grim

AN ANIMAL charity has called out Katie Price with a brutal Halloween-themed costume and addressing what they deem the “grim fate” of pets in her care.

The shock seasonal dress-up attire, courtesy of PETA, comes against the backdrop of a petition designed at preventing the former glamour model from being a pet-mum, which has now reached more than 37,000 signatures.

It has also reared its head weeks after Katie, 47, welcomed a new puppy to her home.

Previously, the animal rights charity offered the mum of five a whopper £5,000 sum to stop her owning more animals – something which she rejected.

Now they have gone one step further to make their point, creating a £34.99 outfit mimicking KP.

It includes a mask resembling the I’m A Celeb star, a vest with the slogan Grim Reaper and a very eerie coffin filled with animals.

wrong step

Katie Price narrowly avoids stepping on her tiny new puppy

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To complete the spooky look, there’s a black and silver scythe included within the Grim Reaper for Pets get-up.

Talking of the significance of the October outfit, PETA Vice President for UK and Europe Mimi Bekhechi told MirrorOnline: “Too many animals have met a grim fate under Katie Price’s ‘guardianship.’

“This Halloween costume may be a joke – but the message is not: being responsible for lives and needs of animals who are entirely dependent on you is serious business.

“And anyone who doesn’t treat it as such needs to stick to stuffed toys.”

They added of the costume: “All proceeds support work to promote responsible animal guardianship, as well as spay/neuter surgeries to help fight the homeless-animal overpopulation crisis!”

Recently, Katie’s home life was thrown into chaos last month when her cat Doris had kittens, yet they became seriously unwell.

NEW POOCH

Earlier this month, Katie took to her Snapchat page to showcase her new tiny puppy cuddling on her shoulder as she told fans she was “so tired”.

In another slide, she spoke of her new family member purely to say: “And this little one just does not leave my side.

“I can’t wait for him to meet Rookie, he’s met all of the other animals.

“This is Rookie’s new little friend for when we go horse riding, walks, everything.”

Katie was recently slammed for allegedly putting black dog Rookie in danger as she headed on a horse ride.

Katie Price – court battles

KATIE Price has had her fair share of brushes with the law. Here we detail four of those:

It came just weeks after she was called out by the animal charity over a “dangerous” move which saw her dog hanging out of her car window.

PET BACKLASH

A petition was previously created to stop Katie from owning animals amid concern for their welfare in her care.

It came about after a number of complaints from fans over how she handles the multiple animals she has owned over the years.

Over the years, a number of tragic incidents involving Katie’s pets have been revealed.

This includes her German Shepherd guard dog being killed after being hit by a vehicle on the A24, which was close to Katie’s East Sussex home.

It happened just seven months after another of Katie’s dogs, Sharon, was killed on the same road.

Katie’s horse was also killed on the A24, after it broke free from her field.

In 2020, her French Bulldog Rolo suffocated after being squashed underneath a chair.

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Katie also had to give away an out-of-control Alsatian, Bear, for attacking other animals.

A small segment of her furious followers have then quizzed “how are you allowed to keep animals?” as they voiced their anger.

The California Department of Justice will sue the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and its sheriff, Robert Luna, for what Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta called a “humanitarian crisis” inside of the county jails.

Inmates are housed in unsafe, dirty facilities infested with roaches and rats, Bonta said in a news conference Monday, and lack basic access to clean water and edible food. “More alarming, people are dying,” he said.

There have been over 205 in-custody deaths in four years, Bonta said, with 40% caused by suicide, homicides and overdoses. He called for comprehensive reform, but said the county forced his hand by refusing to comply.

“I’d prefer collaboration over litigation, but the county has left us with no choice, so litigation it is,” he said.

Bonta called for L.A. County and the sheriff’s department to provide inmates with adequate medical, dental and mental health care, protect them from harm, provide safe and humane confinement conditions. He also called on jail officials to better accommodate the needs of disabled inmates and those with limited English proficiency.

Bonta painted a dark portrait of L.A. County’s jails, describing filthy conditions, vermin and insect infestations, a lack of clean water and moldy and spoiled food. He said prisoners face difficulty obtaining basic hygiene items and are not permitted to spend enough time outside of their cells.

L.A. County, which houses the largest jail system in the country, has long been criticized for poor conditions. As it has expanded to hold around 13,000 people on any given day, decades — perhaps a century — of mistreatment and overcrowding have been documented.

The system lost a federal lawsuit in 1978 after decades of dirty, mold-ridden and overcrowded jails prompted inmates to fight back through the courts, and frequently faces suits alleging it fails to provide proper food, water and shelter.

The state’s lawsuit comes amid a years-long struggle to close and replace Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, from which inspectors regularly document poor conditions: mold, mildew, insufficient food and water and, more recently, a report last year that said jailers were too busy watching an “explicit video” to notice a noose hung inside a cell.

“In June 2024, the Sybil Brand Commission reported that multiple dorms at Men’s Central were overcrowded with broken toilets, some containing feces that could not be flushed; a urinal that caused ‘effluence to emerge through the mid-floor drain’ when flushed; and ceilings that had been painted over to cover mold,” Bonta’s office wrote in its complaint.

In addition to Luna and the sheriff’s department, the county Department of Health Services, Correctional Health Services and its director, Timothy Belavich, were also named as defendants.

The lawsuit decried the “dilapidated physical condition of the facility and the numerous instances of violence and death within its walls.” It went on to explain that the county Board of Supervisors voted to close the chronically overcrowded Men’s Central Jail twice, including in 2020.

The sheriff’s department has said it would be difficult to close the jail because of the high volume of inmate admissions and lack of viable alternatives.

But in-custody deaths this year are on track for what Bonta’s office described as at least a 20-year high with 36 reported so far, or about one a week, according to the county’s website.

Inmates have been known to set fires in rooms with no smoke alarms — not to cause mischief, but to cook and supplement cold, sometimes inedible meals.

Some inmates — many of whom have been arrested recently and have not been convicted of crimes — are left to sleep on urine-soaked floors with trash bags as blankets and no access to medications and working plumbing. A 2022 lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union called the conditions “medieval.”

“The LASD jails,” the state attorney general’s office wrote in the complaint, “have a longstanding history of deplorable conditions and constitutional violations.”

A recent visitor to a hotel dubbed the UK’s worst said their room was dirty, had stained walls and smelt of sewage with no ventilation – although remarkably they found one aspect of the premises ‘magnificent’

It was always going to be a bit of a risk staying at what has in recent years been labelled the worst hotel in the UK by other appalled guests. However one plucky visitor decided to see if the reviews really were justified at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough.

Sadly they claim their stay there pretty much lived up to expectations with a dusty room, dirty toilet and foul smell coming from the bathroom, which they didn’t want to get undressed in.

The restaurant was also a let down with ‘stale’ food, ‘dirty cutlery’ and staff struggling to clear up the mess left behind by other diners. However there was one part of the large Victorian building that surprised them with its beauty.

Posting under the name Angiebarbara, the appalled traveller shared their thoughts on Tripadvisor in a critique entitled ‘The not so grand!’. They had visited the beach front hotel, which overlooks Scarborough’s harbour and South bay in August this year and had clearly read the large volume of poor reviews previously written. “Unfortunately the many not so great reviews are true and I had to see it first hand to believe it,” they wrote before going into great detail about what they discovered.

“The rooms are dirty with dust, holes and spills up the walls, creaky floors and filthy windows that don’t open and have no air con or ventilation and are tiny and constricted. When you first walk in the smell really hits you and especially as you open the bathroom door. All I can describe the smell of is raw sewage and the stuffiness of the room makes it overbearing,” they said, adding that the beds were “small with sunken matresses and hard pillows”.

They were so disgusted by the “tiny” bathroom itself that they didn’t want to undress in there, preferring to keep their footwear on instead. They said it: “Had ground dirt in the walls and flooring, rusty taps and mouldy shower and brown stains on the ceiling. The toilet was stained. The shower was missing a glass panel, not that I’d have attempted to undress in there, it was bad enough walking in with my shoes on,” they fumed.

Elsewhere in the hotel, they found ‘unclean’ cutlery and glasses in the dining room at breakfast with staff unable to keep up with the clearing required, so the reviewer, “had to brush the seats before sitting down and dodge the debris on the floor”. The food itself didn’t fare any better with, “dry, stale bread and puddings” and “discoloured vegetables”.

