involved

WASHINGTON — President Trump is showing little urgency to broker a compromise that would end the government shutdown, even as Democrats insist no breakthrough is possible without his direct involvement.

Three weeks in, Congress is at a standstill. The House hasn’t been in session for a month, and senators left Washington on Thursday frustrated by the lack of progress. Republican leaders are refusing to negotiate until a short-term funding bill to reopen the government is passed, while Democrats say they won’t agree without guarantees on extending health insurance subsidies.

For now, Trump appears content to stay on the sidelines.

He spent the week celebrating an Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal he led, hosted a remembrance event for conservative activist Charlie Kirk and refocused attention on the Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, his administration has been managing the shutdown in unconventional ways, continuing to pay the troops while laying off other federal employees.

Asked Thursday whether he was willing to deploy his dealmaking background on the shutdown, Trump seemed uninterested.

“Well, look, I mean, all we want to do is just extend. We don’t want anything, we just want to extend, live with the deal they had,” he said in an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office. Later Thursday, he criticized Democratic health care demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Democrats must first vote to reopen the government, “then we can have serious conversations about health care.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune echoed that approach before leaving for the weekend, saying Trump is “ready to weigh in and sit down with the Democrats or whomever, once the government opens up.”

Thune said he’d also be willing to talk, but only after the shutdown ends.

“I am willing to sit down with Democrats,” Thune posted on social media Friday.

“But there’s one condition: End the Schumer Shutdown. I will not negotiate under hostage conditions, nor will I pay a ransom,” he added.

Frustration is beginning to surface among rank-and-file Republicans, with bipartisan conversations breaking out on the Senate floor as members look for ways to move things forward. Still, even those Republicans admit little happens in Congress without Trump’s direction.

Leaving the Capitol on Thursday, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, “We’re not making much headway this week.” For things to progress, Murkowski acknowledged Trump may need to get more involved: “I think he’s an important part of it.”

“I think there are some folks in his administration that are kind of liking the fact that Congress really has no role right now,” she added. “I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all.”

Trump has not been slowed by the shutdown

While Congress has been paralyzed by the shutdown, Trump has moved rapidly to enact his vision of the federal government.

He has called budget chief Russ Vought the “grim reaper,” and Vought has taken the opportunity to withhold billions of dollars for infrastructure projects and lay off thousands of federal workers, signaling that workforce reductions could become even more drastic.

At the same time, the administration has acted unilaterally to fund Trump’s priorities, including paying the military this week, easing pressure on what could have been one of the main deadlines to end the shutdown.

Some of these moves, particularly the layoffs and funding shifts, have been criticized as illegal and are facing court challenges. A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the administration from firing workers during the shutdown, ruling that the cuts appeared politically motivated and were carried out without sufficient justification.

And with Congress focused on the funding fight, lawmakers have had little time to debate other issues.

In the House, Johnson has said the House won’t return until Democrats approve the funding bill and has refused to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva. Democrats say the move is to prevent her from becoming the 218th signature on a discharge petition aimed at forcing a vote on releasing documents related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

So far, the shutdown has shown little impact on public opinion.

An AP-NORC poll released Thursday found that 3 in 10 U.S. adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of the Democratic Party, similar to an AP-NORC poll from September. Four in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of the Republican Party, largely unchanged from last month.

Democrats want Trump at the table. Republicans would rather he stay out

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have said Republicans have shown little seriousness in negotiating an end to the shutdown.

“Leader Thune has not come to me with any proposal at this point,” Schumer said Thursday.

Frustrated with congressional leaders, Democrats are increasingly looking to Trump.

At a CNN town hall Wednesday night featuring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, both repeatedly called for the president’s involvement when asked why negotiations had stalled.

“President Trump is not talking. That is the problem,” Sanders said.

Ocasio-Cortez added that Trump should more regularly “be having congressional leaders in the White House.”

Democrats’ focus on Trump reflects both his leadership style — which allows little to happen in Congress without his approval — and the reality that any funding bill needs the president’s signature to become law.

