakkasan Nightclub, where he sipped whiskey and danced as hostesses paraded out $8,000 bottles of booze. And there was the casino, where he played blackjack — after losing $1,000 at the baccarat table — because he preferred the lower-stakes game.
Over and over, Lee, who was then Englander’s chief of staff, denied accepting gifts in violation of city ethics laws. Under grilling by a city enforcement officer, Lee described stuffing $300 into the pocket of one of the businessmen, Andy Wang, to cover his share at the nightclub. At dinner earlier that night, he said, he paid for his own drinks.
“I believe I made a good-faith effort to repay what I consumed that night,” Lee testified.
In 2023, the Ethics Commission accused Lee, who occupies Englander’s former seat representing the northwest San Fernando Valley, of accepting “multiple gifts” in violation of ethics laws, including free hotel rooms, poker chips and food, from a businessman and a developer during the Vegas trip.
The businessman and the developer were not named in the complaint, but details indicate that one was Wang and the other was Christopher Pak, both of whom testified as witnesses.
The commission has also accused Lee of helping Englander backdate checks to repay the businessman who comped the hotel rooms.
Federal prosecutors never criminally charged Lee, and he has said he was unaware of any wrongdoing by Englander.
At the time, city officials, including high-ranking council aides, could accept gifts with a value between $50 and $470 from a single source but had to disclose them, according to city and state laws. They were not allowed to accept gifts over $470 from a single source.
The Ethics Commission alleges that Lee violated both provisions.
Attorneys for Lee, who denies the allegations, have repeatedly tried to block the commission’s case, arguing that the statute of limitations had expired.
Witness testimony concluded last week, and Administrative Law Judge Ji-Lan Zang is expected to make a recommendation about what, if any, ethics violations Lee committed.
Then, a panel of ethics commissioners will vote on whether violations occurred and what the financial penalties, if any, should be.
In 2023, Englander agreed to pay $79,830 to settle a similar Ethics Commission case.
At last week’s hearing, city enforcement officer and attorney Marian Thompson sought to cast doubt on Lee’s version of events. She zeroed in on his insistence that he joined the group at an expensive Chinese restaurant, Blossom, but didn’t eat because he arrived late.
She read aloud the bill for the nearly $2,500 dinner — Kobe beef, Maine lobster, Peking duck, sea bass and more. Surely Lee, who had previously described himself as a “meat and potatoes” guy, liked Kobe beef? Thompson asked.
Lee said he tried only the bird’s nest soup. He described taking a spoonful of someone else’s bowl and saying, “Absolutely not” — it was “gelatinous,” he told Thompson.
Lee acknowledged drinking at the restaurant, giving someone — he couldn’t remember whom — $100 to cover the tab.
According to Englander’s 2020 federal indictment, a “City Staffer B” received some of the same perks as Englander during the Vegas trip. That staffer was widely presumed to be Lee, prompting calls for the newly elected council member to resign. Since then, questions about the Vegas trip have dogged Lee, though he easily won reelection in 2024.
Englander was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison. In his plea agreement, he admitted lying repeatedly to federal investigators and receiving a combined $15,000 in cash — $10,000 in a casino bathroom in Las Vegas, plus $5,000 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa from an unnamed businessman.
That man, Wang, ran companies that sold cabinets and home technology systems, was seeking relationships with real estate developers and others to increase his business opportunities in the city.
During his testimony last week, Lee said he followed city ethics laws during the Vegas trip. At the Aria hotel-casino, Englander showed Lee poker chips that Wang had given him, Lee testified.
“I told him immediately that he needed to give those chips back to Andy,” Lee said.
Lee also said he gave Englander a blank check with the understanding that Englander would reimburse Wang, who had comped Lee’s room.
But in a declaration in the ethics case, Englander wrote that neither he nor Lee reimbursed Wang “for any of the gifts we received at the Aria,” including the room, meals and drinks.
“While in Las Vegas, NV, Lee did not give me a check to reimburse Wang,” Englander added.
Thompson asked Lee about Englander’s statements.
“He’s lied before,” Lee replied.
In addition to Wang, two others — Michael Bai, a lobbyist who formerly worked at City Hall, and Koreatown developer Pak — came on the Vegas trip. Bai also testified as a witness last week.