Although the imposing building is Grade II listed, the front of the premises has little “kerb appeal”, according to the guest, who said it was littered with dustbins and “overflowing rubbish and bird excrement covering them and the paths”. The ‘unwelcoming’ seating area was also covered in bird mess too they said.

However they did flag that it was a “shame” the entrance to the building let down the south side because the views there were surprisingly “magnificent”. They concluded their scathing review by advising the management to spend a whole lot of cash to improve visitor experience. “If you’re looking for basic standard accommodation do not stay here at the not so grand hotel,” they wrote. “In my opinion this hotel needs several million pounds spent on it to restore its reputation and quality. Shame on whoever has let such a beautiful piece of Baroque style architecture turn to rubble!”

The property is owned by Britannia Hotels, which bought it in 2004. It did actually invest a whopping £7million refurbishing it and in 2017 it was named by Historic Britain as one of the top ten places, buildings and historical sites that tell the story of England and its impact on the world. When it was opened in 1867 it was the largest hotel and brick structure in Europe and was designed in a V shape to honour Queen Victoria. It was during this period that the hotel was a favourite among the elite in society.

These days though, business doesn’t seem to be quite as positive, with a poor 2.4 Tripadvisor rating and 4,325 people rating it terrible. Others that have recently stayed there have also shared their thoughts. One raged: “Avoid this vile hotel! We got put into room 1010 which is in the basement. The hotel had a vile smell, it was dirty, in need of renovation, and downright vile. The windows were full of dirt and bird muck and you couldn’t see out of them, the wardrobe had coat hangers slung on the floor with an old ironing board slung in there, there were cobwebs hanging down from the ceiling. I would not put my dog in that basement never mind human beings.”

Another advised to “avoid” it all costs: “The whole place is filthy, ignorant receptionists and terrible food,” they wrote. “Do not go here, clearly needs some new management. Credit to the lads on the bar, they were actually polite and showed some professionalism.”

However there is the occasional happy camper, with one being “pleasantly surprised” after hearing of its reputation: “After reading the reviews I wasn’t expecting much but everything was good,” they posted. “My room was spacious and clean. The bathroom looked newly fitted. I also had a sea view. The ground floor was beautifully decorated, where the reception, ballroom, bar etc are situated. The food was good. Breakfast and evening meals are self service. A spectacular building.”

Other positive reviews point to the hotel’s location near to the centre and the seafront. Some love the nostalgic charm of the building itself, while others find that aspect means it looks shabby and needs refurbishment.

The General Manager often replies to the reviews, which presumably takes up a large portion of his day. He posted a “genuinely sorry” message to Angiebarbara apologising for all the issues they encountered during their stay. “Cleanliness, comfort, and service are areas we take seriously, and it’s clear from your comments that we fell short in several respects,” they wrote addressing the complaints, adding: “Your observations regarding the condition of the room, the food quality, and the upkeep of the property have been noted and will be reviewed with our management and operational teams.”

Mirror Online has contacted Britannia Hotels for comment.

An experienced cabin crew assistant and author revealed that on one particular airline there was a special space reserved for the most gruesome eventuality during a flight

There are many unseen happenings that take place on an aircraft while you manoeuvre your way down the narrow aisle trying to locate your seat, store your cabin luggage overhead and settle back for what you hope is a relaxing and smooth flight to your chosen destination.

Cabin crew members often share their secrets of life in the sky and what really goes on, with some grisly warnings of things to avoid when flying.

One experienced assistant has revealed what she’s learnt and witnessed behind the scenes during her years working for a US airline and there’s one quite morbid detail many travellers would never have known about.

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Heather Poole has worked for a major carrier for over 15 years and is the author of Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet. She has spoken about the rather morbid topic of death on board an airplane.

Although she says it’s very rare for a passenger to die in the air, it obviously does and can happen – although no one officially passes away in flight unless there is a doctor on board to pronounce it.

Speaking to mentalfloss.com, she said that in such challenging circumstances most stewards would rather move the deceased to an empty row of seats where they can be covered over away from other passengers, although this isn’t always possible.

“On these very rare occasions, the crew will do everything possible to manage the situation with sensitivity and respect,” she said. “Unfortunately, most flights are full, so it’s not always possible to move an “incapacitated” passenger to an empty row of seats.”

Heather revealed that one company, Singapore Airlines, decided to get around the problem with a “corpse cupboard”. This she explained was “a compartment for storing a dead body if the situation arises”.

The company installed the locker on its Airbus A340-500 in 2004 next to one of the aircraft’s exit doors. It was big enough to hold an average-sized human body and had special straps to secure the corpse and stop it being moved by turbulence or on landing.

It only chose this particular type of aircraft for the cupboard because it operated on extra long haul flights from Singapore to New York and Los Angeles. The routes had some of the longest distances in the world, with flight times of 18-19 hours. The fleet was retired in 2013-14 and the lockers aren’t used on any other airlines currently.

While Heather said she thankfully hasn’t had to deal with a death on board, her room mate has – and in some rather strange circumstances. She revealed that her friend realised a passenger was trying to sneak a dead body on the flight.

“She knew the man was dead the moment she saw him looking grey and slumped over in a wheelchair, even though his wife and daughter assured her he was just battling the flu,” she said. “Midway through the flight, the plane had to make an unscheduled landing when it became apparent that no amount of Nyquil was going to revive him.”

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Lily Phillips is the subject of a new episode of Stacey Dooley’s show, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, where she talks about her decision to leave university and enter the adult content creator industry

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to learn that their child has become an adult content creator. But that is the reality for the parents of Only Fans star Lily Phillips, 23.

Lily grew up in a small village in Derbyshire and dropped out of university after a few months to join the online platform. In her first 24 hours online, she made £2,000 and has since gone on to pull a number of ‘live stunts’ which has seen her sleep with 100 men in one day, taking her content very much offline as well.

“When I started that, I was like wow – I found a glitch in the matrix and I can make money doing what I love,” she says. Quickly, the conversation comes up about her parents feel about it.

“I described it to them as more like glamour modelling. Obviously, they were concerned at the start – are you safe, as long as it’s only online,” she says, before admitting she hadn’t told her parents about her latest ‘stunt’.

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The stunts happen in person – rather than online – and Lily will go out and physically recruit people for them. No one is off limits. The content was so shocking that none of it ended up in the documentary.

In a candid chat, Lily got emotional as she spoke with her parents on her regular Sunday catch up, joined by documentary maker and journalist Stacey Dooley. Speaking on Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, her dad says: “We’ve known for years she’s done OnlyFans and I thought it was just posing in swimwear and lingerie.”

“When she said she was doing Only Fans, we stood back because we want to continue our relationship with our daughter. We were pretty open with it, but when it went to the next step, we were like ‘no no’,” her mum says. Heartbreakingly, her dad says: “If there’s anything we could do to change her profession, we’d do it overnight … It’s the degradingness of it and making sure that she’s safe.”

Her dad says: “Sometimes we think have we done anything wrong with her upbringing, well as far as I’m concerned we’ve had nothing but nice times and love … Is it money? Because if it was money, we’d sell our house. You could have everything you want Lily if you gave it all up now.” When asked how she feels, Lily says she understands and respects how they feel and “that’s that”.

The conversation later gets too much for Lily and she walks away, hearing her parents get emotional over their daughter’s career choice. “I don’t want to be on camera, I just need a moment,” she says. Her mum is also emotional as they both apologise for upsetting her, as her dad says he receives calls from random people saying ‘I hope your daughter dies’.

Lily says she’d do anything to stop her parents being affected by what she does – but talk of money doesn’t come easy for Lily. When pressed by Stacey about how much she earns, Lily eventually confesses to being a multi-millionaire.

“So the subscribers, they’ll give a tenner and she’s got 33,000 so that’s £330,000 a month,” Stacey reveals during one of Lily’s live videos – which all gets too much and Stacey walks out, unable to watch it continue.

Her empire has allowed her to buy her dream car outright and finance isn’t even a word Lily needs to think about. “Does multimillionaire mean lots of millions in the bank? I’d say multimillionaire,” she says rather bashfully, before adding: “I’m so English – I find money so uncomfortable to talk about… I find it a little bit distasteful.”