This time, however, Republican leaders who control the House and Senate are resisting any push for Trump to intervene.

“You can’t negotiate when somebody’s got a hostage,” said South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, who added that Trump getting involved would allow Democrats to try the same tactic in future legislative fights.

Trump has largely followed that guidance. After previously saying he would be open to negotiating with Democrats on health insurance subsidies, he walked it back after Republican leaders suggested he misspoke.

And that’s unlikely to change for now. Trump has no plans to personally intervene to broker a deal with Democrats, according to a senior White House official granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. The official added that the only stopgap funding bill that Democrats can expect is the one already on the table.

“The President is happy to have a conversation about health care policy, but he will not do so while the Democrats are holding the American people hostage,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Thursday.

A product of the Congress Trump has molded

In his second term, Trump has taken a top-down approach, leaving little in Congress to move without his approval.

“What’s obvious to me is that Mike Johnson and John Thune don’t do much without Donald Trump telling them what to do,” said Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.

His hold is particularly strong in the GOP-led House, where Speaker Mike Johnson effectivelyowes his job to Trump, and relies on his influence to power through difficult legislative fights.

When Republicans have withheld votes on Trump’s priorities in Congress, he’s called them on the phone or summoned them to his office to directly sway them. When that doesn’t work, he has vowed to unseat them in the next election. It’s led many Democrats to believe the only path to an agreement runs through the White House and not through the speaker’s office.

Democrats also want assurances from the White House that they won’t backtrack on an agreement. The White House earlier this year cut out the legislative branch entirely with a $4.9 billion cut to foreign aid in August through a legally dubious process known as a “pocket rescission.” And before he even took office late last year, Trump and ally Elon Musk blew up a bipartisan funding agreement that both parties had negotiated.

“I think we need to see ink on paper. I think we need to see legislation. I think we need to see votes,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “I don’t accept pinky promises. That’s not the business that I’m in.”

Both parties also see little reason to fold under public pressure, believing they are winning the messaging battle.

“Everybody thinks they’re winning,” Murkowski said. “Nobody is winning when everybody’s losing. And that’s what’s happening right now. The American public is losing.”

Cappelletti and Kim write for the Associated Press. AP writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

A LUCKY viewer of a brand new ITV game show has walked away with an eye-watering £1million.

Sienna McSwiggan, 20, secured the top prize last night on Win Win with People’s Postcode Lottery on Saturday night.

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The hotel manager from The Black Country took home the £1million cash prize, as well as two cars, two luxury holidays, a trip to Australia to see The Ashes and Take That tickets.

After answering the winning question correctly, Sienna questioned if it was real and said the money would be life-changing for herself and family.

She said: “I don’t even know what to say. I am in shock.

“I’ve literally got a penny in my account.

“I’m over the moon. It feel like a dream and someone’s gonna wake me up any minute.”

Hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, the quiz show sees contestants battling it out in the studio.

At home viewers can also get involved and play for prizes.

However, the show’s format also allows these viewers to become contestants in the studio.

Once they have bagged a prize, players have to face the ultimate decision.

They must choose between keeping their original prize or risk it all and trade it in to join Millionaire’s row.

Sienna took the gamble and traded a trip to the Maldives for a chance to win big.

The risk saw her take home one of the UK’s biggest telly prizes.

Last month, The Sun reported that another contestant took home a huge £20,000 jackpot.

After answering the final question correctly, Shayanne took home the winning prize.

Previously discussing the format, Mel Giedroyc said: “This quiz is so extra!

“Imagine winning something like a car just by playing along with a gameshow you’re watching on a Saturday night in your pyjamas?

“I can’t wait!”

Sue Perkins added: “If I wasn’t hosting this, I’d be playing it at home; sat in my leopard print onesie, cuddling the dog whilst trying to figure out The Nation’s favourite chocolate bar. Bring it on!”

Speaking to The Mirror ahead of yesterday’s finale, Sue added:  “Saturday’s show really is going to be a night like no other. 

“The thrilling thing, of course, is that all of this is going to be won by one person, and that person might even be a viewer turned contestant, who simply signed up, joined in from their sofa and got the surprise of their life.”