Lee and Englander gave Wang separate checks for $442 on Sept. 14 that year. The ethics commission has accused Lee and Englander of backdating the checks to Aug. 4 — before they were interviewed by the FBI.
Lee disputed that during the hearing, saying he gave Englander his check on Aug. 4, after he said Englander had lost the earlier one.
At the Hakkasan club, Wang spent $24,000 on bottle service, with Pak spending an additional $10,000.
According to an estimate by the commission, the share Lee drank was worth $5,666.67.
But Lee’s attorney, Brian Hildreth, challenged that assertion. Dozens of revelers streamed through the group’s VIP booth that night, Lee and Pak both testified.
Lee said he had only two to four drinks and suggested that many people drank from the bottles.
Addressing questions about the casino, Lee acknowledged accepting $1,000 in poker chips from Wang, saying he thought he was playing on Wang’s behalf. Lee said he would have given any winnings to Wang.
But Lee testified that he didn’t know how to play baccarat and warned Wang that he wasn’t doing well, ultimately losing all the chips.
During questioning by Hildreth, Lee described withdrawing a total of $1,500 from ATMs in Vegas, with a bank statement listing the three withdrawals over two days.
Lee testified that he wanted “to make sure that I had my own money and paid for everything that I was a part of.”
Thompson pursued a counternarrative, describing the spectacle of nightclub hostesses bringing out bottles.
“You got VIP treatment?” Thompson asked.
“Treatment I’d never received before,” Lee answered.
AS Andrew Drury made his way through a Syrian camp looking for notorious ISIS bride Shamima Begum, his mind began to race.
Although the intrepid filmmaker had been in far more perilous situations – his nerves started to get the better of him.
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Andrew Drury with Jihadi bride Shamima BegumCredit: Supplied
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The filmmaker said his view of Begum changed as he got to know herCredit: Supplied
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The Al-Roj camp in north-eastern Syria where Begum livesCredit: AFP
But when he was introduced to Begum – who left the UK aged 15 to join ISIS a decade ago in 2015 – he was taken aback.
“She was very shaky, very nervous, very shut, emotional, tearful,” Andrew told The Sun.
Father-of-four Andrew met Begum, who grew up in East London, for the first of six times at the Al-Roj campinSyria in June 2021 while filming for a documentary, Danger Zone.
In less than two years his view of Begum – accused of serving in the feared IS “morality police” and helping make suicide vests – completely changed, however.
He saw a colder side when she talked about how the death of her three children no longer upset her and even expressed support of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi.
Extreme adventurer Andrew, who has made treacherous journeys to North Korea and Iraq, said at first Begum was a “thin, ill-looking, sad character” who was “very apologetic”.
“We took a long walk around the camp, She started to relax, and she said she used to take this regular walk right around the perimeter of the camp to clear her head,” he said.
“After the interview finished, we walked back to the room. Normally she’d go off to a tent, but she wanted to come back to the room to get a cold drink.
“Then I didn’t want to insult her at that point, I wanted to say goodbye – I thought I’d never see her again.
How Shamima Begum camps are fermenting twisted next generation of ISIS as kids make ‘cutthroat’ gesture & hurl firebombs
“I said, ‘Can I shake your hand?’ and she asked for a hug.
“So she gave me a hug and started to cry.”
Andrew, from Surrey, said he felt they had formed a connection and believed she regretted turning her back on Western society to join the murderous death cult.
“At that point I kind of believed that she was sincere,” he said.
I actually don’t think the death of her children actually bothered her in the slightest. She was not at all affected by it
Andrew Drury
“I kind of felt sorry for her. I thought at that point she’d been radicalised online, sent out as a prescribed bridge to somebody.
“She said she’d made a real bad mistake and really regretted what she’d done.
“She owned up to being this person that everybody hates in the UK.
“And I felt sorry for her, I’ve got young daughters, not a lot of difference in age, so I thought people do make mistakes, and I should give her a chance.”
Andrew – whose book Trip Hazard details his experience in dangerous areas – returned to the camp months later after GMB asked for his help to get an interview with Begum.
The author, who has exchanged hundreds of messages with Begum, said he noticed a “subtle change” in the former Brit.