It comes just weeks after the Channel 4 documentary on her fellow adult content creator Bonnie Blue was criticised for appearing to promote their career choice with young women looking to enter into the industry.

At just 23-years-old, Lily believes she’s slept with over 1,000 men. One of her most viral videos – which saw her sleep with 100 men in one day – earned her a seven figure sum. Despite her parents’ worries, she has no plans to stop doing what she does.

When asked by Stacey if there was a world where she’d stop what she did, she say she wouldn’t. “I don’t see it as that extreme,” she says, appearing to double down on her decision to stay in the industry.

“Is all of this worth it?” Stacey asks Lily, who tells her: “I can’t imagine what else I’d be doing. It gives me so much drive and a reason to wake up in the morning. This is something that isn’t degrading for me – I still have to live my life how I want to.”

Lily’s appearance on Stacey’s show has been hit with furious backlash. One wrote: ‘I’m just losing my conviction towards Stacey’s content and the authenticity of her views… is it just documentary clickbait.” Another said: “Really disappointing, just don’t think Stacey Dooley should be promoting or giving this girl a platform. Lowest derivative entertainment, a real regression in content from Stacey.”

A study, published in 2021, revealed that one in five Britons open to working in adult industry, with 32% of those aged 18-34 saying they were tempted by the money – but is a show like this serving a warning or promoting it as lifestyle choice?

*Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over is available to stream on U.

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

An experienced flight attendant has revealed the one thing to avoid doing on airplanes if you don’t want to risk sharing other people’s bodily fluids and germs

A flight attendant who shares her adventures in the sky on social media has provided some insider advice on what passengers should definitely avoid while onboard.

Natalie Magee has been flying for 20 years so certainly knows what she’s talking about. She’s seen the good, the bad and the very ugly during her time looking after airline travellers.

However, there’s one particular freebie that Natalie recommends refusing, especially on shorter flights because the risk of getting up close and far too personal with other people’s germs is horribly high.

Zooming through the clouds can often mean that it gets a bit nippy at times in the cabin, particularly if flying at night when the sun has gone down. So passengers may need a blanket to keep warm and cosy.

Complimentary blankets used to be provided by airlines on most flights for chilly customers but these days because of cost-cutting and environmental concerns it’s usually only international, long-haul and first-class passengers that they are available too.

You may not think that’s such a bad thing though when you discover what could be found on them either. According to Natalie, hair, food, bodily fluids and mould could all be lurking in the folds of the material.

She says travellers use them to wipe their nose, clean up spills and even to catch their toenail clippings but that’s not all. “Probably one of the grossest things I’ve seen is someone using blankets to change their baby’s diaper,” Natalie, who is from Colorado, US, told Travel + Leisure.

That wouldn’t be such a problem if they were laundered after every use but that doesn’t always happen, according to the expert. “Most airlines have contract cleaners that take the blankets off after international flights and wash them in hot water, then seal them in plastic bags to be reused,” she explained. “However, on domestic flights, I’ve had blankets on my flights that we are instructed to just refold and put back in the bin.”

As a general rule she says if they aren’t in a sealed bag, they aren’t sanitary. So if you are someone who feels the cold when flying or needs to be covered to have a snooze, she recommends taking your own blanket. This way you know it’s clean and you won’t be snuggling up with someone else’s germs or illnesses.

Natalie has previously shared some of her many in-flight “peeves” and the most annoying things that passengers do. Along with parents changing babies on tray tables, people walking to the toilet barefoot and clipping their toenails while on board, she reveals one of her biggest pet hates is also hygiene related.

In a TikTok video she said she hates it, “when people don’t shut the bathroom door or leave the bathroom a mess. Also when you can hear it flush but not the sink so you know they didn’t wash their hands.”

Despite the niggles of life in the air with total strangers in a confined space, she reckons most flight attendants think of the aircraft as their own domain, which is why they want people to treat it well. “We would love it if people treated the space as their home and were tidy and respectful,” she said.

Natalie also believes it makes such a difference when passengers are polite and kind. “Honestly, when people say ‘thank you’ when they are getting off the plane (it is really great),” she reveals. “Or when they take the time to look at us when we are doing the beverage service and say please and thank you, we really appreciate it. I also like people who help others with their bags, especially mums and the elderly as we can’t always help everyone when boarding.”

According to Andrea Platania of Transfeero, while most guests assume everything is spotless when you enter a hotel room, kettles are rarely checked thoroughly by housekeeping

When you arrive at a hotel, the last thing you want to do is think about germs, creepy crawlies or unhygienic habits left behind by past guests.

Most of us throw our bags on the bed and head out to enjoy the holiday. But, according to the germ-conscious travel professionals at Transfeero, skipping a couple of quick checks could be a mistake.

Andrea Platania says hotel staff often see things that most guests never suspect. After speaking to waiters, receptionists, cleaners and even chefs, he shared the top things you should always do as soon as you step into your hotel room.

“People book holidays to make memories, not to deal with unpleasant surprises. That’s why it’s worth taking two minutes to check your room properly before settling in. Trust me, hotel staff see far more than you’d imagine,” Andrea said.

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One of the less glamorous tips is to open the kettle before you use it. According to Andrea, while most guests assume everything is spotless, kettles are rarely checked thoroughly by housekeeping.

“There have been cases where guests have put things inside kettles that should never be there,” he said. “I’ve heard of everything from socks to much worse. Unless you want your morning tea tasting like regret, always check before boiling.”

And it’s not just the kettle that needs a second look. Platania warns that minibars can also hide unpleasant surprises.

“A hotel worker once told me a guest urinated into a minibar bottle, screwed the cap back on, and left it there. The next person opened it thinking they’d found a refreshing drink,” he revealed.

For that reason, the expert recommends making sure the seals on all minibar bottles are intact before taking a sip. “If the seal looks tampered with, avoid it. It’s not worth the risk. Buy your drinks at the bar instead, so that at least you know what you’re getting.”

If your trip takes you somewhere hot, another unexpected danger could be hiding in the toilet. Andrea explained that the porcelain bowl and the underside of the seat are ideal hiding spots for insects.

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“In warmer climates, it’s not unusual to find spiders or cockroaches setting up camp in the toilet bowl,” he said. “The safest thing to do is flush before you use it, especially if you’ve just checked in or returned after a day out.”

It may sound like an overreaction, but those who’ve had an unexpected encounter with a spider on the loo seat will know it’s advice worth taking.

THERE are fears for a Thai princess after the royal palace shared a concerning health update following her three-year-long coma battle.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn, is said to have developed a severe infection.

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The 46-year-old, affectionately known as Princess Bha, collapsed in December, 2022, while training her dogs in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast of Bangkok.

She has been in a coma ever since.

The Bureau of the Royal Household gave the first update on her condition in more than two years on Friday, saying she had suffered a “severe” blood infection.

The palace said in a following update that a team of doctors were closely monitoring her situation.

It read: “The medical team said that she remains in a state of low blood pressure, requiring continuous treatment.

“Doctors are administering medication to stabilise her blood pressure, along with medical equipment and antibiotics to support kidney function and breathing.”

Over the years, some reports have suggested her health condition is far more serious than the palace is letting on.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha was training her dogs at a working dog championship organised by the Thaiarmy when she collapsed.

Paramedics rushed her to a nearby hospital before a helicopter took her to Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn health facility.

Bajrakitiyabha is the daughter of the king’s first wife, Princess Soamsawali.

She has been part of her father’s inner circle since he came to the throne in 2016 and is a senior officer in the king’s personal guard.

The fitness enthusiast is widely viewed as the most suitable successor for her father, who turned 70 this year.

She has post-graduate law degrees from two US universities and has long called for prison reforms in Thailand.

She was also the Thai ambassador to Austria between 2012 and 2014.

The 73-year-old king, who has seven children from four marriages, has not announced his chosen heir.

Though succession rules in Thailand favour men.

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Hillary Clinton has shared her grim prediction on the future of same-sex marriage in the US.

On 15 August, the former Secretary of State stopped by the Raging Moderates podcast to discuss some of the most “pressing challenges of our time”, including Donald Trump’s volatile presidency, the future of democracy in the US and the economy.