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RORY MCILROY has been involved in even more Ryder Cup fan drama over squeaky rubber ducks.

The Northern Irish ace has been one of the stars of the tournament so far as Team Europe look to keep hold of the famous trophy.

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RYDER CUP 2025 LIVE: FOLLOW ALL THE LATEST FROM BETHPAGE BLACK

McIlroy, 36, has been involved in clashes with the US fans on each day of the Ryder Cup.

And during the singles, it was no different as fans continuously tried to put him off with squeaky rubber ducks.

NBC has reported that the toys were handed out for free to fans who had bought a Cherry fizz drink on Sunday.

This led to the Bethpage Black Golf Course being filled with many of them, which were used to disrupt the play.

McIlroy had had enough of it by the time he tried to take his tee shot on the 10th hole during his match with Scottie Scheffler.

He could be seen asking security to remove fans who made the ducks squeak while he attempted to take his shot.

After speaking to the officials, McIlroy finally took his shot, but it ended up in the rough.

It is believed that the disruptive fans were kicked out by the staff.

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Fans watching from the comfort of their home have had a mixed reaction to the rubber ducks on social media.

One posted: “Squeaky ducks! Now we’re talking. That is the Ryder Cup.”

A second wrote: “Rubber Duck-gate was not on my bingo card for the Ryder Cup but here we are.”

A third commented: “Wonder what toy the Europeans will give the fans in Ireland in 2027.”

A fourth said: “It is such a stupid idea.”

The moment came just a day after McIlrou told the crowd to “shut the f*** up”.

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The blast came as he was being jeered while lining up a shot.

McIlroy’s wife Erica has also been the target of abuse as she was hit by a drink thrown from the stands.

She was left in tears as she was walked off the course.

McIlroy also refused to play at one point due to the amount of abuse he was subjected to on Saturday evening.

McIlroy is not the only golfer to lose his cool as Shane Lowry shouted expletives at a heckler.

Both sides have a player sent off as first half between Real Betis and Como descends into violence.

A preseason friendly between Spain’s Real Betis and Italian club Como got extra heated, with players exchanging punches and causing a mass scuffle.

The Italian club are managed by former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, while Betis are managed by former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini.

There were several rough exchanges in the first half of the match at La Linea de la Concepcion in southern Spain on Wednesday, and Betis player Pablo Fornals and Como midfielder Maximo Perrone then got into an altercation entering halftime.

They had a few brief words to each other and then started exchanging blows.

Players from both teams rushed in and the altercation escalated. The benches were cleared, with substitutes and staff members entering the field, some trying to break up the fighting.

It took several moments before order was re-established. The referee sent off a player from each team.

“We are competitive and both teams want to win, but in the end there’s a line you can’t cross in these matches,” Betis midfielder Sergi Altimira said. “They were making many fouls, stopping the match all the time.”

Como, which will face Barcelona in another preseason match on Sunday, won the friendly 3-2.

Former Spain international Fabregas played for Arsenal between 2003 and 2011, while Pellegrini was Pep Guardiola’s predecessor at Man City.

Odeh Hadalin, an activist, football player and participant in the Academy Award-winning documentary No Other Land, has been shot in the chest and killed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank. The suspect, Yinon Levi, has been under sanctions by the EU and the US.

Staff at the Tony Blair Institute participated in a project to redevelop Gaza into the Donald Trump-envisioned ‘riviera of the Middle East’, a report has found. The plan includes expelling Palestinians, as Soraya Lennie explains.

Ilona Verley, who rose to fame in the first season of Canada’s Drag Race, was involved in a car accident last week that left them with serious injuries.

The beloved Two-Spirit drag performer revealed the shocking news in an Instagram post uploaded on 24 June.

“This past week, I almost lost my life, I’m really scared & traumatized about what the future holds,” Ilona wrote.

“I’m so thankful to my dear sister @kikiwannakaikai for working with my mom @sandiverley to put this @gofundmeca together to help with my recovery.