Begum, who was stripped of her British citizenship in 2019, appeared to have undergone a more “Western” makeover – ditching her hijab and abaya.
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Andrew secured the Bafta-nominated live interview with Begum for Good Morning BritainCredit: Alamy
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Begum, then 19, pictured in 2019Credit: Times Media Ltd
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The former Brit at the camp in 2021Credit: Getty
“She had changed as a character,” Andrew said.
“She was more short. She wasn’t this nervous-cry sort of character.
“She looked assured, and she didn’t seem such a waif character, and she seemed to be in control of herself and her emotions.”
Andrew told how Begum spent the night before the live interview “rehearsing” with three of her friends In the camp, which is controlled by armed guards.
He added: “Her friends said they’d had their music playing and they were tutoring Shamima what to say.
“They seemed pretty together about what she should say, and they were schooling her.”
Begum married an IS fighter soon after arriving in Syria and went on to have three children, none of whom survived.
Andrew – who said he had formed a “bond” with Begum – told how after the interview, Shamima opened her purse and showed him photos of her children.
The tragic loss of his own brother Robert as a child made him sympathise with Shamima’s plight.
“One of them was a scene where the child must have been eight, nine months old, had chocolate around his face,” he recalled.
“I said, ‘What’s that?’ and she said, ‘Oh we used to like baking cakes’.
“And it actually makes me quite sad. It was really quite sad knowing the child had died.
“She made it sound like an honour that she had shared these pictures with me, which I guess it probably was, because she hadn’t shared them before she said.”
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But it was Begum’s attitude after Andrew returned to the UK that shocked him – and began to shatter their relationship.
“I said to her, ‘Those pictures you showed me really upset me, I hope you’re okay’,” he said.
“She messaged back and said, ‘Oh, they don’t bother me anymore. That doesn’t make me sad’.
“I thought, was that because she’s been traumatised so badly?
“But I think she is that hard. I think she’s calculated.
“I actually don’t think the death of her children actually bothered her in the slightest. She was not at all affected by it.”
After meeting Andrew a couple of times, Begum started asking him to bring stuff into the camp for her – including clothes.
The dad said he felt “at a crossroads” about whether to take what she wanted.
“I felt bad and guilty that I’d be taking somebody that carried out what could have been some atrocities, clothes,” he said.
“But then, probably on the soft side of me, and the fact is, she was a young girl, so I was playing with these emotions, but I took her the clothes from Primark.
“We had a bundle of stuff, we took some toys for the children because it’s not their fault.”
But then Begum’s requests started turning into demands, Andrew said.
“The messages continued,” he added.
Camps breeding next ISIS generation
Exclusive by Henry Holloway, Deputy Foreign Editor and Alan Duncan
A CHILD no older than eight draws his hand across his neck in a chilling throat-slitting gesture – the message is clear, “You are not welcome here”.
Other kids hurl stones, shout and scream – while one exasperated camp official shows us CCTV of two youngsters hurling a firebomb.
Welcome to camps al-Hol and al-Roj in northern Syria – the fates of which remain uncertain after the fall of tyrant Bashar al-Assad.
It is warned these stark detention centres are now the breeding ground for the next generation of the bloodthirsty cult.
And much of this new wave of radicalisation is feared to be coming from the mothers inside the camps.
Senior camp official Rashid Omer said: “The reality is – they are not changing. This is not a normal camp – this a bomb.”
He went on: “They are saying it was ISIS who ‘liberated’ Damascus – and soon they will be coming here.”
“And then they want to spread to Europe, to Africa, and then to everywhere.”
The two sprawling sites hold a total of nearly 60,000 including ISIS fighters, families and children.
At least 6,000 Westerners are still held among them – including infamous jihadi bride Shamima Begum, the 25-year-old from London.
“This time they became slightly more angry, slightly more direct.”
Before he planned to return to Syria again, Begum told him she wanted two books – Guantanamo Bay Diaries and Sea Prayer – which is inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis.
Andrew said she was also being schooled by her lawyer about her media presence.
He added: “What she declared by then is that she was hostage in a prison camp – where they were legally held.
“That’s how she started to see herself. All apologies had gone.
“She’d done a documentary with the BBC and was on the front of The Times magazine.