In addition to the aforementioned topics, Clinton shared her candid thoughts on the recent petition formally asking the US Supreme Court to overturn the Obergefell v. Hodges rulling.

In 2015, the landmark 5-4 decision legalised same sex marriage in all 50 states.

While some legal experts have expressed doubt that the Court will hear the case, Clinton didn’t share the same sentiment.

“American voters and, to some extent, the American media don’t understand how many years the Republicans have been working in order to get us to this point,” she explained.

“It took 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court will hear a case about gay marriage. My prediction is they will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion. They will send it back to the states.”

Clinton went on to encourage LGBTQIA+ couples to consider getting married in the meantime.

“I don’t think they’ll undo existing marriages, but I fear that they will undo the national right. And so fewer than half the states will recognise gay marriage,” she continued.

Elsewhere in her interview, the former First Lady and presidential candidate shed light on the Republican Party’s political game plan regarding the 2026 midterm elections.

“There are going to be real world consequences, but a lot of them are not likely to hit with the velocity and intensity until after the 2026 election. So they’re trying to set it up so that they can win that election and dump all of this other bad news on the American people,” she explained.

“And they’re doing state capture of capitalism. State capture of institutions. The courts are doing their best, but, you know, it’s a slow process. And the Supreme Court gave Trump a big victory when they say no nationwide injunctions to stop allegedly illegal activity.



“So, I think that in an election we have a better fighting chance, but we’re going to be fighting with maybe one or even two hands tied behind us if Texas does what it wants to do, if other states do what Trump tells them to do because they don’t want a fair fight. They don’t want to have a fight about the issues. They want to distract and divert attention away from all of their problems.”

As previously mentioned, former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis – who made headlines in 2015 when she refused to issue marriage licenses to LGBTQIA+ couples – filed a petition in July, urging the US Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges.

In the filing, she described the ruling as being “grounded entirely on the legal fiction of substantive due process” and further claimed that it forced her to choose “between her religious beliefs and her job.”

For more information about the petition and expert opinions on whether the Court will hear the case, click here.

In a police department with a long tradition of colorful nicknames — from “Jigsaw John” to “Captain Hollywood” — LAPD Sgt. Joseph Lloyd stands out.

“The Grim Reaper.”

At least that’s what some on the force have taken to calling the veteran Internal Affairs detective, usually out of earshot.

According to officers who have found themselves under investigation by Lloyd, he seems to relish the moniker and takes pleasure in ending careers, even if it means twisting facts and ignoring evidence.

But Lloyd’s backers maintain his dogged pursuit of the truth is why he has been entrusted with some of the department’s most politically sensitive and potentially embarrassing cases.

Lloyd, 52, declined to comment. But The Times spoke to more than half a dozen current or former police officials who either worked alongside him or fell under his scrutiny.

During the near decade that he’s been in Internal Affairs, Lloyd has investigated cops of all ranks.

When a since-retired LAPD officer was suspected of running guns across the Mexican border, the department turned to Lloyd to bust him.

In 2020, when it came out that members of the elite Metropolitan Division were falsely labeling civilians as gang members in a police database, Lloyd was tapped to help unravel the mess.

And when a San Fernando Valley anti-gang squad was accused in 2023 of covering up shakedowns of motorists, in swooped the Reaper again.

Recently he was assigned to a department task force looking into allegations of excessive force by police against activists who oppose the government’s immigration crackdown.

At the LAPD, as in most big-city police departments across the country, Internal Affairs investigators tend to be viewed with suspicion and contempt by their colleagues. They usually try to operate in relative anonymity.

Not Lloyd.

The 24-year LAPD veteran has inadvertently become the face of a pitched debate over the LAPD’s long-maligned disciplinary system. The union that represents most officers has long complained that well-connected senior leaders get favorable treatment. Others counter that rank-and-file cops who commit misconduct are routinely let off the hook.

A recent study commissioned by Chief Jim McDonnell found that perceived unfairness in internal investigations is a “serious point of contention” among officers that has contributed to low morale. McDonnell has said he wants to speed up investigations and better screen complaints, but efforts by past chiefs and the City Council to overhaul the system have repeatedly stalled.

Sarah Dunster, 40, was a sergeant working in the LAPD’s Hollywood division in 2021 when she learned she was under investigation for allegedly mishandling a complaint against one of her officers, who was accused of groping a woman he arrested.

Dunster said she remembers being interviewed by Lloyd, whose questions seemed designed to trip her up and catch her in a lie, rather than aimed at hearing her account of what happened, she said. Some of her responses never made it into Lloyd’s report, she said.

“He wanted to fire me,” she said.

Dunster was terminated over the incident, but she appealed and last week a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted a reprieve that allows her to potentially get her job back.

Others who have worked with Lloyd say he is regarded as a savvy investigator who is unfairly being vilified for discipline decisions that are ultimately made by the chief of police. A supervisor who oversaw Lloyd at Internal Affairs — and requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media — described him as smart, meticulous and “a bulldog.”

“Joe just goes where the facts lead him and he doesn’t have an issue asking the hard questions,” the supervisor said.

On more than one occasion, the supervisor added, Internal Affairs received complaints from senior department officials who thought that Lloyd didn’t show them enough deference during interrogations. Other supporters point to his willingness to take on controversial cases to hold officers accountable, even while facing character attacks from his colleagues, their attorneys and the powerful Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Officers have sniped about his burly build, tendency to smile during interviews and other eccentricities. He wears two watches — one on each wrist, a habit he has been heard saying he picked up moonlighting as a high school lacrosse referee.

But he has also been criticized as rigid and uncompromising, seeming to fixate only on details that point to an officer’s guilt. People he has grilled say that when he doesn’t get the answer he’s looking for, he has a Columbo-esque tendency to ask the same question in different ways in an attempt to elicit something incriminating.

And instead of asking officers to clarify any discrepancies in their statements, Lloyd automatically assumes they are lying, some critics said.

Mario Munoz, a former LAPD Internal Affairs lieutenant who opened a boutique firm that assists officers fighting employment and disciplinary cases, recently released a scathing 60-page report questioning what he called a series of troubling lapses in the LAPD’s 2023 investigation of the Mission gang unit. The report name-drops Lloyd several times.

The department accused several Mission officers of stealing brass knuckles and other items from motorists in the San Fernando Valley, and attempting to hide their actions from their supervisors by switching off their body-worn cameras.

Munoz said he received calls from officers who said Lloyd had violated their due process rights, which potentially opens the city up to liability. Several have since lodged complaints against Lloyd with the department. He alleged Lloyd ultimately singled out several “scapegoats to shield higher-level leadership from scrutiny.”

Until he retired from the LAPD in 2014, Munoz worked as both an investigator and an auditor who reviewed landmark internal investigations into the beating of Black motorist Rodney King and the Rampart gang scandal in which officers were accused of robbing people and planting evidence, among other crimes.

Munoz now echoes a complaint from current officers that Internal Affairs in general, and Lloyd in particular, operate to protect the department’s image at all costs.

“He’s the guy that they choose because he doesn’t question management,” Munoz said of Lloyd.

In the Mission case, Munoz pointed to inconsistent outcomes for two captains who oversaw the police division accused of wrongdoing: One was transferred and later promoted, while another is fighting for his job amid accusations that he failed to rein in his officers.

Two other supervisors — Lt. Mark Garza and Sgt. Jorge “George” Gonzalez — were accused by the department of creating a “working environment that resulted in the creation of a police gang,” according to an internal LAPD report. Both Garza and Gonzalez have sued the city, alleging that even though they reported the wrongdoing as soon as they became aware of it, they were instead punished by the LAPD after the scandal became public.

According to Munoz’s report and interviews with department sources, Lloyd was almost single-handedly responsible for breaking the Mission case open.

It began with a complaint in late December 2022 made by a motorist who said he was pulled over and searched without reason in a neighboring patrol area. Lloyd learned that the officers involved had a pattern of not documenting traffic stops — exploiting loopholes in the department’s auditing system for dashboard and body cameras. The more Lloyd dug, the more instances he uncovered of these so-called “ghost stops.”

A few months later, undercover Internal Affairs detectives began tailing the two involved officers — something that Garza and Gonzalez both claimed they were kept in the dark about.