“Any support financially or via sharing is so appreciated from the bottom of my heart, I am so thankful to be a member of so many incredible communities who have raised me, now I ask please help me heal.”

Additional information on Ilona’s injuries was revealed on their GoFundMe page, which was created to help raise funds for their medical expenses.

“Their injuries include: A bone deep laceration across the forehead into the upper nose, A deep laceration in one eyebrow, Broken nose (including exterior gashes), Dislocated Jaw, Severe abrasions across the entire left side of their face, Concussion, Fractured spine, Full-body trauma & deep tissue bruising,” the description revealed.

“Ilona has been fitted with a soft spinal brace and is on a majority bed rest for the next month – 2 months. Further spinal injuries are suspected, unfortunately, at this time, will be non-visible on initial imaging until scar tissue develops often 5-7 days later (this will be reassessed at a follow up appointment this coming week).

“Ilona will be scheduled to a rehabilitation program once well enough and cleared by doctors to move on from bed rest when their body allows, and will remain under their mother’s care during this time.”

Since creating their GoFundMe account, Ilona has raised $20,000 (CAD) out of their $24,000 goal.

The funds will help cover “monthly living costs during the first month – 2 month initial recovery and the many unexpected medical expenses that are not covered during this critical healing period.”

Ilona is also set to receive support from their drag mother, Alma Be, who’s raising money for their recovery with a local event titled Pidge Fest.

“‘She almost Pidged for real!’ Hello Vancouver, a little over a week ago, my drag daughter @ilonaverley was involved in a terrible accident. She sustained many injuries that will require her to be out of commission for the next few months,” Alma announced on Instagram.

“A successful GoFundMe has been running for the past few days where people far and wide have been able to show their love for Ilona. I wanted to throw a local event, and I’m happy to say that 10 drag artists have graciously donated their art, and we will be putting on a show right here on Davie Street! If you know Ilona, then you know how often she says Pidge and all the different meanings The word carries.”

Our thoughts are with Ilona as well as their family, friends and fans.

For more information on their GoFundMe, click here.

Julio Frenk does not appear to be a university administrator content to watch his school’s athletic program from the sidelines.

In his last stop before becoming UCLA’s chancellor, Frenk led an overhaul of the University of Miami’s athletic department, bringing in a new athletic director and football coach after the Hurricanes were criticized for not making football a priority under Frenk’s leadership.

That shakeup resulted in coach Mario Cristobal leading his team to a 10-3 season in 2024 that represented the Hurricanes’ best finish in nearly a decade.

Can UCLA fans expect a similar level of involvement in athletics from their new chancellor?

In a word, yes.

During a recent interview with The Times, Frenk indicated that he would be hands-on with UCLA athletics because of its importance to the university as a whole.

“I am [going to be involved] because I think athletics plays a very central role,” Frenk said. “It is, first, an avenue for recruiting very talented students. Secondly, it benefits the other students. It enriches the student experience of everyone. But let me tell you, when we talk about the contribution to society, part of the reason many universities have a deficit, it’s not because of football. Football actually has a positive cash flow for the university.

“What we do in the United States that no other country that I know of does, is that universities are the place where we train Olympians, Olympic competitors, competitors who go to the Olympic Games. That function — just like the research function — has been delegated to universities and we are investing in having Olympic athletes. In most of the other countries, it’s government-run high-performance centers.

“But here the federal government doesn’t have to worry about that because universities do that and they fund that. And when we have the Olympics every four years, everyone is very proud to see the United States top the medal chart. That work starts in universities and that’s why we also fund that. It’s an intrinsic part of education. It enriches everyone’s experience. It builds community. It also produces the best performing Olympic teams in the world.”

Frenk’s comments would seem to suggest that he is not considering any cuts to UCLA’s Olympic sports even at a time when the school’s athletic department has run up a $219.5-million deficit over the last six fiscal years. That deficit would be even higher had the university not agreed to provide $30 million to its athletic department as part of its most recent fiscal budget.