“She’d become a celebrity and was loving all the attention. She’d read all the newspaper articles.”
Andrew – who returned to the camp with a friend and no crew – took some clothes for Begum with him.
I could see things in her I didn’t like. I didn’t trust her. Her behaviour was poor. She was angry and aggressive
Andrew Drury
But it was his decision not to take the books she had demanded that revealed her true colours.
“I did go back again, but my feelings were already changing towards her,” Andrew said.
“It was a little boy’s birthday, and I felt so sorry for him.
“He wanted a Superman outfit, so I would have gone just for that, because I spend a lot of time in refugee camps. It’s not fair for these kids.
“I didn’t take the books Shamima wanted because I didn’t want to. I didn’t want her to have that opportunity to what I saw as studying how to be a victim.
“She opened the clothes, said she didn’t like them. I mean, this is a girl in a prison camp.
“She said, ‘I didn’t really care about the clothes, it was the books I wanted’. So she became quite aggressive in her nature.”
Who is Shamima Begum?
ISIS bride Shamima Begum, who was born in Britain, was stripped of her British citizenship on February 20, 2019.
Begum’s attitude then worsened when Andrew became interested in another girl’s story.
It was one of the final nails in the coffin in the bond Andrew believed they had initially formed.
“Shamima had a tantrum that the attention had been taken away from her,” he said.
“She was like a child that was pretending they were ill.
“So during this period of time I was beginning to feel like the connection was gone.
“It was broken, and I was beginning not to like her.
“I could see things in her I didn’t like. I didn’t trust her. Her behaviour was poor. She was angry and aggressive.
“I had found out from other girls what she was accused of, and they told me the same thing that I had heard before, like sewing suicide vests
“Things were ringing in my head like she said early on that the Manchester bombing was legitimate because of what happened in Iraq and Syria.
“So I didn’t trust her.”
Andrew’s last contact with Begum was around two years ago in a fiery text exchange.
She accused Andrew of “selling her out”, to which he shot back: “You’ve sold your country out.”
Begum last year lost her final appeal challenging the removal of her British citizenship.
She can now no longer fight to overturn the revocation of her citizenship within the UK legal system.
Andrew said: “I think she’s a danger for what she stood for, and I don’t think she could ever come back.
“I think she needs to go on trial in Syria for the crimes she committed against the Syrian people.”
MARKS and Spencer has issued an update for customers with gift vouchers after its cyber attack.
Customers have taken to social media to share their dissatisfaction with the retailer’s latest update.
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M&S have issued an update on its gift vouchersCredit: Getty
It comes as the ongoing chaos has left scores of M&S shoppers unable to use their gift vouchers.
Yet the retail giant initially told customers they won’t get extensions of the expiry dates on vouchers due to expire.
One customer took to X, pleading: “My vouchers expire at the end of this month but I can’t use them. Can I have them extended?”
But M&S responded: “Unfortunately we’re unable to extend vouchers.”
They later appeared to soften, agreeing to “double check” on the customers behalf.
Last month, shoppers also said they’d hit a brick wall.
One couple revealed on the MoneySavingExpert forum that they’ve been saving up vouchers from their M&S credit card for months, only to be told they’d have to use them now or lose them entirely.
The customer posted: “We contacted M&S Customer Support which bluntly said that if we didn’t use the vouchers by their expiry date then that was tough.
“The only option we have is to spend them on something we don’t really need.”
They added that M&S stores aren’t even able to place orders, meaning customers can’t just pop in and buy bigger items either.
Victoria’s Secret forced to take down website over ‘security incident’ leaving shoppers in the dark
Even staff are reportedly unable to order stock, with fears some branches could start running out of essentials altogether.
An MSE forum ambassador said: “Given the number of people this may affect, perhaps thousands as you suggest, I would expect M&S to extend the end date for these.”
While another shopper fumed: “The least they could do is extend the date.”
M&S credit card reward vouchers are valid for 17 months, while shoppers with gift cards have 24 months from the last transaction to spend them.
When The Sun contacted M&S, it advised affected customers to get in touch – but didn’t confirm whether it would offer extensions on a case-by-case basis after all.
A M&S spokesperson said: “The majority of M&S credit card customers redeem their reward vouchers in stores, and they can continue to do so.