As of last month, four officers involved had been fired and another four had pending disciplinary hearings where their jobs hung in the balance. Three others resigned before the department could take action. The alleged ringleader, Officer Alan Carrillo, faces charges of theft and “altering, planting or concealing evidence.” Court records show he was recently offered pretrial diversion by L.A. County prosecutors, which could spare him jail but require him to stop working in law enforcement. Carrillo has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In an interview with The Times, Gonzalez — the sergeant who is facing termination — recalled a moment during a recorded interrogation that he found so troubling he contacted the police union director Jamie McBride, to express concern. McBride, he said, went to Lloyd’s boss, then-deputy chief Michael Rimkunas, seeking Lloyd’s removal from Internal Affairs.

The move failed. Lloyd kept his job.

Rimkunas confirmed the exchange with the police union leader in an interview with The Times.

He said that while he couldn’t discuss Lloyd specifically due to state personnel privacy laws, in general the department assigns higher-profile Internal Affairs cases to detectives with a proven track record.

Gonzalez, though, can’t shake the feeling that Lloyd crossed the line in trying to crack him during an interrogation.

He said that at one point while Lloyd was asking questions, the detective casually flipped over his phone, which had been sitting on the table. On the back of the protective case, Gonzalez said, was a grim reaper sticker.

“And then as he turned it he looked at me as if to get a reaction from me,” Gonzalez said. “It was definitely a way of trying to intimidate me for sure.”

An expert braved a mini tour of the UK’s ‘worst hotel chain’ properties and reportedly found a tissue in a kettle, scum in a pool, a view of an overflowing skip and mismatched, tired furniture were among the delights waiting to greet him

After a hotel chain was named the worst in Britain for the 11th consecutive year, a curious expert decided to investigate to see if things were really that bad at their numerous properties across the country in prime locations.

Britannia Hotels has consistently been awarded the dubious title of worst hotel chain in surveys conducted by consumer magazine Which? Many of its individual properties also have low to average scores on Tripadvisor where visitors have left scathing reviews.

Guest complaints include issues with cleanliness, tired furniture, poor service and barely edible food. It comes after a Brit abroad slams all-inclusive hotel food asking ‘what on earth is this?’

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Travel writer Gavin Haines wanted to see if the reports and findings were accurate and if things were really that bad on site. He stayed at three different hotels belonging to Britannia and it’s safe to say what he experienced certainly backed the research and reviews.

He had contacted Which? editor Rory Boland about the “abysmal” overall customer satisfaction ratings and was advised not to even bother visiting. “With over a decade of dismal reviews, our results suggest that Britannia should be avoided at all costs,” he was told.

Despite this he braved a stay at the Royal Bath in the traditional coastal town of Bournemouth. The grand hotel has a rich history – it was opened in 1838 on Queen Victoria’s Coronation Day and was the first hotel in the town.

It is set in its own landscaped grounds with spectacular views out to sea, which, its dedicated wedding website claims, makes it the perfect spot for your special day.

However Gavin found the venue’s interior special in a very different way. “The mismatched furniture looks like it was sourced in haste from a house clearance shop and makes me feel homesick,” he writes in the Telegraph.

“While the views make me want to call the Samaritans (if we can reasonably describe a rusty air conditioning unit, some broken guttering and fag ends on an enclosed flat roof as views).”

He couldn’t even bring himself to make a brew to improve his experience because the kettle had tissue inside it, “for reasons I’d rather not speculate on”.

One of the Royal Bath’s selling points is its spa with a heated indoor pool, steam room and gym. Unfortunately this also let the side down with a reported “line of scum” clinging to the tiles in the pool.

On Tripadvisor, where the hotel has a 2.6 score out of 5, one recent review backed his slimy discovery. In July this year, one visitor was looking forward to a spa day with high tea that had been booked by a friend but was incredibly “disappointed” by what they encountered.

“The Spa and pool was shabby, dated with missing tiles and broken lockers,” they revealed. “Nobody was at the desk so we had to wait to be allowed in. The crescent shaped pool was full of kids and toddlers, a tiny jacuzzi and sauna which were full and there were not enough loungers to accommodate everyone and hardly creating a peaceful luxurious experience!”

The high tea was more of a low point as well with, “sweaty cheese and curling bread”. When it came to Gavin’s dining experience, he did note that there probably wasn’t anywhere else in the popular town where you could get a three course meal for £15 in such grand surroundings, but you “get what you pay for”.

In his case it was a rock hard bread roll, overcooked and undercooked (quite a feat) carrots in the beef stew and a glow in the dark dessert.

Unfortunately his nights at other properties in the group were on par. The “ironically named” Palace Hotel in Buxton (3 out of 5 on TripAdvisor), like the Royal Bath, is a beautiful old building in a classical style set in five acres of gardens.

Sadly he didn’t get to admire these out of the window of his room that was “so cold I didn’t want to get out of bed”. Instead he was met with the choice view of an overflowing skip and old furniture dumped in a grotty car park.

While other visitors were similarly disappointed with the hotel, with many on Tripadvisor complaining of dirty rooms with poor facilities, there were those who appreciated its faded grandeur: “This hotel has lots of character & charm, yes parts are dated but that adds to its beauty,” shared one.

Another agreed: “For me the grandness of the building and the aspect looking out of the town was wonderful. Room didn’t have a window – as a result I had the best night’s sleep – didn’t know what time it was! I’d visit again – can put up with a bit of outdatedness for the charm and style of the place.”

Meanwhile, Gavin’s not-so-magical mystery tour had more delights in store at the Grand Burstin, Folkestone (2.7 out of 5 on TripAdvisor). The hotel made headlines in 2022 when chunks of its facade blew off, plummeting below onto a coach in the car park. Two people were injured. The year before a family cut short their stay there and likened it to Fawlty Towers – the disastrous hotel in John Cleese’s classic comedy.

So Gavin probably arrived with some understandable fear and trepidation, which would have been entirely justified but here he was treated to rose petals in his room.

However it seemed these weren’t a romantic welcome token from a thoughtful housekeeper and instead, “had presumably featured in a recent low-budget dirty weekend”. The spa facilities here were described as “scuzzy” and evoked “verruca socks”.

With plenty of Tripadvisor reviews of the various properties calling out their tired appearance, there are also those that highlight improvements that have been made, especially at the Royal Bath.

Britannia has invested £1million there recently but it seems, as with a lot of its premises, it’s pot luck what room you are allocated. One horrified guest says they were given a “cheap, nasty and dinky” room without a window in the “stinking” East Wing. While on the flip side, another was reportedly allocated a “spacious” room with a sea view, despite not paying extra for it.

It’s a similar pattern at the Burstin. While the reviewer wasn’t at all impressed with his room, others had a very different experience. One returning guest was perfectly happy with their allocation in August this year. They wrote on Tripadvisor: “Another superb stay here. But this time an even better room with an even better perfect sea view. Room was lovely clean and comfortable Well done Grand Burstin.”

Another who was wary of what to expect after reading poor reviews shared: “I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel. Its not the Ritz or something flash and modern, it is what you pay for – a budget hotel.”

The Mirror has contacted Britannia Hotels for comment.

It’s often named as one of the best places to live in the UK but this postcard-worthy village – used by Tim Burton for the Jonny Depp horror film Sleepy Hollow – has a chilling secret befitting of one of the movies it’s been used in

It is a charming, quintessential English village that often gets the nod by experts as being one of the prettiest and best places to live in the country.

Hambleden, nestled in a valley in Buckinghamshire, has attracted film crews time and time again thanks to its stunning scenery and Olde English allure. The Telegraph has ranked it among England’s 30 most beautiful villages, most recently as 2022.

The stunning landscapes at Culden Faw Estate help its character, spanning a vast 3,500 acres of mature beech woods, parkland, and sweeping chalk valleys. The estate incorporates the village within its picturesque panorama, reports Surrey Live. Another place you can step inside is the quirky British village where Liam Gallagher and Tom Cruise have been spotted.

For those who appreciate the finer things in life, the Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery awaits, a proud recipient of the Travellers‘ Choice Award. Embark on an enchanting tour through the vineyards and seize the opportunity to sample a burgeoning array of wines.