Frenk also said that federal legislation was needed “to create a much more predictable model” for football and men’s basketball, controlling expenses while propping up the rest of an athletic department.

UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk speaks during his inauguration ceremony at Royce Hall on June 5.

(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)

“I acknowledge this costs money,” Frenk said of allocating resources to the revenue sports, “but the money goes to be able to have all the other disciplines that do not generate money. The most direct way to do that would be to find other sources of funding. Right now, we use the revenue from football and that requires investments to fund the entire athletic operation.

“It is time to have a conversation and create a legal framework that doesn’t leave it to each institution or each state to find their own way in this. We’re part of an ecosystem. I think the move to the Big Ten has been very positive in that respect. And those are the conversations we are having. How do we generate other sources of revenue — mostly to be able not just to maintain the excellence of the sports that are widely followed by the public, but also all the other sports, including, very importantly, the Olympic sports, which are such a source of pride?”

Frenk has shown he will not tolerate failure in high-profile sports — or the perception that he is not doing everything he can to help his teams.

As Miami’s president, he led an upheaval of the school’s athletic department after ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit criticized the Hurricanes during a September 2021 broadcast, mentioning a Miami Herald article stating that football was not a priority for Frenk. Herbstreit went on to say that Miami’s athletic director, football coach and president were not in alignment about team needs like other powerhouse programs.

Five days later, Frenk issued a statement saying that he wanted “to make clear that the board of trustees and I, as president, recognize the essential part of our brand and reputation derived from athletics and we are fully committed to building championship-caliber teams at the U.” Frenk added that he would have his chief of staff and senior advisor engage with the athletic department to enhance his own commitment to sustain winning teams.

With the football team headed for a 7-5 finish that fell far short of preseason expectations, athletic director James Blake was fired before the end of the season and football coach Manny Diaz was dismissed a little more than a week after the final game. The Hurricanes then gave Cristobal a 10-year, $80-million contract, with Frenk attending the introductory news conference and calling his new coach’s selection “a bold vision for the future.”

UCLA football went 5-7 last season under first-year coach DeShaun Foster.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Last month, while making his first public remarks about UCLA athletics at a UC regents meeting, Frenk referenced the role athletics played in the school’s institutional identity, mentioning legendary basketball coach John Wooden and the Bruins’ dominance in Olympic sports with the school set to host the athlete village for the 2028 Olympics.

Frenk also mentioned how UCLA’s recent move to the Big Ten Conference was made with “the goal of stabilizing the program and positioning it for long-term success.” The chancellor referenced the school’s national championship in men’s water polo, a Final Four appearance in women’s basketball and a national runner-up finish in women’s gymnastics as part of a haul that also included six team and four individual conference titles, the most of any Big Ten team.

Ultimately, an athletic department is only as healthy as its highest-profile sports. UCLA’s football team needs to fully capitalize on the recent buzz created by the arrival of transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava after finishing 5-7 in coach DeShaun Foster‘s debut season. The men’s basketball team must maximize the ability of transfer point guard Donovan Dent to make everyone around him better if it hopes to make it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023.

Going forward, every UCLA team seems assured of one thing: Their new chancellor will be watching.

More than 520 additional former rugby players have joined a concussion lawsuit against the sport’s authorities, according to the law firm bringing the case.

Rylands Garth says there are now more than 1,100 former players involved, with 784 from rugby union and 319 from rugby league.

Steve Thompson, Mark Regan and Phil Vickery – part of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning squad – former Wales stars Gavin Henson, Colin Charvis and Ryan Jones and England and British and Lions scrum-half Harry Ellis are among those seeking damages from World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.

In November, former British and Irish Lions duo Lee Byrne and Phil Greening were confirmed to have joined the concussion lawsuit.

The former players claim the governing bodies were negligent in failing to take reasonable action to protect them from serious brain injuries.

A similar action is being taken against the Rugby Football League (RFL) and the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA).

“Players continue to play almost all-year round, with many elite players soon to embark on extremely physical summer tours across the rugby world. We will continue to fight for justice for those who gave so much to the game,” a Rylands Garth spokesperson said.