“If for any reason customers aren’t able to redeem in store, and their vouchers are due to expire soon, we would ask them to get in touch with us so we can support them.”
Meanwhile, the attack is still causing carnage across the business.
M&S was forced to pull online orders, birthday perks were suspended, and Sparks offers were frozen.
Online shopping is still out of action and is expected to remain patchy until at least July, with fashion, home and beauty sales taking a battering.
Timeline of the attack
Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues.
Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the “cyber incident” in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms “minor, temporary changes” to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts.
Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected.
Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February.
Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S’s share price.
Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home.
Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores.
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 aircraft from Qatar for President Trump to use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The Defense Department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. He added that the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
Trump has defended the gift, which came up during his recent Middle East trip, as a way to save tax dollars.
“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,” Trump posted on his social media site during the trip.
Others, however, have raised concerns about the aircraft being a violation of the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts. They also have noted the need to retrofit the plane to meet security requirements, which would be costly and take time.
Trump was asked about the move Wednesday while he was meeting in the Oval Office with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa. “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” Trump said.
The Republican president has presented no national security imperative for a swift upgrade rather than waiting for Boeing to finish new Air Force One jets that have been in the works for years.
A SAVVY chocolate lover has revealed a hack to get a Hotel Chocolate gift reduced to just 95p, with shoppers claiming they’re “already on it”.
Joseph Stutter took to Facebook to share his bargain trick, which impressed many sweet treat fans.
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Joseph Stutter shared his hack in a Facebook postCredit: Facebook
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The savvy shopper’s hack reduces the price to just 95pCredit: PA
In the post, he shared a photo of a box of chocolates from the popular Hotel Chocolat brand, writing: “If you sign up to the Hotel Chocolat VIP scheme online, you get a £5 voucher near your birthday.
“There’s a £5.50 minimum spend, but the Everything Mini Selection is £5.95 — so these only cost me 95p.”
The Facebook post quickly racked up hundreds of likes and comments from shoppers keen to grab the discounted treat.
One user wrote: “Ooh lovely.”
“Thank you so much for this! It was my birthday last Monday, so this was handy,” commented another.
This savvy shopper added: “Sign up to Lindt as well, they send you a voucher for a box of chocolates on your birthday.”
“I’m already on it,” a fourth said.
It comes after chocolate fans scrambled to their major retailer after it dropped the price of Toblerone bags to just 50p – down from £4.
B&Mis behind the deal, with the Toblerone Tiny Bags (280g) spotted on sale at a branch in Bordon,Hampshire.
One eagle-eyed shopper posted the bargain to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group and said it was in B&M Bordon, Hampshire.
Shopping discounts – How to make savings and find the best bargains
The post quickly caused a stir on social media, with shoppers eager to grab the deal.
One replied: “What a bargain!”
Another, tagging a sibling, wrote: “Dad would be wanting them.”
A third added: “Oh that’s good. My sister lives there lol.”
Remember to compare prices
It is important to always shop around as you might find a cheaper alternative.
Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price.
Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal.
A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for too.
How to save money on chocolate
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…
Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.
Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
President Trump has spent the first major overseas trip of his second administration — next stop Wednesday in Qatar — beating back allegations that he was personally profiting from foreign leaders by accepting a $400-million luxury airliner from the Gulf state’s royal family.
Trump has bristled at the notion that he should turn down such a gift, saying he would be “stupid” to do so and that Democrats were “World Class Losers” for suggesting it was not only wrong but also unconstitutional.
But Democrats were hardly alone in criticizing the arrangement as Trump prepared for broad trade discussions in Doha, the Qatari capital.
Several top Republicans in Congress have expressed concerns about the deal, including that the plane would be a security risk. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday said there were “lots of issues associated with that offer which I think need to be further talked about,” and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), another member of the Republican leadership team, said that Trump and the White House “need to look at the constitutionality” of the deal and that she would be “checking for bugs” on the plane, a clear reference to fears that Qatar may see the jetliner as an intelligence asset.
Criticism of the deal has even arisen among the deep-red MAGA ranks. In an online post echoed by other right-wing influencers in Trump’s orbit, loyalist Laura Loomer wrote that while she would “take a bullet for Trump,” the Qatar deal would be “a stain” on his administration.