Over at nearby Cliveden House, step into a world once inhabited by the elite and influential. Famed for its high-profile guests and notorious for centuries of salacious rumours and lavish celebrations, Cliveden has been a fixture since 1666.

What would a quaint country village be without its chic dining establishments frequented by celebrities? Nestled at the core of Hambleden lies The Stag and Huntsman, not your average gastropub but one that prides itself on “killer wallpaper” and also operates as a charming boutique hotel.

Hambleden, understandably, has been home to some big names. Deep Purple co-founder Jon Lord lived and died here, while 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Phil Vickery also spent some time as an inhabitant.

All that considered, it’s no wonder that sometimes visiting feels like stepping into a Midsomer Murders episode. The idyllic village has been used in a number of big productions for both television and cinema.

It has featured as the backdrop for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Into the Woods and Nanny McPhee Returns, and in TV series like Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and Amazon’s mini-series Good Omens with David Tennant. Most recently, Greys Anatomy stars Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams were seen in the village during the shooting of Disney’s Enchanted sequel, Disenchanted, which was released in 2022.

Among the big-name directors who picked it out as a potential filming location, Tim Burton is arguably the biggest. He chose Hambleden as the place to shoot Johnny Depp horror film Sleepy Hollow.

But this tiny village has a dark, dark secret that fits the tone of Burton’s creepy classic. Back in 1912, archaeologists discovered the skeletal remains of 97 newborn infants at the historical Yewden Villa.

The bones were rediscovered stored in cigarette tins within a storage room at Chiltern Archaeology in 2008, triggering debate over the cause of their deaths. In 2010, a researcher proposed that the ancient Roman villa might have operated as a brothel where residents and workers committed infanticide across a 50-year span.

Alternative theories suggest it housed a cult that carried out horrific and brutal operations on the infants. Whatever the truth of this awful discovery, Hambleden remains an ideal place for a day out in the countryside packed with intrigue, history and fairytale charm.

A travel expert warned against taking one item of clothing off on a plane, and it’s left some people feeling a little bit queasy, especially when they know the potential consequences

Appropriate aircraft attire is so important, yet countless passengers continue to disregard this guidance, sporting leggings, crop tops, and man-made fabrics. With so many adorable airport ensembles to choose from – tracksuits and trainers being perennial travel staples – many holidaymakers prefer to touch down at their destination already dressed for summer in flowing floral frocks or shorts paired with sandals, primed to bask in the sunshine.

However, a travel guru has revealed crucial information you’d be foolish to dismiss, as ignoring her advice could lead to revolting health consequences that you definitely don’t want occurring before your getaway begins.

Kate Van Dyke, who serves as Travel and Leisure’s associate social media editor, declared: “Before you head to the airport for your next trip, here’s what not to wear on the plane.”

She implored travellers to “leave the open-toed shoes in your suitcase,” explaining that you’ll “be doing your neighbour a huge favour”.

The expert also cautioned that it’s “probably been a while since that carpet and under the seats were deep cleaned”.

But what makes exposing your bare feet on an aircraft so revolting?

Removing your footwear during flight subjects your feet to numerous bacteria and potential dangers.

Aeroplane floors are seldom given a proper scrub between journeys, meaning passengers risk encountering bacteria, fungi, and viruses that could trigger infections like athlete’s foot, plantar warts, or potentially more severe skin conditions – particularly if you’ve got any cuts or grazes.

Carpet surfaces frequently harbour bodily fluids, food spillages, and various other nasties, heightening the chances of picking up something rather unpleasant.

Moreover, the arid cabin atmosphere and cramped conditions can leave your skin more vulnerable to irritation and cracking, which only amplifies infection risks.

While the likelihood of contracting something genuinely serious remains fairly minimal for most healthy individuals, it’s typically more sanitary to keep your footwear – or at minimum your socks – firmly in place throughout your flight, particularly during loo visits, as what appears to be water might actually be something considerably more revolting.

Kate also cautioned against wearing “avoid strong fragrances,” while airborne, so although you might fancy dousing yourself with 100 spritzes of that gorgeous perfume you spotted in Duty Free, if it’s likely to offend fellow passengers, it’s probably best avoided.

She explained: “Scents spread far and wide when you’re in an enclosed space like a plane cabin, and your favourite fragrance may be overpowering to others.”

In the comments section, some travellers insisted there was “nothing like” removing your shoes “on a flight,” declaring “sorry not sorry”.

“I had to tell the man behind me to put his shoes back on. The smell was about to knock me out,” one person joked. A woman advised: “Avoid all fragrances, because they can set off some serious migraines for some of us.”

One bloke revealed: “I hate to say it, but I wear shoes that I can run in in case there’s an emergency.”

I took a week of vacation to relax, clear my head and stop obsessing over depressing news.

I hear frequently from people who say that, for their peace of mind, they’re tuning out the news altogether, so I tried it for a couple of days. Opened a book. Walked the dog.

Steve Lopez

Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist.

But I’m in the news business, and I felt like a hypocrite, so I kept sneaking peeks. As it turns out, that wasn’t healthy.

You can’t follow a single 24-hour news cycle without questioning your own sanity.

Do we really live in a country in which the president posts fake videos of a predecessor being arrested?

In which a dead man’s sex trafficking crimes dominate White House news for days on end?

In which the federal government has made it a priority to arrest tamale vendors and fire meteorologists?

President Trump holds a gavel after signing the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4.

(Brendan Smialowski / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

In which the Social Security Administration sends us emails fawning over the president and making false claims, the White House jokes and memes about immigration raids and the Department of Homeland Security triggers a trolling war with social media posts about its version of national heritage?

I have a weekly goal of avoiding alcoholic beverages on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but in this political culture, what chance do I have?

With lots of time to practice, I picked up my guitar, but events of the last few weeks continued to haunt me.

The “Big Beautiful Bill” that Trump signed into law on July 4 will add trillions to the national debt, heap tax breaks on those who need them least and rip healthcare coverage away from the neediest. As a result, L.A. County’s health services are anticipating federal cutbacks in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We can’t survive this big a cut,” Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County’s head of public health, told the Times for a story by Rebecca Ellis and Niamh Ordner. She added: “I’ve been around a long time. I’ve never actually seen this much disdain for public health.”

Dr. Jonathan LoPresti, who worked at County/USC for decades and is an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, is alarmed. He sent me an a copy of an opinion piece he’s writing, which includes a warning that county hospitals could “again be overrun with the poor … and homeless, leading to further hospital and ER overcrowding, delayed discharges and reduction in routine health maintenance … That could lead to an increase in community TB cases and more serious complications of treatable disease, as well as deaths.”

He added this:

“How many public deaths are people willing to accept?”

There is no limit, judging by crystal clear signals from Washington.

I think we can all agree that historic rainstorms, hurricanes and wildfires in the United States and the rest of the world will continue to kill thousands.

Here’s a synopsis of the Trump response:

The U.S. climate change website has been shut down.

Protesters gather on the National Mall for the “Hands Off” protest against the administration of President Trump on April 5.

(Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The administration says the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be eliminated, and the urban search and rescue chief has resigned, citing chaos and dangerous disaster response delays.

Layoffs and buyouts have reduced National Weather Service ranks by 14% despite warnings of dire consequences.

So I swam laps, thinking that having my head under might help, but it only made me feeling like I was drowning.

Hundreds of probationary workers at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration have been fired, and the fulltime staff will be trimmed by 2,000.

These cuts, and the elimination of federal support for scientific research, are damaging in obvious ways. But when I asked UCLA professor Alex Hall what’s most disturbing, here’s what the director of the Center for Climate Science had to say:

“I feel like the thing that’s most chilling is the way the word ‘climate’ has become a dirty word.”

In other words, the politicization of the subject — Trump and supporters insist human-caused climate change is either exaggerated or a hoax — has created a form of censorship.

“That’s where we really start to face dangers — when people can’t talk about something,” said Hall, who has been studying the link between climate change and California wildfires.

I may be a little biased on this topic. My daughter just graduated from college with a degree in earth science. What she and thousands like her are being told, essentially, is, “Good for you, but the planet’s health is neither a concern nor a priority. If you’re looking for work, the Border Patrol is hiring, and cryptocurrency might be a good career path.”

So there you have it. That’s how I spent my summer vacation, failing miserably in my attempt to look the other way.

But all was not lost.

I played pickleball a couple of times, in Glendale and Los Feliz, and suffered no major injuries. I took my beagle Philly to Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach and watched him race around like the happiest hound in the world. And, borrowing from Trump’s penchant for cutbacks, I’ve trimmed my list of no-alcohol days from three to two.

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Coronation Street star Jacob Roberts has opened up about his character Kit Green’s fate following the police officer’s brutal stabbing at the hands of Mick Michaelis

Coronation Street’s Jacob Roberts may have inadvertently revealed the grim fate of his character, Kit Green, following a recent injury admission on Monday (July 14).

Jacob made his debut on the ITV soap last year as police officer Kit, who has been grappling with numerous challenges of late.

Kit was first introduced to his biological mother, Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove), who had previously given him up for adoption. He later reconnected with his troublesome school mates, Mick (Joe Layton) and Lou Michaelis (Farrel Hegarty).

Mick found himself behind bars after murdering Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) last month, while Lou is currently in custody following her recent assault on Gary Windass (Mikey North).

Jacob, who portrays Kit, appeared on ITV’s Lorraine this morning, where he discussed tonight’s shocking episode with host Ranvir Singh. The episode sees Mick return to the street after breaking out of prison, reports Leicestershire Live.

In the hour-long episode, now available for streaming on ITVX, Mick shows up at Underworld in search of his eldest daughter, Joanie (Savanna Pennington).

He traps Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) and Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) in the office, while a frightened Sally (Sally Dynevor) hides Joanie on the roof.

Kit soon arrives on the scene, leading to a violent confrontation between the former friends that culminates in Mick stabbing the police officer. A gravely injured Kit is then rushed to hospital, with a horrified Sarah and Bernie looking on.

During his chat on Lorraine, Jacob opened up about a painful incident he experienced while shooting an intense fight scene with his on-screen nemesis.

“Me and Mick, Joe Layton who plays him, all our scenes together, we’re pretty much fighting all the time,” Jacob remarked, teasing the tumultuous times ahead for his character.

“And you only have half an hour to do the fight scenes with the fight coordinator, so there’s no time for error in those sort of scenes,” he further divulged.

“He literally lamped me on the chin, and as a true thespian he reacted straight away, like, ‘Oh, sorry’. I wish he’d just carried on… My jaw was hurting for the rest of the day.”

The 35 year old star didn’t shy away from sharing a personal low point that coincided with his Coronation Street debut—the harrowing ordeal of his rescue dog, Bugsy, going missing.

“The first day I was on Coronation Street, I needed someone to obviously mind him, and my dad had taken him out and I think he escaped the leash. He was out for eight hours,” Jacob confided.

“He was terrible at recall when I got him… I was just stressing throughout the day… I finished work and was out for two hours trying to rugby tackle a dog, but he’s good now.”

A member of cabin crew has shared the one thing that you should never do when you’re flying on a plane, with many Brits admitting to using the unhygienic storage

A flight attendant has revealed the part of a plane that should be avoided at all costs.

CiCi in the Sky, who describes herself as a ‘sky ally’ and ‘travel alchemist’, boasts over 300,000 TikTok followers who turn to her for expert guidance on air travel. The aviation specialist recently revealed the dirtiest parts of the plane she’d recommend avoiding.

She strongly advises against using seat pockets, labelling them as “gross” due to the variety of items people shove into them. The cabin crew member then cautioned her audience to refrain from stowing their coats or other loose belongings in the overhead bins, again highlighting hygiene concerns.

“I mean I’ve never seen them cleaned and I’ve seen people’s stuff spill out of their bags and get all over people’s jackets, clothes or whatever so just don’t do it,” Cici said.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email [email protected]

READ MORE: Full list of Europe hotspots that don’t want Brit tourists to visit this summer

A Reddit user going by the name HausofDarling issued a stark warning on the ‘Flight attendants of Reddit’ forum, advising passengers to steer clear of using the seat pocket on commercial jets. They cautioned: “I always recommend you never, ever, ever, ever use or put anything in the seat pocket. They are cleared of rubbish but are never ‘cleaned’.”

The flight attendant went on to describe the unsavoury items they’ve encountered in these pockets: “I have pulled out and seen all sorts being pulled out from there. Dirty tissues, sick bags, knickers, socks, gum, half sucked sweets, apple cores, and then next flight you go and put your phone, laptop or iPad in there.”

Another crew member, choosing to remain anonymous, corroborated these claims with their own grim discoveries, including: “I once discovered vomit outside of the paper bag which spilled through the seat pocket. It was absolutely awful, but what can you do?”.

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Despite such horrors, new research from AllClear Travel Insurance reveals that 7 in 10 (70%) travellers admit to unhygienic habits while flying Topping the list is storing personal items inside the seatback pocket (30%) – one of the most unhygienic parts of the plane – followed by resting your head on the tray table (19%) and using the toilet without shoes or in socks (13%)

AllClear also spoke to an ex-flight attendants about the horrors of the seat pocket. They said: “Sometimes dirty nappies and used sick bags would be left in seat pockets.”

Almost a third of travellers (29%) store their personal items and food in seatback pockets, but these areas are rarely cleaned. Where possible, travellers should try to store snacks in resealable containers and sanitise their hands if they use the pockets.

Chunks of blue ice could plunge from an aircraft as it comes in to land, and the block is made up of waste and disinfectant mixed together

The definition of blue ice on an aircraft has nothing to do with fancy drinks or cocktails. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

According to SKYbrary, ‘blue ice’ is known as “the frozen sewage material that has leaked mid-flight from commercial aircraft lavatory waste systems.”

In simpler words, it’s frozen waste from the lavatories, a mixture of human waste and blue disinfectant, which freezes at temperatures below 60C.

The ‘blue ice’ that has been accumulated throughout the flight can then detach from the aircraft during the landing. Although it’s rare to fall from its high altitude, it could be dangerous to anyone it falls on, and could even damage a property.

READ MORE: Turkey holidays update for Brits as devastating wildfires destroy resorts

Airlines are not actually allowed to deliberately dispose of such waste mid-flight and, according to Skybrary, they have no means of doing so.

There is no special lever to pull. But there have been occasions where leaks have happened from the septic tank on-board an aircraft.

Heathrow Airport, Britain’s biggest aviation hub, says there are on average 25 ice fall incidents per year countrywide. “So the chance of experiencing property damage due to falling ice is extremely low,” it added.

It then went on to explain exactly how the waste is collected, and said: “Waste collection happens when the aircraft lands at an airport and is disposed of responsibly. However, there have been reported incidents where the hose valve that is used to empty the aircraft has been faulty and leaked fluid which has frozen at altitude.

“This rare occurrence usually results in discoloured ice and is commonly referred to as “blue ice.”

Blue ice has caused injuries and damage

As reported by the Daily Mail in December 2015, a woman in her 60s got almost hit with a chunk of a mysterious block of ice that fell from the sky over a village in India.

The woman was left with a shoulder injury. However, she said that those from her village, Aamkhoh, could’ve received worse injuries. Witnesses said the ice crashed onto someone’s home terrace before it got to her.

In 2016, a teacher from Canada claimed that a “frozen lump of excrement from a plane passing overhead” created a hole in the roof of her mother’s home.

She claimed that right after waking up from a loud noise, she found a hole in the ceiling with a puddle of water on the floor, 15 feet from where she was sleeping.

After calling a professional to inspect and repair the damage, they described it to be the “strangest thing they had ever seen.”

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A flight attendant has shared the unexpected hotel appliance you should always check before using it – and you’ll probably never look at it the same way again

Checking into a hotel room often brings the joy of unwinding, but a seasoned flight attendant has shared a word of caution about a common hotel item. Barbara Bacilieri, from Argentina, is no stranger to hotel stays thanks to her flying career, yet she confessed there’s one thing you might not consider when brewing up a cuppa in your room.

Revealing all to her TikTok followers, Barbara insists you should ALWAYS peek inside the kettle to confirm it’s clean before use. She warned: “Always take a look inside the coffee pot. Before boiling water for making tea or coffee, think it through.”

The Argentinian air hostess shocked viewers with claims that guests have used the kettle for bizarre purposes, from rinsing underwear and cooking sausages to cleaning menstrual cups!