The broad outrage in some ways reflected the stark optics of the deal, which would provide Trump with the superluxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet — known as the “palace in the sky” — for free, to be transferred to his personal presidential library upon his departure from office.
Accepting a lavish gift from the Persian Gulf nation makes even some stolid Trump allies queasy because of Qatar’s record of abuses against its Shiite Muslim minority and its funding of Hamas, the militant group whose attack on Israel touched off a prolonged war in the region.
Critics have called the deal an out-and-out bribe for future influence by the Qatari royal family, and one that would clearly come due at some point — raising serious questions around the U.S.’ ability to act with its own geopolitical interests in mind in the future, rather than Qatar’s.
Trump and Qatar have rejected that framing but have also deflected questions about what Qatar expects to receive in return for the jet.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in response to detailed questions from The Times, said in a statement that Trump “is compliant with all conflict-of-interest rules, and only acts in the best interests of the American public — which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media.”
Leavitt has previously said it was “ridiculous” for the media to “suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit,” because he “left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service, not just once, but twice.”
Ali Al-Ansari, media attache at the Qatari Embassy in Washington, did not respond to a request for comment.
Beyond the specific concern about Qatar potentially holding influence over Trump, the jet deal also escalated deeper concerns among critics that Trump, his family and his administration are using their political influence to improperly enrich themselves more broadly — including through the creation of a $Trump cryptocurrency meme coin and a promised Washington dinner for its top investors.
Experts and other critics have for years accused Trump of violating constitutional constraints on the president and other federal officials accepting gifts, or “emoluments,” from foreign states without the express approval of Congress.
During Trump’s first term, allegations that he was flouting the law and using his office to enrich himself — including by maintaining an active stake in his golf courses and former Washington hotel while foreign dignitaries seeking to curry favor with him racked up massive bills there — went all the way to the Supreme Court before being dismissed as moot after he’d been voted out of office.
Since Trump’s return to office, however, concerns over his monetizing the nation’s highest office and the power and influence that come with it have exploded once more — and from disparate corners of the political landscape.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), left, speaks with Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security oversight hearing on May 8, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)
In a speech last month on the Senate floor, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) alleged dozens of examples of Trump and others in his family and administration misusing their positions for personal gain — what Murphy called “mind-blowing corruption” in Trump’s first 100 days.
Murphy mentioned, among other examples, the meme coin and dinner; corporations under federal investigation donating millions to Trump’s inaugural fund and those investigations being halted soon after he took office; reports that Trump has sold meetings with him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for millions of dollars; and Donald Trump Jr.’s creation of a private Washington club with million-dollar dues and promises of interactions with administration officials.
Murphy also noted Trump’s orders to fire inspectors general and other watchdogs meant to keep an eye out for corruption and pay-to-play tactics in the federal government, and his scaling back of laws meant to discourage it, such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Corporate Transparency Act.
“Donald Trump wants to numb this country into believing that this is just how government works. That he’s owed this. That every president is owed this. That government has always been corrupt, and he’s just doing it out in the open,” Murphy said. “But this is not how government works.”
When news of the Qatar jet deal broke, Murphy joined other Democratic colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a statement denouncing it.
“Any president who accepts this kind of gift, valued at $400 million, from a foreign government creates a clear conflict of interest, raises serious national security questions, invites foreign influence, and undermines public trust in our government,” the senators wrote. “No one — not even the president — is above the law.”
Other lawmakers — from both parties — have also weighed in.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) blasted Trump’s acceptance of the plane as his “lastest con” and a clear attempt by the Qatari government to “curry favor” with him.
“This is why the emoluments clause is in the Constitution to begin with. It was put in there for a reason,” Schiff said. “And the reason was that the founding fathers wanted to make sure that any action taken by the president of the United States, or frankly any other person holding federal public office, wasn’t going to be influenced by getting some big gift.”
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday that he did not think it was a “good idea” for Trump to accept the jet — which he said wouldn’t “pass the smell test” for many Americans.
Experts and those further out on the American political spectrum agreed.
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley School of Law and an expert in constitutional law, said the gift of the jet, “if it is to Trump personally,” clearly violates a provision that precludes the president from receiving any benefit from a foreign country, which America’s founders barred because they were concerned about “foreign governments holding influence over the president.”
Richard Painter, the top White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said that Trump accepting the jet would be unconstitutional. And he scoffed at the ethics of doing business with a nation that has been criticized as having a bleak human rights record.
“After spending millions helping Hamas build tunnels and rockets, Qatar has enough to buy this emolumental gift for” Trump, Painter wrote on X. “But the Constitution says Congress must consent first.”
Painter criticized the White House justifying the deal by saying that Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi had “signed off” on it, given Bondi’s past work for the Qatari government, and said he knew of no precedent for a president receiving a lavish gift without the approval of Congress. He noted that Ambassador Benjamin Franklin received a diamond-encrusted snuff box from France’s King Louis XVI, but only with the OK from Congress.
Robert Weissman, co-president of the progressive nonprofit Public Citizen, said that it was unclear whether Trump would heed the cautionary notes coming from within his own party, but that the Republican-controlled Congress should nonetheless vote on whether the jet was a proper gift for him to receive.
“If the members of Congress think this is fine, then they can say so,” Weissman said, “and the voters can hold them accountable.”
Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, a prominent backer of Trump, criticized the deal on his podcast Monday, saying that Trump supporters would “all be freaking out” if Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had accepted it.
“President Trump promised to drain the swamp,” Shapiro said. “This is not, in fact, draining the swamp.”
May 11 (UPI) — The Qatari Royal Family has planned to gift a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to President Donald Trump to be used for Air Force One and for his own private use when his presidency ends, reports said Sunday.
The gift is expected to be formally announced when Trump visits Qatar next week, according to the reports. Trump toured the plane when it was parked at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February.
A Qatari representative, however, told Axios that while reports of Trump being gifted a jet were “inaccurate,” Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense are discussing the possible temporary use of an aircraft as Air Force One.
If it is gifted, the jet could become the most valuable gift ever from a foreign government to the United States, ABC News reported. Its $400 million estimated price tag surpasses the estimated $250,000 cost of constructing the Statue of Liberty — which was gifted to the United States from France.
But the expected acceptance of the gift by Trump raises questions of its legality, raising the possibility that the president could face scrutiny for bribery or violating the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The Emoluments Clause prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts, payments or other benefits from foreign governments without the consent of Congress but there is debate as to whether it applies to elected officials. According to Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, the interpretation of the clause has never been litigated before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lawyers for the White House reportedly expect accepting the gift to draw scrutiny and have drafted an analysis for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which concludes that it is legal for the U.S. Defense Department to accept the gift and then to later hand it over to Trump’s presidential library for his private use when he leaves office.
The Trump administration is looking to the precedent set by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in handling the ethical considerations of accepting a retired presidential aircraft.
The Reagan Library boasts a 90,000-square-foot exhibit hangar that permanently displays a Boeing VC-137C aircraft with the tail letters SAM 27000, which entered service as Air Force One under President Richard Nixon.
Though the plane was used by each president until George W. Bush, it is best known in relation to Reagan and was gifted to his library when it was decommissioned in 2001. Reagan died in 2004.
The difference between the use of the two gifts that could pose a challenge for Trump is that the Reagan Library immediately installed it for permanent display while Trump is reported to be planning to continue using it for personal travel.
Trump currently owns a Boeing 757 that dates to the early 1990s. The jet was originally operated by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen before Trump purchased it in 2011.
Two new Air Force One planes have been in the works since at least 2018 when the Air Force awarded a $3.9 billion contract for two modified Boeing 747-8 planes that were expected for delivery by 2024.
Trump told ABC News in 2019 that he wanted to change up the traditional baby blue and white pattern chosen by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s to a new color scheme that resembled that of his private jet.
Boeing started modifying the first of the two aircraft in February 2020 and the second in June 2020. According to a 2022 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the company had completed major structural modifications on the first aircraft and is now preparing it for wiring installations.
However, at the time, Boeing struggled to find workers to complete the modifications because of a “competitive labor market” and “lower-than-planned security clearance approval rates.” The Air Force later lowered security clearance standards to make it easier to find workers.
Last week, Defense One reported that Boeing has told the Air Force it can deliver the new jets by 2027 if the government loosens some requirements.