So, the next time you settle into your travel abode, make it a point to boil the kettle once and give it a good rinse prior to enjoying your brew. Barbara added: “You weren’t expecting this one, right? Just imagine how many other things guests do and we don’t know.”

But that’s not all Barbara suggests scrutinising – she also points out the importance of inspecting the bed. While it may appear spotless, certainty is elusive. She advises: “Before getting into bed, lift the sheets. Check for bugs or socks that other guests may have left behind.”

The flight attendant expressed her astonishment at the lengths some guests go to pilfer items from hotel rooms, and we’re not just talking about the complimentary mini toiletries.

“Some people believe that everything in the room is up for grabs, or they feel entitled because they’ve paid a hefty sum,” she remarked.

“Items like the batteries from the remote control or even worse, the light bulbs.”

However, she clarified in the video that while tea, coffee and sugar are free to use and take, mugs and pillows certainly aren’t. “You wouldn’t believe how many guests nick the hotel pillows.”

And as for hotel towels?

“Loads of people have them at home.”

Barbara ended on a humorous note, suggesting you should always check the hotel safe – you might just get lucky if “the previous guest forgot their millions.”

Watch out Kim Tate! Emmerdale’s new ‘super bitch’, Casualty actress Jaye Griffiths is relishing her role as the new village baddie Celia

Emmerdale’s new ‘super bitch’ farmer Jaye Griffiths has praised the Yorkshire soap for casting a Black actor as a baddie and not a saviour.

Already a household name, after a 40-year career that’s seen her appear in everything from The Bill to Silent Witness, EastEnders and Casualty, Jaye says her new role as Celia is one of her best ever.

Jaye, 61, says of ITV casting her as a ‘bitch’: “It was a courageous thing to do. We (black actors) are often portrayed as the saviours, because the white saviour rolling in on a horse is such trope that it’s now the reverse – namely black people ride in to save the day.

“But Emmerdale has said ‘good and bad people, they don’t have a skin colour, there are just good and bad people’. I’m thrilled Emmerdale has done this.”

READ MORE: Soap stars who flopped in America from shop assistant to one-hit wonder

And Celia is a delight to play.

“She is not a wallflower and in the opening scenes, she’s like a bulldog!” says Jaye. “Celia has so many secrets and that’s fantastic.

“She doesn’t need any friends, she doesn’t understand when people get upset and she never says sorry! She gets what she wants and this is, without a shadow of doubt, one of the best ever parts I’ve been given.

“Playing Celia is so freeing. She never worries about what people think. I love playing Celia.”

Aside from her part, Jaye says Emmerdale is a super-friendly place to work.

“Everyone wants the show to be good and they aren’t threatened by new people coming in,” she says. “It’s good to be kind to one another.” But Celia is far from kind.

On Monday she will turn up at Moira’s door asking to rent two of her fields. Despite needing the money, Moira refuses and the two women then enter into a fierce war of words – with Celia being very catty towards the Dingle favourite.

Then she falls out with Paddy Dingle (played by Dominic Brunt), who is attacked by one of her security dogs and hospitalised.

“As viewers will soon see, there will be consequences if you don’t give Celia what she wants,” Jaye teases. “Celia is upfront with people and it’s not horrible – more a case of ‘give me what I want’. The fact people take offence is astonishing to her!

One of my favourite words she uses is ‘cheerio’ as she says it in a slightly threatening way.

“You can’t trust what she says is true either!”

As for hospitalising Paddy? “Celia doesn’t take any responsibility,” says Jaye.

“Winding Paddy up is very enjoyable for her. She has a run in with Moira, but she will be having other power struggles, not just with the women, but men too. She’s an equal opportunities wind up person!”

Unlike her character, Jaye is likeable and she has a great sense of humour.

With acting credits including Ros Henderson in the BBC’s Bugs, D.I Sally Johnson in The Bill and Elle Gardner in Casualty, she has plenty to boast about.

But she says: “When I was a child, pride was considered a sin. So, when I look back on my jobs, I don’t know if I am proud or not. I am certainly not ashamed.”

Bugs, Casualty and The Bill were her three favourite dramas.

“I’d go back on The Bill in a heartbeat if they ever brought it back,” she confides.

“My character, Sally, was a bit naughty but it was a joyous show to work on. I used to love getting out the warrant card and there were times I wished I could get it out when I was driving in real life!

“I also did a small film called Care. That was extraordinary too and I loved Bugs.”

Married to Paul Bezodis, they live in Hertfordshire with their two rescue dogs.

“Everyone needs someone who has your back and says ‘yes’ for you,” she says, referring to Paul. “I am lucky I have that.”

Immediately clicking with the Emmerdale cast, Jaye has bonded with Beth Cordingly, who plays Ruby Milligan, and Natalie J Robb, who plays her arch-rival, Moira. “Dominic, I also had a bit of a crush on when I did my audition,” she chuckles. “He was so generous and kind with his time and, there and then, I knew I wanted to work with him all the time! All the cast are lovely.’

And her secret to proving herself on Emmerdale is simple.

Like most things, the best way is to turn up on time and do your job,” she says. She will definitely have one big fan when she makes her entrance in the Dales – her mum. ,Jaye chuckles: “OMG my mum was beside herself when she found out I’d got the part of Celia. She was so excited and told everyone

“You would think I had been put on the Apollo mission!”

And the rollercoaster Celia is about to take us on will certainly keep viewers on their toes. “She is such a strange, complex woman,” says Jaye. “There is more to come. It is so much fun. Celia wears farm clothes but there is not a scrap of mud on her. She is immaculate. She wears a cravat and there is a reason for that …”

Her advice to other Emmerdale folk is to beware of Celia and give her what she wants!

She says: “I know viewers will think she is a villain at the start, but there is also a lot more to her and she will calm down.

‘She will be manipulating people too. My advice to all the villagers is give Celia what she wants then they won’t have to watch out!”

*Emmerdale airs every weekday on ITV1 and STV1 on weekdays at 7.30pm.

Coronation Street’s Gary Windass has been missing for a while, and now spoilers have confirmed he’s secretly been attacked and is fighting for his life in a coma

Gary Windass’ fate in Coronation Street and what happened to him will finally be explained on the ITV soap, as a shocking new image confirms his fight for survival.

The character has been missing after failing to return home, leaving his loved ones worried. It escalates next week as Gary misses his stepson Liam Connor’s birthday, and Maria Connor decides to report her husband as a missing person.

Detective Kit Green soon gets involved and reassures Maria that an unidentified coma patient discovered is not Gary. But we learn someone has attacked him and is covering their tracks, with their identity revealed very soon.

New spoilers and a horrifying image reveal Gary is facing death, and is fighting for his life in a coma. While spoilers had revealed Gary was in hospital, there’s new details surrounding the mystery.

Gary has been viciously attacked by a yet to be named person or people. He’s now unconscious in hospital, with it yet to be revealed whether he survives or not.

READ MORE: Coronation Street ‘reveal’ what Nina and Summer saw as character left for dead

As his family wonders where he is, someone knows and has chosen to stay silent. After brutally attacking Gary they’ve gone to huge lengths to cover up their grim crime, and we will see the full extent of this in upcoming episodes.

Not only that, but it’s been revealed that the attacker is hiding Gary’s real identity to stop his family from being informed about what has happened. The attacker is still very much involved in the plot, and we will soon find out who they are and why they did their crime.

Gary is very close to the Street, in a coma in Weatherfield General – so will Maria and the police find him? Friday’s episode will reveal the moment Gary is revealed to be a coma patient at the hospital in a dramatic development to the mystery surrounding his vanishing act.

As Maria’s concern continues she’s stunned to get a message from him claiming to be staying with a mate. But something happens next week that leaves her seriously worried, and she heads to the police station to report him as missing.

The attacker meanwhile has claimed Gary is someone else, faking his name and identity. To make matters worse, the attacker is also fraudulently claiming to be his next of kin.

Knowing the state he is in, they continue to keep it from his family to cover their tracks. Obviously pretending to be family to keep an eye on his condition, what will they do if Gary wakes up?

Gary remains in a critical condition as the storyline continues, and the episodes ahead will delve into the events that left him in a coma. With secrets to be uncovered and the identity of those involved coming to light, there’s so much to come out about what has happened.

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .